Alexander's Gift

The Actress- 3

The TV show set was a bustling center of activity, and Mary guessed that it was especially true at this time because its main stars were preparing to film their scenes for today- she only felt a little embarrassed that she didn't have an inkling as to who they were. But at least she had an excuse- her house had never had a television set. 

Standing just out of the surprisingly hot, bright stream of lights beating down on the part of the set to be filmed, Mary nervously smoothed down her skirt. She was a little upset at herself for just now feeling the nerves of having to film her first ever scene- why couldn't she have just been excited on the way to the studio? Or last night? Or even when she first got spotted by an agent on her way to the grocery store? 

Apparently she had the 'perfect look for a model', and this guest role- if it could even be called that- was just her walking past the camera in an extended shot of her entire body from behind. She was given a lovely aquamarine colored dress, but that didn't change the fact that she felt rather self-conscious; it was a very tight dress to say the least. But all the same, she knew that she should just be grateful she was being given an opportunity at all to begin on the showbiz ladder and get to walk away with money in her pocket.

While this inner debate had been going on within Mary just behind scenes, she didn't realize that the director had been calling for her, and now everyone was looking for the nondescript girl who missed her cue. A hand gripping her arm and pulling her forward into the blinding light shocked her out of her trance, and she peered up through the brightness to where she knew the director to be sitting, in a delicately feminine voice apologizing profusely. She heard hushed giggles and laughs behind the scenes that she knew with a sinking heart to be directed at her, and heard through the megaphone the director sigh and just tell her to begin again. 

Hurrying over to the point in the room that Mary knew was her entry way, she listened with held breath for her cue, praying that she wouldn't stumble and make more of a fool of herself than she already had. When the time came, Mary raised her chin subtly with determination, pursing her lips slightly as she began taking intentional, but slow enough steps on her hot pink pumps so that she knew her movements would be emphasized and noticed. She just focused her vision on the prop door at the end of the room, drawing in such shallow breaths it was a wonder she got enough oxygen at all. 

Finally it occurred to her that she had reached the door, and with that lightheaded realization, she turned back around to face the rest of the set, a questioning expression on her heavily made up face.

"ALRIGHT, THAT'S A WRAP FOR NOW! LUNCH BREAK, FOLKS!" The megaphone man bellowed, and Mary's shoulders dropped once in a sigh of relief. She had made it through alright. As the glaring, overhead lights were shut off, Mary began to make her way through the set back the way that she had first come. A hand on her waist made her stiffen. "You did a great job for your first scene, doll." The voice leered from behind her, and she recognized it as belonging to the director. With a nervous swallow, Mary pivoted to face the man, putting on a polite expression that she knew would be kind without being inviting. "Thank you, sir." 

"You, uh, have got a lot of promise, Mary." Mary. For some reason unknown to her, the way her name left the man's thin, smirking lips stirred an instinctual wariness within her. "Thank you." She repeated in the same unaffected voice, hoping that he would take the hint and leave her alone. The man, however, either did not notice how she was acting or didn't care, for he persisted with that same infuriating smirk which told Mary that he was very used to getting what he wanted from girls like her. "If you want to maybe have a larger guest role on the show . . . I could help you with that, Mary." 

Despite only having been in New York for two weeks, Mary had enough common sense within her- and enough of a gut instinct- to politely but firmly shake her head and state in such a way that it was clear she was not going to continue the conversation, "Thank you, but I must be going now. I have some errands to run."