Drama
Chapter 3: First Day
Leila's P.O.V.
3 Weeks Later
I can’t believe I’ve spent 3 weeks in LA already. I’m adjusting really well and I love it here. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been hanging out with Madison and her friends. They’ve been showing me around LA and what they typically do, and I’m having a lot of fun.
I’ve been keeping in contact with Cameron and my family back at home, too. They’re also still getting used to me not being there. I do miss home, but here is my dream. I’m finally here, and I don’t want to turn back.
I wake up with the sun shining through my windows and reflecting off of my curtains, making my room have a bluish glow. I look at my clock: 9:42. It’s Sunday, and Madison doesn’t have any classes. As I sit up in my bed, I realize that tomorrow is my first day. I’m going on set and living my dream in Deep Secrets. I excitedly jump out of bed and get ready. I enter the kitchen and make a pot of coffee.
Madison gets up a few minutes after I started the coffee and steps into the kitchen.
“That coffee smells really good,” she points out, sitting down by the table.
“Thanks,” I smile.
“So what are your plans today?” she asks.
“I really don’t know. I just remembered I start on the show tomorrow,” I tell her.
“Oh my gosh, already? It seriously feels like you just got here!”
“I know, it’s….weird.”
“You excited?”
“It’s still sinking in, but yeah, I’m ecstatic!” I exclaim.
“You’ll do great,” she replies. I smile at her and pour us each a cup of coffee. Sitting on the chair, I join her at the table.
“The girls and I were going to go shopping today, if you’d like to join us,” she offers.
“Um, sure, I could use some new clothes,” I respond.
“Great! They’re going to pick us up at noon, so we still have some time,” she adds.
We talk for a little bit and finish our coffees. Madison decides to get ready to go shopping, so I watch a little bit of TV before Madison’s (well, they’re also mine, now) friends arrive. As soon as they show up, Madison and I leave the apartment and pile in the car. We drive downtown and stop at so many clothing stores. It’s a wonder how we were able to fit everything, and us, into the car.
By the time we got basically all we needed to get, all of us agree that we’re hungry. Kelly, the driver, takes us to a medium-fancy restaurant I haven’t been to yet. We scramble out and head inside, eager to eat. The waitress seats us and we glance at our menus. Everyone takes their turn ordering and soon, we get our food.
Dinner goes by quickly and before I know it, Madison and I are back in our apartment. I head to bed early considering I have to get up around 6 tomorrow morning. Madison stays up for a while watching TV and by the time she goes to bed, I’m still not asleep. I’m so nervous and excited that the jitters won’t stop. I eventually drift off to sleep, but my alarm wakes me up too soon.
My alarm rings and I check it: 5:30. I’ve got to be at the set at 7, so I get up and start a new daily routine, similar to what I had when I got up for school. I shower and blow dry my hair, changing into a cute new outfit I bought from yesterday. I brush on some light makeup and let my hair do it’s natural wave.
After checking to make sure I have everything I need for the day, I quickly eat a small breakfast. My time is running out fast, and I fly out the door.
The walk is about 15 minutes from my apartment. Not bad. As I enter the gate that surrounds the buidings, I’m stopped by a security guard.
“Pass?” he says.
“Oh, um,” I reply, frantically searching through my bag.
“Are you new?” he asks, a smile playing on his lips.
“Yeah, it’s my first day today,” I respond, pulling out the slip of paper that allows me into the set.
“Ah, for Deep Secrets,” he nods, checking the paper. He folds it up and heads inside a small box, coming back out with a permanent pass that looks kind of like a student ID, but no picture.
“Here,” he says, handing it to me. “This is your card, you’ll need it to get into everything and get past other security. Treat it well, otherwise you’re technically not allowed back here anymore, but if I remember you, I can probably make you a new one.”
“Thanks,” I reply, taking the card.
“You’re on Set 3. Look for any door as with Set 3 written on them. They should be all open. Oh, and break a leg,” he finishes with a smile.
“Thank you!” I respond, swinging my bag over my shoulder and walking up to the building. The first door I see says Set 2, so I keep going down and I finally spot one that’s written Set 3. I push open the door and I’m greeted with another security guard. He seems less friendly than the one outside, but I show him my card and he accepts. I walk in to see people everywhere. Right in front of me is a school set with cameras and lights surrounding it. To the left of me is a hallway that leads to doors to offices, I believe, and to the right of me are other sets and cameras.
