Not Your Villain
Page 27
“That’s a great idea!”
It takes them some time to find their way back to the trapdoor to the tunnels, but finally they find the place again. It’s empty, but the projector is still set up. There’s an empty bowl with a few popcorn kernels in it and a notepad with some doodles.
“They’ll be back,” Bells says.
* * *
The hideout soon becomes as much theirs as it is the movie-watchers. Thomas thinks the idea of spreading the word through their network is great, and they put the information out and take time to enjoy a pre-Collective movie here and there.
One day in midsummer a knock sounds on the tunnel door. Thomas and Kyle look at each other, and Cal pushes their goggles up on their nose.
Bells pulls open the spyhole and looks out.
“Hi— Is this the—”
“Don’t just ask, you have to give them the password!”
“Oh, oh, yes, um… Han shot first?”
Bells raises his eyebrows and opens the door. He’ll explain that they’re not just showing banned movies.
The newcomers are young; barely older than Brendan. The girl pushes her glasses up her nose and gives Bells a wide-eyed look. “So… is this the Resistance?”
Bells sweeps his arms in a welcoming gesture. “Yes. We’re the Resistance. Come on in.”
EMMA ROBLEDO
AND THE SIDEKICK SQUAD
WILL RETURN IN
NOT YOUR BACKUP
Acknowledgments…
To the incredible team at Interlude Press and Duet Books, I thank you for all the support and for the home you’ve built for this world. I could not have done this without you. Annie, Nicki, Kristina, and the editorial team, your dedication and effort inspire me. Thank you for helping me bring this book to the next level. Choi, as always, thank you for the inspiring, gorgeous, absolutely wonderful artwork and bringing Bells and this world to life in vivid detail. And of course to Candy, who went above and beyond for Sidekick and the entire series, thank you for everything, for your grace and belief in the book, for doing all the amazing things in getting these books to libraries, to booksellers, to reviewers, to readers. IP is really a family of amazing, dedicated people.
Endless gratitude for the beta-readers who read drafts, who gave me feedback at every step of the process, and really helped craft this story into the best it could be. Thank you to Catherine, Sun, Savannah, and Mish for reading early (and later) drafts; your feedback helped so much and I appreciate it. For Jeremy, Zane, Cass, Hunter, and Mel: thank you so much for everything, for all the phone calls, the email threads, the meetups and chatting about Bells and everything in between. Thank you all for your love, insight, and support.
Michelle, your optimism and ability to turn a mountain into a molehill and just be there for middle-of-the-night conversations and reading chapters and snippets and entire manuscripts and just giving the best critiques. You’re wonderful and you should know it. Lingfei, who always was up for hanging out in a random coffee shop or restaurant while I write, your friendship is magic. To Chloe and Kate, my L.A. wolf pack, the best of times are always had and I’m always looking forward to more. Thank you, Diane, for all the thoughtfulness and amazing times this year. I’m looking forward to more adventures with you.
Bells and Emma, thank you for encouraging your namesakes, and I wish you all the best in your lives. Mai, Cal, Katrina, Em, Karen, and Michael, thank you for the encouragement, the friendship, and all the support. To Freck, Michelle, Sylvia, Maggie, Mel, Tay, Leda, and KT, thank you for everything: the love and banter and all the positivity. Thanks for the endless group chats and the constant love and support from my friends, amazing writers and amazing people—you all know who you are.
Thank you to the wonderful folks at the Lambda Literary Foundation, Benjamin Alire Saenz and all the amazing 2016 YA cohort: Karen, Paul, Damian, Laura, Molly, Christina, Peyton, Sarah, Kelly, and Emilio. I learned so much from all of you and am looking forward to seeing all your published works.
To the incredible team at the Ripped Bodice, to Bea and Leah for creating such a creative and nurturing space, and for my fellow writers who made this space a home: Sarah Kuhn, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Jenn LeBlanc, Janet Eckford, and Diya Mishra. It’s been an amazing year and I’d like to also thank Maryelizabeth Yturralde, Crystal Perkins, Emily Kate Johnson, Margaret Stohl, Paul Krueger, Angel Cruz, Charlie Jane Anders, Dahlia Adler, Marissa Minna Lee, and Jes Vu for believing in Sidekick and the series.
To my parents and my brother, thank you for your support, and thanks to all my aunties and uncles and endless number of cousins for cheering me on.
I’ve always found families where I’ve needed them the most, and this year has been a deluge of new friendships and love. To the NaNoWrimo writing community, the lovely writing friends at Du-Parrs, and my boba buddies, thank you. Thank you all. To new friends and to those who’ve been with me from the very beginning: You are my anchor.
I never expected the response to Not Your Sidekick; my first and foremost thank you is to you, the reader. At every stage, from the cover release to the book launch and the year after, the book has been met with overwhelming support and I’m so thankful for everyone who’s been excited; who read the book and enjoyed it; everyone who shared tweets and Tumblr posts and videos; and everyone who reviewed the book and were inspired to create fanworks. Thank you so much; I’m so inspired by all of you.
About the Author…
C.B. Lee is a bisexual writer based in California. She is a first-generation Asian American and holds a BA in sociology and environmental science, which occasionally comes in handy in her chosen career, but not usually. Lee enjoys reading, hiking, rock climbing and other outdoor pursuits.
Not Your Sidekick (2016) was named a finalist for both the Lambda Literary Awards and the Bisexual Book Awards. Lee’s first novel, Seven Tears at High Tide (2015), was also a Bisexual Book Awards finalist. She is a Lambda Literary Emerging LGBTQ Voices Fellow.
For a reader’s guide to Not Your Villain and book club prompts, please visit duetbooks.com.
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NOW AVAILABLE
from Duet Books
Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
Welcome to Andover, where superpowers are common—but not for Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers when an internship for Andover’s resident supervillain allows her to work alongside her longtime crush Abby and helps her unravel a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.
ISBN (print) 978-1-945053-03-0 | (eBook) 978-1-945053-04-7
Buy Now: IP Webstore | Amazon | Apple iBookstore | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble
Seven Tears at High Tide by C.B. Lee
Kevin Luong walks to the ocean’s edge with a broken heart. Remembering a legend his mother told him, he lets seven tears fall into the sea. “I just want one summer—one summer to be happy and in love.” Instead, he finds himself saving a mysterious boy from the Pacific—a boy who later shows up on his doorstep professing his love. What he doesn’t know is that Morgan is a selkie, drawn to answer Kevin’s wish. As they grow close, Morgan is caught between the dangers of the human world and his legacy in the selkie community to which he must return at summer’s end.
ISBN (print) 978-1-941530-47-4 | (eBook) 978-1-941530-48-1
Buy Now: IP Webstore | Amazon | Apple iBookstore | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble
The Star Host by F.T. Lukens
Ren grew up listening to his mother tell stories about the Star Hosts—mythical people possessed by the power of the stars. Captured by a nefarious Baron, Ren discovers he may be something out of his mother’s stories. He befriends Asher, a member of the Phoenix Corps. Together, they must master Ren’s growing power, and try to save their friends while navigating the growing attraction between them.
ISBN (print) 978-1-9
41530-72-6 | (eBook) 978-1-941530-73-3
Buy Now: IP Webstore | Amazon | Apple iBookstore | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble