by Bella Abbott
Trent nodded. “I’ll relay that so Christina knows. She deals with the cast directly – very hands-on. I’m sure we’ll get everything running smoothly.”
Melinda dismissed us, and I herded out with the rest of the students. When I got back to my dorm room, only Sarah was there, sitting cross-legged on her bed, bouncing her head to whatever was emanating from her headphones. She waved at me and returned to texting on her phone.
I spent twenty minutes agonizing over what to wear for my first night on the job. Don’t be an idiot. He’s not going to drop by on day one. Especially not to see what kind of sandwiches people are whipping up behind the scenes. Eventually I settled for my usual black jeans and combat boots, with a maroon long-sleeve rugby shirt. I inspected myself in the bathroom mirror and, after fluffing out my hair so that it easily covered my neck, set off for the cafeteria.
Melinda was waiting for us. She took a head count and then led us to the prep kitchen, where a crew was working furiously on foil-wrapping trays of lasagna. Outside, we loaded the catering group’s three service vans with containers of soda, water, and coffee, while four burly young men packed folding tables onto the back of a pickup truck.
The area where the film crew had erected a large tent was only a half mile from the cafeteria, in a clearing near the auditorium on the far side of the campus. We could see spotlights as we neared, and the area was already a beehive of activity, with at least twenty semi-rigs and tour buses parked in the clearing.
A pair of security guards in windbreakers stopped us as we approached, and after speaking into a radio, allowed us to continue. We arrived at where the vans had parked, and Melinda gave us our assignments. I wound up stationed by one of the tables dispensing drinks, and Melinda introduced me to Trent and then Alfred, the site manager.
“Alfred runs the show,” Melinda explained. “Consider him your boss while on the set – anything he wants, he gets.”
I quickly learned that making a movie mostly involved hours of boredom where nothing seemed to happen while the technicians set up whatever they needed to in order for the director – a frowning, unshaved man named Oscar – to direct the shooting of a scene. I scanned the area, but didn’t catch sight of Jared or any of the other actors until almost two hours after we arrived, and then only from a distance as he conferred with Oscar and Christina near the makeup trailer.
I watched him talking to the director, and noted again how gorgeous he was, even from afar. But it wasn’t just his looks that attracted me. He definitely had that intangible known as star quality – there was this larger-than-life presence that radiated from him. Which made my fascination with him pretty absurd. Jared was amazing in every way – looks, talent, personality – and that was before you even got to rich and famous. And I…I was ordinary in every way, and flawed, both physically and mentally. I automatically fingered the hair over my neck.
I closed my eyes, frustrated with myself. When I opened them, Jared was finishing his discussion, script in hand. He glanced in my direction and I quickly looked away, busying myself with straightening up packets of sweetener. After all, I had work to do. I wasn’t there to gawk at the stars. When I dared another glance, he was halfway to my station, and that sensation of being on a roller coaster cresting the highest point hit again, so hard I had to grip the table for support.
He stopped when Christina called to him, and waited as she covered the ground between them, as graceful as a gymnast. She said something, leaning close and whispering in his ear, and his expression hardened, his jaw clenching as she finished. He replied and then continued over to where I was standing. His features betrayed nothing. I waited breathlessly, and he stopped in front of the table, eyes locked on mine, and I felt that odd tingling chill again.
I waited for him to say something, but he just stared at me – not making eye contact, but almost as if he were trying to match my features to something. I fidgeted with one of the plastic containers and swallowed hard, and then worked up the courage to speak.
“I…I never got a chance to thank you for…for the other night,” I said.
He blinked once, as though unaware of what I was talking about, confirming my worst fears. He didn’t even remember me, even after he’d rescued me from Luke.
One eyebrow on his gorgeous face rose a fraction of an inch. “Oh. Of course. No need to thank me. Anyone would have done the same.”
“I don’t know about that. But I…” My mind suddenly went completely blank. He waited expectantly for several beats, and then Trent called his name from somewhere over by the camera. He looked over at Trent and then back at me.
“Glad to see you’re okay,” he said, and turned toward where Trent was bearing down on him.
I choked back my nervousness and managed to blurt out a few words I regretted the second I said them. “I have your jacket.”
He hesitated and then waved a hand nonchalantly as he continued toward Trent. “No problem. It’s yours now.”
The words stung like a slap. He didn’t care. The incident, which had left me badly shaken and questioning myself (Was it assault? Was it somehow my fault?) barely registered in his memory. And the jacket was nothing to him. He probably had dozens like it, or got them free for some endorsement.
I felt about three inches tall. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I’d allowed my roommates to insert a germ of absurd hope that Jared might have…it was too painful to consider.
“Dumb,” I muttered bitterly. There was a reason I wasn’t interested in love, and this was a vivid reminder – as if I needed one.
Jared slowed for a few steps, almost as though he’d heard me, but then he picked up his pace to meet Trent, leaving me deflated. I could feel my eyes moisten, adding insult to injury, and bit back the sob that threatened to burst from my throat. My humiliation was now complete.
