I/Tulpa: the Seven Year Girl

chapter 11

"A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men."

Adam called one his 'cheerleader guides' over and asked her to take Jon to his trailer for a rest while they shot scenes with Ali. Jon was instructed to wait there till they needed him and then the cheerleader took him by the arm and led him out back to large parking lot especially set up to receive mobile homes and trailers where the stars could retreat to when they didn't have time to go home.

"This is yours," she said. "Just make yourself at home and I will come and give you a fifteen minute heads up before they need you on the set. Unless you would like your fifteen minutes heads up now?"

"Uh?" Jon asked.

"I'm joking. No, actually, I'm flirting," she said. "Want some company?"

"Um, no, thank you," Jon said.

"Are you sure?" she asked, not hiding her surprise. "I mean, I read your book and thought you'd be like all over my offer."

"It's a nice offer," Jon said. "I just..."

"You're just a rich Texan who thinks he can do better, especially now that you have funded this project as a vehicle for you to meet celebrities, and so you're not interested in a general grip intern because she too eagerly jumping through hoops so she can earn her next position in the Hollywood grip guild?" she asked, rather angrily, hands on her hips.

Jon was struggling to sort all the information. Grips had their on Union? Was this a TV show, or just a plot contrivance for meeting celebrities? Female interns have to wear cheerleader outfits and jump through hoops? He hadn't seen any hoops, was that a metaphor or euphemism? But mostly, the way she had stated her query was sophisticated enough that she was clearly not just some cliché blond with nothing in her head and for a moment, he thought he recognized her, but dismissed that as fantasy trying to impose itself on his reality, and so he blocked it, but all the while she was watching him and reacting to his unmitigated transmission of his inner turmoil.

"Is it me?" she asked, looking at herself.

"Um, seriously, there's nothing wrong with you," Jon said.

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better about myself when I walk away rejected?" she asked.

"I assure you, nothing wrong with you. I bet you get mistaken for Taylor Swift all the time," Jon said, and then bit his tongue for letting that escape his brain after all that effort to suppress it.

"OMG, that's like the nicest thing anyone ever said to me," she said, hugging him. "That's so going to get you laid."

"Oh, um, would you be offended if I take a rain check?" Jon asked, trying his best to skirt out of it.

"Okay, but the moment it rains, I am going to want to cash it in," she said, and retreated, a little disgruntled and a little uncertain what had just happened, but still happy with the compliment, which caused her to turn, walk, to skip, stopped, and look back, saw Jon still looking at her, clearly admiring her, and was satisfied enough to depart in a better mood.

Jon forced himself to breathe. It did feel like he was holding his breath much more than he recalled ever doing on Bliss. Taylor want-to-be disappeared into the building and he suddenly thought, why the fuck did I turn that down? Would she get in trouble for not 'helping' the talent? He let himself into the trailer and no sooner than he had pulled the door to, he was attacked by a shadow. A purple shadow, that took him to the bed. The back of his knees caught the bed, collapsing him to the bed with a bounce and the purple shadow which had a great deal of substance was on top, mauling him. Being attacked by spirits and tulpas was nothing new, but this felt different. He figured out by the taste of blueberries on his lips who it was before he clearly saw her and when he did see her for the first time he was completely taken by surprise by just how purple she was. She paused, her face in his as she straddled him.