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I don’t know if he’s playing mind games with me, but the threats while I do his dirty work are really pissing me off. “I said I got this! Unless you’re here to run lines with me, back off.”
Jax appears in the doorway with his hand raised as if he’s going to have to telekinetically restrain me. I stay seated on my bed.
The Senator doesn’t seem the least bit intimidated. “I am here to let you know that we’ve secured the Silver Star Slayer for the interview with a set of pre-approved questions. He’s a tremendous supporter of mine and giving him this spotlight will increase a platform that has been very generous toward our cause.”
The Silver Star Slayer is a deranged vlogger. He’s always red in the face as he explodes with conspiracy theories such as an airplane that went missing because it was swallowed up by a prime constellation. The first video I watched of his in full was about the Blackout. He claimed that the brawl between the Spell Walkers was the result of Aurora Lucero discovering an affair between her husband, Lestor, and Finola Simone-Chambers. He had shared all these pictures of Lestor and Finola close during battle to support his theory of how much they can’t live without each other.
“You should do him a favor and send him to a psychiatrist instead,” I say.
“That wouldn’t serve me,” the Senator says.
It wouldn’t. The Silver Star Slayer will always be outspoken against anything a gleamcrafter does. A celestial on a plane was once praised for teleporting into the pilot’s cabin to save the captain, who was having a seizure, and the Silver Star Slayer posted a whole video about how vulnerable all passengers are on a plane when a celestial can take over as quick as a snap. He absolutely hates the Spell Walkers, always blaming them for the destruction to public property when they’re fighting for their lives or saving others.
“Be ready in thirty,” the Senator says.
“I know Luna was busy during the Cloaked Phantom,” I say before he can leave. “What are you going to do with me when it’s time to swap me out with my replacement?”
The Senator stops at the door. “That will depend on your performances moving forward, Eduardo. We can either write you back into the show, or we can wri
te you out for good.”
The attic has been redone for the interview. The walls and windows have been blanketed to avoid anyone recognizing this space from the many photos available of the manor online. I know from the scripts that when speaking as Eva and Carolina that I won’t be disclosing where we’re supposed to be, and the Silver Star Slayer will be signing one hell of an NDA. Not that it seems necessary with the way he’s fawning over the Senator in the hallway.
“Time to suit up,” Roslyn says after she’s finished setting up the camera and the ring light.
I morph into Eva—my brown skin lightening, hair growing longer with a patch where Eva has been pulling too much, beauty marks appearing on my cheeks, eyelashes extending—and I shrink a little into the chair.
“Don’t worry about the black eye,” Roslyn says as I’m in the middle of building in all her bruises. She holds up a tablet where she’s video-chatting with Dione, who’s downstairs in the panic room with Eva and Carolina. Roslyn compares my features with Eva, who looks terrified beside her four-armed former best friend. “Lose a little more hair.”
“I got it right,” I say. I look more groomed than Eva since I’m not supposed to appear as if I’ve been locked away for a week.
“The dramatics will benefit us. If you’d like, I’m sure Dione will rip out more hair to make it true.”
I do as she asks, reminding myself that her time will come.
“Stick to the script,” she says before calling, “We’re ready!”
I keep my hands folded in my lap. I’m not familiar enough with Eva’s composure when she’s relaxed, having only spent intimate time with her when she was stressed and crying, but I’m hoping that I can sell this to the Senator’s team and signal Iris that something is off about her girlfriend.
The Senator escorts the Silver Star Slayer inside, a white man in his early thirties with a navy tie over his hideous lime-green shirt that looks like it might glow in the dark. He has auburn hair and brown eyes that already hate the celestial he sees sitting before him. He approaches me cautiously, as if he suspects Eva’s healing power is somehow violent.
“Russell, this is Eva,” the Senator introduces.
I get up to shake his hand, hiding my amusement when he steps back. The Senator assures Russell that he’s safe and reminds him that Jax is right outside should anything happen. It’s so pathetic watching Russell put on a brave face to impress the Senator when I remember how many years I was guilty of that same crime.
I want to believe that people can stop falling for obvious lies, but the truth is that some of them aren’t even being fooled.
“Hello,” Russell greets awkwardly as he settles in across from me.
The first time I met celestials as a kid I was tense like this too, swearing that someone might melt my insides with a single stare or control my mind to commit crimes. I truly believed that people with powers were all dangerous and that the laws so many worked hard to put in place were to protect people like me. It took too long to figure out that this wasn’t ever about security and always about dominating.
“Thanks for taking the time,” I say, programmed from my days with the media.
Russell nods and signals for Roslyn to begin filming. I’m sure he’s eager to move on to Carolina, who can’t hurt him. He turns to the camera with his chest proud, body language as big of a liar as he is. “Today’s interviews are being filmed from a discreet location to protect the whereabouts of my guests. First up as you’ll see here is Eva Nafisi, who was brought to our attention last month when she was featured in Brighton Rey’s series about the Spell Walkers. But lately she has had a change of heart. What inspired this, Eva?”
“The Spell Walkers are crumbling,” I say, and it’s one of the honest things that will come out of my mouth—Eva’s mouth—in a web of lies. “There have been struggles for leadership, and secrets kept from one another, even a really big one from my girlfriend. Some trust can’t be healed.” I take the pause that Roslyn wrote in for me even though any Intro to Acting class will often encourage you to ignore the descriptions, but the only way I’m going to survive is to play by all their rules. “The Spell Walkers are my family. They took me in when I was running for my life, but I’m tired of being a target.”
“Who’s targeting you?”
