The Dead Girls Dance Page 0,4

nothing, Shane said as Claire came around to see. It wasnt nothing. It was bruises, dark ones, spilling over his cheek and jaw. Shane avoided looking at her. My fault.

Jesus, Eve whispered. Your dad

My fault, Shane snapped back, got up, and headed for the door. Look, you dont understand. Hes right, okay? I was wrong.

No, I dont understand, Claire said, and grabbed his arm. He pulled free without any effort at all and kept walking. Shane!

He paused in the doorway and looked back at her. He looked bruised, beaten, and sullen, but it was the desperation in his eyes that scared her. Shane was always strong, wasnt he? He had to be. She needed him to be.

Dads right, he said. This town is sick, its poisoned, and its poisoning us, too. We cant let it beat us. We have to take them out.

The vampires? Shane, thats stupid! You cant! You know whatll happen! Eve said. She put the bowl of chili back on the tray and got off the bed, looking tear streaked and forlorn but more like herself. Your dads crazy. Im sorry, but he is. And you cant let him drag you down with him. Hes going to get you killed, and Claire and me, too. He already She caught her breath and gulped. He already got Michael. We cant let him do this. Who knows how many people are going to get hurt?

Like Lyssa got hurt? Shane asked. Like my mom? They killed my mom, Eve! They were willing to burn us up in this house yesterday, dont forget, and that included Michael.

But

This town is bad, Shane said, and looked at Claire, almost pleading. You understand, right? You understand that theres a whole world out there, a whole world that isnt like this?

Yes, she said faintly. I understand that. But

Were doing this. And then were getting out of this place.

With your father? Eve managed to put a whole dictionary of contempt into that. I dont think so. I look good in black, but not so great in black and blue.

Shane flinched. I didnt saylook, just the three of us. We get out of town while my dad and the others

We run? Eve shook her head. Brilliant. And when the vamps have a big party and roast your dad and his buddies, what then? Because theyre definitely going to come looking for us. Nobody escapes who had any part in killing a vampire, you know that. Unless you really believe that your dad and his idiot muscle are going to be able to take down hundreds of vamps, all their human allies, the cops, and, for all I know, the U. S. Marines.

Eat your damn chili, Shane said.

Not without something to drink. I know your chili.

Fine! Ill get you Cokes! He slammed the door behind him. Lock it!

Claire did. This time, Shane didnt linger in the hall; she heard the hard thump of his boots as he went downstairs.

Did you have to do that? she asked Eve. She leaned against the door and folded her arms.

Do what, exactly?

Hes confused. He lost Michael, his dads got him

Say it, Claire: his dads got him brainwashed. Worse. I think his dads beaten the fight out of him. Hes certainly beaten the brains out of him. Eve wiped at her face impatiently; there were more tears streaming down her cheeks, but it was more like water escaping under pressure than real sobs. His dad wasnt always like this. He used to bewell, not nice, because he was kind of a drunk, but better. Way better than this. After Lyssa he just wentcrazy. I didnt know about Shanes mom. I thought she just, you knowkilled herself. Shane never really said.

Claire hadnt heard any footsteps on the stairs, but she heard and felt a soft knock through the door, and then a rattle of the doorknob. She unlocked and swung it open, holding out her hands for the Cokes she expected Shane to thrust at her and there was a grinning, smelly mountain of a man in the doorway. The one whod stabbed Michael.

Claire let go of the door and stumbled back, thinking only an instant later, Stupid, that was stupidyou should have slammed it but it was too late; he was already inside, closing the door behind him.

And locking it.

She looked in terror at Eve. Eve lunged forward, grabbed Claire, and hustled her around to the far side of the bedand stepped in front of her. Claire looked frantically around for