Chapter Twelve Lyra
I didn’t know,” I whispered the minute we were directed to our station.
Rab said nothing, his jaw rigid, hands jammed in his pockets. I hadn’t even glanced at the other contestants, intent on making Rab understand that I’d had no part in whatever was happening here. My heart hammered in my chest, and I reached out to grab his arm, but he dodged my touch.
“Don’t.” His words stung. Like he had any right to be angry about this? I was just as much a victim of this scenario as he was.
“Don’t?” I hissed, hands on hips. “Don’t? You don’t. I’m just as much in the dark here as you are. That’s the entire purpose of this game. To pair unknown people together. Haven’t you seen the show?”
When Rab didn’t respond, my eyebrows shot up.
“You haven’t, have you? You haven’t even watched an episode, have you?”
“It wasn’t a requirement for auditioning,” Rab said stiffly.
“Bloody hell.” I threw my hands up and stopped short of stomping my foot.
Any lingering hope I had that this might turn out to be a good experience drifted away.
“Great, just great. Not only am I stuck with you, but you don’t even want to be here or know what the show is about.
Why would you even come on the show, then? ”
“Oh my goddess!” I turned at a squeal to see Felicity bouncing in excitement at her table.
It was only then that it dawned on me that we were being filmed, and cameras were tucked up in every corner of the room, and I’d been so focused on Rab that I hadn’t even taken a second glance around the room. But now I did, and my heart fell.
The room itself was set up much like it had been for other seasons of the show that I’d watched.
There were six stations total, though only four were occupied, and each station had a stove with burners and a stand mixer.
Shelves below showcased bowls, baking trays, and other kitchen necessities.
The room was long and narrow, with creamy stone walls, and Christmas garlands and boughs of evergreen and birch branches were wound with twinkle lights.
Contestant aprons, in Christmas-themed red and green, were folded on the stations with our names embroidered on the front.
And standing next to Felicity was Mandy Meadows.
I gaped at Mandy, surprised she would come on a reality show when she had barely shown her face in public for a year now.
Not since Sloane had usurped her as president of the Charms, and certainly not in any social capacity, at least not that I’d heard about.
She looked… decidedly un-Mandy-like. When I’d last seen her, she’d been perfectly put together, not a hair out of place, usually in a fiercely starched pink pantsuit.
I’d certainly never seen her in jeans and a T-shirt before.
A black T-shirt of all things.
Her blond hair was longer now, and her eyes were lined with dark liner and shadow. If anything, this was a goth version of Mandy, and I had no idea what to make of it.
Nova would probably love this change in her.
Rab turned, following the direction I was looking, and nodded curtly at Felicity and Mandy. Then his gaze landed on the team behind them.
“Henry?” Rab asked in disbelief. “Knox got you too?”
I gasped and smiled, giving Henry a wee wave. He was one of the most gruffly sweet men I knew, and I’d loved working with him on the Mabon festival.
Henry shrugged sheepishly.
“The lad can be quite convincing.”
His partner was Nyx, a cat sith who owned the Silver Quill bookshop who I didn’t know all that well, and the last team was two people I hadn’t met yet but looked delighted to be here. At least based on their matching Christmas elf hats that one of the members must have brought.
“So Knox made you do this?” I asked quietly, hoping the cameras wouldn’t catch what I was saying.
“Aye,” Rab said, not looking at me.
Lovely, this was going to be a great show. I was saddled with a partner who thought I was nothing special, and a goth Mandy Meadows, who was currently staring bullets in my direction.
“What?” I finally asked her, exasperated, and Mandy reared back as though I’d thrown acid in her face. “I have done nothing to you, Mandy. In fact, I’ve called you twice a month checking up on you. You have no reason to stare at me like that.”
“My, my, my…” Vaughn drawled, walking up with two people I recognized to be the judges of the show. “Even more drama? I guess there’s lots to unpack here with you, isn’t there, Lyra?”
I whirled, uncertain and disconcerted. I wasn’t used to being the problematic one. Frankly, I was used to everything just… going my way. I know that sounded awful to say, but once I’d gotten free from the clutches of my angry mother, life had mostly been smooth sailing for me.
Aside from our pesky curse, that is.
But even that I’d grown used to as time went on. It was kind of like how I assumed sailors or extreme adventurers felt—if you prepared for the storm, then the storm wasn’t so bad when it arrived. That is kind of how I felt about our curse.
