CHAPTER THREE
A thousand bulbs pop and flash, thundering diamonds making a piece of history eternal. Viggo Hayes’s garage door opens, and his pitch black car backs out. The tires roll with predatory grace. The paparazzi drones hover, making room for the car to drive away. From inside, both brothers with bruised, swollen faces stare ahead. The silence is deafening. The silence is safer. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAKOOFmSQR1C
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They get on the parkway and travel into deep traffic. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAao4fyHNJ2o
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“Great,” Viggo taps the wheel. Kirby checks the speedometer. They’re going 70. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAlS8y8adVwn
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They pass a car that had been ahead of them, a loser who had been texting. Kirby tightens his seatbelt. Has Viggo used a blinker? His brother places his cellphone on a mantle just as it vibrates, pinging a new notification. They see a text from Harold his lawyer: We have a Kirby situation. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAjyRd4UTh0t
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Viggo and Kirby share a glance, immediately suspicious of each other. They ask the same of each other: What is this Kirby situation? They pass another car. Kirby’s pretty sure this time that Viggo hasn’t used a blinker. What is this irrational fear? 595Please respect copyright.PENANAFthDA8iRkk
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Viggo calls up his lawyer, “What is it?” Kirby could lipread that much. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAtiiq9ZbqrP
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The lawyer says something startling. Kirby notices how Viggo flushes pink. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAtcVP7KD4E5
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They brake to a horrid screech, almost hitting a car. As they enter a low-lit tunnel, Viggo puts on his seatbelt and ends the call quietly. Strokes across the screen bring up the news app and several articles. Lo and behold, Kirby Hayes is trending up there with the Taylor bombing.595Please respect copyright.PENANAHtMuh8dyIU
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Photos of last night, when Viggo had brought him a change of clothes at the airport, show Kirby unbuckling his jeans, stripping down to shamrock boxers. He has a hardened Spartan body with a happy trail down his flat stomach while Viggo hands him a highfalutin jacket. Planet Earth and the plane that blew are juxtaposed directly behind them. It looks planned, like a fashion magazine shoot. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAVJiXjl8OtT
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“STRIP SHOW SCANDAL.” Yeah right, Kirby thinks, snorting by the next headline. “BROTHERLY LOVE.” Either way, it doesn’t come off as a bad situation. Maybe? They both seem to look good. Kirby smiles, wondering what Chance secretly thinks. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAhvsCRhbBuL
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Viggo, on the other hand, shoots him a hateful glare. He turns the volume to the max, shattering the silence with grating rock. Yikes. It unnerves Kirby to look the other way. Once he sees a driver wearing a wooden mask, he frowns. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAJ4JZbGw67o
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A horrible woeful face looks back at him behind glass, two stained rivers of black that stream down from the eyes. The cars are right next to each other. Viggo doesn’t notice. The Spook decides to wave with a gloved hand. 595Please respect copyright.PENANA8uC75ONtHO
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What the hell’s that? Kirby peeks back. That car backs out of sight, slowing down behind a sea of weaving vehicles. Skyden has weirdos too, I guess. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAvmm14Fi9Lm
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Kirby faces straight ahead at the road. He starts to worry. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAsfbfRwLrQ0
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The traffic starts to lessen, so they speed up to 80. The music starts cutting. Viggo’s knuckles go white. When the road makes a curve, the car shifts. They rattle in their seats, leaning left. 595Please respect copyright.PENANA3WZcwnhZej
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The speed radar sign flashes and tells them that they’re over limit. Kirby demands him to slow down. He’s ignored. Oh my god. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAmpZx5BUqgG
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They go 90 and traffic is back. More cars flood as much space as they can, taking their sweet time. Viggo swerves in between two lanes. Kirby starts yelling at the top of his lungs but then stops. It does no good. 595Please respect copyright.PENANALfHhPqdEo6
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He realizes with his eyes that Viggo’s already trying. He’s really trying to stop. His feet are already slamming down on the brakes. Nothing. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAodDrKhngUI
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That’s when Kirby palms the window and thinks: We’re going to die. A semi truck with all its weight looms ahead. He begins hyperventilating, wondering what is the safest position to lock into before that smash. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAiEAgBua8zM
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His brother slaps the wheel and steers ever so slightly to avoid such a swerve. The car jerks. They hurtle ahead many honking cars, cutting across several lanes, but they make it. Some cars spin to a halt. Oh god, oh god.595Please respect copyright.PENANAOCZFYvimjG
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Viggo squeezes at the car key, trying to yank it out. It doesn’t budge, and the gears don’t either. Kirby winces, peeking at the speedometer. They’re going past 100! 595Please respect copyright.PENANA3jfFMryJJD
