Brilliant: Book One of the StarCruiser Brilliant Series

by Rick Lakin

  “Not always. If we tie, that means I'm perfect like you. I want to be perfect.”

  Srinivasa said, “There is a Hindu saying, ‘Seek within first and find the perfection within and you will see the perfection without.’ That means that you don’t need to measure yourself against me to view yourself as perfect.”

  “I want to be as good as I possibly can.”

  Srini smiled, “That is a noble goal, Miss Jenna. Therefore, I'll try hard and set the measuring stick higher.”

  They worked for another hour, and Jennifer reached for the higher bar. Srinivasa said, “You made much progress, but you have a big tennis match and only an hour to rest up. Remember, you can still be as good as you can possibly be, but still lose.”

  “Srini, I know I'll be the best that I can, but I played the match several times in my mind. I know that we'll win.”

  “This is the ’vision thing’ I heard about?” Srinivasa asked.

  “Yes, Srini, but wish me luck anyway. Laters.”

  “Of course, good luck, Miss Jenna, and good morning.”

  They had an hour before Tayla’s singles semi. They went to an empty court and practiced Jennifer’s kick serve. Tayla said, “Remember when it’s good and forget when it’s bad. That way you'll build muscle memory. That’s how I get in The Zone.”

  “The Zone?” Jennifer asked.

  “Sometimes when I am in a tough match, I get so focused that everything slows down. A really hard ball will come, I can feel each step, the racket preparation, and the swing. I know in my bones exactly where the ball is going off my racket. I have heard that pro athletes call it 'The Zone',” Tayla said.

  “I'm starting to feel it, but I'm just not consistent,” Jennifer said.

  “The good ones are getting better, and the bad ones are getting fewer,” Tayla coached.

  “Tayla, I need to tell you something. I worked this match out in my head, and it’s going to depend all on me at the end. I know we'll win, but the reality part says I hope I don’t screw up.”

  “What do you mean you worked it out?”

  “I take my memories and my knowledge, and I build movies in my head. I call it 'the vision thing'.”

  “Does it work?” Tayla asked.

  “It does. But I have never done it with sports.”

  “I don’t like to lose, and getting in The Zone usually works for me,” Tayla said. “I have Rena Dale in the semis. She's my age. I'll probably have her older sister Chrissie in the final. Watch closely. Maybe you can use the vision thing to figure out how to beat them.”

  “Good luck, Tay. I want you to win.”

  “Thanks, that’s the first time you have ever called me that. I like it.”

  “Hey, we are BFFs. At least until I blow the final.”

  “Not gonna happen. Either way, though, Best Friends Forever.” They hugged, and Tayla headed for Court 2.

  Rena Dale was good, and both girls knew it. She was fundamentally sound, but after watching her in practice and clinic over the last few days, Tayla knew that she didn’t recover from mistakes well, especially when her friendly rivals threw in some trash talk.

  The two girls shook hands before the match and Tayla heard her say, “Watch out for Valley Power.” Her opponent just made it okay to play the mental game.

  The two girls traded quality serves until 3-3 when Rena was serving at 30-30. Rena’s first serve went wide, then she sent a soft second serve floating across the net. Tayla jumped on the approach shot. The crowd heard the Pop and Rena saw the low forehand coming straight for her belly button on the bounce. Rena just wasn’t prepared for the shot. She had a look of fear as the ball collided with her racket and went wild for an error. Tayla looked across the net and said, “Too hard, Rena?”

  30-40. It was the first time in Rena’s short tennis career that she felt real pressure. Her first serve went long. She looked rattled but got it together for a decent second serve. Tayla was ready and returned hard. The two girls swapped groundies until Rena chased out too far and Tayla hit a winner to the open court.

  Tayla was up a break. Tayla hit four powerful serves, 5-3. Rena’s heart wasn’t in it anymore, and Tayla broke Rena efficiently for the match.

  The two girls met at the net to shake hands. Rena said, “That was mean.”

  “You told me to watch out for Valley Power. Tell your sister to watch out. I’m a valley girl now.”

  Tayla and Jennifer ate lunch and relaxed. Again, other players came to their table and congratulated Tayla and wished the two luck. Apparently, the other girls weren’t big fans of ‘Valley Power.’

