11. Jess
Jess
The panel I was on got delayed due to technical difficulties, and I was running late for Daniel’s taping.
I wanted to change into a more casual outfit, but I didn’t want to miss anything at the teaser filming.
So I headed straight to the set in full Fiona cosplay, complete with ram horns.
In the mad dash from the event to my car, all the hot-glued trim began to peel off my costume.
I ended up tripping on my panel skirt, which not only ripped my skirt but also caused me to knock one of the horns off my Fiona headdress.
I bumped into a table dedicated to collectible Funko Pops, sending them all flying.
Unfortunately, Samuel Gamgee flew into the nearby turkey leg deep fryer and did not survive.
By the time I got to my car, Bray texted me, letting me know she and Bennet were there. I replied and let her know I was on my way. However, when I turned the key, the engine light came on, and the car made a sluggish noise.
Not a problem. Sometimes it took her a moment or two to realize I had someplace to be. I kept trying. And trying.
Ten minutes later, and twenty tries, I was cursing like a sailor. What was left of my Fiona outfit was sweaty and gross.
“START DAMMIT!” I screamed and gave the keys a violent twist. I gasped in relief as the engine groaned and then roared to life. I texted Bray again and let her know I was finally on my way.
And then I hit traffic on the 405. The most direct route had delays, and the alternate routes were even worse. At one point I was stuck in traffic for ten minutes without moving an inch.
I pulled into the studio parking lot forty minutes late and exhausted.
The old security guard didn’t give my outfit a second glance.
He gave me a badge and waved me in. When I walked into the studio, it was complete chaos.
What appeared to be a living room set for the soap opera had been cordoned off with green screens.
Paige was arguing with a crew member, and the director appeared to be trying to calm Daniel who kept walking around the set in circles.
Brayonna and Bennet stood off to the side, conferring with each other as I approached them. When they turned to look at me, it was all the confirmation I needed: I was a hot mess.
“What in the world happened to you?” Bray asked. She reached out to help me with my outfit, but stopped when she realized there was nothing she could do to fix this disaster. Her hand hovered in the air reluctant to touch anything on me in case the entire thing fell apart.
“Let’s just say I murdered Samuel Gamgee, and the entire con won’t be getting any turkey legs until the deep fryer oil is changed. How’s it going?”
“Well, the first full take wasn’t bad,” Bennet said, trying to sound positive.
“It wasn’t good either,” Bray grumbled.
Oh boy. “And the other takes?”
“Progressively worse,” Bennet admitted.
Brayonna shook her head. “It’s getting ugly.”
I scanned the room, gauging just how bad things were.
Two elderly women and a girl stood off to the side.
One was a woman in her seventies, her grey roots prominent in her otherwise dyed hair.
Despite the circumstances she seemed to be enjoying herself.
The other woman had a black bob with thick framed glasses, and her lips were puckered as if she had taken a bite out of a lemon.
I recognized the girl with glasses from her photo.
It was Daniel’s niece, and her eyebrows were furrowed in worry.
“Who are they?” I asked.
“His agent, his publicist, and his niece I think,” Bray answered.
“All right! We’re trying again!” The director called out. The crew filed into place and the director went back to his station near the camera. “All right, Danny. We know you have it in you. Let’s do it. All right?”
Daniel nodded and went to his mark. He was back in his costume from the convention center, but I could tell he was off. It was the first time I’d ever seen him without his usual swagger.
“Action!”
I watched him settle in and began to speak. “Friends and allies, gather close to me and hear-”
The words felt empty, and he knew it. He stopped and began walking around in a circle until he got back in position.
“It’s okay Danny. Keep rolling! Action!”
“Friends and-” He stopped and shook his head.
“Cut.”
There was a groan from the crew. The mean looking woman with the black hair pulled out her phone and walked away. The other old woman held up her hands. “It’s okay everyone. It’s fine,” she called out.
She waddled out to the stage and gestured for Daniel. “Come here, Woobie. Let’s talk it out.”
The girl frowned, and I found myself walking over to her.
Her eyes went wide as she watched a train wrecked Fiona approach her. I didn’t blame her.
“Hi,” I said, trying not to freak her out. “I’m Jessica. I’m a friend of your uncle.”
“Hi! I’m–” she choked and sputtered on her own words, blushing furiously. “I mean. Um. I’m Faye.”
I winced. My appearance must have been frightening for her to react that way. “I know. Your uncle told me a lot about you. Do you know what’s going on?”
