Chapter 25
Lara
Once you’ve repaired the train tracks, you can travel to neighboring towns.
The last two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
They were mostly made up of ridiculous amounts of caffeine, lack of sleep—and if I hadn’t been texting Luca daily, there might have been one or two nervous breakdowns to add to that list as well.
Nataly, for one, was about to book another rage room session for our entire team. But we did it!
Kamal’s brother has built us a beautiful booth, and the two of them spent a whole day at Crow Manor to put together our life-sized book nook.
We had the promo materials delivered directly to Crow Manor—minus a few capybara plushies for Aria.
Aside from that, we’ve perfected the demo and roped a few friends into play-testing it.
Ramon got rid of the last few bugs, and now it’s running smoothly.
I’m really excited, but my fear that the other participants are going to judge me for my performance at the prelims still haunts me.
The TikTok video is no longer trending, but I’m sure they’ve all seen it and are just waiting for me to cock up again.
I bet they can hardly believe I’m through to the next round.
Still, I’m looking forward to GameChanger.
Because of Novel Haven, of course, but because I’ll be seeing Luca again too.
Granted, we’ve been texting a lot, but that’s nowhere near the feeling I get when he’s right there in front of me.
And although our messages have become more intimate over time, neither of us has mentioned our shared kiss again.
I, meanwhile, have been thinking about it every single day.
Scratch that, every hour. Like so often over the last few days, I feel my cheeks heat up, and I quickly force myself to focus on something else.
Ramon gives a hearty yawn next to me. He and the rest of the team insisted on coming to St. Pancras with Sophia and me.
I wish they could all come to Crow Manor with us; this was a team effort, after all.
But if we win—no, when we win, we’ll soon be able to take part in every trade fair out there as a full team.
Ramon catches me looking and gives me a sleepy wink.
Apart from Nataly, who has covered the shadows under her eyes with some kind of colorful concealer, we all look like we’re about to fall asleep where we’re standing.
Kamal heaves a deep sigh, like he’s just guessed my thoughts. “Sure, I was sad at first that I couldn’t stay after setting up your booth all pretty-like, but you know what? I’m going to go home now, let my daughter watch a few extra episodes of Peppa Pig, and sleep in the meantime.”
“I’m sacking you for being a pillock,” Sophia says, but her joke sounds tired, and there’s a note of tension in her voice. She’s probably even more anxious than I am.
Kamal’s only reply is an exhausted grin, and Sophia sighs.
“Make sure you get some rest. I suppose I’ll be harassing you with questions tomorrow if anyone asks me anything about one of your areas of expertise.”
“Do you have the press kit with you?” Nat asks, and Sophia nods.
“Yep, thanks. Right, then, shall we?” My boss looks at me and gestures to the train tracks. “Ready?”
“Yeah!” I tell her, and I surprise myself with how steady my voice sounds.
Speech therapy starts next week, but even with all the overtime, I’ve been practicing tirelessly.
It seems to be paying off—if I don’t speak for too long, at least. I can’t undo my performance from last time, but I’ll make sure nothing like that happens again.
Sophia hugs everyone in turn, and I can’t stop my gaze from wandering restlessly around the station as I wait for her.
But there’s no sign of Luca anywhere. I know he’ll be taking the train from here as well, but I have no idea when.
Sophia wanted to leave early, and if Luca’s taking the same approach as last time, he won’t be leaving until at least a few hours later.
“She’s thinking about him again.” Nat sighs, and Aria joins in.
“She is. Totes romantic.”
“She can hear you, so stuff it.” I glare at both of them, and Nat playfully tugs at the sleeve of my denim jacket before pulling me in for a tight hug.
“I’m so proud of you,” she whispers in my ear. “You can do this. We’ll be rooting for you from the office, and you can call us anytime! We’re all going to be watching the live stream and hyping up you and Sophia!”
“Thanks,” I mumble into her blond hair, and then I hug Aria, who gives me some more words of encouragement, and finally Ramon and Kamal.
The train screeches in, and I follow Sophia over to the turnstile.
We hold our tickets up against the sensor, and shortly after, we’re on the other side.
I turn and wave to the team. Then I board a train for the second time in a short while to attend an event that I wouldn’t have dreamed of going to until recently.
