Curious about Adriel's answer? Here's the rest of the character Q&A. Read part one here.
I glance at my notebook, then grin widely at Adriel. “In keeping with this sort of topic, Adriel, my mom asked if you have a crush on Jill.”
Jill’s eyes grow wide and a blush infuses her cheeks. Adriel looks confused.
“Do I…what?”
“Do you like her? Like in a special way.”
Jill hides her face in her hands. Now it’s Adriel’s turn to blush.
“Um, I…do I have to answer that question?” Adriel stammers.
I laugh. “I think your reaction gives us a pretty good idea of the answer.”
“But I…she’s…I’m not quite fifteen yet.”
“Trust me, in my world, kids like to pair up younger than that.”
Adriel looks around the group—everywhere except for in Jill’s direction. “We’re friends. That’s it.”
“Jill?”
She peeks at me through her fingers.
“Kendra asked if you have a crush on Adriel.”
I barely catch her murmured answer. “I’m only eleven.”
“Is that a no?”
“I’m just a kid. I’m not old enough for that.”
“That’s not a no.”
“Please stop.”
Knowing how much I've always hated “the boyfriend question” myself, I decide to drop the subject. “How about some sibling questions for both of you? Adriel, which sibling did you get along best with growing up?”
“Does that exclude Rae, since I’m eight years older?”
“Whichever.”
“Well, I used to get along pretty well with Ariela, my older sister. We were pretty close. Rae is a lot like her…only less bossy. I never did get along well with my brothers.”
“Yeah, I know. If you ever get a chance to fix that, well, don’t waste it.”
“I don’t intend to.”
“Jill, my mom asked how you really feel about Emily and if Joey frustrates you sometimes with his immaturity.” These are kind of sensitive questions still, but I’m glad not to bug her about Adriel anymore.
Jill lowers her hands from her face. “They’re my siblings. I love them no matter what. Yes, sometimes they do frustrate me, but that gives me something extra to pray about.”
“That works. So Emily.” She looks sharply at me. “My mom asked if you ever get in trouble at home for your attitude towards your siblings.”
Joey bursts out laughing. Emily glares at him.
“It’s such a mom question,” Joey says.
“Yes,” Emily says tersely.
“And Kendra asked if your time in Calhortea has changed you.”
“How could it not? I’ve gone to another world. Of course I’m not the same person I used to be.”
“Any specifics?” I ask.
“No,” she says. “Anyway, aren’t you supposed to be the one keeping us from giving spoilers?”
“Yeah, but I’m a spoiler addict. Just ask my sister.” Actually, she’d be all for my starting that spoiler addiction support group Kendra and I like to talk about.
“Do I get my question yet?” Joey asks. “You said I get a fun one.”
“Sure.” I feel like being obliging. “This one’s from Addy. She said, so now that you know other universes exist, what other universes that you thought were fictional would you like to visit now?”
“Are fictional worlds real?” He’s very excited at the prospect.
“Well, Addy’s rationale was that since you’re in a fictional story, for you, all other fictional stories are real too. Not sure how I agree with that, but it’s her question.”
“I’d definitely go to the Star Wars galaxy. It would be so awesome. I could meet Luke and Leia and Han and Chewie, and go on the Millennium Falcon, and visit the ewoks, and it would so much fun.”
“Yeah, and you could see Order 66 or watch Kylo Ren murder all of Luke’s Jedi. It wouldn’t necessarily be fantastic.” Even though the last Star Wars movie I watched was Return of the Jedi, the sad parts of the story still stick out to me more right now.
“Huh?”
“Yeah, Phantom Menace is the most recent one for you. You haven’t seen any of the mass slaughters. Just you wait. As I wait. To find out who Rey’s parents are. I swear she’s Luke’s daughter.”
“Are those spoilers?” Joey’s starting to get it.
“Yeah. Ignore me. I can’t keep my mouth shut. Moving on. Abigail, do you miss playing the violin?”
She jumps, as if she’s not expecting me to address a question to her. “Not anymore. I did when I was in Kalica, but after what happened at Crannig Castle…” She trails off.
“I suppose it is kind of tainted now. It’s too bad. Violins are awesome. And George. What’s it like to be two hundred?”
“It is not extremely pleasant.” George looks pensive. “I have seen far too many years, and I continue to carry guilt from many of them. Perhaps some do well with such a long life, but I find that I weary of it.”
“I wish you’d been able to live those two hundred years to the fullest,” I say. “I’m sure the dungeon got tedious.”
“It most certainly did.”
“So the last question from my mom is for Eleanor. Do you feel like a twelve-year-old, or do you feel every bit of seventy two years old?”
