"Jiest, they're here!" I can hear Lyca bellowing excitedly inside. She saw me and Issa making faces through the peep hole.
The door was unlocked.
"Ember!" Jiesta broke into a run to give me a hug.
"Yeah. I'm here. You need to evacuate my place now." I humored.
"You brought Heidi Klum as part of your demolition team?" Lyca grinned, pointing a finger at Issa.
"Hey, wreckage in style. Not a bad idea." Issa said.
Jiesta let me go, and I was able to look at her properly.
"Uh, Jiest, what happened to you?"
Disheveled hair? That is so not her.
"She was on a mission last night." Lyca said seriously.
"There she goes. How many times do I have to tell you guys, I'm not some Lara Croft or Mrs. Smith." Jiesta replied in exasperation.
"So what are you, James bond?" I asked.
"No!" she rolled her eyes. "I work as a systems analyst. That's all."
"In the National Security Agency. C'mon, we're not gonna torture from you CIA classified info." Lyca pried on.
"Really? Well, thank you. Coz it would've been useless. My title is just a fancy way of saying I'm the one who makes sure that THE REAL secret agents are able to do their job well." Jiesta explained.
"oooh..." Issa and Lyca nodded their heads knowingly.
"That explains a lot, Jiest." I said sarcastically.
Jiesta gave up. "Yeah. Whatever guys. Who wants Apple Pork Chop casserole?"
That sent me and Issa running towards the kitchen.
All four of us sat down and started on the dish. There was also a whole rhubard custard pie on the table and one Italian Chianti red wine, my favorite.
"So Lycs, I heard you're not going back to Massachusetts. What you doing here in Cali?" Issa asked.
"Still teaching. Why, you think I'll go showbiz too?" was the answer.
"Hey, you know what, she just made it big! It was in the news, yesterday!" Jiesta exclaimed.
"Yeah. You remember the name of the award?" Lyca picked on Jiesta.
"OF COURSE! You won the 2011 Michigan Catalyst Society Giuseppe..." she stared into space. "I... I think I need to go to my room first. I left the TV on."
"No need for the excuse Jiest. Its the Michigan Catalyst Society Giuseppe Parravano Memorial Award for Excellence in Catalysis Research." Lyca supplied.
"Oh, that one..." Issa muttered. I nodded.
"You've heard of it?" Jiesta asked in disbelief.
"Sure, we did." I answered.
"I can't be the only dimwit in the room!" Jiesta protested.
"Bluffing. Anyways, Lycs, what on earth is that? some Nobel prize or Pulitzer? Grammys? Enlighten us laymen, please." I appealed.
"Something like that for us who study catalytic science. My mentor in MIT advised me to accept a post as professor here in Stanford. They've got facilities and a college for photon science, so I decided to stay." Lyca obliged.
"I was actually puzzled. You told me you were just visiting your cousin." I said.
"That was the original plan. But Stanford got to me. I liked the place." Lyca shrugged.
"so, how about you guys, what's the rush in crashing here in Cali?" Jiesta asked.
Issa related her purpose first. "New ad campaign for Jag. But I've got a screening scheduled for Paris Fashion Week 3 days from now right after the campaign."
"Gosh, Iz. Paris?" Jiesta ogled at Issa, her eyes as round as coins.
"Cross your fingers for me, Jiest." Issa winked.
"Fashion week for which designer?" Lyca inquired.
Issa held her breath, then spluttered faintly."Valentino!"
"What???" All three of us were now gawking at her.
"Flabbergasted when I received the call the other day. I was sick with excitement." Issa ranted.
"WeLl, I'd say YOU'RE sick if you weren't! Bon voyage, mademoiselle!" Jiesta exclaimed.
"Jiest, I still have a screening to go through and Valentino Garavani doesn't play dice on his runway." Issa conveyed worry.
"Quit talking, right now. You've done haute couture last season right?"
"With no less than Vera Wang." I added.
"Even me can understand what that means, Iz. We watched your show on TV." Lyca quipped.
