Chapter Text
Almost every morning since Tyler had tried to kill her, Wednesday would wake up in a panic and spend the next few hours trying to settle herself down, if she even could. Sleeping scared her, and waking up was miserable ever since that fateful night when Tyler nearly took her life. Yet this morning, Wednesday felt surprisingly calm and even joyful. Now as she strolled down the corridor towards the kitchen, she giggled softly as Enid kissed her cheek and playfully squeezed her bum. Enid was the polar opposite to Wednesday in so many ways and it seemed strange to Wednesday that she could feel so happy around someone so different to her.
Wednesday was quite aware of who she’d always been. Ever since a child, Wednesday was bitter, detached and somewhat apathetic. She was always uncomfortable with sharing her feelings. Many years ago, when Wednesday was sixteen-year-old, Larissa suggested therapy after a particular troubling incident involving three crew members where Wednesday left all three of them hospitalised after they attacked Salem. Apparently, they thought it would be funny. Wednesday got them back in quite a violent manner. It was disturbing for the studio who nearly fired her for it, but Wednesday didn’t care. Salem had been hurt and Wednesday wanted payback. It was that simple. This wasn’t the only time Wednesday took things a tad too far in her search of justice and Larissa was always concerned for her mental health. Even Wednesday had to admit, Hollywood had taken a toll on her, even though she would never admit it.
Hollywood could be a wonderful place, where your dreams could come true, but underneath there was always a f*cked up darker side, one that Wednesday had seen all too much of. Wednesday was always an odd child to begin with and very closed off. Hollywood simply made it worse.
After Larissa tried six different therapists for Wednesday, there wasn’t much point trying again. Wednesday always hated the idea of sharing her feelings with a stranger who was getting paid to sit there and judge her. Even around Vi, Jinx and Maddi, it was still hard for Wednesday to share any feelings with them and she rarely ever did. She was far more relaxed around them, but never pouring out her emotions.
And yet, after all these years, a girl with blond hair, pink and blue highlights and a visual style that Wednesday described as cotton candy in human form, Wednesday could pour her soul out to her. Enid wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met. Not just the fact she was a mermaid, but for the first time in her life, Wednesday felt safe being truly vulnerable around someone. A strange feeling, at least for her, but a welcome one, at least for now.
Wednesday gently squeezed her hands and smiled warmly at Enid, who had that same bubbly gorgeous smile that made Wednesday’s heart flutter. Before they reached the end of the corridor, Wednesday clearly heard the sound of Larissa on the phone in a heated discussion. When they wandered out of the corridor, they saw Larissa was pacing around the living room with the phone up to her ear and by the kitchen was Raelle, who was plating up some breakfast, while Scylla sat on a stool by the kitchen bench drinking coffee, along with eating some scrambled eggs and bacon on toast. Scylla was also doing some updating to the schedule, looking over some papers that Wednesday assumed had been given to her by Larissa.
“Evie, I don’t care what it takes, but you need to get Hayden Mccarthy on the phone. Don’t take no for an answer. We need him to pick up the damn phone,” Larissa heatedly said over the phone.
Wednesday instantly recognised Hayden Mccarthy’s name. He was the CEO of Warner Brothers after all and he was also the father of Jane Mccarthy, the girl from high school with whom Wednesday had a crush on and briefly dated. Jane was of course the same girl Wednesday had written a new song about as a way of subtly getting back at her in Wednesday’s own unique way.
“What’s that all about?” Wednesday asked as she and Enid took a seat by the kitchen bench as well, where Raelle plated up some scrambled eggs on toast with margarine, along with a chocolate milkshake for both of them.
“World war three if you go by what Larissa was going off about before,” Scylla commented, looking up from her notes and spotting Enid by the bench. “Whose this?”
“Oh, this is Enid, she um…well…she’s umm, my friend. Enid, this is Raelle and Scylla, my bodyguards,” Wednesday awkwardly replied, unsure of how to really explain who Enid was to her at this point. Friend? f*ckbuddy? … something more? Who was to say really. Wednesday hadn’t really thought about it properly yet.
“It’s nice to meet you, Enid,” Scylla said with a friendly smile.
“Nice to meet ya,” Raelle said in her distinctive southern tone and a friendly smile.
“It’s good to meet you both. Oh and um, thank you for the breakfast. Looks delicious,” Enid smiled.
Before any of them could really continue the conversation, they were drowned out by Larissa on the phone and things only looked to be getting worse for whatever nightmare was going down.
“He’s not available!? What the f*ck does that mean!? They didn’t say anything else?” Larissa fumed. “For christ sake! Fine, when they call back, you let me know immediately. Did you at least get Sampson on the phone? You’re kidding, nothing!? How about her agency then? It’s not like that bitch is busy. The last thing she did was a commercial in Japan 4 months ago, the lazy prick.”
“I’d eat while you can Wends. She’s on the warpath today,” Scylla quietly said to Wednesday, leaning over so Larissa didn’t hear.
“I can go if you’re busy. I don’t wanna interrupt,” Enid said softly.
“No, don’t go, you can stay. If you want to mean. I’m happy you stayed over,” Wednesday said with a soft smile.
“Me too,” Enid smiled and kissed Wednesday on the cheek, something Scylla and Raelle spotted and both had the biggest pleased smiles on their faces. Blushing like she hadn’t done since high school, Wednesday struggled to hide her joyful smile. Wednesday tried to hide by eating her breakfast with Enid, but Scylla and Raelle still had that same pleased look on their faces. Although, Wednesday did also catch the fact that when Raelle’s back was turned attending to the stove, Scylla stole quick glances at Raelle’s bum and admiring her body, only to awkwardly look away when Raelle turned back towards them again. The back and forth between them had continued it seemed. Curious.
“You got the agency? Good, put him through.” Larissa said with stressed sigh and sat down on the couch, putting the phone on loud speaker and tossing it onto the coffee table as she rubbing her eyes in frustration. Everyone continued eating breakfast, but listen into the conversation intently.
“Larissa, what can I do for you?” the man greeted.
“You mind telling me what the f*ck you’re doing, Landyn?” Larissa snarled.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Landyn replied.
“Don’t dick me around! Sampson’s your client and you represent her, so do you mind telling me why your client is acting like an entitled little sh*t?”
“Look, Larissa, we’ve already made it clear to Warner Brothers about where our client stands. There’s no way around this. Her mind is made up. They either meet her demands or she walks. It’s that simple. I don’t know what else you want me to say.”
“Get real. None of what she is demanding is within the realm of reality. Wednesday is the star of the f*cking series. The entire show got funding because she wanted to do it, so stop dancing around it. What the f*ck is Sampson’s problem?” Larissa snapped.
“Bottom line…as long as Wednesday and Vi are in the show, Sampson won’t do it.” Landyn informed after a moment’s pause.
“She won’t do it? Are you f*cking kidding me? The show has already been filmed. They need her down on set to re-do her scenes. The bitch is only in the final episode of season 1! Final reshoots begin today and the show airs in five f*cking days, Sampson should already be on set and we shouldn’t be having this conversation. The reshoots are small and they need to be done by the end of today. Get her ass down to set. I’m not playing this game with you. Where the f*ck is she?”
“She’s here, home in Los Angeles,” Landyn flatly replied.
“She’s in LA!? You’re telling me this now!? You had one f*cking job Landyn, get your client to set to do a day of reshoots. How hard is that!? You dip-sh*t.”
“Larissa, please. There’s no need to take it personally. It’s just business. Don’t shoot the messenger. My hands are tied.”
