PXFire-- Creative Writing

[arnisd]

Username: arnisd
Team: The Sabotage Squadron
Entry:
The actress

Spoiler:

She looked up, her feet sliding into a balanced stance, ready to receive a great force which could fling her backwards. Her arm raised, the light a bit blinding, she aimed it, as best as she could. The steamtech gauntlet was heavy, too heavy, making her have to support the arm, it was mounted on with her other. She readied the spell, channeling the steam from the core crystal placed at the side, the crystal glowing white as the power gathered, the gauntlet starting to shake violently.

‘Don’t drop it now!’ A voice shouted in her head, not her own, but that darn annoying voice of the psychic in front of her. His confident smirk, barely hidden away for anyone else, his prideful posture, his oh so arrogant hairstyle.

‘Shut it, I need to focus.’ She retorted, with her own psychic powers, not able to put much strength into those words through a smile or anything, her lips rather showing a struggle.

‘BOO!!’ He shouted, his eyes glowing a faint yellow and red. She slipped, her right foot just started sliding too far to the side, she had messed up. Her posture got broken, she couldn’t keep herself upright anymore, that metal gauntlet tilting her body.

With a loud metallic clank, the thing slammed onto the ground, taking her with it and causing her to fall onto her side. She felt a jolt of pain in her shoulder, gritting her teeth and closing her eyes as she tried to hold in the screams and rage she felt right about now.

“CUT CUT! CUUUT!!!! This is NOT how this scene is supposed to go! LEA why did you fall!?” George asked, well more so shouted as the lights dimmed, the smoke effects went down and the background illusions were terminated, the whole filming studio turning quiet as the director started a tantrum.

“I thought I hired professionals? Professional actors and mages!” He continued shouting, pausing to wait for a reply which he could pound into the ground, as he stood up from his chair and stomped the ground, readying the megaphone once again.

“I’m sorry George… I lost focus and started slipping… I got distracted.” She replied, the last part of her sentence carrying a grudge like, cold undertone. Her head turning from the director to Falluin, that darn elf, in front of her on the set looking as innocent as ever.

“Lea listen, I respect you I really do. BUT get your head into the GAME!!!” He shouted so hard the gnomes behind him even tried shielding their ears. Full of rage he plumped down into that chair of his again, the furniture creaking, probably not able to take much more of that.

“With all due respect George, perhaps we should cut her a break. We all know how badly her career has been going as off late. She really needs this to go well.” Falluin said, keeping his calm posture and confidently delivering those lines. Lea felt the ‘needs’ cut through her and sink her down to the ground more, a cold malevolent chill put behind that word aimed towards her.

“Yea, yea, we all know the story, young promising actress really breaking out of the mold with fabulous performances in her first few movies. I’m seeing those glimpses of talent, don’t get me wrong, but they’re all thrown away with mistake after mistake after mistake!” He shouted once more, head now buried into a hand and shaking. “We’re taking a break people! I think everyone can use it! Before I shout myself hoarse… Dragon keep up the smoke effects they’re great! Tone down the fire a bit though, I’ve seen some of the cables starting to melt! Cameramen and women, keep them steady! Dwarves and gnomes, camera three is reporting problems with the power and overheating, go look! Also check up on the fractal shield generator underneath the set, we can’t have that thing fail for this scene! Catering get the illusion grand mage a potion! And bring me something refreshing! We begin again in fifteen! Take a break!” He shouted some more, his voice just not giving out yet.

Lea pulled her hand out of the gauntlet, flexing her arm a bit and massaging her wrist. One of the minotaurs walked up and easily picked up that heavy chunk of metal, just causing her to feel even weaker than before. Turning away from the grinning elf, she walked of set and towards her dressing room. She passed a group of pixies from catering and accepted the water bottles they were ‘carrying’, well more so floating alongside them through some magic. She opened the door, the star on front with her name engraved on it really didn’t make her feel any prouder, it made her feel a bit sick instead. She placed the bottle to her side, heard the door shut itself and sank down in her chair. Hands pressed against her forehead and tears welling up a bit. She had to keep them in, they’d ruin the makeup and it wouldn’t be able to be redone in the short break.

