CHAPTER THREE
A thousand bulbs pop and flash, thundering diamonds making a piece of history eternal. Viggo Hayes’s garage door opens, and his pitch black car backs out. The tires roll with predatory grace. The paparazzi drones hover, making room for the car to drive away. From inside, both brothers with bruised, swollen faces stare ahead. The silence is deafening. The silence is safer. 584Please respect copyright.PENANA2D0zq1xBky
584Please respect copyright.PENANAVVfZZBr17H
They get on the parkway and travel into deep traffic. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAZOkfIeaYjl
584Please respect copyright.PENANAMPOCkThXDZ
“Great,” Viggo taps the wheel. Kirby checks the speedometer. They’re going 70. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAoxO2O00vvI
584Please respect copyright.PENANA426UgGuPUw
They pass a car that had been ahead of them, a loser who had been texting. Kirby tightens his seatbelt. Has Viggo used a blinker? His brother places his cellphone on a mantle just as it vibrates, pinging a new notification. They see a text from Harold his lawyer: We have a Kirby situation. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAnqeeG8SZuw
584Please respect copyright.PENANAyoF71nTbQi
Viggo and Kirby share a glance, immediately suspicious of each other. They ask the same of each other: What is this Kirby situation? They pass another car. Kirby’s pretty sure this time that Viggo hasn’t used a blinker. What is this irrational fear? 584Please respect copyright.PENANAKWJ632h69S
584Please respect copyright.PENANAnzed94fqS5
Viggo calls up his lawyer, “What is it?” Kirby could lipread that much. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAykIj8PwhqU
584Please respect copyright.PENANA5LO4k9Q7Zs
The lawyer says something startling. Kirby notices how Viggo flushes pink. 584Please respect copyright.PENANA6LXXwL4YwO
584Please respect copyright.PENANA7HuQEtyTo3
They brake to a horrid screech, almost hitting a car. As they enter a low-lit tunnel, Viggo puts on his seatbelt and ends the call quietly. Strokes across the screen bring up the news app and several articles. Lo and behold, Kirby Hayes is trending up there with the Taylor bombing.584Please respect copyright.PENANA3vrgCKSFNV
584Please respect copyright.PENANA5Q4DHdpfuJ
Photos of last night, when Viggo had brought him a change of clothes at the airport, show Kirby unbuckling his jeans, stripping down to shamrock boxers. He has a hardened Spartan body with a happy trail down his flat stomach while Viggo hands him a highfalutin jacket. Planet Earth and the plane that blew are juxtaposed directly behind them. It looks planned, like a fashion magazine shoot. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAZYU3DCcQIe
584Please respect copyright.PENANAudSN8jatfi
“STRIP SHOW SCANDAL.” Yeah right, Kirby thinks, snorting by the next headline. “BROTHERLY LOVE.” Either way, it doesn’t come off as a bad situation. Maybe? They both seem to look good. Kirby smiles, wondering what Chance secretly thinks. 584Please respect copyright.PENANARFrRNB6n1y
584Please respect copyright.PENANA11VuHuUigC
Viggo, on the other hand, shoots him a hateful glare. He turns the volume to the max, shattering the silence with grating rock. Yikes. It unnerves Kirby to look the other way. Once he sees a driver wearing a wooden mask, he frowns. 584Please respect copyright.PENANACDP2mKbSg0
584Please respect copyright.PENANA7CiXQhEwNW
A horrible woeful face looks back at him behind glass, two stained rivers of black that stream down from the eyes. The cars are right next to each other. Viggo doesn’t notice. The Spook decides to wave with a gloved hand. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAcpwVDdnGiG
584Please respect copyright.PENANAvTp0GJuJ1m
What the hell’s that? Kirby peeks back. That car backs out of sight, slowing down behind a sea of weaving vehicles. Skyden has weirdos too, I guess. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAOYIMrh0oOa
584Please respect copyright.PENANAEbAUwYLrUT
Kirby faces straight ahead at the road. He starts to worry. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAFVRxr0T5R8
584Please respect copyright.PENANAwDHGDrscM6
