by E V Darcy
‘He says he doesn’t want to talk to you.’ Her voice was much firmer than he believed would have been possible when she first answered. He wondered if he’d snapped at her like he’d wanted to, would she have broken? He hoped not. He liked her defiant streak.
‘Why?’ he asked, having thought that Tyler didn’t want to speak to her anymore, not him.
‘I don’t know. When I told him you wanted to speak to him he folded his arms and took himself to the corner.’ She turned the phone around to show him Tyler, standing with his back to her beneath the lift’s buttons and its camera.
‘If—’
‘I haven’t done anything,’ the girl snapped at him. Then she sighed heavily as she turned the phone back to herself. ‘Look, he’s annoyed at you. You keep ditching him with other people and he just wants to spend time with you.’
He blinked at her words and then his stomach dropped. That was all Marc wanted! How did you explain this situation to an almost five-year-old who couldn’t fully understand the world yet? Or at least that’s what he had thought. Clearly, this woman could understand his son and she’d only known him five minutes. He really was a shitty father.
He groaned. What else wasn’t his son telling him, but telling perfect strangers? More to the point—
‘How do you know this? He doesn’t talk that much and he can’t hear you.’
‘I told you in the hall.’ She shook her head at him as if he were the child and she was having to explain herself carefully. He bristled at the motion, but before he could argue back Jen laid a hand on his arm.
‘Listen to her,’ she advised as she pointed to where the other English girl had been joined by someone else, the pair were using their ‘signs’. The dark haired girl turned to him at that moment and glared at him.
‘I’m an interpreter for the deaf in the UK.’ Ellie’s voice from his tablet refocused his attention. ‘I work for the grandson of Lord Hollingbrook and before that—’
‘But your signs are all off! All three of you! It’s like you’re speaking a different language!’
‘Again,’ she huffed as if she were trying to control her own temper. ‘I was trying to tell you in the panel; I was signing British Sign Language, it’s different to ASL. One of my friends was in the UK when she lost her hearing to such an extent that she needed to learn Sign. She learnt BSL before ASL so we talk in BSL. I always interpret for her when I come here… We’re not usually in the front row, though. How do you not know this? You’re a star, you travel the world!’
‘I—’ Marc licked his lips, he felt like an utter idiot. He glanced towards the two girls who were watching him closely. The mouthy one moved her hands in movements he didn’t recognise and the silent one replied. After a moment the silent one looked at him and then asked—in perfect Sign—if he needed something.
He blinked before signing back. There are different English sign languages?
You’re a prick, she returned instead of an answer. And a fucking idiot. You should be ashamed of yourself. Trent is going to tear you and your network apart if you’re not careful. And without missing a beat, she turned back to the mouthy one and resumed conversing in the signs he didn’t recognise.
He watched the two of them for a moment before turning back to the tablet’s screen, trying to figure out how he hadn’t known sign language was different in each country. Had anyone ever said anything to him when he’d been learning? Possibly, but he’d been so intent on just ensuring he knew Tyler’s language and hadn’t really paid attention to deaf culture beyond it.
Finally, he admitted to the patiently-waiting Ellie, ‘As your friend said, I’m a fucking idiot. I guess I figured that as our countries speak the same language, that signing would be the same. I just figured Sign was universal.’
She looked at him as if he were a total moron and Marc didn’t blame her. He was. He hoped to God this never got out, but after his display of disdain towards Ellie and her “fake” signs in a very public panel, he very much doubted he was going to get away with this faux pas.
‘Only about thirty percent of the signs are the same or similar enough to be understood,’ she finally commented. ‘I do know ASL, I learnt it while working for Mallory so I could teach her some for when she returned to the States, but I’m rusty. It’s why Tyler says my signs are weird.’
At the mention of his son’s name, Marc’s chest ached. He desperately wanted to hold his son, reassure him and promise him he wasn’t going to work anymore. That he was going to be his papa full-time now! If he became a recluse, so be it.
