I took most of the weekend to compile notes about the horror house. Which wasn't without difficulty considering my right hand was black and blue. However, it did force me to slow down and consider the details of what happened. Upon reflection, it dawned on me that I haven't had a panic attack in months. Normally a situation like that would have doubled me over, and yet, I confronted every fear without incident. Turns out giving in to the chaos was the solution all along. Punching a ghost in the face was the best thing I ever did, and for the first time in a while... I really felt like myself.
It also got Isabella, the main character of my romance novel, to talk to me. She had the common decency to wake me up at 3 AM Monday morning following a very vivid dream where she introduced herself.
Truth be told, Isabella isn't her real name. At least, it's not the name she'll have when I send the book to print. It was just the first name I thought of when I started drafting her character. Which happened while I was half-awake with one side of my face still smashed into the pillow. With one bleary eye closed, I typed her character notes in the void that is my phone's note section. Which, upon review in the morning looked like:
Izbela <#
-sassy but about not to scary
-can punches--not puns but funny
-probably hot but not sure realistic becuse why are they always hot? just cuz i guess.
-brown hair or blondy?, boldness endearing, only black coffee and doesn't tea because broken heart (/?) but guy only drink tea not cofee due to bitter taste? ? is that relevant maybe
-she's cool but sadly is a ghost. :(
Thankfully, I was able to piece together my notes with memories of the dream, and the story line it developed into turned out a bit more coherent. All that was left was discovering who the other characters were as I wrote their story. My research was working, and success felt assured.
Which is what I was excitedly sharing with Desi in her office when someone walked in unannounced. Desi's eyes widened, and very subtly she raised her hand signaling me to stop talking.
Her eyes darted from me to the door behind me, "Can I help you?"
I furrowed my eyebrows, and turned around to see what she was looking at. The figure Desi had least expected, who we all least expected to show up, was Maizy Barker. My stomach swirled, recognizing that same polite expression and those sharp blue eyes. Her hair is tucked behind her ears, the short black strands brushing at her collar bones. She tilts her head slightly, making them sway.
"Ghosts?" She smiles as if she's been participating in the conversation the whole time. Her eyebrow raises in a playful way, but it doesn't veil the irritation in her tone. "I believe I was promised a romance novel, not a sequel to your last success, Leah."
"Maizy," I don't exactly force the smile, but it doesn't come naturally either. "Wow! It's great to see you."
I pivot to widen my eyes at Desi who, upon hearing the name, stands up. Recognition flashes over her features and she tilts her chin up ever so slightly. The braid that was laying over her shoulder is calmly pushed to her back, and she adjusts her glasses like a gladiator would adjust their shield before facing down an opponent.
"This is quite a surprise, Ms. Barker," Desi joins in, her voice full of charm and authority. Part of me feels like beaming at the way she cocks up an eyebrow at Maizy. It's subtle, but enough to say and an unwelcome one at that. The powerful witch-like air I know Desi possesses enveloped the room instantly, and it reassures me the stronger it shines through.
Maizy is keen enough to see it and widens her smile, the challenge glints in her eye, "I'm known for keeping people on their toes, Miss Sencha."
I wave my hand over the couch, "Please, have a seat."
Maizy glances at Desi who is all but scowling. Catching her eye, I measure Desi with a stern look. She looks like she'd rather staple her tongue to her forehead than talk to Maizy, but Desi masters the emotion and gives a graceful nod. Spinning back around, I gesture to the couch again and Maizy takes a seat.
"So long as Desiree doesn't mind." Maizy quips, knowing precisely where to prick with uncanny accuracy. Desi flinches at the sound of her full name but does a respectable job of covering her anger by gulping hot coffee from the mug sitting on her desk.
Another soulless, narcissistic, spiteful corporate Goul. I can practically hear Desi's mental seething from behind me while she swallows.
As she sits, Maizy crosses one leg over the other, the red bottoms of her heels flashing for a moment. Careful not to let the silence drag on too long, I picked up the question she dropped earlier, "A Ghost of Me was the title of my last book, you're right, but it didn't actually include the supernatural. I'm playing around with the idea of paranormal romance."
This intrigues her, and Maizy leans forward forgetting her competition with Desi for a moment, "Paranormal? Interesting development for such a factual writer like you, isn't it Leah?"
Her eyes narrow as if she already knows the answer to her next question and is waiting for me to lie, "What inspired you to consider the supernatural?"
There was no way she could have found out about my partnership with Robin so soon. It was kept secret by a very tightknit group of people and there was no reason for it to be disclosed outside of that group unless incited. Then again, Maizy owned the studio that produced Robin's last film. The same studio adapting and producing my book for film in a few months' time if everything went well. If there was a pie in that place, Maizy was sure to put her finger in it and criticize the taste. And my pie was very much at her mercy and was no doubt served up to her the moment it was ready.