The traffic starts to lessen, so they speed up to 80. The music starts cutting. Viggo’s knuckles go white. When the road makes a curve, the car shifts. They rattle in their seats, leaning left. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAncB20y7ULo
584Please respect copyright.PENANAguO5RTJQZf
The speed radar sign flashes and tells them that they’re over limit. Kirby demands him to slow down. He’s ignored. Oh my god. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAPJKPEknwHe
584Please respect copyright.PENANAEO0NVP5tbJ
They go 90 and traffic is back. More cars flood as much space as they can, taking their sweet time. Viggo swerves in between two lanes. Kirby starts yelling at the top of his lungs but then stops. It does no good. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAd6WJVGCOQ4
584Please respect copyright.PENANAFLwmkmQDEe
He realizes with his eyes that Viggo’s already trying. He’s really trying to stop. His feet are already slamming down on the brakes. Nothing. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAz9AB10CSzM
584Please respect copyright.PENANAVOzLx1Tl2C
That’s when Kirby palms the window and thinks: We’re going to die. A semi truck with all its weight looms ahead. He begins hyperventilating, wondering what is the safest position to lock into before that smash. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAsg55sQLuAs
584Please respect copyright.PENANAiWzKRvx2EZ
His brother slaps the wheel and steers ever so slightly to avoid such a swerve. The car jerks. They hurtle ahead many honking cars, cutting across several lanes, but they make it. Some cars spin to a halt. Oh god, oh god.584Please respect copyright.PENANAhjyYsyvKeE
584Please respect copyright.PENANA840X577buv
Viggo squeezes at the car key, trying to yank it out. It doesn’t budge, and the gears don’t either. Kirby winces, peeking at the speedometer. They’re going past 100! 584Please respect copyright.PENANA1NCL0RLFSV
584Please respect copyright.PENANAo5DsMsA1HS
Sirens wail behind them, red and blue thundering diamonds. The police. Three police cars and a helicopter gain on them. They see more police cars parked ahead. Viggo and Kirby share a doomed glance, their faces bruised and beaten. Viggo’s eyes start to lower, downcast and defeated. His brother struggles to say something final, something witty. Kirby’s eyes start to well up. This is it. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAXDG5De0JEN
584Please respect copyright.PENANANvzxg5ktuP
But something changes in his brother’s face. Another idea sparks. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAXpP0jyZLA8
584Please respect copyright.PENANA2cgk3oclxY
Viggo tears a net of wires from under the steering wheel. He gives some to Kirby who understands what they must do. More! Viggo fumbles with the wires, rooting through bundles for some taut lines. Together they roar and yank them out, flayed apart. That kills the engine dead. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAfNcQtDC7AM
584Please respect copyright.PENANAFJNhkIQdry
His brother slams at the brakes, but it’s still no good. The police orders him to stop. They don’t. Kirby holds his breath. The black car charges past the razor line with too much momentum. Rip. Pop. The tires are ruined but unstoppable. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAqV4Yghc5I4
584Please respect copyright.PENANA6deJjf8N47
Officers scramble away from the rampage. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAxY83A1oogP
584Please respect copyright.PENANANJLLI7tK2w
They crash through the parked cars, significantly slowed. But along comes the edge. Beyond that is a long quiet fall to the ground. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAHJOW8CpBH5
584Please respect copyright.PENANAOJDJhKLKBG
Viggo eyes the emergency brake handle. He grabs it with a trembling hand. For a moment, he looks at Kirby who gives him a nod. Do it. He pulls it. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAkyI476ldCf
584Please respect copyright.PENANAEiUSPONcHE
The car flips. 584Please respect copyright.PENANASADtXCUTKl
584Please respect copyright.PENANAK7Pn0s9cbj
