818 The New Actors

Hayley has officially become my new Nick.

Like brother, like sister.

historical

Showing up out of nowhere in the most unexpected of times in the most unexpected of places. If someone came up to me and said that there exists a super-secret incubator that generates an endless amount of clones of Nick and Hayley – hell, I’d believe them.

With a life like my own – what’s left to even raise an eyebrow at anymore, really?

She looked at me. I looked at her. A quintillion billion thoughts crackling hollow in my empty head like fireworks, but not a single one ever large enough to blast out my lips as words.

Awkwardness was a good fizzler too – so there’s that. And considering the still smoking wreckage of how our last interaction went down, asphyxiation by awkwardness was a high possibility between us.

“Maltrisar!” blared a great, booming voice, snapping the tension, and one that which Hayley immediately turned her head towards. “The cameras are rolling and there’s still not an elf to be seen anywhere! Not a good look on your first day – I’m letting you know now!”

Stand me a million miles away blasted constantly by the infernal screams of the damned, and I’d still easily manage to pick out Mr. Director here over the hellish symphony.

Hayley checked her pointed ears with a firm tug before eagerly rushing forward to her place on set like she didn’t just hear herself being beckoned by Satan himself.

.....

What the hell was happening, what kind of shoot we were currently doing – I’ve no idea of either two. You’d think being one of the major characters in this project, I’d have at least a vague idea of where things were heading.. but apparently this project was just too progressive and ambitious for that kind of stuff. Plot so good, even I don’t know what’s going on.

Only one way to find out, I suppose.

I resumed walking, stepping over long winding cables, and weaving past members of staff strewn across the narrow hallway, and rounded beneath the same opened doorway that Hayley disappeared into.. with Ash, as always, tagging close behind.

On my own, I was quite sure it would have taken much longer for everyone to even notice me, but since I wasn’t, and was actually accompanied by the most accurate depiction of Elvenkind, let’s just say people had the tendency to stare.. with the most blatant, and unpleasant of which belonging to..

“Oh, hey, Ash!” there was a heroic flutter of a cape, dashing blue eyes aglow, and a second later, Leon had swallowed up my entire view, engulfed by his golden locks and pearly white smile. “And my dear friend, Chester too – of course! Glad you’re here. Both of you.”

Why do I feel like an afterthought? Is it ’cause I’m not a pretty Elf, too? Is that it? I have my good points too, damn it.

“As am I,” Ash replied, tilting her head in the usual greeting. “I must thank you all for accommodating myself once more. I do hope my presence will be of no burden in any way.”

“Nonsense!” Leon declared perhaps a little too uncharacteristically. “In fact, come to all of our shoots if you wish! I’ll make sure you’d get the right approval, anything you want.”

“You’re too kind.”

Too kind is right..

“Leon,” I whispered firmly, pulling his attention that was so set on Ash toward me. Once I knew I gained his full undivided, I looked over past his gallant stature; toward the center of the shoot, where a familiar figure stood in wait. “Hayley, over there – when did..? who did..?”

“Amanda got her in for us,” He answered. “And frankly, it’s a wonder none of us thought of her any sooner. Her audition was a marvel to watch. Really knows her character inside and out. Never seen the director more pleased – well, unless you count, of course..”

Leon trailed his words into a disbelieving chuckle, staring briefly at me like I was in on a secret that I’d persistently kept hidden from everyone.

“Did you know about her?” He asked me finally when all I had in return was a blank, clueless stare. “You had to have known about her, it’s too much of a coincidence, and even the similarities, it’s..”

“Leon, you can either keep guessing, or you can just ask me about it already,” I said. “What the hell is it?”

“The Elidna,” He said with a wider, baffled stare. “Did you know about – ?”

“AND ACTION!”

The room instantly fell to a deafening a quiet, the ringing of an explosion muffled in my ears – and whatever discussion, whatever action everyone was in the middle of took pause – as the cameraman began to slowly pan across the ruined backdrop, a limelight of multiple spotlights basking elf-Hayley in an almost ethereal glow.. and at that moment, it was like I could only barely recognize her.

Her demeanor had completely changed. That perky, bubbly lady-boss that had been using me as a guinea pig for all her new products had vanished, restless instead by this more brash individual, strutting savagely forward into the scene with a restless slant to her brows.

“I’ll kill them,” She suddenly exclaimed harshly, madly, into the open air, pacing about. “You put me with them and I shall snap their legs. I will snap their bones and use them to stifle their screams by puncturing their throats. Then I shall take their heads, and grant the both of them to you. Yes, that will be the extent of my service. You are most welcome!”

I haven’t a single understanding of anything that was happening, aside from the fact that this elf – whoever she was – was most displeased about having to do something and was very vocal about it.

“We’re shooting the Elf and the Elidna scene first,” Leon whispered, kindly providing some context. “This is after the scene where you and I go confront the Elidna. The director wants to see what they’re made of.”

Somewhere in the silent, focused swarm surrounding the set, I spotted the distinct gleam of sunglasses; the director-man was in his seat, head tilted in assessment but evidently liking what he was seeing.

