That night, Petra could hardly get a wink of sleep. There were far too many things going on in her head. She was going to star in a movie! Her! Sure, her favorite actress in the world didn't seem as "nice" as she thought, but maybe that was just pre show jitters. Petra was sure that Alex would warm up to her fairly quickly. But then, like many other times, her good mood began to nosedive. What if Alex had a good reason to dismiss her so quickly? After all, she was a professional actress, so she had to know her stuff. Maybe she just instantly knew that Petra wasn't cut out for this role? Maybe Petra really was way in over her head?

All her rolling and shuffling in bed woke up someone else who was sleeping in the same room as her. A single lamp turned on, bathing the room in a yellow, dim light. A man with blond hair, a rather large chin, and an athletic build rose up from his own bed, staring at her tiredly. "Petra?," he sighed. "What's all this noise you're making in your sleep? It's already past midnight. Come on, you need rest before acting in that new movie."

"That's just it, Peeta," said Petra. "I can't sleep because of tomorrow. I'm too nervous." "Anyone would be nervous before their first day," said Peeta. "What, did you think I was ready and confident on MY first day? Nobody is. Trust me, you'll do great." "Easy for you to say," Petra groaned. "You've already been in showbiz since I was a kid. Plus, you didn't have one of the greatest actresses in the world humiliate you in front of Stevack freaking Snyberg."

Peeta raised an eyebrow. "So you've met Alex, huh?," he asked. "Tell me, what was she like? I'm guessing she's not how you expected." "Well…," said Petra, hesitant on criticizing the person that she had looked up to for so long. "She seems kinda...arrogant. She's a little full of herself. Almost...spoiled? And she was willing to dismiss me when she didn't even see my performance yet." Petra looked at her brother curiously. "You seem to know her. Would you care to explain?" Peeta sighed. "We starred in a movie together a long time ago," he explained. "She was a brat." He saw Petra's shocked expression and chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, she was a great actress. And she knew when to get professional. But trust me, she was a brat."

"...wow," said Petra, who couldn't help but be slightly amused by her brother's very blunt statement. "I...can't believe it. She's really not how I imagined at all. She seemed so sweet and kind in every movie she was in." "And that's what makes her such a good actress," said Peeta. "She knows people won't want to watch a movie about an unlikable jerk, so she's always the complete opposite onscreen. The problem is that most people assume that's exactly what she's like, when it's really far from the truth. A lot of actors go through that, including me."

Petra winced. Now that she thought about it, it WAS pretty shallow of her to assume that Alex would be as nice as her onscreen self. Clearly, movie logic and real life logic are two very different things. "You wanna know something interesting?," Peeta asked. "You know who Katniss Everdeen is, right?" Petra nodded. "Yeah, she was your love interest in the Hunger Games movies." "Well, it's the same deal with her," said Peeta. "We ACTED all lovey dovey with each other onstage, but when the cameras were off, that 'relationship' was thrown out the window. In real life, we couldn't stand each other!" "Really?," asked Petra, her eyes wide. "But you two seemed to love each other so much in the movie." Peeta chuckled. "That's the power of acting, little sis," he said. "My point is, don't let someone's performance trick you into thinking they're one thing when they're really another. That mindset WILL get you in trouble."

Petra nodded in understanding. "I think I get it," she said. "Good," said Peeta. "And remember, you'll do great. Just go out there tomorrow and give it your all. Show them how great of an actress you really are." "I will," said Petra, a determined smile on her face. "Thanks, Peeta. I really needed that." "Always happy to help," said Peeta, turning off the lamp and going back to sleep. As Petra laid back down in her bed, sleep came to her much easier.