The world tumbles in a savage spiral as Kirby’s head knocks the ceiling and Viggo’s arm shatters through the window. No time to scream. Like a rollercoaster, gravity pulls them in a twist. Hair, face, sneaker. The car flips twice more through the air before scraping along the asphalt, raining sparks. They grind against the road. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAO6a4ZOYc8s
584Please respect copyright.PENANAoXwrC5TCju
Ouch, Kirby thinks numbly before blacking out. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAPPjG80qQsQ
584Please respect copyright.PENANAwI5Bk2RMpd
It seems like a dream when Viggo is taken away, handcuffed behind his back. He’s alive. He’s shouting that his little brother’s deaf. Have mercy. Fade to black. It seems almost as if Kirby’s body is floating in black water until a dozen hands snatch him back awake. It seems like a nightmare but is real. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAaWm9pUyxpU
584Please respect copyright.PENANA8mIVuV1yZ6
He’s on the parkway, lying in an ambulance. My neck… ack. The pain runs bone deep. This is Kirby’s first whiplash but he’s suffered only minor injuries. He recalls the Spook and that sympathetic wave. They were attacked in bright daylight and framed. Attempted manslaughter. What’s going to happen to Viggo? Or me? 584Please respect copyright.PENANAJagxJjviFb
584Please respect copyright.PENANAR29oMXkamk
Kirby grips his neck, trying not to move so much. His entire body is so sore, he can’t help but squirm. It isn’t long before an officer gives him a ride to Pegasus Studios. It ends up an uneventful and brief ride, despite the alarms going off in his head. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAs3UG2mlZ3G
584Please respect copyright.PENANA5sw6BeYLiz
They arrive on a large campus where brick buildings and palm trees are lit up on display. They pass gigantic winged horses for statues and the crew on their sets. Unwilling to go any further, the officer drops him off at the curb and leaves. Kirby limps to the dorm alone, looking zombified. Everything about him is roughed up, like he had a fight with the road, and he lost. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAGANgmfgCGO
584Please respect copyright.PENANAuZLLpMbCN1
The dorm is a weird underground complex but small enough to navigate. It’s so early in the morning so the place seems dead, dreary lights, darkness, and all. He finds his room at the end of the white hall, marked with his name and his title, Pegasus Studios Intern. It’s a narrow room with bare walls, a window, and a double mattress. A prison bunk compared to the oversized bed he had last night. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAxBC145Yiqt
584Please respect copyright.PENANAxUh6MhTkqf
The room does have a zero gravity button. I’d take this over that house any day. I’d at least feel a little freer. But not safer, that thought comes by. Not even a lock on the door. I can’t sleep with one eye open. Tried that once. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAovj5zetmw9
584Please respect copyright.PENANAaBrZLYjzwE
He wastes no time starting a hot shower. That’s when he gets to thinking. They were targeted. It’s that sad weirdo, Kirby’s sure of it. Their car got hacked, remotely, on the road. Just like that. He had no time to tell anyone about it. He rubs his temples. Why target us? 584Please respect copyright.PENANAcLAw4nq57C
584Please respect copyright.PENANALRKA1NKrAp
Kirby remembers the car crash all over again. It pains him to remember the way his brother looked wanting to say something, faced with the reality that they’d might soon perish. Viggo has never looked that guilty before. Monstrous but contrite. Like it’s somehow his fault, and he’s had it long coming. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAHqrIbBGySp
584Please respect copyright.PENANA2dqgmS2StP
Kirby gets out of the shower and checks his phone, even though he knows there’s still no reply from Chance Gott. Out of habit. Must be busy, I guess. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAvyXTdER8fm
584Please respect copyright.PENANAZkKQtoPK92
He dries off and checks the news. This time, Kirby Hayes is trending everywhere, especially right after a cop chase turned car wreck was captured on live television. He buries his face into his hands. And I just got here. Mom and Dad are going to freak when they see this. He combs through the cheap branded hoodies and jeans for the best matching pair. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAbR4XlZjple