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Sirens wail behind them, red and blue thundering diamonds. The police. Three police cars and a helicopter gain on them. They see more police cars parked ahead. Viggo and Kirby share a doomed glance, their faces bruised and beaten. Viggo’s eyes start to lower, downcast and defeated. His brother struggles to say something final, something witty. Kirby’s eyes start to well up. This is it. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAPflEM3mR8i
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But something changes in his brother’s face. Another idea sparks. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAepaSl5u7Xr
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Viggo tears a net of wires from under the steering wheel. He gives some to Kirby who understands what they must do. More! Viggo fumbles with the wires, rooting through bundles for some taut lines. Together they roar and yank them out, flayed apart. That kills the engine dead. 595Please respect copyright.PENANANZwQHpG91B
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His brother slams at the brakes, but it’s still no good. The police orders him to stop. They don’t. Kirby holds his breath. The black car charges past the razor line with too much momentum. Rip. Pop. The tires are ruined but unstoppable. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAU73mhX7Ykd
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Officers scramble away from the rampage. 595Please respect copyright.PENANADy5dt93uEa
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They crash through the parked cars, significantly slowed. But along comes the edge. Beyond that is a long quiet fall to the ground. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAKJDb6a4QIj
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Viggo eyes the emergency brake handle. He grabs it with a trembling hand. For a moment, he looks at Kirby who gives him a nod. Do it. He pulls it. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAVBgYOrMZuD
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The car flips. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAmnSh5bu3Fi
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The world tumbles in a savage spiral as Kirby’s head knocks the ceiling and Viggo’s arm shatters through the window. No time to scream. Like a rollercoaster, gravity pulls them in a twist. Hair, face, sneaker. The car flips twice more through the air before scraping along the asphalt, raining sparks. They grind against the road. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAJxLdbhLvb5
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Ouch, Kirby thinks numbly before blacking out. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAYNN2aHpESP
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It seems like a dream when Viggo is taken away, handcuffed behind his back. He’s alive. He’s shouting that his little brother’s deaf. Have mercy. Fade to black. It seems almost as if Kirby’s body is floating in black water until a dozen hands snatch him back awake. It seems like a nightmare but is real. 595Please respect copyright.PENANATJTm4xSZnc
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He’s on the parkway, lying in an ambulance. My neck… ack. The pain runs bone deep. This is Kirby’s first whiplash but he’s suffered only minor injuries. He recalls the Spook and that sympathetic wave. They were attacked in bright daylight and framed. Attempted manslaughter. What’s going to happen to Viggo? Or me? 595Please respect copyright.PENANA4uGVnANbAe
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Kirby grips his neck, trying not to move so much. His entire body is so sore, he can’t help but squirm. It isn’t long before an officer gives him a ride to Pegasus Studios. It ends up an uneventful and brief ride, despite the alarms going off in his head. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAEnOLTQYF88
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They arrive on a large campus where brick buildings and palm trees are lit up on display. They pass gigantic winged horses for statues and the crew on their sets. Unwilling to go any further, the officer drops him off at the curb and leaves. Kirby limps to the dorm alone, looking zombified. Everything about him is roughed up, like he had a fight with the road, and he lost. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAbGK7x23okS
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The dorm is a weird underground complex but small enough to navigate. It’s so early in the morning so the place seems dead, dreary lights, darkness, and all. He finds his room at the end of the white hall, marked with his name and his title, Pegasus Studios Intern. It’s a narrow room with bare walls, a window, and a double mattress. A prison bunk compared to the oversized bed he had last night. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAcqZlSXthVL
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The room does have a zero gravity button. I’d take this over that house any day. I’d at least feel a little freer. But not safer, that thought comes by. Not even a lock on the door. I can’t sleep with one eye open. Tried that once. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAbzaKj7z1fE
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He wastes no time starting a hot shower. That’s when he gets to thinking. They were targeted. It’s that sad weirdo, Kirby’s sure of it. Their car got hacked, remotely, on the road. Just like that. He had no time to tell anyone about it. He rubs his temples. Why target us? 595Please respect copyright.PENANAraGCpt19HL
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Kirby remembers the car crash all over again. It pains him to remember the way his brother looked wanting to say something, faced with the reality that they’d might soon perish. Viggo has never looked that guilty before. Monstrous but contrite. Like it’s somehow his fault, and he’s had it long coming. 595Please respect copyright.PENANA9JihfnXQ6G
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Kirby gets out of the shower and checks his phone, even though he knows there’s still no reply from Chance Gott. Out of habit. Must be busy, I guess. 595Please respect copyright.PENANA7rIX25VVJ9
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He dries off and checks the news. This time, Kirby Hayes is trending everywhere, especially right after a cop chase turned car wreck was captured on live television. He buries his face into his hands. And I just got here. Mom and Dad are going to freak when they see this. He combs through the cheap branded hoodies and jeans for the best matching pair. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAlG6XeMlHtn