The next morning, Petra got up just as the sun was rising and drove all the way to the address that Stevack gave her. She eventually arrived at a giant warehouse in the middle of the city, where a bunch of other actors and actresses were waiting. At the entrance, there was a small table with stacks of paper leaflets on it. There was also a sign nailed to the front of the table, which said, "Greetings! This is where we will be practicing our lines. Pain and Healing will mostly take place in a forest, which we will travel to soon. Before we go there, we will first do rehearsals in this warehouse. I am currently in a meeting, so feel free to mingle with the other cast members! On the table are drafts of your scripts. Feel free to improvise!" And below that message, someone had signed "Stevack Snyberg" at the bottom of the sign.

Petra took one of the copies and walked into the warehouse, which was filled with people chatting to each other casually. She couldn't help but feel intimidated by all these people. "Hey, Petra!," said Jesse, walking towards her and shaking her hand. "Glad you could make it! Mr. Snyberg's in a meeting right now, but he'll be back soon." "Yeah, I know," said Petra, calming down from seeing a friendly face. "I read the sign." "Great!," said Jesse. "You got your copy of the script?" Petra nodded. "Then let me introduce you to everyone," said Jesse, pulling Petra along. "O-oh, there's no need to do that," Petra said nervously, not quite ready to meet the entire cast at once. "Nah, come on. It'll be alright," said Jesse, smiling at her.

Jesse pulled Petra onto a podium in the middle of the room with a microphone stand on it. He took the microphone and loudly cleared his throat into it, which was enough to catch the attention of everyone inside the warehouse. "Hello, everyone!," he announced. "As you all know, I'm Jesse, the guy who's going to fill in as one of the main characters. And this…" He pulled Petra to his side, causing her to blush and squeak nervously. "...is Petra! Say hello to her, everyone!" "HI, PETRA!," the entire crowd greeted in unison. "H-hello," said Petra, smiling nervously. "She's so adorable," someone in the crowd whispered rather loudly.

"I think we should introduce ourselves to her, don't you think?," asked Jesse. "You know, to make her feel more welcome. But let's do it one by one, alright? We don't want to overcrowd her." The cast members murmured in agreement and began to file into a single line leading up to the podium. The first two people to walk up to Petra were a dark skinned girl with black hair and a yellow cap, and a large man with green clothes and a unibrow. "Hello, Petra. I'm Olivia," said the girl, shaking Petra's head. "I can't wait to work with you." "Um, likewise," said Petra, mentally facepalming at how formal she sounded. "And I'm Axel!," said the large man, giving Petra a big bear hug. "I...can't...breathe!," Petra gasped, her face turning purple. Olivia chuckled and shook her head in amusement. "Yeah, that's Axel for you," she said. "Come on, big guy, let her go before you crush her into a paste." She leaned in towards Jesse and whispered, "He could actually do that, you know." Jesse had no idea how to respond to that.

After Olivia and Axel walked off the podium, a young man with blond hair and a leather jacket took their place. "Hey, I'm Lukas," he said, shaking Petra's hand. "And I must say that you, fair lady, have one sexy ass." He quickly walked off the podium, poorly muffling his laughs, while Petra stared after him with a shocked expression on her face. "Did...did he just…?" "Yeah, here's the thing about Lukas," said Jesse. "He flirts with everyone. And I mean EVERYONE." He still remembered the time when Lukas suddenly slapped his butt as he walked by.

Next came two more people, a man and a woman. The man had neatly combed hair, square glasses, a green sweater with diamond patterns, and a red bowtie. The woman also had glasses, as well as a winter cap and a red sweater with square patterns. To top it all off, they both had matching braces on their teeth. Their appearances just screamed, "Nerd!" The woman also had a saddlebag that appeared to be squirming and making grunting sounds. "Hey there, Petra!," said the man, shaking her hand. He had a slight lisp. "I'm Thomas. I'm gonna be playing as one of the film's antagonists if you can believe that, heh." "And I'm Annie," said the woman, also shaking Petra's hand. "We're siblings, in case you couldn't tell."