584Please respect copyright.PENANAeVPgLokDX8
Even worse, medical records are turning up from his past, dredged up from planet Earth. He moans. Someone’s found out about a failed suicide attempt that happened one year ago. Pill overdose. That was a dark time. It becomes hard to swallow and even harder to think straight. Viggo isn’t kidding. The paparazzi really are sharks. The headlines scream echoes in his head: “DANGER TO SOCIETY?” “WHICH HAYES BROTHER DROVE OFF THE ROAD?” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAJvFmhDLdkK
584Please respect copyright.PENANA1JJjmYVWu9
Ugh. Kirby does an eyeroll as he puts on his sneakers, savaged from the wreck. His reputation looks ruined already. But if he’s not careful, either one of them can end up demonized. They’re good-ish, for now. Right? 584Please respect copyright.PENANAoxWxJMoRcp
584Please respect copyright.PENANAb0ECTxhahs
Iris Frisk knocks on his open door for a while, a redhead all dressed in white. He doesn’t hear her, but once he notices, he freezes like a deer in headlights. Viggo’s ex. She may look like Emma Stone, but she moves like Jen Lawrence. She creeps in with a big darling smile, a dry erase board and a marker, taking a seat next to him. He clears his throat to feel better. She’s not even a star but he’s already starstruck. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAaJcmWb1XYa
584Please respect copyright.PENANAMvBZmn5Wci
She debates on it but shows him a barely legible scribble: I’m Iris. I know your brother. Heard what happened... Are you okay? Is there anything I can do? 584Please respect copyright.PENANAsJMPuHyJWS
584Please respect copyright.PENANAd84syH3FiW
He shakes his head and gives her a small appreciative smile. She’s more shy than she shows to the public. However, Iris doesn’t look satisfied. Her bovine eyes fixate on a spot for a minute before she wipes the board clear. Her small hand scribbles furiously. How are you getting back at him then? 584Please respect copyright.PENANAKZQrrGaR6v
584Please respect copyright.PENANADvOgj085zq
Kirby recoils. He writes: Back at him? Why would I do that? 584Please respect copyright.PENANA1xVAksLNQY
584Please respect copyright.PENANACd7AbhOSRG
It dawns on Iris’s face. “You don’t know…” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAqiESswHAEy
584Please respect copyright.PENANAp28LDS5LeT
She brings out her phone and directs him to a video of Viggo Hayes outside the police station an hour ago, rubbing his unchained wrists. This happened during the shower. An underlying headline shouts: “CHARGES AGAINST HAYES DROPPED.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAoYZAR2qwN1
584Please respect copyright.PENANAqMpb5dWeRm
That’s quick. Harold his lawyer must’ve said some things right. His brother looks banged up, but he’s all right. Viggo’s talked a lot to the press, but Kirby has no idea what he’s said. It’s not captioned, despite it being the law. They’re talking about him but he doesn’t know what they’re saying. This is some hearing bullshit. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAtD1ehcapqK
584Please respect copyright.PENANAUh9hydNBgq
Iris scribbles: He’s blaming it on the car, but since a reporter asked about your … past … and whether if you caused the crash, Viggo’s story changed. He’s not confirming but he’s not denying it either. 584Please respect copyright.PENANABnwALa4o4l
584Please respect copyright.PENANAOdVEN31OaL
That’s why you don’t want me talking to the press. Kirby’s face grows hot. So you can demonize me first and demonize me so good until I’m kicked out of the sky. Iris notices how angrier he becomes. She sighs, pleased with his rage. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAnyGlFFxY0m
584Please respect copyright.PENANAwCvTF53NAV
I was thinking, we should do an interview on my show. Let’s show them you’re sober and rehabilitated. Undo the damages that Viggo’s done. Let’s make him go INSANE, yeah? 584Please respect copyright.PENANAqPJYXOXPTE
584Please respect copyright.PENANACZgpvyocd0
Kirby does not hesitate. He nods eagerly and writes: I want respect. 584Please respect copyright.PENANApKdGI70XeM
584Please respect copyright.PENANAXVyldztgiT
