Ray of Light

❊ Chapter thirteen: Things are better now ❊

February 6th 2017

Ray

The foster placement wasn't as bad as I feared. I lived with a kind woman in her sixties, whose husband had died of lung cancer the year before. Apparently he was a heavy smoker and even though his wife had encouraged him to stop, he didn't until it was too late. My foster carer - Jackie - had no children of her own nearby as her only daughter had moved away to Alabama and never got back in contact.

I felt so bad for Jackie. I couldn't imagine being left alone after your husband died. If my mom had been a better mom, I wouldn't have moved across states and just cut contact. Jackie was so gentle and caring - doing her best to help me settle in, but also leaving me alone when I needed it. On the first day I'd spent most of the day in my new bedroom, but when the foster carer started a conversation, I couldn't help but engage. As it turns out, Jackie was a huge fan of the Marvel universe (especially the comics, oh my god she had a whole stack of them!) and we easily could have an in depth conversation about it.

"Ray, love, you need to get up."

The curtains being opened made me grumble as I pulled the sheets over my head.

"You've got work," Jackie added with a small chuckle.

I sat up straight.

"Oh yeah," I replied, getting out of bed.

"I'll drop you off on set if we set off at 7," Jackie offered.

"Actually, could you drop me off at The Mug & Muffin cafe?" I asked. "Just a bit earlier."

"Of course," Jackie replied, before leaving me to dress.

I quickly changed into my clothes for the day and grabbed my backpack. I put in my script and blue reading ruler, along with my phone and earphones. It was nice to be able to get dressed and not fear what was waiting for me behind the door. The fear still lingered, but only because I was so used to feeling it.

~~~✸~~~

"Good morning Ray!" Angie called as I entered the shop.

I smiled as I went over.

"You're brighter than usual," she commented as I slipped on one of the stools.

"Yeah, life's a bit better now," I replied with a smile, taking out my purse.

Angie didn't even have to ask if I wanted my usual order - she just made me a latte and got me a croissant. I proudly paid my amount.

"I assume the job's going well?" Angie asked, passing me my order

"Yep," I replied. "It's pretty nerve-wracking because of how many people there are but when I'm acting it all out and doing a shot I forget how nervous I am because I just love doing it."

Angie smiled.

"Well I'm glad you're enjoying it."

I stood up and as I headed towards the door, she asked, "You not staying?"

"Nope!" I called. "I gotta be on set in five minutes!"

"Run!"

And run I did; my latte defying the laws of physics and not spilling somehow. Once I was on set, I headed straight for my trailer. I quickly ate my croissant and drank my latte, careful not to drink it too quickly. I had left my trailer door open and I heard a slight pattering outside. Glancing out, I saw that it was raining.

"Oh for fucks sake," I muttered.

Without warning, a figure appeared at the door. I jumped slightly, then realised it was only Scarlett. Her hair was wet from the rain and she was out of breath.

"Hey," she panted, stepping inside of my trailer. "Am I okay to stand here?"

"Yeah sure," I replied, discarding my now empty cup and paper bag. "Feel free to come in."

"Are you shooting or anything today?" Scarlett asked, closing the trailer door.

"Yeah," I replied. "I've got to get hooked up on the wires later and check they work. I'm not shooting though."

Scarlett nodded, sitting on the sofa.

"I'm shooting a scene in an hour," she said.

"Which one?" I asked, sitting near her.

"The one when Nat, Wanda, Vision, Sam and Steve get back to the compound."

"Will Ruffalo and Don be shooting too?" I asked.

"Yeah, that scene."

I nodded.

"If you wanna watch, you can," Scarlett offered.

"It's alright, I was just gonna find someone to practice my lines with," I replied.

"Is the ruler helping?"

"Yeah, thanks," I replied with a small smile. "I don't know why the words did that."

Scarlett nodded slowly.

"Like me and Lizzie said, it could be dyslexia," she said. "And if you got a diagnosis, it would help you tell people that you need some help reading."

"How would I get a diagnosis?"

"Your social worker would have to take you to the doctor and have them assess you."

"Oh..." I kinda hoped it wouldn't need an assessment or anything where I had to read in front of people. "Thanks... I guess."

"No problem," Scarlett replied with a smile. "How's the foster placement?"

"It's good," I told her. "I don't get hurt."

Scarlett's gentle green gaze was trained on me as I spoke.

"Jackie's really nice. She doesn't make me do much, just help her with normal household jobs. But she's like, 60, so I don't even mind. Her husband died of cancer and her daughter- Oh, I shouldn't be saying all this," I rambled.

Scarlett laughed softly.

"Hey, it's okay," she assured me. "It shows that you're comfortable there."

"I guess I'd rather not be there because it isn't my home, but my home isn't very favourable..."

Scarlett put her hand on my leg. I blinked a couple of times, at first uncomfortable with the feeling, but after a few seconds it felt okay. I don't know why I did that. Sometimes my sensory input seemed to be dialled to 11 and I didn't even know why.

"Alright, I'd better go get ready," Scarlett said, standing up.

"Okay, see you later," I said as she left, closing the trailer door behind her.