by Tasha Black
A burst of impromptu applause broke out.
Cecily grinned, feeling really pleased.
Kate bowed and Cecily managed to swipe the phone fast enough to turn her friend completely green and then back to belted and spotted as she straightened.
“Does this mean the funding is in place for Door to Everywhere to be made?” one reporter asked.
“It’s in the works,” Cecily agreed. “You guys might be able to help us out with that if you spread this around.”
There was laughter, followed by a smattering of applause that picked up when Kate sat on the blue and beige striped sofa and Cecily managed to make her blend into it.
“Thanks for coming out to see this first,” Cecily called to the crowd. “You guys are the best. But we’ve got to get going, the suit needs to be recharged.”
Kate hopped up and came to her as the crowd began to dissipate.
“This is amazing,” Kate said, wide-eyed.
“Thanks,” Cecily replied. “I’m just glad it worked.”
They had almost reached the green room door when a blogger grabbed Cecily’s elbow.
She turned to see Ed Corland, Dirk’s blogger contact. Ed was a pretty big name. He was one of the older bloggers that had survived the transition from print journalism.
“Hey, this isn’t cool,” Ed told Cecily.
“I’d like to see you make a better invisibility suit,” Kate retorted, pretending not to understand.
“Funny,” he said to Kate, then turned back to Cecily. “I mean it’s not cool that you say you’ve got Stargazer aliens and you really have some dumb PR stunt. Again.”
“Sorry about that,” Cecily said. “But I hope you can use the footage.”
“Next time, just be honest with us,” Ed said. “You’ve got some cool effects. This thing’s really neat. And I don’t know how you pulled that crap in Philly with the piano but I hauled ass up there for aliens and I wasn’t sorry when I saw it. I just don’t like being lied to.”
“Point taken,” Cecily said. “Next time I’ll let you know what’s really going on, Ed.”
“Appreciate it,” he said, tipping his baseball cap. “Good luck with your movie, kids.”
He headed off down the corridor after the others.
“Are you okay?” Kate asked Cecily.
“I’m fine,” Cecily said. “And thank you - you were great.”
“I guess we should get out of here,” Kate said. “I’m ready to go back to the rental for wine and pizza.”
“Not so fast,” Cecily chuckled. “I think Bea and Buck probably need a little privacy.”
“Do you really think so?” she asked.
“Did you see Bea’s face?” Cecily asked.
“I wasn’t sure if she was mad at him,” Kate said.
“Oh, you would have known if she was mad,” Cecily said, raising her eyebrows.
“Holy cow,” Kate said. “That’s awesome. I’m so happy for them.”
“Me too,” Cecily said.
“So…”
“So what?” Cecily pretended not to understand and prayed for a distraction, any distraction, to get them off this topic.
“It seems like Solo really likes you,” Kate said slowly.
“He’s a nice guy,” Cecily agreed lightly. “Let’s get you out of that costume. I’ll bet those scales are getting heavy.”
To her credit, Kate nodded and didn’t press for more.
As they headed into the green room to remove the suit, Cecily found that she was actually feeling quite eager to meet up with the boys downstairs and tell them all that had happened.
Though her heart pounded at the idea of sharing her big moment with Solo, she convinced herself that telling Kirk what had happened was just as big a part of the fun.
After all, Cecily had no intention of getting involved with Solo. He was just a friend.
Just a big, sexy, loyal friend…
26
Buck
Buck fought valiantly, his hair wet with sweat as the crowd below him cheered.
Somehow in today’s tournament he had survived his first fight with Alex. He suspected that Alex might have let him win because Beatrix was in the front row.
But winning the first match, and his opponent’s unexpected withdrawal from his next match, meant he was now fighting Angel for the title.
He had learned that the audience enjoyed when the gladiators pretended to be angry with each other, so he glowered at Angel and pretended to snarl.
She fixed him with an icy gaze, and flexed her mighty arms.
He really didn’t have a chance.
But he hoped to the stars that somehow he would get lucky and win anyway.
Though he knew he and Beatrix were joined forever in their mate bond, he hadn’t asked her the practical and very human question that burned in his heart.
He and Angel bowed to each other. Her pink hair slid over the wing tattoos on her shoulders as she straightened up.
She thrust first, as he expected she would. Her weapon had a harp shaped handle covered in a brilliant metallic sheen that shimmered in the stage lights as she moved.
Buck managed to duck under her reach.
She thrust again, so he blocked, then slid his own weapon forward, trying to disarm her.
“Not on my watch, pretty boy,” Angel shouted and leapt.
At first he didn’t realize what she was doing.
And by the time he did, it was too late.
His opponent landed hard on the edge of his platform, sending him soaring into the air like a pancake being flipped.
It was a move the other gladiators called the Holy Grail, though Buck could not understand how it related to King Arthur.
At any rate, it was epic, and everyone would be delighted. If he had to lose the tournament, this was an excellent way to go out.
Everything seemed to slow down as Buck sailed off the platform and curved sideways through the air.