"Those shoes were impossible. Can't imagine even Naomi Campbell survive wearing it. How many inches?" Jiest interrogated.
"7.5! Thought I was gonna be crippled soon as I returned backstage." Issa confessed. We snickered. "Ms. Wang came over and handed me a glass of wine. She said-Congratulations!Now let's get your color back on you. Coz I was white as sheet!"
"Talk about killer heels..." Lyca commented.
"How about you?" Jiesta directed the topic on me.
"Oh, don't mind her. She's just here to write the script for Wuthering Heights." Issa said in mocking monotone.
"Shut up!" Jiesta exclaimed.
"Congratulations!" Lyca grinned at me. "So the Hollywood in you is back on its feet again?"
"Can't wait for the kickoff." I admitted.
"I'm so happy for you... Oh, wow. Finally living the dream." Jiesta cooed. She poured the Chianti for all three of us. " For chasing waterfalls and shooting at the stars?"
We raised our glass and went for the toast..
"So, does Chloe know you're back yet?" Lyca asked.
I swallowed the wine with utmost difficulty. Lyca can get really straightforward sometimes and I was caught off guard.
"I ran into her the other day. She's having a cocktail party at her place tomorrow. We're invited. New movie for this year." Lyca continue.
"I'm gonna call her later. She's still in Pasadena?"
"Not anymore. She bought a new place in Bev Hills 3 days ago. CA 90210, if I got it right. Have you lost communication?"
"Not really. I got busy these past few days." I felt my phone vibrate inside my pocket. "This is Ms. Prince."
"Hi. This is Ms. Anna Marie Cousteau, Ms. Prince." Oh. The producer. " Just wanna check if you've reached California."
"I've arrived safely, thank you. Just made it to my apartment."
"Great. Welcome back. And I would like to inform you that we will be having our storyline conference in 2 days time. Mr. Walling is inviting you and the rest of the production staff to a private dinner tomorrow night at 7 PM. We'll have reservations at Roosevelt Hotel."
"I'll be right there, Ma'am.."
"Thank you. I have your address, I'll send in the limo by 6:30, shall I?"
""I'll be ready by then."
"Ok. See you soon, Ms. Prince." she ended briefly.
Doorbell.
I ripped my fingers from the laptop unwillingly. Logrolling myself from my bed, I felt my body slam against the carpet. "AW!" My head hit a hardbound encyclopedia.
What a stupid thing to do. I straightened up and headed for the door.
"Scene 6-10. KA wants 'teeny-tiny' revisions." It was Ms. Anne. KA are the initials of our lunatic, I mean eccentric director, Mr. Kristian Aaron Cavegn.
"Great. Tell me something I dunno, you think he's planning to finish filming this year?"
"Good question. And I have no dang idea what's the answer." Anna settled on the ottoman. "Hey, you got coffee in this...cave? Is Edward Cullen right inside your bathroom?'
"Shh..Count Dracula hates that name. The guy eclipsed his popularity." I cautioned her. She had a point though. All the curtains were shut. No sunshine could penetrate the house. Only the fireplace was alight. I liked it that way, I could write well when I simulate the nighttime darkness. Makes me feel like I really am alone with my thoughts.
Anne picked up her phone. "I'm at Ember's place. Yes. Be there in a jiffy. Yeah. Yeah. I'll teleport if I have to, ok?" She got off the phone with a tsk on her lips.
"KA, right?"
"Yeah. Got a plane to catch."
"Going somewhere?"
"North Yorkshire. Gonna personally check on the set. KA wants you to come over, too. He's got your plane tickets, accommodations all arranged. We're gonna visit four locations. Should be fun for you." Anne said.
"For me. Should be stress for you, I guess."
"Or maybe we'll both suffer. KA might want you to come coz he'll knock on your door at 2 in the morning to revise." Anne said frankly.
"I know his reputation. A Scripwriter's Jason. Does he really drink bloody mary at 3 in the morning in front of a mirror?" I asked.
