Hey all thanks for the reviews and all the follows and favourites, really glad that you are all enjoying this story! This chapter you'll see a little more about Emily and learn more about Behind the Mask, but I won't say much as I don't want to give anything away! Have a read and be sure to let me know what you think.
Chapter 7
Emily's POV
The week had been a boring one, to say the least. Countless nights had been spent awake with pursuing boredom as I tried to find something that would occupy my mind or possibly send me to sleep. Alcohol or swimming was usually involved; sometimes both or I'd sit with my laptop, trying to think of something that I could write.
My state of mind had been far worse than normal after Katie's lovely phone call last week. Her words bugged and grated on me to no end and I dwelled on them for much longer than I should have. It couldn't be helped though, it had nearly been seven years since my life had blown up in my face and it still haunted me. No matter how much I tried to move on, I knew I couldn't when I hadn't accepted my past and I didn't think that was ever going to happen. It affected my every day life, actions had shaped me into this person who found it so hard to love or trust anyone. I probably needed to seek some form of help; it made sense since I had so many issues that usually scared everyone away. I was a lost cause, as so many people had gracefully put it.
It was a Friday evening and I was sat at home alone instead of going out with the girls at work who had tried desperately to convince me to go out with them again. I had considered it, it had been a fun night until my sister typically ruined it but I also couldn't face Mandy and her ongoing attempt to seduce me. Even after my rejection, Mandy was still practically pawing me at work with flashes of googly eyes and inviting smiles. I should have just fucked her and got on with my life but I wasn't that kind of person. No matter how many people who hurt and fucked me over, I couldn't bear the thought of inflicting pain upon anyone, regardless of whether or not they deserved it.
Boredom was beginning to get to me and I was half tempted to drink my way through another bottle of vodka, telling myself that it wouldn't do any good had become less and less convincing the more that I thought about it. I was even beginning to sound like a fucking alcoholic.
I sighed, leaning back against the bay window with a cigarette dangling between my fingers. I probably should have gone out when I knew what staying in involved but I was tired of plastering on a fake smile when I just wasn't in the mood to be around anyone. I hated my own company but I still found myself wanting to be left alone, plus Mandy and the others were utter fucking embarrassments when they were drunk. Girls seriously needed to learn how to hold their alcohol better.
I rolled my eyes when my phone suddenly started ringing, expecting it to be Mandy trying to convince me that it wasn't too late to change my mind. I frowned when I saw that it wasn't in fact Mandy, but an old friend from Bristol who I hadn't spoken to for a while. I hesitated, half tempted not to answer, I hated talking on the phone but I didn't want to seem rude either.
I sighed before connecting the call. "Hi Grace."
"Emily, hi, it's been so long! How have you been?" The bubbly voice replied and I found myself smiling at the familiar sound.
"I've been good thank you, what about you? How's Rich?" I asked, thinking of her heavy metal boyfriend who I got along with incredibly well.
"I'm wonderful, as is Rich. Listen, this might sound a little odd but are you still writing?" I frowned in surprise at the question. Grace and I have been good friends since we were in school, she was one of the few people who I actually had to balls to show my writing to but that was years ago.
"Yeah, whenever I get the time. Why do you ask?"
"Have you heard of a new TV show called "Behind the Mask"?"
"I've heard of it but I've never actually watched it." I lied slightly. I recognised the name but I couldn't think of where or who had said about it.
"It's a really good show, Rich absolutely loves it but you know him, he likes to play it cool. You should watch it sometime; I reckon you'd like it too. Anyway, apparently the show is actually written by the actors who star in it but they've just finished shooting season two and they are stuck for ideas on how to continue the show. They've released a public video saying that they have started looking for a new writer so they are holding an open competition for anyone to post their own stories that are based on the show and they will pick out the best ones to attend an interview. I saw it and I totally thought of you!"
I was stunned into silence by her speech, not only was it sweet that Grace had been so thoughtful but she obviously thought I was capable of applying for such a thing. I smiled but I was nervous even just by the thought of something so big.
"That's really nice Grace but it's pointless, I'm nowhere near good enough to professionally write for a TV show." I replied almost sadly.
"Don't be ridiculous, Emily! I've seen your writing and I'm not lying when I say that you're so talented at what you do. It might have been a few years ago but I know that your writing would have only gotten better with time. You've got the imagination for it; you've got talent and passion which is more than what most people have. What's the harm in at least trying?" Grace erupted on the other end of the phone, her voice laced with shock and excitement.
I found myself smiling at my friends kind words, her support and encourage meant more to me than what I realised. I never showed my writing to many people, it was something personal but I was also scared of rejection.
"Thanks Gracie. I don't know, it would be an amazing opportunity but I guess I'm a little scared." I admitted as I took a pull from my fag.