‘Yeah,” Iris Frisk says under bated breath. Her smile grows enormously. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAoyuIKLcDPl
584Please respect copyright.PENANAyPjoHsLE7b
And oh they make it look amazing. Because of it, Kirby Hayes trends even higher than the Taylor bombing. He sits across Iris Frisk on her Iris and Bunny show, both grinning and beaming like children on everyone’s mobile, tablet, or laptop. 584Please respect copyright.PENANABrQtM5ViLq
584Please respect copyright.PENANA8mwMO77OIT
“How are you feeling?” Iris asks out loud. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAoyAQt7QjAW
584Please respect copyright.PENANAo21kIEh3zp
Kirby shows a cue card to the audience: Like a car wreck! 584Please respect copyright.PENANALmLx70xZih
584Please respect copyright.PENANAAZRHKLJESa
The people laugh, laugh, laugh. All about Kirby Hayes. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAFKANr5wB9A
584Please respect copyright.PENANALkJp8YID0O
“Speaking of which Kirby, in your words, the ones that the officers on scene never asked for by the way, what happened exactly?” Iris asks pointedly at the camera, as if to ask those responsible. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAtOLW7GTvhC
584Please respect copyright.PENANAfUCTJBrJ9r
Kirby shows them another cue card: My brother? Driving a Lexus? Enough said. 584Please respect copyright.PENANASLKt9fNgDM
584Please respect copyright.PENANAkQdwBIJfhj
Iris giggles, “You don’t seem to have mental issues, like they imply. At all.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAjxGRli9Ahr
584Please respect copyright.PENANARyXDNbCBsf
Kirby shrugs comically. Next cue card. I had no idea they were saying that. Maybe if I weren’t deaf, they’d talk differently. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAizYdm0xUj0
584Please respect copyright.PENANAS9akCglEqh
Iris agrees, “Ahem, I mean you were the passenger here.” She turns in her swivel chair and smiles at the camera. “Your thoughts?” 584Please respect copyright.PENANANZltNexczQ
584Please respect copyright.PENANAP9zTWwW5bW
They end the show there. Shove it, Viggo. Chills run down Kirby’s back, the really good kind. They hug and perfect a high-five. He blushes, writing her: Thanks. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAflRQ44q7ve
584Please respect copyright.PENANAvVUungA0l5
“Oh nothing to it,” Iris says, urging him not to make a fuss. She writes back: Thank YOU. We should get going. Our first meeting starts in ten minutes. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAJZRJimNghl
584Please respect copyright.PENANARjgiTkUSaV
They regroup with the other interns down the white hall. Kirby notices a blonde French woman bent for her five-year-old daughter, tying her little white shoes. It would have been picturesque except for her tired, frosty face. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAT0fNt28rHL
584Please respect copyright.PENANAmEgjdv4YvV
“Hey Maddy!” Iris says. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAbSsEp0Z83a
584Please respect copyright.PENANAIYVRc4ASoB
“Not now,” Madeline Desjardins snaps. “Iris! Pour me coffee, would you, darling?” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAuZf15Re23B
584Please respect copyright.PENANAorsUh10NmR
“Sure thing,” she says and clicks her tongue, her hands firing at the five-year-old like a cowgirl’s. “See you Maddy, see you Ruthie!” Bang! Ruthie shoots back. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAMIxD5a9H6F
584Please respect copyright.PENANAeJJJ2S7pZK
A cute Korean guy with pink spiked hair leaves his room, dressed in a pinstripe suit. He gives a dimpled smile directed at Iris then Kirby and leers from behind his rectangular shades. He initiates a handshake, and Kirby is relieved, glad to take it. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAk4hDWl7WGj
584Please respect copyright.PENANAr56Scaq8yA
“Maverick Clark,” he says and points to his name tag. “I’m a writer like you.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAEFPEWlvE52
584Please respect copyright.PENANAfcUb4EFWuD
Kirby nods, weaseling out of the prolonged handshake. He writes: Nice to meet you. 584Please respect copyright.PENANACxWEYZ9OLJ
584Please respect copyright.PENANAfV8U0OHrjx