“Tied!? Let me get this straight, your client, who is in the final episode of a 10 episode first season for Netflix which cost hundreds of millions to make and is signed on for multiple seasons after that as a main character, is now, out of nowhere, refusing to come to set. And, might I add, your client is demanding the whole show, which took half a f*cking year to film, get re-filmed in its entirety, then for Wednesday and Vi to be fired and replaced. Are you f*cking delusional!? Your client would be lucky to get cast in a foreign indie film in the f*cking slums of Budapest as an extra! So don’t tell me your hands are tied. Get her ass to set!”
Wednesday immediately understood the show in question and was a passion project of hers. Filming had concluded many months ago and parts of which were shot last year as well. The show was called ‘Duality’ and set on the planet of Bilara. The Onadian Dynasty, who are a race of humans, has ruled the planet for thousands of years with an iron fist. Within the realm of creatures that populate the world, werewolves stand out as a particular group that faces the unfortunate fate of being either hunted for sport or subjugated as slaves by their Onadian rulers, who exploit them to suit their own purposes.
Wednesday plays a young werewolf in the show named Helena, who was born amongst the few remaining free clans of werewolves. Very few clans remain and with no real means of fighting back against the Onadian’s, Helena and her clan stay hidden for their own safety and survival. The first season shows the downfall of the final free clans of werewolves, leading to the final episode, where Helena is one of the few survivors of a vicious battle and is imprisoned.
Bethany Sampson, with whom Larissa is painstakingly trying to locate, is a 25-year-old actress from Los Angeles and the daughter of prominent Hollywood movie star, Elias Sampson. So far, all of her movie roles were practically gifted to her based on her connections. She wasn’t an awful actress, but she wasn’t great either. Despite this, she was extremely popular with over thirty-millions Instagram followers, so studios jumped at the marketing opportunities. She was beautiful but had a habit of being a snobby c*nt. At least that’s the mildest way Wednesday could describe her attitude. An entitled brat who expected everything handed to her and treated crew members like garbage.
In spite of this, they still needed Sampson to finish her scenes. The show was meant to air within days. Wednesday knew of the emergency reshoots for a few minor shots they needed, but that was it, nothing more. Before going on tour, Wednesday had done two weeks of reshoots and she was all finished. Today was meant to be the final shots and then it would air as scheduled. All their marketing had led up to this. Backing out now would be a disaster.
“We’ve made ourselves clear Larissa, that’s the end of it. Bethany already has a movie lined up with Disney, so her plate is full. It is what it is.”
“That movie doesn’t start filming till January 1st, dumbass, so get real. These are emergency reshoots and she is obligated to fulfil them…” Larissa firmly stated.
“No, she isn’t and no, she won’t. Bethany wants them both off the show. That’s where we stand on it.”
“How about she just talks them both on the phone and they can hash this out? This is childish.”
“No. Wednesday and VI need to be gone by the end of the day, or else Larissa.”
“So what, this isn’t even a discussion, it’s a f*cking necessity!?”
“Exactly. Look, I have to go. I’ve made myself clear. Sorry Larissa,” Landyn said before hanging up the phone.
“Landyn? Lan….you motherf*cker!” Larissa slammed her clenched fist on the table.
Larissa’s frustration was palpable as she leaned back on the couch, desperately trying to keep herself from unleashing her fury in a scream. The atmosphere in the kitchen was tense as Larissa’s distress silenced everyone, and they focused on their breakfast, avoiding any conversation. Rarely did Larissa ever get this way, unless things were dire.
Seconds later, the phone rang and Larissa quickly answered it.
“Tell me you have something, Evie,” Larissa said to her assistant over the phone that was still on loudspeaker.
“Hayden Mccarthy’s office is still giving us the run-around, but I talked to my spies at Warner Brothers and they’re telling me…well…” Evie hesitated for a moment, knowing she had to say the news but really didn’t want to piss off her boss at the same time.
“Telling you what? Come on Evie, spit it out.”
“The Warner Brothers board is debating whether or not to pull the plug on the whole show. Mccarthy is really pushing for it, but not everyone agrees.”
“You’re joking!? Canning the entire show over Sampson!? She’s in one f*cking episode, that’s insane!” Larissa spat in disbelief.
Wednesday’s heart felt like it was being crushed in a vice at the news. After years of fighting for the show to get made and with days to go before it aired, they wanna cancel it? Wednesday hung off every word of the phone calling, hoping for some good news to ease her stress.
“Apparently, Sampson had a fling with Vi…some people were implying that’s a part of the cause for this. I talked to my spies at the agency Sampson is with and they’re saying Sampson caught Vi f*cking one of the stunt guys and she was upset with it. Actually, it wasn’t just one. Vi was being f*cked by three of them…at the same time.”
“You have to be kidding me?” Larissa sighed heavily, rubbing her eyes with frustration.
“Wait, hang on, I’m getting a call from one of my spies at Warner Brothers. She might have something for me. I’ve gotta go.”
“Alright, call me back immediately after that conversation with whatever you have.”
“Got it, boss,” Evie said before the call ended.
“Scylla, go get Vi and bring her up here. I don’t care if she’s sleeping, working out, trekking through the artic circle, or f*cking some waitress in a McDonald’s bathroom, I want her ass in this room, right now,” Larissa said in a low, frustrated tone, like she was about to explode.
“I’m on it,” Scylla quickly replied, putting down her cup of coffee and rushing out of the apartment to go get Vi.
“They’re gonna cancel it?” Wednesday said, finally managed to get the words out.
“Not if I can help it. I’ve been up since 4am dealing with this garbage and…” Larissa stopped as the phone began to ring again and winced slightly at the name.
Larissa hesitated for a few moments before answering the call with the calmest and friendliest voice she could put on in that moment.
“Peter Jackson, how are you this fine morning?” Larissa answered politely.
Famous for the Lord of the Trilogy, Peter Jackson had been the director for each and every episode of ‘Duality’ and had co-written and created the show with his wife, Fran Walsh. Peter was the key reason that sold Wednesday on the show in the first place and was a personal idol of hers, being one of her favourite directors.
“You mind telling me why Bethany Sampson is still not on set? Hmm?” Peter asked frustratedly.
“Peter, I promise you, I am working on it as we speak. I will move mountains for you buddy. The show will air on Christmas eve as planned, everything is fine. We are cruising. I’ve never let you down before, bud. Trust me, everything is good. Just keep working away at those other shots and I will you back with an update soon.”
“Really? We’re fine, are we?”
“Absolutely, nothing to worry about.”
“So the fact that I just heard Sampson is demanding Wednesday and Vi get fired or she isn’t coming back, is nothing to worry about to you? And the fact that Warner Brother might shut down the show entirely means nothing then?” Peter said, clearly annoyed.
Larissa clenched her fists and silently mouthed the words ‘f*ck!’. Just one more stress to pile onto an already troubling situation.
“Peter, I promise you, I just found about that myself. It’s a minor setback, but we will be fine. After all the money they sunk into this show and the trailers that have come out, it’s suicidal to pull the show from air. We are good. I promise you I will sort this out. As I said, I will move mountains to solve this for us. I have always come through for you. Trust me,” Larissa calmly replied.
“Sampson’s in LA Larissa, how is that gonna be fixed? Everyone is here. This needs to be done today. We’re already over budget.”
“If we have to recast the role and pump out her scenes all in a day, we will. Come on Peter, you shot your first film on some old 16mm Bolex camera for barely any money. This is nothing compared to what you’ve done before. Sampson wants to be a child, then so be it. We soldier on. Nothing is set in stone yet, so just bare with me. I am working on it and I will be back with an answer shortly, I promise.”
