Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
A week filled with coaching sessions and do-overs later, Blake felt a sense of triumph as Piper finally declared their song acceptable. A few days after that, he crowded into the control room along with the entire main cast of Scorched to watch his animated alter ego strut through an imaginary forest with Princess Jewel.
When his character hit the high notes, excitement tickled the pit of his stomach the way it always did when something landed exactly right.
Gina bumped his shoulder. “This is absolutely delightful. I didn’t know you had that in you.”
“Neither did I,” Blake whispered back.
Paul waved an anxious hand in their direction. “Shush, shush…this is the best part.”
On screen, Jesse swung from a tree branch and landed in front of Princess Jewel, proud and totally full of himself as he sang the last lines of the song, the ones Blake used to belt out as loud as he could. The same ones that had injured his vocal cords .
Once Piper taught him how to breathe from his diaphragm and support the note, he hadn’t had to shout.
“Well done! This is exactly what I hoped for,” Tamar said. She hugged Piper, then Blake. “You two are a perfect match. I knew you would be.”
“It’s really coming together,” Paul gushed as he grabbed Blake’s hand and shook it. Today, he was wearing a dark-blue shirt with bright-yellow pineapples all over it. “There’s a few places where the animation needs to be tuned but that’s neither here nor there. It’s going to be insane when it’s done. How did you do it? The first takes were nowhere near this perfect. Was there some sort of magic potion, or perhaps something more fun?” He wiggled his eyebrows.
Blake knew what Paul was implying. It wasn’t unusual for two leads in a romantic movie to wind up in bed together, either because they were genuinely attracted to each other or simply for the sake of onscreen character chemistry. But this was an animated movie.
“I learned how to breathe,” Blake said.
Paul looked confused. “You mean you weren’t breathing before?”
Gina patted Paul on the back. “It’s a singer thing, Paul. Don’t worry about it. What Blake is saying is that he had an excellent vocal coach.”
She winked at Piper.
Piper looked like a kid on Christmas morning. “This is so cool.”
He couldn’t stop his answering smile. “It’s really coming together.”
Rachel slid up next to him and grabbed his arm. “Blake, that was amazing . You were fantastic.”
“Thanks.” He noticed Piper shift away from the two of them and wished he could follow her. “How’s your song with Piper going? Weren’t you in the studio Monday?”
Rachel waved a negligent hand. “No. I had a thing so we pushed it to next week. I thought we should focus on the dialogue first. Listen, I hear congratulations are in order. You’re popping your director cherry. I can’t think of anyone better to lead a project.”
Piper’s head swiveled in his direction. “Director? I thought you were the lead actor.”
“He’s so much more than that.” Rachel’s broad I-will-eat-you-alive smile wrapped around her face but didn’t touch her eyes. “He and Marshall are the producers and the writers too.”
“Oh.” Piper looked at Blake. “You’re the director, the producer, the writer, and the actor?”
He dipped his head in acknowledgment. “I’m also the scheduler, the casting director, and the dishwasher.”
“But not the housekeeper.” Piper smiled faintly at her own little dig. “Wow. No wonder your office looks like an explosion in a paper factory.”
Rachel’s smile slipped a degree. It was her turn to stare at Piper. “His office?”
Blake kept a neutral mask on his face.
“Yes,” Piper said sweetly. “As in a room with four walls, a desk, and a floor that looks like a crime scene.”
Rachel flicked an uncertain gaze in Blake’s direction. “I’ve never seen your office, Blake, have I?”
Rachel knew the answer to that. She’d never been to his house at all, let alone his office. But he knew she wouldn’t make a scene in front of this many people. She wasn’t the type to pitch a fit. She liked to strike from the tall weeds when you least expected it, like a snake.
Piper looked from him to Rachel and back. “You sure wear a lot of, um, hats. ”
He shrugged. “We’re trying to keep the budget down.”
“Surely you don’t need to worry about the budget,” Rachel said.
“Every director is worried about the budget.” He wasn’t surprised that Rachel had heard that Conned was greenlit. She had an uncanny ability to sniff out new projects.
Rachel put a too-intimate hand on his arm. “It must be exciting to finally get this project off the ground. You and Marshall have talked about it forever.”
