Ding ding~
The bells hanging from the door rung in greeting, announcing our arrival. Peter escorted me to a booth next to a window. I slid into the middle, then watched him do the same opposite me. We opened our menus and scanned the options. By the time I got to the end, I swore I was drooling. Our waitress walked up to our table with a small pad of paper in her hands. She pulled out a pen and greeted us.
"Hi, my name is Julie and I'll be your server this morning. Can I start you off with something to drink?"
"I think we'll have two coffees."
"That'll be right out."
"Thank you."
Meow Meow~
Meow Meow~
"Who is it?" Peter asked, peeking at me over the menu.
"It's the CEO."
"What does he want?"
"I don't know, let's see." I answered the call and put my phone to my ear. "Hello, Mr. Singer, what can I do for you this morning?"
"Hi, Yao," he said from the other end, "I need to inform you about the movie. We will be starting the first couple scenes tomorrow. I have emailed you a quick summary of the plot and characters and your script should be in your PO box by this afternoon. Memorize the lines and be at the attached location by nine a.m."
The call ended with a 'clack.' I was left motionless.
"Well, what did he want?"
I looked up at my friend. "Can you get me the assignments from class for the next couple weeks?"
"Yeah, sure. Why?"
"I'm going to be an actress."
"Pardon?"
"Alright, now what can I get for you?" Julie asked, walking back over with our coffees.
"I'd like the sweetest pancakes you have, please! Plus extra powdered sugar! I'll pay for it!" I exclaimed.
"I'll just have the Breakfast Bunch," Peter added quietly after me.
"That'll be right up," informed our very concerned waitress.
"So what exactly happened?" Peter leaned in.
I did the same. "Well, when I answered the phone he said he had to inform me about the movie. Then he told me we'd be filming some of the scenes tomorrow! He mailed me the script, so I have to memorize the lines. You wanna help me?"
"Sure. Should I come over later?"
"That'd be great. Omg, this is going to be so much fun."
"So what's it called?"
"What's what called?"
"The movie?"
"Dunno. I'll see." I said, whipping my phone back out and scrolling to my email. "The plot and character summaries just came in." I clicked on the message and chose the attachment in the corner. The document opened and the title sat at the top of the page in bold letters. "Ooo. It's called 'Tattoos.'"
"What's it about?"
"About a woman super villain posing as a male, from what I see."
"That sounds familiar."
"Right? It's like it was made for me. I didn't have to even audition."
"Crazy. You think it's a biography on you?"
"No. It must've just been based off me, seeing as it's also about superheroes. Some of the things in the script obviously never happened. Woah."
"What?"
I showed him the screen with a smirk. "There's a smexy scene in it."
"'Smexy?' Really? How smexy?"
"In bed kind of smexy. Oh! I'm on top! Ha!"
"This is scarily accurate."
My sniffer began to twitch, a heavenly aroma filling its nostrils. A pile of five buttermilk pancakes and bacon were placed in front of me. They were topped with cherries, powdered sugar, salted caramel sauce, strawberry sauce, and syrup. I cried in delight as she refilled my coffee and set down more creamer packets.
"Enjoy, hun. Good luck on your movie." She set Peter's dishes in front of him, as well as filled his coffee mug again, then left.
"So I need to be at the company at nine tomorrow. Can you come over around seven tonight? I have work late today."
"I'll be there."
"Thanks."
I rolled myself into my apartment. Right after I left from the diner, I had to go to work. I did a couple shoots for Dae and some others. I liked my model's style for Cliché. It was a night club look, sparkly, but classy. The sequin jacket just added to the flare, and the shimmery shoes complimented it perfectly. I almost stole some of the pieces he wore.
Ding~ Dong~
I sighed and kicked off my black flats, starting over to the front door. Peter burst in and set down his bag. Tired, I gave him a thumbs up and flopped backwards onto the couch cushions. He scoffed and gently pinched my nose, moving my head from side to side. I let out the grossest, nasally noise.
"Rough day at work, sleepy head?"
"No," I started, pushing his hand away and freeing my shnoz, "just long."
Peter glanced at my clothes and at my flats lying messily on the floor.
"Just got home?"
"Yep."
