TFL has officially reached 10K reads! I have made this fun venture to celebrate. It's been such a journey with everyone and I hope you've all have had a good time reading my works and living in the worlds I created. A huge, huge gratitude goes to all the peeps who have read, commented, and cherished this story since the dawn of time. I couldn't have done it without y'all. So, here's the TFL's 10K special event. Enjoy! :))
Here's a preview of all the covers for the whole series! :))
These wonderful covers are done by no other than LueurlaVespine, a great designer and friend. Thank you so much!
After a couple of discussions with more writing friends, they gave me this fantastic idea. So now, you will get to see what TFL would have looked like if it was contemporary teen fiction! I've had too much fun (and anxiety) doing this so I hope you enjoy it! uwu.
[WARNING: Some characters that aren't in TFL but are in the succeeding books are mentioned here. They might be a direct nod to their counterparts in the further books so I would caution y'all since it might be spoilery. Don't worry, though, this special won't contain a lot of scenes. xD So, without further ado, here we go!]
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Xanthy picked at her food, eyeing the soggy meat floating in her soup with distate. Couldn't cafeteria food be any better?
"So, then, we went to this huge shopping mall over several blocks on foot and by the time we got there, we were drenched," Ravalee said from beside her boyfriend, Cyrdel. Xanthy resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her twin's long-winded story. Being one half of the set was bad enough. It's even worse that Rav was the more adventurous one and Xanthy was deemed as the perpetual grouch and kill-joy.
Rav had started the story of her and Cyrdel mall-hopping at around 12:30. It's 1:00 in the afternoon now and she still hasn't finished. Xanthy's mind was whirling with too much detours and added anecdotes. Lunch was almost over and Xanthy hasn't even finished her meal.
"Then the guy behind the counter looked at us like we've officially lost it," Rav continued, making Cyr snicker along with the memory. Xanthy glanced at Nyxis who sat beside her, nodding along to the couple's story. He had an uncertain smile plastered on his face. Well, kudos to him for still trying.
"So, you mean, you ordered the something, forgot what it is, and claimed the staff got it wrong when you received it?" Nyxis said, summarizing the whole 30-minute story in a matter of three phrases. "Yeah, that's funny."
Rav hummed, giving Xanthy a quick glance. She no doubt noticed Xanthy's glum attitude for the whole period. "Come on, Xanthy," Rav rolled her eyes. "You could at least show a little bit more enthusiasm."
Xanthy rolled her eyes at her twin right back. "Come on, Rav," she said. "I live with your filthy ass. I think I'll show you my enthusiasm for things that matter more. Like, perhaps, that meltdown over popsicles when we were five—"
A hand flew across the table and clamped Xanthy's mouth shut. "Don't even attempt to talk about that," Rav hissed.
Xanthy slapped her twin's hand off her face. "Why? Afraid Cyr won't like you anymore?" she jerked her chin at the boy with blond hair who watched the exchange with bright, amuse eyes. "Look at him. He's dying to get married to you."
Rav's cheeks reddened. "Xanthy! Must you be this way?"
Xanthy rolled her shoulders. "We're twins. Of course, I have to this way," she glanced at Nyxis. "Well, whatever you meant by 'this way'. I'm...me."
"Yeah, of course, you are," Rav sat back down and crossed her arms. "What's your plan after school?"
A sad attempt at changing the topic. The clock at the cafeteria's farthest wall from their table read 1:10. Twenty more minutes to go. Still, Xanthy should humor her twin's aversion of being teased. "Go home. Do some homework. Sleep. Browse the internet for the most random videos," she said. "There's a lot of stuff to do, actually."
Rav clicked her tongue. "Why don't you join the theater club?" she said. "There's a new production in place. Perhaps you should audition."
Xanthy let her spoon fall into her soup. The thick sauce made a splotchy thuck! upon cushioning the metal. "I have homework," she said. "Got to get into the honor roll for good college applications. You know how I operate, Rav. I don't have the time to spare for useless things like theater...um, no offense."