Blake caught Paul’s eye. “Are we going to get started soon? Or do I have time for a quick call?”
“Yes. I mean no, no time.” Paul clapped his hands. “We have lots to do today, people, lots and lots to do. We start with the sisters having their moment, and then…where’s Jeremy? Has anyone seen Jeremy?”
Paul bounced up and down on the balls of his feet and peered around the room.
“I heard you were having trouble casting the romantic lead,” Rachel stage-whispered to Blake. “Any chance you’d consider me for the role? You and I work so well together.”
Her eyes smoldered with not-so-hidden meaning.
There it was. The question he’d been trying to avoid answering. The last thing he wanted was to be paired up with Rachel Morris ever again. He’d already told Marshall there was no chance in hell he was letting her in on Conned —in any role.
The problem was, Rachel was perfect for it. She had an ability to fake sincerity that was unmatched in the industry. With the right makeup and styling, she would be the perfect girl-next-door foil to his conman lead, but every particle of his body rejected the idea.
Every instinct screamed for him to run. But he couldn’t just slam the door on her in a roomful of people, which was exactly why she’d chosen this moment to ask. She could be spiteful and vindictive, and she had a lot of influence in certain circles. Nobody got anywhere in Hollywood by making enemies.
What the hell could he say to get her to back off but not have an instant fit?
“That’s a kind offer, Rachel. I’ll talk to Marshall about it.” He gave her a chagrined, Brad Pitt in Ocean’s Eleven smile.
“I—” Whatever Rachel had been going to say was cut off by Jeanette, the goddess of sound engineering.
“We’re good to go when ready,” Jeanette shouted over the buzz of conversations. She flicked several switches, and the lights came up in the booth.
Rachel blinked at the sudden intrusion of harsh glare but maintained her overly sunny smile. “Tell Marshall I’m still waiting for that drink he promised me, and be sure to send me the script. I want to be ready for you.”
“Okay, people, it’s time to get a movie on,” Tamar called out. She was standing on one of the office chairs by the soundboard while Jeanette held it steady. “Voices, please migrate into the studio. The rest of you, places, please.”
Piper stopped Blake before they went through the door. “You did great. That song is perfect.”
“Thanks.” He watched her, curious. Piper had been so full of confidence up until this moment. “What’s wrong?”
“I have to live up to my side of the deal now,” she said in a low voice.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.”
She looked up at him with a playful expression. “I hope I’m better than that.”
“Me too,” Rachel said as she sailed past them into the studio.
Unlike the smaller space where they’d laid the track for the songs, this studio was a massive room where five microphones hung suspended in a line above five podiums with enough space between them that carryover sound wouldn’t be a problem .
Scorched posters featuring each character hung on the wall behind each microphone to indicate where they should each stand. Jesse/Blake was center left, while Jewel/Piper was center right.
Rachel, he noted, was last on the right, so far away from him she might as well have been in a different room. She glared at her microphone like she might set it on fire.
“Since Jeremy isn’t here, let’s do the sisters first,” Paul announced. “Is that okay with you, Tamar?”
“I’d rather work on the longest scene first,” Tamar said. “Where is he? I thought that helicopter would mean he’d be on time. He’s the only one who didn’t have to sit in traffic.”
“Calm yourself, I have arrived.” Jeremy slid into the room and did an athletic little spin. “It is a glorious day to kidnap a princess, my minions. Let us make haste.”
“Glad you could make it, Sorcerer Malignon,” Tamar said. “Let’s start with the final scene since everyone’s in the room, then Jeremy and Rachel’s short scene, and then the sisters. That should take us to lunch I think.”
Paul nodded. “Yes, I think so. Or after, depending. I’ll go get the heads sorted. Remember, everyone, the feed is live, so please get into character and have fun with this, okay? The more expressive you are, the better the animation will be.”
Paul waved and left the room. Blake could see him talking to the animation department heads on the other side of the glass with wild gestures. He could only imagine what they were being told.
Jeanette and the other booth engineers were already in place behind the boards, ready to capture everything they did for later playback. The booth was filled with more people than it was designed to hold. He guessed this first session, with so many big names in one place, had drawn a crowd.
“It’s weird to think they watch everything.” Piper raised her chin toward one of the cameras in the corner. “Makes me paranoid. Like if I scratch my nose they might animate it later.”
