Saved by the Celebutante (22 page)

I turn back to Arcadia. “Do you know how to get to that area?”

“Sure. It’s easy once you’ve been here a few times.”

“I really appreciate your help.”

“It’s okay. I know you’ll do whatever you can to give back in your own way.”

It’s then that I decide if a situation doesn’t present itself before I leave, I will at least make a donation to next year’s festival.

We walk for a few minutes, fighting our way through what seems to be a growing number of people before reaching the circle Hank mentioned. I hadn’t noticed before, but each one is signposted at the outermost edge of each “village”.

I hold my breath as we move further and further into the middle of the circle.

Arcadia stops. She points. There is a huge silver bus in front of us with a canopy attached.

And sitting under the canopy, drinking a beer, is Peter Carson.

TWENTY-SIX

“I’ll just wait over here,” Arcadia says, pointing to a nearby drumming circle.

“Okay. Thanks. I won’t be long.”

Peter looks up, squinting like he can’t quite place me. “Can I help you?”

Sheer relief washes over me and I can’t keep the huge grin off my face. “Peter! I’m so glad I found you!”

He looks bemused. “Okaaay…do I have to get Theo to step in here?” He nods to a stocky man nearby, who I assume is Peter’s bodyguard.

I laugh. “No! It’s Chrissie Lambert, Gia King’s publicist!”

Realization finally dawns. “Yes, of course. Sorry, I didn’t recognize you out of context. What are you doing out here?”

“I…er…lost your phone number, so Gia and I have been trekking all over the country trying to find you.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“Yes, we went to the meditation retreat in Carmel and just missed you, and then we went to the studio in LA and found out you’d just left there too. So then I came to the festival on my own because Gia had to get back to San Francisco. And you’re here!”

He shakes his head, apparently in admiration of our dedication. “It seems so. I take it you did all this because of Gia’s audition?”

“That’s right! She’s still really interested, and I felt absolutely awful after losing your number…are we too late?”

“Relax. They’re not casting until the end of the month, so I’ll give you my number again and you can call in a couple of weeks to confirm times.”

I jump up and down like a lunatic. I can’t help it. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise I will guard it with my life this time!”

“You do that.” He reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out a business card. “Here. You now have a paper copy. Put it in your phone and then email it to yourself as well, just to be safe.”

“I will. Oh my God! I can’t believe it! Gia is going to be so pleased!” I reach over and wrap my arms around his neck.

“Hey, hey. I get enough of that crap back in LA. I’m not a hugger.”

I quickly jump back. “Sorry. I’ll leave you alone now. I hope you have a great week.”

“Yeah, well I’m half working. You sticking around?”

“I don’t think so. I need to get back. Gia will be waiting to hear if I found you.”

“Okay, well I’ll talk to you soon.”

I almost do another curtsey but catch myself. “You sure will.” I spin around and head over to the drumming circle where Arcadia has borrowed someone’s bongos. She tilts her head up at me. “You want to join us?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t. But thank you. For everything. I found what I was looking for. You have no idea how important that was.”

“No problem. I might see you later, then.”

“Yeah, maybe.” I’m feeling increasingly guilty about my gatecrashing status, so I think the sooner I get out of here, the better.

“Enjoy the festival!” She closes her eyes and smiles blissfully.

I find my way back to the camper using the surrounding landmarks and my phone photos to navigate. There are some impossibly tall wooden pyramids to my right, and a scepter shaped tower to my left. Oli and his brother were in the direction of the pyramids. I pat myself on the back for paying attention earlier.

Back at the boys’ site, there is now an awning extending out from the side of their camper, and an AstroTurf mat on the ground. An old fashioned picnic table and chairs is set up on the mat. Oli is lying on a nearby sun lounger, his eyes closed.

“Hey!” I say, standing over him. “I got what I needed!”

He opens his eyes and smiles. “Excellent. I’m just waiting for some pasta to cook. You want any? I stole some of your food.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Uh, yeah, I suppose.” I check my watch. It’s almost five thirty. I’m worried I won’t get far before the sun goes down, and from memory, the nearest town is Gerlach and I have no idea whether they have any RV parks or motels. It’s going to be late by the time I get there, which makes me nervous.

“I have some disappointing news for you though, Chrissie.”

My heart skips a beat. “What?”

“I accidentally drank three beers and two shots while you were gone.”

“You
accidentally
drank them? How did that happen?”

