Page 114 of Fang Fiction

Flora twisted her straw wrapper around one of her long black fingernails.

“Yeah, so, you know how it was my job to monitor what was happening on the Isle? With the vision portals?”

“Uh huh.” Tess felt like her whole brain was on the fritz.

“I mean, you’ve met those vampires. They were so interesting! And they’re always getting in fights, and having sex, and doing betrayal—I got hooked! I couldn’t stop watching the portals—they were like the best Real Housewives ever, and they were always on,” Flora explained.

“That actually totally makes sense.” Joni nodded.

“Right? Except I had no one to talk to about them.” Flora sighed. “And I was always at the bar reading romance novels anyway, so I thought, what if I just write a little about the Isle?”

“That’s when you started writing on fanfic sites,” Tess said.

“Exactly! I never thought my fics would get so big—because they weren’t based on anything.”

“They were based on actual vampires,” Joni pointed out.

“Right, but not IP,” Flora clarified. “But then I got a huge audience, and then I got an agent, and then the novel went crazy…I never expected any of that.”

“Why would you make Felix the hero, though?” Tess asked. “He’s such an asshole!”

“Well, obviously I didn’t know he was working with Konstantin,” Flora huffed. “But that’s how it always goes in vampire stories—Edward and Jacob, Bill and Eric, Stefan and Damon, Angel and Spike—some self-serious sap is always the hero. It was way easier to make Felix the hero than Callum.”

“Even though Felix is actually the one who killed Isobel?” Tess said pointedly.

“Shut up.” Joni gasped. “He did?”

“That happened way after I started publishing.” Flora shrugged. “At that point it was just about character consistency.”

“I can’t believe you’re August Lirio,” Tess marveled. “Wait, what does the name mean?”

“Lirio is the witch in The Craft.” Flora bit her lip. “And August is my favorite Taylor Swift song?”

“I literally don’t know what to do with my body,” Joni said. “Too much is happening. I don’t know what to do.”

“So anyway, I have all of Lirio’s accounts on my phone.” Flora held up the phone, as if to illustrate what a phone was. “So I could post that I was going to be at The Georgia, and that Feudies should come in costume? As like, my first-ever posts on social media? Do you think that would get it done?”

“Um, yeah.” Tess laughed at the absurdity of this entire situation. “I think that might work.”

Text message transcript: Tess Rosenbloom and Taylor Litman

Tess [10:14 PM]: Hey Taylor!! Are you at work?

Taylor [10:15 PM]: Hey Taylor?? HEY TAYLOR? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I thought you were dead! Or that you quit without telling anyone except that REALLY didn’t seem like you so I’ve been covering your ass and working doubles for weeks you owe me SO MANY PAYCHECKS

Tess [10:16 PM]: Taylor I am SO SORRY, and thank you, and I promise I’ll explain everything

Tess [10:16 PM]: But first I need to warn you about a tweet that’s about to happen

Taylor [10:16 PM]: A tweet? I’m not even on twitter, why do I care about a tweet

Tess [10:17 PM]: Well

Tess [10:17 PM]: You’re going to care about this one

Tess [10:18 PM]: Calling you now, please pick up the phone

SIREN EMOJI: Blood Feud author August Lirio posts on social for the very first time!