New Start (Morganville Vampires)

Chapter 2

'It isn't what it looks like, child.' Amelie snarled from the top of the stairway where she was standing.

'It never is, is it?' I said, still kneeling down on the floor next to Michael. I didn't turn to talk to her.

'Elizabeth,' Amelie said. 'You must listen. You weren't even meant to come up here. You've put me in a hard situation now.'

I laughed. I knew I was showing my fangs, but I didn't have to be careful in Morganville. 'You're in a hard situation? You have fanged my brother, and you're the one in a hard situation?' I laughed. I turned around to face her, but I had kept hold of Michael's cool hand.

'I had to!' Amelie shouted at me.

'Amelie, don't.' Michael croaked from behind me. 'She doesn't need to know.'

'He's not a vampire.' Amelie said. 'Does that make you any happier? I didn't transform him.'

'You still bit him!' I screamed, and my eyes flared red. I turned back to look at Michael. The smell of blood was still in the cold air, and Michael's wound on his neck was still bleeding. A spot of blood trickled down his neck, leaving a red trail behind. I could hear his pulse, slower than usual. I leaned in closer to him. I could smell the blood. I couldn't control myself.

'Elizabeth.' Michael said. 'Elizabeth, it's me, don't.' He pleaded, but I only heard him, I didn't listen.

I leaned in closer towards his neck, his pulse was a rhythm my mind was following, working out when it would be the best time to-

Amelie grabbed me by my neck, and I was thrown towards the wall to the side of the settee. My back hit the wall, knocking the air out of me. I gasped, and Amelie threw me the sports bottle I had brought up with me but forgot about. I caught it and downed it, looking away from Michael. I was embarrassed by the fact that I had thought of biting him - my own brother - when at the moment I was arguing with Amelie because she had bitten him.

'I had to.' Amelie repeated when I had put the bottle down. 'No-one can know.' She said.

'Why?' I asked. 'Just tell me. If you expect me to have authority over Morganville, you have got to let me know about things that are going on in Morganville.'

Amelie sighed, and sat down on the settee, on the spare space next to Michael. I stayed hunched against the wall.

'He's ill.' She said. 'He had Fallon's cure, and we didn't know what it would do.'

'Amelie, she doesn't need to know.' Michael said, interrupting her.

'It's poisoning him.' She said. 'Elizabeth, it's killing him.'

I shook my head. 'No.' I said. 'Michael's fine. There's nothing wrong with him.' I said, standing up.

'Liz, remember when you were in England and I was at Myrnin's?' Michael asked. I nodded. 'Myrnin is working on finding a cure. That's what he has been working on for the past few months.' Michael said. 'It's going to be okay, Myrnin will find a cure to this.'

Amelie looked at Michael, then towards me. 'Michael,' Amelie said. 'Myrnin's been working on this for a month without any breakthroughs at all.'

I shook my head. Michael couldn't be ill. He was fine, he didn't look ill or seem ill. Why hadn't he said anything before?

'No.' I said. 'There has to be a cure. There has to be.' I shouted.

Amelie shook her head. 'I don't want you to hold your hopes out she said.'

I wasn't listening. I collapsed down on the floor and sobbed. My brother couldn't be ill. It had to be curable.

'I'm sorry.' Michael said to me. 'I'm dying.'