Perhaps he could join the PTA or something.
‘Please, may I talk to Tyler?’
‘I’ll see what I can do.’
He watched the camera tilt and move, and the line fell silent as he assumed the two communicated. The unexpected shout of no from Tyler made Marc jump before he watched the screen swirl dizzily. Ellie’s voice cried out his son’s name before they were cut off completely.
~ ~ ~ ~
Ellie blinked at her phone that sat on the floor on the other side of the lift. Tyler had smacked it out of her hand with such surprising force that it had flown across the small space. It hit one wall with an almighty crash before bouncing along the floor. She could see the screen was smashed.
Bollocks.
What had Marc seen? Probably not much, but what had he heard? He probably thought she was throttling his son, regardless of the little moment of clarity she’d managed to finally get between them.
She crawled over to the phone and sat back against the wall, ignoring the boy who was still pouting. She had dealt with plenty of temper tantrums with Lord Henry, which were far worse than Tyler’s little outburst. Tyler’s had just been a surprise because he’d been so sweet and accommodating until that moment.
She checked the battery was in place and tried the power button just on the off-chance, but the screen remained black. She sighed and looked up at the camera, holding the phone up in the hope they could see its demise.
She jumped as the sound of another phone rang from within the lift and Ellie blinked and looked towards the button panel. She berated herself as she thought of how many times she’d watched such situations on her programmes.
She moved to the panel and pressed open the call box above Tyler’s still downturned head. The boy looked up with surprise at the movement and the appearance of a new phone in her hand as she answered its shrill ring.
‘Miss Roscoe?’ An unknown voice came over the line before she had even had the chance to answer it with a hello.
‘Yes, who is this?’
‘David Benedict, the hotel manager, I hope that both you and young Mr Matthews are well?’
‘We’re fine.’
‘Good, thank you. I would have made the call sooner, but certain parties present were a little more forceful about wanting to contact you first.’
Ellie huffed at the comment that could apply to either Marie or Marc, but she suspected the manager actually meant the pair of them.
‘I just wanted to reassure you that I have called for the fire department who will be here shortly. However, I will forewarn you, as you’re in the express elevator you are trapped in a blind shaft.’
A smattering of murmurs broke out behind the manager and Ellie heard him hushing people before he continued speaking. ‘That means, if they cannot get the lift moving again, you will either need to be able to climb up three floors to the twelfth or they’ll slide the lift down to the ground. Would climbing be a problem for either of you?’
Ellie wedged the phone between her shoulder and ear and signed to Tyler, Are you a good climber? Fancy climbing out the elevator with some firemen?
Ellie chuckled; Tyler’s hands were a flurry of excitement that made little sense as he tried to answer. She assumed he’d be able to climb by the grin on his face as he looked up at the ceiling she was pointing to.
‘None, no problem for either of us,’ she finally answered.
‘Thank you,�
�� the manager said. ‘The elder Mr Matthews would like a word.’
On the phone, an argument seemed to be breaking out but it sounded as if the manager’s hand was over the mouthpiece.
When do we get to climb? Tyler asked, finally moving from the corner to put himself directly under the hatch. Are the firemen here yet?
The line at her ear suddenly went dead and Ellie hung up the receiver before answering the child. Not yet, but when they do, you’ll have to do exactly what they say, Tyler. You can’t have a tantrum again.
The boy lowered his head and signed, Sorry. I won’t do that again. He crossed his heart. I’m sorry about your phone, he added as he cast his eyes down at the shattered remains of the device sticking out of her pocket.
The lift’s phone ringing again made Ellie jump. She motioned to it before picking it up.
‘Is everything okay?’ Marc’s panicked voice came down the line. ‘What happened?’
‘You owe me a new phone.’
‘What? How do I owe you a new phone?’
Ellie explained what had happened and ended with, ‘I told you he didn’t want to talk with you.’
Marc sighed, ‘I’ll get Jen to get you a new one before the convention ends. How is he now?’
