Chapter Twelve:
"Hey, Adam, are you sure you know where you're going?" Sota asked.
"Yeah, I told you I did, man," Joey said. "This is just the scenic route. Relax."
"Jason, is he really going the right way?"
"Hey!"
Yugi pulled the map off the dashboard and opened it, pretending to scan it. After a moment, he said, "Yeah, it looks like this turns onto 95 which we can take back to 70 and get home."
"Yeah, but are we going out of our way?"
"Damn it, relax. Enjoy the view."
"Let me see the map."
"No way. Jason, don't give it to him."
"You two are acting like children," Nadia admonished.
"Whatever," Sota said. "Jason, give it."
He leaned over between the seats to try and snatch it from Yugi's hands. Joey let go of the wheel with one to try and push Sota back. They argued, pushing at each other, Joey darting glances from the road to Sota and back again.
"Stop it!" Nadia cried.
"Guys, this is dangerous," Yugi said. "Why can't he look at the map?"
"'Cause I said I got this."
"You're not the boss. Just 'cause you want to come the scenic way doesn't mean I want to. Jason, give me that map!"
"Leave him alone!"
"Look out!" Nadia shrieked.
"Shit!" Joey yelped.
They were pretending to crash. Yugi dropped the map and grabbed the dashboard, bracing for an imaginary impact. He widened his eyes while behind Nadia screamed.
"Cut!" Erica yelled. "All right, guys."
They relaxed as Erica walked over and the cameraman lowered his camera and the mike operator lowered his boom mike, rolling his shoulders to ease the strain from holding the heavy equipment.
"That was great," Erica said. "All of you know your lines, you have your tone down, it really felt real. Except the crash. I want to do that part over. This time, I want you all to jerk on cue, like you're really being struck. We may have to practice a bit, but I want you all to jerk back and then forth together. Like you've been hit by a car. Okay?"
They all nodded.
"Right after Nadia screams. Try to get it together. Let's start at Joey's 'Leave him alone!' line."
She stepped back. The cameraman and mike operator hefted their equipment again and aimed them. Yugi picked up the map again and Sota leaned forward to grab it from him while Joey grabbed his wrist.
"Action!" Erica called.
"Leave him alone!" Joey shouted.
"Look out!" Nadia screamed.
They braced again. This time, when Nadia screeched in the backseat, Yugi flung himself forward, then back against the seat. Beside him, Joey grunted. Erica yelled cut again.
"That was much better. Not quite in sync- Sota was too late, Yugi too early. But nearly. One more time. Count to three in your heads, right after the scream. One, two, three! Okay? Let's go!"
They did the scene over. Erica pronounced that she was satisfied. Relieved, Yugi got out of the car, his heart still knocking and his body feeling shivery-weak with the aftermath of extreme anxiety. When he walked around the car, Joey was waiting for him at the corner of it. He let his breath out in a puff, then grinned. Yugi smiled back at him.
They walked back up the driveway to the group, who congratulated them heartily.
"That was great!" Tristan said. "Even if I couldn't really hear you."
"Yeah," Tea agreed. "This is so exciting! Thank you again, so much, Ms. Lynch-"
"Erica. And you're welcome."
/See? You did a fine job, Aibou,/ Yami said.
/It's only started,/ Yugi responded. /But thanks./
"You did such a good job," Rin said to Nadia. "Unlike him," She pointed at Tristan, "I could hear you."
"I wish I'd been able to hear you," Nadia said.
"Okay, pay attention," Erica said, once they had all reassembled back on the driveway. "Now for the crash. You're welcome to watch, but if you're uncomfortable about it, you can head back to the Inn."
"It's going to be a real crash?" Tea asked.
"Yes. Our stunt drivers are on their way up. We'll get a shot of them crashing, then edit in the group."
"I don't think I want to watch that," Tea said. "Isn't it dangerous?"
"Of course. It's a stunt. Would you like to go back to the Inn?"
"I think I want to, too," Daisy said.
"Aw, come on," Tristan said.
"No, I don't want to," Tea said. She smiled at Daisy. "Want to go back with me?"
Daisy smiled back. No one else wanted to go, though Nadia seemed a little torn. The two girls headed off up the driveway to the Inn after saying goodbye while everyone else opted to stay. Yugi was glad to see the two hitting it off. Tea was always going on about needing new female friends. Maybe now she'd get one.
A couple minutes later, what looked like a golf cart came trundling down the driveway toward them. The two people on board were a man and a woman in identical black and silvers suits of the type that a racecar driver would wear. On the back of the golf cart, in the basket that normally carried golf clubs, were a bunch of goggles.
"Okay, put these on," Erica said, beginning to hand them out. "I don't expect we'll be near enough to the crash down there, but I'm not taking any chances."
Yugi accepted his pair and put them on. This was dangerous, and he worried for the drivers. There was so much that could go wrong with a stunt like a car crash. Still, these driver knew what they were doing, and so did Erica.
"Some more introductions. These are Christie and Andy Ventura. Brother and sister stunt team and the best around in my humble opinion. I always use them in all of my movies."
Neither Ventura smiled but Christie nodded around and said, "Pretty country you got here."
"Just a simple car crash this time," Erica said.
The Venturas nodded. Both pulled helmets out of the golf cart and headed to the set of duplicate cars. Christie swung into the Camaro and Andy got into the Ford. They pulled out of the driveway and headed in opposite directions. The cameraman was back on the skid, operating the big camera while the boom mike operator was taking a break, his mike propped carefully against the Inn's fence. At opposite ends of the street, Christie and Andy turned around and faced each other. Erica raised her arm, then dropped it. The two cars took off, heading at each other.
"Ooh," Nadia said nervously, raising her hands to her mouth.
The rest watched in silence as the cars approached each other. At the last second, the Camaro slammed on the brakes, turning to the left. The Ford also slammed on the brakes and swerved to the right- or Andy's left. But they were not fast enough to avoid a collision. The Camaro hit the back bumper of the Ford, sending it spinning. It went off the road, turning just in time to crash head-first into a tree. There was silence except for the tinkling of hot metal, steam pouring from the Ford, and the sounds of birds, startled by the crash, taking flight. Then, almost as one, the doors of both vehicles opened and the siblings got out.
"We got it, Erica!" the cameraman shouted from across the road.
"Excellent, excellent! Andy, Christie, awesome as always, thank you."
The siblings seemed completely unflustered. They both nodded toward Erica, then got into the golf cart and headed back to the Inn.
"That was so cool!" Sota exclaimed. "They're so cool!"
"Don't talk much," Rin remarked.
"No, they don't, but they're the best around." She smiled. "Of course, they know it, too. Their attitudes show it and they're horrible to deal with."
"Hey, Ishio, you should go ask them to adopt you, you fit right in," Sota said.
Joey, Nadia, and Mark laughed. Rin giggled behind her hand. Ishio gave Sota the same death glare he had given before on the bus. Erica raised her hand.
"All right, that's enough. You all have to work together and nothing is going to stop me from having my movie made, got it?"
tbc...