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Even worse, medical records are turning up from his past, dredged up from planet Earth. He moans. Someone’s found out about a failed suicide attempt that happened one year ago. Pill overdose. That was a dark time. It becomes hard to swallow and even harder to think straight. Viggo isn’t kidding. The paparazzi really are sharks. The headlines scream echoes in his head: “DANGER TO SOCIETY?” “WHICH HAYES BROTHER DROVE OFF THE ROAD?” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAhE2d6iJY2F
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Ugh. Kirby does an eyeroll as he puts on his sneakers, savaged from the wreck. His reputation looks ruined already. But if he’s not careful, either one of them can end up demonized. They’re good-ish, for now. Right? 595Please respect copyright.PENANAm1CYAg5RF5
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Iris Frisk knocks on his open door for a while, a redhead all dressed in white. He doesn’t hear her, but once he notices, he freezes like a deer in headlights. Viggo’s ex. She may look like Emma Stone, but she moves like Jen Lawrence. She creeps in with a big darling smile, a dry erase board and a marker, taking a seat next to him. He clears his throat to feel better. She’s not even a star but he’s already starstruck. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAHjVIpmXxCQ
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She debates on it but shows him a barely legible scribble: I’m Iris. I know your brother. Heard what happened... Are you okay? Is there anything I can do? 595Please respect copyright.PENANAldWkWkCKvm
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He shakes his head and gives her a small appreciative smile. She’s more shy than she shows to the public. However, Iris doesn’t look satisfied. Her bovine eyes fixate on a spot for a minute before she wipes the board clear. Her small hand scribbles furiously. How are you getting back at him then? 595Please respect copyright.PENANAzXixm34PR6
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Kirby recoils. He writes: Back at him? Why would I do that? 595Please respect copyright.PENANAP7nF2ztE5d
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It dawns on Iris’s face. “You don’t know…” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAEwTxMnvHDZ
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She brings out her phone and directs him to a video of Viggo Hayes outside the police station an hour ago, rubbing his unchained wrists. This happened during the shower. An underlying headline shouts: “CHARGES AGAINST HAYES DROPPED.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANARXM3VVJdrq
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That’s quick. Harold his lawyer must’ve said some things right. His brother looks banged up, but he’s all right. Viggo’s talked a lot to the press, but Kirby has no idea what he’s said. It’s not captioned, despite it being the law. They’re talking about him but he doesn’t know what they’re saying. This is some hearing bullshit. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAbBtIdrKP40
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Iris scribbles: He’s blaming it on the car, but since a reporter asked about your … past … and whether if you caused the crash, Viggo’s story changed. He’s not confirming but he’s not denying it either. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAPXmAVFzwTu
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That’s why you don’t want me talking to the press. Kirby’s face grows hot. So you can demonize me first and demonize me so good until I’m kicked out of the sky. Iris notices how angrier he becomes. She sighs, pleased with his rage. 595Please respect copyright.PENANABYkyKwv1ca
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I was thinking, we should do an interview on my show. Let’s show them you’re sober and rehabilitated. Undo the damages that Viggo’s done. Let’s make him go INSANE, yeah? 595Please respect copyright.PENANAffqVgbPsdV
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Kirby does not hesitate. He nods eagerly and writes: I want respect. 595Please respect copyright.PENANA3ptOuNixi7
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‘Yeah,” Iris Frisk says under bated breath. Her smile grows enormously. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAG8I4IRxN7t
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And oh they make it look amazing. Because of it, Kirby Hayes trends even higher than the Taylor bombing. He sits across Iris Frisk on her Iris and Bunny show, both grinning and beaming like children on everyone’s mobile, tablet, or laptop. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAxdvzTF0q0F
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“How are you feeling?” Iris asks out loud. 595Please respect copyright.PENANA9wUYsTxLNz
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Kirby shows a cue card to the audience: Like a car wreck! 595Please respect copyright.PENANAjAyZBMRt7N
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The people laugh, laugh, laugh. All about Kirby Hayes. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAEz1gCagyDq
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“Speaking of which Kirby, in your words, the ones that the officers on scene never asked for by the way, what happened exactly?” Iris asks pointedly at the camera, as if to ask those responsible. 595Please respect copyright.PENANA3BlLVsifiy
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Kirby shows them another cue card: My brother? Driving a Lexus? Enough said. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAUkhetkIq0p
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Iris giggles, “You don’t seem to have mental issues, like they imply. At all.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAuk32Pkdkvg
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Kirby shrugs comically. Next cue card. I had no idea they were saying that. Maybe if I weren’t deaf, they’d talk differently. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAnCoEKAi6QO
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Iris agrees, “Ahem, I mean you were the passenger here.” She turns in her swivel chair and smiles at the camera. “Your thoughts?” 595Please respect copyright.PENANASmrKn1Q2Ea