“Well here we are again, I can’t say I blame myself completely… there’s just something with that Falluin that’s getting me off my work.” She sighs, raising her head and looking at the mirror she had been talking to, a hand softly rubbing down it. “Hmm I must really be feeling down, talking to my mirror image again… it’s almost like when I was a child. Young Lea’s only friend.” She chuckled, though it was more of a sad one then one from amusement.

‘My, my, calling an object your friend. That’s quite unique, has it ever said anything back?’ Falluin ‘said’, he wasn’t really in the room, but she just heard his voice in her head again.

She turned around, unlike when he did this when he was on set, he made a small projection of himself inside her room whenever she was alone. “It’s been more comforting than you have. What’s your deal huh? All these small accidents I’ve been having on and off set… ever since I got paired with you for acting. Do you take joy in ruining my career?” She asked out loud, the room’s walls were thick enough to not have anyone hear her luckily.

‘Joy? Well I suppose I do take some form off amusement from all of this. But it’s something much bigger than that, much more important. I live for this! I live because of this! These negative emotions, these stressful environments… those tears…’ He said, his head tilting and an arm slowly raising as he aimed an opened hand at her eyes. The last part again having that malevolent undertone, that cold breeze, something more demonic. ‘They feed … me… Sustain me... It’s nothing personal, you’re just another meal for me to devour, I’ve done this dozens of times and will do it dozens of times over.’

“You’re a monster. I won’t let you walk over me like that.” Lea said, trying to find confidence in her own words, raising her posture in her chair.

‘Like your own family walks over you? Poor Lea the only normal girl in a family of geniuses. Your sister an arch mage, your brother head of the red knight order, your father count, your mother fashion designer known throughout the world. And then there’s you… alone… afraid… you want someone’s approval, someone to pay attention to you. But just average school results, average physique, the third in line for succession… the only talent you ever stumbled upon was acting, deceiving, well two sides of the same coin really.’ He said, shrugging his shoulders and pouting his lips. The projection walking closer, having no mirror image it tried patting Lea, only to have the hand go through her. ‘So you decide to use this talent, to not fall behind, to have people around you… to not be alone.’

“How do you know so much about me?” Lea asked, confused and certainly getting annoyed, perhaps even angry at Falluin for digging around in her private life, the paparazzi were bad enough already.

‘Everything to spice up the meal, to tip you over that edge, to make you crash on set and make it appear you couldn’t handle the pressure. If you botch up this performance, with your current bad rep, you’ll be unable to ever find a roll again. You and I are the same, I’ve just realized things in a different way. There’s only room for one in this line of work and I am that one, like I said, it’s nothing personal just business…’ The projection faded, the voice stopped, the horn announcing the end of the break sounded and Lea got up, quickly taking a sip from that water and giving herself one last look in the mirror.

“I won’t let you beat me like that.” She muttered, her eyes showing strength, determination and a hint of anger.

“Let’s do this again! Lea if you don’t do it right this time, I’m going to have to find a different actress. I can’t keep delaying this much longer. There’s a lot of money on the line and the budget can’t handle the lead actress not performing and ruining sales.” George states, after Lea walked onto the set and the special effects were started, readying the area for filming another go.

“I won’t let you down George, not this time.” Lea replied, turning herself to face Falluin, the minotaur helping her put the gauntlet on.

“Remember you don’t have to hold back the blast, the fractal shields will deflect the steam to all sides creating a smoke screen, just millimeters away from where Falluin is standing. They’re top of the line so they can take a punch. Alright confrontation between good and evil, take… 64 at this point. Go!” George shouted as the room went silent, the fire wisps turned on their lights and the cameras started rolling.

“I will end this today demon!” Lea shouted, putting some despair in her voice, her character having lost her best friend to him a few moments ago.

