one of them - j.flatters

vi. kids being kids

JANUARY 2018 - LOS ANGELES
Eliana and Jamie had met up with Mitchell for two hours every day the week before training started, perfecting their American accent for their role. Even if the lessons had been mandated by James, none of them felt like it was a chore, both actually looking forward to kidding around with each other and subtly making fun of Mitchell's distasteful jokes. Before Eliana knew, the lessons were long over and it had almost been six months since training begun. The sun was coming up, slowly warming Los Angeles' roads when the teenage girl and her mother made their way toward the studio. Despite Annie having to go back in Moonbeam after the summer, she had insisted on being on set for the weekend to watch over her daughter, ensuring that she was given fair treatment by her peers and sometimes correcting the girl over things she would say, like a shadow haunting Eliana. The now seventeen year old was in the dressing room, snoozly changing into a skin tight wetsuit, swimming goggles placed on the top of her head and nose pliers in her hand. The girl hadn't got used to her fitted work clothes that showed every insecurities she might had wanted to hid, initiating a new tick. Eliana pinched and stretched the wetsuit's fabric before joining some of the cast that were by the tank, waiting for the diving instructors to be ready. Eliana yawned while waving at her fellow Metkayina friends: Bailey, Duane and Filip, all wearing the exact suit. The four of them usually trained together since their character's swimming forms differed from the rest, they needed it to be effortless, like fishes in the ocean. Filip chuckled at the Martin girl's face, tiredness washing all the colors from her face. He gently nudged her with his arm, waking her up from her doze. Eliana lightly groaned, she hadn't realized she had kept her eyes closed all the way to the tank, her mind remembering the path for her.

"Go get a coffee or something." Filip grinned, nodding toward the small craft table that was located near the break room. Eliana silently nodded, resisting the urge of closing right back her eyes.

"Get me one please!" Bailey shouted when noticing the girl leaving their side.

"No, you're fourteen." Eliana replied, her hand dismissing Bailey's demand as it waved in the air, causing the curly haired girl to gasp. "I'll get you milk, instead." Eliana fastened her pace, the idea of a warm coffee growing inside her mind that was soon interrupted by a surprising figure. "Trin? What are you doing here?" Eliana asked the little girl, reaching over the plastic table for something, her body lifted on tip-toes.

"Getting a snack." The young girl breathlessly answered. Eliana stepped closer to grab the fruit gummies her hand was reaching for, handing it to her. Trinity teared the package, a satisfied smile plastered on her lips as she ate every gummies, too focused on her snack to notice Eliana's confused face. Rare had been the times where Trinity had been called this early to train, usually Filip, Duane, Bailey and her had the diving instructors to themselves all morning. Trinity exhaled before throwing the wrapping paper in the garbage and passing by the brown haired girl. "See you later, Lili." Eliana chuckled to the girl, her petite figure soon replaced by a less childish one.

"Shouldn't you be on set?" Annie firmly stated, her arms crossed and her eyebrows scrunched together, an unflattering wrinkle forming in between them. Eliana sighed to her mother's question, feeling trapped by her constant presence. This experience was supposed to be dreamlike but Annie had taken on the habit of always bringing her daughter back to reality, reminding her of the pressure she should feel as to play this big of a role. The girl always dreaded when her mother called to tell her she was flying in for the weekend, fearing the negative energy she always seemed to bring with her.

"I was only getting coffee." Eliana twirled to pour herself a cup of coffee but was immediately stopped by the hands of her mother, putting down the glass pot back on the table.

"You don't need coffee. Get milk, instead." Annie instructed. "Now, come on." She added before leaving the room, hoping that Eliana would stop being such a child and start acting professional. Professionalism was a virtue she deeply advocated, especially in a place where the stakes were this high. Eliana stuck her tongue at her mother's back, her eyebrows furrowing at the same time before grabbing two milk cartons and returning by the tank. To her surprise, the ones she had previously left were now in the water accompanied by the rest of the cast, even Sam and Zoe. Eliana muttered a slight fuck to herself, understanding that she was late to their training's debut while Annie, sitting back into her chair, shot her daughter a disappointing glare when she passed by her. When she finally reached the tank, Eliana realized that Kirk, their diving instructor, and the other crew were no where in the water, instead she found the rest of her peers, splashing and playing with each other.