The gasps of the crowd stretched out and he felt as if he were floating.
He came to rest on the sand floor of the stage, his hip and shoulder absorbing most of the impact.
There was a moment of utter silence.
He leapt hurriedly to his feet, arms lifted to show that he was okay.
The crowd went wild.
Angel grinned widely and threw him a kiss.
Buck waved at her. She really was the best gladiator.
Then he looked for Bea in the crowd.
She shook her head, eyes sparkling, looking very relieved.
“And our title goes to Angel. That was quite a match, little lady,” the announcer crowed into the microphone, walking over to hold it up to Angel.
“I don’t think anyone’s ever called me little lady before,” Angel teased.
“What would you like to be called?” the announcer asked, looking worried.
“Just Angel is fine by me,” she said, grinning.
“To the victor go the spoils,” the announcer said. “Whose favor were you fighting for today?”
“His,” she said loudly and clearly, pointing to someone in the audience.
Everyone turned en masse.
The spotlight operator obligingly aimed the light at someone who looked very familiar.
That someone pulled off his sunglasses and baseball cap.
“Dirk Malcolm,” the announcer said in a surprised way. “It’s an honor to have you here, sir.”
“It’s a pleasure to be here,” Dirk called back.
The audience began to make excited noises.
“Well, the lady fought for your honor,” the announcer said, smiling. “What do you say?”
“I say she rocked my world,” Dirk said, nodding.
“Not as much as she rocked his,” the announcer pointed out, indicating Buck.
The audience laughed and Buck smiled and nodded.
“Does she have your favor?” the announcer asked Dirk.
“She certainly does,” he said, looking stra
ight at Angel with unmistakable interest.
Angel’s cheeks flushed as pink as her hair and for once she had no comeback, though the announcer put the mic to her mouth.
“There you have it, ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer said. “T-shirts are on sale at the table in the corridor. Thanks for coming!”
The crowd began to disperse, though Dirk Malcolm was picking his way through it to get to Angel.
Beatrix came to Buck too, climbing onto the stage to join him.
“Hey,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said. “She’s really good.”
“She’s been training a long time,” Bea said. “So you can’t let it get you down.”
“Of course not,” Buck agreed. “I was just really hoping to win.”
“Why?” Bea asked.
“Well, this tournament was to win favor, but traditional gladiator battles were done to win a lady’s hand in marriage,” Buck said slowly.
“But I don’t need you to fight a gladiator battle to win my hand away from my father,” Beatrix said. “I’m a free woman. I can marry the man I want, whether he pushed someone off a platform or not.”
And Buck smiled as he realized that he might have a pretty good shot at winning Bea’s hand today after all.
So he knelt in the sand of the stage and pulled the ring from his pocket.
It was small and very dainty. He had bought it from an elf at the convention. At least she had looked like an elf, but buck knew it was probably a costume.
The ring itself was made of tiny golden willow branches. He hoped they would remind Beatrix of the tree in her book. One day he would replace it with something magnificent, heavy with diamonds. But today, he hoped it would be enough.
“Beatrix Li, will you marry me?” he asked.
“I agreed to be bound to you forever last night,” she said in wonder. “Is this really necessary?”
“That was an Aerie tradition,” he said quietly, so that only she would hear him. “This is an Earth tradition. It is important to your people - to our people,” he corrected himself. “But only if you are ready. Are you ready?”
“Yes,” she shouted, her voice carrying throughout the hall. “Yes, of course I will marry you.”
The crowd broke into applause as he slid the ring onto her finger.
But Buck only had eyes for his mate’s beautiful smile.
27
Beatrix
Beatrix walked with Buck down the corridor to the convention hall to retrieve her backpack.
Somehow everything looked brighter today - the sunlight pouring through the windows overlooking the Inner Harbor was more brilliant than it had been the day before. The abstract paintings on the walls looked more like ripe tomatoes than murder scenes. Even the sounds of the visitors leaving the con were happier and less tired.
And Beatrix herself felt light as air, as if she could take a running leap and actually fly, like one of the butterflies she’d drawn.
“What is making you smile, my mate?” Buck asked.
His rough voice sent fingers of anticipation down her spine.
“I’m just… happy,” she told him, looking down at the slim gold band around her finger. The tiny golden willow branches were exactly what she had pictured when she wrote that scene in Door to Everywhere.
“Me too,” he said.
He wrapped her hand in his and pulled it to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss on her ring finger.
“So what now?” Buck asked.
“I guess we find the others and go back to the rental and pack,” she told him. “We’re going to drive all the way out to the Glacier City Comic Con, so we’ll have to leave soon.”
“Would we not take an aircraft if Glacier City is so far away?” Buck asked.
“It’s not easy to travel by air without identification,” Bea explained carefully. “Besides, who doesn’t love a road trip?”
“The road trip is a proud human tradition,” Buck said solemnly.
Beatrix found herself laughing. She had so much to show him, and she fully expected to fall in love with the world all over again as she saw it through Buck’s fresh eyes.