“Ha…hahaHA! Take your best shot girl, you can’t kill me with that! I’ll even stand still for that slow attack of yours. Hit me with your best shot!” Falluin shouted, his arms lifted upwards and his face showing complete confidence.

She looked up, stomping her feet into the ground, ready to receive a great force which could fling her backwards. Her arm raised, the light a bit blinding, but she saw her enemy perfectly. The steamtech gauntlet was heavy, but she felt the strength in her arm to lift it, using her other hand to aim. She readied the spell, channeling the steam from the core crystal placed at the side, the crystal glowing white as the power gathered, the gauntlet starting to shake violently.

‘Hmm how will I make you screw up this time….’ Falluin said in her head, her eyes full of focus looking at him, her rage building, the crystal glowing yellow.

‘Lea hey LEAaaa… you’re making the spell to powerful.’ Falluin states a few moments later, the crystal glowing red. He tried keeping posture for the scene, but he sounded concerned telepathically.

‘HEY WOMAN! THAT’S ENOUGH ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!’ He shouted, Lea flinching a bit from that, but staying on focus.
“Today is the day, you’ll pay for those you’ve ruined before. For everything you’ve put me through. YOU DEMON!!” She shouted, as the crystal colored purple and the spell was shot, traveling through the tube in the gauntlet. The weapon, at this point, barely keeping itself together, as Lea felt her feet sliding backwards, her posture barely able to keep her upright. The stream of heavily infused magic steam busted out and travelled at high speed to Falluin. The stream seemingly crashed into the shields, the curtain of steam blinding all vision and acting like a smoke screen. The once silent filming studio was in uproar as everyone coughed and had to find cover from the hot white gas. The set trembled, Lea trembled as the force behind the spell was nearly crushing her, she felt the strain on her arm growing, but she held on for better or worse.

“You’ve done it now little girl.” Falluin said, as the smoke cleared, a burn scar on his right cheek and the costume he was wearing torn away around his right shoulder and neck. His eyes were flickering, going from normal elven eyes, to demonic. His eye white turning grey, his pupils narrowing into slits and his irises turning into a glowing yellow. As if an illusion was being lifted long demonic horns appeared from his forehead and his skin turned red, a demon’s tail even swayed behind him.

“Those are some amazing props… the illusion mage is working overtime.” George whispered to someone, as he saw the view. “What do you mean he isn’t doing that?”

“Revealing your true self now huh? No more games?” Lea said, trying to act strong, as she attempted raising her arm, but it was stuck to the floor, together with the gauntlet. Her legs were trembling, her breathing heavy, her hair messed up and she was sweating like crazy, both from the heat generated from the spell, as her own exhaustion.

He started laughing, a maniacle, evil laugh, heard throughout the studio. “You’ve made a big mistake, little hero. You’ve made me your enemy.” He nearly shouted, certainly showing signs of anger now, his eyes were trembling, his muscles flexing, he could barely contain himself. A smile, nay a snarl on his face, showing of some rather impressive fangs.

“Wasn’t I already your enemy?” Lea asked, pulling her arm free from the gauntlet and landing on her back, it ached so much, but it luckily didn’t seem burned.

“No…no… little girl, you were merely a meal for me, an animal struggling before it gets butchered and cooked. You however just got promoted and I’m going to use everything I have, to crush you.” He replied, raising a hand and balling a fist with all his strength.
“Well that just means I’m going to have to be serious as well, like you said, we are the same.” Lea retorted, her eyes flickering, as the camera focused on her face suddenly shut itself off. The same demonic eyes appearing as Falluin’s, the two smirking at one another as they locked sights.

“Cut!!! Brilliant!! I love the improvisations you two made, they stuck so well to the script, yet were so different and felt more earnest! This is what I’ve been expecting this whole-time people!!” George shouted, as he jumped up happily for once. “Keep it up you two, I hope you’ll show the same skills in scenes to come from now on?”

“Don’t worry George…” Lea replied, her eyes going back to ‘normal’. “Yea don’t worry George…” Falluin said, putting his own illusion back on. “We will…”

Other: N/A