"Still practicing?"
"For what?"
"For your movie."
I paused, then shot up. I had totally forgotten that I had a movie to memorize. It was all so new to me, and work was so tiring, that it had slipped my mind. I whipped my feet to the floor and dashed to my PO box on the lobby floor. There, in the small metal box, was a thick script. I pulled it out and dashed back up the stairs, too rushed to wait for the elevator, and into my apartment. Peter was already waiting in my room when I burst in. I put my back to him after throwing the script down onto the bed.
"Unzip me."
He did as told and I slipped my dress down.
"Turn around, perv."
I heard him sigh. I pulled out some of my old clothes from my closet. I held up the baggy grey t and green cargo pants. I threw them at the back of my friend's head. He turned around angrily.
"NO LOOKING!" I shouted annoyingly.
He turned back around as I wrapped my chest. I threw on the clothes and exhaled sharply, feeling satisfied. I looked in the mirror, checking myself out. Then I noticed something. I took a thick bunch of my brown hair and held the end of it in front of me. With a smile and looked at Peter.
"Peter, should we get a haircut?" I asked deviously.
"No. You grew that out for two years. You are not cutting it off," he said sternly.
"Fine," I sighed. "You can turn around now."
"Where is the script?" He asked, doing so.
"Next to you."
Peter jumped at the size of the book on the sheets next to him. With an expression of disbelief, he feathered through the pages, stopping every so often at what I assumed were the action scenes. He chuckled, reading on scene in particular so intently. I crept over to him and peeked at the page. The first words I read: "Tokyo Hotel Room Int. Both heroes make their way to the bed." I gasped and turned the page.
"Hey!" Peter exclaimed.
"Action scenes, Peter."
"That was action, my kind of action anyway."
"Here," I said, pointing to the next scenes. "This is the action he's talking about."
"Okay, fine. So you're flying in the first action scene. You're destroying a bridge for IncredInk. There are a lot of people on it."
"Okay. Then what?"
"Falchion, the super hero, tackles you to the bridge's pavement. Then you, Ink, struggle. Come here and we can read through it."
I sat next to my friend and read off the script. "Get off me, Wonderbutt!"
"Simply can't do that. I must stop you from destroying this bridge. There are a lot of people that could die."
I laughed at the dramatic voice he used. "Yes, that's the point, and I think I'll add you to the mix!" I took the script and kicked and punched the air ridiculously.
Peter fell on the floor and acted dead. "Oh! You got me!"
"Ha! I am victorious!" I exclaimed, just before I was dragged to the ground and tickled to death. "I give! I yield! Uncle!"
Peter let go and picked himself and I off the ground. I dusted off my clothes and we again sat on the mattress. I flipped the page.
"Let's continue," I said.
We went on for two more hours, reading and acting. Once he left, I changed into my cute kitten pajamas and sat at the table. I pulled out a piece of cake from the fridge and read the script once more. I flipped through the pages, memorizing the lines and analyzing the stage directions intently. I wasn't going to miss a single thing the next day.
"Yao? Why are you still up? It's almost eleven o'clock," Em asked, walking through the front door.
I frowned. "Where have you been?"
"Don't avoid the subject."
"Back at you."
"Fine. I was on a date with your brother. We went to a late movie after a really nice dinner."
"I'm reading a script."
"For what? You aren't in the video classes anymore." Emilia came up behind me and peered over my shoulder at the textbook sized script.
"It's for my shoot tomorrow. I'm going to be in a movie."
"What?" She exclaimed. "And what, you just forgot to tell me?"
"No, you seemed busy."
"Fair enough. Well, I'm so proud of you. You keep memorizing, but make sure to get some sleep." She pat me on the shoulder and left for the bedroom. I smiled after her.
"Thanks."
The day finally came. I had gotten about five hours of sleep the night before, not even, completely going against Em's wishes. To be frank, I looked like crap. The bags under my eyes were dark blue and went down half an inch from my eyeballs. My skin was pale and dry, and don't even mention the hair. I was a mess!
As soon as I walked in, everyone froze. Matte broke out in hysteric laughter upon seeing me. I sighed and walked over to him. He bid everyone to go back to work and clapped me on the back, launching me forward.
