Unscripted - Nicole Kronzer Page 0,7

game about an elf!” She took a step closer to me. “And that hair! It’s so curly! Geez. I bet people want to pull it and watch it spring back all the time. That would annoy me.” Before I could respond, she turned her attention to Sirena and Emily. “Are you two named after video games, too?”

Her friend, shorter and olive-skinned with bangs and long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, put a hand on her arm. “Hanna,” she warned, “we want them to like us.”

Hanna waved her away. “They’ll like you, Paloma. You’re going to take care of us all. And they’ll like me, too. I can tell. We’ve been talking for two whole minutes, and no one has called me an albino yet.”

I choked on the words in my throat.

Hanna’s friend rolled her eyes. “Hi. I’m Paloma. Please excuse Hanna. She’s actually very nice once—”

“Actually?” Hanna protested, dropping her backpack on the ground and putting her hands on her hips. “I’m actually very nice? I’m already being extremely nice.”

Paloma grabbed Hanna’s arm and marched her a few steps away from us, her voice low and full of reprimand.

I turned to Emily and Sirena, who were both staring at Hanna with their mouths open a fraction of an inch. It looked like they were trying to translate what she was saying from another language.

“She’s a little intense, huh?” I muttered.

That snapped them both out of their staring. Emily crossed her arms over her chest and Sirena exhaled sharply, tucking her hands in her pockets. “A little,” Sirena admitted.

Before we had a chance to regroup further, however, Hanna sighed. “Okay!” she huffed at Paloma, putting her hands up defensively.

I tried to exchange a look with Emily and Sirena, but they were already having their own wordless conversation.

Paloma walked briskly back over to us, Hanna dragging her feet a little behind her.

“Can we start over?” Paloma asked.

We all nodded.

“This,” Paloma said, gesturing at Hanna, “is Hanna. She is funny and fun and deeply loyal. She often speaks before she thinks, but you can’t help but forgive her over and over because at her core, she is the best of humankind.”

Hanna actually looked a little embarrassed.

Paloma bumped her shoulder into Hanna’s. “She also has oculocutaneous albinism, Type 1. That means her body doesn’t produce melanin, which gives our skin and hair color.”

While this information sunk in, Hanna said, “Is it my turn now?”

Paloma nodded.

“This,” Hanna sighed, gesturing at her friend, “is Paloma. She’s fifty feet tall and only eats purple food. She’s from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She can milk an elephant.”

Shaking her head, Paloma said, “One of those things is true.”

“Ah, but which one?” Hanna said in a spooky voice. Then she mouthed “elephant” and pointed at Paloma.

Sirena and I laughed a little.

“Hey,” Hanna dropped her voice. “Did you know Gilda Radner doesn’t have a counselor?”

“What?” Emily asked. She was a cat with its fur standing on end.

Paloma picked up Hanna’s discarded backpack and handed it to her. “She canceled at the last minute. Got cast on a Second City touring company. They’re scrambling to replace her, but since there’s only five of us—”

“We’re the only girls in the whole camp?” I interrupted, stunned. “There’s like two hundred people here.”

“Yup,” Hanna said. “And since I am really more ghost than girl—”

“Hanna.” Paloma grabbed her wrist. “You do not look like a ghost.”

Hanna smiled. “It’s okay. I’m eternal.” She turned to the rest of us. “Paloma here is my biggest defender.”

Paloma shook her head. “I mostly defend you against you,” she said and slung her own bag over her shoulder.

“Make the first joke, then they laugh with you,” Hanna said, shrugging.

“What are we going to do without a counselor?” Emily asked, shifting from one foot to the other. Sirena wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

Hanna shrugged again. “We’ve got Paloma. After I met her, I told my mom I didn’t need her anymore.”

Emily’s mouth dropped open.

“She’s joking,” Paloma assured her. “I’m just good at keeping a schedule.”

Emily brightened. “Really? You know where we need to be next?”

Paloma smiled at Emily. “Yeah. Dinner’s at six at the Main Lodge. Hanna and I should drop our stuff off at the cabin. We can unpack later. And auditions are tomorrow at nine a.m. Are you all auditioning?”

We nodded and Paloma said, “Good. I thought we could warm up together before we go. And make sure you have some protein at breakfast. It’ll keep you full through the morning.”

“See?” said Hanna, wriggling her eyebrows at us. “Hope