But maybe that push was what I needed—I didn’t just meet Luca; it also kickstarted some level of personal growth.
I’ve already been through hell on a stage. This time, I’m ready.
Sophia lets out a loud whistle as she takes in Crow Manor.
In the daylight, it’s far more impressive than it was when I arrived in the evening.
The sun has broken through its cloud cover and throws shadows on the building’s facade, bringing the animals, faces, and other decorations to life.
“Wow. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Carson opened up those pompous doors for us right now. ”
I frown. “Who’s Mr. Carson?”
Sophia tears her gaze away from the estate to give me an arch look. “You don’t know Downton Abbey?”
“No.”
She mutters something that sounds like uncultured and then inclines her head in thanks to the driver who brought us here, taking her suitcase from him.
He’s not the same driver as last time. Rodrick Crow must have oodles of money if he’s able to employ not just one but several drivers.
Then again, his wealth is pretty self-evident.
The finalist teams are all here on his expense, after all.
A smile touches my lips as a platinum-blond woman steps through the doors and waves at us in excitement.
“Not Mr. Carson,” Sophia says, dragging her suitcase along the paved path toward the steps.
“Nope, that’s Elsa. She’s part of the UK Games Association,” I reply, and Sophia’s white teeth flash as she grins at me.
“Look at that, you did socialize last time.”
“Oh, ha-ha.”
Sophia glances at me over her shoulder, waiting for me to catch up. Then her voice turns serious. “I’m honestly so grateful that you stepped in for me. And that you’re here now, of course. We’ll knock their socks off, no doubt about it. And if someone messes with you, I’ll just punch them.”
I raise my eyebrows. “You? With your crochet-toned muscles?”
“A crochet needle to the eye hurts like a bitch, let me tell you. Have you at least seen Only Murders in the Building?”
I shake my head, and Sophia lets out a loud sigh. “I should give you lot more days off so you can fill in the enormous gaps in your pop-culture knowledge.”
I laugh quietly, but the tension in my voice mirrors the tension in my muscles.
I’m nowhere near as nervous as I was last time, but I’m still worried that the others—Shane, in particular—will confront me about my performance.
Will the judges even be able to evaluate us impartially?
I can only hope they’ll give Sophia a fresh chance and that she’ll look even more impressive than she already is, courtesy of my failure.
We pick up the pace, because Elsa is still waiting for us by the top of the stairs. “Hi, you two! I’m so happy you’re here.” She holds out her hand for Sophia to shake. “I’m Elsa, how do you do? What an honor to get to meet you! I’ve been following your work for quite some time.”
“The pleasure’s mine!” Sophia responds.
“And Lara, how wonderful to see you again.” Is that surprise I hear in her voice?
Whatever it is—the joy is definitely genuine.
Just like her hug, which she pulls me into a moment later.
“Some of the others are here already; we’ve made ourselves at home in the lounge.
Would you like to come say hello? And then you can go have a look at your booth, of course.
Your colleagues really knuckled down, eh?
It’s turned out beautifully. Or would you like to go up to your rooms first?
” She turns to face me. “I promise your room is free of water damage this time. We double- and triple-checked.”
“Your room had water damage?” Sophia raises her eyebrows at me, and I hurriedly give her a dismissive little wave.
All I need now is for her to learn where I spent that night.
Fortunately, Elsa seems to sense my discomfort, or maybe she’s still embarrassed about the whole thing, because she clears her throat and points at the entrance. “Well then, shall we?”
“Sure,” I hasten to say, glad that she’s steering the topic away from the water damage. “I can’t wait to see everyone again! We can go up to our rooms later.”
“Good idea.” Sophia smiles too, but it doesn’t reach her green eyes. She’s been tense all week, but it seems to be getting worse with each passing day.
“Just what I wanted to hear.” Elsa hurries ahead, and we follow her into the posh lobby.
Just like last time, there’s a floral scent wafting over from the flower arrangements, and the floor is polished to such a gleam that it reflects the chandeliers above our heads.
This time, the place is busy, with several members of staff flitting around the room.
“Preparations are in full swing here,” Elsa explains when she notices my puzzled look.
“We’re expecting more visitors than ever before.
The streaming area is enormous! Mr. Crow is thrilled to welcome so many people at once to his estate, and of course he wants everything to be perfect when we kick things off tomorrow. ”