  As they walked toward their doubles showdown with Rena and Chrissie, Jennifer said, “I watched some of Chrissie's match during your match. Chrissie's a stronger player. Tayla, I think that they both cheat towards the center on the opponent’s second serve. Could I have imagined that?”

  Tayla pondered, “I think I saw that once or twice. They both do it?”

  “I believe that they do. How can I take advantage?” Jennifer asked.

  “It might be too tricky for you. You would have to adjust the timing of your kick serve,” Tayla said.

  Jennifer replied, “I want to beat these two. Let’s try tricky.”

  Tayla was focused, “Okay, in the deuce court, when you throw the ball up, throw it a little forward and you will hit the ball a bit later. It will give the ball some sidespin, and if the sisters are cheating to the center, it will bounce high and wide and be harder to handle.”

  “Nothing to lose. I haven't held serve in our first two matches. I'll do my best. Tayla, we'll win, though. I know it.”

  One p.m. Court 1. It was the final afternoon of tennis camp. The parents were in the stands to see how far their daughters advanced. Jennifer and Tayla were facing Rena and Chrissie in the Doubles final. The other campers were playing matches on the other courts. Sheila was sitting with Jen’s grandparents, Jack and Ciara. Steven and Ana Mendoza sat nearby.

  On the court, handshakes were exchanged but no smiles, and this time no trash talk. Jennifer and Tayla hugged once more and took their places for Rena to serve. The younger sister looked as if she had recovered from the earlier loss. She served with power and attitude and held the first game.

  Jennifer served at 0-1. She won a couple of points, but she was broken by the sisters. Chrissie served at 2-0. Jennifer and Tayla took her to deuce, but two points later, Tayla served down three games.

  Tayla said, “I can win my serve, but it's all about defense from here out. We need to get back in this.” Tayla won her serve efficiently and put the two friends on the board.

  Rena served at 3-1 with the same confidence as before, but Jennifer received and hit a solid cross-court return. Rena barely got to it, setting up a clean volley winner for Tayla. At Love-15, Rena served to Tayla. At the last moment, Tayla saw Chrissie cheat as if she was going to poach across and hit the volley return into the defenseless Jennifer. Tayla then hit a clean winner down the line past Chrissie.

  At Love-30, Rena offered a strong serve that Jennifer couldn't handle. 15-30. Tayla then hit another strong return that was too wide for Rena to handle, so Rena was serving to Jennifer at 15-40.

  “Get another nice return, and we can beat these girls. If Chrissie tries to poach again, take her down the line,” Tayla said.

  Jennifer settled to receive. Rena served. Chrissie moved to her right. Jennifer hit a great return into the empty alley. 2-3. Jennifer to serve.

  Jennifer struggled again on her serve but won a couple of points before being broken.

  Chrissie served to Tayla at 4-2. Chrissie and Tayla traded groundies in a powerful exchange. Tayla hit one wide, and Chrissie chased. Chrissie’s return popped up right in front of Jennifer at the net. She was surprised, but she put away the volley. The girls traded points. At 30-40, Chrissie served, and Jennifer hit a soft return to Chrissie. The older sister charged but she made a mistake of over-confidence. She struck a powerful approach forehand directly at Tayla right acr
oss the net thinking that her nemesis was weaker and couldn’t handle it. But Tayla was ready and volleyed right past Rena and Chrissie for the break of serve.

  All the other matches were over, and the camp girls and their families heard about the drama on Court 1. The stands were quickly filling up.

  The sisters looked at Jennifer and Tayla with new respect and now a bit of fear. They were way ahead before, and now Tayla could serve to even the match at 4-4. And she did.

  The girls put their heads together, and Tayla said, “Defense. We got this.” Jennifer nodded.

  Rena’s service game was strong, but she couldn't overcome the friends’ building confidence. Rena was broken and Jennifer Gallagher, beginning tennis player, was serving for the match and the championship.