"Afraid the urban legend is true. Caught him in the act once when we were filming Apexis 5 years ago. I ran away from his room like a raving lunatic. He called me up and told me to get my ass back in his room coz we had to go over tomorrow's game plan." Anne told the tale.
"What happened?" I was able to ask between my snickers.
"I came back, trembling from head to toe. He was sitting on a high backrest chair, with his legs crossed, and then he said to me - Bloody Mary? You could use some red on your face." Anne continued.
I laughed.
"So you wanna come to North Yorkshire? Maybe you'll have spare time and you can break into KA's suit and watch him drink bloody mary or perform some virgin sacrifice in the night." She allured me.
"Might be worth it. I'll go pack."
*CRASH!
Despite the blaring Deftones music on my MP3, my ears picked up the loud the loud thud. I went out of the room and saw the menace. A pair of limbs were stuck out everywhere as a humongous mountain of scraps of clothing attempts to drown the body.
"For the love of Marilyn Monroe!" Issa seethed as she struggled to get through the mess.
I grabbed her hand to try to help, but Issa was thrown off balance thanks to her 4 inch stilettos when she half stood sending us both tumbling on the floor.
My face hit the
I heard Issa groan in agony.
"I think I broke my back!" she wailed.
"Mine's a facial deformity." I complained.
Jiesta was running from the kitchen and she went head on collision with Lyca who was then carefully balancing a large jug of orange juice.
*CRASH!
Few seconds later, the two of them looked like 2 newly baptized babies with their heads splashed with the slimy liquid.
"Ugh..GROSS!!" Jiesta coughed.
"No its not! Here.." Lyca smeared her fingers with the juice on her face and brandished it on Jiesta's lips.
"Ewww. Double gross." she pushed it away.
"No, really..its real orange, you know." Lyca was now teasing her as she insistently handed her finger.
"Hey!" Jiesta was protesting.
Issa and I chuckled.
"I can't believe you two survived two years living in the same room together." I commented.
"Easy. I barely even stay here longer than a week." Jiesta answered.
"And I spend all daylight time in the campus..." Lyca added.
"We don't get to see each other much."
"Just like in 125. Hard to get us all together." Issa thought. "Got stuffs to do."
"Speaking of stuffs to do, I'll be off to England tonight after I'm done packing." I said.
"Going on location?"
"Yep." I affirmed.
"Me too.Flight to Paris tomorrow at 8." Issa announced.
"Me three. Bologna. After lunch."
"Me four." Lyca said dully. "I'll be at the most magical place on earth."
"Hmm..Find me lots of hidden Mickeys..." I requested.
"Not Disneyland. Our brand new science lab." Lyca bragged.
"Oh.I thought your field is more of theoretical.." I wondered.
"Gotta have reconciliations with the applied aspect." Lyca shrugged.
"So where are you heading?" Issa got up as he posed the question. We followed suit as we individually cleaned ourselves up.
"Boston. Might get a chance to drop by at MIT." Lyca answered. "How about you?" she threw the query at Jiesta.
"I'll be there next month."
"Hmmm. We might not run into each other by then. I have business to finish at NYU."
"We could get together. Kristel will be thrilled to see you, and Karen and the rest of the gang." I proposed.
"Heard she'll be opening a new business. She's the reason why I think depression isn't a disease; she's productive when she's brokenhearted." Lyca commented.
I chuckled at that.
"She was mortally wounded when the engagement broke off." Jiesta reproached.
"It wasn't just the engagement that was broken. Her bank account too, correct?" Lyca retorted.
"Josh did her a favor when he left." Issa said quietly.
We all exchanged a grim look.
"Well, shame on him. But if Karen'll let him fool her twice, I'll hang her atop empire state myself." Jiesta swore.
"Will do." Issa seconded.
"But for now, will you finish packing first so we can get to the airport? Cali rush hour, remember?" I reminder Issa.
"I seriously doubt she can finish packing today." Jiesta remarked. She had a point. Issa's wardrobe now scattered all over the floor was worth one botique.
