Note: This edit attached, though? THIS FAMOUX TRAILER ATTACHED, THOUGH? It's a day of beautiful things. And the beautiful things don't stop there: MY TWIN SISTER KALINA'S EP IS OUT TODAY!
THE CAFFEINE EP IS AVAILABLE RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND ON ITUNES, SPOTIFY, AND TIDAL. It also includes the song BAD TOGETHER, aka what I made Marlon York's song for Emeray!!! I BEGGED Kalina to let me use the lyrics, and if you liked what you read, you'll love the entire EP. Whole, Caffeine, Bad Together, Dead End . . . YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THEM ALL.
(Quick clarification: Kalina and I appear to have different last names, Tyne and Tate, because they're our middle names.)
PREVIOUSLY ON THE CLASSIX: The new members are here! LET'S MEET THEM.
emeray
In spite of their rabid excitement following our entrance into the kitchen, nobody crowds up to Cartney and I as we approach. They stand frozen, shoulder to shoulder, waiting intently for us to reach them as we move down the line, handing out our greetings like complimentary fruit baskets. By the looks on their faces, and the way their eyes widen and blink like a rapture, I can imagine they're reacting to Cartney and I in a similar way to when I first met the Famoux.
It's all eerily reminiscent to that day, really. One after the other they approached meââChapter first, then, Kaytee, Foster, Till, Race. An assembly line of Delicatum''s closest equivalent to gods and goddesses. They didn't have to so much as say one word for me to feel like passing out on the spot.
The same could go for at least half of these new members.
Cartney assumes his divine position among them like it's another leather jacket. Quick and careless. It's almost dazzling to me. The smug look on his face, the loftiness in his voice, the puffed up chestââI haven't seen this side of him in such force since the premieres and events before he found out about Race and Kaytee. Before he started pummeling more visibly with self-doubt.
"So, your name is Sam, huh?" he asks one of them.
"Uh, yeah," says Sam. His full name is Sam Michaanââthe brown haired, blue eyed boy who looks exactly like what Norax would consider to be a perfect fit for the Famoux. Strong bone structure, ideal height, the whole nine yards. Cartney didn't seem to have a problem with him at all until he was announced by Norax as Race's new member. At that, the hatred came out almost immediately.
"How . . . creative for a Famoux member. I don't suppose they picked that name out for you, did they?"
The other members shift in their feet beyond us, perhaps envisioning their own interrogations; evaluating their own flaws Cartney could pick out. It used to be this way all he time for interviewers who weren't accustomed to his style. The magazines always loved it about himââhow he tells it like it is. Perfect for confessional pop hits.
Sam does something in between a coughs and a laugh, unsure if he's just been told a joke or not. The look on his face, shifting from friendly to fearful, reminds me of the way Marlon York used to respond to Cartney's banter. I get a pang of missing himââof simply getting to be his friend. With the Marlon association, I put my hand on Sam's shoulder to calm him. But it seems as if contact with a Famoux member incites expressions that can only be defined as the exact opposite of calm. His immediate blush makes me smile.
"He's only kidding," I say gently. These members have probably seem this scene a thousand times over in interviewsââCartney says something sharp, and I swoop in as the voice of reason, the mediator. I can feel Norax beaming from behind me as I play it out, right here behind closed doors. "Famoux names don't have to be showy. After all, we have a Kaytee, and that's a pretty common name in Delicatum."
Sam's face softens as Cartney's hardens into a scowl. Bringing up Kaytee is the sure fire way to make him clam up.
"Of course, of course." Cartney feigns a humorous expression. "You could say I haven't been thinking too much about that name lately."
Everyone chuckles awkwardly as we move on to the next member. Her hand is already extended out for usââa girl with green eyes that are almost as striking as her bright purple hair. I recognize her immediately from Chapter's stack of polaroids.
It all clicks together like building blocks in my mind just as Norax announces it behind us: This new member is his.
"My name is Ellison Rosemont," she introduces, her disposition more diplomatic than starstruck. I refrain from wincing on the spot, pushing back the default thought. Is she one of the ones who hate us?
I take her hand and shake it, a smile spreading on my face. If she actually turns out to be one of our pseudo-admirers, I might as well give her all the reason to like me. "It's nice to meet you, Ellison."
"You can call me Elle. Like the letter."
"I think you beckon many letters with hair like that," says Cartney. "The whole keyboard smashed together, really. A one-letter title doesn't do you justice."
She smirks. "That makes me an element of surprise. Don't you just love it when people don't turn out to be how they seem?"
My stomach drops before I can help it. If she isn't one of the secret haters, she gives no indication thus far that she wouldn't be the member from DEFED.
"Keep them on their toes . . . I like it. You're a natural celebrity."
Elle's smirk widens. She appears to already know thisââto have had this established in her mind long before she showed up today. It occurs to me that even after a trip to the Fissarex to make me virtually perfect, I still don't have even half of the confidence I see in Ellison Rosemont. She bears us a wink as we shift to the girl standing a few feet away.
"I like her," Cartney whispers. "Can you believe that she's a Chapter fan?"
