*This is a tiny excerpt from a novel I’m currently querying. My favorite rejection so far? I wanted to love it, but I just didn’t.*
…
The speakers crackle mid-sentence and fall silent. There’s a monotone buzzing.
Heels click against the concrete floor and reverberate off of the walls. Vega imagines someone approaching in stilettos. She laughs.
“Something funny?”
The heels stop clicking. A very tall woman now towers over Vega. She smells like peppermint. She’s wearing white sunglasses and a wide grin, with teeth stained yellow from excessive coffee or cigarettes or both.
“My name is Eve,” the woman says. “And I love jokes. So, please, do tell me what’s funny.”
“Ugh, I’m terrible at remembering jokes,” Vega says. “Well, maybe that’s too self-deprecating. I always remember the punchline, but forget the set-up. And if you give away the punchline from the start, you might as well not bother to tell the joke.”
“Indeed,” Eve says. “Why bother?”
“Are you wearing stilettos,” Vega asks.
Eve folds her arms across her chest. She exhales peppermint. She’s wearing a white turtleneck. Against the bright white walls, she looks like an eyeless, floating head with a pair of hands. And her teeth really are much too yellow for the scene.
“I suppose you came for Lannix,” Eve says.
“Who’s Lannix,” Vega says.
“You never forget the set-up, do you,” Eve says.
“I can tell already,” Vega says, “that you and I are going to have a really fantastic time together.”
“Oh, yes,” Eve replies. “And you’re stuck with me now. The Committee just voted against coming to get you.”
– ©️ 2020-2021 Portia July
Portia July 