"Come here," his voice is gentle again.
She gives in, placing her small hand in his. Lifting the cloth, he sees her blood spill out from her palm. He inhales sharply through his teeth and presses the rag back down. They sit there like that for abo...
"Okay, everyone in their places. Remember Helen is about to be killed in a big explosion. Sandra, pick it up from where you call out for her."
Sandra gives a thumbs up.
"Action!"
"No, Helen! Helen, no!" Sandra screams, reaching out towards the door.
A puff of smoke shoots out from under the bus and Jan's voice is heard yelling, "BOOM!"
Sandra screams as others cover their heads and whimper. Keanu dives towards the floor where Melissa would've stood. He slams the floor with his hand and pulls himself up, red-faced and sweating. "Goddamn it, Mac, we gotta get those fucking choppers outta here!"
The mood on the bus is somber. Everyone sits in silence, Keanu and Sandra stare straight ahead. Jack Traven is stoic. The script calls for Annie to be fighting back tears and failing, shaking as she sobs. She's been dreading this part. Crying at will has always been hard for her. Her shoulders twitch, her lip quivers, but her eyes remain dry.
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Keanu turns to her. "How are you doing, are you alright?"
Sandra shakes her head and sniffs the air, "Huh-uh."
"CUT!"
"Dammit," Sandra mutters under her breath as she watches Jan walk towards her.
He squats down to Sandra's eye level, placing one hand on the back of her seat. "Alright, let's recap: You've been riding the bus for months. You've gotten to know Helen decently well. She's like an aunt to you. Now you're in this life and death situation and you tried to save her but couldn't."
Sandra listens intently, head bobbing in agreement. "Okay. Okay."
They return for another take. Sandra blows out harshly, determined to get it done. Stephens, Terry and Ortiz restart their argument. Keanu turns around to settle them down before returning to Sandra. She sits there, blinking her eyes, forcing her body to breathe heavier. She immerses herself into Annie. Helen is my friend. She just died. She died because she decided to reach out to get off the bus. Why the hell would she be so stupid? Honestly, how close could we really be? I mean, I didn't even know why she was on the bus before this day. Stop, stop, stop. She shakes her head vigorously.
"Cut!" Jan is walking towards her again. Keanu stands respectfully to the side, head bowed and fingers clasped together.
As Jan reaches Sandra, she puts her hand up to stop him before he starts. "I know, Jan. I know, I know, I know. Can I just, have a minute?"
"Sure, Sandra," Jan picks his megaphone up. "Back in thirty everyone."
Sandra stands without saying a word to anyone and bolts down the steps of the bus, taking a shortcut to her trailer. She whips her door open and slams it shut, forcing her fingers through her hair, pulling the skin on her face back towards her ears. Looking around her trailer to ground herself, she then walks into the bathroom and stares into the mirror. She counts in her head and tries not to blink, feeling the air burn a bit as she makes her way to thirty seconds with eyes wide open. She can feel them water, so she pushes the vision of Helen back into her head. Her friend. She's reaching out toward Sandra... Her thoughts flash to a different scene: She's in Germany, eleven or twelve years old at the time. She watches the daughter of another opera singer trip and split her lip. She's on the ground, crying, her mother comforting her.
