Chapter Nine:

At eight-thirty am on Friday morning, Yugi and Joey were standing with Sota and Nadia in the meeting room of the hotel where they had all signed their contracts. They had been waiting perhaps ten minutes, though Rin, Ishio, Erica, and Kevin had not yet shown. Joey, Sota, and Nadia were talking excitedly about the upcoming shoot, their takes on the script and their characters, and what they thought the movie would hold later. Yugi stood with them, but didn't really participate in the conversation, waiting for Erica to show and tell them what to expect. His stomach was on a consistent low upset, the butterflies not quite in full motion.

Rin and Ishio showed up about five minutes later, Rin slightly ahead of Ishio. Ishio looked his typical heavy metal, dour self, complete with spiked dog collar and dagger tattoo, and Rin looked beautiful, wearing a well-fitting yellow sundress that set off golden highlights in her brown hair and accentuated her pale blue eyes. Nadia, who was not half so pretty, nevertheless looked quite cute in a short jean skirt and pink top. She did not seem threatened by the prettier girl and went to welcome Rin enthusiastically when she appeared.

"Sorry I'm late," Rin said. "Has she been here?"

"Not yet."

"Good. I think she found her two other actors. When I was just downstairs, there was a couple of people standing at the concierge's desk, asking to see Erica. They didn't have any luggage."

"Ooh, what did they look like?" Nadia asked.

"One was a man, real tall and tan, with dark hair and eyes. Pretty cute. The other was a woman, kind of chubby but she had the prettiest black hair."

"I hope they are the other two," Sota said. "I want to get started on this movie."

"I bet she'll start filming even if she hasn't found them yet," Joey said. "If she wants to make her March deadline."

"Well, she can't get started if she doesn't show up," Ishio said sourly. "What kind of director is late to her own filming?"

"You were late as well," Nadia said.

Ishio shrugged and turned away. Everyone glared at his back for a moment, then went back to talking. However, they didn't have long to wait, as Erica, Kevin, and Marie walked in not two minutes later, trailing the couple Rin had seen downstairs. The man was Rin's male counterpart, with masculine good looks of the type that made girls swoon the world over and the woman was indeed chubby, but possessing of a sweet round face and hair as thick and luxurious as Mai Valentine's had ever been. She was as out-going as Nadia and greeted everyone with a bright hello even before Erica introduced her.

"Hi, I'm Daisy. I know you; you're Yugi Moto. I tried Duel Monsters once, but I wasn't any good at it. And you're Joey Wheeler, right?"

"Right," Joey said as Yugi smiled. "Are you a fan of the Lynch films?"

Daisy laughed and shook her head. "Nope! I've never seen any of them probably. I like fantasy stuff. But when a world-famous director looks at you on the street and says she wants you in her movie, how can you say no?"

"Exactly," Erica said with a smile. "You don't. Group, this is Daisy Miller and Mark Aquilar. I think they'll round out our cast nicely, don't you think? In fact, Daisy, if you'll follow Kevin and me, we need to talk to you about your part first. Mark, if you'll stay with the group. Marie, can you get them situated on the bus?"

"Bus?" Ishio said sourly. "On a multimillion budget like yours?"

"It's not that sort of bus. Why don't you just go see? Daisy, follow me, please."

"All right, gang, let's go," Marie said sweetly. "Does everyone have their scripts with them? I hope you've been preparing!"

She led them from the conference room, moving like a dancer down the hallway and back out to the lobby. She led them outside and down the sidewalk to where a gigantic, jet-black tour bus stood parked at the side of the building. Yugi clambered on with the rest, finding the interior to be almost as expensive and cushy as any of the suites in the hotel the bus was parked at. The floor was carpeted in wine-purple plush and there were three black leather couches lined up in a U-shape behind the driver's seat around a white-marble table. There was one stand-alone loveseat with a window behind it across and further back from this set-up and even further along the bus there was a kitchenette with brushed-steel fridge, sink, oven, microwave, and oak-wood cabinets. In the back, Yugi could see a door that opened up onto a small bedroom; he could see a twin-sized bed with covers the same shade as the carpet. On the walls were two large framed paintings of abstract art bolted down. On the ceiling over the table was a large light fixture with a cut-and-frosted glass cover in the shape of a white rose.

Joey whistled. "Wow. Now this is a bus."

"It's beautiful," Nadia said.

"Make yourselves at home," Marie said. "There's snacks and drinks in the refrigerator. That wall there, behind the driver's seat, it rolls down for a TV, and the one on the opposite side there, that houses a stereo. Erica just needs to talk to Daisy for a few minutes, and I need to go find my assistant, and then we'll be on our way."

She scooted past them and disembarked. Yugi moved to the table setup and slid into the booth. Joey followed him and they were soon joined by Nadia, Rin, Sota, and Mark. Ishio, unsurprisingly, went to sit by himself on the loveseat next to the kitchenette. He turned to stare out of the window and ignored them and they returned the favor.

"Wow, I kind of feel like a rockstar," Nadia said. "I imagine these are the kinds of buses KISS and whoever tour around on."

"Probably," Sota agreed. "What do you think she wanted to talk to Daisy about?"

Everyone looked at Mark, who shrugged. When he spoke for the first time, his voice was heavily accented, even more so than Joey's. Yugi wasn't sure of the accent, but he believed it might have been a midwestern American accent. His pronunciation was spot-on, so he hadn't been a recent transfer to Japan.

"I don't know," he said. "I only met Daisy downstairs. But I expect it has something to do with her character."

