“Well, about that… I know this isn’t the best time to ask for a favor, but I have a major crisis on my hands. Lydia called last night. Poor thing broke her leg, so she can’t come to New York with me this weekend. Obviously I feel terrible, but her timing is awful.”
I rolled my eyes. Lydia was Violet’s personal assistant. Heaven forbid she went one day without someone to fetch her nonfat, unsweetened café au lait. Always the drama queen, my sister.
“Gabe promised his assistant, Sadie, could help me out on Friday,” she continued, which made sense. Whenever Violet made a promotional appearance, Gabe, herImmortal Nightscostar, was always there with her. “But I know she’ll be too busy on Saturday to lend a hand.”
My brow inched up in speculation. Despite the absurdity of its direction, I had a feeling where this conversation was heading. “And what does any of this have to do with me?”
“Well, I was hoping you could fill in for Lydia.”
Ha! Over my dead body.
On Thursday, the doors to the East Coast’s largest and mostkick-ass gathering of geeks, fangirls, and pop culture aficionados would open—New York Comic Con. The cast ofImmortal Nightswould have a busy schedule packed with autograph signings, press interviews, and, of course, a panel. No doubt my sister would run me ragged if I took Lydia’s place.
Had Violet planned on leaving for New York Wednesday night, I might have considered assisting her so I could meet Chelsea Hirano, the creator ofLady Phoenix, my favorite comic book. As soon as Dad told me Violet was making an appearance, I’d looked up the convention schedule to see if I could beg her to get my favorite issue autographed. Unfortunately, Chelsea’s panel was scheduled for Thursday morning before Violet’s flight even took off. The fact that I would miss her appearance by half a day made the thought of attending with Violet even less appealing.
For a moment, I wondered if I could see my mom. Baltimore was only a few hours away from NYC by train, so maybe she could come up and visit, but then I remembered that she would be out of town on a girls trip.
“Not going to happen.” If I wanted a good dose of torture, I’d stick my hand down the garbage disposal.
“Just hear me out before you say no.” The alarm in her voice made me pause, and she seized the opportunity to keep talking. “I only need your help on Saturday. I’ll pay you five hundred bucks for the entire day, and you’ll get to skip school on Thursday and Friday. You can do whatever you want with your free time—sightsee, check out the convention, maybe take a tour of Juilliard? Please say yes. I’m desperate here.”
I had to give it to Violet, she made an enticing offer. I’d been dreaming of Juilliard since picking up my first violin. Throw in a get-out-of-school-free card, cash to spend, and a weekend trip to New York, and any normal teen would jump at the opportunity. Then again, most kids my age didn’t have a celebrity for a sister. If I did this, I was in good conscience agreeing to participate in the Violet James show, which meant screaming fans, paparazzi, and watching everyone and their mother kiss my sister’s ass. The thought made me cringe.
“I don’t think so, Violet. I have a test in calculus on Friday and—”
“That makeup artist you like,” she interrupted. “What’s her name?”
“Melody Nguyen?”
“Yeah, her. She’s on a panel called Behind the Prosthetics. It features a bunch of Hollywood’s top special effects makeup artists. If you help me out on Saturday, I’ll give you a break to go see her panel.”
I pursed my lips. I hadn’t thought to check if Melody was making an appearance. Violet must have saved her as a trump card in case I refused her offer. Because we both knew there was no way I’d pass up a chance to meet one of my idols, even if it meant spending time with my sister. The question was, how much did Violet need an assistant?
Studying my nails, I tried to appear as uninterested as possible. “Make it a grand and you’ve got yourself an assistant.”
Violet’s lips curled in a triumphant smile. “Done.”
* * *
“So…” Violet said, twisting her hands in her lap.
“So…” I said back.
As of five hours ago, the two of us were New York bound. Violet had explained my duties for Saturday on the way to the airport. Essentially, I was a glorified errand girl who was also in charge of manning her business phone.
But now that we were trapped at an altitude of thirty-five thousand feet? Violet was struggling to come up with a conversation starter. Neither of us knew what to say to each other, almost like we were distant relatives forcing small talk at a family reunion.
Maybe that was because we hadn’t felt like sisters in years. We used to be best friends, but ever since getting her big break, Violet never had a free moment. If she wasn’t in New Orleans filmingIN, then she was off promoting the show or on the set of whatever side project she was working on. Bottom line—she was too busy to be my big sister.
Violet cleared her throat. “Did you schedule a campus tour?”
“I tried.”
When I didn’t elaborate, she shot me a look. “And?”
I glanced at the comic resting on my tray table, the latest issue ofLady Phoenix, and ignored the urge to start reading. “All the slots were full.”
“Oh, that sucks. I’m sorry, Indie.” She tucked a curl behind her ear and glanced over at me. “Have you finished applying yet?”