“You look lost,” a girl says to my left. I turn around and see a blonde, wavy haired girl standing in front of me.
“I, uh, well, it’s, uh,” I hesitate, not sure what exactly to say.
“Don’t worry, it’s not that complicated to figure out. I’m Spencer, and you are?” she asks smugly.
“I-I’m Leila, but most people just call me Lei,” I stutter.
“Oh, you’re one of my co-stars! Awesome! I can tell you’ve never been here before, but don’t worry, you’ll get used to the set in the first couple of days. I’ll show you where we’re going to be rehearsing because today is a table read, where we get to meet everyone and who they’re playing, plus get a look at the first script!” she answers excitedly. She pulls on my arm and leads me through the hallway and into one of the rooms.
A big table is set in the middle of the room, surrounded by comfy red chairs. More of the red chairs line up against the perimeter of the wall. About twenty people are in the room already, some sitting by the table, some against the wall, and others just standing. Spencer leads me to one of the chairs by the table and offers me to sit by her. I obey and take one of the comfy red chairs.
“So, Lei, have you worked on a set before?” Spencer begins.
“Uh, no, this is my first filming job,” I answer.
“Oh, I still remember my first time, too. I was seven, and I played a very important role of a little girl in a movie. Then, I landed a main character role when I was ten in a kid’s show. When I was 14, I started working here on a different show, and that took off big time. And now I’m working again here, on Deep Secrets. So you can say I’ve had a lot of experience!” Spencer laughs.
I give her a slight smile and roll my eyes just a little bit. She seems nice, but at the same time, a little snobby. I didn’t ask for her to tell me about her life, although I was a little curious.
She turns around and starts talking to this one cute guy. He seems intimidated by her, but she doesn’t notice. Spencer just keeps talking and talking.
Soon, the room is packed and everyone takes their seats. Spencer is on one side of me and a new girl is on the other. I don’t get a chance to talk to her because the director walks in and shushes us.
“Glad to see mostly everyone is here! Welcome!” he begins. “To those of you who have worked with us before, welcome back! Before we hand out the scripts and get going, let’s introduce ourselves. I’m your director, Mr. Conners, and to my left, this is my assistant director, Ms. Reel.”
We go around the table saying our names and our parts. Soon, it’s Spencer’s turn, and that means it’s mine next. Oh boy…
“Well, I’m Spencer, and I play the role of Jasmine. I’ve been here for a couple of years, doing so much for this company, so don’t be afraid to-“
“Spence,” Mr. Conners interrupts.
“Oh, my bad,” Spencer apologizes with a smug.
“All right, and you?” Mr. Conners moves on, pointing at me.
“Um, I’m Leila, and I play the part of Ally,” I say nervously.
“Welcome!” Mr. Conners greets. “And…”
“I’m Alexa, and I play Savannah,” the girl next to me says, slightly shy, like me.
Everyone introduces themselves and I know I’m going to forget these names because there are at least fifty people in this room. The people to the outside walls are the technical side of the show, like the producers, executives, make-up and hair stylists, costume designers, and stage managers. Everyone sitting at the large table where I’m at are the main actors of the show. As the introductions come to a close, the director takes over again.
“All right, glad to meet everybody! Now, you guys around the table are going to get a copy of the script of the first…ever…episode…of….Deep Secrets!” Mr. Conners announces, emphasizing the last few words for dramatic effect. He slides the scripts across the table to each one of us. We catch them and I’m noticing some of the actors are already scribbling their names over the top. I dig out a pencil from my bag and do the same. I know how it feels to lose your script, and it is not a good thing, especially if it’s still early and you need to memorize your lines.
“Before we begin, I want to summarize the plot of this show for those of you who aren’t quite sure of that yet. Three girls, named Jasmine, Savannah, and Ally, are the target for an anonymous source. This anonymous source keeps sending these girls secrets about their loved ones and their enemies that they never knew. In the beginning, they use these secrets against their enemies to try and tear them down. As the show continues, the more secrets they expose, the more people hate them until most of everybody that they know won’t even talk to them anymore, and the girls have to figure out a way to keep these secrets secret. But the secrets get deeper and deeper, and the girls have a hard time digging their way out. Will they be able to handle the pressure?” Mr. Conners recites.