"It's nice to meet you both," said Petra, smiling back. They seemed just as shy and uncertain as herself, so it was comforting to know that she wasn't the only one who felt that way. "Oh, and by the way, Jesse," said Annie, reaching into her saddlebag, "here's your pig back. I took care of him just like I promised." She took out a small, adorable baby pig, who squealed happily upon seeing Jesse's face. "Thanks, Annie," said Jesse, accepting the pig. Then, he faced Petra with the pig in his arms. "This is Reuben, by the way," he explained. "He's my pet pig, AND he's gonna be starring in this film with us." A pig acting in a movie?, thought Petra. She supposed it wasn't that unusual. There were plenty of animal actors out there.

"Hello, Reuben," she cooed, petting his head. "It's nice to meet you." The pig grunted and licked her hand. "Looks like he really likes you," Jesse chuckled. "Thanks for taking care of him while I was busy, Annie. Here, could you take him back for a moment?" "Sure," said Annie, taking Reuben from Jesse's arms. "We'll wait until Petra is introduced to everyone." As Thomas, Annie, and Reuben walked off the podium, three more people took their place, two of them being boys and one being a girl. One of the boys had a rather flat face and brown hair, while the other boy seemed to have hit puberty a little early, if his black goatee was any indication. The girl had straight brown hair and was wearing a hair clip. "Hey, name's Aiden," said the boy with the flat face. "And my friends here are Gill and Maya." "Yeah, and can I be the first one to say how STOKED I am to meet the sister of Peeta freaking Mellark?," asked Gill, shaking Petra's hand so roughly that her arm was close to being dislocated. "Gill, quit it!," snapped Maya, wrenching his hand off of Petra's. "Sorry about that. He can be a little...much."

"It's no problem," said Petra, rubbing her now sore arm. "It was nice to meet you all." "Yeah, likewise," said Aiden. As the three of them walked off, a very large and burly man with an eyepatch and a red mohawk walked onto the podium. "Hey there, little lady!," he boomed, slapping Petra on the back. "Name's Ghost! Looking forward to working with ya!" Petra rubbed her now sore back and stared up at the large man in awe. "Holy crap!," she cried, her eyes wide. "I recognize you! You're that famous WWE wrestler!" Ghost chuckled. "Yep, one and the same!," he bragged. "I'm a pretty big deal around here." "Didn't you lose to that one wrestler who turned into an overnight meme?," asked Jesse. "That John Cena guy?" Ghost rolled his eyes and frowned. "First off, that fight was staged. And second, I totally would've beaten him if he hadn't pulled that 'you can't see me' crap. Waving your hand in front of your face doesn't make you invisible, man!" He stomped off the podium, leaving a befuddled Petra.

The next person to greet Petra was a black man with a small beard, a white tank top, and black jeans. "I'm Gabriel," he said, shaking her hand firmly. "I'm going to be the trainer and stunt coordinator for this movie. I'm also gonna be one of the main characters." After him was a pale looking man with a black beard and sunken eyes. "My name is Ivor," he said, looking almost bored with the whole thing. "That is all you need to know about me." After that short introduction, he immediately walked off the podium. "He seemed...nice," Petra said hesitantly. "Ivor's not the most social person," said Jesse. "Don't worry, it's nothing personal. He acts like that towards everyone." Next came a balding man with an orange beard and a slightly bulbous nose. "And my name is Soren," he said, shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

After him came two more people, a man and a woman. The man was completely bald and wore goggles on his forehead. He also smelled strongly of redstone dust. The woman had purple dyed hair, black eyeliner, and wore a black leather jacket and leather jeans. "My name is Magnus," said the man. "I'm a professor in redstone circuits and machinery, but I'll be playing as a griefer in the new movie." "Sup," said the woman, smirking and forming a peace sign with her hand. "Name's Ellegaard, but you can call me Ellie. I'm just your typical up and coming rock star, no biggie." "Nice to meet you both," said Petra, shaking both of their hands.

