Watchers of the Night
Page 39
Chapter 14
Steven was absent again during dinner, so Paul ate with his usual gang. There was plenty of small talk, and he was thankful that he was able to pull his thoughts away from worrying about his friend. By the time it was getting close to dark, Steven still hadn’t made an appearance, so Paul went to his room knowing he’d inevitably see his friend, even if his friend wouldn’t see him.
He tried calling Stephanie and was somewhat relieved when she didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure he would know what to say to her and didn’t want to lie, so he left a quick message with a promise to call again the next night, and switched off his phone as soon as he hung up.
After waking to the dream he went down to the training area where Steven was waiting on the podium. Everyone was else was there, as well.
His friend looked awful. Ragged.
Steven stood with his legs slightly apart, swaying as if he was on a gently rocking boat, humming to himself. Paul walked up close, gathering his conviction.
Standing there, the silence in the room building, it dawned on him what tune Steven was humming. In spite of the seriousness of the situation, he couldn’t help chuckling. Everyone looked at him like he was losing his head, which only made his chuckle grow into all out laughter.
“What? What’s so funny?” Lisa asked finally.
“Beastie Boys. He’s humming No Sleep Til Brooklyn,” Paul laughed, knowing his friend was still fully in control. “Let’s do this.”