  Jennifer served to Rena. They traded ground strokes, and then Tayla was able to cross over and hit a winner at the net. Jennifer served to Chrissie, but Jennifer couldn't handle the hard return. 15-all. Jennifer served to Rena. The two younger players traded ground strokes again. Rena hit one too softly. Jennifer approached and hit it past the surprised Chrissie. 30-15. Jennifer hit her first serve long. Chrissie got ready for her second serve. Rena was hugging the net. Jennifer saw it and served, and Chrissie hit a deep return. And then Jennifer did something entirely unexpected. She took the ball on the short hop and lobbed it over Rena. Chrissie chased the ball deep and to the alley but couldn’t catch up. 40-15. The championship was on Jennifer’s racket.

  Jennifer looked at Tayla with a questioning look. Tayla stared right back, nodded her head and mouthed the word ‘yes.’ Jennifer shrugged. It was time to reach into the trick bag.

  Rena settled for the return. Jennifer saw her cheat to the middle. She breathed and thought through all the things that Tayla coached her on. She served wide. It landed in the deepest corner and bounced high and away from Rena. Rena chased and swung. She only hit air. Ace. Game. Set. Championship. The new girl from Arizona. The Total Tennis beginner. Best friends forever. Champions!

  There were cheers from the stands. Jennifer and Tayla celebrated. Jennifer looked at her mom who looked like she was crying.

  The competitors came to the net. There were handshakes and, surprisingly, hugs as well. Chrissie said, “You two deserved this.”

  Tayla responded, “Good Luck, Chrissie.”

  “You too, Tayla.”

  The singles final was power vs. power, but Tayla had just a bit more finesse, and she went on to win the singles title 6-3.

  At the awards ceremony, Tayla and Jennifer got the doubles trophy, and Tayla got the singles trophy, Jennifer also got the Most Improved trophy, and Tayla got the Kid’s Coach award for helping the younger players throughout the summer. The families took lots of pictures, and afterward, the girls ate lots of pizza. School was three weeks away, and Jennifer and Tayla looked forward to going to Warner Academy together.

  Five

  The Internship

  Jennifer woke up at seven a.m. and was editing the next book in the Galaxy Warriors series. Three hours later, the front doorbell rang. Sheila answered and said, “Jennifer, can you come here?”

  Jennifer got there, holding Pugsley. She saw the Nesbitt twins standing on the porch and Kailyn, the older twin, held Dandy. Pugsley barked and Kamryn, the younger twin, said, “We have to stay in a hotel while they build our house and they won’t let us keep Dandy Lion.” Both girls were almost in tears now.

  “I know it's asking a lot, but we know Dandy loves you. Could you keep him for the summer?” Ms. Nesbitt said.

  “I think we can manage. Jennifer?” Sheila said.

  “It’s up to Pugs.” Pugsley barked again and looked at Jennifer with his tongue hanging. “Pugs says yes, but only for the summer.”

  The twins shouted, “Yes, we want him back.”

  "Thank you so much," Mrs. Nesbitt said. “Here is a bag of the cat food that Dandy likes. He is very particular in his taste.”

  The girls hugged Dandy and then handed him over to Jennifer.

  Jennifer had her hands full with two animals eyeing each other warily. Dandy reached out with a paw and lightly slapped Pugsley on the side of the head. “Dandy told Pugsley to calm down,” Kailyn said. Jennifer furrowed her eyebrows as she observed this curious cat behavior.

  On the way to her room Jennifer said, “Let me go get a pet pillow for you, Dandy.” When she came back, Dandy enthroned himself on Jennifer’s bed where Pugsley usually slept. Pugsley was on the floor looking up with a forlorn look.

  “I have heard of alpha dogs but an alpha cat?” Jennifer put the pillow down and coaxed the pug over. “Well, Pugs, it looks like we are going to have to make sacrifices for our displaced guest.” She looked at Dandy. “Don’t kill each other. I have to get ready for tennis.”

  Chrissie and Rena Dale met Tayla and Jennifer at the Calabasas Tennis Center for doubles. All four hit with the “Pop” coming off their rackets. They quickly drew a gallery. The girls split two hard-fought sets and then hit the showers.

  At the Topanga Table, Rena said, “Tayla, you and Chrissie get to fight it out in college single matches next year. I'm jealous.”

  “But you and Jennifer will have to learn not to run into each other when you party up for the doubles tournaments next year,” Chrissie said.