“Our goal for this show is to bring a lot of thrill and adventure. These secrets cause these girls to do the most unthinkable tasks, some even unforgiveable. We want to create something that people want to continue watching because they’ll be on the edge of their seats wondering what’s going to happen next. So, now that you have a better understanding of the show, let’s get to work!” Mr. Conners explains.
We flip open the first page of our new, freshly printed scripts and begin. For the next few hours, we read through it, the actors getting a feel for their character and the technical team comprehending what they have in mind for each scene.
Soon, it’s time for lunch and they let us go for an hour. I start packing up my things and get up from my seat when my other co-lead, Alexa, approaches me.
“Hey,” she greets.
“Hi,” I reply with a smile.
“Do you want to go get lunch with me? I’m still new and I just thought that since we’re going to be working together a lot, we should get to know each other,” Alexa delivers.
“Um, sure,” I respond. “I know a place we could eat at, if you don’t mind Italian.”
“I love Italian!” she exclaims.
“All right, let’s go!” I say, slinging my bag over my shoulder and leading her out of the building.
We walk down the block to the Italian restaurant. It just opened about two weeks ago, and I’ve been dying to try it out. It’s literally down the road from the studio, about a 5 minute walk. We don’t talk much on the way there, but once we are seated and waiting for our food, we break the silence.
“So is this your first film job?” I ask.
“Well, sort of. I’ve been doing smaller projects the past few years, but this is my first job as a main character, or a co-lead,” Alexa begins.
“Same here! I haven’t really done anything major yet, and I’m really excited,” I say.
“Have you worked on this set before?” she asks me.
“No, I haven’t, this is my first time being here.”
“Ok, good, I’m not the only one!” she says relieved. I laugh at her comment.
We chat for a while on our backgrounds and I find out that she just started in the acting industry a few years ago. She’s been involved in theater ever since she was little, so she’s not new to acting, but she’s been wanting to get into the film industry, and now she has.
Our food arrives and we attack our food hungrily. I feel like I should be formal, but I’m starving and it looks like Alexa is, too. In less than no time, our plates are completely empty and our stomachs are filled. We split the cost and head back to the studio. As we walk back, we talk about what we’re most excited for and what we hope to come for the show.
We enter in the studio again, making sure to show our passes to the security. We arrive and we’re greeted by the rest of our cast. Alexa and I head over to the room we were in earlier to find it mostly all filled. A few people come in after and soon, we’re seated and ready to begin.
“Our plan for this afternoon is to read through the script again and we do have some changes, so while you’re reading, we may interrupt you. After that, we’re going to block out the first couple of scenes and you’ll be released according to your character, meaning if the rest of the scenes we’re blocking out don’t involve your character, you are dismissed, but we have to dismiss you. Don’t leave the set until I or my assistant say so,” Mr. Conners notes.
We read through the script again, making notes and getting some changes. After doing so, we get up and head out onto the first set, the school set I had seen before.
“All right, so for this beginning scene, we need Alexa, Leila, Spencer, Max, and Leeroy,” Mr. Conners announces.
The 5 of us get on the set and get to work. It’s about 30 minutes later before we finish blocking just the first scene. There’s another scene later in the episode that uses the school set, so we move to that and get that scene figured out.
After that, we walk down a little further to a woodsy scenery. Fake trees pop up from everywhere, but they look so real. Some of the smaller plants are actually real, which is pretty cool. Mr. Conners positions us and we act through the scene, occasionally using props we need.
A few hours later, Alexa, Spencer and I are released from set. Since we are the co-leads, we’re in just about every scene so we are the last to be released. I am exhausted, but still excited. My first day here has been great, and I can’t wait to come back to set tomorrow.
3 Weeks Later
I can’t believe I’ve spent 3 weeks in LA already. I’m adjusting really well and I love it here. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been hanging out with Madison and her friends. They’ve been showing me around LA and what they typically do, and I’m having a lot of fun.