"How's my favorite super girl?"
"Terrible. Since Singer sprung the script on me last minute, I spent all night memorizing. I didn't even get dinner or breakfast. Just a piece of cake."
"Oh woe-is-you. You're lucky I'm prepared for this."
He dragged me over to the dressing room and shut the door behind us. On the coffee table was a full four course breakfast. My jaw dropped to the floor, drool pooling beneath it. I looked at the stylist, who immediately gave me the OK. I sprung forward and started scarfing all of the food down like a vacuum cleaner. It was gone within minutes. I sat satisfied on the couch, my stomach bulging slightly. Matte brought over a cup full of something bubbly. I took it and looked at him quizzically.
"Drink it. It helps with bloating."
I knocked it back, bottoms up. With a sigh, I set it among the empty platters. I jumped up and shook my hands as I bobbed back and forth like a ring fighter. I cracked my neck and jabbed the air.
"Let's do this!"
I hopped into the chair, spinning it around once. Matte came over with a pair of scissors and a razor. I smirked.
"Go for it. I've missed my old hair."
"Oh honey, it isn't going to be your old hair. It'll be better."
He took the scissors and cut off almost six inches of hair. He held it up so I could see it. My hands went to my lips in shock. I laughed, seeing the length of the locks. He continued. He took the razor to the back of my neck, cleaning up my colic so it was even, and then the comb. He straightened out my bangs across my forehead so they just came down below my eyebrows with a little bit of bounce. My sideburns were short, to the bottom of my earlobe, and ended off with a messy point. The best way to describe it was an undercut, but better. To top it off, he combed it all down and then blow dried it, giving it a bit of volume. I examined myself happily.
"It looks great."
"Now we dye it black."
After all was said and done, I emerged from the chair. My makeup was natural and on point. The hair was black and short once more. All that was left was the clothing for the first action scenes.
"What am I wearing?" I asked curiously, trying to search the racks for something super-suit-y.
Matte passed me and pulled out a baggy, cotton outfit with a lot of parts from a trunk. I stared it in anticipation. I grabbed each part in the precise order that Matte handed them to me. First was a black Kabuki mask that covered half of my face with a sharp, evil grin. The gold teeth were a nice touch, though. Second, and personally most complicated, was the black torso piece with gold trim that wrapped around my neck, crossed over my bound chest in the front, then around the back to hide the binding, but it left most of my upper back completely exposed. Next I slipped on the baggy pants of matching colors, tucking in the torso piece to the waist. They fit almost like harem pants would and cinched tight at my middle-calf. After that, there were two arm pieces made out of the same black cloth, but they wouldn't stay on my arms. Matte took two black, leather strips and wrapped them over the cloth pieces and tied them tight. They didn't slip after that. He did the same to the matching pieces on my legs that hid the elastic on the bottom of the harem pants to make the outfit look more traditional and not like it was made in the 21st century. There were no shoes to it, I realized as I finished assembling the ensemble. I looked at myself in satisfaction, as did Matte, who pat my shoulder and then sat me again in the chair.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Your trademark. All of your tattoos."
"Oh right. But why when the costume is on?"
"You don't need the mask on, and you need to just pull your arms out of the costume so I can reach your back easier."
I took off the mask and shimmied my arms out of the sleeveless costume. I let the top of the costume fall beneath my chest and away from my shoulders. I felt the need to leave the mini sleeves on just because they looked cool. Matte flipped my hand, palm up, and grabbed his airbrush.
"This is what I'm doing on your back, and this one is going on your hand."
He set two pictures in front of me. On my back was going to be a pair of folded raven wings. On my right palm was going to be a lit match, halfway burnt out. They were very simple, which would definitely show up better on screen.
"What are you going to paint them on with?"
"My handy-dandy airbrush. The fun part is that you don't get to move an inch for about thirty minutes."
It. Was. Hell.
YOU ARE READING
Photo Finish
Romance"Laurraine Yao, you silly girl, Love is the best thing in the world!" Yeah right. The most love got me was a kick in the ass and a low self esteem. Being the confident, career based she-male is more my thing. Besides, I have a brother and a roommate...