“Fine. You better be quick. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
“Absolutely bud, talk to you soon. Keep up that filming, I’ll have an answer shortly. Don’t you worry about a thing,” Larissa confidently said before their call ended. “We are so f*cked,” Larissa sighed and held her head in her hands.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Vi asked as she entered the apartment behind Scylla. Vi was in her workout gear, had a towel over her shoulder and had clearly been in the gym when Scylla found her. “Ooo, whose the cutie?” Vi grinned, looking at Enid. Almost as a reflex, Wednesday slinked her arm around Enid and shuffled a little closer to her. Vi was a horny little bastard at the best of times, so who could blame Wednesday for being slightly protective.
“Of all the asinine things you could have done Vi, this would have to rank in the top 5 and that’s saying something,” Larissa groaned as she rose from the couch, glaring at Vi. “Why can’t you just be f*cking normal!”
“What? I didn’t do anything…I think,” Vi nervously rubbed her arm, practically looking like her mum was telling her off.
“Since 5:00 am, I have been dealing with the fact that Bethany Sampson is refusing to film her scenes for Duality until you and Wednesday are fired from the show. Warner Brothers is probably about to cancel the entire f*cking show before it even airs and all because you decided to have a fling with Sampson and then, on top of that stupidity, you decide to have a gangb*ng on set, having three members of the stunt team f*ck you senseless! Do you have any functioning brain cells left!!? What is wrong with you!?” Larissa snapped.
“Well…when you put it like that, it sounds bad, but…” Vi nervously replied, rubbing her arm and avoiding Larissa’s stern gaze.
“But nothing! You will call Sampson and apologise immediately.”
“There is no way I’m doing that. She f*cking started it,” Vi protested.
“Then tell me, why in god’s name is this happening!?”
“She cheated on me first. She was f*cking the assistant director.”
“So what, you decide to get at her by having a four-way gangb*ng, on set no less? You couldn’t go to a motel?”
“Well…I…may have done it in her trailer to get back at her.”
“Jesus Christ, Vi!! Rusty c*nt bucket f*ck!!” Larissa snapped, resisting the urge to throw her phone through the nearest window. Wednesday couldn’t blame her. Larissa was doing her best to save the show and each new bit of information was making things more stressful. With a guilty look on her face, Vi hung her head and nervously shuffled about.
There was a moment’s silence after that, which was only broken by the sound of Enid sipping her milkshake.
“Breakfast is delicious, Raelle,” Enid quietly complimented.
“Thanks,” Raelle softly smiled.
Once again, the phone rang, its shrill sound cutting through the silence of the room. Larissa took a deep breath before answering the call, once again putting it on speakerphone, everyone nervously waiting for answers.
“Evie, what do ya have?” Larissa asked.
“My sources are telling me that Sampson is not doing this on her own. Apparently, she’s good friends with Jane Mccarthy,” Evie informed.
“Hayden Mccarthy’s daughter? What the hell does Jane have to do with any of this? She’s the president of music for Warner Brothers and she only got that because of her father. What the hell does she have to do with this?”
“From what I’m hearing, apparently, Jane is convincing Sampson to leave the project and on top of that, hoping that Sampson’s departure can get the project shut down. Jane is manipulating her father, but the board is completely against the show being cancelled. Jane knew about what Vi did, so Jane used that to lure Sampson away from the show.”
“What? Why?” Larissa asked with obvious confusion.
“From what they’re telling me…one of Wednesday’s new songs leaked and found its way to Jane. Specifically, the one titled ‘Diary of Jane’. On top of that, there’s the issue that Vi punched Jane during school after breaking Wednesday’s heart. My source says she’s out for payback. At least that’s the best guess my source had. That’s just what I heard.”
With a steely eyed glare, Larissa slowly turned to look at Wednesday. Her cheeks flushed, Wednesday nervously swiveled back around on her chair and started sipping her milkshake, trying and failing miserably to act normal, even though she knew it was pointless.
“Evie, I’m gonna have to get back to you. Till then, I want you to start calling the list of replacement actresses I sent through. They’re top of the list of Peter’s original choices for the role. See if we can get any of them. Make enquiries, I’ll get back to you when I’ve got more,” Larissa said in an eerily calm voice. Wednesday could feel Larissa’s gaze on the back of back of her neck. “Please tell me, you didn’t write a song about the daughter of the Warner Brothers CEO. Wednesday!?”
Just like Vi, Wednesday felt like a kid again being told off by a parent as she swiveled back around, although she anxiously looked at the floor. Larissa was perhaps one of the few people alive that could talk to her like that and get away with it. After everything they’d been through, she understood the frustration. It didn’t make the scolding to come any better though.
“See, it’s not entirely my fault,” Vi grumbled quietly.
“Zip it,” Larissa hissed.
“Sorry,” Vi said in a low voice and promptly shut up.
“Wednesday. Look at me,” Larissa demanded and Wednesday grudgingly did as she was told. “That song was about her, wasn’t it?”
“Um…well…yes,” Wednesday quietly admitted, shifting nervously on her stool under the weight of Larissa’s glare.
“Oh good god,” Larissa sighed, holding her head in her hands. The anger was clear, but more than anything she looked frustrated and disappointed.
“It’s not that bad,” Wednesday muttered out and immediately regretted saying it.
“Not that bad? That’s like saying the Bay Of Pigs was a four-day holiday with Marilyn Monroe. This is a colossal f*cking disaster. Why in the holiest of hells would you write a song like that? You couldn’t call it Dairy of Emma? f*ck it, call the thing Diary of Anne Frank - The Second Coming, but what you don’t do is write a song about the psychotic bitch from Warner Brothers, who is your ex girlfriend!”
“She can’t prove I wrote it about her. Jane could mean the name ‘Jane Doe’, like it could refer to anyone,” Wednesday said. In truth, it was of course entirely about her ex girlfriend. She didn’t think this would be the result though.
“Of course she knows it’s about her. You may as well flash it all around the MCG in bright neon letters. It’s that obvious. Go call her and sort this out right now.”
“I’m not calling her,” Wednesday crossed her arms in defiance.
“Wednesday, this entire thing could be solved with you making one little phone call. Legally, I can only do so much. Just call her.”
“Ugh. Fine. I’ll call her,” Wednesday huffed and rose from her seat. “My phone’s in my bedroom. I’ll be back.”
“I um…I should really go. I can see you’re all busy,” Enid quietly said.
“You don’t have to go,” Wednesday with hopeful eyes, almost pleading for Enid to stay. Wednesday gently took hold of Enid’s hand to emphasise the point. “I’ll just a minute and then I’m all yours.”
“Ok,” Enid smiled brightly.
Wednesday briefly glanced over and saw Vi smirking, enjoying every moment of watching Wednesday practically swooning over Enid. Vi could read Wednesday like a book most of the time, so it wasn’t hard to spot.
“C’mon Wednesday, time’s ticking,” Larissa said, her foot tapping impatiently.
“I’m going, I’m going,” Wednesday sighed and trudged back to her room
Picking up her gothic coloured phone from the charger, Wednesday opened up her contacts and dialed Jane’s number. Even after all these years, she still kept it but never really knew why. Although, to be fair, she had hundreds of contacts on her phone that she never dialed. Some celebrities, others one-night stands and other various people she’d met over the years.
After a good few seconds of waiting while the number rang, finally the call was answered.
“Well, took you long enough,” Jane smugly answered.
“What the hell are you doing, Jane? This is childish, even by your standards,” Wednesday snapped back.
“Why, I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about. Although, I do hear my dad is getting your little show cancelled as we speak. Shame about Sampson really. If only Vi kept it in her pants,” Jane said in the same smug, pompous tone.
“I’m not playing your little game, Jane. I know it’s you doing this. I don’t know what lies you had to peddle to your father to pull this little stunt, but it ends now.”