‘Excited for the firemen,’ she told him as she tucked the phone back between her shoulder and ear so she could ask Tyler if he wanted to speak to his father. ‘Are you still able to see us?’ she asked Marc. ‘Tyler wants to tell you something.’
‘Yes, they’ve allowed me to stay here, the others had to leave. And before you complain, they allowed me to stay because of Tyler, not because I’m throwing my weight around, as your friends so delicately put it. Apparently, I am going to be hounded by your friend’s lawyer-boyfriend until the end of time.’
Ellie couldn’t help snorting as she tried not to laugh at his comments and the images they conjured of her friends being physically removed from the room. She saw Tyler looking over at her and pointed up to the camera. He looked up at it. I’m sorry, Papa, didn’t mean to break it.
‘Tell him it will be coming out of his allowance until it’s paid back.’
Tyler exclaimed crap! and Ellie finally lost it as Marc’s surprised shout of ‘Tyler!’ came down the line.
He can still see you, she informed the child, laughing. His eyes widened and he signed sorry again to the camera.
‘Where the hell did he learn that?’
‘Did someone called Sonya pay more attention to learning to swear in Sign than anything else?’
‘I am definitely firing her. For real this time.’
‘She’s your assistant?’
‘Agent. My assistant’s Jen—I’d be lost without her.’ Ellie wondered at that comment; she’d thought Jen must have been his girlfriend. Although none of the information she recalled about the star suggested he was involved or even linked with anyone. Marc Matthews was certainly known for his privacy nowadays and, unusual for the American paparazzi, they tended to respect that. Although the other stars of Destiny did give them more than enough camera fodder—especially Casey.
‘And your bodyguard is Frank, so where does Ashley fit into this?’
Marc was silent for a moment before he released a long oh and chuckled. ‘You’re That Lady!’ Ellie laughed out of surprise at the comment and realised that while Tyler knew her name sign, he hadn’t heard her name before and she hadn’t spelt it. She looked over at Tyler who ground his fists against his eyes as if to rub the tiredness from them.
‘He didn’t nap earlier,’ Marc told her. Ellie imagined the star was seated at a security desk somewhere, watching his son fondly on a small black and white screen.
God, she watched too much TV.
‘Probably why he threw a fit,’ Marc continued. ‘He’s usually very reasonable for his age—or so I’ve been told.’
‘He seems sweet.’ Ellie slid down the wall and sat on the floor, phone tucked against her shoulder, her legs crossed. She offered her lap to Tyler as the boy yawned again. Tyler dropped down heavily and snuggled into her as she wrapped an arm around him. ‘Nothing like the terror I’ve been translating for these last few years.’
‘Where’d he go?’ Marc asked.
‘He’s sitting with me; the phone doesn’t reach very far,’ she advised Marc. Tyler buried his head against her and huffed a small breath as his eyes fluttered closed. They sat there in silence for a few moments, Ellie feeling soothed by stroking Tyler’s hair, and Marc’s even breaths in her ear. Slowly, a smile began to tug at her lips as the stress of earlier started to leave her body; she wasn’t to be drawn and quartered by the actor, after all. Fandom might be another matter, of course, but at least they couldn’t get to her here.
‘Good job I’m not scared of lifts,’ Ellie murmured aloud. Marc chuckled down the line at her comment, a deep, warm sound so different to the laughter she’d heard from the characters he’d played. It elicited a shiver down her spine as it rumbled in her ear; she wondered if perhaps this laugh was usually reserved only for those close to him.
‘That is indeed a blessing. I can’t imagine Tyler would be doing so well if you were scared.’
Silence fell between them again and Ellie glanced down towards the young boy who was on the verge of falling asleep in her lap. She marvelled at how similar to Marc he was; how had she not noticed it yesterday?
