Chapter 2
Evie
The Time Jump
“Hello, and welcome to Featured Creatures, the only show where we keep the female gaze at the forefront as we explore all things horror. I’m your host, JoJo Perkins. Today, we have Evie Reyes in the studio, the daughter of legendary Final Girl, Lita Reyes—rest in peace.”
JoJo put her hands together in a praying motion and looked to the ceiling. “Evie here has granted us an exclusive interview as she prepares to reenter Hollywood, this time in front of the camera.”
She turned her chair, adjusting her bright yellow cocktail dress to better cover her lap. I forced myself to keep up the fake smile as I waved to the cameras. I caught myself starting to slump forward and straightened my posture.
JoJo’s hair and makeup looked gorgeous, and the yellow dress complemented her flawless dark skin perfectly.
Her stylists were great at their jobs. I, on the other hand, had dressed myself today.
Thankfully, I’d recently gotten my hair cut to resemble the Betty Page look, so the maintenance was minimal.
I’d curled my black bangs and fluffed my shoulder-length hair and called it good so I could focus on painting my lips red and giving myself a simple smoky eye.
The colors complemented my naturally tan skin tone, but they didn’t make me stand out like JoJo in her yellow dress.
Paired with my ripped black jeans and a black shawl over a lacy black crop top, I looked… boring.
I needed a stylist.
I reached for the glass on the table and took a sip. My hand shook slightly as I placed it back down.
“You left California after Lita’s passing,” she prompted.
I nodded. “I did. I moved to Michigan. My aunt Yvonne took me in. It was really healing to be around people who knew my mother like I did.”
“What did you do during your time there?” JoJo crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. She was ignoring the cameras altogether, focusing her eyes and smile on me.
“Well, I finished high school. After I got my diploma, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with my life, so I—” Heat flooded my face. I laughed. “I’m going to sound like a man having his midlife crisis right now, but I started a podcast.”
The crew on the other side of the room chuckled, but JoJo, ever the expert host, rolled with it.
“Yes! I’m actually an avid listener of The Body Count Bimbo. Or was. I switched to the videos when you started your YouTube channel. I love seeing your gorgeous face light up and get all excited about our favorite topic, horror.” She turned to the cameras and flashed a megawatt smile.
“It’s so fun, going in every week and gushing about horror movies. It’s the best job ever.” I beamed.
“Mood, girl. You have over three million followers—we’ve got how many?” She scrunched up her nose.
A cameraman called over to us. “Seven hundred thousand.”
“Oof. If you’re watching a clip of this on YouTube and haven’t already subscribed to our channel, make sure to hit the like and follow buttons so we can attempt to compete with Miss Three Million over here, and you’ll never miss a Featured Creature interview.
Anyway, you’ve got your channel, what do you plan on doing with it now that you’re back in Hollywood? ”
“Unfortunately, my channel has to go on hiatus while I’m here, but luckily, there are tons of videos from the last three years to binge while you wait for me to come back.”
“And for those unfamiliar with your content, what exactly would they be binging?” She leaned in.
“Over at The Body Count Bimbo, I go through the history of the horror genre in detail. I cover every subgenre, trope, famous actor and actress, and historical moment. I talk about what I love, what I hate, all of it. I leave no stone unturned.”
“Well, just the one.” JoJo gave me a pointed look. “As a fan, I’ve seen all of your videos, and there is one person and franchise you haven’t touched. Can we talk about it?” She shifted to a softer, more empathetic tone. As if I were a scared animal she was trying to lure out from its hiding space.
I rolled my shoulders, uncomfortable. “That is why I’m here, isn’t it?
” I smiled halfheartedly and looked down at my worn high-tops.
The canvas was ripped on the sides, and I’d taken a marker to the rubber.
I’d gotten them as a birthday present when I was sixteen.
I’d been so happy then, with grandiose dreams and plans for a future nothing like the one that actually happened.
My mom wasn’t supposed to be murdered.
I raised my head, trying to exude strength. It was time to stop living in the past.
“Yes.” JoJo leaned in again, her eyes full of concern. “Do you want to take a break? Get some air or something before we continue?”
I pushed myself up from the chair. “Actually, yeah. I think that’s a good idea.” I removed my mic pack.
The assistant director called cut, and the cameras stopped rolling.
“Ten minutes!”
“Thank you, ten!” the crew and I responded as we walked off.
Antoinette, my agent, stepped up the moment I was off the set. She reached for my shoulders and stopped me.
“Are you okay? Talk to me, Evie.” She tilted my chin up, forcing me to look at her.
I studied her face, focusing on her short brown hair and sparkling smile. Her dark skin, matching her eyes, glowed. I needed her confidence to rub off on me. I inhaled deeply, focusing on my breath. I made eye contact and nodded.
“I’ll be fine. It’s just a little nerve-wracking.”
She let me go, and together we walked outside. A handful of the crew were smoking near the doors. They nodded politely, but Antoinette pulled me away from them.
