Behind The Scene

CHAPTER 1

I felt like I'd barely been asleep for an hour when my alarm rang out the next morning. I felt around my desk for my phone, fighting to open my eyes as the cool, crisp sheets threatened to lure me back to sleep. When I finally found a way to shut up the deafening bells, I forced myself into a sitting position, rubbing my eyes to wake up. Today was not the day for a lay-in, today was the first day of the rest of my life, the day to put my best foot forward.
A smile crept onto my face as I combed my fingers through my long, chestnut curls, brushing my fringe away from my eyes then stretching my arms over my head. Plucking my phone up from beside me, I checked the screen, finding a series of texts waiting to be read. I scrolled through them, ignoring the bunch from my mother, asking for details on my new place and telling me to call her. I'd sent her a quick message last night to say that I'd gotten here safely, but so far, I had no intention of giving over to her guilt trip and questioning that I knew she was dying to subject me to. However, the further I scrolled, the clearer it became that I wasn't going to be able to avoid it for long. She'd drawn both my father and my brother in on the case, and both of them had sent similar texts asking for me to pick up the phone and call back. I laughed as I finished reading my brother's plea, where he explained that our parents were driving him crazy and to please have sympathy for him, then I tapped out a quick reply:
Tell them I'm fine, and that I'll call later. Day of auditions lined up... Wish me luck!! X
Hitting send, I moved to the last message and slid my thumb across the screen without reading it, watching the green light appear as it began to call the number.
"Morning baby," My boyfriend, Ross, answered after a few rings.
"Morning. Are you at work yet?" I asked, mentally noting the three hours time difference between us now.
"Yeah, but I can talk for a minute or two. I've missed you."
I could hear the sadness in his voice and it tugged at my heartstrings. Ross had been nothing but supportive over the move the entire time, agreeing to transfer as soon as he could in order to be by my side. But no matter how much he tried to hide his true feelings, I knew how he really felt, and how much he was struggling with the upheaval that was set before us because of my chosen career.
"I've not even been gone a day yet, we've been apart longer than this before," I teased.
I heard his groan on the other end before he replied:
"I know, but that was always different. You were only a couple of minutes away. I could stop by after my shift. Now I can't."
I wasn't sure how to answer that. I hated being away from him too. But this was what I had always wanted, the glitz, the glam, the cameras and the stardom. And I had to be here to get it.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" I heard him sigh on the other end, and when he spoke again his voice was much cheerier, a typical trait of his to make me more at ease. "How's the apartment?"
"It's actually pretty great. Tiny, but I sort of love it," I said happily, casting an eye around me at the newly decorated, cosy room.
"You know your mom's been calling me all morning right? She said you sent a one-word text last night."
I cursed under my breath at the typical dramatic attitude of my mother's.
"It was not a 'one-word text'," I explained, before remembering typing it, and wincing as I realised just how short it must have seemed, and mumbled, "It was at least five words."
"Selena, you know how hard this is on everyone," He scolded me, "You said you'd make an effort. You're her only daughter, and you've gone to a huge city that's hours away. Call her, please. For me?"
Ross had always gotten on great with my parents, even when we'd split up. So it didn't surprise me that my mother had gone to him for help.
"Okay, I promise I'll call her later. After my auditions," I agreed, hoping that he'd bite and not insist on me doing it beforehand.
I didn't want to end up getting caught on the phone for the next three hours of my life, listening to lectures. The sound of sirens blared on Ross's end of the phone, followed by someone shouting his name.
"Coming!" He shouted away from the phone, "I've gotta go, Lena, we've got a shout. I'll talk to you later. Call your mom."
I didn't even have a chance to reply before the line went dead, just like always with his job.
"Stay safe," I muttered to myself, my eyes on the phone where my home screen had just reappeared.
I always worried about him when he was working, he'd been passionate about helping people all his life, and it was that which had led to his decision to pursue a career in the emergency services. He currently served as an EMT, but for a while there he was considering being a firefighter. Having trained for both, there was a time that I was scared he would choose the latter of the two. But even though I knew he attended calls as a medic, it never stopped panic from taking hold of me whenever he went out on a call.
Needing to clear my head, I got up, showered, and did my hair and make-up. When it came time to change, I threw open my wardrobe doors and scoured my clothes for the perfect ensemble. I wanted something professional, yet stylish, with a hint of seduction. Thumbing through various items, I stopped as I felt soft lace beneath my fingers. I bit my lip in thought, looking over the classy, dress. The neckline was low enough to show some cleavage without it being inappropriate, and the lace panel in the midsection added just the right touch of seductiveness. After slipping it on, I twirled toward the mirror. The rich burgundy fabric fitting like a second skin, hugging every curve of my body and stopping just above my knees, I ironed out the small creases from where I'd stepped into it, then set about adding the final touches, teaming it with a professional-looking, black blazer and a pair of almost indecently high, black, strappy stiletto heels.
I grabbed a few protein bars from the cupboard in the kitchen, tossing them into my bag, they would be enough to get me through the busy day that I had ahead of me, then rifled through my stuff to ensure that I had everything I needed. My work folder, complete with my portfolio and headshots, a couple of spare hair clips, a pair of pumps, a cool crochet cardigan option and some sunglasses.