I don't get to answer him before a pair of thin, pale arms wrap ardently around my stomach. I nearly get a mouthful of arctic white hair as she pulls me in tightly, squeezing me like a long lost friend. With a quick glance as we part, I eye the tantalizingly high platform heels she's wearing. All that added height, just for her head to reach my chin.
When I look up at her face, my mouth falls open.
Norax's voice is jovial. "Lumerpa, this is Lexington Bukow. She'sââ"
"My member," I finish.
Lexington Bukow. A name to the face on a polaroid. I feel like I've been looking at her for centuriesââthe blue eyes and blonde hair, the high cheekbones and ruddy lips. I hadn't made my choice for which member I wanted, but she was far from out of the running before Norax came back to the Metropolix. To see her standing before me, and not the boy who looked like Dalton, makes her arrival all the more relieving.
"Oh, Lex," I say, patting her cheek. "You have no idea how wonderful it is to finally see you in person."
Her eyes, big as they already are, widen like saucers. I'm not sure if it's even possible for eyes to get that large. "Youââyou recognize me?"
"We've been staring at you for weeks now," says Cartney, pulling something out of his jacket pocket and handing it to her. When I realize it's her polaroid, I glance up to him with shock, but he's already looking at me slyly. Though I tell him nearly everything nowadays, I never had the proper chance to let Cartney know about the new member situation. That means he had to go digging for the polaroids all by himself.
As I make a mental note to interrogate him about this later, Lex clutches a hand to her chest. "Ohââ" She pauses, unable to finish her sentence. "IââI just can't believe this is happening to me. Give me a few seconds to calm down. I am definitely embarrassing myself right now."
Her voice is so unique. I can't help but equate it to the nectars I see getting substituted for honey at Wes Tegg's. The nectar is always as sweet as regular honey, but a different taste of sweet. In Lex's voice there is something inherently different from the regular sweet voices I hear; something unlike the expected saccharine, high-pitched twang. It's deeper, clearer. When she expresses her happiness, it actually sounds honest.
I absolutely adore it.
Till's new member Sarah is all smiles and red hair. It hangs in big, gossamer curls, like the black and white pictures I used to see in museumsââfrom the world before Delicatum. I think back to an instance when Foster told me how he used to have red hair before the Fissarex made him blond. Might as well be another black and white pictureââanother lost world before the one we're standing in.
Looking at her feels almost like I'm looking at a version of Foster I never knew personally. It's like happening upon a sister of Scott Fare, the person he used to be. But her last name isn't Fare, it's Craik. Sarah Craik.
Even so, her similarities don't halt for a second.
"Can I just say that I'm absolutely loving your new style?" Sarah asks me. She pinches the sleeve of Cartney's leather jacket. "This is the best direction you could've ever gone. I've been admiring your all-black outfits for months now."
The sides of my eyes crinkle smiling at her. It seems exactly like something Foster would say if he was here.
The last in line is yet another girl: Shy, with brownish-blondish hair in tight, natural ringlets. Norax introduces her as Lacey Dean, the new member for Kaytee.
"Even better, she comes bearing gifts," she notes playfully. For some reason, anything meant to be playful appears sinister in Norax's presentation.
I tilt my head at Lacey, and she scratches her nose nervously.
"I have two kids," she explains. "Mikayla and Hadley. Norax said I could bring them along with me."
My eyes dart over to Norax, whose face is turned up with amusement, much to my surprise. If there's anything I'd assume she'd consider a deal-breaker for a potential Famoux member, it'sââas she's so gloriously called themââliabilities.
Apparently not.
"Isn't that wonderful?" she asks me. I believe I used to think this voice she's using was genuine, but today it seems to be dripping in fake excitement. "I think it's a beautiful addition to the Famoux familyââa true family."
"A . . . true family," I echo.
"Precisely. That's what we've been needing lately, don't you think? Little Mikayla and Hadley are going to be the perfect companions for my boy."
My mind muddles for an instant. Carstan?
"Callan," she completes with a hinting smile. "My son."
So thisââthis is the big plan with Callan. Not physically taking him away from Chapter, but metaphorically.
A sting ricochets through my spine. She probably thinks she's helping outââdoing the good and proper thing. But it wouldn't be the first time she had our "best interests" in mind and ended up ruining things even further. For as long as these members are here, Callan is never going to truly be Chapter's. He's going to be another prop, another lie, and Chapter will have to play along if he ever wants to watch his son grow up.
"Where . . . where are they?" I ask
"I had them brought to a room already to get adjusted. You happened to arrive just as I sent them away."
"Oh." I step back from Lacey, grabbing ahold of Cartney's hand. He seems to sense my distress, because he makes an effort to lace his fingers into mine and give them a squeeze. His words from earlier come back to mind: I've got you, friend.
"Well," he says, yawning theatrically. "This is a very interesting bunch you've brought in, Norax. I can only imagine how the public's gonna shape up to seeing so many new faces. Just getting through this lineup alone was enough exercise for the day. I can cancel any later plans to hit the gym."
