Page 65 of Foes & Cons
If Heaven was in Hell.
I wait for Roxy to say something but she’s speechless. Not good, not good at all. Vivian has brought her absolute A-game in the cosplay department. Actually, there should be a letter invented that comes beforeAand they should probably call itVivian.
She’s a waitress from the Full Moon Diner, in a short turquoise jumpsuit with bright pink buttons and piping around the breast pockets, a little pink sailor hat tilted to one side on her head (attached using real-life sorcery), bright pink knee-high socks, and a pair of pink roller skates, giving her the appearance and height of an actual superhero.
I point at the skates and turn toRoxy, who’s forgotten how to close her mouth.
“Are skates allowed?” Iask. “ShouldIhave skates?”
Roxy shakes her head. Vivian glides past us and I’m devastated to see that she’s a natural on wheels.
“Good luck, bitches,” she calls, then disappears behind the curtain.
“I don’t think she’s human,” says Roxy, her mouth still open.
“Really?” I say, my palms turned upwards in the universalwhy, God?position. “Is that it?”
“Did you see her? I mean she’s normally . . . but that’s just . . .”
Roxy stares at the curtain, biting her lip. What the hell is going on here? I smack my hands together.
“What the hell is going on here?” Isnap. Roxy blinks, then looks at me. “You’re supposed to be pep-talking me, not wet daydreaming about the enemy.”
Roxy shakes her head, then grabs the bag from her shoulder.
“Sorry, sorry,you’re right. I just wasn’t prepared for that level of Vivian. I don’t think anyone is.”
I half whimper, half shriek, and Roxy ushers me out of the Vivian perfume cloud, around the corner until we’re at the edge of the stage. We both peek round the curtain. Conference Hall A is set up with round tables around the dance area then stretching back to the doors. Everyone, like,allthe attendees are already sitting at the tables, most with drinks, ready to be entertained, including the table of special guest judges at the front.
“Right. Team Awesome are ready to get into position as soon as Vivian’s done her bit.” She holds a clipboard up and points at it. “This is you, babe. This is what you’ll be doing, remember?”
I frown at the notes and diagrams on the clipboard. I swallow and take a step back, butRoxy has pre-empted me and grabs my hand.
“There isliterally nothing on this page you haven’t done before, babe, and it was fine this afternoon. Suit-and-Tie Guy was surprised but impressed. I could tell.”
“But I didn’t feel pukey then.”
“Nothing to be pukey about, babe. You do it on Insta all the time, and in stage combat,” she says, fussing my hair. “Just hit all of your marks. Fake McKinley has taped crosses on the floor.”
“Really?” I say, craning my neck and seeing small white crosses across the stage and runway. “Fake McKinley did that?”
“Yeah. He’s a theatre nerd, apparently,” she says, waving theclipboard. “Helped me work out the extra bits and he’s going to do the second fight with you.”
“Instead of you?” Roxy nods. “But my music is what we agreed?”
She gives me a don’t-insult-me look.
“ACDC,” she says.
“‘Thunderstruck’?”
Roxy shrugs. “Of course.”
It’s the song Juliana chooses on the jukebox before slicing and dicing all the vampires in the Full Moon Diner in her very first episode. It was quite the character intro.
I peek out at the audience again. So many familiar faces, but they all look so judgey right now. A couple of them are literally dressed like judges. Demon judges, but still the same thing.
A Headset Guy ushers Vivian onto the stage and she rolls into the shadows, doing a quick spin when she hits her mark in the middle. She looks over her shoulder at us and winks. In an attempt to confuse the enemy, I smile back and give her a double thumbs up, but she smiles even wider and turns to face the curtains.
