Faceclaim (ONC 2022, Completed, Shortlisted)

9: Genius!

"Are you fucking kidding me? Ramon just walked in there and she fell head over heels for his charms!?" was what Daniel didn't say.

The words itched on his tongue and he wanted to spit them out. He wanted to inform the incompetent storyteller behind this drivel how much more satisfying the first kiss between Björn and Sigrid--the man-bear's mystic love interest who only appeared in the fog--had been for viewers when it happened after season after frustrating season of built-up tension.

But he clamped his teeth down and made sure his angry tongue kept quiet. His temper and lack of patience for bad storytelling shouldn't be the reason he didn't make it out of this madness.

"Genius!" he exclaimed instead, despite the word tasting foul on his lips as it made its way out into the ether. "I really get it now! It's all falling into place!"

He was, after all, an actor. A good actor. Perhaps even a great actor. He could fool this lunatic into believing he loved their story. He could butter them up enough to let him go. He could act his way out of this hole.

"You're laying it on a bit too thick, Daniel," the author replied from the walkie-talkie. "Take it down a few notches and I might believe you."

Perhaps Daniel wasn't that a great of an actor. You needed to be a true master of the stage--rivaling the likes of Sir Ian McKellan or Dame Judy Dench--to pull off this act. Not a pretty boy who only got cast for his golden curls and charming smile.

He slumped back on the bed, hit with sudden despair and doubt.

What if he couldn't do this?

What if any success he'd ever experienced had been on account of looks rather than talent?

What if he wasn't good enough?

He might hide his doubts beneath layers of swagger and charm, but they were always there, waiting for him to falter for a moment and give in to them. To once again become the little scared boy hiding from his bullies.

If only Tina had been here. His older sister would have known what to do. She had always protected him and encouraged him when they grew up. She was stern and realistic, but also kind and understanding. And a great hugger.

Daniel really needed a hug right now.

In lieu of having his sister there, he wrapped his arms around himself and rocked back and forth in a somewhat comforting motion while he pictured her frizzy her tickling his nose. It helped a little.

"It's time," the voice of his tormentor told him from the device in his hand.

"Give me a moment," Daniel replied, wiping a tear from his cheek as he held up the walkie-talkie to his mouth to speak.

He removed his finger from the button afterward, making sure no more stressing messages came through, and reached his arms and legs out in starfish position on the bed.

He breathed in slowly while focusing on the tiles in the ceiling.

He breathed out again, still not thinking about anything but those tiles. They were white and square. Sixteen of them made up the space above him.

Calmness spread through his body as he kept breathing and he let his mind wander to the task at hand again.

What would Tina tell him to do?

She would tell him to fight. But not with his fists. Instead, he would fight with the weapons he had been equipped with: looks to kill for, a quick tongue, and a relentless will to succeed.

She would tell him to hold on and be patient, despite knowing that quality didn't come naturally to him. Because things often seemed endless but they rarely were.

She would tell him to be calm even in the face of madness. And this was certainly madness. But replying with madness would only escalate the situation.

Tina would tell him to do whatever he could to come home.

Daniel picked up the walkie-talkie again. He took one more deep breath. "I'm ready," he said in a calm voice. "I assume my stage clothes are in the drawer?"

Author's Note: Yeah, I'm keeping the chapters very short for this story. It's just so limited in scope and characters that chapters around 1k (this one is just about 700 words though) seem to be the way to go. And in that way, I can quite easily write and publish a chapter every day.