This is Introduction for my story "American dream". You all, dear readers, should be warned that English is not my native language, so it can be awkward sometimes at places, but I put my best to make it sound gramatically correct.

Unfortunately, the rules that are enforced here required me to change the plotline a little. It was inteded to be a cross-over between HSM's world and real world. Since no actors can be used in fanfictions, Zac had to be converted to Troy, what, I guess, in future chapters will cause great problems with his behaviour not matching what you'd expect from Troy. Oh, life.

In this part you'll be introduced to our main character, James Beckerson and his fight with inner self during a trip to U.S.A

I really shouldn't have agreed on that. What was I thinking when I signed for this ? Now ended here on the other end of the world. It was the America, United States I always wanted to see, but wasn't ever expecting I'd be brave enough to reach for actually. Something pushed me into applying for a scholarship on one of the universities, and unfortunately, it appears, it was accepted. As if I didn't had problems to talk to people in my city, now I had to talk to strangers in foreign language.

I wanted to hide. Really. Where are those janitor rooms you see on the movies , when you need one ?

So I went outside. It was the LAX airport.

"OK, just breathe. It's the LAX. You always wanted to see the Encounter restaurant, didn't you, you idiot ?" – I always talk to myself when nervous.

The problem was, there was no Encounter in sight. "Great, I end on the right airport, but in wrong part...or something." I sighted and left the terminal. The street was very busy, and you couldn't really tell where the bus stop is. Normal human would ask one of the passers by where it is, but I was too shy of course. I began to walk to the right, it looked as convincing as left.

And I was walking...and walking...and walking...and nothing. I decided to take out the piece of paper where I had noted all the directions. Of course it had to be on the bottom of the bag. Meanwhile the suitcase decided to fall on the wider side with bug "THUMP". Yea, great, lie there now stupid suitcase, if you're that tricky. Finally, the card. It appeared I was walking in right direction, it just had to be further in front.

There was the bus stop finally after good 20 minutes of walking. Hardly an attention getter- just a bench with a pole with small tin sign on it. When the bus arrived, I was dissapointed, it wasn't shiny silver alloy-covered bus you see in the movies. Just normal one , painted with advertisments. Oh well. I'm not taking an intercontinental trip after all.

At each stop I was looking down at my card, reading the right name of the station I need to get out. And I nearly missed mine nevertheless. A simple bus trip and I was already nearly lost. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy did I decided to go to this big country for God's sake ?!

Becouse you love 1950's american cars, fashion, architecture and all – chuckled a reminder something in the back of my mind. Yeah right, screw that, I'll have a heart attack in next 15 minutes probably.

The campus had to be in park ...yeah right, park in middle of the city. American city. Only park of which I could think I saw in American city was Central Park and it wasn't the right city to have it in.

So I began to walk fron the bus stop again. Store, store, store, warehouse, store, bakery, store...no sign of park . There were crossroads in front of me and it wasn't looking like there was park next block anyway. I turned back and walked all the way , and then the houses ended and there was white fence and dying flowers behind it. There were two trees there too, but that was all.

"Park ? Yeah , right....little exagerration". But there was a lot of young people going in and out thru the gate, so it had to be here. One girl went in front of me, dragging wheeled suitcase behind her like I did. She must have been nervous too, as she her left hand was gripped on a wrinkled paper like mine. Then her suitcase had stumbled on the curb and fallen to the side, opening after that. She screamed and started to gather things back. A bottle of carrot juice was rolling down the sloping ground my way, along with couple of pens that have fallen out too. I picked these up and slowly approached the girl, handing her the goods.

She looked up, surprised. Then she recognized them as hers, went bright red and looked down quickly.

"Thanks" – she said – "I could have remembered about that curb after going thru the same for 3 years" – she giggled nervously.

"Well, thanks to you I'll know where to be on guard" – I said.

She laughed, even more nervously.

'You're new here ?"

"Yeah, just flewn in"

She eyed me after that.

"Oh, a foreigner"

"yeah, very much foreigner" – I said, scratching my head. It was getting really awkward.

"I can show you later where are the main places here."

"Would be great, thanks in advance"

She picked her things and started to walk away.

"Hey wait, how do I find you ?" – I yelled when she was a good couple of meters away from me.

"Just wait there" – she pointed at the school's emblem built into a grassy postument in front of the building.

I run up to her – miracle that I haven't got tangled with my bag and suitcase – "May I know what;s your name in the end ?"

"Oh...it's Kelsie" she giggled and quickly walked away, again red on the face.

