Pernicious

|Chapter 24|

Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford Civic Center

Michael's Perspective:

"Hmmm hmmm da da da da..." I hum as I reach for the handle of the doorknob to the dressing room.

The water I requested for was conveniently placed on the counter in front my mirror and I instantly take it and drink up its contents. Apparently, there had been some issues with the sound, so I have a little time to sit back and relax.

After finishing up my water, I toss it in the nearest trash can and step back towards the mirror. The curls that rested on my forehead needed some fixing, so I use my finger to split them apart and adjust them as necessary. As I do this, something catches my eye in the corner of the room. Clothes were scattered all over the ground in a very untidy fashion.

Was Naya looking for something?

One by one, I folded and placed some of the shirts back into a bag that we brought along. When I went to pick up one of Naya's jackets, the contents of her pockets fell onto the floor.

What in the world?

Dollar bills, hundred dollar ones, spilled everywhere. I crouched down and started collecting the bills into my hands. My face slowly shifts into a baffled scowl.

Is this...Is this mine?

This prompted for some further investigation.
I put the money on the counter and reach into my bag for my wallet. Upon opening it, I realized it was a lot more empty than what it was about a half an hour ago.

She couldn't have taken it...No...Maybe I didn't have as much money on me as what I thought I did...

My stomach dropped at the thought of the past repeating its self. The only thing I could do that this point was organize the money, put it back into my wallet, and try to forget about what just happened.

But I couldn't...

Something isn't right here...

I need to get to the bottom of it...

Maybe I shouldn't give Naya such easy privileges over my money...I thought I was just trying to be nice...

While I was pacing around in my room, Frank happened to knock at my door.

"Hey Mike, can I talk to you for a moment?" He asks from the hallway.

"Y-yeah come in." I answer distressed.

A few seconds later, he enters the room to find me pacing around the room. I was never good at hiding suspicious activity from Frank.

"Mike, what's going on? You're as pale as a ghost." He remarks.

"Oh Frank, it's nothing...I promise." I lie.

"Michael, you really suck at lying, what's going on?" He interrogates further.

For a moment, I pause and my lip begins to quiver. I turn around because I couldn't bear to face Frank to tell him what I believed what was going on.

"If it's something that is going to affect the safety of you or your family, I really need to know." He says while slowly walking up to me.