"Reeca would be there," Nyxis's quiet voice bled into Xanthy's ears. She whirled to him to find him grinning from ear to ear. Annoying but otherwise adorable. That's her best friend, of course. "Imagine how much she would lord it over your face once she get the part."
Xanthy kissed her teeth. "Really, Nyxis? I expected more from you," she said. "What do I care about that girl? She's the one who got beef with me. I couldn't care less if she gets a lead role someplace else."
It's true. Reeca and Xanthy had been to the same primary school, middle school, and, as if fate hasn't been a bitch before, the same highschool. At this point, Xanthy should expect to see Reeca in her dream university, in the same degree, and in the same classes. Of course, that wasn't enough. Life gave them more drama by having them vie for the same opportunities in academics until it's clear Xanthy and Reeca were meant to become mortal enemies.
Reeca took it seriously, though. She had been known to lash out at Xanthy whenever she lost something, the first place in their batch for the past five consecutive years, for example. Rav and Nyxis were always there to back Xanthy up in case Reeca's jabs reach below the belt but most of the time, the girl was harmless.
"Look, I am only focused on making it through the junior year without any skirmishes," Xanthy said, staring her twin's conspiratorial gaze from the opposite of the table. "And don't get me started about being part of a production would boost my resume. I'm applying for Sciences, not Arts."
"But wouldn't it be nice to give Reeca hell for once?" Cyrdel interjected. Xanthy supressed a groan. Not him too. Rav's boyfriend was usually the most level-head among the four of them but it looked like he was buying into this garbage too. "Rav told me that girl has been treating you badly since forever."
Xanthy stuck her bottom lip out. "Not forever," she said. "Just ever since we met."
"And that's forever," Rav waved a hand in Xanthy's face. "We're going to that audition and you're going to crush Reeca in getting the lead part. That's final."
"How about no?" Xanthy countered. "And that's final."
Xanthy glanced at the opposite table where the object of their conversation sat. Could she hear what Xanthy's friends were talking about? She didn't appear to.
Reeca shoved the last of her food into her mouth, running a hand through her sheared dark blond hair. She was laughing at something Elred had said. Xanthy ran her tongue past her teeth. Reeca's friends were actually pleasant.
There was Elred who was the most fashionable student Xanthy had come across. She always kept her light blond hair long and had worn the most daring earrings. She had looked after Rav a number of times during their practice sessions in the theater club. Xanthy was thankful to the girl for that, at the least.
Kym, and her girlfriend, April sat opposite Reeca. Xanthy didn't really know them since they're not in the same class but she really digs Kym's wild blue and gray highlights over her dark hair. She also made sure to never get in the way of April since she looked like she could kill a man with just her stare.
Did Xanthy mention Reeca's brother, Rhys, was the school's star football player? No? Well, he was. It's his final year in the school so everyone's bading goodbye to the winning streak they've cherished for the last six years. Unless, of course, they find another star player to boost the team's morale.
Not that Xanthy cared about sports or even went to one match in the course of her stay.
She looked at Reeca's table again. Her friends' words rang in her head. By the time the clock on the wall read 1:30, Xanthy decided she was rather curious about how Reeca would react if Xanthy got the part she was going for.
It'd be a nice cherry on top to flavor her junior year.
Toxic? Yeah. Fun? Maybe.
"Hey, Rav," she called just as her twin was getting up. She gave Xanthy a quick glance. "On second thought," Xanthy said with a smile. "I'd love to try out that audition thing. Seems fun."
•✧•¤•✿•✧•
The theater club hogged the biggest space Xanthy had ever seen. She had never been to any of the clubs but, allegedly, all they get was an empty classroom. Theater has, well, an actual theater on loan. No wonder everybody wanted in. They get a huge space all to themselves.
Xanthy, Rav, and Nyxis passed a doorway shielded with thick, red curtains. Whoa. Even the curtains looked and felt fancy. Cool.
"Nervous?" Rav said from the side of her mouth. Cyrdel had to attend music practice since he was actually part of the school's ensemble competing on various national contests and other whatnot. If anything, Rav was more nervous about the fact that her boyfriend wasn't here rather than the actual audition.
