Papers and piledrivers

“Ijust don’t understand how they could double book…”

Lizzie sighed as she hurried along by Anita’s side. “It’s a big hotel, Anita…” she said, trying to catch her breath. “It isn’t like we can’t have the conference here, too…” “But it’s going to be so crowded! And with… with…” Anita stopped walking so suddenly, Lizzie barrelled into her. “I cannot imagine what Professor Robinson is going to say about this whole thing. He’ll never want me to chair the event again.” Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Of course he will,” she said, placatingly. “Look, Anita.”

She pulled out her folder, within which she’d placed the hotel’s plans for the weekend. “We’ve got theatres one and two, and then the ballroom in the evenings.

“And they’ve got…” She flicked to the next page. “The convention hall all weekend, and the bar space. It’s fine.”

The look Anita gave Lizzie made it clear that she didn’t believe her. Lizzie knew it was panic fuelling her right now: the chance that her first time chairing the conference would be ruined before it had even begun.

“Why don’t you go and check that they’ve got everything set up?” she said, trying to redirect her friend’s nervous energy.

Anita gave her a half-desperate smile. “Good idea,” she said. “And you –”

“I’ll make sure everything is ready in the theatres.” “OK. Thank you, Lizzie.” Anita rushed away. Lizzie took a long breath, then glanced down at her notes once more.

Lecture Theatres 1 and 2, Ballroom: Pre-renaissance Literature Society Conference.

Convention Hall A, Bar Space: North England Wrestling Federation Convention.

It was, Lizzie had to admit, an odd pairing, but it would be fine. She had bigger things to worry about. Tomorrow, she would be presenting her work to an audience for the first time.

The paper, entitled Just Like Sisters: Queer Medieval Literature, had been fairly successful thus far, and she had been asked by Professor Robinson himself to present it at the conference.

She needed to practise again.

She’d read through the paper dozens of times, either to herself or her roommate or her cat, but never in an actual lecture theatre

– not one that big, anyway.

She could take the half hour or so while

Anita was busy to run through it again.

The lecture theatre was unlocked and empty. As she walked towards the stage, her footsteps echoed. She placed her folder on the plinth, peered out at the rows of chairs, and began to speak.

Afterwards, in the lift, heading back to her room, she felt a little better. Not entirely better, not calm, but better. She gave a sigh as the doors began to slide shut. “Wait! Hold the doors!”

Lizzie snapped back to reality, leaping forwards and throwing out her hand between the doors before they could close. Her grip on the folder slipped, and it crashed to the floor at her feet, scattering pages everywhere.

Lizzie went to grab them, filled with sudden visions of the pages slipping through the gap at the bottom of the lift and being lost to the darkness beyond.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry —”

A pair of feet in vibrantly coloured trainers appeared in front of her. Lizzie looked up.

A woman. She towered over Lizzie where she knelt on the floor, but she didn’t seem tall.

She was broad – her shoulders looked strong and sturdy. She had a wild mess of asymmetrical hair in a lurid pink colour.

Her eyes were huge and blue. Lizzie’s

It was, she had to admit, an odd pairing, but it’d be fine

breath caught in her throat. The moment passed in less than a second, and then the woman bent down, scrabbling among the papers herself.

“Sorry,” she said, breathlessly. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t…”

“It’s OK, I’m the one who…”

“Oh man, these look important, too.”

They both reached for the final page at the same time, their hands brushing. The other woman’s fingertips felt warm and rough. Lizzie snatched her hand back immediately, feeling a blush rise up her cheeks as she scrambled to her feet.

“Sorry…”

The woman grabbed the page and stood up. She turned the page over – it was the cover, Lizzie belatedly realised. The woman peered at it as she stepped in, the doors sliding shut behind her. Her mouth quirked into a lopsided, charming grin.

“Just Like Sisters, eh? The number of times I’ve heard that… sounds interesting.”

She looked up, flashing Lizzie a smile.

“Did you write this?”

Lizzie felt herself blushing even more as she took back the cover page.

“Yes,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear self-consciously. “I’m presenting my paper tomorrow afternoon.”

“So you’re Elizabeth, then?”

There was a little flip in Lizzie’s stomach. “Lizzie, actually.”

The woman smiled even wider.

“Mae,” she said. “You coming to see any of the matches?”

It took Lizzie a second to realise what she meant. “Oh, I hadn’t…”

“You should.” Mae gave her a coy look. “I’m on in the afternoon. You can come along, if you like. And I’ll sneak in to hear your presentation,” she added, with a wink.

Lizzie stuttered uncertainly, feeling as if her face was suddenly on fire.

“Think about it,” Mae said. The lift came to a halt. “Oh – this is me. See you later?”

Lizzie regained control of her tongue.

“Yeah,” she said, as Mae walked away.

“See you later.”

A pair of feet in vibrant trainers appeared in front of her