I spent the rest of the night in a daze, woodenly handing out coffee and sodas, counting the minutes until I could leave.
Chapter 8
I started awake after a restless night tossing and turning, my eyes burning from too few hours of sleep. Dust motes drifted in a beam of morning sunlight from the window, and I peered at the other beds, which were empty.
I sat up and checked the time and then swung my feet onto the floor and hurried to the bathroom.
“Crap,” I hissed. I’d slept through half my first class – not a good strategy for getting a decent grade, much less keeping my scholarship.
A one-minute shower later, I pulled on pants and a fresh shirt and laced my boots as my heart jackhammered in my chest. Once in the hall, I could hear that the dorm was empty. Apparently I was the only student who’d screwed up on her first week of school.
If I could have felt any more self-conscious than running across the empty field to the main academy building, I don’t know how. I half expected Mrs. Coates’s voice to ring out and call me to the administrative offices, but I managed to make it to the hall without being spotted.
I walked as silently as possible along the corridor to the classroom door, which was closed and had a note taped to it. Unbelievable. I spun and retraced my steps – Robert had moved the class to a clearing by the river instead of staying inside. It was his prerogative as the TA, but to me it just meant I was going to be even later.
I reached the area by the water just as the class was breaking up. Kate looked up at me with a frown from where she was sitting by Robert.
“Little late, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?” I fired back.
She shrugged. “I tried. You told me to leave you alone.”
I blinked. “I must have been completely out of it. I don’t remember doing that.” I turned to Robert. “I’m so sorry. I worked really late last night…”
He smiled. “It’s not the end of the world. Just don’t make a habit of it.” He flipped open a notebook. “I can give you the gist of what you missed. And if Kate was paying attention, she can fill you in on the rest.”
It was Kate’s turn to smile. “We were doing some role-playing after Robert explained cognitive dissonance and normalization bias.”
I had only a vague idea what she was talking about, but nodded as though it was old news to me. “Oh, sure.”
“You know about those already?” Kate asked, not letting me off the hook easily.
I sat down across from her. “Anything I don’t, I’m sure I’ll know after you explain it.”
Robert gave me a short summary, and then Kate got to her feet. “I need to go back to the dorm before my next class. You coming?” she asked me.
“I kind of need to copy Robert’s notes,” I said, earning a dark look from her.
“Shouldn’t take too long,” Robert said.
Kate glanced at her watch and then at Robert. She beamed a smile at him and batted her eyes so hard I could practically feel the breeze. “Thanks for explaining everything so clearly, Robert. The way you describe things, they make a lot more sense than from the book.”
“That’s my job,” he said, returning the smile.
Kate lingered for another minute, taking in the idyllic scene by the river while affording Robert ample opportunity to appreciate her voluptuous curves, and then sashayed off, her hips swinging a little more than usual. If Robert noticed, he gave no indication and returned his attention to me when she disappeared over the rise.
“So you were working late? Where do you work?” he asked.
“I’m doing work study with the catering group. We were on the movie set till almost one.”
He nodded. “I heard about that yesterday. That’s got to be quite a thrill.”
I averted my eyes. “Not as much as you’d think.”
Robert frowned. “Didn’t go well?”
“It was a long night,” I said, my tone making it clear I didn’t want to discuss it.
“Ah. Okay. So, back to the class. I had the students tell each other a short summary about themselves, which I always find interesting.” He paused expectantly and raised an eyebrow. “Well?”
I sighed. It could have been worse. At least I didn’t have to do this in front of the rest of the group.
“You already know my name,” I said. “I just turned eighteen, and I’m from a little town in rural Pennsylvania that time forgot. Here on an academic scholarship.”
Robert nodded encouragement, and I couldn’t help but notice that his green eyes sparkled in the sunlight. I remembered Kate’s insistence that he was a handsome specimen, and had to give her props for being right about that.
“I’m interested in psychology, which is why I’m taking this class,” I continued. “My dad, um, passed away a couple of years ago; mom, my stepmom, is still alive. She’s Ridley alumni, so it was really important to her for me to come here,” I explained. “My high school…well, it was really small. Didn’t do much to prepare me for anything more than a minimum-wage job.”
Robert’s expression didn’t change. “Sorry about your father.”
“Thanks,” I said, glad he hadn’t asked about my birth mother.
“Any brothers or sisters at home?”
I shook my head, careful not to do so too hard lest my hair expose my neck. “Nope.” I eyed him. “What about you? Did you do the capsule summary about yourself, too?”
That got a reaction, and he smiled. “I’m twenty-two. From Delaware. Working on my doctorate at the university. I got lucky when I was a sophomore and created an app that did pretty well. So I took a year off, started a company to develop it, and sold it when I figured out I wasn’t enjoying myself. Now I’m keeping a promise I made to my mother to finish school. That’s about it.”
“Brothers or sisters?” I asked.
His expression darkened, and his hand moved to a silver bracelet on his left wrist. “One. A year older.” He paused. “We couldn’t be more different. He’s the black sheep of the family.”
“So you’re the good son? What would your parents say?”