I’ve been keeping in contact with Cameron and my family back at home, too. They’re also still getting used to me not being there. I do miss home, but here is my dream. I’m finally here, and I don’t want to turn back.
I wake up with the sun shining through my windows and reflecting off of my curtains, making my room have a bluish glow. I look at my clock: 9:42. It’s Sunday, and Madison doesn’t have any classes. As I sit up in my bed, I realize that tomorrow is my first day. I’m going on set and living my dream in Deep Secrets. I excitedly jump out of bed and get ready. I enter the kitchen and make a pot of coffee.
Madison gets up a few minutes after I started the coffee and steps into the kitchen.
“That coffee smells really good,” she points out, sitting down by the table.
“Thanks,” I smile.
“So what are your plans today?” she asks.
“I really don’t know. I just remembered I start on the show tomorrow,” I tell her.
“Oh my gosh, already? It seriously feels like you just got here!”
“I know, it’s….weird.”
“You excited?”
“It’s still sinking in, but yeah, I’m ecstatic!” I exclaim.
“You’ll do great,” she replies. I smile at her and pour us each a cup of coffee. Sitting on the chair, I join her at the table.
“The girls and I were going to go shopping today, if you’d like to join us,” she offers.
“Um, sure, I could use some new clothes,” I respond.
“Great! They’re going to pick us up at noon, so we still have some time,” she adds.
We talk for a little bit and finish our coffees. Madison decides to get ready to go shopping, so I watch a little bit of TV before Madison’s (well, they’re also mine, now) friends arrive. As soon as they show up, Madison and I leave the apartment and pile in the car. We drive downtown and stop at so many clothing stores. It’s a wonder how we were able to fit everything, and us, into the car.
By the time we got basically all we needed to get, all of us agree that we’re hungry. Kelly, the driver, takes us to a medium-fancy restaurant I haven’t been to yet. We scramble out and head inside, eager to eat. The waitress seats us and we glance at our menus. Everyone takes their turn ordering and soon, we get our food.
Dinner goes by quickly and before I know it, Madison and I are back in our apartment. I head to bed early considering I have to get up around 6 tomorrow morning. Madison stays up for a while watching TV and by the time she goes to bed, I’m still not asleep. I’m so nervous and excited that the jitters won’t stop. I eventually drift off to sleep, but my alarm wakes me up too soon.
My alarm rings and I check it: 5:30. I’ve got to be at the set at 7, so I get up and start a new daily routine, similar to what I had when I got up for school. I shower and blow dry my hair, changing into a cute new outfit I bought from yesterday. I brush on some light makeup and let my hair do it’s natural wave.
After checking to make sure I have everything I need for the day, I quickly eat a small breakfast. My time is running out fast, and I fly out the door.
The walk is about 15 minutes from my apartment. Not bad. As I enter the gate that surrounds the buidings, I’m stopped by a security guard.
“Pass?” he says.
“Oh, um,” I reply, frantically searching through my bag.
“Are you new?” he asks, a smile playing on his lips.
“Yeah, it’s my first day today,” I respond, pulling out the slip of paper that allows me into the set.
“Ah, for Deep Secrets,” he nods, checking the paper. He folds it up and heads inside a small box, coming back out with a permanent pass that looks kind of like a student ID, but no picture.
“Here,” he says, handing it to me. “This is your card, you’ll need it to get into everything and get past other security. Treat it well, otherwise you’re technically not allowed back here anymore, but if I remember you, I can probably make you a new one.”
“Thanks,” I reply, taking the card.
“You’re on Set 3. Look for any door as with Set 3 written on them. They should be all open. Oh, and break a leg,” he finishes with a smile.
“Thank you!” I respond, swinging my bag over my shoulder and walking up to the building. The first door I see says Set 2, so I keep going down and I finally spot one that’s written Set 3. I push open the door and I’m greeted with another security guard. He seems less friendly than the one outside, but I show him my card and he accepts. I walk in to see people everywhere. Right in front of me is a school set with cameras and lights surrounding it. To the left of me is a hallway that leads to doors to offices, I believe, and to the right of me are other sets and cameras.
“You look lost,” a girl says to my left. I turn around and see a blonde, wavy haired girl standing in front of me.