“Oh, I beg to differ. I’m just getting started. Soon your little show will be cancelled and I’ll be lapping it up at a Hollywood party hosted by Robert Downey Jr. Oh, isn’t he that new co-star of yours from the Call Of Duty movie? What a fun little coincidence that our studio is funding that movie as well. Who knows what might happen to that little project and if you’ll even be a part of it,” Jane taunted in the same annoying, smug tone.
“Wow, I knew you were pathetic, but this is low. You’re really that hurt I wrote a song about you? Get over yourself.”
“Pathetic?” Jane laughed. “I’m not the one who wrote an entire song about one of their ex’s. It was almost a decade ago and you’re still pining over me? While I’m flattered you still remember our time together, it’s sad you still hold such a grudge. Did I hurt wittle Wednesday’s feelings?”
“You were using me. I was hurt, so I left you. End of story,” Wednesday coldly replied
“You left me? Don’t make me laugh. I was done with you and I moved on to bigger and better things. But if you think I’m going to let you release a song about me, making me out to be some cold-blooded harlot, then you have another thing coming.”
“You can’t prove anything and besides, I can write about whatever I want. Get over yourself.”
“You’re right. Legally I can’t prove it and you can release the song. I’m powerless to stop your father’s company from doing that. But I can also make your life a living hell. I’m on the Warner Brothers board and father listens to me. All your projects will burn and die if I so wish. So, here’s what’s going to happen; you’re going to pull that song from your latest album, make sure it never sees the light of day and then I want to hear you apologise to me. Not over the phone either. I want you to take me out to dinner and grovel for my approval. Afterwards, I wanna see you on your hands and knees begging me. You remember how to beg, right? You always did love begging before I f*cked you. If you do that, then the show will go to air as planned,” Jane stated in her smug high and mighty voice, knowing she had Wednesday on the ropes.
“While I applaud your pathetic attempt at getting revenge, I would rather watch the teletubbies on repeat than give in to something so pathetic. The song stays and the album will be released as planned. You should know one thing though Jane, I don’t bury hatchets. I sharpen them.”
“You always were so predictable Wednesday. Fine. Good luck finding a replacement for Sampson. Although, I’ve heard it might be a little tricky at the moment, so many busy people out there and on such short notice. Such a shame. You have my number when you change your mind. Or, if not, it’s bye-bye Duality and bye-bye Call Of Duty. Toodles,” Jane smugly answered before hanging up the phone.
“I should’ve killed her when I had the chance,” Wednesday muttered to herself. She was joking of course…well, mostly anyway.
“So?” Larissa asked as Wednesday came back out into the Kitchen.
“She said that unless I pull the song from the album and then have dinner with her to apologise and then beg her for forgiveness, then she’s threatening to have the show pulled and get me fired from the Call Of Duty film. Sampson is also not coming back. It’d be pointless to try anyway,” Wednesday informed.
“Tell her to get f*cked. I’d rather fly to LA and smash the bitch’s face in. Maybe I’ll break her nose this time,” Vi fumed as she stood by the kitchen counter near Scylla, nibbling at a piece of uneaten bacon from Scylla’s plate.
“For goodness sake,” Larissa sighed. “Dammit. Well, then we have no choice. We’ll have to re-film all the scenes with Sampson’s character with another actress. I’ll deal with the rest of it as best I can,” Larrisa said and started scrolling through her phone.
“Oh come on, that means we have to re-do all of the scenes the character has with ours. That’ll take all day. I had plans,” Vi groaned.
“I don’t care what waitress you planned to bang on the back nine of a golf course, Vi, you’re getting your ass down to set. Get Jinx ready as well. We need her and Maddi to re-film their scenes as well.”
“God dammit,” Vi groaned.
“Go get ready now Vi, I don’t wanna hear another word about it. Both of you have done enough already. I’ll find a replacement for Sampson while you all get ready,” Larissa said in a firm tone as she dialed a number on her phone.
“Fine,” Vi grumbled and trudged off to go get ready.
“We don’t even have a replacement yet,” Wednesday commented.
“We will. I’m working on it. You just go get ready while I get this sorted. It’s already 8:20 am, so we don’t have long. Get moving,” Larissa said and sat on the couch to talk to her assistant. In a rush, Raelle and Scylla quickly ate and then left to dress and prepare for the day’s outing, while Wednesday and Enid retreated to the bedroom.
It’s not quite the morning or even the day Wednesday was hoping to have. She finally had Enid here and instead of just enjoying the day with her, now Wednesday had to rush off to set to re-film entire scenes because her ex-girlfriend in an evil bitch.
“Sorry about all that. Things aren’t usually like that,” Wednesday said as she finished slipping on her clothes and lacing up her boots.
“No, it’s alright. It was kinda fun actually, in a weird way. Ya know, I always wanted to be an actress, least that was the dream. Plus, seeing the big Hollywood star being told off for being a bad girl was fun to see,” Enid chuckled, spanking Wednesday before slinking her arms around Wednesday as she stood behind her, kissing her on the cheek as she did. “So this Jane girl…she’s your ex then?”
“Yeah. We dated in high school. Had a crush on her for a while.”
“So…was it serious?”
“Sort of. Why?”
“No reason,” Enid replied, awkwardly.
“Oh, I see…” Wednesday smirked. “You wouldn’t be jealous, would you?”
“No…” Enid replied unconvincingly, pulling Wednesday’s body close so her back was pressed against Enid’s chest. “…I just…well, I was curious.”
“Sure you were,” Wednesday chuckled as Enid kissed her neck and cheeks while a hand slid up Wednesday’s top, resting on her toned abs.
“I’m way cuter though, right? Way more mysterious and sexy. Who needs her,” Enid playfully said as she caressed Wednesday’s breasts and continued kissing her neck.
“Well…maybe,” Wednesday jested.
“What was that?” Enid asked, playfully putting a hand on Wednesday’s neck with a light squeeze as she turned her head slightly so their eyes hungrily met.
“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” Wednesday softly replied, reveling in the squeeze on her neck. Wednesday typically preferred being dominant in the bedroom, but she had to admit that being dominated by Enid was incredibly arousing and she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. It was fun for them both to switch back and forth as the dominant. She could get used to this.
“What else?” Enid whispered, softly kissing Wednesday and lightly biting and tugging on Wednesday’s bottom lip for a moment at the end. “I can’t hear you,” Enid smirked and squeezed Wednesday’s neck a little tighter.
“You’re much better in bed. And you have the cutest little ass,” Wednesday moaned, reveling in the light pain on her neck.
“There’s a good girl,” Enid whispered.
With a tight grip around Wednesday’s neck, Enid pulled them in for a passionate kiss, their lips and tongues intertwining in a heated embrace.
“Wednesday? Are you ready yet? We have to get moving to set. We’ve got a lot to film today,” Larissa said as she knocked on the door.
“Coming,” Wednesday called out.
“Oh, you’ll be coming alright,” Enid smirked and cheekily rubbed Wednesday’s crotch.
“Scylla’s pulling the car around now. Let’s get moving. I’m heading off now though, I’ll meet you girls there, I’ve gotta meeting Peter on set to discuss some candidates we’ve got lined up to replace Sampson. Maddi is already heading there now and I’m driving Vi and Jinx over to set with me. Raelle already has your go-bag for set ready to go, so don’t take too long,” Larissa insisted.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m just grabbing my stuff, I’ll be out in a sec,” Wednesday replied before turning back to Enid, the sounds of Larissa footsteps heading back towards the kitchen to talk to Raelle before leaving the apartment could be faintly heard as well. “Hey, would you like to come to set with me? I could use the company.”
