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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1hENsI48h
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDADPmQ9dG
They get on the parkway and travel into deep traffic. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cgzJF8xRo
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXdrd9KpFY
“Great,” Viggo taps the wheel. Kirby checks the speedometer. They’re going 70. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcPLoXwYCr
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kZuKA5rrp
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cu7rX7wFm
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXU8oPVBOO
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? 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEa1RZpS3bR
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwI58cgXATq
Viggo calls up his lawyer, “What is it?” Kirby could lipread that much. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDysqIqPgI
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDsp6xesIz
The lawyer says something startling. Kirby notices how Viggo flushes pink. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEU5TgW8pkN
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LAokQViMk
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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPUt6YDClX
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooDy0raOGn
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZkIthZDdI
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4n9FVjOZu
“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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjVo79LWsy
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWQuSTzmFK
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HUwa9SlHi
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNsZrpwoga
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7evTboSkm
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbRKWYFCun
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiMoTDpiyc
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WQzw0ODaT
Kirby faces straight ahead at the road. He starts to worry. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33Rqtcs9jv
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNK3FkxahqI
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJAzVhWNfs
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83XVAgIdZG
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3LJdSWqg1
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIGkuPBc6U
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnGgmbuZOS
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8pcBLkoei
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdpiiuPIzW
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxnd66zwkk
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzB40apIPMg
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFsirf8dOn
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.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5hrGFyVeR
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFwGJNLvtg
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! 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyGwQ4i0hH
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysLmXIQDTO
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJQMJm53wk
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLACHPRuDH2
But something changes in his brother’s face. Another idea sparks. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVOjdAATj9
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT00WXkaXtn
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpA3s0RSrz0
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlaJVzCtLz
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FSSwnG5Fl
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeochxYtjZl
Officers scramble away from the rampage. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3qeT5akG6
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nByitQzed
They crash through the parked cars, significantly slowed. But along comes the edge. Beyond that is a long quiet fall to the ground. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmV9JHQrN7
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcdoUSyqED
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQXU3pKYkB
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZFEAg2yGK
The car flips. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PkqoMGqHY
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5YUbYCAKt
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdRMuex90g
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0et38eB9C
Ouch, Kirby thinks numbly before blacking out. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT89avzzGhE
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJslEY2jO1
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXgxQKjNRE
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcQqXwLuVX
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? 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIr4fsmGbRu
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjmLo5wMCf
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwg5LdeEngq
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyop87dLFZ
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrtBIrqhBP
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRNblZZoAH
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AKQE2uK3W
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJlYqmIwaWs
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rSq9Df1Tf
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TOTDZXJit
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? 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0aMSVWdYy
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8yGidYxWK
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVGQvVJsF1
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgFaZRaRYc
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6aFFpupt9
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2zfPkiXgz
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLK1ukdJl5O
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKhwumiwEh
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?” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkrT8yQ4eI
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjiAoGrVV7
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? 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPVcVX43IZ
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡserNSlVmW4
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoULe6PHMCq
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHRq5EkCAL
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? 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPncvRWimxN
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvOAAoZXB5
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? 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqbWw6LhVd
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsCGURyo3z
Kirby recoils. He writes: Back at him? Why would I do that? 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4c0kv5SUR9
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDP0s0KwW8
It dawns on Iris’s face. “You don’t know…” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlj9DrsQg1t
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdh5M3dJj9X
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.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZEfIZPhuQA
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IAWJ4ThEs
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qHTudgG2s
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvS9fo1XT9c
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qt4JVZlz7
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq90nAXShGd
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzKErnWDOr
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJozyHqYk4
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? 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4L9dYm6WE3
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2nMss5mS9
Kirby does not hesitate. He nods eagerly and writes: I want respect. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObDHgnYUy8
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOE9Cfchjjo
‘Yeah,” Iris Frisk says under bated breath. Her smile grows enormously. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBnNyJBby2
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLoFyzHB61
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsigUAJ4GxY