‘So, you never answered my question about Ashley.’ She tried to fill the silence and she’d be damned if she wasn’t suddenly intrigued about the status of his love life. She told herself it was simply because she was worried about Tyler—he only ever asked for his papa, never his mother. Where was she in all this? Marc wasn’t linked to anyone in public, either.
She knew the answer to her next question, but it gave her an opening. ‘Is she your girlfriend.’
‘God, no!’ Marc scoffed. ‘She’s someone the studio sent to watch Tyler during this stupid event. She couldn’t even do that—losing him in less than an hour.’
Her fingers paused in Tyler’s hair and she bit her lip to halt herself commenting that the event wasn’t stupid. She may have been angry at some of her fellow fans after that afternoon—and would be leaving the fandom after this year’s event—but it had brought her great joy for three previous years. She had made friends through it, had found herself socialising again, and had met and spoken to her favourite TV stars. There weren’t many people who could say that!
‘You don’t agree with the convention, then?’ she replied instead. Perhaps she could find out why he’d come to Desti-Nation; Marie would certainly love to know the answers to the myriad questions she’d had on the flight.
A humourless laugh rattled down the line. ‘It’s a bunch of silly women running around squealing about a stupid TV show—’
‘Now hang on—’ she tried to interrupt, indignant at his assumption of her and her friends. Silly women? How dare he! There were a number of very bright women here; she could speak five languages for fuck’s sake. Marie spoke seven! Mallory had a Masters’ in Business Management. There were lawyers and teachers, engineers and professors running around squealing and while their behaviour may seem childish, it gave them great joy—something it appeared Marc didn’t understand.
But Marc continued, undeterred. ‘My friends all act like they’re someone else, creating these stage versions of themselves to appease the masses. BB is acting like a bimbo, giggling and twirling her hair, fluttering her eyelashes, yet she has a Ph-fucking-D in quantum physics!’
‘What?’ she asked, trying to process that titbit. She thought back to meeting the woman; she was nice enough, but a bit bland, too girlie for Ellie’s tastes. The starlet never really stood out as someone Ellie wanted to pay attention to. She wasn’t often caught up in the press either so Ellie wasn’t too aware of her—or at least that was the reason she was giving herself. She wasn’t that shallow to only pay attention to the male stars of the show… Was she?
Surely, one of the stars being a doctor of p
hysics would be well known… Right?
‘Yeah, she started off on a little, unknown show on a cable channel, talking about star patterns at a time when sensible people were asleep. The right people were up late one night and offered her an audition. That was years and years ago,’ he barrelled on, ‘way before Destiny, but it’s all still up there.
‘When we film on location at night, the things she can point out and tell us… Paul actually went and bought himself a telescope after one evening and started bringing it along. The producers had to take it off us as we once held up filming for over two hours.’ He laughed at the memory.
Ellie was on the verge of cutting through his laughter to finally give him a piece of her mind when she realised this was probably the most any fan had ever gotten out of Marc Matthews, and this was real. His answers on stage had been brief and factual, some slightly amusing, but here there were emotions—even if they weren’t all positive. It was sad he didn’t feel he could be as open as the rest of the cast. Although with what he had revealed, Ellie wondered how much of what they’d shared was true. But this titbit, this little glimmer of what was under the veneer of the arsehole he’d been before, made Ellie realise that the contempt he felt for the fans had a much deeper root than simple squealing and running around in cosplay.
‘If you hate all the fans so much, why did you bother coming this year?’
Marc’s laughter trailed off and silence greeted her down the phone. She sighed and leant her head back against the wall, knowing she’d made a fatal error, waiting for the fallout. But she was only met with silence.
She shouldn’t have asked. She should have just kept her mouth shut. She was enjoying the sound of his deep voice, his warm laughter… She sighed.
‘I’m sorry, you don’t have—’
‘There was a change in the contract agreements this year, for the public events.’ There was no warmth in these words; his tone was cold and flat.
She waited a moment, to see if he’d elaborate, but was met with silence again. There wasn’t much she could answer to that. ‘I see,’ she said.