In other words, we were busted, and totally naive for thinking it would escape her notice.
Before she was the talk show host for Writers Weekly, a film producer, and an all-around powerhouse of human beings, Maizy Barker was a columnist for a seedy sensational magazine. She networked her way into screen writing, mastered her craft, and memorized the film and writing industries from the inside out. If you were in her good graces your career would see the best of all possibilities. If she didn't like you or was indifferent to your success... That's where it got messy. Information was power, and Maizy wasn't afraid to wield it to her benefit. If it wasn't being shared on Writers Weekly, it was splashed across the pages of her magazine, Elephant in the Room, which aired some unlucky writer or celebrity's dirty laundry every week.
Looking at her I realized that her magazine likely included the article on Robin's scandal. I would bet anything that she was directly involved in his latest movie too. I thought, examining the omniscient look on her face as she watches me figure it out. Making a mental note to ask Robin if he ever talked to her, I attempted to shake off my other thoughts.
My heartbeat was racing, and I opened my mouth to fumble for a response, but Maizy spared me the admission by chuckling, "Oh come now, Leah. There are no secrets among friends."
She reclines against the couch, twisting her hair around her finger as she examines me. "I know all about your little project and how it came about. The lawyers who went over your contract had to okay it with me as head of the company. Did you think it would pass me by?"
The initial reaction I have is to look at Desi. Whatever her face said, I would go with her reaction. If she pinched her eyebrows, I would lie. If she bit her lip, I would confess. If she narrowed her eyes, I would grab the marble bookend from the shelf behind me and help her murder Maizy in broad daylight.
Instead, I shrug as if this were only to be expected. Because, let's be honest, it should have been. "I was never hiding it. I research all my novels; this one is no exception."
"Not an exception?" Maizy smirks at this, "Hiring an actor to act out romance tropes with you doesn't make it an exception?"
Shaking my head, I approached the couch and took a seat next to her. There was nothing wrong with what I was doing. I hadn't broken any rules, Robin wasn't at risk of her knowing the bare minimum, and I wouldn't do anything to put him there. Making it seem like this was a giant, salacious secret that would only whet Maizy's appetite. So, I told it as plainly as it was.
"I've collaborated with various types of people before." I tuck my hair behind my ears and cross my legs, attempting to mirror her. "An actor is the perfect choice; especially given it's going to be adapted to film. It gives me a greater understanding of how things will look on the page and on screen. A smooth transition is the best one, wouldn't you say?"
Maizy leans forward, slightly, "And Robin Moore was the best choice? He's a horror actor. And an untrustworthy one, at that. I would have appreciated a little consultation before you signed him on to act in my film."
A film based on my book. I thought but bit my tongue.
She took my silence as opposition anyway and sighed. I braced myself when she leaned all the way forward, resting her elbows on her knee as she grimaced at me. "I came here to tell you what you've gotten yourself into here, Leah. Maybe I can convince you to drop this before things get too..." She scans over me like I'm her next story waiting to happen, "Complicated between you two."
Complicated? I lift my eyebrow, "Alright?"
"Do you know about his scandal with Delynn Crawley?"
I give a brief synopsis of what little I understood, and she smiles like I handed her a million dollars.
Maizy licks her lips, moistening the red lipstick she wore today, and whispers, "That's what they let come out about it. I know the real truth." She glanced at Desi, who was watching us with an unreadable expression, but maintained complete focus on Maizy's every word.
"Robin and Delynn were suspected of being involved during the film," Maizy begins, leading us into the maze of gossip with every word. "Robin was the boy next door just trying to make it to the big leagues and Delynn was a notorious party girl with nothing but time and money. Thier tryst started slowly. She was often seen leaving clubs and events with Robin under the cover of night. Eventually, everyone suspected they were together, but they kept it top-secret because Delynn's mother, Antonia Crawley, was the director of the film. It was Robin's big break, and he couldn't risk losing the chance, so he forced Delynn to keep it a secret. She on the other hand knew that she wouldn't be kicked off the movie no matter how badly she behaved."
I had to give it to Maizy, the woman could tell a story. I had to remind myself not to believe everything I heard... but I couldn't rule out absolutely everything either. With nothing but Drew's promise to go on, and my own suspicions about Robin, I was dying for some real answers... and yet, was afraid to hear them. Still, I couldn't help but feel It would be better to hear it from him rather than Maizy Barker.