However, I also made it my life’s goal to radiate optimism and kindness to everyone.
I genuinely wanted to smooth things over when I saw people were stressed or hurting.
I never held grudges, except for in extenuating circumstances, like with Rab.
And when Mandy had been booted out as president, I’d made it a point to stop by and check on her, no matter that she refused to answer the door.
I hated to see people hurting.
But I could see the wheels turning in Vaughn’s eyes, and I whipped my gaze around the room, seeing how the camerapeople were turning their cameras on me, how the producers lined up behind the camera were furiously scribbling notes.
It happened on every season.
They’d squirrel out the person with the most issues or biggest vulnerabilities and focus heavily on them.
And… and I’d loved it. I’d loved watching it.
But I wasn’t loving it so much now that I saw what was happening… to me.
Between this and my faulty magick, I was screwed.
A dead witch walking.
Resigned, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and then opened my eyes and pasted a wide smile on my face. The one thing I wasn’t was a sore loser. I’d signed up for this show, and nobody had forced me to be here. Now I’d just have to deal with whatever challenges came my way.
And so I’d give them what they wanted.
Winking at the camera, I twirled a lock of my hair around my finger. “A little bit of drama sure does add some spice to life, doesn’t it?”
Rab shot me a disgusted look, but I ignored him. He didn’t get to dictate how I dealt with situations.
He didn’t get a say in anything in my life. Not anymore. He lost that right many years ago.
And yet, as much as I tried to ignore it, I still wanted him to at least like me. Couldn’t we get along?
Maybe that was just how it was with your first love.
They somehow managed to imprint on your soul, and you’d forever have a yen for them.
I didn’t know. I’d never allowed myself to feel for someone the same way I’d felt for Rab.
I didn’t know if I ever could. A first love was shiny as a new coin, untarnished by the wear and tear of years of use… crafted to last.
Did people look back on their first love, years later, with fondness? With a touch of understanding and grace toward their younger selves?
Because I didn’t.
I was still angry.
Broca had told me that would fade in time, but seeing Rab again, being close to him, just made me replay his world-shattering words in my head over and over again. It also made me determined to show him differently.
That I was more than just a pretty face.
And that I was something special, no matter what he thought of me.
“So, how do you ladies know each other?” Vaughn asked, glancing between their station and ours.
“We’re coven sisters,” Felicity gushed, and then her face fell. “Well, we were until Mandy left because she was voted out of the presidency and Lyra’s sister took over.”
“Thanks, Felicity,” Mandy bit out, and Vaughn’s look sharpened.
“Well, well, well,” Vaughn repeated, and he might as well have looked like the villain in a B horror movie, rubbing his hands together. “An ousted president and an ex-boyfriend? How do you think you’ll handle the pressures of this challenge, Lyra?”
“Being a good chef is about staying focused under pressure,” I said, even though I’d never worked a day in a commercial kitchen in my life. However, I’d been working front of shop at the bakery long enough now to see how Marcie stayed cool on high-traffic days.
“Spoken like a true baker. Now, let’s meet your judges, shall we?
” Vaughn turned and held out his hands to the two people waiting patiently at the front of the room.
One was a woman with neon-green hair down to her waist, wearing checked trousers and a lacy blouse, and the other was a man with no hair to speak of whatsoever and tiny oval glasses with bright blue frames perched on his nose.
“Kelly and Nevin. Both are masters in their craft, have several successful bakeries under their belts, and have been featured on numerous programs, including our esteemed Bewitching Bake Off.”
We all dutifully clapped, and despite the fact that I knew a bull’s-eye was on my chest now, I couldn’t help but feel excitement bloom. I loved Kelly and Nevin. They were the funniest pair, and their banter was first class. I had to admit, I was a bit starstruck.
“Welcome, bakers! We’re so excited to be filming a Christmas special this year, and we’ve dreamt up the best Christmas-themed challenges for you. And just so you don’t get too comfortable, the first challenge starts…” Nevin lowered his glasses and looked down at us. “Now.”
I darted forward and pulled the apron off the table and slung it over my head, tying it behind my waist, while Rab jumped back and looked at me in confusion.
“Get your apron on. The details will be in the envelope,” I said, nodding to where a sparkly green envelope with a red wax seal sat on the table, half concealed by Rab’s apron.