Page 71 of Foes & Cons
Fake McKinley shakes his head and smiles at me beforethey start dismantling the drum kit and I slope back down the runway, the sound of the audience and the drums and the music ringing through my ears. I head to the side of the stage, and something on the other side catches my eye.
Just behind the curtain, Vivian watches me walk across the stage, smiling as she claps her hands gently. I could worry about the streaks of mascara that probably make me look like a skunk (and I probably smell like one too) and my floppy hair falling out of place, but I don’t. I just look right at her and smile back.
I hold my hand up and give her the metal horns sign, which makes her smile brighter. She nods and turns away, leaning into the person I can now see she’s standing with. Charlie Chamberlain leans down to hear what she’s saying, then nods, and they both shake their heads, laughing.
And there it goes.
There it all goes.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
ORION FENIMORE
You felt it the first time you saw me. Admit it.
LILA MURPHY
If when you say it, you’re referring to extreme annoyance, then yes, you’re right on the nose.
Vampire Falls. Season one, episode nine - “Not On Our Watch”
Much, much alcohol has since been consumed due to all the people in Conference Hall A insisting on buying me drinks, which I have graciously accepted to counteract the adrenaline. Plus, some vile pink milky shots Roxy appeared from the bar with.
Roxy had done such a good job on my hair and make-up there was minimal smudging and frizzing despite all the sweat and water. Oh yeah, and my general AWESOMENESS. I kind of feel as close to a rock star as I’m ever likely to get, so I’m making the most of the party and haven’t left the dance floor, apart from to go for the longest pee in history, because of the adrenaline and the beers.
Roxy and I swing each other round, laughing and dancing as the music thuds. She reattached my precious cape, and it fans out behind me as we twirl.
“You look so good in a cape, babe!”
“I know!” I shriek into her ear. “Thank you for rescuing it.”
“What?” she yells.
Suddenly needing her to know how deeply grateful I am foreverything, I pull her to the side of the dance floor and yellagain.
“I said, thank you for rescuing my cape. From the door. I wouldn’t have gone on without it. I would have been naked. I mean, felt naked,” I laugh.
We fall into each other laughing about me being naked because doing swordplay naked would be extremely dangerous, I imagine. She leans into me, catching her breath and shaking her head.
“I didn’t.”
“You didn’t what?” I shout.
“Rescue the cape,” she says.
“Huh?” I say. I’m so confused but still giggly about the naked cosplay.
Roxy shakes her head and sort of slumps into me.
“There were all these hotel people at our door, Eliza, and I was like,what are these hotel people? But Charlie was there, at the door, and I said, ‘Charlie what are all these hotel people?’ and Charlie said he’d called the hotel people to open our door and escape your cape. Your stuck cape.”
Roxy takes a swig of her beer and I frown at her.
“Charlie Chamberlain did?”
“Charlie did,” she says, nodding.
She shimmies and takes another swig of her beer, but freezes, her eyes unblinking at something behind me. I mirror her, as she is my best friend and this is how one does things when you know each other well. Her mouth twists into incomprehensible shapes.