“Nothing. They’ve both passed away.” He sighed. “I wouldn’t say I’m the good one, but I’m probably the better one.” His tone brightened. “You only have a few more minutes to copy my notes or you’re going to be late for your next class. Better get to it,” he said, and passed me his notebook.
I scrawled as fast as I could, and had most of the highlights jotted down by the time he stood. I handed back the notebook and rose, and fidgeted for a moment.
“Thanks,” I said.
“No problem. Just try not to miss any more classes or I’m going to have to ding you.” He smiled to soften the warning. “Now I have to get moving, or I’m going to be late for my next one, too.”
“Thanks again. I really appreciate it,” I said, relieved both for not having gotten into more trouble this early in the term, and for not having been forced to explain more about my background. Facts I was comfortable giving people; feelings, not so much.
We went our separate ways, Robert toward the administrative buildings and I to my English class, my fatigue weighing heavily as I rushed to make it before the bell sounded. I decided to take a nap before tonight’s catering stint, and resolved in addition to avoid thinking about Jared anymore – a decision I knew in my heart I would violate by noon, if not before.
Chapter 9
By the time classes were over, I was ready to drop, and it was all I could do to make it to the dorm and crawl into bed, using Jared’s jacket as a blanket.
I drifted into a troubled sleep, and soon was dreaming. I was standing on a frost-covered hill, staring into a valley blanketed in fog about an hour before the sun’s first glow would spread across the sky. I looked down at my clothes, which were from a prior era: an ankle-length dress spun from some luminescent cloth, and hand-sewn leather shoes.
The wind intensified and moaned through the ghostly fingers of winter trees that dotted the surrounding slopes. The remains of fires smoldered in the distance like orange embers pockmarking the terrain, and pyres of inky smoke corkscrewed into the night sky.
A screech from above echoed through the hills, and a large black bird soared over the valley and wheeled toward me. I followed the night bird’s flight as it banked and darted downward, and then gasped when it transformed into human form and accelerated away – but not before I saw its face.
Jared’s features, his cobalt eyes burning with intensity and gazing into mine as though the distance between us could be traversed in a blink.
He sped into the distance until he was just a tiny dot against the tapestry of stars, and my throat burned like liquid fire when I screamed.
“Nooooo!”
I started awake and noted that I was breathing hard, as if I’d been running. Cyrus’s furry face stared at me from half a foot away like I’d lost my mind. He shifted on Jared’s jacket and leapt to the floor, indignant at being roused from his slumber.
I looked around the darkened room and regained my bearings. My roommates were out, so my waking from the nightmare hadn’t been witnessed by anyone. I swung my legs off the bed and stumbled to the circular table, where I saw a note in Serena’s neat script.
Lace ~ Going into town for more health food at the pizza parlor. Call if you break free.
I smiled in the gloom. There wasn’t a lot to do at Ridley besides study and wolf down carbs, both of which Serena had embraced. I patted my stomach at the thought of more pizza and made a face on the way to the bathroom to get ready for my night shift on the set.
I set off at a good pace, figuring I would make it with a few minutes to burn. When I got there, I found the set subdued, with none of the flurry of activity of the prior night. I looked around, hoping to see Jared, but only saw a few grips and gaffers going about their business. Alfred was texting on his cell phone near one of the trucks, and I walked over to him. He nodded in recognition and turned to me.
“Evening,” he said. “Calm night. No shooting, so we’ve only got half the crew.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
“Technical iss
ues to work through.” He looked me over. “We probably won’t need everyone here the whole time. I’ll talk to Melinda, but it’s okay with me if you want to bug out once we get started. We’ll just need a few pots of coffee to keep us going.”
“Oh…great,” I said. “Let me know if you need anything.”
Alfred smiled. “Perfect.”
An hour crawled by, and Melinda appeared at my station with one of the other students.
“Casey volunteered to stay to the end if you want the rest of the night off,” she announced. With no Jared in evidence and only two cups of coffee poured since I’d gotten there, I couldn’t see any reason to stay.
As I walked up the path toward the road, I smelled smoke. I slowed when I came upon a man standing near a big motorcycle, a cigarette glowing in his hand. I drew nearer, there being no other way to get to the access road. He was wearing a leather vest over a denim jacket, and a Harley T-shirt and jeans. A pair of black motorcycle boots completed the outfit, along with a baseball cap perched backward on his head.
I glanced around, painfully aware of how deserted the area was. The lights of the shoot were now well in the distance – too far for anyone to hear if I had to scream for help. The man turned from where he’d been watching the set and blew a cloud of smoke at the sky. His teeth glinted white in the moonlight when he grinned, and I could see he wasn’t that much older than me, although a five o’clock shadow and spider tattoo on his neck made him look far more weathered.
“Hey. You snuck up on me there,” he said, his tone friendly.
“Yeah, uh, sorry,” I replied, slowing as I approached where his bike was blocking half the trail.
“You with the movie people?” he asked, indicating the set lights by the auditorium.
I nodded. “Catering.” I paused, thinking fast. “I’m surprised security hasn’t made you move along. This is private property, and they patrol it regularly. There should be another along soon.”