Eleanor glances at Grant before answering. “I haven’t felt twelve in a long time. I may not have grown up physically, but I did grow up emotionally. I feel like an adult. I’m not sure if I exactly feel seventy two, as my body is still the same as it has been for the last sixty years, but I don’t feel twelve.”
“Interesting,” I respond. “Just know that I do wish you had been able to grow up physically. Because I can’t make myself sorry that I shipped you with Grant.”
“I’m not sorry for that either,” Grant puts in.
“That gives me the perfect opportunity for Kendra’s last question. Grant, if you were given the chance to go to Eleanor’s world, would you?”
“In a heartbeat. Then all our problems would be solved, wouldn’t they, Ele-anor?” He takes her hand. I can tell she’s not sure what her reaction ought to be, but she doesn’t even try to pull away.
“Maybe. I don’t know how I’d explain you to my family.”
“We’d find a way. We always find a way to explain things.” Grant grins at her, as if he knows his statement isn’t quite true and wants to get a rise out of her. Eleanor just shakes her head.
“I love you two. But we need to finish up the questions. Quick, Theodore, Addy asked, what gives you the right to be snobby to other people?”
“My father is a plantation owner. I am a prominent person. I deserve the accompanying respect.”
“You know,” I say carefully, “you’ll get more respect if you act humble. And you’ll deserve it more too. You should try being respectful to others.”
“Like that will work.”
“Try it out sometime. Now all of you, Moriah wants to know how you feel about complete strangers reading your story.”
“There are strangers reading our story?” Adriel cries.
“Well…yes. You guys write it down eventually, and I package it for them. Cut out the boring parts and streamline the story.”
“Like the Red Book!” Jonathan exclaims excitedly.
“Actually, very much like the Red Book,” I confirm. “I knew you’d get the reference.”
“Well, I think it’s awesome,” Joey says. “We’re famous!”
“Hardly.” I don’t think he realizes that I’m shattering his fame and fortune.
“I’d rather not be out in the world for everyone to know,” Jill says. Murmurs from most of the cast seem to concur with her statement. What can I say? I’m an introvert. Most of my characters will likely be introverts.
“I agree with Joey,” Vannie pipes up. “Maybe if enough people read my story, they’ll stop me from having to marry Kermit.”
“I don’t think it works that way, Vannie,” Kyle tells her.
“Maybe, maybe not,” I say.
“I just like that we have a Red Book,” Jonathan continues.
Jill’s eyes grow wide and a blush infuses her cheeks. Adriel looks confused.
“Do I…what?”
“Do you like her? Like in a special way.”
Jill hides her face in her hands. Now it’s Adriel’s turn to blush.
“Um, I…do I have to answer that question?” Adriel stammers.
I laugh. “I think your reaction gives us a pretty good idea of the answer.”
“But I…she’s…I’m not quite fifteen yet.”
“Trust me, in my world, kids like to pair up younger than that.”
Adriel looks around the group—everywhere except for in Jill’s direction. “We’re friends. That’s it.”
“Jill?”
She peeks at me through her fingers.
“Kendra asked if you have a crush on Adriel.”
I barely catch her murmured answer. “I’m only eleven.”
“Is that a no?”
“I’m just a kid. I’m not old enough for that.”
“That’s not a no.”
“Please stop.”
Knowing how much I've always hated “the boyfriend question” myself, I decide to drop the subject. “How about some sibling questions for both of you? Adriel, which sibling did you get along best with growing up?”
“Does that exclude Rae, since I’m eight years older?”
“Whichever.”
“Well, I used to get along pretty well with Ariela, my older sister. We were pretty close. Rae is a lot like her…only less bossy. I never did get along well with my brothers.”
“Yeah, I know. If you ever get a chance to fix that, well, don’t waste it.”
“I don’t intend to.”
“Jill, my mom asked how you really feel about Emily and if Joey frustrates you sometimes with his immaturity.” These are kind of sensitive questions still, but I’m glad not to bug her about Adriel anymore.
Jill lowers her hands from her face. “They’re my siblings. I love them no matter what. Yes, sometimes they do frustrate me, but that gives me something extra to pray about.”
“That works. So Emily.” She looks sharply at me. “My mom asked if you ever get in trouble at home for your attitude towards your siblings.”
Joey bursts out laughing. Emily glares at him.
“It’s such a mom question,” Joey says.
“Yes,” Emily says tersely.
“And Kendra asked if your time in Calhortea has changed you.”
“How could it not? I’ve gone to another world. Of course I’m not the same person I used to be.”
“Any specifics?” I ask.
“No,” she says. “Anyway, aren’t you supposed to be the one keeping us from giving spoilers?”
“Yeah, but I’m a spoiler addict. Just ask my sister.” Actually, she’d be all for my starting that spoiler addiction support group Kendra and I like to talk about.
“Do I get my question yet?” Joey asks. “You said I get a fun one.”
