Just in Case by Meg Rosoff Read Free Book Online Page A

different on,’ said Agnes, taking the coat and holding it for Justin.
    Wondering exactly how different it would have to be, Justin turned, held out his arms, and allowed Agnes to slip it on.
    He blushed. He suspected he looked like a lunatic but the truth was the coat fitted; it was much lighter and softer than it looked and he felt wonderfully cosseted in its shaggy warmth. He turned to face Agnes, who pushed him in the direction of a huge gold mirror. One of the models swivelled past, plucked at his sleeve and made an appreciative noise.
    Justin looked at himself. Then at Agnes, on whose face a tiny smile had appeared.
    ‘It’s good.’
    And God pronounced that it was good, thought Justin.
    ‘Ivan,’ Agnes called, ‘it’s perfect.’
    Justin felt his face burn. There was no way he could afford a coat like this, even if he’d wanted it. He turned away, furious, but Agnes grabbed his arm, speaking softly into his ear. ‘Forget it, Justin. You don’t have to pay. It’sthe new barter economy. The pictures I take of you are worth far more than any coat. Go on, take it.’
    ‘I don’t want it.’ Justin tore the coat off and thrust it at her. ‘Take it back.’
    She looked at him mildly. ‘You heard Ivan, it will never fit anyone rich enough to buy it. You may as well have it.’
    She carried the coat across the room to Ivan, who wrapped it carefully in black tissue, placed it in a paper shopping bag the colour of heavy cream, and held it out to Justin with a neutral expression. He even bowed slightly, and Justin felt certain he was being mocked.
    Agnes took the bag. ‘Thank you, Ivan.’
    Ivan’s face was composed, expressionless. ‘He’ll pay me back someday.’
    She looked at him. ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘What I said.’ Ivan shrugged. The soft oval of his face rotated away from them and then back again, like a periscope.
    Justin retreated across the room, arms crossed protectively across his chest, humming to tune out their conversation.
    After a minute or two, he noticed that the room had gone silent. He looked over to find Ivan and Agnes staring at him. Agnes’s expression was solemn. ‘I hope you don’t mind, Justin. I’ve been telling Ivan about the fate thing.’
    Ivan looked more interested than before. The longer he stared, the more uneasy Justin felt. His eye twitched.
    Finally Ivan spoke, so softly that Justin had to move closer to make out the words.
    ‘I have observed fate,’ he said.
    Justin’s heart began to pound with alarm. They were less than an arm’s length apart now, so close that Justin could smell the other man’s skin. A hint of something expensive rose from it.
    ‘And I can tell you for certain,’ he crooned, as Agnes watched, rapt, ‘you are doomed.’
    Justin couldn’t breathe.
    ‘In your life,’ Ivan said softly, ‘you will suffer inestimable losses. And then you too will die, causing inestimable pain to others. And all this will happen to you, not if, but when .’
    Justin swayed slightly.
    ‘That is the only truth you need to know about fate.’
    Justin struggled away from the seductive voice. ‘Let’s go,’ he said to Agnes.
    ‘But–’
    ‘ NOW .’
    He grabbed her arm but she pulled free, so he went alone, slamming the iron door behind him with a crash.
    ‘Goodbye, Justin Case,’ Ivan called, his face lit by an unpleasant smile. ‘And good luck.’
    At the bottom of the stairs, Justin fumbled with the catch on the outside door and stumbled out into the narrow lane, heart hammering in his chest. When Agnes caught him up, he spun around like a cornered animal, grabbing her shoulders.
    ‘He’s horrible’
    ‘Yes, I know. But his clothes are fantastic. And he can be very generous when he feels like it.’ She pulled free and dug through the layers of tissue paper. ‘Here, put the coat on and tell me how you feel.’
    She held it out to him, her expression soft. ‘Please, Justin. Please?’
    It was a stand-off, and he didn’t particularly want to