“Ooo, a movie set date. How romantic. You do know how to spoil a girl,” Enid grinned.
“I do what I can,” Wednesday smirked, kissing the tip of Enid’s nose.
“Lead the way then, movie star,” Enid giggled and spanked Wednesday on the bum.
Several minutes later, they were all set and prepared for the day. Raelle took the lead and led Wednesday and Enid down to the ground floor. Waiting for them outside was Scylla, the car positioned as close to the building as it could be. As usual, the paparazzi were waiting out the front, eager to get their shot. Although, usually they never crowded the car and stayed back a little bit. Today they were like vultures. Something was different today.
“Just wait here. Scylla and I will load up the car first and then I’ll come back and get you both,” Raelle said, getting a nod of acknowledgement from Wednesday before Raelle went to help Scylla with the car.
Wednesday found it more favourable when there was minimal time between her getting into the car and it driving off. If she spent too long sitting outside and waiting for the car to be packed, the paparazzi would hassle her relentlessly, resulting in a ridiculous number of pictures being taken. Poor Enid didn’t need that either.
When Wednesday was a child star, things were a little different from how they are now, at least in regards to paparazzi. The internet had yet to really take off and while it was indeed around, social media wasn’t really a thing in those days. There was no Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or things of that nature. Wednesday couldn’t go anywhere without being hassled by hundreds of paparazzi and no matter where she went, they would be following behind in their cars, desperate to get their shots and sell them to the highest bidder.
One picture of Wednesday as a fifteen-year-old sold for one-million-dollars because it showed Wednesday in the act of throwing a chair through a plate-glass window in a fit of rage. She didn’t mean to lose her cool, but her pet scorpion Nero had been killed by dipsh*ts at her school and the photo was taken mere minutes after it happened. Some asshole paparazzi had snuck onto the school grounds and sneakily took the picture when Wednesday was trying to hit another student with the chair but missed and smashed a window instead. Vi and Jinx both had to restrain her from doing anything else. If they weren’t there, Wednesday probably would’ve killed those pricks for killing Nero. Well, at least that’s how she felt in the moment anyway. Wednesday was sent home early, but the next day she learned the boys who did it were home after being beaten and briefly suspended. Vi, Jinx and Maddi had taken it upon themselves to get revenge on Wednesday’s behalf. It at least brought her some comfort after Nero died.
Nowadays, there was less demand for paparazzi photos. In the past, celebrities enjoyed a greater degree of privacy compared to what they experience now. Nowadays, platforms like TikTok, Twitter, and other social media sites offer fans a glimpse into the lives of their beloved celebrities. In the past, celebrities never used to share their lives online, but nowadays, most of them constantly do so. It was a personal insight into their lives, so the need for paparazzi declined, but they didn’t entirely go away. There were less of them these days hounding Wednesday wherever she went, but they were still there. Wednesday was far more popular for them since she never really posted online. Any post was extremely rare for her. Nobody knew about her day-to-day life and she liked it that way. She liked her privacy. So much of her life had been in the public eye. When she was born, baby pictures of her went for six-million-dollars. She was the daughter of Hollywood royalty and everyone wanted a picture. It was insane. She wanted a part of her life that was just for her and nobody else.
“Oh no. You have to be kidding me,” Wednesday sighed as she stood in the lobby with Enid. Swarms of television cameras and reporters raced up to the car, trying to get a comment from Raelle or Scylla, who just completely ignored them and went about their work. Some of the cameras tried getting a shot of inside the lobby through the door, but it was hard for them to see through the tinting. Wednesday turned her back to the cameras at that point.
“What is it?” Enid asked, pulling Wednesday in for a hug.
“It’s the news. Paparazzi is bad enough and now this. Some asshole must’ve leaked the info to them about the show. f*ck they’re annoying. Can’t even leave my apartment without being harassed,” Wednesday groaned quietly, wrapping her arms around Enid for comfort, just trying to block it all out.
“Awe, it’s ok,” Enid comforted, kissing on the forehead. “Just focus on my cute little buns,” Enid jested, acting goofy and making silly noises as she shook her booty.
“Well, they are delicious,” Wednesday chuckled.
“Wednesday, we’re all set,” Raelle informed as she re-entered the building. Scylla remained outside, keeping the cameras back as best she could, with reporters at the forefront of all of it, desperate for a scoop or at the very least, get their shots of Wednesday to show on the daily news.
“Come on, I’ll be right with you,” Enid grinned and held out her hand.
Whenever Wednesday caught a glimpse of Enid’s radiant, bubbly smile, a wave of tenderness washed over her, sweeping away all her concerns and reminding her that there was hope for a better tomorrow. It sounded silly perhaps, but it was true.
“Well, how could I say no those buns of yours,” Wednesday playfully replied, smirking as she took hold of Enid’s outstretched hand.
As Wednesday stepped outside, reporters bombarded her with questions left and right, all eager to get a comment.
“Wednesday! Wednesday! Could you comment on the latest rumours of Duality being cancelled?” a channel nine reporter asked.
“Guys, I already told you that Wednesday isn’t making a comment. Vi and Jinx didn’t say anything and neither is Wednesday. Now move back, please. This is a private residence,” Scylla loudly informed over all cacophony of questioning being hurled their way.
“Wednesday! Can you comment on Bethany Sampson dropping out of the project at the last minute?” A channel ten reporter asked, trying to push the microphone closer, with Scylla doing her best to keep them back as they moved towards the car. Making it the short distance to the car through the sea of reporters and paparazzi almost felt like a marathon just to get through it. Raelle had her hand on Scylla’s back, while using her other to keep people away from Wednesday.
“Oi! Hands back, I told you that yesterday, stay back. Have some respect,” Raelle glared at one overly zealous paparazzi trying to push his way closer to Wednesday.
“Wednesday, look over here! Is this your new side piece!? Give us a glare Wednesday, come on, look this way for me baby,” a particularly annoying paparazzi called out.
Some paparazzi were polite enough, maybe a bit pushy, but there were also some like that asshole, hoping Wednesday would snap, scream at him or try to hit him or something. Shots like that always made them more money.
The same annoying prick didn’t stop there though. “Cutie, look this way for us. What’s your name!? Whose top and whose bottom with you two? Come on, you can tell us. Does she wear the strap-on or do you take it in turns?”
Wednesday tensed and snarled with anger, doing her best to hide it for the cameras, but she was clearly upset. She wanted to smash that prick’s face into the sidewalk and curb stomp him. Camera lights flashed and reporters continued asking questions, but Wednesday could only think about kicking that asshole’s face in.
“Just ignore him,” Enid said into Wednesday’s ear so only hear. Enid slinked her arm around Wednesday’s waist as they continued pushing through the crowd. Wednesday was still fuming, but Enid being made things tolerable.
“Shut your mouth and move back away from the car. Move it!” Raelle hissed at the same paparazzi who was one of the only ones left blocking them from opening the rear passenger door. With Raelle glaring at him, he promptly moved at that point.
“Wednesday!? Do you have any comment on the show’s cancellation rumours?” the channel nine reporter asked, but Wednesday continued to ignore them.
“After you,” Wednesday said, politely allowing Enid to enter the black SUV first and slid to the middle so Wednesday could slip inside as well.
“Move back, please. Wednesday has no comment, so move away,” Scylla firmly ordered to the crowd of reporters and paparazzi still hurling questions. With great effort, Scylla moved them back enough so she could close the rear passenger door, which was no easy feat with them crowding her. After that, Scylla walked around to the driver’s seat and Raelle climbed into the front passenger seat beside Scylla.
Annoyingly, the same paparazzi who’d been throwing out inappropriate questions was tapping on the glass. “Come on Wednesday, give us a kiss you two.”
