Hi! I'm back! The next chapter is here! I hope you guys like it :) Remember to tell me what you think in the reviews. :) Oh, and lastly, I'm changing the name of this story to Hollywood Stars. Just thought you should now so there's no confusion.
Misaki flinched as the sun beat down upon her sensitive eyes. The cup of coffee she was holding was beginning to cool, so Misaki took another sip, relinquishing the taste while the birds sang their song outside the window.
The raven haired actress was curled up onto the couch with a comfy grey blanket draped around her as she waited for Erika, her manager, to arrive with the prep team. Today was a busy day, packed with interviews and meetings. Misaki sighed, and dropped her head on the back of the couch, closing her eyes and holding the cup of coffee even tighter, as if wanted to preserve the heat.
Suddenly, the door burst open and the mindless chatter of the prep team filled the apartment as they brought in bags of makeup and clothes. Misaki sighed once more and waited until one of them found her.
"Misaki!" Erika shouted as she bounded into the living room with Honoka and Subaru closely behind.
"Good morning." Misaki replied. Honoka grabbed her by the arm and led her into another room, where the prep team had already set up camp. "Good morning." Subaru replied.
"Sit." Honoka said as she pushed Misaki into a spin chair. Instantly, Honoka had mysteriously gathered dozens of different hair products and had set them down on the counter.
Subaru quietly wandered off into a corner with the team to pick an outfit. Erika nodded approvingly as everyone got to work and whipped out a tablet. "Good morning Misa." She said absently. "Ok, the schedule." Erika muttered as she tapped the screen.
Misaki sipped her coffee and bit the bagel someone had given her. "So, you have a press conference at 9.30 which should last until 12.30. Jax will pick up some lunch for you and then you have a huge fan panel with the whole cast at 1pm which will most likely take up most of the day. At 7 oclock, there's a celebratory dinner with the cast and then you're free." Erika finished, stuffing the tablet back into her bag.
Misaki nodded- she had expected a busy day. Erika walked over the Subaru, who was holding a blazer with trousers. "Ok, Misaki is going to be wearing this white undershirt. The black blazer is going on top with these stylish pants." She said, showing each piece. Erika nodded. "The rest of the outfits will be in the dressing rooms." Subaru finished.
"I was thinking of doing a nuede, natural look." Honoka spoke up from the opposite end of the room. She held up different products to Misaki's face. "Make it seem easy, simple and effortless." Honoka quipped.
"I agree." Erika said as she checked her watch and walked back to the centre of the room. "Let's get a move on though. We'll be late."
Honoka got to work on Misaki's face. "Close your eyes." Misaki complied and sipped her drink. Misaki didn't bother reopening her eyes, even when Honoka finished with her eyeshadow and mascara. Lipstick was applied to her lips and other products -some of which Misaki couldn't name- were applied to her face. Meanwhile, someone gently grabbed Misaki's hair and got to work on taking out the tangles and tying it into a sleek ponytail.
20 minutes later, Misaki was done with the makeup and standing in front of a full length mirror with the clothes held up to her body. "Ok, go change Misa." Subaru said as she pushed Misaki to the changing room.
"Hai hai." Misaki put her empty cup on the counter and was in and out in 2 minutes.
"You look great Misaki." Erika said as she pushed Misaki out of the door. Misaki thanked her and walked downstairs, where Jax was already waiting. Erika, Subaru and Honoka accompanied her and the 4 of them slipped into the car.
The press conference went smoothly- as smoothly as you can expect in Hollywood. Misaki maintained a smile as she answered all their prodding questions. She even managed to get a few laughs.
"Misaki, do you feel that life is passing you by? Do you feel that you're missing out on the normal adult life?" A reporter asked.
Misaki smiled before bringing the mic closer. "Well, life only passes you by when you don't enjoy what you're doing. A lot of hard work has been put in to get my where I am now. I love my job. Isn't that what enjoying life is about?"
"Who do you want to work with next?" Another reporter yelled.
