More Than Meets The Eye

“Unbelievable,” Autumn muttered, storming through the front door after fumbling with the house key and lock. “Stupid crazy fans.” The young girl made her presence in the house evident and loud when she threw the door behind her with a slam. “Noelle!” she yelled out, moody as ever. She threw her bag across the glossy-tiled floor of the foyer. “Noelle!”

“Yeah kiddo?” Noelle called from the kitchen, already having finished baking a dessert for the girl when she arrived. “What’s up?”

“Do you know how crazy some fans can get?” she exploded, slamming her hands down on the counter in the centre of the spacious kitchen, dark brown eyes ablaze. “They stripped my entire dressing room, right from top to bottom! All that was left were dust mites crawling around in the corner.”

Noelle gave the frustrated teenager an amused look. “That’s what you get for being such a megastar.”

“Har-har,” the girl shot back with a sneer and shook her head. “I bet it’s just because of my parents.”

“Maybe.” Noelle shrugged. “Your daddy’s a big name in the movie industry and your mother’s clothing lines are everywhere. Who doesn’t know their prissy little megastar child, Autumn Pearce?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Once again, hardy-har-har,” Autumn shot back with a sigh. “And I’m not prissy.”

“Says the actress complaining her dressing room being stolen.”

“Everything inside was gone. I didn’t even want to take a photo because it was all gone. Seriously, what’s up with the security nowadays?”

Noelle merely rolled her mischievous blue eyes at the girl and picked the bag up from the floor. “Your dad sends his love and he’s spending another week in Africa until he comes back. How long has it been again?”

“Almost a year,” Autumn muttered under her breath and rubbed her temples.

“Daddy issues,” Noelle said sympathetically. “Your mother just left for a fashion show in Italy so you and me have the house to ourselves!” She smiled, beaming at the helpless grin that stretched across the younger girl’s face. “And I made apple crumble so stop sulking.”

Hastily, Noelle ushered her into the kitchen, her hands still stuck in their thick mittens. She opened up the oven and a wave of heat was shoved into her face. Autumn made herself comfortable on the spinning leather seats by the island counter. “They’re just gonna make more money out of stealing my stuff. What happened to just plain autographs?” There were more complaints building up in her chest as she clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. “It’s ridiculous! They won’t leave me – us alone!”

Noelle ignored Autumn’s whining, focused on keeping the tray balanced in her hands. She could feel the searing heat start burning through the fabric but it was overwhelmed by the delicious scent of sugary goodness in the air. She placed it on the counter, threw her gloves off and beamed down at the perfectly golden, crumbly masterpiece. “What do you think?”

Autumn frowned, annoyed that her nanny was paying more attention to her cooking than her life crisis. The sweet scent wafted up her nose and her stomach lurched hungrily at the enticing smell of apples and pastry. “At least you cook better than most nannies.”

“Kid, you make me sound so old,” Noelle complained playfully. “But thanks. While we wait for it to cool down, tell me about your day.”

“Ugh, where do I start?” she groaned, feeling the frustration crawl back under her skin. “The guest star for the last few episodes won’t stop complaining about how his dressing room trailer was too small! I mean he’s just on the show a couple times, not the lead role! I don’t even get how he got the trailer. He makes a tantrum if his makeup is done all wrong too. Seriously, the last thing he should be worried about is makeup when his acting sucks.”