‘It’s LilyFireball!’
Lily shoved Hero Nurse Dylan, hard. She stumbled, careening into Amanda, who careened into me…
…Who careened straight into the pool.
‘What did I tell you about falling in the pool?’ Murray said.
‘I didn’t mean to,’ I said.
A production assistant came up to me with a towel, but Murray batted it away. ‘I want to record a confessional now while she’s wet,’ he said. ‘It’ll be more dramatic. Get her a new mic.’
‘You’re going to interview me?’
‘Yes, I’m going to interview you,’ Murray snapped. ‘What did you think I was going to do, send you to the fucking naughty corner?’
My hands started shaking.
He sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Cece. I’m stressed, and I don’t mean to take it out on you. Someone get me that towel back.’
The production assistant ran back over, and Murray draped the towel he was given around my shoulders like a scarf. ‘Here, sit,’ he said, guiding me to a stool. ‘Kylie, can you muss up her hair more? It looks too neat.’
The make-up artist did what he told them. Someone else threaded a new mic through my shoulder strap and stuffed the pack down the back of my soaking-wet dress.
‘Okay,’ Murray said. ‘I know you’ve been having a tough time tonight, Cece, but this won’t be scary. Just you and me, like we did in the hotel. Look at me, not the camera. The audience is only going to hear your answers, not my questions, so—’
‘Full sentences,’ I said. ‘I remember.’
‘Can you do that?’
I swallowed. ‘Yes. I can do that.’
‘Rolling,’ the cameraman said.
My hands started to sweat again.
‘Tell me what happened with Lily,’ Murray said. ‘How did you end up in the pool?’
‘Lily was angry because—’
‘Sorry,’ Murray interrupted. ‘I need you to call her Lily Fireball when you’re talking to camera.’
I blinked. ‘Seriously?’
‘Yes. We’re going to shape her character around that because it’s part of her social media branding, and… you don’t need to worry about that. Just do it. From the top. How did you end up in the pool?’
‘Lily F-Fireball was angry because Dylan interrupted her time with—Dylan,’ I said. ‘Sorry. That sounded ridiculous. Can I say it again?’
‘Of course,’ Murray said. ‘You can go over things as many times as you like when we’re filming interviews, Cece. It’s just you and me.’
Look at Murray. Not at the camera.
Breathe out anxiety. Breathe in calm.
‘Lily Fireball was angry because her time with Dylan got interrupted by someone else, by female Dylan, Dylan G,’ I said. ‘She pushed Dylan G, and Dylan G fell back onto Amanda, and then Amanda fell onto me. We were like dominoes, and I was the last one standing. Bam. In the pool.’
‘How do you feel?’
‘About what?’