“I, uh, well, it’s, uh,” I hesitate, not sure what exactly to say.
“Don’t worry, it’s not that complicated to figure out. I’m Spencer, and you are?” she asks smugly.
“I-I’m Leila, but most people just call me Lei,” I stutter.
“Oh, you’re one of my co-stars! Awesome! I can tell you’ve never been here before, but don’t worry, you’ll get used to the set in the first couple of days. I’ll show you where we’re going to be rehearsing because today is a table read, where we get to meet everyone and who they’re playing, plus get a look at the first script!” she answers excitedly. She pulls on my arm and leads me through the hallway and into one of the rooms.
A big table is set in the middle of the room, surrounded by comfy red chairs. More of the red chairs line up against the perimeter of the wall. About twenty people are in the room already, some sitting by the table, some against the wall, and others just standing. Spencer leads me to one of the chairs by the table and offers me to sit by her. I obey and take one of the comfy red chairs.
“So, Lei, have you worked on a set before?” Spencer begins.
“Uh, no, this is my first filming job,” I answer.
“Oh, I still remember my first time, too. I was seven, and I played a very important role of a little girl in a movie. Then, I landed a main character role when I was ten in a kid’s show. When I was 14, I started working here on a different show, and that took off big time. And now I’m working again here, on Deep Secrets. So you can say I’ve had a lot of experience!” Spencer laughs.
I give her a slight smile and roll my eyes just a little bit. She seems nice, but at the same time, a little snobby. I didn’t ask for her to tell me about her life, although I was a little curious.
She turns around and starts talking to this one cute guy. He seems intimidated by her, but she doesn’t notice. Spencer just keeps talking and talking.
Soon, the room is packed and everyone takes their seats. Spencer is on one side of me and a new girl is on the other. I don’t get a chance to talk to her because the director walks in and shushes us.
“Glad to see mostly everyone is here! Welcome!” he begins. “To those of you who have worked with us before, welcome back! Before we hand out the scripts and get going, let’s introduce ourselves. I’m your director, Mr. Conners, and to my left, this is my assistant director, Ms. Reel.”
We go around the table saying our names and our parts. Soon, it’s Spencer’s turn, and that means it’s mine next. Oh boy…
“Well, I’m Spencer, and I play the role of Jasmine. I’ve been here for a couple of years, doing so much for this company, so don’t be afraid to-“
“Spence,” Mr. Conners interrupts.
“Oh, my bad,” Spencer apologizes with a smug.
“All right, and you?” Mr. Conners moves on, pointing at me.
“Um, I’m Leila, and I play the part of Ally,” I say nervously.
“Welcome!” Mr. Conners greets. “And…”
“I’m Alexa, and I play Savannah,” the girl next to me says, slightly shy, like me.
Everyone introduces themselves and I know I’m going to forget these names because there are at least fifty people in this room. The people to the outside walls are the technical side of the show, like the producers, executives, make-up and hair stylists, costume designers, and stage managers. Everyone sitting at the large table where I’m at are the main actors of the show. As the introductions come to a close, the director takes over again.
“All right, glad to meet everybody! Now, you guys around the table are going to get a copy of the script of the first…ever…episode…of….Deep Secrets!” Mr. Conners announces, emphasizing the last few words for dramatic effect. He slides the scripts across the table to each one of us. We catch them and I’m noticing some of the actors are already scribbling their names over the top. I dig out a pencil from my bag and do the same. I know how it feels to lose your script, and it is not a good thing, especially if it’s still early and you need to memorize your lines.
“Before we begin, I want to summarize the plot of this show for those of you who aren’t quite sure of that yet. Three girls, named Jasmine, Savannah, and Ally, are the target for an anonymous source. This anonymous source keeps sending these girls secrets about their loved ones and their enemies that they never knew. In the beginning, they use these secrets against their enemies to try and tear them down. As the show continues, the more secrets they expose, the more people hate them until most of everybody that they know won’t even talk to them anymore, and the girls have to figure out a way to keep these secrets secret. But the secrets get deeper and deeper, and the girls have a hard time digging their way out. Will they be able to handle the pressure?” Mr. Conners recites.
