Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Stop. I… I was out of it when I said that, and I’m too tired for this. Thanks for the coffee and everything. I think I’m going to take a nap.” I hate that he’s been back in my life for less than a day and he’s already picking at the ragged edges of my lie. “You made yourself at home, so you probably know the way out.”
Priest doesn’t let me run. Instead he pulls me into his chest, sliding his fingers into my hair and holding me around my waist with the other. “It was good to see you again, Q. If you don’t mind, I’d like it to not be quite so long before the next time. You’re doing fucking amazing.”
“You think?” I whisper.
“Fucking crushing it.” He’s not a soft man, none of them are, but there’s a world of feeling behind his gaze.
“I hope you’re right.”
4
Chapter 4 - Quinn
“Nervous?” Cliff asks.
Cliff, aka Cliff-Hanger is the closest thing this town has to a real entertainment critic. He graduated from the same theater program I did, but about ten years before I was there. His own acting career never got off the ground, but he has a spot on the local news and runs a fairly well-known video channel talking about TV and movies. The theater community in this town isn’t exactly huge, so we’ve run into each other before, but I don’t really know him, and this is my first real interview, even if it’s just a livestream.
“A little,” I admit. “I’m used to being in front of a camera. I don’t know why this feels so different.”
In about five minutes, this interview will go live, and by tomorrow it’ll be online forever. I glance off to the side of his filming area where my mother is sitting on a couch alongside Erika. Mom’s staring down at her phone, but Erika grins and gives me a thumbs up.
Cliff nods. “I get it. Believe it or not, I felt the same way when I uploaded my first video. Being in front of a camera as yourself is scarier than acting. That’s why I have this whole getup.” He gestures to himself, everything from his signature navy blue beret, to his slick goatee, the tweed jacket with the elbow patches and the classic directors chairs we are sitting in. “Cliff-Hanger the character isn’t exactly the same as Cliff the guy, you know? My advice is to start figuring out who Quinn the actress is, and make sure you keep a little bit of yourself back.”
I take a deep breath. Just another role, I can do that. Sometimes it feels like I’ve been doing it most of my life anyway. “Thanks.”
“Thirty seconds,” his assistant calls out, giving us time to adjust a little and get ready for the stream to start. “Wait for it… and you’re live… now.”
Cliff’s whole persona changes. He looks at the camera and grins. “Hey, Cliffies! I’m coming at you live with something special tonight. I know Desdemona and Gloria have probably been fighting evil all over your feeds lately, but I bet you didn’t know I’m practically neighbors with the actresses that play them. Quinn Callahan and Erika Adams are here with me today, so get your questions ready.” He turns to me. “Quinn, you’re up first. Let’s address the elephant in the room. I bet you never thought that a corny, low-budget show about college students fighting a literal librarian from Hell was going to be your big break. I mean, come on, Saving the World: 101? What drew you to the project in the first place?”
Laughing awkwardly, it takes me a second to figure out where to look, and another to remember my angles. Mom rolls her eyes. I’m sure I’ll hear about every mistake later. I always do. “Well, I probably read the books a hundred times in high-school so they didn’t have to twist my arm to read the script, you know? The writers did an amazing job with the screenplay, and Desdemona is such a great character. I definitely wasn’t expecting it to get this much attention, but I think we all knew it had potential right from the start.”
There, that sounds good, right? I can do this.
“And it probably didn’t hurt that the tight budget meant that they were staying local and looking for new faces.”
“Are you calling me cheap, Cliff?”
He puts a hand to his chest like I’ve wounded him, then his grin is back. “Well, if the budget shoe fits, but you’ve actually been on our screens since you were twelve, is that right? Some of our viewers might remember you from the local Pancake Hut commercial that ran for aaaaages. I’m sure you remember the line. Come on, say it…”
I hide my face in my hands and groan. “Don’t make me.”