"You shouldn't be. Your writing is great, Em - I mean it. Just check it out, it's completely up to you but I think it's totally worth the shot."
"Okay, I'll check it out now and I'll let you know. Thanks Grace, it's really great to hear from you." I said truthfully.
Grace giggled happily. "You're welcome. We all miss you, we'll have to come and visit you sometime."
I smiled sadly at the thought of my old friends. It was nice to know that they had been thinking about me. "I miss you all too. I'd really like it if you did, we'll have to arrange a date."
"Cheeky, you know I don't swing that way." Grace teased, causing me to laugh loudly.
"Shut up, you know what I mean. Though, I could try and change your mind, I'm sure Rich won't complain." I husked playfully, grinning at the sound of her laughter.
"I'm sure he wouldn't. Anyway Em, I better go but please text me soon, I don't want to lose contact again."
"I promise I'll text. Thanks for telling me about the competition and I'll definitely think about it."
We hung up and I was smiling genuinely for once. Not all of my friends were completely selfish and thoughtless, I had to admit that it made me realise just how much I missed some of them. For a moment, I actually pined for Bristol but I quickly shook it off before I grabbed my laptop and flopped onto my bed.
I typed "Behind the Mask" into Google and frowned when the name "Naomi Campbell" popped up. They had to be kidding, right? There was no fucking way that Rich would like a show that featured Naomi Campbell. I snorted and shook my head, what the hell kind of show was this?
However, my mouth fell open and my eyes widened when several images popped up and I instantly recognised two of the faces. That was why I recognised the name of the show, Mandy and the others would not shut up about it. I gaped at the faces of the two girls I had met last week, realising that the blonde was in fact Naomi Campbell; I could recall them screaming it when they spotted them. Poor girl, she must have serious issues with her parents for giving her that name.
But damn, I had forgotten just how beautiful she was, with her ice blue eyes and long blonde hair. I tried to remember the sound of her voice but I was sad to realise that the memory had already begun to fade. Though I could remember her smile and the way that her body looked in the vest top and pencil skirt that she had worn and I grinned slightly.
I looked over the other faces of the cast, smiling at the memory of the blondes friend with long, curly dark hair who's name was Elizabeth Stonem – Effy for short. They were all beautiful in their own ways; I even had to admit that the guys were pretty good looking too. I flicked through several photos, trying to capture an essence of what the show was about but all I could tell was that it was pretty dark. I opened YouTube into a separate tab and clicked on the first trailer of the show.
It opened with Naomi's character driving, arguing with an older man just before they swerved out of the way of another car and crashed straight into a tree. Flashes of scenes showed her being rushed into hospital before awakening to find that her father was sat on the end of the bed just as the doctors came in and told her that he had passed away.
It changed to the other characters, showing the guy with curly hair getting almost beaten to death before he too was rushed into hospital, once conscious, flashing images of horrible things that were about to happen pierced through his mind. Effy's character tried to overdose, nearly killing her but not successfully. Nobody could look the girl in the eye when she was upset or angry, it would only result in them collapsing, suddenly screaming in agony. The guy with short, sandy blonde hair was drunk before he fell into a lake and nearly drowned. It showed him glaring at the doctor before he suddenly started seeing through his eyes, looking upon his confused self as thoughts that weren't his own echoed through his mind. Another girl with long blonde hair and wild eyes was hit by a car, in the hospital she'd try to reach out to grab something but an invisible force would push it away and things suddenly began to fall over whenever she was nearby. The other guy with shaggy, dark hair and olive skin slipped off his skateboard and cracked his head open on the ground. It showed him screaming at someone in anger and the lights began to explode and objects flew all around him.
The African character was locked inside his house which has been sent on fire, he had been burned pretty bad and passed out from the inhalation of the fumes when the fire brigade finally broke in and got him out just in time. It showed him again, standing in amongst flames that were no longer burning him as he ran a blade over his arm, not even piercing through his skin. Finally, it showed the last girl, another with long blonde hair who was shoved down a flight of stairs, hitting her head and should have probably snapped her neck. She'd glance at an object as she went to pick it up but it burnt her and suddenly spontaneously combusted before her very eyes.
It flashed through scenes of the season of the characters in college after the accidents, arguing, crying, screaming because everything around them had changed and they looked as if they were about to go insane. They consumed a lot of alcohol, took drugs, partied hard but their unusual powers were affecting everything around them. I watched with wide eyes as the trailer ended on all the characters standing together, glaring at the camera with hard expressions, looking like a right bunch of misfits.
I was surprised. Everyone kept mentioning this show but I had never thought to check it out. I didn't watch much television and most shows were too damn dramatic so I never bothered to follow them. But now I could see why everyone had made such a fuss, it looked bloody good. I liked that it had an essence of real life with a twist of something supernatural and different but it was something that had a lot of potential to have many hidden secrets and turns that would have you holding onto your seat. I was eager to watch it already and I had only seen the trailer.