“The people in the tent next to ours came over and offered them to me. I said no at first, but then they called me chicken.”

“What are you? Michael J. Fox in
Back To The Future
?”

“Actually, yes. I am just like Michael J. Fox in
Back To The Future
. When you have four older brothers and they challenge you to do something, you don’t say no.”

“So I take it you are no longer capable of driving me back to my van?”

“Sorry, princess.”

I sigh. “That’s all right. I was starting to think I probably shouldn’t be leaving after dark anyway.”

“That works out perfectly then! And I can still give you a lift in the morning.”

“Yeah. Thank you.” I’m not happy about the prospect of staying up all night, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable asking to sleep in Oli’s camper. He’d probably say yes if I asked and if there was enough room, but I don’t want to take advantage. He’s already done so much for me. Plus, I get the impression his brother wouldn’t particularly appreciate having additional visitors.

I sit down on one of the picnic chairs and people watch. After a few minutes, Oli disappears into the camper to finish preparing our meal.

“I don’t think we’ve officially met,” a voice says, surprising me from behind.

I turn my head and blush. It’s the same pair of eyes that were looking at my bare chest back at the massage tent.

“Oh. Yes. Um, sorry about before.”

He laughs. “What are you apologizing for? It was the highlight of my afternoon.”

“Well, thanks. I guess.” Then it occurs to me that we are on the complete opposite side of the camp, so him being here can’t be a coincidence. “Have you been following me?”

“Ah, no. As attractive as you are, I would not stalk you all the way to the other side of the festival.”

I file away the comment about being attractive for later when I need an ego boost.

“Did you want something?” I ask patiently.

“Yes, actually. I’m a bit hungry, so I thought I would come and have some food.”

At that moment, Oli comes out with three precariously balanced bowls of spaghetti. “Oh, hey Matt. I thought I heard your voice. Here you go.” He hands him one of the bowls.

My face heats up even more. “You’re Oli’s brother?”

“Yep,” he says, enjoying my discomfort. “No need to thank me for sneaking you in today, by the way.”

“I, uh, was going to but…then…I…I didn’t know who you were,” I finish lamely.

He laughs. “I’m just messing with you. Besides, flashing your chest was more than enough thanks.”

Oli’s eyes bulge. “She flashed you? How come I didn’t see that? I’m the one who snuck her in.”

“It wasn’t on purpose,” I protest. “But if you’re that desperate, I can take off my shirt right now.”

“Maybe after we eat,” Oli suggests.

I snatch the bowl from him, unsure how to take his comment.

Oli plops back down on his lounger, while Matt and I sit at the picnic table.

I twirl some spaghetti onto my fork. “I don’t know how I really can thank you two properly. Could I deposit some gas money in your bank account when I get home?”

“Nah, don’t be silly,” Matt says. “It was nothing.”

Now that I’m paying attention, Matt looks a lot like Oli with the green eyes and big eyelashes, but his hair is lighter and his build stockier. And he’s obviously older. Like at least fifteen years older. He has nice stubble. Is that a weird thing to think?

“You seem to be in a better mood,” Oli says to Matt.

Matt’s expression goes blank. “Yeah. I was.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you.”

“Forget it.” Matt stands up. “I think I’ll eat in the camper.”

He disappears inside and closes the door.

“Oops,” Oli says. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“It’s okay. It’s not like you were deliberately trying to make him mad.”

“That’s true.”

I eat in silence, taking in the sounds of the people around us and wondering why Matt was so upset. He seemed really nice there for a minute.

Oli devours his meal and puts his plate inside. “I’m going to go and explore the village. Will you be all right on your own for a while? Or did you want to come with me?”

“Oh, I’ll be fine on my own. But thanks.”

“Cool. I’ll see you later.”

I watch as he wanders off, thinking how lucky I am to have met someone so helpful.

The sun isn’t far from the horizon and the air is starting to develop a chill. I continue eating my pasta. It’s actually really good, so I take my time to savor each mouthful.

I’m just contemplating what this place will be like after dark when Matt reappears. “I didn’t realize you were still here.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to impose. You guys have already been so kind. I’ll get out of your hair now.” I stand up and collect my plate. “Unless you’d like me to do the dishes first?”

He smiles. “Washing up can wait. And I wasn’t trying to get rid of you. I was just making an observation.”

“Oh.”

“Weren’t you only planning on staying for a few hours?”