Misaki licked her lips, "I am looking forward to working with lots of different people with different personalities. It's always interesting to see someone else's perspective. "
Someone else yelled. "Misaki! How are you going to top this movie? What are you planning to do next?"
Misaki discreetly looked at Erika who pointed at herself and shook her head. Misaki cleared her throat and addressed the crowd. "I can't say. My manager and publicist won't let me." Misaki smiled sympathetically whilst the crowd mumbled sadly.
"Well, alright now." Erika stepped onto the podium. "We have to be going." The crowd started protesting.
"Wait! Misaki! One more question!" Erika and Misaki, accompanied by Subaru and Honoka, slipped away from the scene and back into the car.
"Jeez, I'm starving." Misaki grumbled as she plopped down into the seat. Erika closed the door behind them and settled down next to Misaki.
"Here." Jax handed Misaki a sandwich and juice. Misaki smiled gratefully as she grabbed the food. She took a bite of the sandwich and gulped down the juice.
Erika pulled out a book from her bag. "Fan panel next. The whole cast is going to be there and, like I said, it will most likely take up the whole day." Misaki nodded and shoved the sandwich into her mouth. Erika snapped her book shut after a few moments and minutes later, Jax pulled up in front of the screaming crowd.
The car stopped. "We're here. Good luck Misaki." Jax spoke up consolingly from the driver's seat. Misaki smirked and slipped on her tinted glasses as she stepped out of the car. The screams from the fans and the bright glares of the camera were the first thing she processed. The security held the overexcited fans back as Misaki walked up to the stadium, smiling for photos as she went.
"Misaki." Haruto smiled when he spotted her. He waved her over.
"Hey." Misaki replied, as she settled down in her assigned seat beside him. He smiled goofily at her and more rapid flashes came from the cameras. Next, James, the director, walked in and took his seat on the other side of Misaki with several other cast members. He nodded at Misaki in greeting.
The speaker, Emily Ball, addressed the crowd. "Welcome everyone, to the Mars fan panel." That got cheers from the crowd. "Firstly, let's introduce everyone."
"First, we have the director, James Smith." A huge round of applause echoed throughout the crowd.
"Haruto Ya-" Screams erupted from the people- mostly the girls.
"HARUTO!" everyone screamed. Luckily, the security held back the hysterical fangirls from trampling the actors. Haruto smiled brightly and waved which made the screaming worse. Emily waited for the screaming to die down before continuing.
"Misaki Ayuzawa." An unexpectedly huge round of applause exploded. "Misaki, Misaki!" The raven haired actress smiled and waved. Eventually, when the applause calmed down somewhat, Emily could carry on with the introductions.
By the time the actual questions began, Misaki felt deaf from the screaming. "We've gathered 10 questions from twitter that the fans really want to hear." Emily said. Instantly, the crowd quietened. "How about we do those first then open it up to the fans?" Everyone cheered in approval.
Emily cleared her throat. "Question number 1 is for director James Smith. What was the funniest scene to shoot?"
James laughed heartily and brought the mic closer, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Well, it has got to be the scene when Misaki and Haruto were stumbling around in astronaut costumes." That got a laugh out of the audience. "Sorry Misaki and Haruto." James said as he winked. Both actors smiled and waved it off. "You see, the costume measurements were a bit off. The suits were too big for our actors. They were practically blind and they couldn't walk properly either. Haruto here, knocked over one of our cameras and Misaki fell over trying to get on set." The crowd roared in laughter but Misaki's kept a poker face. "Neither could get up either. We helped them up but not before they dragged down a few team members first."
The crowd applauded and laughed. "All in all, a very funny moment." He finished. More cheers.
"Next question is for Haruto." Emily announced. "What was your first impression of Misaki?" Haruto smiled a little shyly and leaned up to the mic. "Beautiful," He said. The crowd roared loudly. "And compassionate." Misaki smiled slightly, but maintained a poker face. "From the moment she walked onto set, she brightened the place with her smile."
The crowd awed and cheered.
Eventually, the twitter questions were done and they moved onto the fans.
"The first question is from number 32." Emily informed the cast.
