CE Bookshelf - Petra

Via Pinterest. But with glasses

A crisp British accent interrupts my work.

"See, Kendra you can write a book where people don't randomly disappear and are forgotten about."

I glance up from my computer at Petra, who's seated on my pillow pile that sits in front of my bookshelf, reading Sew, It's a Quest.

"Actually, a character does disappear and is forgotten about by all but her cousin and love interest, but that's not until the end of the book."

Petra's head shoots up, and she glares at me in horror for several moments. "Kendra, you have issues."

"I know, so do you, like author, like character."

"Oh, like that's any help. Honestly, I got the worst author."

"I beg to differ with you there. I know of some other authors who are pretty mean to their characters. Also, your sisters disappearing and being forgotten about was their idea, not mine. I didn't want to do that to you."

She frowns at the book, then turns me a raised eyebrow. "Are you admitting that they did exist? Because it would be nice if you are and I can know that I'm not crazy after all."

I sigh and shake my head. "I can't tell you that. You're just going to do as Laura suggested, and see what happens."

"Laura dumped me in a world where grass is purple and now people are expecting me to fight this crazy dragon lady. Apparently, if I don't succeed in killing her, she'll kill me. I've never killed anything bigger than a bug in my life!"

Taking a deep breath, I reach under my desk, pull out a white binder with three notebooks inside it, and walk over to Petra and hand it to her. "Why don't you read this?"

She squints at the title. "Water Princess, Fire Prince. Rintaya already had me read it."

"She had you read the Rizkan version," I correct. "But this is the story that I'm writing about them. I thought you might want to see the humanized version of their struggles."

She frowns, opens the book, and settles back down into my pillow pile.

Dissatisfied with her silence, I crouch down and lay a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I know you've not led the best life, and it's going to get harder, I can assure you. But I have a wonderful ending planned for your story. Perhaps it's what you're wanting, perhaps it's something much better, I can't say. Don't give up hope, but don't let your misery consume you, either."

"Yep, that's what everyone keeps telling me. Especially that Laura."

I wince, knowing how much Laura values Petra's opinion of her. "You're one of my favorite characters, you know that?"

"I'm trying to read. Leave me alone."

Sighing, I walk back over to my desk and pull out her notebook. I'm about to rock her world even more, and even though she's not prepared for it, I know that it will be best for her.