Euphoria

Chapter Nine: Nine Lives

Sean made his way through the crowd, hoping to find what he was searching for in Parallel. He was jostled quite a few times, the pretentious music enough to make his brain vibrate. "Marvin?" He questioned, his voice strained. "Marvin, where are you?"

Just then, a familiar laugh caught his attention, and he followed the sound, wondering how it could carry over the music.

Arriving in the VIP area where white, leather couches circled a round table, and a single broad, fluorescent light anchored to the ceiling above them, he found his ego, surrounded by a group of people. To call him a brother would be a vast overstatement.

They all sat around the table, Marvin in the middle, his signature cat mask framing his face, but it seemed he'd updated it since the last time they'd met because it was no longer styrofoam.

Sean unclipped the red rope that was stopping him from tearing his brother a new one, intent on walking inside.

A hand firmly clamped onto his shoulder, stopping him before he could. "Where do you think you're going, pretty boy? Last time I checked, your name wasn't on the list. Get outta here."

"I--"

"Let him through, Terry," Marvin said, looking positively amused at the display, taking a slow sip from his whiskey glass.

The guard glanced back at him before removing his hand from Sean's shoulder, pushing him into the VIP area and clipping the rope back into place. "Touch my rope again, and you and I are gonna have some problems."

Sean brushed himself off and fixed his shirt, the entire VIP section had their eyes on him now, and he could feel his cheeks heating up. He felt out of place; this was somewhere he knew he didn't belong. The feeling was almost dangerous. "We need to talk, Marvin. Right now."

"Right now?" Marvin asked, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "We can't have a drink first? Maybe a little chat? For old times sake. Come on, brother. Sit with me."

Sean sighed. "Don't patronize me, Marvin. I get enough of that from Anti."

"Anti?" Marvin's interest seemed to peak, and he sat up his flawless black suit jacket creasing. "I haven't heard that name in years. How's the mad man?" He hummed.

"He's just fine, but that's not what I came here for. Stop changing the subject." Sean walked over to him, near the other side of the table, not wanting to get too close. "Chase is in an institution, Jameson isn't doing good, and I haven't seen Anti in nearly four days."

"Chase is in an institution? Serves him right. And Anti? Why aren't those two loons roommates?"

The group giggled and laughed at Marvin's words, which seemed to fuel him more, his blue eyes glimmering a voodoo purple color, but only for a moment.

Sean felt the urge to strangle him but pushed it down, knowing he'd need his help. "Please, Marvin. At the very least, help me get Chase out of there."

"After what he did? Are you serious? There's no way I'm helping you." Marvin pushed a strand of his shoulder-length hair out of the way, the top layer tied into a small bun behind his head. "He can do things himself, remember?"

"He's your brother."

The corner of Marvin's lips twitched, and a Cheshire grin soon made its way onto his face. "Aw, come now." He stood, placing one arm around Sean's shoulders and leading him away from the group. "You wanted to talk alone, right?"

Sean suddenly felt uneasy, a flash of anxiety stirring inside of him. "Yeah?"

"Then, let's talk."

Marvin led him up the staircase to the left of the VIP area, into a backroom that Sean assumed to be his office.

Unlike the club, the room looked normal, a corkboard hanging on the wall behind his desk, papers were strewn about, and the wastebasket was filled with post-it's, broken pens, and documents.

Marvin sat in his swivel chair, feet on the desk. He seemed laid back and at ease, his eyes narrowed behind that same cat mask, fingers going to his red bow tie to straighten it. "Now that we're alone, you understand that I still won't help you?"

"What did he do that was so bad? Why won't you help him?" Sean asked, sitting down in one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

Marvin let out a bitter laugh, which would've been inaudible if the music had followed them into the room. "He still hasn't told you? What he did to me after his wife left him. I can see why now. Like you, I was naive. I wanted to believe the best in people. Not anymore."

"Then tell me. Please. It's not like you to hold grudges, Mar--"

"And who are you to dictate what I can and cannot be?" Marvin snapped, his eyes shimmering a dull purple before fizzling out again. "Besides, it's not my story to tell. Regardless of how I feel, he obviously wants to keep this little... Issue, a secret. So why not let him?"

"But maybe if I knew what it was—"

"I'll stop you right there. There's nothing you can do. If you want to get him out of there, you'll find another way. You are the resourceful one, aren't you?"

Sean ran a hand through his hair, pushing some small strands out of his face. "Fine."

"Who put him there anyway? Did someone call the police on him?"

"No. Henrik did. Chase— never mind. You hate him anyway, right? It doesn't matter. I'll see you whenever I see you."

"Soon," Marvin said.

Sean stared at him oddly, one eyebrow cocked. "Right. Sure." He rose from his seat, hesitant to turn his back on the ego, but he did anyway, walking out of the backroom and gradually making his way down the hallway.

What had Chase done to Marvin that made him so angry, and why was Henrik so adamant about him staying at the institution?