She placed a briefcase on the table and shuffled some papers inside, pulling out sheets with neat staples in the corner.
My grandparents sat quietly to my left and the exec opposite me. There was an empty chair next to her where Jason was supposed to sit.
I drummed my fingers on the long wooden table with one hand, and used my other to text back to Lacey. ‘No sign. Perhaps he won’t show after all?’
‘He’ll show,’ she replied.
I looked up and the woman glared at me. I smiled sweetly and placed my phone in my bag.
She handed us each the stapled sheets of paper and placed one at the empty chair.
I glanced down at the top piece of paper that was merely a cover sheet. I looked up, was I allowed to open it and read it yet or did we have to wait? It was very formal and nothing like I expected. But then, I’d never been involved in television before either.
The door opened wide and hit against the wall with a dull thud making all of us jump. My heart decided that now was a brilliant time to try to beat the world’s fastest rhythm competition. I looked down to the paper, trying to steady my breathing.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said as he sat down picking up the schedule and turning the pages. The TV exec did the same. I guess it was allowed now that everyone was here.
I turned the page and saw that the show was going to run on a forty-minute schedule.
“I thought it was an hour show,” I said.
The woman smiled at me as if she thought I was an idiot. “It will be once the advertising goes in.”
“There will be twenty minutes for ads?”
“About that.”
“Isn’t that excessive?”
She still looked at me like I was stupid, but this time no longer had a smile on her face. “No. It’s what happens with every show. It would be more if we expected a higher view. Forty minutes content, twenty revenue. How did you think we would cover the cost of paying you?”
I shrugged.
She cleared her throat and continued talking. “Mr Tinks, you’ll start with ten minutes and then we’ll jump to Mr Green who’ll be seen warming up the group of people he’s selected. He gets five before the first break. After that break, we have a five minute spit for each performer. Third session will be all Mr Green for ten minutes, and finally the fourth session will be the final.”
“You’ve got the finale going for five minutes. That’s not enough time.”
“Aren’t you just jumping through a hoop or something? That should take no time.”
“It’s a fan, with sharp blades, and we need to build up the tension. That’s how it becomes exciting.”
“How long does it take to jump through a fan?” She peered at me over the top of her glasses.
My grandfather put his hand over mine to comfort me.
“It only takes a second, but that’s not the point,” I said.
“My dear, people have short attention spans, especially toward the end of the program. You have the whole forty minutes to build up tension for it.”
“Twenty minutes. You’ve only given us twenty minutes. You’ve given him the other twenty.” I looked over at Jason who hadn’t said a word yet.
“She can have some more of my time, if she needs it,” he said. Finally he speaks.
“Nonsense. You both have equal airtime. That will satisfy our audience demographic, and therefore my bosses. I’m not here to discuss changing this schedule, but to inform you of it so you can plan your act around it,” said the exec. I felt like jumping over the table and punching her. I would have, but I suspected she’d take more time from us and give it to Jason.
I glared at him. He was probably sleeping with her, to get more minutes. Anything to advance his career.
“Fine. So we have twenty minutes.” I shut the sheet of paper and looked out of the window.
“While you should be aware of it, you don’t need to change your show when you are doing the live part. We’ll cut and work around it.”
“All of it is the live part. We are performing in front of a live audience remember.”
“Except for the rehearsal which we’ll also be filming. That way we can get good close ups and angles without interfering with the live audience.”
“Sure, right.”
My grandfather squeezed my hand. “Well, that all sounds fun doesn’t it? Do you have the air date? I can’t wait to set my video to record it. I’ve never had a whole television show about me.”
“We’ll send you an electronic copy for your records. Air date is two days after the live show.”
Thomas looked at me and the crinkle on his forehead etched deeper.
“I’ll show you how to set it up to play on the television. Don’t worry,” I said.
“Fine, then that’s sorted. If you can send me some head shots for the promo ads, that’d help too,” said the exec.
I nodded, Jason did too.
She clipped shut her briefcase, pushed her chair away from the table and without looking back at us, walked out of the room.
We were left staring at each other.
“It’s lovely to see you again,” my grandmother said to Jason.
“Great to see you too, Mrs Tinks. And you Thomas, it’s a pleasure to be working with such a legend. I’m humbled by the opportunity.” Jason held out his hand and Thomas shook it.
“It’ll be fun for sure,” said my grandfather. “Won’t it, petal?”
“Yeah, it’s going to be a blast,” I said.
“Scarlett, wait.” Jason followed me out of the room. I had to get out, I couldn’t breathe in there. I needed air. “Wait, let me talk with you.”
I continued to make my way outside, and sat on a bench seat with grass at my feet. The only grassed area around this stupid office building “And say what? That you’re sorry again. I’ve heard it before.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what’s it like? Explain to me, why if you care so much about me, you’d do this?” I looked up at him, shielding my eyes from the glare of the sun.
He paused, not sure whether he should sit next to me. “I didn’t do this to hurt you.”