She let out a long sigh, turning back to watch Daniel’s struggles. “He’s not in his head. My mom got a job offer to be a producer on a show in Toronto. He won’t admit it, but I think it got to him.”
“You’re moving?” My thoughts went back to our dinner together and how he beamed talking about Faye. No wonder Daniel was freaking out.
“Yeah. I mean he totally supports Mom and insists she needs to take the job, but….”
A scuffle broke out. I turned, and Paige was strong-arming another crew member back on set.
“The two of you mean the world to him,” I said, thinking back to the night before and his somber mood. “Talk about bad timing.”
“We were going to tell him after we shot the trailer.” Faye sighed. “But the director blew it.”
I looked over at Daniel as he talked to the old woman. “Who’s that with him now?”
“That’s Stella, his agent. He’s been with her since I was one,” Faye informed me. “The one who walked off is Britta, his publicist.”
“I’ve talked to her before,” I said, scowling a bit.
“Um. I knew who you were before, too,” she said in a meek voice. “I watch your stream all the time.”
I blinked in surprise. “You do?”
She nodded, her words coming out fast and manic.
“I’m also on your Patreon and in your virtual book club!
Your take on A Forum of Flowers and Swords was amazing!
I never thought of Dierdre being the villain as opposed to the protagonist until you posted that.
Oh! And when you embarrassed that academic who thought they knew something about Tyrant?
You totally brought the receipts for that takedown. ”
I had read that specific phrase before. That’s when it clicked. Faye. Fayed? “Wait. Are you Fayed2Black?”
Faye’s eyes went wide. “You know who I am?”
My mouth dropped. “You’re my most active book reader in the club. And you took down that troll a few days ago. I don’t believe it. You're fourteen?”
“I turn fifteen in a couple of weeks,” she said nervously. “I know that’s the limit for your book club, but my mom said it was fine so-”
“It’s totally okay!” I said, smiling at her. “You’re amazing! I know readers twice your age who can’t even touch your commentary. Your insight into Clara in Once Upon a Midnight was fantastic.”
“Really?” Her face was beaming.
“I can see why your uncle-”
From across the room there was a loud smack. Faye and I turned around to see that Stella had slapped Daniel in the face.
“SNAP OUT OF IT!” She shouted and waddled off the stage towards us.
“What happened?” I asked.
Stella rummaged through her purse, in a distracted manner. “Oh, he’s freaking out about Paige and Faye leaving him. Plus he’s head over heels with some girl he’s falling in love with.”
It was like a lightning bolt went through me. For a moment, I thought I was hovering off the ground. Faye looked away from me, shocked and embarrassed at the same time.
Some girl he’s falling in love with.
I turned, and my eyes locked with Daniel’s. He looked at me in all my garbage cosplay glory and smiled. My throat tightened, and a burst of warmth radiated through me. I smiled back at him, beaming.
I watched Daniel’s posture change. His shoulders pulled back, and his chin raised up ever so slightly.
“Can we try it again, Danny?” the director called out.
Daniel nodded in return. He gave me one last smile before going back to his mark.
“Action!”
Daniel turned his focus to the camera, shifting his position.
“Friends and Allies-”
And there it was. That voice. Rich, deep, and perfect. He prowled around the stage, and I knew I was in for the performance of a lifetime.
“Gather close to me and hear my words. There comes a time in our lives when we must rise above our petty squabbles and fears to face a threat that will consume us all. The forces of the Stygian Abyss seek to claim the soul of my beloved Fiona. They seek to break the pact of Glen Orrin and shroud our world in eternal night. They are gravely mistaken if they think we will let them have our realm without a battle.”
I looked around to see the entire crew were locked in. Britta put down her phone to watch with a detached interest. Faye stood there beaming at him, her phone out recording the entire monologue. Paige leaned against a wall, a smug expression on her face.
Stella was oblivious, rummaging through her purse.
I watched Daniel’s performance, and everything else faded away. There were no more cameras or green backdrops. It was just him. The embodiment of Tyrst’an.
“I know that all of you feel betrayed by Fiona. That the pact she made will doom her to damnation. But that pact saved each and every one of you including those you love and seek to protect. Her sacrifice was noble despite the measures taken. Who among us would have denied that opportunity? You can all turn your noses and claim a higher noble cause, but you all know you would have taken that pact. Who are we to let her burn because of it?”