Hazel in the Demon's Den

By the time they made it onto the plane, Hazel was very grateful she had chosen such a simple dress. Anything with a corset or a slip to make it poufy would be impossible to sit in.

Even so, there were still people looking at her funny for wearing a wedding dress on a plane. She didn't have time to change, okay?!

She buried her face in her hands and tried her best to disappear. A few deep breaths later, she pulled out her iPad and got to work on those character designs she didn't finish. It was late but with everything that had happened today she was wide awake.

"What are you working on?" Will asked curiously.

"Character designs for that comic I mentioned. The deadline is soon and I've already had to redo them twice because the author is pretty picky."

The author liked her style well enough or Hazel wouldn't have been chosen as the lead artist. The problem was that she had a very particular mental image of what each character should look like even though the novel's descriptions were limited to hair and eye colors. Hazel needed more detail!

She had read the novel as soon as she was hired to get a better feel for what she was drawing. Her drafts ended up being how she had imagined the characters as she read them but the author didn't like that.

If she were a novelist she would be so descriptive it would be like people were looking at a photograph. It would certainly make things easier for poor artists trying to make a living. For casting choices if the book became a movie too.

Will shifted in his chair, trying to get more comfortable. "What's it about?"

"A girl dies in a car crash and ends up as someone else inside of a novel she had read. She tries to avoid getting tangled up in the plot but accidentally ends up married to the love interest," Hazel explained.

"It's actually a pretty fun story but this author is a nightmare and it's hard making each character look different enough. There are so many people to draw, even as background characters."

This story had about a dozen characters that appeared regularly but there were still others who made a few appearances. Hazel hated drawing crowds too. That was one of the hardest things to do.

The main character had two appearances; from before and after she died. Originally she had been plain, had mousy hair, and was a bit chubby. Afterwards she was a blonde, blue-eyed china doll. The author had been particularly nitpicky about this character.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Will reassured her before pulling a book out of his carry-on bag. He opened it to where he had left off and left her to her work.

Hazel snuck a peek at the cover. She had heard of this book though she never read it herself. It was part of a popular fantasy series involving dragons, incest, and a whole lot of death in a bid for the throne. She preferred reading happy things; she had already experienced more than enough death for a lifetime.

Returning to her iPad, she examined her designs once again. The main character's before and after looked fine. The difference between them was staggering, as it should be. And she had made the 'after' less doll-like and more refined at the author's request.

What she was worried about was the second female lead. She was supposed to be slightly more beautiful than the main character despite having a humble air about her. Every time Hazel tried to draw her, she looked too similar to the main character.

Only stopping during the take-off and landing (aside from briefly accepting the complementary pretzels), Hazel worked her way through the entire flight. It was only an hour and forty minutes long so she didn't get as much done as she wanted. At least by the time they made it to San Francisco she was content with the design of the second female lead.

It was midnight when they arrived at Hazel's old apartment. Standing there in the doorway of the place she and Billy had shared was a bit depressing. There were a lot of memories contained within these walls. And they had all been based on a lie.

There was a painting of hers on nearly every wall in this place. She tenderly took each one down and set them on the coffee table.

There wasn't much else Hazel needed. There were a few beautifully painted plates/bowls/mugs she had made at one of those paint-a-plate places that might be nice to keep. All of her clothes, shoes, and accessories. A few particularly comfy blankets. A handful of random books and trinkets she had collected over the years. The rest of her makeup and hair supplies.

Honestly, all of it but the paintings could fit in a single large suitcase she found in the hall closet. She always carried her laptop, photo album, binder of important documents, and iPad with her when she traveled. This time around her paranoia had paid off.

"Is that really everything?" Will asked incredulously.

"…I don't have many attachments."

He sighed and shook his head. "That doesn't matter. We can get you more things later. Come on, we should get some sleep."

He helped carry her things out to the car and drove them to a hotel. When they arrived, the person who checked them in noticed their attire and offered them a complementary bottle of champagne and some chocolate covered strawberries. Hazel couldn't say no to chocolate.

Twenty minutes later, she happily sat cross-legged on the bed in her doughnut-patterned pajamas with wet hair and consumed strawberry after strawberry. You'd think the milkshake would have been enough sugar for one day but that seemed like a lifetime ago.

Hazel had gone from engaged to single to married in less than six hours. The need for extra sugar was understandable with the insanity that had occurred.

"What are you doing?!"

"What?" he asked as if he didn't see the problem. "We're married."

Hazel didn't have a retort for that but come on! Virgin eyes here! She refused to open them until she was sure he was wearing clothes.