They laugh, and about a quarter of the apprehension in the kitchen dissolves like vapor. Not half, not all, but better than nothing. The members relax. I even relax, to an extent. Foster would probably throw something at me if he ever heard this, but in his absence to diffuse tension, Cartney Kirk has been a stellar stand-in.
"I think Ray and I need to work through some scheduling now," he continues. "If you'd just excuse usââ"
"Ohââoh, no," Norax says. She furrows her brow at the lineup of members. "No, we're missing Hobby." She turns to one of the guards standing in by the staircase. "Why isn't Hobby here?"
"Hobby?" I ask aloud.
My confusion meet's Cartney's when I glance up at him. "Maybe it's another one?" he guesses.
"But that wouldn't make any sense. There are only five of us, and we each get one. There couldn't be a sixth member."
"Maybe they included an honorary member for Foster or something. A tribute to his memory and whatnot."
"No, not one for Foster, dear," Norax interjects, distracted. She steps right past us toward the kitchen exit. "Another one for Emeray."
My jaw drops. "What?"
"I thought that since you and Cartney are always together, you could pull double duty together."
I can feel my pulse surge, horror racing through my veins like adrenaline. She gave me another memberââa boy member. That means it could be either of the two boys from my polaroids. The options are 50/50: the boy with olive skin and hazel eyes, or the one who looks like Dalton.
"But why would we add another person if we already have five?" I attempt to keep my voice steady, positive. No need to make any of the new members any more panicky than they already are.
"You might notice that poor Sam over there is the only male in the bunch. I needed a fairer balance, four girls to two boys is better than nothing."
"You could've made Cartney a member."
This makes Cartney laugh. "I think I'm gonna pass on that offer, Ray. If you want me to live with you so bad, you should come to my place."
I shoot him a quick warning look in between batting my eyes with fake admiration: Don't give Norax any ideas.
"Hey, found him!" exclaims a voice beyond the kitchen. A part of me wants to save myself from the impact of what I well might see in a few secondsââsomeone who looks nearly identical to my missing brother. Hobby, as Norax was calling him. I look down at the floor instead of the voice's direction.
"Oh, thank you, Johnson," says Norax. "Where'd he go?"
"Looks like he was running off to explore the place. I can't say I blame himââthere's a lot to see. I would just love to see it all in the eyes of somebody who doesn't have to polish everything behind the scenes." He sighs. "How marvelous that would be."
"Better late than never. Emeray, dear, meet your new friend."
Giving Cartney's hand another manic squeeze, I shift my gaze up from the hardwood floor, right to the man beside Norax.
A crisp pink oxford shirt and black dress pants. Blond hair, slicked back and slightly parted. Green eyes, but nondescriptââthe kind of eyes you don't really notice until you're thinking hard about what color they are.
"Oh," I say. It's all I can manage.
"Oh," he repeats.
As he deadpan stares at me, and I deadpan stare at him, Norax announces his name for the whole room to hear.
And it's Hobby.
F. Gerald Hobby.
xxx
Well oh my gosh. What do you think? Tell me your thoughts.
WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS! Other than our favorite ex-guard, we have five new names who belong to readers! Here they are:
Sam Michaan: sammichaan. Sam is one of the most supportive people in the entire world. I knew I was gonna add him somewhere in here, so I thought, Hey, why not make him a Famoux member?
Ellison Rosemont: ElleRoseBooks. If you know me, you know that Elle is my absolute LIFE. We've been planning her character since before I finished book 1!
Lexington Bukow: lexlightwood. Lex has been with the Famoux since day one. Literally, her comments date back to the first week of me posting. She was present in my life for a couple years before I ever joined Wattpad, always supporting me and telling me via Pinterest that if I ever posted something, she would love to read it. My whole family refers to Lex as "the best fan ever." But now she's the best friend ever too, really.
Sarah Craik: SarahxCraik. Sarah is a reader I've always depended on. Whenever I'd post something and was nervous about feedback, a positive comment from her would instantly calm me down. So what's better than to make her the new member who calms Emeray down and reminds her of Foster?
Lacey Dean: Laceinabox. In one of the Q&A chapters in book 1, Lacey suggested that Callan make some new friends, aka her children Mikayla and Hadley. I'd already seen some adorable pictures of them on her Twitter, and I realized what a golden opportunity I had here. Mikayla and Hadley are going to grow up and get to tell people, "Yeah, I'm in a book. No big deal." Lacey is an absolute darling, and I'm so excited to be adding both her and her children.
And those are our new members! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T BE UPSET IF YOU'RE NOT ONE OF THEM, I DON'T LOVE YOU LESS THAN ANYBODY ELSE. To be honest with you, I was struggling so hard with choosing these members, because I don't want anybody to feel like I don't appreciate them. Just know that if you've commented on chapters, I read all the comments and am very well aware of your presence. I'm looking for your spot. We have a whole book and a third one too. I am going to try my hardest!
I hope you're having a lovely Friday, Wattpad! Listen to Kalina's EP and remember:
Sticks and Stones may break your bones, but haters make you famoux. Stay classy, stay classix.