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEft2WvgQo
“How are you feeling?” Iris asks out loud. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbowReoCgAt
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvmNvSeBVf
Kirby shows a cue card to the audience: Like a car wreck! 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCBR10l3C0
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUAkGuUkba
The people laugh, laugh, laugh. All about Kirby Hayes. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjuwd45FIH
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeaxOvcRWi
“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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpruLo0VYFo
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywg1hpeWKN
Kirby shows them another cue card: My brother? Driving a Lexus? Enough said. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNzluA0hDe
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzamP7mAmgH
Iris giggles, “You don’t seem to have mental issues, like they imply. At all.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33KCGxgxBx
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudcPAAi9sk
Kirby shrugs comically. Next cue card. I had no idea they were saying that. Maybe if I weren’t deaf, they’d talk differently. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqDVG30XEz
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUE5SovpjgQ
Iris agrees, “Ahem, I mean you were the passenger here.” She turns in her swivel chair and smiles at the camera. “Your thoughts?” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMU24UMeKWm
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mKsV6A8Cr
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFFtRY9F97
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeppzaGw0iI
“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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dUgH6w2jH
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWPPkjaHSW
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7evfrP94e
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSYDCF7Nzt
“Hey Maddy!” Iris says. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDHOcec092
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABHX6ST86N
“Not now,” Madeline Desjardins snaps. “Iris! Pour me coffee, would you, darling?” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKNsBUhnAH
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxcz1DnWir
“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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBjpf45WbC
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8RRJiaN86
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlb7q0vKtO
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkqBqWS4SA
“Maverick Clark,” he says and points to his name tag. “I’m a writer like you.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GXGxiVdGk
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBWN1nVf0O
Kirby nods, weaseling out of the prolonged handshake. He writes: Nice to meet you. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAB51o9Mk7e
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGxbghTk96
“Cool, cool, you too bro,” says Maverick. He puts in his pink earphones and tunes out. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wc2i8WazG
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPq6nKq9Ut
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzgcHWaNUl
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AOdI6UuL0
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrqhESDF74
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttkjPZ8WwU
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mtdEJZsJK
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63swOJqGFw
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eXg6vXhQV
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAMIRF9sOA
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lHrgc83Nw
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnfjGNGR34
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDxP0JQ5An
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDQwHYnAKO
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡweo3mXxdA6
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67hbzvhkGE
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.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaCKflLizS
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5UkeFJCau
The lady notices everyone arriving and brightens, “Hey you!” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiyBGrC4EK
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VmiHwgA9g
“Dr. July Fanfare!” Iris calls her name with pizzazz. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOZrdLP4W4
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpB4TpgMdV
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.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6a5mfYVvmg
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAU2oveoejU
“Boy,” corrects Dr. Fanfare. She makes a snip-snip gesture. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4L5TJfm6t
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtaoLnPt5W
“Sorry, boy... What’s his name?” Iris rakes through its thick matted hair. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9VEzNUUwD
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wYjygWzyH
“It’s not mine, it’s Taylor’s,” Dr. Fanfare says. “There’s a collar, I believe.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOPeMmUsWZ
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEJjWHtgp1
Simone checks it, “Aha, his name is Ishmael.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8HzgwRXWC
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKFqRNZYD5
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.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCis31LgsN
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoEw8PNMyD
“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.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpde9KLahEn
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqtF3T8DWJ
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEU76oB6lfv
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBMlugxPXl
Madeline’s hand shoots up. “Are you the teacher?” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Sx46hRp6I
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTguNlOZFKM
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.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsteaZW7zTX
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmwqo5UHV1
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?” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgQkLtKv00
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcPdDWx2Kp
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.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7r4SjzarO
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kJG8MKKAI
The doors open. “Oh,” says Dr. Fanfare. “Looks like your supervisor’s coming.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVCl2ArB97
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhMZMyrh0j
Everyone looks back and stares. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1C9PvbZd8
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYE7IdQUdIL
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.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkWKGkhIej
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZreS7C6Ce
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7f8O8nvtI
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYptXo12FOQ
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.” 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFaBVMIXZK
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVdijR20t4
The pair remains unruffled the best they could. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZYf1q8DeI
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdYnXdEkaX
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. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YF7H7KlQq
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfLynm3MbR
Kirby deeply sighs. The war rages on. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcC3ycVkKH
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHQDSrV4a0
THE SPOOK IS SAD528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GklGmZMRL
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNeQvDIa099
Jack Steele Adams528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpjCk8EFhM
ns 15.158.61.18da2