“They might,” Gina said as she took her place. “They might animate what’s in your nose, too.”
“I would never give them a gesture so mundane,” Jeremy said. He rubbed his nose vigorously with both hands until his entire body gyrated, then he winked at them. “Bigger is better.”
Piper laughed.
Tamar held a copy of the script in one hand, her glasses in the other. She paced back and forth in front of them like a general addressing her army. “Thank you all for being here, and for giving your best efforts to this project. I don’t want you to focus on how behind schedule we are, or how alarmingly close we are to the premiere. I want you to have fun, and I don’t want you to feel at all pressured by the people who are anxiously waiting for the award-winning performance you give here today.”
Blake suppressed a smirk. He appreciated Tamar’s sense of humor. She had a genuinely kind soul, but he knew underneath it lay a spine of steel and a deadly desire for perfection. “So you’re saying this is for the record, then. Because I thought we were still rehearsing.”
Tamar stood in front of him and slid her glasses on. She managed to look down her nose at him despite being several inches shorter. “And you…I will not tolerate any of those antics you and Marshall used to get up to as children. We are all adults here, now.”
He tipped an imaginary hat. “Yes, ma’am.”
She patted his cheek. “That’s my boy. Let’s do a dry run first. Pick up with the line ‘I hope your new friend keeps her promises.’ And go from there.”
Tamar crossed to a small couch sitting under the window to the control booth and sat. “And…action.”
The dry run took longer than he would have thought to get through. Tamar kept stopping to give direction, or Rachel would interject with her ideas for how someone else should play their character. Piper, he noticed, was a lot stronger than she’d been at the table read.
She held herself a little too still, and she projected a little more than she needed to, but her dialogue was solid. Good, even. If she’d just relax a little, she’d have it nailed.
“Okay, break. When we return, we do this.” Tamar arched an eyebrow at Jeremy. “Be back in ten minutes. Ten, Jeremy, not twenty.”
Blake waited for Tamar, Gina, and Jeremy to leave, then walked with Piper down the hall. “You’re doing really good in there.”
She glanced up at him. “But?”
“But nothing. You can relax. You’re good.”
“Good enough?” Piper teased.
“It was fine for someone so new to voice acting,” Rachel said behind them in a tone that could have been interpreted as supportive if the person listening didn’t know her. “I’m just glad it wasn’t a real take.”
Blake stiffened. He hadn’t heard Rachel sneak up, but he should have known. She never let an opportunity for snark pass her by.
“Why? Were you not happy with your performance?” Piper asked. Her accent was a lot thicker than usual. It laced her question with an impression of politeness. “It sounded good to me.”
“Thank you.” Rachel looked like she wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or an insult. Then she regrouped and gently patted Blake’s back as she squeezed between him and Piper. “Excuse me, nature is calling.”
She strode to the ladies’ room and pushed inside.
Blake thought she was probably ready to bust something, trying to be that sweet in front of someone she thought was not important. She’d made it clear on the first day that she thought Piper was unqualified and not worthy of a role like this. He doubted her opinion had changed during the past three weeks.
They walked toward the restrooms at a slower pace.
Piper’s lips twitched. “I’m surprised she has to share. She seems like the type to insist on her own private bathroom.”
“She probably asked.”
“Is she from the South?”
“She’s from New Jersey.” Blake looked at her with curiosity. “Why do you ask?”
“She doesn’t sound like someone from New Jersey,” Piper said, sounding surprised. “I was just thinking she sure has that damn-with-faint-praise thing down.”
“Yeah. Hollywood is great for that.” He shook his head. “Ignore her.”
“Don’t worry. I know she’s just mad because someone dropped a house on her sister.” Piper winked and sauntered into the restroom.
He barked a laugh and retreated.
They all returned to the studio about thirty minutes later, which in Hollywood time was speedy.
Tamar stood in front of them again, this time a lot more serious. “Okay, this one is for keeps, okay? Don’t worry about your phone, or what you’re having for dinner. Focus, focus, focus. Blake, I need you to keep your head up just a little bit. They say you move a lot and the sound is muffled.”
He gave a nod. “Gotcha. Nose in the air.”