Thankfully, Scylla managed to speed away before Wednesday had to listen to his bullsh*t any longer.
“Hey, are you ok?” Enid asked, wrapping her arm around Wednesday.
Only then did Wednesday realise the extent of her anger as she felt her entire body tremble with rage, her fists tightly clenched. No matter how many times she encountered the paparazzi, it never got any easier dealing with them and every now and then there would be one rude prick like that to make her blood boil. If Wednesday lashed out at that asshole for being rude to her and Enid, then it would Wednesday plastered all over the news and called out for being unstable or some bullsh*t. So all she could do was stay quiet and just get past them and it drove her mad.
“I wanted to stomp his f*cking skull in,” Wednesday fumed.
“It’s alright. Come here,” Enid comforted, pulling Wednesday in for a hug and kissed her forehead. Enid’s touch was tender as she stroked Wednesday’s hair, sensing the comfort it brought to both of them. Wednesday closed her eyes and just focused on the warmth of Enid’s touch. Her body relaxed, her fist unclenched as they enjoyed the few moments of peace and quiet that they had.
It took them a good twenty minutes to navigate through the congested morning traffic, but they eventually made it to Docklands Studios in Melbourne for the re-shoots. Many of the more elaborate sets used for the show were filmed here, with location shots filmed all over Victoria and Tasmania.
Duality was intended to be Peter Jackson’s triumphant return to narrative storytelling in the director’s chair, and Wednesday was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to work with him. She had watched the legendary Lord of the Rings series countless times and was a fan of his early works such as Bad Taste, Braindead, and The Frighteners. Determined to secure an audition, Wednesday persistently pestered Larissa on a daily basis. Her efforts paid off when she ultimately landed the main role in the series, filling her with absolute joy. However, it was disheartening to see the project on the verge of collapse, all because of Jane, the arrogant little bitch.
After checking in with security first to get inside and finding a suitable spot to park, they arrived to find Maddi sitting on the hood of her black mercades-benz. Lost in her own thoughts, Maddi mindlessly consumed a McDonald’s sausage and egg McMuffin, the aroma of the savoury breakfast sandwich mingling with the refreshing fizz of her large co*ke and the crunch of her hash brown. She was wearing flip-flops, grey tracksuit pants and a plain black tank top which showed off the extensive tattoos covering her arms, torso and neck.
“Hey Mads,” Wednesday greeted as they all climbed out of the car.
“Hey,” Maddi replied in a tired voice, finally noticing them as she continued eating.
Maddi was never much of a morning person and whenever they had to arrive at work early to film anything, Maddi took a good hour or two in order to wake up properly. However, just like the last week, Maddi had seemed a little off, like her mind was a thousand miles away. Even if Wednesday had asked if something was wrong, Maddi would never say.
Whilst they were very close friends, there were still many aspects of Maddi’s life that remained shrouded in mystery. Despite Wednesday’s persistent efforts to uncover the truth, nobody had much knowledge about it. One mystery stuck out above all else when they were younger and Maddi missed three weeks of school whilst they were in their senior year. Maddi came back very withdrawn, shy and barely spoke much. She never said why she missed so much school and would cry and run away when pushed on the topic. Maddi never spoke about family and her home life was always a mystery to them. One day the police came to talk to her with some psychologist, which only made things more strange. After a while, Wednesday stopped pushing the issue and just enjoyed the person she knew and the happy moments they’d shared. Whenever Maddi performed, she exuded a sense of pure happiness and liveliness, as if nothing else in the world mattered. And yet, Wednesday couldn’t help but wonder what Maddi was hiding. Was it really that bad?
Polishing off the last bite of her sausage and egg McMuffin, Maddi stuffed the rubbish into the crumbled up McDonald’s bag and a placed it into the nearby trashcan.
“How are you?” Wednesday asked, as she and Maddi shared a friendly hug.
“Still alive,” Maddi casually replied and gave Wednesday a small peck on the cheek. “So, Sampson quit then, ey? What’s up her ass?”
“Long story. Part of it involved Vi and a gangb*ng if that helps.”
“Somehow that doesn’t shock me,” Maddi chuckled slightly and rubbed her eyes.
“You seen Larissa?”
“Yeah, she’s in stage 4 talking to Peter Jackson. They’re finding a replacement, or trying to, I guess. Peter sounds pissed though. Vi and Jinx are eating breakfast at the main office over there. Just waiting for news really,” Maddi informed.
“Oh joy. Guess we’re stuck here waiting,” Wednesday sighed.
“Whose this?” Maddi asked, looking to Enid who was awkwardly hanging back by Raelle and Scylla, who were both discussing security concerns for the day and pointing around the lot.
“Oh. This is Enid. She’s um…well, she’s a friend,” Wednesday said, waving Enid over who awkwardly shuffled over to them.
“Hi,” Enid nervously waved with a giddy smile. “I love your drumming. Big fan,”
“Thank you,” Maddi smiled softly. “How do you know Wednesday?”
“Oh…well um, I guess you could say we bumped into each other,” Enid replied, slinking her arm around Wednesday’s back.
“Yeah, you both bumped into each other repeatedly, it seems,” Maddi smirked and chuckled slightly as Wednesday playfully glared at her.
“Well, something like that,” Enid blushed.
“Enid!?” a voice called out far off in the distance with a tone of surprise and happiness.
As the group turned, their attention was captivated by a mesmerizing sight. A young girl, approximately Enid’s age, gracefully stepped out from the large open doors of stage 4. Dressed in black jeans, a dark grey tank-top, and black boots, she exuded a punk-rock type of vibe. Intricate tattoos adorned her arms and body, some delicately wrapped around her neck. The sight of her buzz-cut, with a soft fuzz of black hair on top, was intriguing, with a scar on the right side of her head just above the ear which was five inches long. Piercings gleamed in her ears, adding to her captivating appearance. Even Wednesday couldn’t deny, the girl was stunningly beautiful. Brooke also had a small headset over one ear, which had a microphone as well. The cord from the headset ran down to a small electronic pack on her hip. It was common for most assistant directors and some crew to have them, Wednesday had seen it quite often. It made things on set flow much easier.
“Brooke?” Enid replied to the girl with a surprised, giddy smile on her face before racing over to her.
With a joyful grin, Brooke wrapped Enid in a tight hug and spun her around, both of them laughing with glee before Brooke carefully place her back down again.
“How are you bubbles?” Brooke grinned, giving Enid a pat on the bum and a kiss on the cheek, which had Enid giggling like a schoolgirl.
Seeing the affection the two had for one another and watching at a distance felt like Wednesday had a knife twisting in her gut. It was not a feeling Wednesday ever really felt. She shouldn’t feel that way though. At least that’s what she told herself. She barely knew Enid, it was silly to feel such a way and yet she did.
“Ah true love, how adorable,” Maddi teased, putting her arm over Wednesday’s shoulder. The comment only made Wednesday feel worse, like a puppy being kicked. “Awe, Wends, I’m just kidding…” Maddi chuckled. “Gee, I haven’t seen you this jealous since high school.”
“I’m not jealous,” Wednesday scoffed, crossing her arms. Although Maddi clearly wasn’t buying it.
“Awe, does my wittle Wednesday have a crush?” Maddi smirked and playfully pinched Wednesday’s flushed cheek.
“If you’re quite done, I’m going to go introduce myself. It’s only polite,” Wednesday said, starting to walk over to Enid and Brooke.
“Good thinking, mark your territory. Go get-em tiger,” Maddi whispered with a small chuckle giving Wednesday a jestful thumbs up and a pat on the back.
“I didn’t know you’d come home already,” Enid said with a big grin across her face.
