He tugged away. “Yes, mother!”
I froze. In all my years of taking care of Ryder, he’d never pulled that one on me. Before I could respond, Eamon approached, filming the behind-the-scenes with his little camera.
“Don’t worry. I’ve not got you on video,” he said, staring through the screen.
“Are you really making these videos to boost fan support?” I asked, my voice rough from trying to hastily pull it together after Ryder’s stunning outburst.
“Cate says we need the Thornians to band together as soon as possible.”
“Julian said they’re banding together against the film,” I said. “I’d like to smack them.”
“Careful, Iris Thorne. Someone might think you’re pulling for us to succeed.” He winked sassily and shut his camera with a sigh. “The studio could cancel the film at any time. Send it straight to DVD or sell it to the Syfy channel. Right now it looks like the sequels will get axed.”
Ryder gasped. “They couldn’t! The first book is only the beginning of the story!”
“They’ve done it before.” Eamon’s tone was stiff. “Look at The Golden Compass.”
“When do you…get your big break?” I asked.
He dropped his camera in his bag. “We’re moving lock, stock, and barrel to Killykeen Forest tomorrow. That’s where I’ll have my first scene.”
“Nervous?” I asked.
He glanced at me and quirked a tight smile. “What do you think?”
“I think you are,” I murmured. They were dousing the tree with flammable liquid, and I got a bad feeling. It had to do with the whip of the wind and the grass field all around…but a costumed woman eclipsed all of that. I hadn’t seen her since that first day, and up close, I couldn’t believe the nerve of Cate Collins.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I pointed at the woman. She had long, dark hair and a face I’d recognize anywhere—and not because she was a famous actress.
“That’s Maedina. I mean, her real name is Nell Waterson,” Eamon said. “Classically trained and used to West End. I think Alec Guinness was more comfortable cruising around with a wookiee than she is in that getup.”
“Doesn’t she look familiar?” I asked.
He shrugged. “She looks a little like M. E. Thorne. Like you.”
“A little?” I asked. “It looks like Cate Collins scoured the planet for my grandmother’s doppelgänger. This is too far!”
“Why? It’s Maedina. You think your grandmother didn’t name a character after herself? That’s got to be on purpose. Look”—he motioned to Ryder’s nodding—“he agrees with me because he’s read the books.”
“You get your pretty from Grandma Mae, Iris,” Ryder piped in. “That’s what Dad says.”
“He’s right,” Eamon said, and for once I didn’t mind the connection. I might’ve even enjoyed it.
Henrik called for “Quiet on the set!” and everyone turned to stone. Even Ryder.
Shoshanna stepped out of a group of people who had been fussing over her makeup. She looked like a fantasy refugee, all wraps of cloth and wild hair. They started in the middle of a scene, Shoshanna—Sevyn—charging out of the tree before Maedina.
“You ruined me!” Sevyn yelled. “And then you tried to take me in like a pet.” A foghorn blared and the actresses glanced at the sky, imagining the CGI lightning we’d been promised.
“I never meant to hurt you. Not when you were a babe or now. There is much you don’t know.” Maedina glanced around. “We’re not alone. You must sense that.”
Maedina reached for her, and Shoshanna screamed like a feral creature. I had to admit it; the girl was good. Anger sparked from her skin without digital enhancements.
A searing flash dazzled my eyes, and when I’d blinked away the brightness, the tree was already burning. It lit up the actresses, who dashed away. It lit up the branches and the cliff’s edge, and then far below, it drew an orange halo on the dark water. The fire grew and cackled and surged into the sky, and I looked around at the delighted faces of a hundred people.
On my left, Ryder’s joy was pure wonder, and on my right, Eamon was boyishly charmed. He glanced at me, and I waited for the smile. A smile always came with him. Only this time, his lips stayed still, and I felt his fingers slip against mine.
And then we were holding hands. Together. In front of everyone. Only no one was looking, and we both turned back to the blaze. Sort of. I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He stood close; he always did. Was that an Eamon thing or a liking-me thing?
“Cut!” rang through the night, and as fast as the fire had caught, it burned out. A huge hose appeared, dumping foam over the brittle remains of the tree. White floodlights replaced the orange madness, and the crew cheered when they checked the gate and announced success.
I stole my hand back from Eamon before anyone noticed.
“I’ve got to help Mr. Donato hand out cake!” Ryder said, but I held on to him before he could scamper away. “Listen and don’t mess anything up,” he said for me. “I know! That’s all you ever say.”
My brother stomped off, and I stared after him. “He’s mad at me.”
“He’s mad at you,” Eamon agreed.
“He’s never been mad at me before. Not like this.”
Eamon didn’t hold back. “You embarrassed him last night when you yelled at him in front of everyone.”
“He scared the crap out of me! And this is a ridiculous double standard. If I were his real mom, no one would question how I parent him.” My mouth hung open after the last word, stunned.
Eamon wasn’t fazed. “Come with me,” he said. I started to object, and he continued. “You’re going to say you can’t because you’ve got to keep an eye on Ryder, but he’s doing his job now and he needs some space, and so do you, so come with me and see what I found today because I
