FICTION AFFLICTION (HARDCOVER)

Chapter 1

“You ready, Luffy?” Jasmine grinned at the golden retriever by her side who walked with a bounce in his step. She understood his excitement. It would be their first time going to a real book convention, not to mention one of such prestige.

ArcadiaCon was one of the most looked forward to events in the fantasy space. The internet had countdowns that went down to the millisecond. The opportunity to have a booth, even a panel at the event, was an honor for all lovers of the fantasy realm.
The way Jasmine and most of the locals from Blackwood Cove saw it, there was no better way to spend a weekend.

“I am,” Luffy replied with a grin. “It’ll be nice to relax and have fun for a weekend.”

Jasmine nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. It had been a long time since their plans for time off had gone uninterrupted, but she hoped it would be different this time around.

The convention was being hosted in the nearby town of Arkala. Fitting, since the town’s name itself already exuded a fantastical air.

“When is Brandon going to get here?” Luffy asked, plopping down near the end of Jasmine’s driveway. “He said he’d be here five minutes ago.”

“He is probably making sure everything is settled before we move off. Don’t worry, we’ll get there on time.”

As if on cue, a car came around the corner of Jasmine’s street, and she smiled at the familiar frame of the vehicle.

Brandon parked in the driveway and smiled as he exited the car, walking over to embrace Jasmine in a bear hug.

“Hey, Jasmine. All ready to go?”

The girl smiled as she hugged him back. “I literally can’t wait. Are you excited?”

Brandon nodded as he pulled away, grinning widely. “Of course! I can’t wait to get this signed.” It was then Jasmine noticed Brandon was holding a book, and she raised a brow.

“What book is that?”

“It’s the last book in the Lost Star series.”

Jasmine’s eyes lit up in recognition. “The series written by Florian Raumont?”

Brandon nodded eagerly. “Yeah. He has one of the main panels this year to wrap up the series. I’m really excited to meet him in person. Hopefully, that is.”

“How many books are in the series?”

“Seven. It’s taken a long time for him to publish all of them, though. He wants them to be perfect, and I don’t blame him. Not only from an author standpoint, but for his fans too. His following is massive. The place will probably be packed.”

“Well, we definitely have a lot to look forward to. I’m tagging along with you to that panel.”

“I was going to ask you to,” Brandon smiled as he nudged her shoulder playfully before brushing past her to grab her luggage. “Hey, Luffy. Are you excited too?”

The dog nodded as Brandon slowly reached down to pet the dog’s luxurious fur. Luffy leaned into Brandon’s hand and gave it a quick lick, getting a laugh out of the boy.

“I think that’s a yes,” he joked.

It wasn’t long before their luggage was in the trunk, and they were on their way.

“Who else is going? Do you know?” Jasmine asked, turning to look at Brandon from the passenger’s seat.

“I know Julie is going to be there. I think I heard Henry and Ruby were going to tag along, and Cynthia, too. Patrick would have loved to have gone, but he’s down with a nasty cold. Poor guy.”

Despite the news of Patrick’s absence, it was still great to know a few familiar faces were going to be at the convention. Jasmine was looking forward to a fun, chaotic weekend.

“It shouldn’t be too long until we get there. It’s only an hour outside of Blackwood Cove.”

“And you have your hotel reservation?” Jasmine asked, pulling out her phone as she spoke, just to make sure she had everything. Her wallet, purse, suitcases, entrance tickets, and extra cash for souvenirs. It was a whole ordeal, getting ready for this kind of thing, but it was always worth it in the end. There was no better experience, and it was amazing to meet people from all over the place. The more she thought about it, the more excited she became.

“Yeah, I have everything settled,” Brandon smiled. “I just hope my room isn’t next to a bunch of lunatics when we get there. I want to get some proper sleep at night, so that I will be fully energized right through the weekend.”
Jasmine hummed as she leaned back in her seat. That was another thing. Events like these were always so rowdy. There was so much going on, whether you were in the actual convention center or in the hotel. Privacy would be a foreign concept there, but it was part of the experience.

“Me too...” Jasmine murmured. “I wonder what else they’re going to have there.”

“Whatever it is, I’ll bet it’s going to be amazing.”
Brandon rolled the windows down and turned up the radio.

The ride comprised singing to pass the time, casual conversation, and looking up the details of the event. It got to the point where they decided to just leave it all for when they got there. There would be plenty to see and do, and they had free roam of the center. Of course, time would be a resource they’d have to ration, but they had the entire weekend. They could get to everything in time without question.

Time flew by, and the next thing Jasmine knew, Brandon was pulling up in front of the hotel attached to the convention center. They’d come early in the day, at a time they knew wouldn’t be as busy, but Jasmine could already tell from people drifting in that it was bound to be packed within the next hour or less.

“Alright, I’ll drop you off first before parking the car. See you later on,” Brandon said as he handed Jasmine her luggage.

She took her stuff and waved as Brandon drove off. Making sure Luffy was by her side, she made her way toward the doors of the hotel.

“There’s a lot of people here,” Luffy muttered. “I hope they all don’t want to pet me. I’m tired.”

Jasmine frowned. It was something Luffy had always had to deal with. She understood. Sometimes, you just wanted your own space, especially at places like these. You didn’t know where people had been before they came here.