“Yeah, got home four days ago. Filming wrapped up early. Heard you were busy though,” Brooke smirked, lightly nudging her, which made Enid blush a little.
As Wednesday cleared her throat, a tinge of jealousy crept into her heart, though she was hesitant to admit it. She moved closer to Enid, wrapping an arm around her as an attempt to quell her inner turmoil and silently make a silent subtle statement to Brooke. It may seem silly to do so, but even Wednesday felt a twinge of jealousy. She was still human after all, even if the tabloids and online rumours tried to suggest otherwise. There were all sorts of strange myths floating around about Wednesday online and she was far too aware of most of them. Some of them got pretty dark as well.
“You two know each other?” Wednesday asked, standing tall, almost like she was a wolf sizing up another alpha and trying to mark her territory. Childish perhaps, but she’d done sillier things.
“You could say that,” Brooke chuckled.
“Wednesday, this is Brooke Sladik. We basically grew up together. She lived down the street from me growing up,” Enid informed and returned Wednesday’s affection by wrapping an arm around Wednesday as well, which had Wednesday beaming, at least internally, settling her anxiety a little.
“Good to meet ya,” Brooke smiled and nodded at Wednesday.
“Likewise,” Wednesday replied in a neutral tone.
During the initial production, Wednesday had never seen Brooke before. She wasn’t a girl you’d forget either just by the look of her. If she was part of the crew, she was a newbie to the production.
“What are you doing here anyway?” Enid asked.
“Got offered a job for the re-shoots today. I’m the second assistant director. Was a last minute kind of thing. Most of the initial crew on the show are always hired elsewhere, so here I am. We got some filming in yesterday on some missing shots, but we can’t do much more without a replacement for Sampson. So we’re all just waiting. Peter is arguing with some tall agent woman in there. A little tense to say the least,” Brooke informed.
“Wow, second assistant director, my my, aren’t you moving up in the world,” Enid playfully grinned.
“Well, I just spent eight months filming that damn mini-series as a third assistant director, so I’ll take that as a win,” Brooke grinned.
“How’d it go?”
“Terrible. Stuck filming in snow for all eight months, took ages to wait for the right weather most days. Good to be back home though. Although, that mini series was produced by Peter Jackson and since he thought I did a great job he hired me this. Lucky I guess. I’m surprised to see you here though. Naughty naughty. Thought you were still grounded.”
“Oh come on. Dammit. Who told you?”
“Your brother Evan told me when I bumped into him at the supermarket,” Brooke chuckled, looking very amused.
“That little prick. I’m gonna kick his head one of these days,” Enid sighed.
“Grounded?” Wednesday queried.
“Oh, didn’t she mention? Someone got in trouble visiting a certain celebrity and taking a late night swim, as it were. Her brother caught the two of you…frolicking in the sea,” Brooke replied with a knowing look in her eyes.
Wednesday was taken aback by the news and was unsure how to react or respond. Well, at least it wasn’t the paparazzi who’d caught them, but still, it was a shock and quite embarrassing.
“Does your mum know you’re here with her?” Brooke asked with a smirk.
“I don’t need to run things by her. I can do what I want,” Enid huffed and affectionately pulled Wednesday in a little closer.
“Ooo, a rebel. I knew you had it in you. Your mums gonna be so f*ckin pissed if she finds out,” Brooke laughed.
“What does she mean?” Wednesday asked Enid.
“Well…umm…it’s a long story,” Enid fumbled out, nervously rubbing the back of her neck with her other free hand.
Brooke glanced over their shoulders to Raelle and Scylla, who were still standing far back and talking amongst themselves, before moving in a little closer Enid and Wednesday. Maddi was nearby but was busy playing a game on her phone while leaning against her car.
“Because she showed you what we are,” Brooke said in a low serious voice so Maddi, Raelle and Scylla couldn’t hear.
“You’re…you’re a…” Wednesday began in surprise, only for Brooke to finish the thought for her.
“A mermaid? Yeah,” Brooke nodded. “Enid, I know I’m not the one to preach. Hell, I broke the law and the clan rules quite a bit as a teenager, but why would you show her what we are?”
“I didn’t mean to. She was gonna die, so I pulled her out of the water and saved her. I could just let her die. Mum already chewed me out. Don’t you give me crap about it too. Why does nobody trust me?” Enid said in a quiet voice, slightly upset.
“Hey, I do trust you. I just don’t want you getting hurt, that’s all,” Brooke sympathetically replied.
“I know,” Enid said with a small smile.
Brooke then looked right at Wednesday as she said, “I don’t know what Enid told you, but if you ever f*cking tell someone about us being Mermaids, or you hurt Enid, I’m not going to be as nice.”
“I wouldn’t betray Enid’s trust like that,” Wednesday firmly replied, standing tall.
“She won’t say anything Brooke, I swear. She doesn’t know much else. Wednesday’s a good person. She promised to keep it a secret. Don’t be angry,” Enid said with puppy dog eyes.
“I’d never be mad at you. Naww, you always were a sucker for goths and Emo’s,” Brooke smirked and playfully patted Enid on the arm.
“Shut up,” Enid blushed.
“Brooke? Brooke, are you there?” A voice said through the headset. Wednesday was only faintly able to hear the voice.
“Yeah, I’m here. What’s the go?” Brooke replied, holding a button on the electronic device on her hip to reply.
“Has Wednesday arrived yet? We need her on the stage. Peter wants a word. Do you have her? I haven’t heard back from Tim yet,” the voice inquired.
“Yeah, I’ve got Wednesday here. She just arrived. I’ve got Maddi here as well. All the main actors are accounted for.”
“Alright, have Maddi sent to go get ready and bring Wednesday into stage-4, make it quick, sh*t’s getting outta hand.”
“Copy that, bringing her now. See you soon. Over,” Brooke replied before releasing the button to end the chat. “Alright, I’ve gotta get you in there before it gets worse in there,” Brooke said to Wednesday before looking up to Maddi who was still playing on her phone. “Maddi, you’re needed in wardrobe and makeup to get prepared. Head on over there please. We need everyone ready to go.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m going beautiful,” Maddi said with a small sly smirk at Brooke and winked in her direction while walking off to get ready. Brooke chuckled and shook her head, simultaneously admiring Maddi’s physique as the girl walked away.
“Sure you don’t wanna go bump into her then, Brooke?” Enid asked in jest.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll take a leaf outta your book and take her for a dip,” Brooke grinned.
“Brooke,” Enid playfully slapped Brooke’s arm as the two chuckled.
“Alright, we better get in there. Come on, follow me,” Brooke said and led them to into stage-4 where the crew was all standing around in various groups either getting equipment ready or waiting for shooting to begin.
Various sets, cranes, cameras, and lights filled the space, eagerly anticipating what would unfold next and whether a suitable replacement for Sampson could be found. If not, then they’d be stuck here doing jack sh*t.
As they reached the back of the stage, there was a large tent where four large televisions and chairs were set up. It was a place for Peter, Fran and the other lead creatives on the set to sit and watch any takes to make sure everything turned out well on film. It was a dark, cozy little place to relax to watch things unfold. For now though, Larissa and Peter Jackson were heatedly talking, with everyone else keeping busy elsewhere.
“We can’t just get anyone Larissa, they need to fit the role. How is nobody on that list I gave you available?” Peter Jackson asked, frustrated as he ran his fingers through his messy grey hair.
“Everyone else on that list is booked up and the few that weren’t declined the offer on such short notice. We can’t get anyone from that list, but there are some others I could get for us,” Larissa said, trying to keep her voice calm.
“This is such a disaster. I can’t believe this. Days from launch and this sh*t happens. How the hell can we not get one person!? They can’t just be anyone, they need chemistry with Wednesday and to fit the role.”