They were nearly at her table when she noticed a woman standing inside the rope enclosure. She was average height with a sea of onyx braids brushing the shoulders of what looked like a very expensive suit.
“Beatrix Li?” the woman asked, turning around.
As she turned, a girl stepped out from where she had been hidden behind her mother. It was the pre-teen with homemade cartoons on her canvas sneakers. She had attended nearly every one of Bea’s sessions. Bea had developed a real soft spot for her.
“Hi there,” Bea said. “I’m really sorry, but the convention is over. We’re supposed to be cleaning our stuff out now.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m with Jensen BioTech. We’re one of the sponsors. Marjorie Anderson,” the woman said, extending her hand.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Anderson,” Bea replied, shaking it. She’d heard of Jensen BioTech - they were all over the news with their recent development of a way to electronically upload and store human memories.
“Just Marjorie,” the woman smiled.
“And this is my… fiancé, Buck,” Bea explained, thinking how funny it was to use the word for the first time with a complete stranger.
“Great to meet you, Buck,” Marjorie said. “And maybe you two remember my daughter, Hailey?”
“Of course,” Beatrix said. “It’s good to see you again, Hailey.”
Hailey nodded coolly.
Beatrix gave herself an internal high five. In pre-teen, a cool nod was the equivalent of a bear hug.
“What can we do for you guys?” Beatrix asked.
“Well that’s just it,” Marjorie said. “You’ve already done it. Hailey really enjoyed the convention, and that’s thanks to your efforts. I know she’ll roll her eyes, but I’ve missed seeing a smile on my daughter’s face. And she’s been so passionate and excited about the approach to art that you taught her, and the big-hearted way you worked with her and with the other kids. I understand you’re as introverted as she is, so I know it was no small effort for you to extend your gift to others. Now we’re here to find out what we can do for you.”
Beatrix opened her mouth and closed it again, unsure what the woman wanted her to say.
“Let me make it easy for you,” Marjorie said with a warm smile. “Hailey did a bit of digging on social media. We read that you lost funding for your movie because one of your actors was sexually harassed by the son of a producer.”
“Oh,” Bea said. She knew the professional thing to do was sidestep the issue, but she had never had a fan address it head on in person like this. “I’m going to be fine, Marjorie. We’ve had a recent, um, breakthrough in our animation technique. And I think we can do the story very well as a small indie film. We’re just planning to regroup on the timing and the scale of the project.”
“I make it a point to instill in my daughter that standing up to bullies is important,” Marjorie went on. “But I find that showing her what I believe in is more effective than telling her. So with that in mind, I’m prepared to invest in your project to whatever extent you need my help. I don’t care if the movie is big or small, that’s not really my field. You just tell me how much and I’ll write the check.”
“Wow, that’s very generous,” Beatrix said, tears prickling her eyes. She knew the average person couldn’t actually cover the difference between what she had and what she would need, but she was incredibly moved.
“It’s not generous at all,” Marjorie said. “It’s very savvy on my part because I know how that book spoke to my child, and I imagine I’ll do quite well with this investment.”
She slid a card out of a golden case and handed it to Beatrix.
“Email me with a rundown of exactly what you have and what you need, and how else I can help you,” Marjorie said.
Beatrix looked down at the
card. It had the gold leaf logo of Jensen BioTech. Underneath it said:
* * *
Marjorie Anderson - Founder/CEO
* * *
The words began to swim in front of her eyes.
This woman wasn’t some random employee or executive. She was the head of one of the hottest BioTech companies in the world. She could fund every movie Beatrix ever made.
“I named the company after my mentor, Arthur Jensen,” Marjorie said. “One day I’ll tell you the story of how he helped me, because he saw a spark in me, just like what my daughter sees in you.”
“I- I don’t know what to say,” Beatrix stammered.
“Don’t say anything, but do shoot me an email as soon as you have a minute,” Marjorie laughed. “Come on, Hailey, let’s get out of the way so these two can pack up. Are you happy, kiddo?”
Hailey nodded to her mom, then approached Bea. “Thanks for everything,” she said softly.
“It was my pleasure to work with you, Hailey,” Bea said. “I hope maybe you and your mom will visit the set and maybe you can do some art with me for the movie?”
Hailey’s eyes lit up.
“Thanks again,” Marjorie said, giving Beatrix a wink.
The mother and daughter headed off into the corridor.
Beatrix looked after them.
“Wow,” Buck said.
“Yeah… wow,” Beatrix echoed.
“I guess we’ll have some planning to do on this road trip,” Buck said.
“I guess we will,” Beatrix replied, still in a daze.
Buck wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a long, lingering kiss.
When she was warm and trembly down to her toes, and the waves of longing began to pull at her insides, Buck pulled slightly away.
“We need to get home now,” he whispered to her.
It was funny to think of home as a rented condo or a car or a hotel. But wherever Buck was would be home for Beatrix - now and forever.
She flung her backpack over her shoulder and he wrapped his hand around hers. Together they walked through the convention center and out into the warm afternoon.