"Ooh, maybe it's a secret," Nadia said. "A twist none of us are supposed to know about. Maybe her character's the killer."

"Erica's never done a woman killer," Sota said thoughtfully. "Maybe she is in this one."

"Daisy doesn't look like the type to be a killer," Joey said doubtfully.

"That's what would make it such a surprise!"

"She has to be careful about the difference between a surprise and a ludicrous twist that doesn't make any sense," Mark said. "And Daisy's character being a murderer doesn't seem like the first one." He tapped his own script, though it was upside down to Yugi and the writing was too small to make out which character was his. "I don't know which one is hers in here, but if you all have been signed on to play the main cast, it doesn't look like she'd be set up to be a killer while coming off as a regular person during the first part."

"Maybe not, but she still could be one," Nadia said. "Not all of the killers are in the movie before the killing starts."

Mark just shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you think we're going to do today?" Nadia asked the group.

"Start filming?" Joey suggested.

Sota shook his head. "This early? We barely know our first lines, I bet. She won't want to waste film."

"But she said she had to get this started right away. To get it done by March."

"I bet its just practice," Sota countered. "You know, put us in the setting, maybe costumes if there are any, but try to get us memorizing our lines with everyone present."

"That sounds likely," Nadia agreed. "Ooh, I'm nervous."

So was Yugi. He still could hardly believe this was happening, and now that the whole group was here, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to do this. Not to mention Yami, Tristan, and Tea were surely coming. The thought of trying to act in front of them made his stomach twist in knots. He had always hated being the center of attention. As he sat there in silent anxiety, the group turned to discussing their characters and how they felt about them. Yugi looked around the bus, trying to distract himself from his tumultuous thoughts, and his gaze happened to fall on Ishio. The man was looking at the group, and there was such a look of deep disgust on his face that stared. Ishio saw him looking and his lip curled before he turned away to look back out the window.

"That ass has such a bad attitude," Joey murmured softly to Yugi, startling him. He hadn't realized Ishio had drawn Joey's attention, too.

"Ugh, I know," Nadia said, also whispering.

"Ignore him," Rin advised. "If he doesn't act professionally when we're on set, I bet Erica boots him. And if he does, well, at least we'll only have to deal with him on set."

"So, who do you think gets offed first?" Sota asked, drawing everyone's attention. "Come on, first hunches, now that we've all read the first Act."

"Who do you think gets killed?" Nadia said. "You've obviously thought about it."

"Ishio gets my vote," Joey said sourly.

"You said that already," Sota pointed out. "I said who you think gets it, not who you think should."

Everyone laughed, except Yugi, who looked back at the silent, distant figure on the love seat. Ishio had heard. The look he gave the group this time made the first one look like a smile. He looked like he would dearly love to rush over and beat everyone's faces in. Yugi swallowed nervously and looked away. He got a bad feeling from Ishio, and it wasn't just his clear hatred of the group. Something dark boiled beneath the surface. Yugi wondered who Ishio was in his real life. What did a man who so clearly hated people do?

"All right," Sota said, drawing Yugi back to the discussion. "I think you totally bite it first, Nadia."

"Me!" she exclaimed. "Why do *I* get to die first?"

"Your character is such a sweet, innocent little girl," Sota said. "Not the kind who turns out to have this fighter buried down deep that comes out when she's in danger and she makes it to the end despite all odds. Your character is the helpless little maiden in distress."

"Yours is the jock who's always making jokes," Nadia countered. "I bet Akihiro gets a knife through the chest right when he's making some joke about the killer, just for the irony."

"Maybe," Sota said agreeably. "It would make sense. What about you, Rin? Who's your guess?"

"I don't know, I think I agree with Nadia," Rin said. "Akihiro spends the last half of the Act joking about how they're in an abandoned inn and trying to scare the girls, and it just cuts off there. I'm with her, I bet he gets gutted, just to tell the audience there really is something to be afraid of."

"Fair enough. Two votes for me. I guess I'd better start on that Last Will and Testament."

The group laughed, and this time Yugi joined in, though he realized his sounded slightly forced. Mark voted for Akihiro also, agreeing with the women that it made the most sense, and adding that just because they didn't yet know the ending didn't mean Nadia's character wouldn't turn out to be that unlikely survivor. "The real women's power heroine," he said.

"Yeah, but Erica doesn't really do that," Joey said. "Most of her movies don't play to the women's power stuff you see in some of these modern horror movies where the girl kicks ass and survives."

"She doesn't not do it," Rin pointed out. "I watched some of these over the weekend to try and get a feel for what we're going to be doing and-" She shuddered. "They were totally gross, but Devil's Promise had that Libby character and she was the only survivor of the film. She killed the murderer and everything."

"True," Joey agreed. "Although, usually, no one makes it."

"Isn't that depressing?" Yugi asked. He really didn't remember details like this, as he either kept his eyes closed or left the room.

"Yeah. Horror movies aren't about all the feel-good stuff," Sota said.

Daisy joined them not long after that. She looked a bit disappointed as she sat down next Nadia.

"What's wrong?" Nadia asked her. She looked worried. "She didn't cut you out, did she?"

"No. And I'm not supposed to tell you."

"Tell us what? Come on, now we want to know even more."

Daisy looked up, then sighed. She glanced over her shoulder, though none of the movie people had come to the bus with her. She turned back and lowered her voice nonetheless.

"I wasn't cut out, but I won't be with you guys for very long. Erica just told me, said she wanted me to know ahead of time, see how I reacted, and to get me ready. I die first."

tbc...