“You can do this. This is what you wanted, remember? Dante said you didn’t have to if you didn’t want to,” she reminded me. “You’ve already signed on to the movie.”
I closed my eyes and sucked in the fresh air while she continued to hype me up.
Ten minutes went fast, and we returned to set. I gulped down a full glass of water, and when I set the glass down, the director called, “Action!”
“So, your mother, Lita Reyes, was a Final Girl. She played the iconic Lana Westcott in the Simon Says franchise.” She paused then continued.
“The world was rocked when, five years ago, Lita Reyes was found dead on the set of Simon Says Three—an apparent suicide. You were the one who found her. Are you comfortable talking about it?”
My eye twitched.
Suicide? It wasn’t fucking suicide.
It was them.
Thornton. Dourif. Castle. Hodder. Englund. Bradley.
Antoinette stepped onto the stage.
“That wasn’t on the list of approved questions. Cut it, or we leave,” she snapped.
JoJo’s kind expression hardened in an instant. She turned to glare at Antoinette. The two women stared each other down, daring the other to argue. With a deep sigh, JoJo turned back to me, flashing her smile again.
“Despite your mother’s sudden death, the franchise continued on, shifting Sebastian Shaw into the lead role instead of replacing Lita with another actress. How do you feel about that?”
I forced a smile.
“I honestly have a lot of respect for the director and the writers for making that choice. I think it honors my mother’s legacy without erasing it, and that’s exactly why I took the call when Dante reached out.”
“Dante Delambre,” she clarified, looking at the camera.
“Yes, Dante is directing the next Simon Says film.”
“This is his directorial debut. He’s taking over for his father, who directed the first five movies. And it will be your debut, as well, on the silver screen. Tell us about that call, Evie.”
“Well, it came about six months ago. He’d seen my YouTube channel and had just signed on to direct the film. He’d been with the franchise as long as his dad, and he had a vision for how he wanted the sixth movie to go. He wanted me to be involved.”
“I’m sure that as an expert in the genre, your insight will be welcomed on set.”
I tried to stay focused, but my mind kept drifting elsewhere. I didn’t want to be doing this interview at all, but Antoinette thought helping promote the film would help me get a bigger role, and Dante hadn’t disagreed. Nothing had been locked in yet, so this was important.
I needed to make sure I was on that set.
“Did you say yes right off the bat to being cast, or were you hesitant to return to a place so... traumatic?”
My mind returned to the room. JoJo was pushing the limit. I glanced at Antoinette, who was already poised to shut down the interview. She’d wanted me to do this, but not at the cost of my emotions. A painful memory from that night washed over me.
Sebastian begging me to look away. Me, staring as my mother’s dead body swayed from the rafters. Shoving myself out of his arms to sprint to her, tripping over set pieces as I ran, but it was too late. There was so much blood.
I looked down to find my hands shaking. No, not today. I shoved the awful memory down.
“Sorry.” JoJo cleared her throat and started over. “How long did it take him to get you to say yes to the film?” Her eyes flicked to Antoinette, who nodded her approval.
“I did sit with the offer for a while before agreeing,” I admitted. “At first, it was a hard no. I didn’t think I could handle seeing everyone again. I wasn’t sure how they’d treat me or if they even cared about my mom. Had everyone moved on but me?”
When I glanced back at JoJo, I realized I’d gotten too personal. I cleared my throat and sat up, my face flushing.
“But Dante insisted I see his vision for the movie, so I flew in from Michigan, and he was right. Reading the script and seeing his storyboards in person sold me.” I finished with a smile.
“And now you’re officially signed on as…”
I smiled. “I’m actually not allowed to say who I’ll be playing.”
JoJo smirked for the cameras.
“All right, girl, keep your secrets. What are you most excited about?”
Revenge.
Thornton. Dourif. Castle. Hodder. Englund. Bradley.
“I think seeing some of the old cast and crew will be fun, now that some of the nervousness is gone. The dynamic will be a little different now that I’m an adult and can finally go to cast parties.
” I laughed. These questions had been on the list I’d been given last night. They were safe. I was prepared.
“Yes, you were on set with your mother from a young age, weren’t you?”
“I was. She started the Simon Says movies when I was eight, and up until—” I steeled myself, pushing the heartache back. “Up until her passing, the Simon Says crew was like my family.”
“Speaking of the cast, how do you feel about working with Hollywood hunk Sebastian Shaw?” JoJo’s eyes lit up, and she bit down on her lip, as if having just savored the most delicious treat.
I inhaled deeply. My stomach twisted, and my heart sped up just a fraction at the sound of his name.
Even after all these years, his name elicited reactions from my heart and mind that my soul fought against. I didn’t want to think about Sebastian.
In my mind, he was just like the rest of them.
Hollywood. No one had cared about me after she died.
They had moved on with their lives as if Lita Reyes had never existed.
And I couldn’t let myself be dragged off course on my quest for payback.
My mother was going to be avenged. Somehow, I’d make it happen.
Sebastian Shaw wasn’t on the list of approved questions, but damn if it wasn’t a good one.