Chapter Ten Lyra #3
“But… it still was a pretty dismal day. Until Rab surprised me, that is.” I sank back into the memory, pulling it out like a comfort blanket. “He surprised me at the end of the day, tossing pebbles at my window, and I snuck out with him.”
“Naughty,” Vaughn said, a twinkle in his eye.
“Och, I was known to get into trouble once in a while.” I laughed and flipped my hair back, warming to the memory.
“But he told me to bring my sisters this time. There was an old barn outside town, and he’d decorated it for Christmas.
He’d brought in lanterns, hot water bottles, and loads of blankets.
We all piled under the blankets, and then he gave us presents he’d picked out for each of us. ” My eyes misted at the memory.
“That sounds really sweet,” Vaughn said, encouraging me to continue.
“It was.” I swallowed, looking down at my lap. “And then he brought out sweeties and a thermos of hot cocoa, and we played a vicious game of UNO. It was, honestly, perfect. A perfect Christmas.”
The room grew quiet, and I glanced up to see everyone staring at me, the cameras still recording. I winced. Perhaps I had been a touch too vulnerable. It was best that I put my walls back up.
“That sounds really lovely, Lyra. And what happened with the lad?” Vaughn asked, and I pulled my walls around me like a cloak.
“We moved.” I pressed my lips together. That wasn’t even remotely the real story, but there were some wounds that weren’t open for public scrutiny. “Mum and Dad split up, and we moved to the States.”
“Och, I’m sorry to hear that, Lyra.”
I needed to turn this around before my entire interview was depressing. This was supposed to be a fun Christmas show, not Lyra’s depressing childhood memories.
“One of my favorite things about moving was that I got to experience cuisines from all over the world. It really fueled my love of cooking, and it’s why I started a YouTube channel focused on trying out recipes I’ve found from around the world.” I handed Vaughn a new topic.
“And, since you just turned twenty-five recently, you’re still fairly new to your magick. Care to share how that’s going?” Vaughn winked at me and gave a subtle shake of his head, discouraging me from answering. Taking the hint, I put a flirty look on my face.
“That’s for me to know, and you all to find out.”
“You heard it here, friends! The lovely Lyra is fresh to her magick, has traveled the world testing out recipes, and is ready to make brand-new Christmas memories. Welcome to Bewitching Bake Off, Lyra—we’re excited to have you on the show!”
I smiled at the camera until the light blinked off and someone called, “Cut!”
“Great job, Lyra.” Vaughn stood and came over to shake my hand.
“It wasn’t too depressing?” I asked, worried.
“Nope, it was just the right amount.” Vaughn chuckled.
“The reality is, not everyone always has a great Christmas. I think a lot of people will relate to your experiences. Now, I hate to hustle you out of here, but we do need to interview the next participant. Debbie here will take you back to the trailer. Once our interviews are done, we’ll film the next portion. ”
“How many teams are there?” I asked, curious.
“Four teams. Eight participants. Less than our usual twelve since it’s a holiday special.” Vaughn looked up and nodded at someone, and then back to his clipboard. “Great job this morning. We’ll see you shortly.”
And just like that, I was ushered out and through the hallway and deposited into a trailer.
Told to wait, I plopped down on a bench and stared at the wall.
Are you okay? Ruth crawled out of my tote, where she’d been napping, and fluttered to stand on the table next to me.
“Um, that’s hard to say, really.” I shrugged one shoulder and took a deep breath, reaching up to cup my hand around my dragon-scale necklace.
Instantly, a cooling wash of calm worked its way through me, and I sighed, releasing some of the tension.
“It’s just that… I brought up a memory on camera. About Rab and me.”
The boy you cared about.
“Well, he’s not a boy anymore.”
And you still care about him.
“I… It doesn’t matter, Ruth.” I shook my head, turning to gaze out the darkened window of the trailer.
It had been years since I’d thought about Rab and the sweet Christmas he had given me and my sisters.
And once I did, other memories started to flood back.
Like the summer night we’d stayed up and played with the hedgehogs scrambling through the garden, feeding them and laughing at their little squeaks and grunts.
Or the time we’d snuck out and watched a meteor shower from the roof of the old barn.
Shaking my head, I pushed those memories down.
I needed to keep my mind in the game and focused on the competition, not on my past. Sure, Christmas was a nostalgic time, but at the end of the day, what I needed to do was keep my eyes on the prize.
I wanted to win Bewitching Bake Off and show the world that the MacGregor sisters weren’t the laughingstock of the magickal community.