"On the night of the scandal," She continued, maintaining a clandestine air with every word and expression, "Robin and Delynn were spotted outside a club that was less than credible. I'm talking drug deals and back rooms that are occupied by the hour-- if you know what I mean. A witness stated that Delynn was out of sorts, and Robin seemed tense as he loaded her in the car. They returned to the studio."
Guilt began to trickle into my stomach with every word. It was wrong to hear Robin spoken about like this when he wasn't here to defend himself. There was even a part of me that felt conflicted on Delynn's behalf for the same reason. Not to mention, this was a giant waste of our time. Robin was signed. The deal was done and there was no breaking the contract now.
Interjecting, I lifted my hand. "This was all covered in the articles and disproved to me by Robin's manager. I don't see a deviation in the story... and it still sounds like conjecture to me. --"
Maizy tipped her chin up, cutting me off with a dramatic laugh. "Drew denied what happened? That must have given him a week's worth of ulcers. He can't lie for his life."
I freeze at hearing Drew's name come from her mouth so casually. So, she does know Robin and Drew directly... Intimately it seems... Does that mean Robin knew who was producing the adaptation when he agreed?
"In that case, you should definitely know," She leaned back again, twisting her hair up around her finger again as she drawled out, "Robin tipped off a private investigator to catch him and Delynn in the act. He planned on using it as blackmail for staying on the film when Delynn inevitably crossed the line. So, he drugged her, led her to the mark, and acted in the scene of his own making. That photo is proof! He's looking right at the camera. It was exactly where it was supposed to be, just a few minutes early."
My heart drops. Maizy sees my expression change, and looks victorious, "He's an excellent liar, Leah. The best I've ever seen, and if you're smart, you'll remember that anything that feels real to you... was orchestrated by him to make you feel that way."
The trickle of guilt in my stomach congeals into dread, then like a dam bursting, my gut plummets like a waterfall in my body. The photo. Her account confirmed exactly what I had suspected when I first saw that photo. Robin was looking directly into the camera. It was undeniable. He was straight-faced, eyes almost anticipating. Delynn looked completely oblivious.
Because she was drugged out of her senses.
The thought feels damning, and my chest constricts rapidly. A wave of nausea hits me, and I sit back, grounding myself against the couch. So much for no panic attacks. I was on the precipice right now.
Maybe... I made a mistake.
My inner voice sounds small, even to me, as I contemplate the possibility that I had fallen for Robin's act just as Delynn had. The more I let myself spiral, the faster I grow convinced of my error in judgment. That is until there is a surge of indignance rising within my throat at the indecency of Maizy spreading such a tale. Regardless of its accuracy, Robin and Delynn weren't cannon fodder, they were people. If Robin was that kind of person, then he deserved to be investigated and punished. I couldn't argue with that. But Drew assured me it was false, Desi met with Robin personally and gave him her approval, and I had spent the last two weeks with him on and off. The accounts simply didn't align.
Something is off.
Maizy sees the conflict in my countenance and stands up, content with her work. "I don't want to see everything you've worked for go up in smoke, Leah. Think about your next move carefully." Her hand rests briefly on my shoulder, "I'll be checking in on you from now on, to be sure everything is alright."
With that she stands up and heads for the office door. If recking my confidence in this project wasn't enough, she also had the nerve to smile at Desi and say, "Good day, Desiree. Give my best to Henry. If he's ever looking for a new job, have him reach out to me. I'd love someone with his skills on my team. That man can spin a tragedy into comedy in a few syllables... even I can't outwit him."
Desi doesn't bother smiling, she doesn't bother with niceties, she just lifts her eyebrow and stares at Maizy. When Maizy realizes that's the only response she's getting, she smirks and slips out of the door.
My eyes found Desi once Maizy was gone, and she silently dipped her chin in the most subtle of nods, understanding and confirming what I was thinking all in one motion. I nodded back softly, completely resolved.
It was time to ask Robin a few questions.
------
Hello lovelies!
OOOOOOOhhh buddy we're getting into some drama now. So, here's the thing, I don't know what to think about Maizy. What do you think? Is Leah right to stay by Robin or reevaluate the project? I know I've already asked if we can trust Robin, but do you think we can trust Maizy?
Idk I'm putting my stock into Leah's judgment, and Desi's for that matter!
As a side note, I am SUPER excited to get to their next project and to explore what Leah has planned for her book. There are some real fun things coming, so stay tuned!
What did you think of Leah's writer notes ahaha! The note section of our phones is a bizarre and beautiful place. Do any of you use your notes app for chaos and writing?
Okay, I'll get going now. Thank you for reading and please vote, comment, and share if you are enjoying :>
With love,
e.g.