Chapter 6 #2
‘Finn,’ Violet had reappeared beside him. She pulled a little torch from her pocket to illuminate the dark areas behind the set. ‘Sorry, I thought you were right behind me. It’s this way.’
She turned to go as he asked, ‘What is?’
Her face was shadowed, but the light of the torch picked out the light of her eyes. ‘The green room.’
Nodding dumbly, he said, ‘Okay. Sure.’
She watched him for a moment as the crew jostled past them, barely seeming to notice them in the dark corner. Then, seeming to sense his nerves, she took a step closer to him.
‘Finn.’ Violet’s voice was low, her tone calming.
‘You know I think you’re a dickhead.’ This was unexpected.
‘What you may not know is that I actually…’ She sighed.
‘I think you are a very good actor. You always have been. As well as always being a dickhead.’ She locked eyes with him again, and he had a sense of everything else slipping away except her face and voice.
‘So, it would be great if you could detach yourself from this particular corner of the set and come with me, so that we can both do our jobs and I can put off getting fired at least until lunch time.’
Finn stared at her.
‘Was that a pep talk?’
Violet’s eyes glittered in the shadows. ‘Yes.’
He stared back at her. ‘That was diabolical, Vi. No wonder you’ve had to start again as a trainee, relearn the basics.’
‘You know Finn, I—’
He held up a hand. ‘It’s okay, Vi.’ He tapped the side of his head. ‘I mentally recorded that. I am going to listen to you telling me I’m a great actor on repeat all day, every day.’
A crew member ambled past them. Violet waited until they had gone before she murmured, ‘Whatever you need to do to feel good about yourself, Finn.’
He followed her, watching the little pool of light at her feet as she lit up a path for them. Crew rushed past them in each direction as they picked their way around the exterior of the set.
They rounded a corner, and he could see a little row of easy-ups, little gazebos that acted as on-set green rooms for the cast, make-up touch-up tents with mirrors surrounded by bulbs, costume tents with space for quick changes between scenes.
Violet was peering at the labels clipped to the tents as she went, reading and mouthing to herself. She walked them up to the one that had his and Jennifer’s names pinned to it. He saw her mouth the names as if double-checking, then nod and turn to him.
She pulled back the fabric at the front and gestured for him to step in.
He entered and stood in the middle of the little space, too nervous to sit.
Inside were two padded chairs, a rug, and a little table.
His mouth felt dry, and his pulse was racing.
What if this didn’t work out? What if he walked on set and forgot his lines?
What if he wasn’t good enough, and they had to keep retaking the same shots?
What if the chemistry he and Jennifer had had at auditions had disappeared, and no one cared if their Nathanial and Beatrice got together?
What if the show didn’t succeed with audiences and it damned the rest of his career?
This day was the culmination of everything he had worked towards his entire adult life.
It was an opportunity the likes of which many actors would never get.
And given the nature of the industry, it was also possible that it would be here today and gone tomorrow if the series was not a hit.
This might be his fifteen minutes of fame.
Violet was on her radio.
‘Violet to Rachael.’
‘Go for Rachael.’
‘That’s Finn in the green room on stage.’
Finn couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation but saw Violet’s shoulders creep away from her ears as she blew out a breath.
She turned to him. ‘They’ll be ready in about ten minutes,’ she said. ‘You can make yourself comfortable here, and then we’ll walk you over.’ She hesitated for a moment, then in a quieter voice, she asked, ‘Um, would you like a coffee?’
Finn, locked in a thought spiral in his head, snapped, ‘I’m still waiting for the last one.’
He felt bad as soon as the words were out of his mouth.
‘Sorry,’ he muttered. His tongue felt huge in his dry mouth. ‘Um, no thanks, but is there water?’
Violet reached over to the little table, which he realised was dressed with bottles of water and miniature packets of biscuits and fruit, and handed him a bottle.
‘Oh. Thanks,’ he said. ‘I didn’t see that.’
He took a long drag on the bottle of water and sank down into a chair, nervous energy making him feel wired and exhausted at the same time.
Violet hovered near the entrance. ‘No need to be nervous,’ she said. ‘I’m sure you’ll be great.’
Her tone and words grated on him, and he tutted irritably. ‘Stay in your lane, Vi, and I’ll stay in mine.’
‘I just meant,’ she persisted. ‘I am sure it’s all going to be fine.’
‘Really, and what are you basing this on, Vi? All the expertise gained in your one hour as a trainee?’
He took another gulp of water.
‘Fine,’ she hissed. ‘I was just trying to be nice because I thought you might welcome some support, but if you’re going to be an arse about it, I won’t bother.’
‘This is you keeping up appearances? It didn’t take long for the mask to slip, did it?! Just keep your trite platitudes.’
‘If you think I—’
There was a rustle as the easy-up fabric was pulled back, and Jake, the 3rdAD, stepped inside. Violet’s face was flushed, but she straightened her shoulders and smiled at Jake. Finn leaned back in his chair and carefully placed the water back on the table.
Jake’s brow was furrowed as he glanced from Violet to Finn.
‘Everything okay in here?’