Chapter 6 #2
“Yeah, I majored in English. Not that it's doing me much good now.” Lilian straightened a nearby stack of books to distract herself from the familiar dose of regret that hit when she remembered she had an underutilized college degree.
At first, college had felt like her savior. A place where she could get away from Tenison and talk to people who loved books as much as she did. But then she took out loans, and she realized job prospects with an English degree weren’t in high demand.
Her last two years had been nonstop stress as she applied for internships and jobs too late. In the end, she’d had no choice but to return home, tail between her legs.
For two years, she’d worked from home while living with her parents. It wasn’t the life she had imagined for herself, but it was easy to justify. Her mom needed her, the bookstore needed her. It was all true, but something deep inside her knew she was using both of those things as an excuse.
“I wish we’d known each other in college. It would have been a blast to hang out with you.”
Lilian smiled at that; they were the same age and had gone to the same school, but different majors meant different crowds.
Sometimes she wondered what would have happened if she’d decided to go to grad school.
She’d be living in Manhattan with Margo and Alex.
Closer to an actual coffee shop, having brunch with her friends.
It would be a different life. “You think?”
“Of course! The more faire friends the better.” Alex gave a wistful sigh. “I’m one year away from graduating, and I’m kind of freaking out about it.”
“And then what are you going to do?”
Her face scrunched in a look Lilian knew well. “I’m not exactly sure. I probably need to leave and find a job, but that would mean leaving all my friends and everything I’ve built up here.”
A clump of dread filled Lilian’s throat at the idea of Alex leaving. “But you’re our new pirate queen.”
Alex smiled at the sentiment. “I know! But being the pirate queen doesn’t pay the bills.”
She couldn’t argue with that. The faire paid its actors, but only enough to cover a meal and gas money.
Vendors paid the faire for the space with hopes of making the money back.
Lilian hadn’t paid much attention to her finances, but she knew she was in the red from her decision to stand up the bookshop.
She prayed that it would pay off by the end of the season.
“Have you been looking for theaters to work at after you graduate?”
“Yeah, most of the crew head up to Chicago, but Hawk has been telling me I’d be better off going to New York. Apparently, he knows some people there.”
Lilian’s fingers froze on the keyboard. “You’ve talked to Hawk about this?” She did her best to add a casual tone to the question. She wasn’t sure if she succeeded, but Alex seemed happy to answer.
“Yeah, I mean, he needs to know if I’m going to be with the faire for the next couple years. Plus, I’ve known him a long time. He’s trying to help me out.”
“I didn’t realize you guys were friends.”
“He’s only a few years older than us. I’ve been working at the faire since I was a freshman. He had just started his master's program. We’d see each other on campus occasionally because some of my older classmates were friends of his.”
Lilian nearly spat out her coffee. It was impossible to imagine the Venn diagram that connected theater major Alex with friends of Hawk.
Alex laughed. “You look surprised.”
“I’m sorry. I assumed you didn’t like him based on our earlier conversations. I wouldn’t have badmouthed him if I’d known he was a friend of yours.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I badmouth him all the time as well.
The guy is insufferable.” Alex laughed. “If it makes you feel better, we’re more like acquaintances.
We’ve been to a few parties together, know the same people.
But he absolutely hates that he has to see me at the faire once a year.
When I was younger, I bugged the shit out of him, trying to get bigger parts. ”
“But you guys are cool now?”
“As much as we can be.” Alex shrugged. “He’s always all business at the faire. It's kind of hard to be his friend.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed that as well.”
“He puts up a tough front, but he can be reasoned with,” Alex said pointedly.
The memory of her conversation with Hawk danced in the back of Lilian’s mind. “He said his mother liked the idea.” She sighed, but the words felt more like they were for her own sake than Alex's.
Her friend burst into a fit of giggles. “Yeah, that sounds like Janelle. But if he didn’t want to give us a chance, he wouldn’t have. All right?”
Doubt seared in Lilian’s gut, but she dutifully nodded.
She still wasn’t sure what to think of the show, but she refused to put any more thought into it.
She focused back on the draft script staring up at her from the laptop.
