Jackman's Pets

CHAPTER 1

17 BATTERY PLACE ,
NEW  YORK  FILM  ACADEMY

08:10 AM

Célyn was late as usual. Rylee and Elya were waiting for her in the locker hall, hoping she wouldn't make them late for class as well, because either they all arrive on time or they are all late. The classes had already started a few minutes ago when they saw Célyn running down the hallway in heels.

"Fashionably late, as usual," said Rylee.

The three girls approached the door of the infamous classroom.

"Great, the second semester starts well. We're going to stand out in the entire auditorium because of you," Elya said, opening the door.

"Stoop, you love being the center of attention..."

Célyn said, as the entire class turned to
look at the door where the three of them were standing. They didn't dare take another step.

"Well, well, three Totally Spies finally decided to join my class," said the professor with an attractive little Australian accent, smiling, still unknown to the girls.

"Is that sarcasm, you think?" Elya asked her friends whispering.

"Please avoid interrupting my class more and take your seats. Separate," he added coldly.

The girls quickly realized that it was indeed sarcasm and that he was not at all pleased. They had been very, very naughty. A professor like him would definitely punish them.

"Your names, ladies?" the professor asked without looking at them, as he took the roll call.

Rylee, the most responsible, decided to give her name first.

"Rylee Banner, sir?" she said, hoping for a response from the professor.

He looked at her without replying. How rude!

Meanwhile, Elya was paralyzed by the stares of the other students and stammered when she said her name.

"El...lya, uh, C...Coulson" she stuttered.

Célyn was desperately trying not to make noise with her heels. The professor, without raising his head, cast a severe look at her and scrutinized her from head to toe.

"I'm Célyn Monet" she says smiling at him.

"One doesn't have a tongue and the other confused school with a nightclub."

He rolled his eyes. The girls were in shock and exchanged confused glances despite their separate seats.

He wrote down their names and highlighted something on the board.

"As you can see, Miss Banner, if you had glasses, perhaps, you would notice my name on the board."

Mister Jackman

What Mr. Jackman, the new film history teacher didn't know was that the three girls he just scolded were among the top students at this prestigious school. He had obviously made a bad first impression of them. For him, tardiness was a serious and totally unacceptable fault.

He rolled up his sleeves to reveal his muscular, hairy arms, crossed them, and began his lecture while walking:

"Now, apart from this little interruption, today we are going to explore a major transition in the history of cinema: the shift from silent films to talking films. As most of you know, this evolution marked a technical and narrative revolution in the film industry."

"Who can define silent cinema for me?"

"It's a style that dominated the early decades of the 20th century, where music, intertitles, and actors' performances with exaggerated body language were used" Elya answered, excited about discussing her favorite topic.

"Interesting," Mr. Jackman responded, "Next time, please raise your hand. But that's exactly right," he said, placing a hand over his mouth and chin, taking a thoughtful expression.

"Let's talk about the transition now. This transition had a profound impact ! Actors from silent films, used to exaggerating their expressions, had to adapt to a new way of acting," he explained to the class in an engaging manner.

Célyn had a rather stern face, still annoyed by his comments at the beginning of the class. This amused the professor, who had a smirk that the girls couldn't quite decipher.

45 minutes later, the bell rang and the students prepared to leave.

"One last thing everyone ! He said with authority. Your group project about this topic is due in three weeks. You have time to create a proper presentation that will be graded on your end-of-year report. Have a good day"

IN THE HALLWAY

As they walked down the hall, Rylee broke the silence.

"Damn that was brutal," Rylee said.

"I thought we'd never get through that " Célyn said trying to hide her frustration.

"Yeah," Rylee agreed, "and he clearly has it out for us. We need to be on our best behavior from now on."

Elya, still nervous but trying to stay optimistic, said, "At least the project is something we can actually excel in. We just need to focus and show him what we're capable of."

The girls made their way to the library, their minds buzzing with the day's events and the looming project. They found a quiet corner and started to strategize.

As they settled into their work, Mr. Jackman passed by the library, glancing in their direction. For a moment, he paused, his expression unreadable. The girls, engrossed in their research, didn't notice him.

"Keep it up, ladies," he said to the girls continuing down the hall.

"He should relax his ass" said Célyn.

"He should relax something else😏" Rylee thought as she watched Elya eating her banana.

"Stop sexualising my banana and keep me out of this" answered Elya her mouth full.