What is Rainbow Snippets? It’s a group of LGBT+ authors who post six sentences (or more) from a current WIP, published work or even something they’ve read that they want to rave about. Click in the rainbow to be transported to a place of wonder where you will find tasters of everything from sweet romance, to hot and steamy, to fantasy and sci fi
This week, I’m sticking with The Runaway. I’m fond of this book for many reasons. For one thing, its premise is build around a fairytale and, recently, my interest in fairies has been piqued again.
Ciarrai is running away from a past that’s still breathing down his neck. Jack has no past, his memory wiped in the accident that killed his parents. They meet and their lives move forward like stones skimming the surface of the water, dipping into memories that want to surface and those that want to lie buried forever.
This snippet comes ten years after the last. Ciarrai and Damien have grown up, although Ciarrai Isn’t Ciarrai anymore. His life has been taken over by Aaron, who, unlike the gentle, dreamy Ciarrai is a famous model, soon-to-be actor. Superstar status does not lie easy on his young shoulders and when he tries to escape in an ill-fated walk on the wild side he’s badly injured in an attack. Recovering in hospital, all he wants is to escape his gilded cage, but his family and manager think the sooner he gets back to work the better for him. (or for them?)
The people came more and more often. He couldn’t get away from them. Wherever he was, in bed, in the garden, in the day room, they’d find him and sit with him and make him listen. He dreaded those talks. He didn’t want to hear about catwalks and photo shoots. Just thinking about hair and makeup made him shiver. There were scars now but apparently that didn’t matter because what couldn’t be covered with clothing could be covered with makeup.
In the beginning he’d thought his mother was going to be on his side and would help him get away, but when she stopped crying it seemed she threw herself into the whole business of ‘getting back to work’ with as much fervour as everyone else. His brother, Damien, of course, was no help at all. He was excited about it and kept telling him how lucky he was; how grateful he should be. Well. He wasn’t excited. He didn’t feel lucky and he wasn’t grateful at all.
For more snippets and an introduction to some amazing authors follow the rainbow
The line about what couldn’t be covered with clothing could be covered with makeup gave me the chills.
I hope he finds the strength to tell them to go away and let him live his own life, his own dreams.
Something like that 😀
Ciarrai is struggling to find himself, his courage. I hope he will…
There and back again
Aw, poor Ciarrai. I hope he can find the strength to do what’s best for himself.
He certainly does that with…unexpected consequences.I love Ciarrai. He’s so funny when he’s let loose
Yeah, I understand his perspective. Great snippet, Cheryl.
Thank you. He’s kind of loosely based on someone, and I always saw the void in his eyes.
His mother sounds awful. I’ve met parents like that. To the rest of the world, they appear as “that parent” who believes in their child’s great talent. But inside it, they apply a lot of pressure. How terrible for him.
His mother is complex but weak. She understands but is swayed by stronger personalities, including her son. Damien isn’t a bad person but he simply can’t understand where Ciarrai is coming from because Damien loves the life and can’t quite believe that Ciarria doesn’t. They do love him, though, and they mean well.
That’s a lot of pressure, poor guy.
It is. It’s not something I would want for myself or my family. It’s too easy to look a the rich and famous as privileged and to consider that privilege something they need to pay for, but it’s worth watching them sometimes and I think you can see when people are hurting, when they’re getting more than they signed up for. It’s easy to look at, say a famous actor and say “they owe us for our support” and forget that they’ve already paid with their talent and hard work.
Poor guy. How terrible for him.
It’s like any job, I guess. When the enjoyment dies the job becomes a prison and Ciarrai can’t even go home at the end of the day, relax and forget about it. And he doesn’t even get weekends off.