Page 43 of Star Witch
‘Ten seconds!’
Something batted my leg. I looked down to see Brutus sauntering away. I took a deep breath. We were here to stop any more murders and to find out who was disturbing the dead. I shook myself mentally. I had to sort myself out. But Winter was still bloody well staring at me.
Belinda’s dulcet tones filled the air. Regardless of why she’d been interrupted yesterday, her script hadn’t changed. She stuck word for word to what she’d said last time. ‘It’s Friday and we are here in the stunning Highlands of Scotland for the most epic, most unique and most special series ofEnchantmentevery created. Twelve new contestants are waiting in the wings and all of them have special skills and abilities. All of them want to win the coveted Trophy of Spells. And all of them know that,’ she paused for dramatic flourish before she launched into her catchphrase: ‘Magic. Is. In. The. Air. Welcome back toEnchantment!’
The gaggle of producers herded us closer to the stage. I caught one last flash of Winter’s sapphire eyes before I was swallowed up in the crowd of contestants. It was too late to do anything now. Story of my life.
***
Given that the show was pre-recorded I hadn’t expected it to be seamless but I wasn’t prepared for the stopping and starting that went on. Bellows fluffed his lines on three separate occasions and had to restart. A dark cloud momentarily passed across Belinda’s sculpted cheekbones and she had to be re-shot. At one point, Brutus darted across the stage. Considering how heartily Bellows and the rest of the crew laughed, however, I had a feeling that part wouldn’t be edited out.
With all the delays, I was convinced that I had plenty of time to sneak away and find Winter again. That was until one of the make-up artists who came up on stage to re-touch Belinda’s foundation gave her a small mirror to hold, and she dropped it accidentally. It smashed into umpteen pieces. Surely even Winter wouldn’t be able to ignore that kind of omen.
Once all the opening scenes had been covered, the contestants were brought up on stage one by one. Barry’s explanation about why they had been given the chance to get to know each other first now made sense. Each of my supposed competitors was on their very best behaviour, offering happy smiles into the cameras and hamming it up for all they were worth. I was fascinated by how well they each fitted into their assigned roles. Maybe the producers were cannier than I’d given them credit for and they really did have amazing insights into each person’s character.
I glanced down at my own costume and grimaced. I hoped not.
Mike bounded up onto the stage and flexed his muscles, flashing a toothpaste grin to an almost simpering Belinda. Harriet, who was still taking every opportunity to throw me the evil eye, all but shuffled over when it was her turn. Her shoulders drooped and she spoke in a hushed voice: The Mouse indeed. The trouble was that, in my experience, it was the quiet ones who you had to watch out for.
Rachelle, a beautiful young woman of Haitian descent, swayed her hips and murmured fake voodoo incantations to elicit a gasp. Shoto, the token Asian, spoke of Zen’s role in creating powerful magic spells. Lou blushed and told everyone she was just a housewife who’d discovered a talent for magic when she’d burnt some cupcakes in the oven and managed to reverse their dodgy appearance. Although when Belinda prodded her, Lou admitted that they’d still tasted of charred sponge.
I hopped from foot to foot. ‘I need to pee,’ I told Barry.
‘You’ll be fine,’ he said. ‘It’s just a nervous reaction. Once you’re up there, it’ll go away.’
I thought of all the coffee I’d downed before Amy and I left the room that morning. ‘Nope. I really do need to pee.’
‘There’s no time.’
‘But…’
Barry rounded on me. ‘Listen,’ he said. ‘I need you to stop being so difficult and get with the programme. Literally. I’ve never had a contestant of mine in the final and I think you could be the one to do it – if you play your cards right. But all this running off and causing problems isn’t going to endear you to anyone. If you want to do well, you need me on your side.’
I blinked at him, astonished. Barry had a lot of hidden depths. ‘Good for you,’ I told him. I was aware it probably sounded patronising but I meant it. ‘I still need to pee though.’
‘Tough.’ He gave me a little shove. ‘You’re up.’
My stomach flip-flopped then I sternly told myself to get a hold of things and tripped up the small flight of steps.
‘Our twelfth contestant is quite unlike anyone we’ve had onEnchantmentbefore. She’s told us that the allure of competing in our special Highlander survival edition was simply too great to pass up,’ Belinda beamed.
What? I’d said nothing of the sort. Even so, I did exactly the same as everyone else and put on my best smile. Except smiling so broadly hurt, so I decided that maintaining it would be too much effort and relaxed. I’d go for more of a mysterious Mona Lisa expression instead. It required less energy.
‘She used to be a member of the Hallowed Order of Magical Enlightenment, so we are expecting great things from her magic skills! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Ivy Wilde!’
Reminding myself not to twitch, I nodded at Barry and took my cue, walking onto the stage and greeting Belinda. Even though it was still daytime, the artificial stage lights were bright so it was difficult to see much of anything beyond the stage. Was Winter watching me, along with everyone else?
The others sat bolt upright on the contestants’ special chairs, which faced Belinda’s, as if having good posture suggested an upright and moral personality. I slouched, leaning back gratefully because the chair was quite comfortable.
‘Make yourself at home, Ivy,’ Belinda told me.
I hooked both legs over one of the armrests and grinned. ‘Okay.’
Belinda laughed, playing the part of congenial host to perfection. ‘Is this why you were expelled from the Order, Ivy?’
‘Because I got too comfortable?’ I shook my head. ‘Oh no, Belinda. I was expelled for cheating and assault.’
Her mouth dropped open and she sent a quick sidelong glance towards Armstrong who was watching from the wings on the other side. ‘Seriously?’