“Piper, I would like you to be a princess, okay? You rule everything you see. You’re sweet and kind and frustrated that you can’t go see things and do things out in the world. You’re confident, and maybe a little bit spoiled. Got that?”
Piper smiled. “You mean act like my younger sister. I can do that. ”
“Within reason, dear. Act like your sister would act if she were Princess Jewel. Leave yourself behind. And, Jeremy…I have no notes. You were perfect.”
“Yes, I am.” Jeremy took a little bow.
Everyone groaned.
“Don’t feed his ego,” Gina said. “It’s big enough already.”
“What can I say, it’s a role I was born to play,” Jeremy said with a magnanimous dip of the chin.
Tamar moved down the line to Gina. “Gina, they say to tell you not to snort. It distorts the sound.”
“Dragons snort,” Gina protested. “Every dragon I’ve ever seen snorts.”
“Yes, but not here. They will add that later as an effect. Your snort isn’t menacing enough. Okay, are we good? Any questions?”
She turned and took her seat before anyone could ask anything. “Okay, rolling!”
Blake turned toward Piper but was careful to keep his head near the mic. “I hope your friend knows how to keep her promises.”
Piper glanced at the script. She seemed suddenly unsure, or maybe she wasn’t ready.
Blake caught Rachel staring at Piper with a hint of smugness playing around her mouth.
What had they said in the bathroom?
“Cut,” Tamar called out. “Piper, sweetheart, is there a problem?”
Piper glanced at Rachel, then stiffened her shoulders. “No. Sorry. I was…never mind. I’m ready.”
“Good. Again.” She pointed at Blake.
He said his line again.
“Stop worrying,” Piper said. “She’ll be here. Unlike some people, dragons know how to keep a promise.”
She sounded a little nervous, but her character would be too, so he wasn’t sure if she was worried about herself, or if she was acting the part.
“You sure about that? Because I don’t see a dragon up there.” He pointed up at the ceiling.
Gina snorted, then growled.
Tamar glared at her.
Gina flashed a wicked grin.
Piper giggled, then slapped a hand over her mouth.
Tamar gestured for her to keep going.
“I’m as sure as I am about you.”
“That’s reassuring. Okay, I guess you’re right. Let’s go,” Blake said. He glanced at the booth to make sure he’d kept his mouth close enough to the mic and got a thumbs-up from Jeanette.
The reader chimed in over the intercom. “Jesse and Jewel creep into the drainage pipe under the bridge and make their way into the castle. They emerge in the kitchen, where the cook is putting the finishing touches on a tray of food for Elaine. The cook shakes his head sadly. ‘The poor thing. She has no idea. Malignon never intends to let her leave this place, even after he gets the stone. She is as trapped as the rest of us.’ Jesse and Jewel exchange glances, then sneak onto the cart. The chef wheels them out.”
Blake snuck over to Piper’s station and pantomimed sneaking into the cart. He tugged her down with him, held a finger to his lips, and whispered, “Shh.”
Piper’s eyes twinkled. The two of them huddled on the floor while the reader continued.
“When they reach Elaine’s room, the guard unlocks the door, the chef wheels them inside, and leaves. Once the door is closed, Jewel and Jesse climb out.”
Blake popped up and dragged Piper up with him.
“Elaine, shocked and frightened, hits Jesse on the head with a hairbrush. ”
Rachel rushed over and bopped Blake on the head with an invisible brush.
Tamar pointed at Piper.
Piper leaned past Rachel to put her mouth near the mic. “Elaine! It’s me!”
“Jewel!” Rachel’s cheek touched Piper’s, they were so close. “You came for me!”
Since neither woman looked willing to move, Blake shifted quickly back to his own space and rubbed his head. “Ow! For the record, I came to rescue you too.”
Both women turned to look at him. Rachel cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t look like a hero to me.”
He looked down at his clothes. Jesse would have been covered in soot and ash from fighting the dragon and grime from the pipe.
“He’s with me,” Piper chimed in. Her voice had gone from breathless excitement to a little stiff and annoyed. “This is Jesse, from the Kingdom of Carenth. We have a plan.”
“It won’t do you any good,” Rachel said, subtly edging Piper out of the way so she could have sole possession of the microphone. “Malignon has put a spell on this necklace. I can’t take it off, and I can’t leave this room. Jewel, he knew you’d come for me. This whole place is a trap.”
