Where to Begin

Chapter 18

The next morning I woke up early because Max had to get to his audition and I didn't want to be the one who made him late. Everyone else had the same idea and we ended up leaving the house at seven. It took us nearly an hour to get to the audition, which was just in some random house in Eugene. I felt really bad for Max because he was freaking out so much. He never took his eyes off his script and was reciting lines constantly.

We waited about another hour for Max to get called in. He had said that it was actually an open call audition which he also explained was strange for huge movies.

"Max Booth?"

A stern-looking, plump lady holding a clear clipboard with a pen in her yellow straw hair came around the corner of the lounge area where we were waiting. Max slowly got up and took a deep breath in as we all wished him good luck. He took one last look at us before heading off down a hallway where other people were walking around. The house was swarming with kids of all ages, parents and agents. Some kids looked as nervous as Max and some were even crying. Max had told me that it was his first real audition because he wasn't part of a casting agency.

We waited nervously for another hour. Lillian was sleeping and so were most of the others. Only Connell and I were awake. I was too nervous, for Max, to be sleeping. Eventually, I saw his soft, sad face come around the corner and my heart dropped. I immediately stood up and Connell followed me.

"How did it go?" I asked quietly. He just kept his head down.

"Oh, Max I'm sorry." Connell hugged his brother who looked extremely disappointed. I had no idea how to comfort him.

"It'll be ok, there'll be other auditions, these people probably just don't know what they're doing."

He managed a small smile.

The others had woken up and tried to comfort Max but he just wanted to get to the car.

As we were walking out, I walked past a room where a girl was completely overacting her scene but the casting agents were clapping and cheering for her. They even stood up as she proudly bowed. I stayed behind the others as I watched the ordeal and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The girl slowly left the room so I tried to duck out of sight next to the door.

"Are you waiting to come in?" I heard a voice come from inside. I poked my head around the corner of the door.

"No, um, actually I was just wondering if these were the auditions for Changers?" I asked quietly. I stood in the doorway of the room with two incredibly intimidating people sitting in front of me.

"No, no, those are down the hall, these are auditions for The Noise,"

"Oh, and is it open call as well?"

"This is an open call house, young lady. Now, are you waiting to audition or not?" The minute, balding man, with an unreadable expression on the right of the desk, asked as he started organizing papers that sat in front of him.

"Have you got a free space?"

"We don't have all day." The cast iron lady with crooked teeth and heavily applied makeup, sitting next to the man asked.

"Ok, one minute!" I dashed out of the house. "Max! Max, come back!"

The family stopped and turned around to look at me surprised. Max looked at me confused but he came back up to me.

"What? Are you ok?"

"There is another open call audition and the agents have a free space,"

His face immediately lit up. "Really? Where?" He asked going inside.

"This room right here." I said pointing inside. Max hurried inside with a huge grin on his face. I walked down the front steps of the porch back to the family.

"Sorry, but there's a free space in another audition and I thought Max would like to take the chance."

"That was really nice of you, Celine." Lillian hugged me.

The others headed for the car but of course the only one left standing with me, was Connell.

"Nice is an understatement," he smiled at me. "How'd you do it?"

"I was watching a girl overacting and the agents caught me spying on them so they asked if I was waiting to audition and they said it was an open call audition for a movie called The Noise so I figured Max would want to take a shot at it anyway. I don't know what the movie's about though. Any chance is at least a chance right?"

"The Noise?" Connell looked at me.

"Yeah, so?"

"Mark Wahlberg, Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Lawrence are all working on that movie at the moment, it's a horror,"

"Oh, is Max not interested in horrors?"

"No he loves them and those are his favourite actors ever! You're sure it's an audition for The Noise?"

"That's what the dude said."

He let out a loud laugh.

"If he gets this audition he'll be working with three of Hollywood's best actors!"

Nearly two hours passed before Max came out of the house with a sad face again.

"Shit, Max. And now?" Connell asked walking up to him.

"It was alright, I'm just tired now, and I want to go home." He walked right past me and headed straight for our car. He looked mightily disappointed.

"Come on let's go get some coffee from yourfavourite café!" Connell said with his arm around his brother. What have I done?