  “Didn’t your baby sister take out both you and Tayla in the high school championships? I may be the weakest link here, but I think we can hold our own,” Jennifer said. “Have a good summer, folks, and let’s try to play on weekends. I have a gig during the week.”

  Chrissie asked, “You got the dream job?”

  Jennifer replied, “Yep, I start at Tovar on Tuesday.”

  “Try not to bite David’s lip when you two meet,” Rena joked.

  “Seriously, guys, I'm not obsessed,” Jennifer said.

  “Seriously, Jen, you are,” Tayla replied and the four girls laughed.

  The girls hugged, promised to keep in touch, and headed for their cars. “Whatcha got this weekend?” Tayla asked.

  “I'm getting Dandy Lion settled,” Jennifer said.

  “Dandy? The Nesbitt cat that you saved?”

  “The Nesbitts are stuck in a hotel for the summer with no pets while they rebuild."

  “Call me as soon as you get your license.”

  On Monday, Sheila drove Jennifer to the California DMV in Winnetka for her driver’s test.

  “Do you remember the rules? Will you be careful?”

  “Yes, Mom. You know I'm a safe driver.”

  “On this test, you can’t use AutoDrive. You have to press the pedals and steer the wheel.”

  “Been there. Done that. I got this.” Jennifer drummed her fingers on her knee.

  “Be nice to my Mercedes.”

  Sheila parked in the Examiner’s lot. “I'm going to Starbucks across the street.”

  “I'll call WHEN I get my license.”

  “You and your vision thing. Good luck.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  Sheila crossed the street to the Starbucks. She ordered a mocha and took a seat when her assistant, Susan, and Ana Mendoza walked in. “Is it parked where I told you?”

  Ana said, “Yes, here are the keys.”

  “Thanks. Tayla doesn’t know, right?”

  “It’s our secret.”

  Susan and Ana drove back to their office.

  Sheila took out her phone and made the call that she was dreading.

  “Tovar Studios, Navvy Kelrithian’s office. How may I help you?” Kathy Sakai, Navvy’s assistant answered.

  “This is Sheila Gallagher from GGG. Does Navvy have a moment?” Sheila said.

  “It's nice to speak with you again, Sheila. It’s been a long time. Can you hold just a moment?”

  Kathy dialed Navvy’s intercom, “Yes?”

  “Sheila Gallagher is calling from GGG. I think she's the General Counsel there. Are we doing business with them again?”

  “God, it's been seventeen years,” Navvy said. “Wait, did I hear we
have an intern named Gallagher coming in?”

  “That’s correct,” Kathy said.

  “Put her on.”

  Kathy connected the call.

  “Sheila, it’s been forever. I remember when you and Anthen used to play together at the studio.”

  “Hello, Navvy. Thanks for taking my call.”

  “Is GGG doing business with us again? How can I help you?”

  “It’s about my daughter, Jennifer. She is an overly obsessed fan of your movies, and besides that, she is crushing on a certain young actor of yours. Unbeknownst to me, she applied for an internship at your studio and, unfortunately, got it.”

  “I remember reading her résumé. She is a Brilliant girl, and very talented. She has a future in this business,” Navvy said.

  “You don’t know the half of it. Navvy, I want you to promise me that you will keep her safe.”

  “Sheila, I might not even run into her on set.”

  “I need you to promise.”

  Now, he was starting to understand. “I know that you and your family still have bad feelings about Anthen’s accident. I lost a son, and furthermore, I didn't have anything to do with the news that came out—”

  “Navvy, she’s your granddaughter.”

  Silence from Navvy. “How?”

  “The last semester of my senior year at UVN, I ran into Anthen on set. We connected and started dating. It was getting serious. I missed my period, and before I could tell Anthen, the accident happened.”

  More silence. “All these years. You could have told Hanna and me," Navvy whispered.

  “I was angry. Tovar blamed GGG for killing Anthen. And I blamed Tovar. By the time I came to grips with it, I was a lawyer at GGG and a single mom. There was no point in opening old wounds.”

  “Does Jennifer know?” Navvy asked.

  “Jennifer thinks that her father might be an actor called Anton Kazerian. That was his stage name. She doesn’t know about you and Hanna.”