Her tone and delivery were perfect. She sounded every bit the worried sister, but she looked every bit the satisfied diva.
Piper stalked over to Rachel’s now abandoned station with a determined look on her face. “We didn’t come here alone. We brought backup.”
The reader’s voice came over the speakers again. “A purple vortex appears, and Malignon steps out of the portal.”
“Well done, Elaine,” Jeremy said with all the pompous arrogance that an evil sorcerer would possess. “You brought her right to me. If she has the stone, the dragon won’t be far behind. ”
“Cut,” Tamar said. “Good. Everybody grab a drink, then we’ll try again, from the top. Jeremy, can you work in an evil chuckle where it feels natural?”
“Me? Of course.” Jeremy’s eyes narrowed as he rubbed his hands together and cackled like a cartoon villain until everyone laughed. He stopped and beamed at Tamar. “Too cheesy?”
Tamar wrinkled her nose. “Less Will Ferrel, more Tim Curry.”
Jeremy winked. “Gotcha.”
He cleared his throat, steepled his fingers, and produced a throaty, rolling chuckle.
“Perfect,” Tamar told him. She leaned in to whisper something in Piper’s ear.
Piper pressed her lips together and nodded. “Okay.”
Tamar patted her shoulder and walked back to the couch studying the script. “Places. Jeanette, lower the main lights a little, please. They’re giving me a headache.”
“Sure,” Jeanette said over the speakers. The lights dimmed a little. “How’s that?”
Tamar glanced around and nodded. “Good. From the top. And…action.”
They did the entire scene three more times, each time followed by notes for someone, with Piper being the biggest target.
Finally, Tamar massaged her forehead and called it quits. “We start again in the morning, fresh and ready. Eight a.m., Jeremy. That means morning, not evening. We are not vampires.”
“I could have been a vampire,” Jeremy said. “Perhaps the sorcerer has a vampire in his family.”
“All families have at least one vampire,” Gina agreed.
“Get out.” Tamar tapped on the glass to the sound booth. “Jeanette, we need a quick round-up with the heads and Paul.”
“On it,” Jeanette answered .
The monitors and microphones clicked off, and the lights came up to full.
Tamar shielded her eyes. “Piper, my dear, a word?”
Piper straightened her shoulders and joined Tamar. Blake couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but from the way Piper’s shoulders tightened, Tamar was offering private guidance on how to improve.
“Is it just me, or was Tamar being a bit of a pain today?” Rachel asked. She’d crept up next to his left elbow and now hovered like a queen bee. “She didn’t seem happy with something. Poor Piper.”
He made a noncommittal noise while he watched Tamar and Piper walk out the door, deep in discussion about something.
“I can’t believe we haven’t moved on to the next scene yet. This movie is already so far behind,” Rachel commented. “But it’s certainly not your fault. You make a perfect Jesse.”
“Thanks. I like what you did with Elaine.” His reply was automatic.
What was Tamar telling Piper? She’d improved a ton since the read-through, no question, but today hadn’t been great. Piper had seemed distracted by something ever since the first bathroom break.
Rachel touched his arm, and he turned to give her his full attention.
“Join me for dinner?” Rachel cocked her head sideways in a gesture that meant she had no intention of eating.
This was about Conned . She sniffed big-budget productions better than a bloodhound, and she probably thought she had an easy in.
Not a chance in hell. No way. Not happening.
He put on his best Hollywood smile. “Sorry, I can’t. I’m running lines with Piper tonight.”
Anger flashed through Rachel’s eyes. She smothered it with another too-sweet smile. “That’s so sweet of you. I can see how much she needs the help. I’m sure she’s grateful for anything you can give her.”
She trailed her hand along his back as she left. “Another time. See you later.”
It was meant to be a romantic gesture, but it felt more like a spider sizing up an after-dinner snack. Blake had to control a shudder as he watched her saunter out the door.
Piper was doing so well, but they’d spent too much time on his singing and not nearly enough time on her acting, and it showed.
Running lines with her was a good idea.
He sent a quick text to Marshall. Can’t do edits tonight. Running lines with Piper.
Now, all he had to do was let Piper know before Rachel spilled those beans.