Author's Note: HEERRROO! Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I could give some really lame excuse, but that wouldn't be very kind... So all I can offer are my apologies. This chapter kind of ends on a cliffhanger, but don't hate me! Sooo... Enjoy:) and stick around for the note at the end, I have exciting news! Oh, and the title of this chapter doesn't mean much, I just thought it'd be a good one:)
Mystery Up The Steps
"What do you mean she's never done television before?" I recognized her voice in a heartbeat, the hand I had raised to knock freezing an inch away from the aluminum door labeled Office Trailer.
"I didn't say she's never done television, I said she'd never been in any major production," oh god, oh god, oh god, I really shouldn't be listening to this.
"So she has done television?"
"Erm... No, no she hasn't."
"You mean to tell me that you hired a rookie actress?!"
"Well, I wouldn't say rookie, exactly, but not 100% immersed on the acting world," poor Julian, "But it's not like that, she's talented, she really is,"
"I don't care about that, I care that Downton is becoming a world-renowned show," She lowered her voice, but not enough to keep me from hearing, "I care about the fact that if she's not great, which is undoubtedly going to happen, I, and the rest of us, will look bad and Downton will lose it's credibility."
"It's not-"
"Let me paint you a little picture, Julian," she cut him off, "Three years from now, Downton will be wrapping up the filming of it's sixth series, but that won't be as wonderful as it sounds. All the past three years, we've been losing viewer after viewer, thousands and thousands of dollars in funding. People will have left, you'll only have one actress and maybe a few crew members remaining, because the show just isn't popular anymore. Do you know why the show will become so unpopular Julian? Do you know who that one remaining actress will be? That one actress will be this Emilie Christianson, and the show will have become so unloved because you decided to take a gamble on some nobody from Minnesota!"
I decided now was the time to knock, to save Julian from her wrath. So I knock, and Julian comes to the door, "Emilie, how wonderful to see you," he smiles, no indication of what had been happening, "I take it you got my message to meet me here?"
"You are correct," I smile as well, not wanting him to know what I had overheard.
"Come in, I have someone for you to meet," he ushers me in, and I stand up out of Carl to follow him up the aluminium steps and into the trailer. The interior was different than my personal trailer, while mine had a bedroom in the back and one in the front, this one was completely open. Mine had a couch, chair, and table; this one had two desks and a table with four chairs and two laptops on it. My eyes travelled around the room swiftly, finally landing on her. Michelle Dockery, my hero up until just a moment ago, stands leaning against the window by the table, her long brown hair falling softly over her navy hoodie. I watch in silence as she arches her eyebrow slyly at Julian, before pushing herself up and travelling the few steps it takes her to cross the trailer to me more gracefully than I knew humanly possible. I sound as if I'm in love, I remark internally, kicking myself for all of her undeniable amazingness, and after all that, you're still awed by her presence. How utterly stupid and fangirly of you, Emilie.
"Pleasure to meet you Emilie," she sticks out a hand which I take in my own, somehow managing to not grimace or fan-die at our contact. This is the long-awaited meeting of my favorite actress, but she is obviously not so keen about me (an understatement, really), therefore making me like her less, "I'm Michelle."
"Nice to meet you, too," I smile sweetly. I never really thought I'd be the kind of person to get on easily and have normal conversations with celebrities, but apparently I am.
"Emilie, I thought it might be helpful for you to talk a bit with Michelle tonight on how a television set works; she can be a sort of mentor for you until you get the hang of things here," Julian places an almost fatherly hand on my shoulder. Normally I would be thrilled about having her mentor me, but now I'm not so sure.
"What?!" She breaks her façade for a second, before realizing what she's done, "I mean, splendid," she amends quickly.
"Yes, I thought you would think so," he smiles smugly at her. "Why don't the two of you take a bit to get to know each other now?"
"May I have a word with you outside first, Julian?" 'Awkward moment' doesn't come close to describing the way she says it.
"Of course, but I've got to go speak to Gareth, so we must make it quick. Emilie, why don't you have a seat, and I'll see you tomorrow," he turned to leave.
"Um, Mr. Fellowes?" I took a half step forward, "What time?"
"Let's say, 6? It must seem horribly early for you, but we've got to get you through some stuff in time for everyone else to start at 7. Michelle will give you a tour tonight," he nods briefly before starting towards the door.
"Ok, thanks," I go and sit down while he talks with Michelle. They walk away now, so I can't overhear them. It's probably about 15 minutes before she comes back and sits across from me with a bit of a heavy sigh.
"Alright," she begins, "You probably already know about me, but I don't know anything about you. Tell me about your acting experience, when did you start acting, and what have your past roles and shows been? I want a timeline."
"Uh, I started in kindergarten when a theatre company came to town... I was Bird 1 in Hansel & Gretel, then the next year, I was Caterpillar part 5 in Alice in Wonderland, then Bat 1 in Snow White, and then Townsboy 1 in The Pied Piper. Then we moved and I stopped acting for 2 years, which was really horrible," she smilies slightly at this, "Then I was Leah in 2010, A Space Calamity, Charlotte in Flapper, Athena, a smaller role than it sounds, in Circus Olympus, Staff 2 in Northwoods Nonsense, Backupsinger 3, a bigger role than it sounds, in The Nifty Fifties, Desk Clerk 3 in Hotel Escargot, Danica in Once Upon A High School, my first and only lead role, and then Mabel in Kokonut Kapers," I finish with a heavy huff of breath, worn out from telling all 11 years of my acting.
