Character Interview: Ava
I walk into the dining area to find the others already present. Ava, Lucas, Shayne, Christian, Amy, and Flynn sit around a table covered in enough food to feed an army. I shake my head. Leave it to Grandpa to insist on feeding everyone to bursting, as if it wasn’t enough to let us use his inn for the interviews.
“I’m glad everyone came.” I smile. “Now, before we get to the questions—”
“Speaking of that, I have one,” Flynn interrupts. “Why am I here?”
“This is the day we start the interviews.”
“Why? You’re the author. You already know the answers to all the questions.”
“But the readers don’t.”
“What if I don’t want to do this?” Flynn turns a challenging look on me.
I sigh. “Why are you so grumpy?”
“It’s your fault.”
Oh. Right. It is.
I shake my head. “Why did I do that?”
“Good question. Seriously.” Christian motions to Flynn. “Why?”
“What did you say, little man?” Flynn asks. “I can’t hear you down there.”
“I’m not that short!”
“Lads, enough.” Lucas slams his hand on the table, bringing a sudden end to their arguing, though they still send each other death glares.
“Thank you, Lucas.” I glance at the papers in my hand. “Before we get started, I want to explain a few things. I’m going to call you in one at a time to answer some questions.”
“Again,” Flynn says. “I don’t want to.”
“Flynn.”
“What?”
“Shut up.”
“Okay.”
“Now,” I continue. “Try to answer the questions without giving away any spoilers. We’ll start with Ava.”
Ava stands and follows me from the room, her dog, Charleston, trotting along beside her. We head to the sitting area out front. I settle into one of the plush chairs while Ava sits across from me with Charleston lying at her feet.
“Now, where do we start?” I glance over my notes, but steal a glance at Ava. She’s staring at my papers, no doubt mentally preparing answers for every possible question. Or worrying about what might be asked.
“Relax, Ava. This is supposed to be fun.”
She nods and settles more comfortably in her chair, but wariness still lurks in her eyes. I sigh.
“Ava, why do you worry so much?”
She gives a slight start. “Not the question I was expecting… I… Part of it is probably just a personality trait, but I guess another part may come from fear?”
“What fears?”
She won’t look at me, staring instead at the carpet. “I’ve never really felt good enough. And I’ve lost so many people. I guess I worry so much because I’m scared of losing more, or driving people away. If I can anticipate what might happen… I can be more prepared for it. But it doesn’t really work. Life is unpredictable.”
“So you’re learning to let go?”
“A little. I’m trying, at least, and praying about it.”
I nod. That’s the best place to start.
My papers rustle as I look for another question. “There was a time you felt like enough, wasn’t there?”
Ava stiffens. “That was years ago. When I was betrothed. He made me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, and cherished.”
“But things changed?”
Ava nods. “They changed a lot. He became like a different person. He screamed at me, insulted me.” She shakes her head. “It’s not something I enjoy talking about.”
“We’ll move on, then. What was your childhood like? You have two little sisters and an older brother, right?”
“Yes. Macy and Natalie are twins, but there is a world of difference between them. Ian always said they were like night and day—two opposite parts. But they’re close. We all were once. We’d explore the forest and castle ruins near our family’s cabin, and the fields of Dailain.” Ava smiles. “I remember one summer, we were playing in the castle ruins and Ian climbed to the top of the wall nearest a wet-weather bog. It had rained the night before and the bog was slimy and smelled terrible. Anyway, Macy and Natalie talked me into convincing a crow to scream at Ian, just to get back at him for scaring them with a bear impression that morning. The bird flew up behind Ian and screeched. It scared him so badly that he lost his balance and landed in the bog. He came out looking like a mud monster, and smelled even worse. Mama made him wash outside for an hour before she’d let him in the house. And even then he still smelled a little like a pig.”
I laugh. “Sounds like you had a lot of fun together.”
“We did… until things changed. Natalie grew to dislike me, but I still don’t know why. She never says a kind word anymore. And Ian disappeared six years ago. We looked for him for weeks, but finally gave up on ever finding him.” Tears lurked in her eyes. Was there anything that didn’t bring up painful memories for her?
“You said you convinced a crow to scream at your brother?” I ask, trying to change the subject. “You used your gift. Tell us about that.”
“I can talk to animals.” Ava smiles at Charleston, who wags his stumpy tail. “They make excellent companions, better than humans at times.”
At times? Charleston huffs. We are always better companions than humans.
“Charleston, be nice,” I warn.
“You can understand him?” Ava asks.
“Of course.”
“Right. Of course you can.” She shakes her head. “It’s just strange to see someone else talking with him. Or any animal.”
“You may be surprised how many animal talkers there are.”
Ava’s head snaps up. “What? I thought I was the only one.”
I give her a cryptic smile. “You never know.”
“You’re planning something.”
“Can’t say. No spoilers, remember?”
Ava gives me a suspicious look, but lets the matter drop. “What else do you want to know?”
I tap my papers, unsure about this next question. Have I put her through enough? Nah.
“How do you feel about the other warriors? Any friendships forming?”
“I like the others. Lucas is my uncle, and it’s comforting to have family with me. Flynn… has problems. I think Macy is right, and he has a good heart, but he is struggling with—”
“No spoilers.”
“Right, sorry.” She pauses for a moment before continuing. “I enjoy being near the McGee children. They’re not warriors, but they’re good company.”
I nod. “You love children, don’t you?”
“Yes. And these children are heartbreaking. Their parents abandoned them, and they really just want a safe place and someone to care about them.”
“They have Christian.”
“He’s like a brother to them. But he’s a warrior, so no one knows how long he’ll be able to keep the children close.”
“Don’t worry about the children; they’ll be fine.”
Ava lets out a breath. “Good.”
“Now, you’ve said you enjoy having Lucas and the children around, but what about Christian? And Shayne?”
“Christian is kind. He has a big heart and is a good friend. Shayne… we’re… getting along.”
“You’re still having trouble with what he did years ago, aren’t you?”
“A little. It’s hard to move on from something like that.”
I hesitate before asking the next question. Ava won’t like this one.
“So,” I say, “you’re making friends. Is there anything else blossoming?”
“Anything else?” Confusion paints her expression. “What do you mean?”
“There are a lot of men in this story, and more to come.”
Ava’s cheeks redden. “None that I’m interested in.”
“Right, right.” I chuckle to myself. “You’re uninterested… at the moment. Not so sure about a couple of books down the road.”
“What are you planning?” She looks like a frightened rabbit, ready to bolt. Understandable, given how her last relationship turned out.
I smile. “You’ll see.”
Ava lets out a slow breath. “I’m not sure I like the idea of this.”
“Don’t worry. He’ll be good to you.” I smile. “And you can relax. The interview is over. You can head back to the kitchen and send Shayne in.”
Next Friday, we’ll interview Shayne. Do you have any questions you’d like to ask him? Be sure to drop them in the comments!
