"We can come back for your things later," GP said as he helped her from the truck. There was a smile and a question in his eyes. "It's a little too warm for a cloak just yet, isn't it?"

"Maybe a little." Like a child with a beloved blanket, Tilly's fingers curled in the garment's over-sized hood protectively and shrank away from his grasp. "But the nights are getting colder, sure enough."

"You can feel it too, then." Once Booger was out of the cab, GP shut the door and took a deep, bracing breath that swelled his shoulders. "There's always something in the air—a whisper, almost, that runs through the late summer breeze."

Tilly grinned. "Like magic."

"Yeah." He hopped down a shallow bank. "A lot like magic."

From her vantage point, she could see that the previous night's incident had done little to deter the people of Coleville from partaking in the festivities. The calliope still played and the smell of cinnamon-sugar wafted in from some nearby stand. In fact, the only evidence that the runaway ride had not just been some daydream Tilly had cooked up between chores was its pointed absence in the fair skyline. "So where's this audition gonna be?"

"Near the concessions, I hope," Booger murmured.

"You know, for somebody who seemed fairly reluctant about all this, you sure are in a hurry," GP laughed. "We've got some time to burn. You wanna clean up a bit before seeing the boss?"

She came to such an abrupt stop that Booger crashed head-first into the back of her shins. Frowning, Tilly pulled her skirts taut to examine her mary janes for any potential scuffs, but they looked fine to her. "Beg your pardon, but I kinda thought I was already cleaned up."

"Oh, you look fine." GP tucked his hands in his pockets as they strolled through a village of trailers. "It's just that first impressions are important. You wanna put your best foot forward, don't you?"

"Of course, but," she paused thoughtfully, fingers running along the length of chain at her neck, "shouldn't my work speak for itself?"

"Sure, sure," he murmured. They walked in silence for a while. "Gee, I didn't mean to offend. I just thought every girl liked to feel pretty once in a while."

"Well, that's true enough." Her thoughts went to the pale-face girl waiting for her in the dwarven mirror. "I guess I would like to feel pretty."

All the lights of the midway paled in comparison to GP's face in that moment. He reached out for Tilly's hand. "C'mon, then. Lav's gonna love you, I just know it."

The last trailer on the row skirted so close to the fair that half of it was covered by a striped tent to serve as an impromptu stage. A team of carnies were testing out flood lighting and setting up lines of metal folding chairs. One of them smiled and thumbed the brim of his cap in greeting to Tilly before GP took her by the hand to lead her up the stairs.

Upon first breath inside, she nearly choked, eyes burning. The trailer smelled like a rich old lady whose nose had given out before her pocketbook. The layers of expensive floral perfume didn't entirely mask the smell of cigarettes past, the ghost of which still haunted the seams between ceiling and flocked wallpaper. The once-white-and-pink damask had turned a subtle, jaundiced yellow.

Tilly blinked. Booger sneezed.

"Hello, hello...!" A musical voice called beyond a beaded veil that stretched across the room. "Rodrigo, is that you, honey?"

"Not quite." GP waded through the peach-colored shag carpeting to part the curtain. "Sorry to disappoint."

"You ain't never a disappointment, darling," the voice answered, before giving a thoughtful pause. "Goodness, ain't you just a strapping thing these days. What's little Jenny been feeding you?"

"Pies, mostly." GP's eyes flicked towards Tilly as he motioned for her to come to the curtain's edge. "You busy right now?"

"No rest for the wicked, that's what they say." Through the strands of beads, Tilly could just make out who GP was speaking to. It was rare for Tilly to meet a woman taller than she was, and rarer still to see one perched so daintily on a sateen tuffet. Yet there she was, preening over a vanity mirror as she rolled a tube of periwinkle lipstick over her puckered mouth. Everything about her was big—big-voiced, big-chested, big-bellied, and most notably, big-haired: Tilly's eyes never strayed from the woman's head, covered in what looked like a mound of lilac cotton candy dotted with a tiny, shimmering tiara. The woman capped her lipstick. "Why? You got some work for me, doll?"

"In a manner of speaking, yeah." GP swept the curtains away and hung them on a hook. "This is Tillomena Lafayette and her half-breed Wolf, Booger."

Tilly dipped into a clumsy curtsy. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

"The pleasure's mine, sweetheart," the woman replied, turning in place to face her. She extended her hand, larger than Tilly's and tipped with indigo nails that curled slightly at the ends. "I'm Lavender Blue. Don't believe anything anybody's told you. They're just jealous."

"Oh, they haven't said anything about you, I promise—" Tilly rushed to say as they shook hands.

"She's only joking," GP said. "Lav's been with the fair for years and years. Since before I joined—"

"Stop right there. You let anymore slip and she'll be able to figure out how old I am." Lavender's oversized eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. "And you know how I feel about that, mm?"

GP pulled the brim of his hat down in embarrassment. "Er, oh yeah—"

"You can't be that old," Tilly gushed. "You're very pretty, ma'am."

Lavender looked impressed. Her eyes slid to GP. "You been coaching her?"

"No!" he blurted, before dismissing the line of discussion with a shake of his head. "Anyway, Lav, Tilly here may be joining the family soon, and I was wondering if you could make her a little more stage-ready."

Tilly looked at him in confusion, but before she could speak up the other woman had already pushed her bodily onto the velvet ottoman next to the vanity.

"Say no more, GP," Lavender said, winking to Tilly. "By the time I'm done with her, she'll feel like royalty. Don't you worry 'bout a thing."

"That's what I like to hear." There was a rattle of beads as GP dropped the curtain again. "I'll let you to it, then. Have her ready in thirty five, will you?"