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They end the show there. Shove it, Viggo. Chills run down Kirby’s back, the really good kind. They hug and perfect a high-five. He blushes, writing her: Thanks. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAfR4fpgO8kE
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“Oh nothing to it,” Iris says, urging him not to make a fuss. She writes back: Thank YOU. We should get going. Our first meeting starts in ten minutes. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAizxYc0rBiY
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They regroup with the other interns down the white hall. Kirby notices a blonde French woman bent for her five-year-old daughter, tying her little white shoes. It would have been picturesque except for her tired, frosty face. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAPIzjYwTJZr
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“Hey Maddy!” Iris says. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAHIqCUmNL9N
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“Not now,” Madeline Desjardins snaps. “Iris! Pour me coffee, would you, darling?” 595Please respect copyright.PENANARUsHOZuzt5
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“Sure thing,” she says and clicks her tongue, her hands firing at the five-year-old like a cowgirl’s. “See you Maddy, see you Ruthie!” Bang! Ruthie shoots back. 595Please respect copyright.PENANA1HB7eYgkM2
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A cute Korean guy with pink spiked hair leaves his room, dressed in a pinstripe suit. He gives a dimpled smile directed at Iris then Kirby and leers from behind his rectangular shades. He initiates a handshake, and Kirby is relieved, glad to take it. 595Please respect copyright.PENANATUHExd3mVv
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“Maverick Clark,” he says and points to his name tag. “I’m a writer like you.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANA28sRfbCL6Y
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Kirby nods, weaseling out of the prolonged handshake. He writes: Nice to meet you. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAsCjfqeGIR7
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“Cool, cool, you too bro,” says Maverick. He puts in his pink earphones and tunes out. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAd8nMS6Xx8I
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They travel down the hall until a tall dark skinned woman in a grey business skirt leaves her room. This time, Kirby sees a more familiar face and becomes starstruck once again. She purses her burgundy lips into a sharp smirk. Simone Chaput struts away, leading the pack, with skull painted fingernails and skull earrings. She plays the goth role in several dramas on tv, and she’s nearly brought him to tears often. Her acting’s that good. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAfk5YHb1mIg
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He’s always hoped to write her an amazing role in a movie one day but with Simone Chaput… in the same room, Kirby has to stifle his excitement. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAZtihXcy9cT
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The pack leaves the dorm and travels across campus, a mixed motley of style and talent. The glaring sun rises, filling the atmosphere and pounding each structure with glorious light and shadow. Iris pounces Maverick by surprise and rides his back. They whoop, towering like a two-headed beast. Simone lingers behind when she sees Madeline come jogging with Ruthie and a heavy jangling bag of books and binders. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAIbW6hfqDqN
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Kirby checks his phone, dwelling on the private number. No reply. Chance has been really flirty, but Kirby hasn’t. He realizes that with growing regret. His eyes should be on the prize, and that’s his career. It’s his brass ring and he has to snatch that before Viggo does. His heart wounds a bit. Ah, whatever. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAhje5ecsx09
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They approach a bricked building named after Dr. Taylor and slowly enter. Madeline tells her daughter to stay close. Kirby takes the time to view around a rosewood study that’s carpeted like a library or a college classroom. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAjLj1YOiM8n
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Carved into the walls are sea captains overlooking their ship masts, dealing with krakens and angered stormy gods. His fingers run over them as he gawks up. The white golden dome is both a ceiling and a lavish compass. He and Maverick gawk at each other gawking before they look away, feeling like fools. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAa7NlyWNxXI
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Globes of all kinds are posted between classical Victorian street lamps. Simone dances with Ruthie, weaving around the lamps and globes like princesses at a ball. Madeline looks relieved, like she’s been given a break. Kirby looks back as the doors close. 595Please respect copyright.PENANA2LgsryqaBe
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Madeline coaxes Ruthie to reach their seats as the interns look down to the center of the room where the skylight shines the brightest. An old woman with long white grandma hair leans over a large mahogany desk, scrying through scrolls, indexes, and almanacs. She pinches her spectacles and marks her place with a business card as her heavy lidded eyes dart down line by line. For a sleepy, trembly woman, she’s sharply dressed in a vest underneath a blazer with dress pants. She’s hopelessly distracted by the German Shepherd, muttering, “Please stop shedding.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAEb32pajnKI
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The lady notices everyone arriving and brightens, “Hey you!” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAXaWWdfkmZ1
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“Dr. July Fanfare!” Iris calls her name with pizzazz. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAkOmBCuSukI
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Dr. Fanfare whips back her long white hair, using age as part of her charm. But she is still slow to react, as her mind seems somewhere else. She starts gathering her rare books and placing them carefully in glass boxes. “Sorry. Antiquarian habits.”
