Character Interview: Flynn
I take a deep breath as I pause outside the dining room. This week’s interview is with Flynn… If I can get him to cooperate.
Breathing a prayer, I step into the room. Out of all those gathered, Ava and Shayne appear to be the most relaxed, likely because their interviews are finished. I glance at the others. Lucas, Christian, and Amy—still awaiting their turns.
And Flynn, sitting with his arms crossed and watching me like an animal ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.
“You know it’s your turn, don’t you?” I ask.
“Aye.” Flynn straightens and watches me with a challenging look, but I can see the underlying issue written within them. He’s scared. “I’ve already told you I don’t want to do this.”
“It’s not that bad. Just ask Ava and Shayne.”
“She’s right, Flynn,” Shayne says, setting aside the buttered roll he’d been munching on. “Some of the questions are… more difficult than others, but it’s nothing compared to trekking through the Range of Loss. Which I hear is what we’re going to have to do.” He casts me a look.
“Yes, but… you’ll…” How can I make it sound less horrible? “You’ll survive?”
Shayne sits up straighter. “Is that a statement or a question? Are we—”
“Flynn, are you ready for the interview?” I ask.
He sighs. “I’m not likely to get out of it, so I suppose so.”
“Good.” Or, at least, as good as I’m going to get from him.
We head into the common room and take seats in the plush chairs. I glance at Flynn as I reach for my papers lying on the table between us. He still looks apprehensive, but at least he won’t walk out if he doesn’t like the questions. I hope.
“Relax, Flynn.”
“Who says I’m not?”
“Your posture, your voice–”
“Fine. But how can you expect me to be? You know I don’t want to be here.”
“But why are you so opposed to this?”
“I don’t like people prying into my business.” That spark of fear I’d seen in his eye earlier is back.
“There’s more to it than that,” I say.
He glances away and sets his jaw. Always stubborn.
I sigh. He isn’t going to answer. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea…
“There are things I don’t like talking about,” Flynn says at last. Pain replaces the wariness in the eyes. “Ava and Shayne said you asked about their pasts. Just don’t ask about mine, and we’ll be fine.”
“All right. I understand.”
“You should.” His eyes narrow, but now a joking tone replaces the hard edge to his voice. “Why did you give us all such tragic pasts? It’s like you enjoy torturing us.”
I shake my head. “It was necessary.”
Flynn’s brows shoot up. “Necessary? How was—”
“You said we weren’t going to talk about the past,” I remind him.
He huffs. “Right. So… what do you want to know?”
“Well, one thing I’m sure a lot of people are wondering about is your gift.”
“That’s another thing we’re not going to talk about.”
I sigh. “Flynn, you have to talk about something. Otherwise, there’s no need to have this interview.”
He grins. “Does that mean I can go?”
“If I didn’t know you were joking—”
“Who says I’m joking?”
“Flynn.” Exasperation leaks into my voice.
“All right. Fine. I’ll cooperate.”
That would be a first.
“Going back to your gift. Why won’t you tell what it is?”
“Because it’s embarrassing.”
“How? Gifts give you the ability to do things no one else can.”
“Aye, but my gift is strange. I don’t understand how it could possibly be used for anything good. It’s useless.”
“What we think is useless can often be powerful in the Creator’s hands.”
Flynn glances away. “You know how I feel about the Creator.”
I sigh. “I know. But, just like Macy, I’m not giving up on you. And speaking of Macy…”
Flynn jerks his head up. “No.”
I smile. “No, what?”
“Another off limits question.”
“Hmm… I don’t think it is.” My grin grows. “Tell us about her.”
“She’s Ava’s youngest sister. Natalie’s twin. Visits Dailain with her family once a month.”
I give him a look. “Come on, Flynn. You know that isn’t what I mean.”
He sighs. “She’s my friend. My only friend, unless you count my grandmother and little brother.”
“How long have you known Macy?”
“Around a year or so.”
I wait, but he keeps quiet, obviously not going to volunteer any information.
“How did you meet her?”
“She was in Dailain with her family. They were off somewhere else, in other shops, I guess. Macy came into my grandmother’s shop… which she does a lot, as I found out. But I’m not often there. I don’t enjoy being around people, so I usually help in the back, but that day Grandma asked me to carry a box to the storefront. Macy was there and struck up a conversation.” Flynn smiles. “She’s good at that. It’s like she never runs out of things to say. Anyway…
“From then on, she spoke to me every time she came to town. At first, I talked with her just to be polite, but over time, I began to look forward to seeing her. It was the best part of the month for me.”
“Macy has a way with people.”
“I think it’s because she sincerely cares about everyone she meets. It’s a rare trait. Most people in Dailain, especially women, don’t talk to me. With good reason. I’ll admit, I have a bit of a reputation as a brawler.”
“A brawler?”
“Aye, but I have my reasons.” Flynn’s eyes grow distant, but he shakes his head as if forcing memories away. “I started trying to change for my family. My fighting upset Grandma, and James, my brother, started copying me. I don’t want him to grow up like I did… we’re already so much alike. I had to set a better example for him. But reputations die hard. Before leaving Dailain, I hadn’t gotten into a fight in months, but people still treated me like a brute. But not Macy. She saw through the labels. She saw me.”
“You miss her, don’t you?” I ask.
He lets out a long sigh. “More than I care to admit.”
“But at least you have other friends now.”
Flynn falls quiet for a moment. “Aye. I suppose I do, though I don’t exactly fit in with them. They call themselves ‘the warriors’ and say we’re supposed to fulfill a prophecy… I can’t accept that. I’m not even a believer. They’re all followers of the Creator, and I’m just… I don’t know what I’m doing here.”
“You’ll find out in time.”
“So… I’m not getting out of this story anytime soon, am I?”
“Nope.” I grin.
His eyes narrow. “What are you planning?”
“Why do you all ask me that? It’s as if none of you trust me.”
Flynn quirks a brow.
“All right. So maybe you don’t trust me—”
“I didn’t say that. But I do question your motives at times. Confidentially, I think you’re a little insane.”
I laugh. “Probably.”
“And you’re happy about that?”
“I’m a writer. It’s an occupational hazard.”
Flynn shakes his head and mutters. “Weird.”
A bird chirping draws my attention to the window. The sun is lower than I expected, beginning its trek toward the west. Could it be that late already? And there are still three interviews to go. Better move things along.
“All right,” I say. “Well, considering we’ve spent most of this interview arguing, we’ve run out of time and you’ve successfully avoided answering many questions.”
He smiles. “Which I’m glad about.”
I shake my head. “You can go back to the dining room. And tell Christian it’s his turn.”
“Will do.”
Flynn heads out of the room, and voices trail from the dining room.
“Crazy lady says you’re next, Christian,” Flynn says. “You may want to bring a stool so you can reach the chair.”
Christian growls. “One of these days…”
I shake my head. When will those two learn to get along?
Christian will join us next week. Once a slave and thief, he’s now a free follower of the Creator… with many a story in his past. If you have any questions for Christian, be sure to drop them in the comments!