“I won’t let them, Luffy. It’s okay, I’ve got you,” Jasmine smiled down at the dog.

“Thank you,” he replied as they walked through the doors of the hotel.

Sound immediately bombarded her ears. Incessant chatter, managers trying to make sure everything was on track, vendors and panelists checking in, making sure everything was in the right place for the opening of the convention that would start later that night.
It was hectic to be in the middle of the hustle and bustle, but at least they could go back to their rooms and recuperate after all the logistics were taken care of.
Jasmine stepped up to the reception desk and greeted the woman standing on the other side.

She sported a tan, and her hair was short and curly. A blue bandana was on her head, matching the blue uniform of the hotel. Her green eyes were rich, but tired. It must have been an early shift she’d taken, and on a busy day as well.

“Hi,” Jasmine smiled as she began taking out her wallet.
“I have a reservation for Moore. Jasmine Moore.”

“Alright, Jasmine. Give me one second.” The woman’s eyes scanned the computer in front of her. “Are you excited about the convention?”

Jasmine nodded. “We are. I’m here with friends. We’re going to meet up when the center opens, I’m pretty sure.”

“That’s nice. Who do you want to see the most?”

“I’m here just to see and take stock, but my friend really wants to see Florian.”

The woman’s cheerfulness immediately faded. “The author, right? Everyone wants to see him. I think everyone’s forgetting that there are others who were invited to the panels. Like Roland, for example.”

Jasmine raised a brow. “Who’s Roland?”

“Roland Osville. Another author who was invited to the panel. He writes in the same genre, and he’s known for the Isle of Destiny Series. He’s been writing for much longer and, in my opinion, he’s way better.”

Jasmine politely nodded. She wasn’t really all that interested in the politics of it all; she was just here to have a good time, but it was interesting to know a couple of names and the story between some of them that would be in attendance.

“Sorry...” the girl sighed, taking out a room key and placing it in a small plastic holder. “I like to ramble sometimes. Here’s your key. You’ll be in room 213.”
Jasmine smiled and took the key. “Thank you...”

“Agatha.”

“Right. Thank you, Agatha. I hope you have a good day.”
Jasmine started down the hall to the elevator, where Luffy followed.

The two managed to get the apparatus to themselves as the doors closed.

“She was passionate, wasn’t she?” Luffy murmured, rubbing his head against Jasmine’s leg.

“She must be a big fan of his work. Maybe we could get copies while we’re here.” If they really were the rivals Agatha was making them out to be, then she’d have a hard time convincing Brandon to let her walk out of the center with one of Roland’s books.

Then again, she could do what she wanted with her money, but it would still feel like a betrayal in some fashion. Oh well. She’d get to meet the panelists, so she’d get to see for herself. She could pick a side later if she felt so inclined.

The elevator doors opened, and Jasmine sighed in relief as she walked into a quiet hall.

She found her room about halfway down the array of rooms and unlocked her door.

Jasmine set down her luggage and flopped on the bed as Luffy took the other. “Peace and quiet...”

“And a soft bed...” Luffy chimed in.

Jasmine let her eyes rest for a second. They were up early. It was only about six in the morning. They probably didn’t need to get up as early as they did, but it was still a good idea. Despite how tired she was, she was glad they were already there. She looked out the window a few minutes later, only to see cars zooming into the parking lot and continuous lines making their way into the building. Coming early was definitely a good call.
Her phone buzzed, and she reached for it lazily.

It was Brandon.

I’m in 442, you?

213, it’s quiet over here.

Lucky. Want to grab breakfast later with Henry and Ruby at 8:30? Ruby just dropped me a text. Julie is also gonna be here around then, so we could all meet up and go see what the con has.

Sounds good. I’ll see you then.

Jasmine set her alarm before putting her phone down on the nightstand. At least she’d get a couple of hours to rest before her day started for real. Her eyes shut, and she felt herself drift in and out of sleep, but her dreams of slumber were cut short quickly.

Loud chatter came from outside her room. Two people, Jasmine could discern that much, and it sounded briefly like they were having an argument. It was probably a couple frustrated by the long wait in line, which was only going to get worse as time passed.

Jasmine heard them open the door next to her room, and the chatter got instantly louder. The door was thicker than the walls.

They turned on the TV and upped the volume considerably, and Jasmine groaned. Of course she had to be next to loud neighbors. She just hoped Brandon didn’t have to suffer the same fate as her.

With another sigh, she threw the pillow over her head, and, miraculously, got a full two hours of sleep before she had to wake up to meet her friends on time.
She picked up her phone groggily to see a text from Brandon.

“Alright, Luffy. I’m going to go meet up with Brandon and the others. I’ll bring something back for you, okay?”
Luffy nodded as his head dropped onto the bed again.
“Alright, but don’t be too long. I’m starving.”

“I won’t, I promise. Is there something you want in particular?”

“If they have bacon, that’d be nice.”

“Alright. I’ll bring you something soon, okay? You relax in bed. Remember, this is a vacation.”

Luffy smiled. “You should tell yourself that. You’re the paranoid one.”

“I’m not paranoid. I just don’t want anything bad to happen.”

Luffy laughed. “That’s the exact definition, Jasmine.”
The girl rolled her eyes as she opened the door. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Alright, see you later.”

Jasmine closed the door to the room and set off down the hall.