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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7EO0B3dBt
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They get on the parkway and travel into deep traffic. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7L9KAcsder
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“Great,” Viggo taps the wheel. Kirby checks the speedometer. They’re going 70. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkDZ45Go4I
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTa7ZhRbGp
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXkqDCxtZz
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? 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVyPdgtPyFj
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAVz87pnom
Viggo calls up his lawyer, “What is it?” Kirby could lipread that much. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJbU3MXpjl
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ203EESWaZP
The lawyer says something startling. Kirby notices how Viggo flushes pink. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9ZTDH04Il
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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.567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaD6NAVRzgB
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlRSsSD1Dj
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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YL1cC5fkx
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgueUTgOkE0
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLbSbh3G4u
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxhtATVtc8
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxK5HH5Grtr
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIY5euKwAY
Kirby faces straight ahead at the road. He starts to worry. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxMwV5YYaW
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYbEifu0Y0
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOECpCQpe7
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxt2cZftt8d
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgvx78Y6Su
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJE1cCxajKd
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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.567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKbhkIXGUg
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSi3PfMePy
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! 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7n5Z81huL0
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6K2idxoAp3
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But something changes in his brother’s face. Another idea sparks. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8i8XRiaRF
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Rwd1vJI21
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4fF3gZngC
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Officers scramble away from the rampage. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnufOV3w58u
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbxxzC3DTb
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOR92hBYy7B
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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykVcA6F1Da
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The car flips. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkG8nmkzjPA
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA74CvRB44J
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Ouch, Kirby thinks numbly before blacking out. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHhdxnUAWz
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wLnDo2JIi
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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? 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5Tv0akgVD
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVj4MhTpan
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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JiJFBVR85
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsR8DGy1pMq
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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuma6NB0qcD
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIzRP0Cweq
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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XrTo5zkFh
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJraIDIOr5C
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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? 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbFfZttnYC
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fj5DwY2ET
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cNdACmRRL
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0j6sjCkzpI
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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1J64cHumt4
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZw2d5Am2Ak
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?” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwCuWxtnW9
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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? 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHVGOVJl4g
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3B2FfrHk5x
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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKomAcHkww
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPb1fTSG8Tp
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? 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfM3EBcFuv
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvECdPc8CVr
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? 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zX8MLsFPa
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrMdfoVyAT
Kirby recoils. He writes: Back at him? Why would I do that? 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSnO8K6ydtQ
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkg5jH6ygY
It dawns on Iris’s face. “You don’t know…” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1f4oLBpFw
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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.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UtBR6277O
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0qCrLMcl5
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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JEo5G0jhR
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJR0oIjijvh
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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PaVVbRp5w
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Ltw4Vf4Pn
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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? 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKGz5PAmf0
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Kirby does not hesitate. He nods eagerly and writes: I want respect. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9J5Q5EmH0
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkHDtvb6UK
‘Yeah,” Iris Frisk says under bated breath. Her smile grows enormously. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXeZByN1td
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAptkbze4zG
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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhxVVrTnyS
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“How are you feeling?” Iris asks out loud. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKnL5LwYXr
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Kirby shows a cue card to the audience: Like a car wreck! 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKVVYkij8d
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The people laugh, laugh, laugh. All about Kirby Hayes. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfZs7LU73P
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIL2YvwNG9
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Kirby shows them another cue card: My brother? Driving a Lexus? Enough said. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAYeDzljul
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSaOq8IH4I
Iris giggles, “You don’t seem to have mental issues, like they imply. At all.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6AqKQwg6K
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdmfNO8B3Y
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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?” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXBJmjuTHG
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUJRicnhlu
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cxNSo0hca
“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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXs4MeCo7eo
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmdbVLqS85
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“Hey Maddy!” Iris says. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFekyPwxEOs
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“Not now,” Madeline Desjardins snaps. “Iris! Pour me coffee, would you, darling?” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3t6Fg7IlP
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEgfsG2i57
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvafKd0zHw
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDm4lC1T5L
“Maverick Clark,” he says and points to his name tag. “I’m a writer like you.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE32jQMfajB
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Kirby nods, weaseling out of the prolonged handshake. He writes: Nice to meet you. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2db8tYKVaH
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“Cool, cool, you too bro,” says Maverick. He puts in his pink earphones and tunes out. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPi7h5htwgR
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRovnb1FqW
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVakzegihW
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzsvGDh3QQJ
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuARoMLpq95
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjQmnrktAe
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1MLv98M6K
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWR1uxhFUw
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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSbfDbcFOy
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzV6eCN1mFg
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.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjazuo9vQPA
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGGLNsBk6Y
The lady notices everyone arriving and brightens, “Hey you!” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EpZCLXWKu
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdr0qkKVyu2
“Dr. July Fanfare!” Iris calls her name with pizzazz. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRjgNOiQFe
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6tifMPZbo
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.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7YTU2COMp
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSldsKMVvK
“Boy,” corrects Dr. Fanfare. She makes a snip-snip gesture. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMrPxvYbnss
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjVxxfryCf
“Sorry, boy... What’s his name?” Iris rakes through its thick matted hair. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2vj8iAOHZ
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1DKyuk1ZyS
“It’s not mine, it’s Taylor’s,” Dr. Fanfare says. “There’s a collar, I believe.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4F9QaCr6Rp
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2EGHJ0ElN
Simone checks it, “Aha, his name is Ishmael.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZmwwQhjAW
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tsurKsXAU
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.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDzy16Ifb2
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5rcA26WC2
“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.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Mbzx6nyNP
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmn9CbGXbD
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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJ46R8cvoe
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5SuuzrLxs
Madeline’s hand shoots up. “Are you the teacher?” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfguTCyil5j
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFGzBY8jfV
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.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pjONCsalN
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2uRooSs7z
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?” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCq7jrl10qZ
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7US6vQ9jLh
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.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNMjOLWMhU
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxiYiElVwS
The doors open. “Oh,” says Dr. Fanfare. “Looks like your supervisor’s coming.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJPakgDINb
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Everyone looks back and stares. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TV2bVxvgP
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUinviUSdEZ
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.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2wtD7wXn4
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UaDB7Julj
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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwVvS7c7a5
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplOT38OgCe
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.” 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYWZT2w5jZ
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYbzKALUDZ
The pair remains unruffled the best they could. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fHflklP92
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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. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRot49zTUy7
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Kirby deeply sighs. The war rages on. 567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKsvppOj2J
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLMtNUVreJ
THE SPOOK IS SAD567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9qruL2gh1
567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHR7BKc89i
Jack Steele Adams567Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECjRrQK2FS
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