Page 55 of Foes & Cons
“What?” I say, frowning at him.
“Forty-two,” he repeats. “Or forty-three now. That’s the most words you’ve said to me in a year.”
I swallow a dry lump, and open my mouth to say something, anything, but my lip is wobbling.
“Move ALONG,” shouts the Cat-eye Glasses.
I’ve never been so grateful for an unnecessarily loud instruction. I look straight ahead and move forward, not giving Charlie a single glance, even though I can feel his stupid long-lashed eyes boring into the side of my face.
“You OK?” Roxy asks, standing behind me. “That was full on, even for you two.”
I nod, and she puts an arm across my chest. Raspberry and apple blossom wafts over my face and I feel safe nestled in front of her, even though I can hear Vivian and Charlie laughing together about something. Probably me.
“You two are cute as hell together,” says a voice.
We both look round, and I’m thrilled to see my favourite pensioner. Going by her bright red lipstick and the matching kiss mark on his cheek, Dorothy’s just had her photo with Orlando Wilde.
“Thanks, Dorothy,” Roxy says, squeezing me. “We’re not together though; she’s way out of my league.”
Dorothy takes her glasses off and points a gnarled finger at us.
“Nobody’s out of your league, girls. Nobody. You understand?”
“We understand, Dorothy,” I say.
Dorothy nods and shuffles towards the door, calling over her shoulder as we watch her go.
“I would never have shagged William Shatner if I thought that way.”
A few people do a double take, processing what they’ve just heard, but I’m starting to tune into Dorothy’s vibe. Roxy loosens her arm and I look round at her.
“What does that mean?” Roxy says, shaking her head and smiling.
“Right?”
I smile back at her, and my soul settles back into the queue as we get closer to Orlando Wilde, back into the convention, back into being among these fans with the person I’m the biggest fan of. But there’s something stopping me from slipping fully into it, like I can’t click back into place because there’s a jagged Charlie Chamberlain-shaped splinter sticking out of my soul.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
THE KINNUIX (DESTINY DEMON)
Come, my babies. Let us see what mischief we can spin after nightfall.
Vampire Falls. Season three, episode six – “This Is What We Become”
Ordinarily, cosplay competition night is my favourite night of the convention weekend. The buzz around the hotel is infectious. People race around with those brass hotel trolleys (which, fyi, are incredibly difficult to steer when you and your very drunk bestie try to ride one back to your room), wigs and weapons akimbo, and a chorus of doors slamming as people race from room to room getting their mates to zip them up or sew them in. I love it.
Iusuallylove it. I don’t love it today, because today my life literally depends on the success of my costume. I know I’m misusing the word literally there, but you get me. There have been years where I’ve not bothered entering, kind of feeling like the whole competition element takes the fun out of it. The fun is in the making of the costume, in thinking how the character thinks.
But my favourite part is the unmistakable way people approach you, their phone in hand, hoping you’ll pose for a selfie. Disclaimer, folks: I love cosplaying as Juliana so much that I’m always happy to show off my costume in a photo. That and getting asked for selfies kind of makes me feel like I’m Sarah Michelle Gellar or Lucy Lawless. Say it with me: LEGENDS.
Anyway, I digress. I am not feeling the love for it right now.Right now, I feel bile at the back of my throat, because we’re not just talking cosplay here. We’re not even talking cosplay competition.
“It’s cosplay with something extra, babe,” Roxy says, clarifying what we’re heading into. She’s standing at the desk, rifling through the enormous toolbox of make-up. “The competition guidelines say that your team is allowed to help you. Like, it’s encouraged.”
“Help me how?” I say, trying not to flinch every time Roxy homes in with the liquid liner. She’s not as gentle as Iris. “You’re doing my make-up; I don’t see how the others can help.”
I can’t hold it any longer and do a triple blink. She tidies a smudge with a cotton bud. She’s so patient with me. I could not be this patient with me.