I was now considering entering the competition more than I was before but I decided that I would watch the season so I could get a better grasp of the stories behind the characters and find out exactly who they were and what had happened to them. If the competition was a story based on the show then I needed to know more about it before I could allow my imagination to run wild and think of all different sorts of possibilities.
I made a cup of tea and lit up a fag whilst I searched for a website where I could stream the season. Luckily enough, I found one and I eagerly hit play on the first episode, feeling excited as it began to load.
Several hours later, I was at the end of the season and I groaned with frustration that I still had months to wait for the new one to be released - another reason why I hated following TV shows.
I could happily admit that I was hooked straight from the first episode. It jumped straight into the story, there was no dawdling or boring scenes that you just wanted to skip through. Everything seemed so secretive at first, you could see these things happening to the characters but you didn't quite know what, it kept you hanging on until their abilities were revealed. At first it seemed as though they were just going crazy, like they were traumatised from the accidents but even as time passed, these weird things were still happening to them. It took time for them to realise and try to accept that the accidents had changed them in so many more ways than they had realised. They were beyond different from anyone else, people would see them as freaks for the things that they could do and that scared them all into secrecy.
They were only teenagers in college, essences of their personalities had been revealed but there was something so much deeper behind all of them. I knew that just from the way that they would react to something that it was something from their pasts that had made them that way. They all had different personalities, attitudes and issues because they all had a different story to tell and I was eager to see what had shaped these characters.
I liked all of the characters but I couldn't help but smile as I watched Naomi act, I almost felt a little stalkerish. I had done a small amount of research and she was a pretty good actress for someone who had no previous acting experience. It was the same for all of them, they were once just a bunch of normal teenagers who were friends and had come up with the idea of the show and had somehow managed to make a dream come true. It inspired me actually; it was something rather unusual for the actors to actually be involved with the writing and making of the show. It was obviously something that they were passionate about.
I had decided throughout the season that I was going to apply to the competition. Grace was right, there was no harm in trying and my mind was swimming with possibilities so that I quite literally wanted to spend the rest of my life just writing. I had so many different ideas that I knew I'd either have to merge them into one or pick out one that would probably be the best.
I opened up a word document and quickly spilled all of my ideas onto the page just so that I wouldn't forget any of them. I picked through the ones that were good and separated them from the ones that seemed almost silly. I wrote a brief description of all of the characters and my own thoughts on what could have made them that way, and what it might do to them in the future.
I made up individual stories about their pasts so that it gave me something to add in before I constructed a basic guideline of how the story would pursue. I made a list of the first few chapters that I already had ideas for and thoughts of a way that I could build and display a story in a few chapters. There was a word limit on the stories that could be posted so I could drag it out but I couldn't rush it either, it had to be done right or it would just flop.
The competition didn't start for a few days and was open for three weeks so I had time to think through every detail carefully before I really had to put my head down and get to work. However, the moment I had began planning I just couldn't stop. That was the only good thing about insomnia; I could actually get things done without worrying that I'd mess up my sleeping pattern because I didn't have one.
Over the next week and a half, I slept less than usual. I spent every moment that I wasn't at work writing and planning, and even when I was at work I'd find myself daydreaming and jotting down notes. I was almost in zombie mode but I at least knew when I needed to give it a break but it was normally just so that I could go for a swim, get something to eat or sleep for maybe an hour or so if I was able to.
I was determined that if I was actually going to do this then I would at least give it my all. Even if it was something that I didn't really stand a chance with, I'd at least know that I tried hard and I kept telling myself that that was all that mattered. But even if I didn't get through, I had enjoyed writing for the show in my own little way so it wouldn't be a complete let down.
The competition had been open for nearly two weeks when I finally completed the story, but I took a couple of days to read back through it a couple of times so that I could add or remove something and fix a mistake. It was late on a Wednesday night when I finally posted the story and my stomach was filled with butterflies when I clicked the button to confirm my participation. Although I had told myself repeatedly not to have any expectations and to definitely not get my hopes up in any way, I knew that it would be incredibly hard to not feel disappointed if I never heard back from them.
It was now all down to a waiting game.
.x.
Eeek, its coming guys! A lot of you have already figured how this is all going to start for our two girls, now you've just got to wait and see how it all plays out for nervous little Emily. :) Here's the sneak peak for Chapter 8.
Chapter 8 – Naomi's POV
I could hear Tony giving his routine management speech when Effy's elbow suddenly jabbed me in the side. I yelped in surprise and pain, fixing my best friend with a sharp glare. However, she simply smirked before nodding her head towards Tony and I glanced up, my eyes widening in shock once they fell upon the next contestant.
Is it Emily, is it not? ;) keep reading to find out and be sure to review!