That was more important than whatever was going on in Hawk Carlisle’s head.
They worked until midnight, when the caffeine was no longer having an effect. But in the end, they had a script. A halfway decent one, according to Alex.
“This is going to be great,” she said, packing up her things. “Honestly, people are going to love this.”
Butterflies fluttered in Lilian’s gut at the mention of strangers watching her. “I hope so.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll run through it a couple times to make sure you're comfortable with it. But remember, if you mess up, the audience won’t know it. And if you still don’t feel comfortable, we’ll come up with another plan.”
Lilian nodded. “Thanks. I’m… going to make this work.”
Margo was right. She needed to try something different to get people to visit the shop.
They tiptoed over piles of books on the way to the main door.
Halfway there, a familiar cover caught Lilian’s eye.
The thick spine was creased, the paperback edges curled and worn, but there was no mistaking the looping letters and crow feathers peeking through the damage.
She’d thought she’d moved every copy of The Raven King to the faire, but apparently, she’d missed one.
“Here,” she said, pulling it free and handing it to Alex. “It’s not much, but consider it a thank you for coming all the way out here to help me.”
“Thanks,” Alex said, turning the book in her hands. “What is it?”
How could she describe The Raven King in a few sentences?
In the book, two sisters were taken by fae through the oak tree outside their family farm.
The fae weren’t beautiful creatures like some stories promised.
They were mice and squirrels, finches and barn swallows, ants and spiders.
Their small size limited their magic, but inside the Great Oak, their magic knew no bounds.
The youngest sister, Penelope, worked to navigate the factions between the Talon, Claw, and the Stingers.
And then there was the sex. Lots and lots of sex.
It had been the perfect blend of fantasy and romance.
A rarity for a novel published in the nineties, which was why it had accumulated a cult following that was still very much alive.
A book that bent genre to its whims and seemed to offer everything a woman would want in a fantasy novel. Magic. War. Love. Sex. It was impossible. “Without sounding too dramatic, it’s one of the greatest books ever written. I know you’re busy, but give it a try and let me know what you think.”
Alex didn’t look convinced, but Lilian wouldn’t push too hard. Not yet, at least.
She arrived at the faire grounds on Thursday for the first of two practices.
It was strange to see the parking lot so empty.
Only two other cars sat in the wide-open field alongside her own.
For the first time, she had a clear view of the prop castle walls and the faire without any lingering actors or guests. Everything looked so much bigger.
Mid-September brought with it the first dip in morning temperatures. The sixty-degree breeze was the taste of fall Lilian had been craving. By afternoon, the heat would be back full force, but she’d come prepared, dressed in comfortable leggings, a tank top, and sneakers.
The loose papers of the script she and Alex had drafted sat in her purse, crinkled, coffee-stained and well worn from her constant handling. The one blessing of the fact that the bookstore wasn’t bustling with business was that it gave her time to memorize her lines and practice.
But as she approached the large gateway of the castle, she could feel her anxiety spiking.
The feeling only intensified when she saw the two figures standing outside.
She’d hoped one of the cars belonged to Alex, but instead, David and Hawk stood there.
Both were dressed in comfortable clothes.
Seeing Hawk and David in non-faire attire caught her off guard.
David looked like a normal grad student, dressed in a pale purple shirt that said Manhattan Rodeo Team in large letters.
His blond hair fell in perfect waves against his face and a pair of thin-rimmed glasses.
For once, Hawk wasn’t wearing his trademark polo. Today, he sported a plain, black athletic shirt and gray joggers. He looked… good. Lilian dismissed the sentiment as quickly as it came up.
Nope. Those thoughts were not going to be directed at Hawk Carlisle.
At her approach, both men looked over.
David flashed a bright smile her way. “Well, if it isn’t our Ms. Bodice!”
“Morning.” She mustered up a small smile, but she knew it disappeared when she turned to Hawk. “What are you doing here?”
His brows narrowed at the greeting. “The grounds are locked up on weekdays. Someone has to let your group in for practice.” He held his hand up, showing off a pair of shiny silver keys.