I went after her becouse it was where everyone seemed to come in and from. I didn't knew if I should notify someone about my arrival or what ? There was no info about any administration room being nearby. So I went straight into the central building with columns, thinking it would be the main one.

It took too long to describe – the walking from room too room, fighting with the suitcase and bag falling from my arm, daring to open my mouth to yet another person to ask if it's right room. Finally I've been listed and had been given tips how to get to my room. Of course there was also problem with the room, as there was some error in the database and what showed as free, was already full and so on.

When I finally found right building (it was tricky, all of them were the same style but with entrances on opposite sides) I was really tired and hungry. It seemed I shared room with two other guys. The taller one, Brian, was the type of "alternative dude". Bleach blonde, long haired and with black leather jacket, but overally not that scary as you'd expect. He greeted me 1st and pointed my bed. The other one, Dylan, was different – totally typical American boy next-door with ear-lenght hair and always in a t-shirt and jeans seemed unsatisfied I arrived, but was trying to cover it quite well.

I got directions where to find something to eat and after some wandering I managed to find the cafeteria. I was looking for Kelsie but she wasn't there. I realized we didn't agreed on certain hour to meet on, so she could have already waited for me, or was just going to. Great, now she'll feel offended and I won't be able to learn where is what here.

-Hey, move on –said someone after me. The line has moved and I was still standing in one place.

I managed to eat in right time to go out and spot Kelsie walking towards the school's emblem.

"Hey, what do you want to see first"

"Show me where classes are. And I'll probably need library too"

We went across the front alley somewhere deeper into the complex, where other buildings were placed.

"Here on the 1st floor are most of the acting and script writing courses. On second and 3rd are the ones on costumeology and other supply-making. Which one you're on ?"

"The Lights and Sound Technologies and Application"

"Oh, that's great. You'll spend most of your time on the top floor then. I'm on the directing course, here. " – she made a circular gest with her hand, indicating this corridor as hers.

"Maybe we'll meet at some exercises." – I said.

"Hey, you wanna see the stage?"

"Sure !"

I was obsessed with lights since being a small child. I had no chance as an actor – zero power of convincing someone to what I was playing. But it were the lights that dragged me to art – shining, twinkling, color or plain, showing or hiding what needed to be shown or hidden. Or – and that was what interested me most – creating the show by themselves – cascades of pulsing and changing lines, shapes, neons, steps lighting up in time with actress' feet landing on them – all that Broadway musicall flashing to reflect tones of music, denying the need of an actor on the stage – dazzling the public with complete lack of modesty and variety of styles.

It was in the next building, connected with this one by passage hanging in the air. It was about half bigger in size than what I was used to, and auditory wasn't curved. I looked up, to check what they have hanging there. Quite a lot of big, professional lights, probably with enough filters to apply to make all what you imagine com true. They were preparing for some rehearsal on the stage, there were partial decorations being put on.

"Well – here it is" said Kelsie, turning around with her arms wide open, as if she was showing me her kingdom.

'I see" – I smiled. – looks full of possibilities.

Then someone shoved us off the stage, as they were beginning the rehearsal. We both have hidden in the corner of auditiorium like a pair of badly beaten puppies. From the first sounds of music you could tell that was going to be a cover of Britney Spears' "You drive me crazy". I was looking at what was happening. They had a pretty impressing decoration with a sort of high balcony, which had steps leading down on the stage from each side. The background was black, or the backdrop wasn't applied at this point, it was a rehearsal after all. A blonde girl went out on the balcony and started to sing. I couldn't belive that. Whole intro to the song was left unused. Not a single flick of a bulb, not a wall of light which could have easily rolled from left to right and back in the background guided by the ringing sounds that start the melody. What a waste !

When she arrived to the chorus, she put her amrs in the air, and more girls walked from behind her, holding their hands, being dizzy from being "driven crazy by him" and started walking down the steps. Nothing.

I mean NOTHING. The steps were clearly looking to be the ones of transparent plastic that has lamps built under, so the steps can be lightened from below. And the girls were walking down in the rhytm of music and it was all left unused, whenever the steps could have been lighting one at each step, or put in a rolling cascade from the top, if coordinated with the main bass beat. Even I could do something better with my beginner knowledge at this early stage of studying the subject. Who the heck was light coordinator for this ? And where was his IMAGINATION ?

I went down to the 1st line of seats where usually directors seat on rehearsals. There was a redhead girl and a brunette girl who looked to be students also, and two older men, teachers probably. I asked the redhead, who was standing closer to me

"Excuse me, is this a final version of this number ?"

