She was tired, but she couldn’t remember an afternoon when she’d had more fun. Like a kid who’d played too hard, she had a tummy ache and was sleepy but happy.
But work called. Rolling over with a groan, Kellsie reached for the script at the head of the bed. Her hand bumped her book, almost knocking it onto her head. She caught it and stared at the cover. It showed a woman on the run for her life with some demonic creature chasing her. She’d read some of the authors earlier works and knew Araminta Davidson could certainly pen a chilling tale, making it so realistic Kellsie would get goose bumps at least once while she was reading it.
But it was also a romance, so she knew she’d get some sexy scenes and was guaranteed a happy ending. She liked it that way. Reality was hard enough without reading about it in books. She liked to be entertained in her reading, but she also liked knowing the good guys would win and there would be a happily ever after at the finish.
She really wanted to start her new book, but knew she’d regret it if she did. There was no way to stop reading one of her favorite author’s books once she started. If she opened the cover, she’d never be able to tear herself away from it and make herself work.
“Script first.” Reluctantly, she shoved the book back on the small shelf and grabbed the sheaf of papers. Stuffing her pillows behind her back, she settled in to read. The script enthralled her from the opening scene, even though it was a simple enough plot—a woman alone at a seemingly fun carnival that was secretly being run by Hades’ minions. Woman comes across a carousel with most of the animals missing. Only three remained—a wolf, a bear and a lion. But they weren’t really carved carousel animals, rather warriors of some ancient goddess, long forgotten—the Lady of the Beasts.
Kellsie lost herself in the script until it came to an abrupt halt. “What the heck?” She was just at the part where the heroine, who would be her, finds the carousel and is ready to release one of the warriors. How that happens was still a mystery as there was nothing else left to read.
“Great,” she muttered, shoving the pages aside. “They didn’t send the entire script. Just a partial.” Which, she supposed, made sense, if the writers were still making adjustments. She’d have to check with Brittany to see if she could get her hands on a complete script. She wanted to read the thing in its entirety before they started shooting.
Most folks didn’t realize that movies weren’t shot in order. They might film the middle or ending first, depending on what was needed. Although, with this script they might be shooting in a fairly linear fashion, at least at the beginning.
Grabbing her netbook, Kellsie turned it on and prayed she’d get some kind of connection. She’d gotten so wrapped up in exploring the carnival she’d forgotten to ask anyone about the Internet connection up here. She had glimpsed some sort of satellite truck on set. Maybe that would be enough.
She hit a few buttons and crowed in delight when she was connected. She really hadn’t expected it to work. She pulled up her email and sent a quick message to Maury, letting him know she’d arrived safe and sound. Then she Googled the Lady of the Beasts. Surprisingly, there was very little.
“Ancient goddess who was patron of the animals.” That made sense if she was supposed to have shape-shifting warriors at her side. She clicked on a link for a website dedicated to this particular goddess. “Want to know the real Lady of the Beasts?” she read aloud. “That sounds exactly like what I’m looking for.” She clicked on the link and started reading. There was some basic information resembling what was in the script enough to make her think this was where the screenwriter had gotten his idea.
She scrolled down and found the Curse of the Lady of the Beasts. Kellsie read it, frowning as she went. The scriptwriter had plagiarized the damn thing. Unless they had permission from the owner of the website they were looking at a lawsuit down the road. Of course, they must have gotten permission. The legal department wouldn’t have let the movie go ahead without it. Probably paid the owner of the website for it.
Another click revealed that the website was owned and operated by a woman named Aimee Horner and some guy who went by the name of Roric. There was an icon of a gorgeous white tiger. Before she could click on it, the connection died.
“Great.” Frustration filled her and then she laughed. “You wanted to get away from the city,” she reminded herself. Dropped cell-phone service and loss of Internet was bound to happen in and around the forest and mountain region, even with a satellite truck nearby.
She closed her netbook and stowed it safely away. She’d try again later.
Feeling restless, Kellsie glanced at her watch and was shocked to find out how late it was. She’d lost all sense of time while studying the script and doing her research.
She looked out the window and was met by darkness and flickering lights from the set. Dinner had come and gone several hours ago. Not that she was hungry, but she’d hoped to socialize a little more. Get to know a few more members of the cast and crew.
“Damn.” Rolling off the bed, she stretched and yawned. Maybe some fresh air and a walk would help her revive her.
It would be much cooler with the sun gone down, so she grabbed a quilted brown jacket and pulled it over her long-sleeved shirt. Grabbing an apple from the pint-sized refrigerator, she left the trailer, stepped down the two metal stairs to the ground and pulled the door shut behind her.
It was much quieter now with the generators turned off for the night and the rides at a standstill. The music had also been silenced. An owl hooted in the distance. A shiver raced down Kellsie’s spine. “Talk about atmosphere.”
She took a bite of her apple and decided to take a turn around the carnival rides. It would be safe enough. On a set this size there were always people about.
As she strolled and munched, she gazed up at the night sky. It was like black velvet studded with diamonds. With the lights of L.A. she didn’t get to see stars like this.
It was so quiet she could hear the scrunch of her sneakers against the dry, brittle grass that had been trampled underfoot by all the cast and crew. It suddenly seemed like a crime to have all these people and equipment here. It was a beautiful, unspoiled landscape that should remain that way.
She passed a trash barrel and tossed in the remains of her apple, what little appetite she had gone. Her thoughts went back to the old man she’d met yesterday at the roadside stop. Her fingers went to her neck and she fingered the leather thong, letting her fingers slide down the thin cord until it hit the bear claw at the bottom. She rubbed it absently as she walked.
What had the old guy meant? She would be facing darkness? Probably nothing. That was the kind of mystical hooey some people spouted. Everybody faced hardships.
Still, there was something so serious, so noble about the man she couldn’t just laugh off his words. She caught a shuffling sound off to her left and ducked behind a concession stand, not quite ready to mix and mingle yet, even though she knew she needed to be sociable. She just wanted to be left alone with her thoughts, at least for a few more minutes.
“Holy shit,” she whispered under her breath.
The creature that trudged by was about six and a half feet tall with scaly skin and two short horns protruding from its head. It lumbered more than walked, swiveling its head from side to side. It growled once, showing two lines of very sharp teeth.
Damn, the costume and makeup department was first class on this film. She’d never seen anything so realistic. Of course, the dark lighting helped. There were only a few security lights flickering around the rides to push back the night. Still, if it looked as good on camera as it did now there might be some awards in their future.