“Sure.” I feel like being obliging. “This one’s from Addy. She said, so now that you know other universes exist, what other universes that you thought were fictional would you like to visit now?”
“Are fictional worlds real?” He’s very excited at the prospect.
“Well, Addy’s rationale was that since you’re in a fictional story, for you, all other fictional stories are real too. Not sure how I agree with that, but it’s her question.”
“I’d definitely go to the Star Wars galaxy. It would be so awesome. I could meet Luke and Leia and Han and Chewie, and go on the Millennium Falcon, and visit the ewoks, and it would so much fun.”
“Yeah, and you could see Order 66 or watch Kylo Ren murder all of Luke’s Jedi. It wouldn’t necessarily be fantastic.” Even though the last Star Wars movie I watched was Return of the Jedi, the sad parts of the story still stick out to me more right now.
“Huh?”
“Yeah, Phantom Menace is the most recent one for you. You haven’t seen any of the mass slaughters. Just you wait. As I wait. To find out who Rey’s parents are. I swear she’s Luke’s daughter.”
“Are those spoilers?” Joey’s starting to get it.
“Yeah. Ignore me. I can’t keep my mouth shut. Moving on. Abigail, do you miss playing the violin?”
She jumps, as if she’s not expecting me to address a question to her. “Not anymore. I did when I was in Kalica, but after what happened at Crannig Castle…” She trails off.
“I suppose it is kind of tainted now. It’s too bad. Violins are awesome. And George. What’s it like to be two hundred?”
“It is not extremely pleasant.” George looks pensive. “I have seen far too many years, and I continue to carry guilt from many of them. Perhaps some do well with such a long life, but I find that I weary of it.”
“I wish you’d been able to live those two hundred years to the fullest,” I say. “I’m sure the dungeon got tedious.”
“It most certainly did.”
“So the last question from my mom is for Eleanor. Do you feel like a twelve-year-old, or do you feel every bit of seventy two years old?”
Eleanor glances at Grant before answering. “I haven’t felt twelve in a long time. I may not have grown up physically, but I did grow up emotionally. I feel like an adult. I’m not sure if I exactly feel seventy two, as my body is still the same as it has been for the last sixty years, but I don’t feel twelve.”
“Interesting,” I respond. “Just know that I do wish you had been able to grow up physically. Because I can’t make myself sorry that I shipped you with Grant.”
“I’m not sorry for that either,” Grant puts in.
“That gives me the perfect opportunity for Kendra’s last question. Grant, if you were given the chance to go to Eleanor’s world, would you?”
“In a heartbeat. Then all our problems would be solved, wouldn’t they, Ele-anor?” He takes her hand. I can tell she’s not sure what her reaction ought to be, but she doesn’t even try to pull away.
“Maybe. I don’t know how I’d explain you to my family.”
“We’d find a way. We always find a way to explain things.” Grant grins at her, as if he knows his statement isn’t quite true and wants to get a rise out of her. Eleanor just shakes her head.
“I love you two. But we need to finish up the questions. Quick, Theodore, Addy asked, what gives you the right to be snobby to other people?”
“My father is a plantation owner. I am a prominent person. I deserve the accompanying respect.”
“You know,” I say carefully, “you’ll get more respect if you act humble. And you’ll deserve it more too. You should try being respectful to others.”
“Like that will work.”
“Try it out sometime. Now all of you, Moriah wants to know how you feel about complete strangers reading your story.”
“There are strangers reading our story?” Adriel cries.
“Well…yes. You guys write it down eventually, and I package it for them. Cut out the boring parts and streamline the story.”
“Like the Red Book!” Jonathan exclaims excitedly.
“Actually, very much like the Red Book,” I confirm. “I knew you’d get the reference.”
“Well, I think it’s awesome,” Joey says. “We’re famous!”
“Hardly.” I don’t think he realizes that I’m shattering his fame and fortune.
“I’d rather not be out in the world for everyone to know,” Jill says. Murmurs from most of the cast seem to concur with her statement. What can I say? I’m an introvert. Most of my characters will likely be introverts.
“I agree with Joey,” Vannie pipes up. “Maybe if enough people read my story, they’ll stop me from having to marry Kermit.”
“I don’t think it works that way, Vannie,” Kyle tells her.
“Maybe, maybe not,” I say.
“I just like that we have a Red Book,” Jonathan continues.
“Of course you do, and so do I,” I tell him. “I love you all, and you’ve been great. We’ll have to do this again some time. But I have to say goodbye now. See you soon!”
Friday, November 11th
·
Book Review at Bring Your Own Books
·
Author Interview at HOPE Through the Pages
·
Character Spotlight at Written Rest ~ Connor
·
Character Spotlight at Leah’s Bookshelf ~ Jonathan Hubbard
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