“Don’t act like you can’t hear me! Ignoring me! That’ll only make me more upset!” The elf shouted, then impulsively kicked a large chunk of rubble into the air, the moment of impact echoing with the sound of styrofoam as it flew somewhere off-camera and landed with a hollow splat. “Humans – really? Seriously? You’re going to make me – ? Those nasty, smelly, living, breathing excrements, and you’ll have me play nice with them?! Hah! You’re joking! So full of shit from having consumed too much of their blood, I suppose! Oh, how far your kind has truly fallen. No wonder your kind are practically extinct. You’re all idiots.”

My eyes felt drawn toward Ash’s direction, curious of her reaction to this rather.. interesting depiction of her species. As far as I could tell, however, her gaze harbored no telltale opinion, she was actually more focused on watching the rest of the scene unfold.

And unfold it did.

The lighting darkened, the ambiance took a sharp plunge into stiffer, icier depths, and suddenly, from nowhere within the scene, a quiet voice answered the elf’s fiery outrage.

“Yell if you must, kill if you must,” it echoed imposingly, effortlessly faltering the elf’s rage with nothing but a whisper, “But you will do as I asked.”

“No fucking..” I managed to strangle the rest of my words before I could ruin the scene, but that only ’cause the complete and utter shock to implode within every inch, every vein in my body, and for a few seconds there, it felt as if my soul had slipped out of my wide-open mouth.

Rest of the scene continued to simply unravel before me. Grade A performances, captivation dialogue; the golden take of all golden takes. Or so I assume, at least. Can’t really tell when I’m both blind and deaf now thanks to that.. thanks to her.

The other star of the shoot.. suddenly appearing, manifesting into the scene out of thin air with a blink..

Almost like magic.

And it was just like with Hayley all over again.

Webbed wings protruding out her back, and narrow gills painted seamlessly onto the pale white of her neck. Her feet were like flippers sweeping away the rubble beneath her.

Indeed, it seemed every aspect of her was either drawn on, affixed or attached utilizing some ancient method of movie witchcraft.. all except for her fangs, every-so subtly unveiled with every word from her lips.. and as well as the almost blinding glint of her claws.. with every move, every glimpse of them.. almost as if a dormant threat to any eyes that happened to cast upon them.

They looked almost too graphic, too striking.. too real..

“Master, isn’t that.. Amelia?” Ash whispered, matching my expression with an incredulous look of her own. “I was not aware she would be playing a pivotal role in your production. If I may inquire, how did you ever possibly manage to persuade her into taking the part?”

I just blinked at her; Chester’s confused, shell-shocked face was bright and vivid in the green of her eyes.

“I didn’t..”

And that was truly the compelling mystery of the whole thing. Never in my life would I ever picture someone as temperamental and with seven layers of ego high above everyone else as her to willingly sink herself down to something she’d probably consider to be the ‘foulest degradation of character’ in her eyes or something like that.

So really, the true question was – who the hell managed to stoop someone like her to our level?

“Yep, I knew you knew her. That reaction of yours don’t lie,” Leon muttered, eyeing me with a corner glance this whole time. “She works like a natural, doesn’t she? Truly a sight to behold, right? Like she’s been plucked straight out of the game itself or something.”

I didn’t say a thing. The truth of the matter was right under his nose, and I ain’t gonna be the one to have him catch a whiff of it.

“Just showed up out of nowhere in the auditions yesterday,” Leon went on. “Apparently she came recommended by Dave, who heard from Kim, who got a text from Jeff, that he heard from his cousin Aaron, who heard from George that Tyler said he found something to fill in the part.”

It took me a good, long while to process whatever the hell word salad just came in and out my ears.

“Tyler?” I blurted out. “The same Tyler that I’m thinking about?”

“The one and only,” Leon nodded. “Don’t know how he found her, but man.. it’s like a Christmas miracle that he did.”

“Christmas miracle..” I weakly muttered after him, drifting my gaze back over toward the scene, and the hard scowl formed across her face, a scowl that I have been a target to almost too many times to count now, and probably would be subjected to many times more henceforth. “If you say so..”

“By the way, she ignores practically everyone when we aren’t shooting, so I never had the chance to ask..” Leon said, focusing on Amelia with a closer squint and probably brimming with more questions than I have the temperament for answers. “Does she happen to be.. related to Adalia in any way? She kind of remsembles her, doesn’t she?”

“Really?” I said flatly.. “Never actually noticed myself, honestly.”

“Oh,” He said, perhaps taking me a bit too seriously. “Maybe it’s just my imagination then, never mind.”

Y’know, for the sole savior of the entirety of mankind, Leon ain’t exactly very sharp, is he?

“So, is she also... well... you know...” He glanced at me, furrowing, lips narrowing, as if hoping I’d get whatever the hell he’s trying to say by flexing his face ghoul. “Is she like Amanda, or Ash, to you as well, or...?”

Oh, he’s never going to let this topic go away, is he? Seriously, I’ve never met someone so invested in my love life before aside from Mom herself.

“Nope, and never,” I said at once, shuddering, before nudging firmly at Ash beside me. “Not especially when I have her already.”

“Oh, I see...” Leon said, sounding deflated and disappointed for some reason. “Okay, then...”