Page 34 of The Brave and the Reckless

Actually, I’d gotten like two hours of sleep. Non-consecutively.

I wasn’t ready to disappoint a whole town and the whole damn Bravetown fandom.

I shouldn’t have scrolled last night. I had ended up spending most of my waking minutes on the videos Noah was reposting, and then the various hashtags, and then everything that had been posted about the previous Annie Lou. They loved her. There were very few people who criticized the character for being outdated or too much of a damsel in distress. Especially since more and more female characters had been added over the years. The Pretty Annie Lou was the OG. She was Snow White. You didn’t criticize Snow White for being saved by a prince.

And people wondered about me. At least the concept of me. The new Annie Lou. Lindsey was posting content from working as a performer on a cruise ship. People had figured out that there was no way for her to be on the open ocean and in Bravetown simultaneously. To the fans, Lindsey’s replacement was one big mystery.

On any other day, I would have been expected to make my rounds in the park for an hour before the show. I’d gotten scripts to memorize and very clear instructions on how to interact with the little kids. It was supposed to make it that much more of an emotional journey when Annie got abducted.

For my big debut, however, Renee wanted me to come on to the scene without a soft launch beforehand.

There were closed-off walkways for staff, so I stayed behind the scenes as I made my way over to the changingrooms. I peeked from the first-floor windows at the massive crowd that was gathering in the park. The last two weeks had seemed busy, but it was nothing to the mass of visitors now gathering under the bright sun.

You could tell exactly where some of the cast members were out to take pictures with and chat to the visitors, because people crammed around in circles, phones raised above their heads. Every one of them was accompanied by at least one or two other staff members in bright-red cowboy hats, keeping the crowd under control.

My stomach tightened. I’d have to do that tomorrow. And if I fucked up, someone would post it on their socials.

I closed my eyes, balled my hands into fists, and reminded myself of the feel of Tornado’s soft coat and his slow heartbeat.

“Did someone here order some liquid courage?” Adriana popped her head into the dressing room with a big toothy grin. She poked one arm through the door, a bottle of Jack in hand.

“I think I’ll throw up if you make me drink that right now.”

“Sugary courage?” She slipped in fully and held her second hand up, holding a huge bag of Reese’s Pieces.

“I love you.”

She dropped the candy on the vanity in front of me before scanning the name plaques and leaving the whiskey at Lucas’s assigned space. She grabbed one of the tissues and pressed a lipstick kiss on to it, draping it artfully around the bottle.

I raised my brows at her.

“If he asks, tell him it’s from a secret admirer but you didn’t recognize her. It’s going to drive him mad all summer.” She laughed and plopped into the seat next to me. “Ready for your close-up?”

“Nope.”

“Want a pep talk?”

“Sure.”

“You’re in. You’re part of Bravetown. No matter what happens out there, for better or worse, this town sticks together. We got you. It takes a lot to make them hate you. I know that first-hand, okay? You can fuck up your stunt. You can forget your lines. You can probably make a child cry by saying the wrong thing and you’ll get a slap on the wrist at most. Nobody’s going to kick you out if you’re not perfect on your first day.”

“Okay, come on, what did you do?”

Adriana sighed. “I’ll tell you if you don’t fall off the horse today.”

“Deal.”

I finished my makeup while Adriana chattered about the summer cocktail menu they were doing at the saloon. She helped me fit my microphone around my ear and under my hair to make it as invisible as possible. My apron had a hidden pocket on the inside, where I dropped my phone and the mic pack after switching it on.

“Hello?” I tentatively pressed the earpiece.

“Hey Esra,” Austin’s familiar voice replied, “are you on your way?”

“Leaving the dressing room now.”

Adriana walked with me to the point where I could slip into the back of the town hall building and use it as myentry point into the park. She drew me into a tight hug. “You’ve got this.”

“Thank you.” My voice came out shaky and I had to force myself to leave her hug and push through the staff door. “I’m in the town hall,” I whispered into my mic, not entirely sure how soundproof the building was.

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