"Of course." There was a slight twitch of Lavender's right eye but her smile stayed pleasant and fixed until the door closed behind GP. Then she snapped up a pack of King's cigarettes and fed one into her mouth, clicking a lighter behind a cupped hand. "'Thirty five minutes,' he says. I do makeup, not magic."

Tilly ducked her head, scratching Booger behind the ears. "Sorry. Don't mean to be any trouble."

Lavender's anger instantly crumbled. The cigarette nearly fell from her lips. "Oh, sweetheart, no. This isn't your fault."

"You sure?" she asked. "You really don't have to if it's going to put yourself out."

"Hardly, hardly. Makeup is what I do. It pays the bills." Drawers were flung open and the already-crowded vanity came increasingly piled with jars, bottles and brushes in varying shapes, sizes and colors. "So, you're the fey-blood and half-Wolf he's been talking about nonstop, then."

"Suppose so, ma'am." Warmth flooded Tilly's face as she offered a faltering smile. "Let's hope he's been saying nice things, at least."

"Depends on your definition of 'good.'" Lavender pumped a few fat dollops of a clear cream on her hands. It felt cold on Tilly's face as it was massaged in. "Did you really stop that Ferris wheel with your bare hands?"

She hesitated. "Well, not entirely—"

"I helped," Booger said, tail thumping in acknowledgment. "Turned into an elly-phant."

"Lord almighty!" The bottle nearly clattered to the floor as Lavender leaned back, fanning herself from shock. "Beg your pardon, honey. Can't remember the last time I encountered an animal that still knew how to talk."

"S'all right. I knows I'm a rare spessy-men." Booger's shoulders rolled as she stretched confidently across the carpet.

"I'll say." Lavender grabbed Tilly's wrist to try out a series of foundations. The first one was too light against her skin. "Six months ago, a man tried to sell the taxidermied body of a Wolf to the fair. Asking price was two thousand dollars, and it didn't even look natural anymore. A real, live Wolf—"

"Half-Wolf," Tilly reminded her.

"Half-Wolf," Lavender repeated. "Even a half-Wolf would bring in some real coin. Especially one that can still shapeshift. Can she turn into people?"

Tilly looked down to Booger for the answer.

"Dunno," the dog said. "Never tried."

"Mm." For several minutes, Lavender worked in silence, experimenting with two more shades of foundation, still too fair, before finding one that disappeared into Tilly's wrist. "But before you commit to joining, honey, I feel like there's something you ought to know about GP."

"Oh?" Tilly's nose wrinkled as the foundation was applied. "What is it?"

Lavender's voice was low. "You're not the first he's done this to."

"What?" Her breathing turned fast and shallow. "What do you mean, 'this?'"

"The story always starts the same way. A girl your age, maybe a little older, maybe a little younger, but regardless, she feels like something's missing. Maybe it's adventure, maybe it's romance, maybe it's both." Lavender's brushstrokes were as smooth and even as her tone. "He comes along and promises her the whole world, with him in it. She just needs to join the fair."

"No." Tilly pulled back from the other woman's grasp. Her hands were shaking. "No, that's not true."

"'Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie, kiss the girls and make them cry,'" Lavender recited. "And if there's one thing Georgie Porgie's good at, it's finding freaks and geeks. He's the best talent recruiter we've got."

Tilly stared at her reflection. It was easier than meeting Lavender's eyes. "But I don't understand. I'm not cut out for the stage. I'm just a seamstress."

A third drawer in the vanity opened, this time filled with pens and paperwork. Lavender took out a folded sheet of paper and passed it over. "I think you need to see this, then." 

---

Author's Note: Hi folks! Sorry for the long radio silence. I've been planning my wedding for the past few weeks and haven't been able to find much time to write. (If anyone tells you that eloping is simpler, it's a lie!) But I should be falling back into regularly scheduled updates--at least until early November, when we'll be leaving for a week for our elopement at Disney World. :) 

In addition, I just wanted to give some shout-outs. Apparently Wattpad is only letting you link to one user per chapter right now, so I'm going to look a little ghetto. My apologies!

HouseofMourthia

If you like adult dark fantasy, I recommend checking out  'The Cursewright's Vow' by HouseofMourthia. It has an interesting premise (what if curses could only be broken by specialized mages -- like a locksmith, but for hexes?) and some really great world-building. Please note that it is adult fantasy, though, so it features strong language and adult situations. You can find it here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/151705323-the-cursewright%27s-vow-complete-wattys2018 (He's been shortlisted for a 2018 Watty! Fingers crossed, friendo!) 

SeventyMurphy

If you like old movies, like White Christmas or Gentlemen Prefer Blonds, I highly recommend anything by the incredibly talented and sweet-as-pie SeventyMurphy. Her books aren't just my favorite on Wattpad, they are some of my favorite books ever. They are feel-good and laugh-a-minute and stocked with immediately likable characters. You can read her Watty-winner, 'The Favoured, The Fair and Ms. Vérité Claire,' here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/114809409-the-favoured-the-fair-and-ms-v%C3%A9rit%C3%A9-claire

ArdenBrooks

Finally, if you're looking for other female coming-of-age stories, check out 'The Unfinished Wyrm' series by Arden Brooks. It starts out with 'The Purpose of Miss Shepley' and follows young Edith through her teenage years and into adulthood. It's sort of like 'Little Women' meets 'Lord of the Rings.' You can find the first book here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/97133326-the-purpose-of-miss-shepley (and yes, she won a Watty, too!) 

Thanks guys! Until next time.