"Perfect."
I zipped up my bag, confident that I had enough in there to adjust my outfit accordingly, should I need to. I was, after all, going to many different auditions, which would cover a range of different needs, genres and styles. Excitement was bubbling away in my stomach. This was the real deal, the possibilities of today's outcome were endless. This time next week, I could be about to star in a Hollywood movie. I struggled to contain an excited skip, managing to compose myself, I left my apartment, eagerly heading for my first audition stop of the day.
The inside of the building where the auditions were being held, looked almost like the interior of a wealthy business. Neutral, fresh walls were sparsely decorated with simplistic framed paintings. There was a tall, curved anthracite desk, with glass panels on the top, its entire appearance was cold and professional, but with a high-class finesse. Potted plants stood in the corners, the vibrancy of the shiny green foliage mirrored in the polished hardwood floors, and a small waiting area had been set up with black sofas that looked more for show than comfort. My stilettos clicked on the floor as I approached the woman seated at the desk. Her entire appearance oozed professionalism and class, just like her surroundings, and in all honesty, it was somewhat intimidating.
"Good morning, how may I help you?" She asked curtly.
"I have an audition at eight-fifteen. Selena McCall," I said, fishing a piece of paper with my headshots and info on, out of my folder and handing it to her.
Consulting her computer, she nodded and handed me a script, gesturing toward the uncomfortable seating area, where three other women around my age were seated, each clutching a script, and staring intently at the pages, whilst mouthing the words with various expressions on their faces.
"I'll call for you when Mr Landes is ready. Please take a seat," She said politely, not taking her eyes off of me whilst I began to turn away.
"Thank you." I smiled.
None of the women looked up as I sat in one of the seats, crossing one leg over the other and gently placing my bag at my feet, whilst I rested the script on my knee. I took a moment to observe my competition, they all varied in appearance but had the same look mirrored in each face... determination. Determination to succeed, to make the most of this chance. I blew out a breath and then set about reading the script, my eyes darting across the page, scanning over the lines, envisioning how I would act them on camera, and preparing the delivery of each sentence. I was auditioning for a main role, not the lead, but close to. My character was named Karen, a young doctor with a troubled background. I placed myself in her shoes, imagining how I would feel as a doctor, what my attitude would be like, how I'd feel, how I'd walk, talk, the confidence that I'd have in my own skin, even coming up with the faults that I'd have.
"Miss McCall? Mr Landes will see you now." The receptionist called across the room.
A small fluttering of nerves rose in my stomach as I rose to my feet and began the walk towards the door on the other side of the room. The moment that my fingers closed around the door handle, I took a deep breath, pushing all fear and nerves out of my system as best as I could. This was my time to shine, not a time for concern.
"I'm Doctor Karen Simms," I muttered to myself, straightening up and walking inside.
There was a murmur of conversation as I started walking into the room. It quickly died out as the casting team caught sight of me. Three people sat at a table on the far side of the room, an older man with salt and pepper hair and a smartly distinguished moustache, was holding a piece of paper in front of him, the younger, redheaded woman and a middle-aged blonde man sat on either side of him, their heads turned towards him, clearly looking over the piece of paper together. As I got nearer, I saw my picture and recognised it as my headshots page that I'd handed the receptionist. It hit me instantly at just how real this moment was now. There were high up officials, spending their time looking at my information. I fought down the urge to smile like an idiot, and preserved my professional mask.
"Selena McCall?" The man in the middle asked, laying the sheet of paper down on the table and surveying me from behind some thin-framed glasses.
"Yes, that's me," I confirmed, coming to a stop on a large, X shape made from tape on the floor.
He nodded once, resting his hand on the tabletop.
"I'm Mr Landes, and this is Mr Rhodes, and Miss Mendoza," He explained in a distant and cold tone.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," I replied warmly.
None of them spoke, just the slightest of smiles flickering across their faces as Mr Rhodes leant back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the tabletop, and Miss Mendoza flicked her pen between her thumb and index finger.
"From what I can see here, you have no acting experience?" Mr Landes chimed in, his words coming across as half statement, half question.
My mouth felt dry at his less than enthusiastic tone. There was no denying that his words stung, I'd acted in the past, many times, but it was true that none of it was professional work and with that being the case, it meant that I was vastly underqualified for the job I was applying for. This was going to be a hard sell, clearly, it wasn't his intention for an amateur to be taking this role, but if he thought I was going to be a pushover, he had another thing coming. I'd fought for this long enough, now I was going to get it. So I pasted a smile on my face and attempted to seem unperturbed by this jibe.
"Sadly not in the industry. I'm from a small town, there weren't many opportunities for acting there," I explained, watching the disinterest on their faces as I spoke. "However, I have participated in numerous stage productions and small projects, I'm a hard worker, and very eager to prove myself."
There was a small glimmer of interest in the blonde man's eye, and I hoped that he would at least be on my side here.
"Very well Miss McCall. Let's dive in with scene three," He smiled, flicking through the script himself, and stopping on the appropriate page.
Straightening up, I launched into the scene, trying my hardest not to let the nerves reinvade my system whenever I caught sight of the indiscernible looks from the panel.