Chapter 12

12

I sat under a giant canopy with a heat lamp blazing over me, a medic cleaning the scratches on my arms and back. I heard someone mutter "bear trap" and Jabril snap, "Why didn't we know it was there? Someone could have died."

"Did you see the size of that stag?" another person said.

"Old George," one of the Yooper extras added. "Wish I'd brought my thirty aught six. Can't wait to tell my family I saw him."

"What was up with those birds? It was like a Hitchcock film!" another said.

"Back to work, everyone!" Jabril called, his hair spiking up like he'd stuck his finger in a light socket.

I ignored them all. I wanted a hot shower and to forget today had happened. The hair on my nape prickled, and I knew Kade had ducked under the canopy. My awareness of him had reached ridiculous levels.

"Hey, are you okay, T? I just heard what happened." He came around and crouched down in front of me. The corners of his mouth creased with worry.

"I'm fine."

He squeezed my shoulder, and I met his gaze. "As much as Jiz wants this to happen, you had a pretty big scare just now, and we'd all understand if you needed to call it a day."

"Are you saying that as my friend or the producer?" I asked, holding still while the poor hairstylist tried to make my hair presentable, and the medic finished up.

"Both."

And didn't that warm my heart? But each delay cost money, and now that I knew Kade was a producer, it cost him money. We were already over-budget and pushing to catch up on our filming schedule. I wouldn't be the guy who held it all up because of a few scratches and a little scare.

"No, really, I'm fine."

I wasn't. I had no clue why those birds attacked or why Old George saved me. And could he really be the Old George? Logically, no way he could be as old as everyone said. But his eyes had spoken of centuries of life, the way Alistair's sometimes did when he didn't realize he was being observed.

Kade didn't look convinced. I pasted on a smile. "Hey, I've been practicing my sword play. And who doesn't dream of battling goblins?"

A moment later, Rory, Poppy, and Alistair ran in, surrounded me, and peppered me with questions, breaking the moment. I answered as best I could.

"Enough, enough." Jabril pushed his way through. "He doesn't need coddling. Let's finish this shoot before the storm fully rolls in."

"He almost fell into a bear trap." Rory straightened to his full unimpressive height, and he looked like he was about to march into battle.

I reached up and squeezed his hand.

"I'm okay. I'd rather finish today's shoot."

"See! And it's not like he actually fell in," Jabril said. He began calling orders for makeup. They attempted to repair the damage and cover my cuts.

"Anyone seen Hatcher?" Jabril called once the cast assembled, that incessant clomping of hooves only growing louder.

"He's supposed to be here," the second assistant director called. "I made sure he knew what time to be on set. Let his PA know, too."

A runner was sent to fetch him, while the rest of us waited.

When Hyde showed up twenty minutes later, he was in full costume and makeup, though his scowl said he was raring for a fight.

"You can't really expect to film now." He marched up to Jabril. "I've called my agent—"

"I don't give a shit." Jabril crossed his arms. "The producers aren't paying your agent top dollar to show up and do your lines. So, do it, and we can go home. In all likelihood, if it's as windy as predicted, we'll have to take tomorrow and maybe the next day off. So instead of making everyone else—who was on time—any more miserable, get your shit together and do your job."

This wasn't the first we'd heard them go at it, and I was sure it wouldn't be the last.

Hyde spun on Kade. "Are you going to let him talk to me this way? I'm the star. The guy who's making you money. The least you can do is tell him to speak respectfully to me. We shouldn't have to work in these conditions."

Kade sighed.

"Jiz could be gentler." He shot Jabril a warning look when the director opened his mouth. "And I'm sure he'll make an effort to do so. We're all short tempered today and should give each other some grace. But I'm here to work. We all are. Nothing about this weather violates our contracts, and we're getting paid a lot to do a job that most would kill to have. Look, it sucks to work in the rain, but we're all doing it, and Jabril has promised he'd make it as quick as possible. Let's just pull together and do this." The last was said in a voice that compelled obedience.

Hyde puffed up for a second. He couldn't hold Kade's gaze for long and deflated like a punctured balloon. "Fine."

"That might have been the best shower of my life," I said several hours later, working my hair into a long braid down my back. I'd thrown on a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a waffle shirt that I'd ordered online after realizing I didn't have enough warm clothes for the climate. Rory wore a similar get-up and grunted in agreement. We planned to call it an early night.

My shoulders ached from swinging the prop sword. Even being light weight, using the sword was a real workout. We'd kept at it until Jabril and the fight coordinator were satisfied, and the wind started to blow the props around and almost took down a canopy. The prop crew had scrambled to get everything secured and put away as the storm picked up steam, while the rest of us fled as soon as Jabril released us.

I had just slumped onto my bunk when a loud rap at the door was the only warning and Alistair burst in. Instead of pajamas, he'd donned leather pants, a mesh shirt and, to complete his look, added a lot of chunky metal jewelry. His hair had enough product in it to make it stand on end, and he'd done a bang-up job on the smoky-eye makeup.

"Party time, lovelies! We're going to The Gay Bar."

Rory and I just gawked before I finally said, "There's a gay bar around here?"

Ali waved a dismissive hand. "No, darlings, but there is a Gay, Michigan, and it does have a bar called The Gay Bar. It's a tourist attraction."

"It's not actually gay?" Rory squinted like he was trying to make sense of this.

Right there with you, man .

"Exactly. Though it will definitely be bi tonight!" Alistair indicated himself. "Come on, come on. The bus waits for no stragglers!"

"Bus?" I was going to regret asking, I just knew it.

"Yes, I rented a ski lodge bus. They usually host a kids' camp during the summer, and since the film paid a mint to take over the lodge and slopes, the buses have been sitting empty. So, I hired a driver and invited some of the cast and crew. Now Camp Smudgy becomes our party bus. You can thank me later. You need to get dressed. We're leaving in ten. Don't be late."

Then he strode out.

I groaned and flopped back on the bed. "Go on without me. I just wanna sleep."

"No way. If I have to go, so do you."

And that's how we found ourselves boarding the Camp Smudgy party bus.