Just Yesterday

Chapter One

I stood in the light of the Jordan sun.

"Are you coming?", Alan asked.

Alan was a longtime family friend. He was an actor. I climbed into the sleek, black Jeep. We raced across the desert. When we got to the set, I immediately noticed that it wasn't as cold as I expected. I wore a long-sleeved Star Wars shirt, fleece-lined, faded jeans, black parka, and worn and tattered black combat boots. A man with hazel eyes, short light-brown hair, and standing about five inches taller than I was, greeted me.

"Hello, there! I'm Gareth Edwards!"

The man's accent was thick. From Liverpool, probably. Anyways, Gareth lead Alan and me to a trailer. To be honest, I knew exactly where we were; I just had no idea who was lingering behind the door. Gareth pulled open the door. The air smelled warm and sweet, like coffee. Inside sat one woman and four men. I looked to Alan. He offered me a warm smile. He took an empty seat next to the woman, and I took the seat on the other side of him. I sat in the seat closest to the projector that was mounted on the wall. Gareth stood in front of us.

"Okay, let's get started!"

He clapped his hands. I swear I felt the air pop like a balloon, like all the air was coming out of me, all in a fraction of a second. I looked around, just to make sure I wasn't crazy. Apparently I was because everyone else looked perfectly fine. Gareth broke my thoughts.

"Please state your name along with your most recent acting job," he continued, "Please start."

He pointed to the man sitting across from me.

"I'm Diego Luna," the man spoke,"My most recent job was voicing a character in The Book of Life."

He had a prominent Mexican accent. It reminded me of a friend. I felt a pang in my heart. I'd felt it a thousand times before. It's that feeling that you get when you leave and are not sure of the future, like someone's slowly squeezing your heart. Making certain you feel pain. Because tomorrow isn't a given. The man with the round face, bushy eyebrows, and glasses stood.

"I am Jiang Wen, and my last job was acting in Gone With the Bullets."

The man was of Asian origins, no doubt in my mind. There went another pang. Ouch. After him was another man that appeared Asian, too.

"I'm Donnie Yen," the man told us,"I performed in IP Man 3, just last year."

He turned to the man next to him. The man had dark, chocolate skin, a deep, raspy voice, and a bald head.

"My name is Forest Whitaker, and I played Titus "Tick" Wills in Southpaw."

Next was a man who looked like he was from the Middle East. He was young, and clearly excited to be here. My heart stung and ached. My mind pulsed back to a young child that the world hadn't gotten a hold of yet. I pushed down my tears.

"I'm Riz Ahmed," the man said, breaking out into a gargantuan smile. "My last movie was Nightcrawler!"

Now it was the woman's turn. Her green eyes flickered. A spark of hope combusted in my heart, but it was quickly demolished by reality. Only men, I told myself, It couldn't be.

"I am Felicity Jones. My recent movies are Theory of Everything and Spiderman."

She had a British accent like Gareth. Next up was Alan. My heart raced. It felt like a thousand tiny ants were crawling through my veins. After him, it was me. I took a deep breath. I couldn't be the only one nervous. Right? I didn't even hear what Alan said. Everyone was looking at me now, like a pack of lions ready to pounce. Alan squeezed my arm. I took a deep breath.

"My name is Olivia May. I'm a dancer, not an actor. I'm just here to hang out." I managed a smile. I sometimes wonder how I can still do that, after all that has happened in these last few years.

Diego spoke, "Are you the orphan?"

"Yes," I said, "And I don't need your pity. I have my own family."

Crap, well there goes them. They'll be gone soon, if I had to bet, just like all the others because he is after me. And my heart. I could never have a family to keep. Because this is where the hunter becomes the hunted.

The man named Riz spoke up. "What's the name of this movie?"

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."