She looked surprised at me, as if I had just flown from the sky above to her.

"More or less yes. Not all the decorations are applied here, there will be a waffled background and front lights on the balcony, plus costumes and makeup and usual stuff"

"I see. Why do you waste so much potential it has ?"

"What ?!"

"The lights section...I mean....all this is very static...the lyric is about being crazy every day and every night, there is electric guitar in this and all those chimes and rings, it all could go for light changes or even neon lines criss-crossing here and here " – I pointed at the empty spaces by each outer side of the stairs leading down from the balcony.

For the first moment I thought she's gonna yell at me. But then she said that it's very interesting, and I'd have to talk with Mike "up there". So the control room was somewhere above. Kelsi came over to me meanwhile, the redhead one said "Hi" to her, but nothing else.

The blonde on the stage finished the song, and walked down from balcony, clearly unsatisfied with the performance. She walked straight off the scene to the place where we were standing. She yelled at the two girls how the others are not letting her fully express her potential in the chorus moment cause they hit here when passing by.

"Oh my God, Sharpay Evans" – said Kelsi behind me

I turned to her

"Umm who ?"

"Oh noone" she said, moving more behind me, apparently scared by who she has seen.

But the blonde one has already seen her and went all in smile

"Oh hi there Kelsi honey " she said

Kelsi peeked from over my shoulder, adn replied "hi" in trembling voice.

"And who are you ? Haven't seen you ever?" Said Sharpay with a little disgust.

"James. I was just transfered here and...

it might be good idea...judging by her central place in the performance and how she shoved everyone around, she must have been the lead in this all. If she had the same approach on the director and rest of the staff......

"...and I was discussing some light improvements that would both help you to act more freely and improve the glamour and impact of this whole show"

Her eyes widened at the "glamour" part.

"Oh hi there James, that's so sweet that you want to help me shine" she said with wide grin and hit the floor with one of her heels from joy. – "aaand us all of course" – she added winking at the teachers.

"Sharpay he's new here, they won't let him work on a full scale performace like the "Touch of love" is."

"We'll see." – grimaced Sharpay, hitting the inlaid floor again, sticking her heel into one of the wood pieces for sure this time.

"Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikeeeeeee come down heeeeeeeeeeeeree I've got to taaaaaaalk with you" – she yelled and echo went all over the auditiorium. A sound of doors opening and closing was heard, and sounds of quick footsteps on metal staircase later. Some guy was coming from the other end of the place, and from what I could have seen from the light comng from the stage, I first saw I see ....Corbin Bleu. But he then appeared to be much thinner and taller.

"Hi there Mikey" she said, waving her fingers to him. Then she sat on the edge of the chair and pouted and said in a whining tone of total sacrifice and (not quite) silent suffering

"The front lights are blinding me completely, I almost tripped over the balcony over there. Yet the effect feels somehow wrong, I'm not sure if people are really seeing the composition of the stage decoration and me at all, and there's not enough craziness in this being crazey"

"Uh, Sharpay....I can shift the front lights to the sides if you want...and add some side twinklers...if you want" – he said, staring at her and barely being able to form proper words.

"Actually – this James here – she flicked her hand at me, not even looking the way – said it needs a lot more than twinklers. It has to make the people dizzy and dazzled, I want fairy wave of light coordinated with sound"

"Bbbut Sharpay it's gonna take forever to coordinate it all by hand"

"Don't you have electronic Mikey? " – said Sharpay, accenting "Mikey" as if she was saying "moron" in place of that.

"oh yes, sure, I think" – smiled up Mike, looking at me – "so what did you exactly suggest ?"

Kelsi interrupted this great moment

"James the classes start in 15 minutes, I think you'll need to discuss that later"

"What ? Oh, yes...well Mike, we'll have to discuss that later. I yet don't know what possibilities and equipment you have here guys"

"Endless bro, endless" – he said , again staring at Sharpay, who was chatting with one of the teachers now.

I handed him my number

"Text me when you'll have some free time".

The first class and I'll get late, great – I was thinking to me, running after Kelsi back to the building.

"You have your schedule ? " she asked when we were running upstairs.

"Schedule ? Fuck, no !" i said, realising that I was coming straight from the cafeteria to meet her and I didn;t had nothing from the normal school equipment with me – books, notepad, not even a pen !

"What now ?" – I moaned

"Go to the main desk at the ground floor, the receptionist might be able to tell you. I need to go, bye now".