They were greeted with a mass of students meandering in the dim expanse Xanthy heard one theater kid call "backstage". Xanthy spied groups ranging from two to four talking amongst themselves in their closed circles. She was lucky enough to have Rav and Nyxis stick by her.
Xanthy shrugged at her twin's question. "Nah," she said.
Rav raise an eyebrow. "You haven't even looked at the audition piece."
"I'll wing it," Xanthy tapped a hand to her temple. "I've got photographic memory, remember?"
"Photographic memory, my foot," Nyxis muttered behind her. She whirled to find his hands stuck to the pockets of his jeans. "She can't even drive downtown without getting lost."
Xanthy frowned. "Hey, I heard that," she said. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"And I am," Nyxis said. "I'm saying that you should take Rav's advice and look at the audition piece before you regret it."
"Shut up and get married, you two," Rav interject, waving a sheaf of papers in Xanthy's face. Xanthy snatched it from her twin's hand and ignored the growing heat on her face.
"No one's getting married," Xanthy snapped. Rav stuck her tongue out. She must have been feeling triumphant at having thrown Xanthy's sass back at her. Yeah, let Rav have the last laugh. Instead, she gave the papers a quick glance. "What the hell is this?"
Nyxis stepped closer and read over her shoulder. "Fantasy, huh?" he said. "Mrs. Valkalin sure gotten ambitious."
"Valkalin?" Xanthy turned to Nyxis with an arched eyebrow.
He ran a hand against the back of his neck. "The head of the theater club and the shows' main producer. Elred's mom." he said.
"And you know this because...?" Xanthy prodded. He wasn't in theater the last time she checked.
He squirmed. "I happen to have the whole school committee memorized because of...well, mom."
Xanthy nodded and patted his shoulder. He disliked talking about his mother, Erin, who happened to made principal of the school just a few years ago. Despite how sweet Erin could be (she makes the best waffles!), she was a completely different person at school. Xanthy could imagine how jarring it must have been for Nyxis who lived with the woman.
"I take it Addy's glad he's outta the house for college?" Rav bumped Nyxis's shoulder. "Just one more year and you'll be out of here too."
Nyxis winced at the mention of his older brother. Xanthy had seen the guy a few times in the times she had been over at the Helgases' place but she had never actually talked to him. "Maybe," Nyxis said. "Mom wants me to stay here. To help her with stuff."
Xanthy frowned. "She can't do that," she said. "You have a choice for where you go to college. She can't keep you here."
"Duh, Xanthy, she totally can," Rav shoved Xanthy out of the way.
Xanthy didn't speak. What happened to Nyxis and his mother was something out of her capacity to fix. She just gave her friend a supportive smile.
They came further into the backstage and emerged to what was supposed to be the hallway leading to the stage. Several tall ladders loomed over them. "What are they doing?" Xanthy pointed to the people perched atop said ladders.
Rav put her hand up, shielding her eyes from the glare of one theater beam who happened to swivel over at them. "Oh, that?" she said, turning away the second she got what she needed and rubbing her eyes. She's going to mess up her eye shadow. Not that Xanthy cared. "They're fixing up the rigs and the lights. The maintenance department does that a lot."
"Isn't that...I don't know, dangerous?" Xanthy looked at the ladders again when the light tore away from them. She spied a familiar outfit she saw flittingly in the hallway earlier in the day. "And isn't that a student?"
Rav didn't look concerned. "Yeah. They're members of the theater club too," she said. "Making a production isn't just on the actors and the director. Props and tech have a lot to do with it too."
Xanthy swallowed the growing lump in her throat. She still thought the ladders were a dangerous addition to the students' job description but it's not like she's expected to climb one and become one of the tech people.
Gasps and screams echoed around the stage. "Xanthy, look out!" Rav's scream floated above the crowd. Huh, what? Xanthy turned a little too late. Something, or rather, someone, slammed into her. The bright lights made Xanthy remember stark white hair. Then, everything was upended.
This was a great audition experience. Not.
....to be continued, never. xD