Character Interview: Alexis
I shuffle my papers as I wait behind the desk in the library. Alexis’ interview is next, but it’s taking a while for her to come. Maybe I should have gone to get her myself instead of leaving Eryna to do it. But Eryna volunteered.
Muttering drifts from the hallway. That must be Alexis. Finally. It must have taken some convincing for her to do the interview. She’s made it obvious she doesn’t want to be here. I get a feeling she’s going to be even harder to deal with than Aven.
Alexis enters the room without knocking and plops into a chair across from me. Her sour expression leaves no question about the matter—she hasn’t changed her mind. She doesn’t want to do this, and is just going along because she has to.
“Hello.” I smile.
She glares.
“Why don’t you introduce yourself?”
She huffs. “You already know who I am.”
“It’s for the readers.”
“Fine. Alexis Donahue.”
“You’re Maddie’s stepsister?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
I think of everything the others have said. Alexis relentlessly bullies Maddie, even now that they are adults.
“You don’t like her.”
“No. She’s irritating.”
“How so?”
“She only cares about writing those weird little stories of hers. She’s stuck in a fantasy world, always talking about dragons, orcs, and things. I swear, anyone who writes that stuff has got to be insane.”
“Thanks.” I smile again.
She rolls her eyes. “Whatever. You know what I mean. Other than her annoying writing, there’s her dog. That mutt is just…” She pauses. “I don’t know, annoying.”
“Puff is a sweet dog.”
“If you say so. I don’t like dogs. But that dog is Maddie’s baby. And one of her only friends—with reason. Maddie won’t do anything fun. I invite her to parties, but she won’t go. She gives me some excuse about how it isn’t safe or moral or whatever.”
“The parties you go to tend to get pretty wild.”
“They’re fun. It’s fine. Maddie just needs to loosen up. And get a personality.”
“So that’s the real reason you don’t like her? Because she won’t…”
“She’s not any fun.”
“You could find a common interest, something that doesn’t involve partying.”
Alexis snorts. “Yeah, sure. We could do some of the boring stuff she does, like… read. Big fun.” She shakes her head. “Maddie is hopeless.”
She won’t do everything the same as you. Gotcha.
“Let’s move on. You go to the same college as Maddie and Jay?”
“Yeah. I’m studying interior design.” She smiles for the first time. “It’s so fun. I love it. I don’t know how far I’ll go in my career, but I’d love to work with celebrities. Decorating those huge mansions would be so fun.”
“That’s a big goal. You’ll have to be really good with design.”
“I am. I’m helping redecorate our new house.”
“That’s right. Your family recently moved. What’s the new house like?”
She groans. “Don’t get me started. It’s hideous. And that ghost story that surrounds it… I don’t know why my parents wanted it. But, of course, Maddie likes it. I think she’d be happy if it really was haunted. She’d probably rather go out with a ghost than friends. That’s another thing I don’t get about her. She doesn’t date. She’s no supermodel, but she could get a guy. Especially if she’d fix herself up a little like I do. But she doesn’t.” Alexis shakes her head. “I don’t get it. Does she like being alone?”
“Maddie is waiting, saving herself for the man she’ll marry.”
“That doesn’t mean she can’t date.”
“No, but the same principle applies. She’s waiting for the right one. She just hasn’t met a man she likes yet.”
“She might if she’d go to a party!”
I hold back a sigh. Alexis doesn’t understand. The kind of men Alexis chases are not good influences. And neither are the wild parties.
“You know people worry about you, right?”
Alexis rolls her eyes again. “Yeah, yeah. I know. My mom doesn’t like me drinking. But I’m responsible. It isn’t like I drive afterwards, so there’s no harm done.”
There is more harm than she realizes, but she won’t listen to this either. I’d better try to find a better subject.
“So, you don’t like fantasy, yet you’re in an Elven world.”
Alexis blinks. “Yeah. That’s… interesting.”
“You don’t like it?”
“I don’t really know. It’s scary. I mean—elves! Griffins. Monsters.” She shudders. “It would be so easy to die here.”
“But you haven’t.”
“Yeah.” She smiles. “But there is a good thing about this place.”
“What’s that?”
“The Elven men.”
I shake my head. “Alexis…”
“What? It’s true. They live up to the legends.”
“Anything else you like about Exterrah?”
“Well… okay, it is kind of fun being in a new world. This is definitely a place to have an adventure. The problem is, I’m not an adventurous person. I like my old life, my real life. Exterrah is so different. I’ll stay for a while, because like I said, it is fun. But I’ll be happy to get home.”
“In the meantime?”
“I’ll try to enjoy it. There isn’t much to do here, but the elves have a few things that are nice. The jewelry is beautiful, and the hairstyles look like they’d be interesting to try to recreate. I’m looking forward to that.” She smiles, then shrugs. “And… maybe I’ll take a look at bows? Archery seems interesting.”
“So that’s your plan? Just experience Exterrah?”
“Yeah, for a while. But I have a feeling I’ll get bored pretty fast.”
“You won’t.”
Alexis sits up straighter. “Why do you say that? What are you planning?”
“Don’t worry.”
Actually, she may want to worry. It’s going to be… a lot.
“It won’t happen for a while yet. I just have plans for the future.” I smile.
“That isn’t reassuring!”
I open my mouth, then shut it again. I’m not sure I can be reassuring at this point. The humans’ and elves’ adventure has a long way to go, and not all of it is going to be fun. Or safe.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say again.
“You’ve made that pretty well impossible.”
“Sorry.” I glance at my papers. “In good news, your interview is finished.”
“That is good news.” She smiles, but it isn’t warm or friendly. “Can I just leave now? I don’t have to go back to the sitting room, do I?”
“No. You can go.”
“Great.” Alexis is out the door within a moment.
I let out a breath. That interview wasn’t much fun. Maybe the next one will be better.
I step into the hall and head for the sitting room. It doesn’t seem like it, but the interviews are almost finished. There is just one person left: King Lyren.
Check back Friday for the last character interview, where you’ll meet the king of Bysra himself. If there is anything you want to know about any of the characters or Exterrah, drop your questions in the comments.