“I was, but I decided it would probably be more sensible for me to leave first thing in the morning.”

“Yeah, I know I wouldn’t want to be leaving now after coming all the way from Bridgeport this morning.”

“Exactly. So what are you up to?”

“Actually, I was just about to head out and take some photos.” He reaches back into the camper and grabs an expensive-looking camera. “You want to be my assistant?”

“What would that involve?”

“Holding this.” He produces a large, round, metallic shaped disc.

“What is that?”

“It’s a reflector. I use it to manipulate the light.”

“You trust me to do the job properly?”

“I don’t know. Can you follow simple directions such as ‘move a couple of feet to the right’?”

I laugh. “I think I can manage that.”

“Good. Let’s go then, before it gets too dark.”

I stack my plate on the sink in the camper and turn to face Matt. “All right! Lead the way!”

I suspect I’m in for quite a ride.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Matt takes us away from the accommodation part of the site and over to the open plains, where a huge collection of modern art is displayed in a seemingly haphazard fashion.

“So, I take it this isn’t your first visit to Earth & Fire?” I ask.

“That’s right. I came here a lot when I was younger.”

“Is it like how you remember?”

“It’s a lot bigger than it used to be. But the spirit is still the same. If anything, I prefer it now. There’s more to see and there’s a wider variety of people.”

“So you’re glad Oli dragged you along?”

He mock sighs. “Yeah, I suppose.”

I remember how Matt reacted when Oli reminded him of his bad mood earlier, so I make an effort to avoid asking him anything that might trigger another mood swing.

“Do you have any plans while you’re here?”

“I don’t think you can really have any plans at Earth & Fire. You just let it do with you what it wants.”

“That’s an interesting perspective.”

“You’ll see what I mean.”

Our first stop is a gazebo made out of metal with swirly patterns cut out of the roof. There are Mexican blankets and pineapple cushions underneath. Bamboo torches burn around the outside.

“Take a seat,” he instructs, taking the reflector out of my hands.

“Uh, okay.” I throw myself down on one of the cushions and lean back on my elbows. Matt quickly takes the lens off his camera and snaps a shot.

I pretend to be outraged. “Hey! Who said you could do that?”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

“Well, give me some warning next time. I thought I was going to be your assistant. I wasn’t showing off my good side.”

He grins. “Chrissie, you only have good sides. Trust me.”

The way he says that makes my insides all tingly.

“I know this is probably a silly question, but is your day job professional photography?”

“You could say that.”

“Wait! Don’t tell me! You do those cheesy family portraits at the mall where everyone dresses up in matching clothes!”

He wrinkles his nose. “Ah, no.”

“So what kind of stuff do you do?”

“Everything.” He directs his camera up at the roof of the gazebo and takes a photo. “Like that.”

I look up to where he’s pointing and am amazed to see that the roof reflects the flames from the torches, but the sky shows through in the cutouts, creating an interesting 3-D effect.

“Is this your offering to the festival?”

“Yep. I try and take at least one photo of each major attraction so I can send them to the festival organizers when I get home. They used to use my stuff in their promotional material, so I’m guessing they’d appreciate me sending some more through. But I do sometimes just take photos of individual people and then we exchange contact details so I can forward them the files afterwards.”

I’m about to ask if he wants my contact details, but I don’t want him getting the wrong idea. He’s already seen me topless. Who knows what he’d think if I tried to force my phone number on him?

We continue on to the next structure, which is a boardwalk to nowhere. A man wearing waders and a floppy hat is pretending to fish off the side.

“Catch anything?” Matt asks.

“Nah, it’s a bit quiet tonight,” the man says earnestly. He certainly seems dedicated to his role.

Matt makes me stand with the reflector beside the man while he takes a few shots of him and the boardwalk.

“I suppose if you were going to stay past tomorrow, you’d have to think about what
your
offering would be,” Matt says to me.

“It’s probably lucky I’m not staying then. The only thing I’ve done recently that was even remotely creative was when I made some jewelry at a children’s shelter.” I don’t mention my sewing failure – that was embarrassing enough the first time.

“You worked at a shelter?” he asks curiously.

“Only for a couple of days. My friend…boss…Gia and I were staying with a friend of hers and she works there full-time.”

“Oh, right. Still, that’s cool. What do you normally do?”

“PR. I’m Gia’s publicist. Gia King, if you’re wondering.”