"Idiot. 101% idiot, from top to toe" was talking with myself again.

"Umm excuse me miss...I'm already late....my first day...do't have nothing with me from the room, even the schedule...could you please tell me where The Lights and Sound Technologies and Application are held?"

"Upstairs mister, room 28, Theory of Lighting class number one" – she said, quite surprised

'Thank you".

Of course I now had to enter the class when everyone was sitting inside. And drag everyone's attention to me. And the teacher will beat me with a chair and throw out of the window. Well, maybe just out of the door. Gee I;m a pro with being panicked.

I entered, apologized for being late and sat on the only free chair, to the left of where the teacher was standing. Didn't knew what to do with myself. Two girls were whispering something to each other, probably about me of course. Great. Now I'll have some stupid reputation attached to the end of my days here.

The class was long and there was nothing exciting over it. Full of sociological terms and it was a shortened course on how the light was playing important role thru the ages. As if we didn't know that.

After the class I was looking up what else is on this floor, as Kelsi said my classes will be held here. Judging by the posters on the wall, describing many issues of right lightning or how the sounds distributes in a room, she was right that this floor was specialized for my course. Suddenly three or more guys approached me and pinched me to the wall.

"Lookie lookie we have a new one here " – said one with tone not implying warm greeting.

"You prefer to share your cafeteria tokens with us or do we need to convince you ?" he asked

"Cafeteria tokens ? What are you talking about ?"

"You know...green bills with presidents on them, Washington and others".

"Uhh...sure" – what could I do ? Having amateur nip&tuck done on the first day of school wasn't very appealing.

They let me stand on the floor and I reached to the back pocket for my wallet. Then some girl giggled really loud and it distracted them. I left my blouse in their hands, sneaking out of it and running away as fast as I could. They started to chase me.

"Geez, thought colleges are more civilised in USA than high school" flashed thru my mind. Then I took a turn and bumped on someone. Some other guy, in grey hoodie and jeans, with bangs which he was just taking out of his forehead.

"Hey dude, everything allright? " – he said helping me to stand up (it was me of course who had lost balance, his only problem was messed hair).

"Yes...no...don't have time man, they're after me"

A grimace went thru his face.

'Stand there" he said, pushing me a little to stand by the wall. Then he leaned against it too, as if we were chatting for hours.

The moment he did that, they appeared from behind the corner.

He slowly turned his head to them

"Hi Brent. What's up?"

'Hey Troy. Ummm...ok, man"

"I see you wanted to return the lost blouse to the owner, how noble from your side" – said Troy , seeing one of Brent's boys holding my blouse. He threw it to me and then they went away.

I was speechless. He handed them with no strain.

He flashed a grin at me, loosing his serious grim face.

"You see, it wasn't that hard. Brent sometimes doesn't know who he starts with".

He holded out his hand

"Troy"

" for quick action"

"No problem. New here?"

"Yeah, on scholarship from Poland".

"Ooo, that's interesting. What do you do ?"

"Umm, excuse me ?"

"What do you study here ?"

"Lights and Sound" – I learnt it's better to use the shortened version already

"Actor here. So I might need your help sometime to make my efforts visible at all" – he said with a smirk

"Sure thing. I'll try to make sure none of my reflectors will end on your head" – I joked back.

When I walked down to the entrance, I got a message from Mike. He wanted to meet in the auditorium.

I went there. The stage was empty this time, but all the lights must have been on, cause it was as light as by day. And at noon.

"Hi man" – he shook my hand – "I'm doing the weekly maintenance so I thought you'd have opportunity to check what we have meanwhile". I sat at the front row of seats and enjoyed what they had. Impressing array of of flood and spot lights, a couple of neons in basic shapes and of course the stairs- I was right about them being flashy.

When he got back to me I said what I had on my mind

"Hey, you got professional stuff here. Why was the lighting so minimal?"

"Mr Dawney doesn't like "excessive ornamentation" in what he directs. He says light has to underline, not to bold things out."

"Oh, yeah right, and there's no need for costumes and decorations of course?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yeah. Shar...I mean girls managed to get the last one out of his head, but not about the light".

"We'll have to work it out. Now about those stairs..."

When I got out of there, it was already dark. When I went to my room, Brian & Dylan were out, so I just went under the shower and slipped into the bed. It was long day but not that bad. I made new friends, I was surprised I managed to talk to three people in the first day. And one of them even saved my wallet, and more probably. That was so nice from his side. And he seemed interested in me being from Poland. Maybe he'll like me ?

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