Page 35 of Cast to be Mine

“Can I take photos on set?” I asked Patty.

“Absolutely not,” she said cheerfully. “Signed an NDA, remember? No phones on set. I’ll hold yours in my bag and alert you to emergencies.”

She held out her hand, and I surrendered my phone like a kid caught with contraband.

For the next hour, I went over my lines one more time. Then I closed them and just sat, breathing, letting Elena settle into my skin. That was the trick I’d figured out over the past ten days. I embraced her fear and stubbornness.

At seven fifty-five, there was a knock on the trailer door. Patty answered it, then turned back to me with a big smile.

“They’re ready for you, Ms. Stone. First team’s on set.”

My stomach flipped. And there was a wave nausea that made me regret that last coffee.

“Let’s go,” I said.

Patty hustled me out of the trailer and across the lot toward the soundstage. The sound of golf carts buzzing and conversations filled the air. I could smell bacon. Some craft services on another shoot. Or maybe in mine. She steered me through a side door.

We stepped onto the stage, and the ship was right there. It was massive and finished now. Ten days ago it had been a skeleton with half-built walls. Now it was a world. Someone had added hanging chains, dripping pipes, steam.

I was in Elena’s world. Her nightmare. The set was cool, thankfully. With the jacket on, I was a little warm. Once the action started, I would be sweating. There were massive fans that would be used for one of the scenes.

I couldn’t wait to dig into the character.

People were everywhere. And the source of the bacon was on the back wall. A table draped with a white cloth, a woman standing on the other side dishing up plates for a few crew members. I imagined they’d been working since the crack of dawn.

Camera operators, grips, and a ton of other people all milled about. Toby stood near the monitors with a headset on. And there, by the monitors, was Micah.

He had a headset around his neck and a coffee in his hand. He was pointing at something on a screen, deep in conversation with another man. His sleeves were rolled up. He looked tired and electric at the same time.

Eyes on the prize, Grace.

He glanced up as Patty led me across the floor. He stopped talking mid-sentence. Then he smiled, friendly and professional.

“There she is,” he said. “You ready?”

“Ready.” And I meant it. No script in my hand. No knot of panic in my chest. Just Elena, waiting to be let out.

“Great. Jack’s in his trailer getting his abs done.” He said it completely deadpan, and Toby choked on his own tongue. “We’ll start with the catwalk scene, your coverage first, so it’s just you up there to open. Camera’s going to be on a Technocrane behind you as you come around the corner.”

I was still wondering about getting the abs done thing.

He held my gaze for a beat, then gave a slight nod. “Okay,” he said softly. Then, louder, to the room, “Alright, everybody! Let’s make a movie!”

The set came alive around me. I climbed the stairs to the catwalk and took my mark. I was in a movie. Me. Grace Stone was officially a leading lady.

Down below, the crew settled. Someone called out “last looks” and a makeup artist darted in to powder my nose and vanish.

Toby’s voice rang out. “Places!”

12

MICAH

I’d been running for weeks. The shooting schedule was tight, but the limited budget on this movie left very little wiggle room. Four weeks to shoot was ambitious, but we weren’t making a huge Marvel movie. We could get it all finished as long as I didn’t screw anything up too badly.

Every minute of daylight cost money. Every setup, every reset, every time someone called cut, the meter ran. I had a crew of over a hundred people showing up today, all of them expecting me to know what I was doing.

Day one of principal photography. No pressure. I’d been at the lot since five.