Felix lifts his hand again, miming the sleeve-rolling action, and the audience goes quiet.
I close my eyes.
“And the next name from the cauldron . . .”
I think Roxy might have fractured my pinkie, but it’s fine.
“is . . .”
I pledge my allegiance to you, Immortal Fortiana, and that of my future born, and theirs, and theirs, in perpetuity.
“Dimitri, can you just check that . . . thanks . . .”
I await your generous gifts. I am not an impatient person, Immortal Fortiana, but if Felix could hurry up and spit itout, that would be great.
“. . . the name is . . .”
Manifestation secretes from my every orifice, Immortal Fortiana.
“Eliza Gellar!”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
JULIANA THE DEMON HUNTRESS
Whitlock Abrahams. I thought you were dead.
WHITLOCK ABRAHAMS
You did?
JULIANA THE DEMON HUNTRESS
Accept my apologies. What I meant to say was, I hoped you were dead.
Vampire Falls. Season two, episode four – “Return and Renew”
You know in those fantasy films where there’s an explosion in the middle of a battle, and the main character goes kind of unconscious then wakes up with that whistling noise in his ear, then tunes back into the actual audio of the carnage going on around them?
Yeah, that’s me right now.
I’m seated but with one arm waving around above my head, Roxy clutching my wrist. Whilst I’m apparently still processing what’s just happened, she is standing on her chair shouting obscenities, euphorically, which is not something I’ve ever witnessed before.
Felix repeats my name, inviting me up to the stage. I blink up at the sea of eyes looking at me, then oblige as Roxy pulls me up onto my jelly legs. She steers me to the end of our row, and I feel like I float towards the stage and up the steps where the steward meets me, hands me a big envelope, and shows me to the chair next to Rashawn.
Rashawn grins at me, holding up his hand which I manage tohigh-five.
“Can youbelievethis?” he says.
I shake my head. I mean, I knew it was going to happen, but I definitely feel like I’m hovering above my body right now. I’m no mathematician but I have a one in three chance of taking Roxy to Comic Con. Like, those odds are doable. I think?
“On to our third and final contestant. If I could have some quiet, please.”
I take a deep breath, concentrating on the air filling my lungs, then feel it slowly leave my body as a I look out at the audience. I didn’t realise how comfortable I’d be with a sea of eyes glaring back at me, but I’m totally fine with it. I’ve put the viewing hours in to be sat up here, I’ve spent a fortune on the merch (my mum still puts myVampire Fallsduvet cover on when I’m surfing the crimson wave), and I’ve trawled forums just to find out when Cox the Observer is making another appearance in the show.
Roxy is sitting straight up in her chair, nodding and clapping her hands together every time I look at her, like I’ve just done a trombone solo in the school talent show. Love that girl. I sweep the rest of the crowd and spot Fake McKinley, whose ears bob up and down as he nods at me. I jump back in my seat a little when I make eye contact with Dorothy, who’s holding up two knitting needles in her gnarled little fists like, quite frankly, weapons. Maybe she’s the only person who wanted this more than I did.
“The third and final person to participate in the Fall Games, is . . .”