"Well, you can't say you haven't acted much," she smirks, although I think she's warming up to me, "You've done many more productions than I had by the time I was your age, although I gather that they were smaller shows?"
"Yeah, they were smaller. My middle school doesn't have the budget to do big name theatre," I admit freely.
"Nothing wrong with that," she smiles again, "What about your audition for Julian? What was that like?"
"Well, I didn't really audition... He just came in to watch one of our rehearsals and then pulled me out into the hall to offer me the part," Michelle raises her eyebrow at this, "I went back and counted, and he only saw me perform 15 lines..." my voice trails off as I shy at the look she gives me, almost as if her eyes are saying I'm sorry for what I said about you earlier, I was wrong, you really are a very sweet girl. Or at least, I hope that's what she's trying to convey.
"Then you must be one hell of an actress," she jumps up from her seat, "Shall we go on a tour of the wonderful Highclere set, then?"
"Sure," I agree, before getting up as well, and following her out the door, before plopping down in Carl. Michelle's eyes gloss over for a moment, and I realize the look she was giving me in the trailer was because she saw my chair when she left with Julian, and felt badly about speaking that way about a handicapped girl. She pities me. I bristle at this new development of our 'relationship', as there is not one thing I hate more in the world than cancer pity. I'm over my cancer, I can manage on my own, and I don't need people giving me countless pity or guilt filled looks and glances all the damn time. I'm sick of it. Hopefully that'll all change with Downton, and people will see that I'm just as freaking capable as everyone else, but I'll still have to wait for people to see the show before that happens.
"Do you... Ah... Need me to push you?" She asks reluctantly, as if Carl might bite her hands off.
"No, I'm just fine wheeling myself," I reach down and flip up the brakes, "Go ahead and lead the way,"
"Alright. Julian's informed me that you'll receive a tour of Highclere tomorrow, but I'm to show you where everything else is," she starts off towards the trailer closest to this one, about 10 feet away. "This is hair and makeup..." And so begins our tour, she takes me through the huge grid of trailers, labeling each one and it's purpose, while also telling me which ones I'll actually ever go to. The tour finishes at her trailer, after we've walked quietly through the rest of the cast's area, since I'm not supposed to meet anyone until tomorrow. "Go on in," she says, unlocking the door with a plastic key card like the ones in hotels. "I've got to go grab something," she disappears around the corner of her trailer, her nude ballet flats squishing in the damp grass. I go inside, leaving Carl to the side of her door. Michelle's place is very similar to my own, although I can see now that Mom, Luke' and I have been allotted a larger, two bedroom model because of our need to be together whilst having our own space. This trailer is most likely what everyone else has, with a window seat and coffee table at the front, rather than a second bedroom.
I take a seat by the window now, appreciating the Michelle-ness of the room. I don't know her, but I can see the various personal touches that you couldn't find anywhere else on this entire (humongous) estate. Like the collage of photographs pasted onto the wall above the dining table, or the mis-matched bowls and cups stacked neatly on one side of the sink to dry. Even the maroon fabric that she's tucked in around the dull really weird standard trailer upholstery of the cushions nicely compliments the off-white walls and walnut woodwork, making the place feel much more homey and welcoming than my own brown on brown trailer. Her MacBook is sitting on the coffee table in front of me, and I lean forward to examine the bumper stickers that she's decorated it with. There's a black and white one, simply reading 'Essex'; a blue one advertising a pub in London, and one for the same pub in purple; a rainbow Apple logo; and the best one, a cartoon drawing of Highclere, reading Downton Abbey below. I have the last one on my own laptop. So at least I can comment on that without seeming like a creepy fangirl. There's voices outside now, and I realize that the 'thing' Michelle was grabbing is a person. I thought I wasn't supposed to meet anyone?
"Is that... hers?" The second voice says.
"Yeah, it is. I don't know why exactly yet, because she can walk, but yeah..." Michelle says uncomfortably, "She's really nice, though. And she's acted a lot, so we can hopefully count on her being good."
"Fingers crossed," I can't figure out who it is.
"Yeah. Do you wanna meet her?"
"I thought you said Julian told you no introductions?"
"You know you don't count, come on, I know she'll be happy to meet you," There's an electronic ding, and then the door opens. "Emilie?"
"Yeah?" I stand up and go back into the middle of the room.
"I brought someone to meet you," she says, stepping in. The mystery guest is off to the side, however, so I don't see who it is.
"Okay," I say with enthusiasm, although no one has stepped through the door yet.
Michelle turns around and sticks her head out the door, reaching down for the mystery's hand. "Oh come on, you. She's a new cast mate, not a piranha," She pulls Mystery up the steps, and I immeadiately recognize them by their long blonde hair. "Emilie, this is Joanne; Joanne, this is Emilie."
Author's Note Part Deux: This exciting news is for Hunger Games fans! This summer, a few other authors and I will be hosting the ... *drumroll please* FIRST ANNUAL FANFICTION GAMES! So... Yeah. It'll basically be like a Hunger Games but with Hunger Games fanfic s and no Katniss/Peeta/Gale crap. So, stay tuned for more information, because I will be posting about it in another note sometime soon! So... Yeah... BYEEE!