“You did it to advance your career, ride on our coattails. You couldn’t make it on your own so you decided to use me and get on our show.
“No. You’ve got it wrong.”
“Then enlighten me. Because I have no idea why else you’d do this.”
He sat down. So close that I could smell his aftershave, which mingled with my memories of us alone together. I turned away.
“I thought it would help,” he said.
“Help who? You? Well, yeah, good job. You succeeded. Now you have equal airtime as well. It just gets better and better, doesn’t it?”
“I thought it would help you get a larger audience. Help more people see how amazing you and your grandfather are.”
“We could have done that on our own. We didn’t need you.”
I heard him sigh. “Why can’t we work together on this? Why can’t you trust me?”
“Trust you?” I turned to face him. “How can I trust you when all you’ve done is try and manipulate me into getting your own way?”
He looked shocked. “I’ve never manipulated you.”
“You made me like you. You made me want to sleep with you. Hell, I thought we had something.”
“We did have something. We had something special. Magical.”
I scoffed.
“I didn’t make you feel anything that you didn’t already feel. Those feelings were real and true,” he said. “And they weren’t one sided. I felt the same about you.”
A truck rumbled past on the road. I watched as it disappeared around the bend.
“Scarlett.” He tried to hold my hand but I pulled it away. “Fine. Have it your way. I’m not pulling out of the show. Not because I think it’s good for my career, but because I believe it’s good for yours. You can think of me any way you wish, but I’m doing this for you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t try and hypnotize me with false words and make me think something that isn’t true.”
“This isn’t hypnosis. And I thought you didn’t believe in that anyway.”
“I don’t.”
“Then I can’t hurt you.”
“That’s right, you can’t.”
“Then stop being so angry with me. Stop thinking I’m the monster here who’s out to get you. I’m not.”
“Prove it.”
“Prove what?”
“Prove you aren’t trying to hurt me or manipulate me.” I crossed my arms across my chest and glared at him, challenging him to give me an answer I’d be satisfied with, even though I knew there was no answer I’d be satisfied with.
“I can’t change a mind that’s already made up.”
“See.”
“But if you still want to be hypnotized, I can put you in a trance, show you what it really feels like.”
“You’re messing with my head again.”
“I’ve never messed with it before.”
There was no way I was going to let him hypnotize me. He’d make me look even more stupid. Probably make me cluck like a chicken. Or what if he made me fall in love with him? No, I couldn’t risk it.
He stood up. “The offer still stands.”
I watched him walk over to his car and drive away. His tires flicking up dust behind him as he turned onto the main road and around the corner.
There was no way I’d let him hypnotize me. No way.
“You should,” said Lacey. I’d dropped my grandparents back at our house, and came over for moral support. “Let him take you under a trance. I’ve heard it’s super sexy.”
I threw a cushion at her. “He is not going anywhere near me again. Not my body and definitely not my mind. I hate him.”
“You do not, and you know it.” She was right, but that would change over time. I just had to focus on all the horrible things he’d done.
“You know he convinced the TV woman to give him equal air time. I have no doubt they’re sleeping together.”
“Whose name is first on the title? Whose name?”
“Thomas’s.”
“There you go. They always put the star first.”
I tucked my feet underneath me, and put my hands in my lap. “I suppose.”
“Would you have been this upset if it had been anyone else? Or is it because it’s him?”
“Him. But I would have been upset anyway. His is ruining our big finale.”
Lacey jumped up. “I nearly forgot. I’ve got something that is going to blow your mind.”
“As long as I still have a mind after it’s blown, then do tell.”
She ran into the bedroom bringing out three garment bags. I could see a hint of sparkle at the bottom of one of the bags.
“This is going to be much more fun if you see yourself in it. Close your eyes. No, wait I’ll blindfold you.”
“Kinky.”
“I know, right?”
She pulled me to my feet and undressed me down to my underwear. I heard the zipper of the garment bag open and tiny beads tinkle softly as they moved.
“Lift one leg up, yep, that’s good. Now the other.”
I felt the soft fabric slide up my legs and wrap around my body.
“No peeking,” she said.
She zipped up the back, then twisted and fussed over what I was wearing. It was tight against my skin, but soft and comfortable. I wondered what color it was. Something that looked good on television, I hoped.
She put her hand on my back leading me to her full-length mirror.
“Are you ready to be amazed?” she said in her best announcer voice.
She whipped off the blindfold.
As my eyes adjusted to sudden change in light, I took in my reflection. I was wearing a corset of deep red. Tiny round diamonds fluttered around the bodice, barely touching each other, but when they did, they created a soft twinkle catching the light but not overwhelming it.
Strapless, it pushed my breasts up, but wasn’t too sexy. More sweet with a hint of drama. Just how I liked it.
“It’s not too much for television?” I asked as I tried to get a view of the back.
“Nope. It’ll look hot on you. You won’t need Jason because guys will be falling over themselves when they see you in that.”