"Duh. No worries, gals. I won't bring all these. I'll dump them in the spare closet and fetch them when I get back. Besides, it's be the start of autumn at Paris right now. You know what that means," she winked.
"Shopping Season." the three of us chorused, Jiesta shrieked with a moan of envy, Lyca rolling her eyes, and me grinning at Issa's happy face.
I arrived at London in a serene mood. Sleeping during plane travels had been a habit so deeply ingrained ever since I was a kid. By the time the plane touched down, I was rested.
Anne, who fetched me was the exact opposite.
"You look bloody dreadful. That bad?" I greeted sporting a fake British accent.
"As bad as your accent." She answered. "C'mon, get on the cab." she beckoned.
We chatted all the way to the Athenaum Hotel where the rest of the crew was checked in. Anne instructed the vallet to deliver my traveling bag to my room before she faced me again. She barely made a sound when her phoned beeped.
"I'll spare you 30 minutes so you can settle down. Then come to the conference hall soon as you can. Urgent staff meeting." She grimaced apologetically.
"Thanks. Tell KA I've sent him the revisions. I won't take too much time." Another text message got to her. "Run along, or KA will be after your blood." I tapped her arm.
"He just might." She muttered, and was then on her feet.
Yawning, I pulled the conference door. For a split second, I thought was in the wrong room. The silence was eerie.
When I looked around, all six of them were staring fixedly at me with varying expressions.
"Ms. Prince. Please take your seat." KA motioned me to go over the chair on his right.
"Thanks." I murmured.
"OK. Everyone. I'm sure you've heard of the urban legend that this movie is cursed. But cursed or not, I don't give a care. We work. We do our thing. I expect nothing less from all of you. And I swear on my mother's grave that if anyone in this room screws up, I'm gonna stick tampons to your 2 breathing orifices. Do I make myself clear?" KA's voice was musical but menacing. There was a lethality into it that makes you feel a lump on your throat.
There was a collective nod and clipped whispers of assent.
"We're having this meeting because I wanna be the one to tell you that the rumors, I'm afraid is true. Another company is trying to buy rights to this film. There has been negotiations from those on the upper echelons of our studio."
"Buy rights? You mean they wanna produce the film?" Lisa Amundsen, our costume designer asked.
"Yes, which doesn't concern me. But here's the catch - they want us to release next April." KA stated.
"April? After Oscars? No deal.What are they playing at?" Rhys Liszt, the Production coordinator said aghast.
"Their company is releasing a film of their own this year. Eliminating competition. They are hungry for the trophies." KA declared bluntly.
"That is sick! I'm sure the studio would never allow it." Lisa cried indignantly.
Everyone was talking all at the same time as exasperation reigns in the air. I sat there hanging my head. I had no idea how I should be feeling. I could tell they're all pissed, though. I needed someone to dumb down for me the technical parts so I can judge if the situation does me any good. It wasn't only me who looked lost. Anne was silent, thinking, calculating but she didn't have that idiotic look on her face like me. She was disturbed, no doubt of it.
"Enough." The room fell silent as KA's voice thundered. " Now that we know the stakes, I want you to forget everything I said. I need you all to WORK. Leave the big stuffs to the bosses. Give me you best, I won't take anything less. Get it?"
Nodding again, everyone was dead serious.
"Good!" KA shifted to a convincing cheerful mode. "We'll resume shooting tomorrow. Anne?"
"Our location manager and his staff just called. Set is ready when you are." Anne replied promptly.
"Fantastic. Mitch?" KA turned to Michelle Lyle, Art Director. She was said to be one of the most sought after Hollywood stylist.
"Lisa and I just completed the costumes, props, everything else.Just call the shots." Mitch said.
"Fabulousity. Rho?" KA's attention went to the cinematographer, Rho Chris Lindgren. She was one of Issa's favorite photographers.
"Bring it." Rho said.
"Sweet. Ember?"
"Just sent you the revisions." I quipped.
"Great. Tomorrow. 6 AM sharp. No excuses... We're going straight to our hotel and after lunch, were rolling."
The crowd broke into twos and threes. Anne was left
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