“Boy or girl?” Iris crouches next to it and checks. “Girl.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANA3jWPlsDftg
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“Boy,” corrects Dr. Fanfare. She makes a snip-snip gesture. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAT3zFjEwCHX
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“Sorry, boy... What’s his name?” Iris rakes through its thick matted hair. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAYjMwpSYVhB
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“It’s not mine, it’s Taylor’s,” Dr. Fanfare says. “There’s a collar, I believe.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAcl5Hup2yjE
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Simone checks it, “Aha, his name is Ishmael.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAYZsGaNL0Qq
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Dr. Fanfare chuckles. “He does love his books about the sea.” She sniffles and shakes her head to stop herself from tearing up. “I mean, Taylor had loved those kind of books. As you can see, he left things behind. His entire life, I suppose.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANA1hSkGdfwKR
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“Anyhoo,” says Dr. Fanfare, addressing everyone. “Congratulations to Iris Frisk, Kirby Hayes, Simone Chaput, Madeline Desjardins, and Maverick Clark. Welcome to your internship with … Pegasus Studios.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAKvPPD0jtMX
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They clap and hoot. Kirby plays along and claps with them. He can figure out their commotion, though he’s surprised a sign language interpreter hasn’t shown up. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAvYs8J88Vw9
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Madeline’s hand shoots up. “Are you the teacher?” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAbzDsCKhRd5
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Dr. Fanfare calms them down, “I’m just the assistant. But I can be the best darn cheerleader you’ll ever meet. As to who will be your supervisor, I don’t know who it is, I’m afraid. They’ll be coming by shortly. Until then, icebreaker. You.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANATJQTMzs5rr
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She points a bony finger to Kirby Hayes as she turns on the projector. They look to the screen glowing on one wall. She reads it out loud for them, “What is your mission?” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAeICxlQqrTO
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Kirby takes a second to think about it, but he already knows. He writes on the dry erase board and shows Dr. Fanfare. She quotes, “I want to make Pegasus Studios millions of dollars in revenue.” Scattered laughter. The old lady nods deliriously, struggling to keep her eyes open, “You’re going to be popular with the board, Kirby. Hehehe.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAPHKj85uCwp
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The doors open. “Oh,” says Dr. Fanfare. “Looks like your supervisor’s coming.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAsOsydDsPTw
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Everyone looks back and stares. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAf3Se0ILQKO
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Viggo Hayes struts down the aisle, passing globes and lamps, and greets them in both spoken English and American Sign Language, “Hello, interns. Let’s get you hired.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAm9C6DPPaxm
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He stands next to Dr. Fanfare and Ishmael, patting her shoulder, with a perfected face. There is no sign of cuts or bruises. He doesn’t even look like he’s been in a fight or an accident or even a police station. He stands proudly in the limelight, a champ, in his best suit. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAQeNWABvCYS
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Viggo Hayes and Dr. Fanfare stand together as judges, arms crossed, before the five interns. His psycho orange eyes scan them before locking onto little brother Kirby and ex-girlfriend Iris. “Don’t assume that I’ll take it easy on you two.” 595Please respect copyright.PENANAEXcU1Zmmp2
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The pair remains unruffled the best they could. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAIizLtUEyXK
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Viggo nods their way with a growing monstrous smile. As if to say that’s right, I’m the gatekeeper. I’m the one who gets the final say of who stays, who goes. Who officially gets in Pegasus Studios, and who never ever will. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAwrAWLnCWht
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Kirby deeply sighs. The war rages on. 595Please respect copyright.PENANAfste8sELQd
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THE SPOOK IS SAD595Please respect copyright.PENANAapEK6bgWAU
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Jack Steele Adams595Please respect copyright.PENANAzSvMqrEzjy
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