The next person was a man with red, bushy eyebrows and a beard. He was also dressed in what appeared to be an expensive suit. "I'm Ramus," he said, shaking her hand as well. "Not only am I playing as a major character in the new movie, but I'm also the co-producer. Stevack doesn't praise other people often, so I expect big things from you." "I'll try," Petra said nervously. After him, the next two people were a woman and a little girl who appeared to be about five or six years old. The woman had black hair styled into a ponytail and wore half moon glasses. The little girl had blond hair which was tied into pigtails and a pink dress.

"Hello," the woman said cheerfully, shaking her hand. "I'm Nancy. And this is my daughter, Lucy. Say hello, Lucy." "H-hello," Lucy whispered, hiding behind her mother while clinging onto her dress. Petra couldn't help but coo at such an adorable sight. "Hey, it's alright," she said gently, bending down to her level. "You don't need to be afraid. I won't bite." After looking up at her mother, who gave a single nod, Lucy stepped out from behind Nancy while twirling one of her pigtails. She didn't say anything else, however. "My daughter is very shy," said Nancy. "She's never acted in a movie before." "Wait," said Petra. "Lucy has a role in this new film?" Nancy nodded proudly. "She has a natural gift for acting. In fact, she's wanted to be an actress ever since she saw Alexandra in a movie for the first time."

"Well, good for you, Lucy," said Petra, beaming at the little girl. "This is my first time acting in a movie too. It's okay to be nervous. I'm sure you'll do great." "You really think so?," asked Lucy, looking up at her with starry eyes. Hn! The feels! Oh god, the feels are real! "I know so," Petra replied. Lucy gave a big smile in return and hugged Petra tightly. Everyone who was watching them cooed over the adorable sight while Petra blushed in slight embarrassment. "Ahem!," someone cleared his throat. Petra, Lucy, Nancy, and Jesse turned towards the source of the noise, which was a teenager wearing a white hoodie and black pants. He also had black hair poking out from underneath his hood and, even more startling, red pupils.

"Hey, kid," he said. "Mind if you move along? I'd like to introduce myself to our newest member of the family." Lucy stared at him, then slowly let go of Petra and walked off the podium with Nancy. "Kevin, did you really have to be so rude?," Jesse sighed. "She was just giving her a hug." "Hey, the kid wants to be an actress, she's gotta start thinking like one," said Kevin. "Trust me, Petra, that's the life of an actor. People are gonna start pushing you around and taking advantage of you if your guard's ever down. They won't care if you're just some 'innocent, wide-eyed city girl who wants to follow her dreams' or shit like that. People in the showbiz only care about three things: money, fame, and money. Seriously, they're like sharks swimming around in the ocean. Whenever they smell blood, they'll go crazy." At that point, Petra was quivering in fear from Kevin's rant. Thank god Lucy was no longer around to listen to this. "Alright, that's enough, Kevin!," Jesse snapped. "You're starting to scare her!"

"She should be scared," Kevin replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "And all I'm doing is giving her some helpful advice." "Well, your 'advice' is freaking her out," Jesse sighed. "Could you please just go?" Kevin shrugged again, then walked off with his hands in his pockets. Jesse turned back to face Petra, who had turned pale. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "Kevin's definitely a handful." "He has a very...pessimistic outlook on life," said Petra. Jesse sighed. "That's just part of his 'charm,' I guess," he said. "You have no idea how many new actors he scared off with that exact same speech. Did you know he's Alex's brother?" Petra shook her head. "It honestly doesn't surprise me that much," she said. "They're both pretty cynical when it comes to the acting business." "Don't let what he said bother you, alright?," said Jesse.

Before Petra could respond, two more people suddenly entered the warehouse: Stevack Snyberg and Alex. "Hello, everyone!," Stevack hollered. "Sorry about the wait! I hope you're all finally acquainted with each other?" Everyone inside the building nodded and murmured in agreement. "Alright, then!," Stevack declared, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "Everyone got their copy of the script? Good! Now let's start the rehearsal! Pain and Healing is going to be one of the greatest blockbusters the world has ever seen, I just know it!"