“Cool, cool, you too bro,” says Maverick. He puts in his pink earphones and tunes out. 584Please respect copyright.PENANA8xLRyWSAI5
584Please respect copyright.PENANAwNU1nBsuBh
They travel down the hall until a tall dark skinned woman in a grey business skirt leaves her room. This time, Kirby sees a more familiar face and becomes starstruck once again. She purses her burgundy lips into a sharp smirk. Simone Chaput struts away, leading the pack, with skull painted fingernails and skull earrings. She plays the goth role in several dramas on tv, and she’s nearly brought him to tears often. Her acting’s that good. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAEVeSZHBdGs
584Please respect copyright.PENANAp6jTPJy0BD
He’s always hoped to write her an amazing role in a movie one day but with Simone Chaput… in the same room, Kirby has to stifle his excitement. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAnjxVLCCwg3
584Please respect copyright.PENANAL13toesDTT
The pack leaves the dorm and travels across campus, a mixed motley of style and talent. The glaring sun rises, filling the atmosphere and pounding each structure with glorious light and shadow. Iris pounces Maverick by surprise and rides his back. They whoop, towering like a two-headed beast. Simone lingers behind when she sees Madeline come jogging with Ruthie and a heavy jangling bag of books and binders. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAo7t7BqzaVB
584Please respect copyright.PENANAtGwV1hgkwZ
Kirby checks his phone, dwelling on the private number. No reply. Chance has been really flirty, but Kirby hasn’t. He realizes that with growing regret. His eyes should be on the prize, and that’s his career. It’s his brass ring and he has to snatch that before Viggo does. His heart wounds a bit. Ah, whatever. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAkjkZrxq1Ud
584Please respect copyright.PENANAKUwzCAmWBS
They approach a bricked building named after Dr. Taylor and slowly enter. Madeline tells her daughter to stay close. Kirby takes the time to view around a rosewood study that’s carpeted like a library or a college classroom. 584Please respect copyright.PENANALzU4PYoUCH
584Please respect copyright.PENANAIoOOe9t1JQ
Carved into the walls are sea captains overlooking their ship masts, dealing with krakens and angered stormy gods. His fingers run over them as he gawks up. The white golden dome is both a ceiling and a lavish compass. He and Maverick gawk at each other gawking before they look away, feeling like fools. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAMocRlvogJZ
584Please respect copyright.PENANARdr8frvBIR
Globes of all kinds are posted between classical Victorian street lamps. Simone dances with Ruthie, weaving around the lamps and globes like princesses at a ball. Madeline looks relieved, like she’s been given a break. Kirby looks back as the doors close. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAuiOZPW6Yoa
584Please respect copyright.PENANAST4UFvBwEb
Madeline coaxes Ruthie to reach their seats as the interns look down to the center of the room where the skylight shines the brightest. An old woman with long white grandma hair leans over a large mahogany desk, scrying through scrolls, indexes, and almanacs. She pinches her spectacles and marks her place with a business card as her heavy lidded eyes dart down line by line. For a sleepy, trembly woman, she’s sharply dressed in a vest underneath a blazer with dress pants. She’s hopelessly distracted by the German Shepherd, muttering, “Please stop shedding.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANALgAHleW4wb
584Please respect copyright.PENANANMgloOwAUp
The lady notices everyone arriving and brightens, “Hey you!” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAvuWdbStuVR
584Please respect copyright.PENANA0BWWr4Riba
“Dr. July Fanfare!” Iris calls her name with pizzazz. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAvXoGen7beu
584Please respect copyright.PENANA8JzsKqa9EN
Dr. Fanfare whips back her long white hair, using age as part of her charm. But she is still slow to react, as her mind seems somewhere else. She starts gathering her rare books and placing them carefully in glass boxes. “Sorry. Antiquarian habits.”
