Chapter 10
The agent smirked. “Stuart’s an idol, got it? Idols make fans‘ dreams come alive!”
Her voice turned snappy. “But when he’s up there, even a shady pusher towers over him. How’s that gonna get fans all starry- cyed?”
Angelica’s head was already throbbing.
The assistant director jumped in, reading the room. “So, what’s the fix? Maybe get the Zeph guy to slouch a bit? Look shorter?”
The agent beamed like she’d hit the jackpot. “That’s the ticket!”
With a glance at Angelica’s reluctant nod, the assistant director sighed and went to sort it out.
From the sidelines, Tasha caught him muttering to Alaric Weber, the actor playing Zeph. Alaric’s face soured, but he gave a curt nod.
Tasha grinned. “Yo, System, what’s he saying to Zeph?”
System 103’s tone was ice–cold. “I stick to you, host. Other people’s drama? Not my deal.”
Tasha just shrugged, eyes on the crew. “Fine, keep your secrets. I’ll suss it out, watching them play it.”
Take two kicked off with Stuart and Zeph’s big clash.
Alaric, hunched like he was lugging a sack of bricks, swapped lines with Stuart, looking miserable. He was a pro–nailed his lines, sold the part.
But that slouch? Total eyesore. He didn’t look like a sly shopkeeper facing a noble’s son. More like a grumpy landlord chewing out a beat–down tenant.
Angelica’s scowl deepened. She’d had enough. “Cut!”
This was a trainwreck. The scene had no spark–what should’ve been a tense showdown looked like a hick–town melodrama.
The assistant director, her longtime wingman, clocked her frustration and leaned in. “How about we keep Zeph and Stuart out of the same shot?
“Whoever’s talking gets the lens, then we end with some killer eye close–ups.”
Angelica groaned. “What, just bounce the camera like a ping–pong ball? That’ll look cheap as hell! Fans’ll spot the height difference in a hot second.”
“Then what?” the assistant director snapped, losing his cool. “Angelica, this is-”
He didn’t finish, but Angelica knew: This was the money guy’s pick. They couldn’t afford to screw this up.
Her headache was now a sledgehammer.
The agent swooped in, all smiles. “Why not swap in a shorter actor for Zeph?”
Scared of Alaric bad–mouthing Stuart, she added, “No worries! Zeph’s guy gets his full pay–on us, not the crew. Plus a ten percent bonus. Deal?”
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Chapter 10
Angelica wanted to lose it. This wasn’t about cash. They didn’t just swap actors like socks.
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Zeph wasn’t some one–line servant one could toss to any extra. He had a chunky script, a showdown with Stuart, and needed to ooze sleazy smarts–plus that guilty flinch when caught.
Finding someone to nail that on zero notice? Good luck.
No new actor, no scene. And the whole day’s shoot would crash and burn.
Tasha squinted at the chaos across the set, then flashed a cheeky grin. “Oh, I know the dirt they’re stirring up
The System, sounding like it was half–asleep, grumbled, “What’s that?”
Tasha chuckled. “Zeph’s too damn tall. Totally crushed Stuart’s paper–thin ego.”
“Huh.”
Tasha didn’t sweat the System’s frosty vibe. She scoped out the scene, then strolled over to grab the full script from the table.
Her eyes raced over the pages, the words searing into her brain like they were hot off the press.
In a flash, she’d inhaled the whole thing. Meanwhile, the assistant director had finally calmed down the guy playing Zeph.
Alaric’s face was all sour lemons, but what could he do? Small–time actors like him didn’t get to throw punches at the big stars. Plus, he’d pocketed some extra cash, so even though he was steamed, he took off without a big scene.
Angelica sighed, ready to call out, “This shoot’s getting pushed to who–knows–when,” when a shadow fell over her.
She looked up to see a plain–looking extra, dressed like a stagehand, standing there.
At first glance, she thought, ‘Dude.‘ Second glance? ‘Nope, definitely a girl.’
Probably the crew scraping by with whatever warm body they could find to fill out the male extras.
Angelica wasn’t in the mood to play acting coach for some random walk–on, especially not today. She was about to bark, “Back to your corner,” when the extra piped up, “Hey, Ms. Marshall, can I take a shot at Zeph’s part?”
Angelica’s eyes nearly popped out. “Say what?”
Tasha, chill as ever, repeated, “I wanna try out for Zeph.”
“Hold up,” Angelica said, raising an eyebrow. “How’d you even know about it?”
Tasha leaned in, voice low, “Caught Zeph’s actor bailing–looked like he was feeling rough. But Zeph’s not some A–list role, right? Can’t let him stall the whole shoot. So, I figured I’d step up.”
Zeph hadn’t split because he was “feeling rough,” but Tasha’s slick spin was pure class.
Not that it won Angelica over. She gave Tasha a quick once–over. “You? Ever been on camera? Acting’s not sweeping floors, kid.
“Zeph’s lines would take you days to memorize. Why bother when I can just grab a newbie?”
Angelica was coming in hot, but Tasha didn’t flinch. She just dove in. “So, on the seventeenth, this scruffy guy who looked like he just stepped out of a servant gig strolls into our jewelry shop, asking about ruby necklace prices. I’m like, ‘Man, our ruby necklaces are a steal–top–tier ones go for just two–seventy.‘ Guy shakes his head and goes, ‘Not buying, dude. What’s
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Chapter 10
the trade–in value? I slip him a number on the sly, and bam–he whips out a massive haul of ruby necklaces….” The more Tasha talked, the more Angelica’s jaw dropped. By the end, her eyes were wide as dinner plates.
Tasha was nailing Zeph’s lines–every word, straight from the script, not a single slip.
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And that wasn’t even the best part. Her delivery? Pure street–hustler swagger, smooth as glass. One’d swear she was a grizzled shopkeeper just from her voice.
Tasha’s voice had a husky edge–not bad, just hard to peg as guy or girl. Paired with that slick tone, she was every bit as good as the pro who’d just walked out.
This girl is a total clutch save!‘ Angelica thought.
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