“Nice. Well, off the top of my head, I’m betting you have some pretty kick-ass organizational skills. They’d be valuable at a place like this.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for if I come back next year.”

“You haven’t thought about staying longer?”

“Not really. I mean, I would love to, but I only came here for Gia. I owe it to her to do my job properly.”

“Suit yourself.”

We walk around to some of the other structures, which include a massive timber fish, an actual desert oasis (complete with icy cold cocktails) and a pirate ship on wheels. It’s like wandering through a Salvador Dali dream. I take my job as reflector holder very seriously and follow all of Matt’s instructions. I think he’s grateful, but he’s concentrating so hard on his work, I can’t really tell.

By seven-thirty, the desert resembles a raver’s paradise, with glow sticks and UV lighting everywhere. People have fluorescent bands wrapped around various limbs, and some have even covered their skin with luminescent paint.

The wind picks up, bringing with it a huge cloud of dust. The people around us quickly produce protective eyewear and bandanas to cover their faces. Even Matt has a pair of goggles in his pocket and a scarf around his neck. But when he sees me coughing and trying to shield my eyes, he quickly looks around and notices a sealed flap on a tent beside us. He rips it open, pushes me in and throws himself inside too. He quickly seals the flap again and breathes a sigh of relief. “Ah. That’s better.”

I take in my surroundings. “Uh, Matt? What
is
this place?”

Matt turns around and lets out a surprised laugh.

“Well, this is a bit awkward.”

I try not to stare, but I can’t help it. The tent is about half the size of a tennis court and the ground is covered with inflatable mattresses and furniture.

But that’s not the strangest part.

The whole place is a mass of writhing bodies.

Writhing
naked
bodies.

All having sex.

“You didn’t plan this?”

“How on earth could I have planned this?”

“I don’t know. It just seems like something a guy would do.”

There are a variety of combinations. Men and women, men and men, women and women. I even spot a few threesomes, and even a foursome and a fivesome. I don’t know where to look. And just when I think I’ve discovered a safe place to park my gaze, smiling at a man in a button down shirt in the corner, I realize he’s naked from the waist down and, er, entertaining himself.

This is the Earth & Fire I’ve heard about. I’m not a prude, but it’s a little unsettling to find yourself in the middle of an orgy without any warning.

A woman dressed in feathers comes over.

“Hi guys! Welcome to the Love Zone. Make yourselves comfortable.” She points to Matt’s camera. “But I’m afraid we don’t allow photography in here.”

“Oh, right. Yes, sorry. We were trying to escape the dust storm and accidentally ended up in here,” he says.

She lets out a tinkly laugh. “That’s a new one.”

“Uh, I think we’ll leave. Sorry for the intrusion.”

“No need to apologize. You’re welcome to stay if you want to give me your camera for safekeeping.”

“No, thank you.” Matt heads towards the main exit and I follow closely behind.

Once back outside, he looks at me, seeming genuinely embarrassed. “I’m really sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. It was just a bit of a shock. I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Me neither.”

“All right then. What now?”

He doesn’t answer, but starts walking in one direction and then shakes his head before turning the opposite way. “Sorry, I lost my bearings for a second.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He doesn’t seem fine. “Are you sure?”

“Yes!” He keeps walking, his mouth set in a tight line.

Okaaay…

“Have you been in there before?” I ask tentatively.

“Yes. I have.”

“With who?”

He stops and looks at me, his mouth curving up in a smile. “Why do you want to know?”

“I’m just curious.”

“Well, the last time I came here was when I was twenty-seven. I went in once.”

“With a girl?”

“Yes.” He doesn’t seem to think it’s weird I’m asking that question.

“You didn’t feel uncomfortable being naked around all those people?”

“Nope. You can’t have any modesty out here. Haven’t you seen the bath house?”

“No. Remember, I was only planning on staying here for one night?”

“Well, I’m afraid until you leave these grounds you’re one of us. Just embrace it.”

I like how he says I’m one of them.

“I’ll try. Unless that means walking around naked and getting a UFO painted on my chest. You don’t want me to do that, do you?”

He chuckles. “Only if you want to. But no. You don’t have to be an exhibitionist to be a proper Earth & Fire guest. Just be open to the experience.”

“All right. I will.”

“Good, now come with me so I can finish taking my photos, and then we’ll go have some real fun.”

Ooh. I like the sound of that.