The Fandom(55)

Finally, Alice kisses his cheek and dashes out of the door. I almost expect her to lose a glass slipper on the way. I tell Moustache I need to pee and slip out of the room, using the staff door at the back.

The cool evening air catches in my nostrils, and the stretch of lawn – the stillness of twilight – calms me for a moment. I close my eyes and listen to the lilting melody floating on the air. Something beautiful I can’t quite reach.

I tread lightly, moving across the gravel, heading towards the side of the manor where I expect her to be.

‘Violet!’ Her golden head bobs around the side of the building. She beckons to me.

I reach her and she pushes me back so a privet hedge shields us from view.

‘It’s so good to see you,’ she says.

We embrace and the jealousy grows blunt at the edges, the familiar scent of cherry blossom and lemon-grass filling my head. The whaleboning of her dress digs into my ribs, but I continue to hold her, allowing myself to acknowledge just how much I’ve missed her.

She holds me out at arm’s length and looks me up and down. ‘You make a good Rose.’

‘Thanks, you make a good Gem.’

‘Aw, thanks.’

I fail to return her smile. ‘Alice, what’s going on?’

She smooths down the fabric of her dress, avoiding eye contact. ‘So Thorn asked me to pose as a Gem.’

‘Yeah, I kind of guessed . . . But why?’

‘He wants me as a back-up plan, in case you fail. There’s more than one way to skin a cat and get those Gem secrets. He doesn’t believe the alternate universe thing, can’t blame him really – he thinks Baba may have lost the plot, excuse the pun.’

Just at that moment, the band bursts into a lively jig. She turns her head as though she can see the music floating on the breeze.

My body grows rigid, paralysed, and frustration builds deep inside, pushing upwards and outwards until I think I might burst. ‘But that’s not why we’re here. In case you’ve forgotten, we’re here to make sure Willow still falls for Rose. To make sure the story runs its course so we can go home. Remember? The psychic lady with no face . . . “You must save the Imps, Violet.”’

‘Yeah, but Thorn’s priority is still getting Willow to blab about Daddykins.’

‘And your priority is . . .?’

‘To help you, obviously.’

‘By hitting on Prince Charming.’ I tap my foot – she hates it when I do that.

She wrinkles up her nose, her make-up cracking like a china glaze. ‘Look, Violet, things have deviated from canon already. You’re not Rose for a start – you may know her lines, but you’re still not her. You need all the help you can get.’

This tugs at some deep-rooted insecurity. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Do you know how eligible Willow is? Seriously, every unmarried Gem girl wants a piece of him, he’s gorgeous and kind and rich—’

‘Says the unmarried Gem girl.’

‘Violet, don’t be an idiot. If I’m seen with Willow, then I’m putting off the Gem competition and you stand a better chance.’

‘A likely story,’ I snap.

‘I’m just trying to help.’

The insecurity grows and grows until all I can hear are the words Violet the Virgin. ‘What, you think I can’t do this on my own? You think I can’t make a guy fall for me?’

‘Not just any guy – Willow Harper. You know, the most perfect man in the universe . . . this universe and ours.’ She makes a circular motion with her finger.

‘Oh, so if he was an ugly loser, then I’d stand a chance.’

‘That’s not what I’m saying.’

‘Then what exactly are you saying?’ My tone rises, and I realize this is the first argument we’ve had since she stole my red dress and wore it to a party back in Year Ten. I remember feeling so angry, not because she didn’t ask me, or even because she slopped garlic dip all down the front, but because she looked better in it than me.

She exhales quickly. ‘I’m saying, we just need to get Willow to fall for you and follow you to the city, how it happens doesn’t matter.’

‘Jesus, Alice, this isn’t some little fanfic exercise – you can’t just rewrite the plot and hope for the best. We’re the butterfly, remember, flapping our massive wings. Just the slightest change and the consequences could be drastic.’

‘Yes, but you also said the story wants to unfold. Anyway, I’m not rewriting the plot, I’m ensuring it hits its key climax moments.’

A bitter laugh erupts from my lips. ‘Yeah, I can see climaxing is your main concern.’

‘Now you just sound jealous.’

‘Well maybe I am. You get to be with Willow, the most perfect man in existence, and I have to slum it in the Imp-hut, worrying about me and Ash, Saskia breathing down my neck, and you get to live like – like –’ I gesture around me, to the manor, the estate, the stars – ‘a Gem.’

Her brow knots. ‘You’re worried about you and Ash?’

I stutter on my words. ‘Well, not worried . . .’

‘Seriously, the hero with the big dong and the massive crush? He’s just background noise in canon, you know that, yeah?’