Lullaby (The Fable Series, Book 2)

Chapter Fifteen

She'll be in touch via email within the next few days.

Kindest regards,

Rowena

---

It's better than nothing, so I type back a brief thank you email. As I press send, Zee shrieks out the last name I want to hear.

"OMG IT'S ZARA QUINN!"

I jump up from the sofa, looking all around the room for her, my eyes fixed on the doorway.

"What? Where? Here?" I say urgently, turning to Zee.

"Umm, no sweetie, in the movie," Jamie says, hitting pause.

I look at the screen, and I recognize Zara Quinn, with her natural black hair in pigtails, wearing a dark blue cheerleader's uniform. She's been paused mid-sentence, and her lips are curved in a seductive 'O'.

Zara Quinn, the biggest female pop star in the world right now.

Zara Quinn, who every girl wants to be, every guy wants to be with.

Zara Quinn, who Felix has reportedly been in an on-off relationship with for the past two years, if the tabloids and gossip websites are to be believed.

It's never really crossed my mind that I might someday meet Zara, but for a second I really, truly believed that she was in my house. And it was terrifying.

"I read she got paid more than a million dollars just for this cameo," Grace says. "More than the lead actress got paid for the whole movie."

"Yeah well, when you're hot shit like she is, you expect special treatment," Jamie says sourly. "Not that she deserves it."

"That's not true," Zee says, sounding flustered. She's been a huge Zara fan for years, and it's been a constant point of contention between her and Jamie. "She only charges so much because she gives half of her money every year to charity."

"Which charity is that?" Jamie asks. "The Zara Quinn Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too?"

"What?" Asks Zee, clearly perplexed.

"OMG you haven't seen Zoolander?" Jamie exclaims.

"What's Zoolander?" Grace asks.

"OMG YOU TOO?!" Jamie is shrieking with excitement now. "Grace I'm not surprised at, what with the fact that your parents have practically tried to raise you Amish, but Zee? C'mon, your parents own a frikkin' video store. Zoolander's like, the king of old Millennial movies. Ashling, tell me you've at least seen it."

I nod my head, already knowing where this is going.

"I need to use your laptop Ashling," Jamie says. "We're taking a trip to the Pirate Bay."

"You do realize that's illegal?" Grace asks Jamie.

"Oh c'mon, live a little," Jamie says. "It's ok, right?" She looks at me pleadingly.

I think for a moment, before shaking my head.

"I heard those sites all have viruses, and you can get caught really easily," I say, thinking I must sound like a total killjoy, but I can't help envisioning a SWAT team bursting into my living room and taking me away in cuffs. "Why don't we just finish this movie? It's not that bad."

"Says the girl who's been staring at her phone the whole way through," Jamie says. "Any messages from the boys?"

I wish.

"No comment," I say, clutching my phone to my chest, half expecting Jamie to try swipe it out of my hand.

"Fine, keep your secrets," Jamie says, hitting play on the movie.

Zara struts around on screen, showing off her incredible cheerleading skills and her enviable flexibility. Every time she looks at the screen I imagine I can see her dark grey eyes narrow ever so slightly, like she's staring daggers directly at me.

Did she always look so... evil?

Zara's cameo ends, and the movie goes back to Mitch Michaels trying to win the heart of his cheerleader crush. I try to focus on the story, but my mind keeps being pulled back into the events of the past few days.

Hearing Mia's voice in the graveyard yesterday.

Felix biting my neck in the bathroom hours later.

Alastaire telling me about his strange dreams last night.

Seeing Bea fizzle away into nothing this morning, only to find her alive and well in the afternoon.

Robert's silver ring.

The silver ring. My great-gran and gran were wearing a similar ring in their wedding photos. So was my mom. That's it.

"Bathroom break," I say, rising up from the sofa. "You girls watch without me."

"Bring some more crisps when you come back!" Jamie calls after me.

I don't answer. I'm too focused on my next task.

I'm going to find out what my mom's been hiding from me.