“Peter, I know it’s not ideal and I’m just as angry and upset as you are, but we have to settle on someone. Remember on Lord of the Rings? You fired Stuart Townsend because he wasn’t working as Aragorn and by the next day, when time was against us, I had Viggo Mortensen flying to New Zealand that very next day. This stuff happens, but I promise you we can find someone. We always figure it out.”
“Yes, I…I know,” Peter rubbed his eyes and took a calming breath. “They’re gonna shut us down for this.”
“They won’t. I will never let that happen and besides, they’d be pissing away hundreds of millions if they did. How about we get Maisie Williams? She said she might do it.”
“No. I already auditioned her the first time. Didn’t fit the role…at least not in the right way. As I said, we can’t just get anyone,” Peter explained.
“Well, the option is there if we need, just keep it in mind, don’t dismiss it. In the meantime, Wednesday is here, so we can find someone together that you both like. Maybe she’ll see something you don’t,” Larissa said and waved over Wednesday.
“I’ll be right back,” Wednesday whispered to Enid, kissing her on the cheek and followed Brooke over to Peter Jackson.
After twenty minutes of back and forth, none of the names suggested were a match. There were slim pickings at the moment, especially on short notice. It was a tricky situation. Some were contracted to Warner Bros, so it was making it difficult with Jane obviously blocking them from getting access to them being involved, which narrowed their options even more. There were smaller local Australian actresses, but Peter had spent all morning on it with online video call auditions and some even in person, but nothing was working with and he didn’t like them for the role at all. They’d spent ages in pre-production for Peter to find the right person and now with Sampson screwing them over, things were looking bleak.
Throughout the conversation, Wednesday had noticed how Peter kept glancing over at Enid with a curious look on his face, although it was hard to read what he was thinking. Now as they all stood mulling over what to do next, with Larissa reading an email from her assistant about more replacement options, he was now staring at Enid and rubbing his chin.
“Whose that girl over there?” Peter eventually asked, pointing towards Enid, who was distracted marvelling at the enormous sets like a kid in a candy store.
“Oh, that’s just a friend of mine that came to set with me,” Wednesday informed.
“Hmm. I swear I’ve seen that girl before. She looks familiar,” Peter asked with a curious look in his eyes.
Wednesday wasn’t sure what to make of the comment. It was quite perplexing how Peter Jackson could have possibly known Enid or had any prior encounter with her. It was a puzzle, to say the least.
“Hang on…Brooke, isn’t that the girl from that indie film of yours? The one from the Sydney Film Festival?” Peter asked.
“Oh um…yeah, that’s her. That’s my friend Enid Sinclair. Didn’t know she was gonna be here actually, she came with Wednesday. Long story,” Brooke replied, with all of them looking at Enid now, who was still occupied by looking at one of the big fancy film cameras.
“Film? What film?” Wednesday asked. The information was certainly news to Wednesday. She’d never seen Enid in a film. Or at least any that she’d seen anyway. A shame she hadn’t.
“Oh, I wrote and directed an indie film three years ago called, Remnants. Was a feature film and I submitted it to the Sydney Film Festival. Didn’t get picked up or anything, but it got me some gigs on film sets. Nobody’s ever really seen it though outside of the film festival. I have it up to rent or buy on amazon, but haven’t made a sale in over a year. Made like fifty-bucks on it in total with royalties. Enid was the standout of the film. She played the killer.”
“Yeah, that’s right. That was the one about the serial killer, wasn’t it? Had that Scream kinda feel to it with all those high school kids getting picked off one by one? Murder mystery kinda thing?” Peter asked with a curious smile.
“Yup, that’s the one,” Brooke nodded, looking thrilled that Peter had even remembered her tiny little film.
“Damn, that was a magnificent film,” Peter chuckled.
Larissa had stopped reading her emails and was glancing between Peter and Enid, with a curious look in her eyes now as well.
“Why didn’t it get distributed?” Wednesday inquired.
“That’s what happens to most Aussie films. A lot of them just fade into obscurity. Some great indie gems out there though. Shame nobody really saw it. I did because I was there as a judge,” Peter stated.
“Yeah, the Aussie film industry aint like Hollywood. Most films don’t make much and distribution options over here for filmmakers aint that great,” Brooke added before there were a few moments pause.
“Hmm…that could work actually,” Peter quietly pondered, almost to himself. “Enid!” Peter called out.
With a bewildered expression, Enid turned to face Peter Jackson, unable to believe that he had just spoken her name. With star struck eyes, she stared at him, unsure what to do.
“Enid, he means you. Come on, don’t be shy,” Brooke said, waving her over.
Eventually, Enid awkwardly wandered over and gave a shy wave.
“Hi. I’m a big fan. I love your films,” Enid beamed with a giddy smile at Peter Jackson.
“Thank you,” Peter smiled and chuckled slightly. “I suppose you’ve heard what’s been going on with this show then?”
“Well, a little bit I suppose. I mean, I overheard Larissa on the phone and…well, ya know. But man, this is so cool. I’ve never been to a film studio lot before. I hope it’s ok I’m here. I don’t mean to intrude,” Enid gushed and Wednesday couldn’t help but smile at how giddy Enid looked just to be there, admiring everything.
“No, it’s quite alright. In fact, I wanted to say how much I admired your acting in Remnants. You were wonderful.”
“Oh. Why thank you. I didn’t think anyone really saw it,” Enid gushed, her cheeks flushing.
“You made for one great serial killer, I must say. A great twist at the end. Never seen someone go from bubbly schoolgirl to vicious killer so well. Some fine work.”
“Well, I try,” Enid chuckled with embarrassment. “I was just glad to help Brooke out with her film.”
“Have you done much acting outside of that?” Peter asked.
“Oh um, well, not really. I did some local small time plays and I’ve been to lots of tv show and film auditions but, I never got any of them. I’ve done some short films but not much else. Remnants was the only feature film I’ve done and that was because I knew Brooke. Least I ticked off doing a feature film on my bucket list before I…well…yeah, nevermind,” Enid said and trailed off at the end.
“Well, speaking of ticking someone off your bucket list, how would you like to be on a television show?” Peter asked.
“What? Me?” Enid replied with a confused, stunned look.
“Wait…her?” Larissa asked, just as surprised as everyone else.
“We need someone to fill Sampson’s role and nobody else is available. She’s about the same size at Sampson anyway so she’ll fit into the costume. This role requires something…special. What she did in Remnants was incredible and exactly what we need. She’s perfect,” Peter grinned for what seemed like the first time today, like he’d finally found the needle in the haystack on the weirdest day Wednesday had certainly had for awhile…well top 3 at least. Hard to pass over finding out Mermaids exist, that was still number one.
“Are you sure?” Larissa asked.
“I’m Positive. We’re short on time and besides, she’s the best candidate I’ve seen today. We’ll do a quick audition on set first, but I think we’ve found the replacement. Wednesday, what do you think?”
“Well, If Enid’s ok with it, then I am too. What do you think?” Wednesday asked Enid with eager, hopeful eyes. The role itself involved a future romance in season 2 and beyond, so the idea of having Enid to kiss on screen was a very tempting one.
“Wait really? Well, um…absolutely…sure. I’d love to. Thank you so much. I won’t let you down,” Enid gushed, barely able to contain how happy she was to get an on set audition. She was practically bouncing up and down with joy and clutching Wednesday’s hand with excitement.
Not exactly how Wednesday had planned for the day to go, but it was certainly a welcome one. Peter was right though, Enid did look the part. Now they had to see if Enid could pull off the acting chops. Only time would tell.
This was gonna be fun.