“Boy or girl?” Iris crouches next to it and checks. “Girl.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANASrj5bjwyeH
584Please respect copyright.PENANA7GPfUtDyJN
“Boy,” corrects Dr. Fanfare. She makes a snip-snip gesture. 584Please respect copyright.PENANA6dKNXBIeSU
584Please respect copyright.PENANAmodB7Hflen
“Sorry, boy... What’s his name?” Iris rakes through its thick matted hair. 584Please respect copyright.PENANA7BTqcIb6Io
584Please respect copyright.PENANACsGowyGMg9
“It’s not mine, it’s Taylor’s,” Dr. Fanfare says. “There’s a collar, I believe.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAh25zf8rzlH
584Please respect copyright.PENANA4OQ2aNr146
Simone checks it, “Aha, his name is Ishmael.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAXKqZi2jkjY
584Please respect copyright.PENANAP7XfFa8y74
Dr. Fanfare chuckles. “He does love his books about the sea.” She sniffles and shakes her head to stop herself from tearing up. “I mean, Taylor had loved those kind of books. As you can see, he left things behind. His entire life, I suppose.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAiYQJZWj9YV
584Please respect copyright.PENANAkkXF66D6FN
“Anyhoo,” says Dr. Fanfare, addressing everyone. “Congratulations to Iris Frisk, Kirby Hayes, Simone Chaput, Madeline Desjardins, and Maverick Clark. Welcome to your internship with … Pegasus Studios.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANA6RmflBelXP
584Please respect copyright.PENANAmjn9EzWBPS
They clap and hoot. Kirby plays along and claps with them. He can figure out their commotion, though he’s surprised a sign language interpreter hasn’t shown up. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAk5Coh5rskT
584Please respect copyright.PENANAuIiq53DID7
Madeline’s hand shoots up. “Are you the teacher?” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAh5VNRBB1HX
584Please respect copyright.PENANAd8FzPsWHj1
Dr. Fanfare calms them down, “I’m just the assistant. But I can be the best darn cheerleader you’ll ever meet. As to who will be your supervisor, I don’t know who it is, I’m afraid. They’ll be coming by shortly. Until then, icebreaker. You.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANA8eqC886qMT
584Please respect copyright.PENANApe0gZFXIs8
She points a bony finger to Kirby Hayes as she turns on the projector. They look to the screen glowing on one wall. She reads it out loud for them, “What is your mission?” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAclCv6EOcAq
584Please respect copyright.PENANAI425ZDmevF
Kirby takes a second to think about it, but he already knows. He writes on the dry erase board and shows Dr. Fanfare. She quotes, “I want to make Pegasus Studios millions of dollars in revenue.” Scattered laughter. The old lady nods deliriously, struggling to keep her eyes open, “You’re going to be popular with the board, Kirby. Hehehe.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAFYjlDO00NY
584Please respect copyright.PENANAhwveZfHd0e
The doors open. “Oh,” says Dr. Fanfare. “Looks like your supervisor’s coming.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANADIN47Bq7Fh
584Please respect copyright.PENANAMN3bz5uKNS
Everyone looks back and stares. 584Please respect copyright.PENANATWV1LX9JZ8
584Please respect copyright.PENANAsu5MGJK6iW
Viggo Hayes struts down the aisle, passing globes and lamps, and greets them in both spoken English and American Sign Language, “Hello, interns. Let’s get you hired.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANAjiKLJRIuZA
584Please respect copyright.PENANAUGtbQmgJ4z
He stands next to Dr. Fanfare and Ishmael, patting her shoulder, with a perfected face. There is no sign of cuts or bruises. He doesn’t even look like he’s been in a fight or an accident or even a police station. He stands proudly in the limelight, a champ, in his best suit. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAqtNqEygzNc
584Please respect copyright.PENANACiSYiea3Do
Viggo Hayes and Dr. Fanfare stand together as judges, arms crossed, before the five interns. His psycho orange eyes scan them before locking onto little brother Kirby and ex-girlfriend Iris. “Don’t assume that I’ll take it easy on you two.” 584Please respect copyright.PENANA15kOPawysj
584Please respect copyright.PENANABRkSeVqU2a
The pair remains unruffled the best they could. 584Please respect copyright.PENANA5sveb6dbFx
584Please respect copyright.PENANAPCXHbc0Kxx
Viggo nods their way with a growing monstrous smile. As if to say that’s right, I’m the gatekeeper. I’m the one who gets the final say of who stays, who goes. Who officially gets in Pegasus Studios, and who never ever will. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAhbOxX6UKA3
584Please respect copyright.PENANAsWQhk9EgWa
Kirby deeply sighs. The war rages on. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAHxYFBIt1Wz
584Please respect copyright.PENANAXlNa4vuwOn
THE SPOOK IS SAD584Please respect copyright.PENANAEzqyvXBAtx
584Please respect copyright.PENANA1gzBGHveyl
Jack Steele Adams584Please respect copyright.PENANATSlfHJsaAs
ns216.73.216.176da2