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“Gang leaders and alchemists have always wanted to make good use of my healing power. But I was recently taken hostage by the Blood Casters. A former best friend of mine, Dione, hurt me and forced me to use my power to save horrible people.” I take a deep breath, knowing the lies that come next. “Then I was saved by enforcers. They weren’t able to detain Dione, but they arrested some acolytes and have kept me somewhere safe for the past three days.”
There’s nothing about this statement that will draw any immediate attention. Nothing too specific about the incident and no details shared about the acolytes’ identities or the prisons they would’ve been sent to if these were real accounts. I’m counting on Iris and the Spell Walkers to know better and dig deeper than everyone else who will accept this as fact.
“Have you reached out to anyone?” Russell asks.
I shake my head. “I tried reaching out to Iris, but she’d already vacated the hospital. It might be for the best until this all blows over. I love Iris, but I’m starting to question if we fit as well as this T-shirt her mother bought her. She leads people into battle with her powerhouse strength, and I’m this pacifist who heals them all after. I think I need to find my own way.”
“What will you do?”
“I plan on donating some blood to a medical center I can’t name. If I can help create some breakthroughs to heal patients with my blood, I’ll be a hero in a way that’s more me.”
“It’s certainly better than healing terrorists,” Russell says with the most aggression in his voice of this entire interview. That line wasn’t scripted. I choke on a response and ultimately say nothing. He grins. “Thank you for your time, Eva.”
“Cut,” Roslyn says. “Wonderful job, you two. Russell, we’ll need a few moments to escort Ms. Nafisi out of here and bring in Mrs. Rey, but I believe the senator is wanting to show you his personal office.”
Russell’s trying so hard to hold back his smile and play it cool. No matter how much I hate it, the Senator is a hero to many. The Russells of the world are so ready to vote him into office. It makes me sick.
Once they walk out, I glow in gray light and become myself again. “That comment wasn’t preapproved.”
“Not to you,” Roslyn says. “I asked Russell to sneak that one in. Who doesn’t love a little improv?”
If she were my friend or anyone I was even one-thousandth interested in getting to know, I would share that improv was my least favorite part about acting, no matter how useful it’s been to adapt to all situations as a specter with infinite faces. My instinct to not say anything when Russell challenged me seems to have played right into Roslyn’s hopes. They’ll now be able to broadcast Eva’s guilty expression as she didn’t negate the Spell Walkers being terrorists.
“Get dressed,” Roslyn says.
Gray light washes over me again. Dark hair with gray streaks, kind eyes, arms that lovingly hugged Eva, hands that were once used to nurture the best person I’ve ever met. One look in the camera and I’m so perfectly Carolina Rey that even she would confuse me for her reflection.
I hate the words they’re going to make me say.
A few minutes later, the Senator and Russell return. The Silver Star Slayer definitely has on his big boy pants this time as he mistakes me for a powerless mother. He doesn’t look me in the eye as he shakes my hand and I’m tempted to snap his wrist. Instead I soften my demeanor and express gratitude even though all I can think about is how he’ll get what’s coming to him one day. There’s no way that Brighton won’t use his new powers against the Silver Star Slayer; I wouldn’t mind watching that video.
The cameras begin rolling.
“My next guest doesn’t have any powers
herself, but her children do. Last night your sons uploaded a video threatening those who get in their way,” Russell says. No one showed me the livestream, but I doubt there were threats. “Brighton has abused his platform to spread misinformation about the Spell Walkers, claiming they’re good. It’s always been clear to me that he’s very troubled, but I’ll admit to being surprised about Emil. What darkness possessed him to become a specter?”
“It’s complicated,” I say, which is true in ways that the Senator and his team don’t even understand. “What you have to understand is that my boys have been through a lot this past year after losing their father.”
If Emil and Brighton watch this, I wonder if they’ll assume their mother is leaving out the obvious details to protect them. I have no idea if the Senator has been clued in to the resurrection revelations, but I would hate for Luna to weaponize that against Emil.
“Grief doesn’t give someone authority over others,” Russell says. “Do you not see the value in trusting our government?”
I know the response I’m supposed to say, but I pause. The Senator can’t be trusted with this country. I’m ready to rat him out, to transform back into myself because I don’t give a damn if they have to kill Russell to protect my secret. It’s not as if he’s a source of good in this world. Roslyn holds up the tablet and Dione is choking Carolina. Russell only lives to see another day because I want Carolina to be able to.
“The government deserves our trust,” I lie.
I stay in character the rest of the interview, echoing the lie that Carolina was also rescued by the government, sharing the story about Emil to illustrate what a kind soul he was before he chose the specter life, going on about seeking attention in a private center for heart complications, and the charges Carolina may face if she doesn’t cooperate with the authorities.
“One last question,” Russell says. “If you could send a message to your sons right now, what would you tell them?”
“Don’t be so high and mighty, and don’t get yourselves killed using powers you shouldn’t have. You’re all I have left.”
Then, on command, I get myself to cry. Actors always make it look so easy, but I learned that’s not the case for everyone. They cry because they’re tapping into their own personal wells of pain, and my trigger is thinking about how much my life has gotten worse without my mother.
The camera is switched off and Russell shows no sympathy for me. He immediately returns to the Senator’s side. “Thank you so much for trusting me with these interviews, sir.”
“Oh, please. I’m grateful to have incredible supporters such as yourself,” the Senator says.