“Our goal for this show is to bring a lot of thrill and adventure. These secrets cause these girls to do the most unthinkable tasks, some even unforgiveable. We want to create something that people want to continue watching because they’ll be on the edge of their seats wondering what’s going to happen next. So, now that you have a better understanding of the show, let’s get to work!” Mr. Conners explains.
We flip open the first page of our new, freshly printed scripts and begin. For the next few hours, we read through it, the actors getting a feel for their character and the technical team comprehending what they have in mind for each scene.
Soon, it’s time for lunch and they let us go for an hour. I start packing up my things and get up from my seat when my other co-lead, Alexa, approaches me.
“Hey,” she greets.
“Hi,” I reply with a smile.
“Do you want to go get lunch with me? I’m still new and I just thought that since we’re going to be working together a lot, we should get to know each other,” Alexa delivers.
“Um, sure,” I respond. “I know a place we could eat at, if you don’t mind Italian.”
“I love Italian!” she exclaims.
“All right, let’s go!” I say, slinging my bag over my shoulder and leading her out of the building.
We walk down the block to the Italian restaurant. It just opened about two weeks ago, and I’ve been dying to try it out. It’s literally down the road from the studio, about a 5 minute walk. We don’t talk much on the way there, but once we are seated and waiting for our food, we break the silence.
“So is this your first film job?” I ask.
“Well, sort of. I’ve been doing smaller projects the past few years, but this is my first job as a main character, or a co-lead,” Alexa begins.
“Same here! I haven’t really done anything major yet, and I’m really excited,” I say.
“Have you worked on this set before?” she asks me.
“No, I haven’t, this is my first time being here.”
“Ok, good, I’m not the only one!” she says relieved. I laugh at her comment.
We chat for a while on our backgrounds and I find out that she just started in the acting industry a few years ago. She’s been involved in theater ever since she was little, so she’s not new to acting, but she’s been wanting to get into the film industry, and now she has.
Our food arrives and we attack our food hungrily. I feel like I should be formal, but I’m starving and it looks like Alexa is, too. In less than no time, our plates are completely empty and our stomachs are filled. We split the cost and head back to the studio. As we walk back, we talk about what we’re most excited for and what we hope to come for the show.
We enter in the studio again, making sure to show our passes to the security. We arrive and we’re greeted by the rest of our cast. Alexa and I head over to the room we were in earlier to find it mostly all filled. A few people come in after and soon, we’re seated and ready to begin.
“Our plan for this afternoon is to read through the script again and we do have some changes, so while you’re reading, we may interrupt you. After that, we’re going to block out the first couple of scenes and you’ll be released according to your character, meaning if the rest of the scenes we’re blocking out don’t involve your character, you are dismissed, but we have to dismiss you. Don’t leave the set until I or my assistant say so,” Mr. Conners notes.
We read through the script again, making notes and getting some changes. After doing so, we get up and head out onto the first set, the school set I had seen before.
“All right, so for this beginning scene, we need Alexa, Leila, Spencer, Max, and Leeroy,” Mr. Conners announces.
The 5 of us get on the set and get to work. It’s about 30 minutes later before we finish blocking just the first scene. There’s another scene later in the episode that uses the school set, so we move to that and get that scene figured out.
After that, we walk down a little further to a woodsy scenery. Fake trees pop up from everywhere, but they look so real. Some of the smaller plants are actually real, which is pretty cool. Mr. Conners positions us and we act through the scene, occasionally using props we need.
A few hours later, Alexa, Spencer and I are released from set. Since we are the co-leads, we’re in just about every scene so we are the last to be released. I am exhausted, but still excited. My first day here has been great, and I can’t wait to come back to set tomorrow.
Notes
Hey guys!So I will be updating every Wednesday and Sunday for the month of January to get this story going. Over this Christmas break, I've prewritten a lot of the chapters because I'm going to be really busy with 2 musicals I'm in, and we're performing one of them in January, so I knew I wasn't going to have much time to write. I'm going to slow it down to once a week in February, and then I'll see how much I get written by that time.
Thanks so much for reading and please share this with people you know who need a new fanfic to read :) Also, follow me on Twitter: @leikelamichelle to get updates on when I'll update this story and other stuff!
Rachel :)
Make a Sequel please.
9/13/14