I leaned over into the mirror, checking how much cleavage would show if the camera zoomed above me. A sudden shock on my face. “You didn’t give Rose the same outfit did you?”
Lacey laughed. “Well, hers covers more up top, and is longer. But it’s similar. You’ll match.”
“And Thomas?”
“Black suit. Red vest. He has a tiny bit of shimmer on the lapel though.”
I looked back at my face, noticing how it softened any imperfections. “It makes my hair really stand out.”
“You’ll look smoking sexy.”
“I don’t want everyone looking at me.”
“Actually you do. You want to sparkle enough when you do your bit to slow down the fan for Thomas to get through, all eyes are on your body and not your hand.”
“Then this is perfect.”
SIXTEEN
I stood in the middle of the stage, soaking up the hot lights warming my cheeks. I closed my eyes imagining that every seat was filled and the crowd was murmuring in anticipation. I pretended to hear the music as it started slow and then built up right before the drums and cymbals would crash together as we walked on stage.
The camera crew were busy fiddling with cables or knobs in the pit area. They muttered to themselves sometimes cursing if something didn’t go precisely to plan. They didn’t pay any attention to me. That would change. Now I was wearing a sloppy comfortable t-shirt and shorts that had seen better days. Once I put my stage outfit on, I knew all eyes would turn my way.
I heard scraping behind me as the metal fan was pushed onto the stage. The trolley strained under its weight, creaking and groaning as if complaining that it shouldn’t have to do such hard labor. Thomas followed behind, giving instructions to the two men on either side trying to steady it as they moved it forward. “A little to your left, that’s it. No wait, move it back a little.”
We’d practiced with the foam protectors on the blades for the last two weeks. Only twice did he misstep and get hit. Every other time, he made it through without one hair out of place. He was a true star. I was proud of him.
I hadn’t noticed him limping anymore either. Fast healer, due no doubt to all those years of performing tricks and being in shape. You couldn’t get yourself out of a straight jacket if you weren’t fit.
He came over to me and ruffled my hair. “It’s going to be big. I can feel it, petal.”
I grinned and wrapped my arm around his waist. “It’s going to be epic. They’ll talk about it forever. The most exciting stunt you’ve ever done. Think of the headlines.”
“Are you ready to see just how sharp this thing is?” He placed his hand on the side of the fan patting it like it was an old friend.
I hesitated. “You’re going to rehearse with the protectors off? I thought you were going to leave that until tomorrow. You always get it right on the night. That’s part of the magic.”
He winked and pulled a foam piece away.
The blade looked different than I expected. The end, closest to the centre of the fan was sharp, like I was told it would be, but the other end at the outer edges of the blades had been flattened out. They were smooth, and while they would still make a nasty bruise if they hit you, they wouldn’t chop your head off.
I stood back turning my head from side to side, not quite understanding why it would have been made this way.
“Rose made me do it,” he said. “It was the only way she’d agree to me doing the stunt. She refused to be a part of the show unless I dulled the blades closest the the area I’d walk through.”
“Genius.”
“Indeed.”
I felt Jason
before I saw him. I spun around at the same moment he walked into the theatre and headed toward us. My gaze did not stay on him for long though, instead it was drawn to the woman on his left.
She was shorter than I was, with long dark hair that reached to the small of her back. She was young, pretty, and by the way she lay her hand on Jason’s arm, she knew him very well. I looked away, trying to bring my attention back to the fan, forcing myself to nod as my grandfather talked about the mechanics of flattening a blade although he really could have been talking about anything as I was paying no attention.
I heard their footsteps walk toward us, I could have counted them if I’d wanted. It took all my self control not to turn around too soon. I’d wait until he said something, and then I’d act as if it was the most natural thing in the world that he bought his girlfriend to rehearsal.
“Hey,” he said. “Ready to kill this show?”
I spun making sure I was smiling. “Of course. It’ll be the best anyone’s ever seen.”
He tapped the side of the fan with the back of his knuckles making a clanging sound. “So this is the Blades of Destruction, huh? Looks scary.”
“It’s supposed to.”
“Mission accomplished then.”
“Thomas Tinks.” My grandfather held his hand out for the woman that Jason had brought. “Pleased to meet you.”
The woman giggled before reaching out and taking my grandfather’s hand. “Hello sir, I’m Helena.” She giggled again. Where on earth did he find this one, and what happened to the I-still-care-about-you spiel? I should have known he’d have moved on by now. Not that I cared.
Jason touched the small of her back. “And this is Scarlett.”
She giggled again. Good grief.
“Scarlett, I’d like you to meet Helena. My sister.” He made sure to emphasize the last part.
I gulped, I really needed to stop jumping ahead of myself. Of course it was, now that I looked at her again, she was the spitting image of Jason. I smiled and shook her hand.
“She’s on a college break and wanted to tag along. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not,” said my grandfather. “I’ll even show you a card trick if you like.”
Trance Page 12