A teenage boy with glasses stood up, holding the mic in a death grip. "O-ok, my question is for M-Misaki." He stuttered. Misaki smiled warmly at him and encouraged him to continue. "What, in your opinion, was the most emotional scene in the movie?"
Misaki licked her lips and leaned forward to the mic. "It has got to be the scene when Careen has to choose between saving Alek or completing the mission. Before, Careen would have easily chosen to leave him behind but she realises that she's changed- she cares for someone else for the first time in her life. The whole scene was just brimming with emotion." Misaki leaned back and took a drink from her water bottle.
"Number 5,"
"Hello, I'm Alex. My question is for James. What inspired you to direct this film?"
"I've always had a liking for science fiction and space themed movies. There are so many movies out there with these genres separately. But, I wanted to add my own spin to the genres and intertwine them. Make something unique. I'm glad to say that it was a success!"
The crowd applauded and cheered.
Misaki groaned tiredly and plopped down on bed, freshly showered. The day dragged on and the cast dinner, although fun, was tiring. It was now 10pm and Misaki was beyond exhausted. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light bulb.
She woke up to the loud banging on her bedroom door. Clumbering out of bed, Misaki opened the door and let in Subaru, Erika and Honoka. Honoka was on two phones and was vehemently texting on another.
"Thank heavens, you're awake." Subaru said as she paced around the room. "The whole industry is in a frenzy." She continued on. Erika followed into the room, talking to someone on the phone whilst texting on another phone.
"What's going on?" Misaki asked, closing the door.
"Have you heard of Daiki Hashimoto?" Subaru replied, stopping momentarily before pacing around again.
"Yeah," Misaki said, confused. "That director..."
"No!" Erika, who had finished her call, exclaimed. "He is THE director. The one who's movies, all the stars, models, everyone wants to be in!"
"I feel like I'm missing something-," Misaki asked, getting even more confused. "I thought he was retired."
"NO, YOU MORON!" Erika yelled. "He was unmotivated for a long time! He's finally gotten inspiration or whatnot! His newest project is called the Tartarus project! Romance, mystery, adventure, drama, everything!"
"Hasn't he only made like 3 movies?"
"So?" Erika yelled. "You get into a Hashimoto production and you'll be set for life! You'll be so famous that you'll never have to worry about finding another job again! Every actor and actress he's cast are all Oscar winners!" She finished. Subaru was now chatting on the phone with someone.
"You have to read for it!" She continued.
"I thought you said that I can't do another adventure movie. Something about showing multiple areas of skills." Misaki reminded Erika.
"Forget that! That was before I found out about Hashimoto's new production! You'll be set Misa! Everyone wants to be in a Hashimoto production. EVERYONE!"
"Misaki, you should read for it. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity." Subaru interjected.
Misaki nodded. "I'll read for it," She said, "But I need the script." The raven haired actress finished, staring at Erika. Erika walked over to Honoka.
"I got it right here." Erika said as she pulled a script out of Honoka's bag and flourished it in the air.
Erika handed the script over to Misaki who flipped through it. "You could go for the supporting character, Celia Strong-Heart, although you're gonna have to do a lot of body wracking stunts. But, that's a second option. I think you should definitely go for the leading female role, Lyra Shelley. She's more adventurous and out there with her stunts but they aren't as crazy as Celia's. The lines are also much different to your previous roles so you can showcase your versatility. You're going to have to fight for your role though. Many experienced actresses are going to read as well."
Misaki groaned. "Could you not have talked with me first…" She laid down on the bed and put the script beside her.
"I knew you were going to agree so I thought, why waste precious time?" Erika said smugly.
Misaki rolled her eyes. "Ok then, I'll spend the rest of the day reading over the script." She picked it up and flipped to a random page.
"Don't get too attached to the script." Honoka warned, now finished with her calls. "Hashimoto could end up scrapping the whole script if he doesn't like how it's going."
"So he's unpredictable- indecisive?" Misaki asked.
"Yes, but he's crazy good. Why do you think he's so successful?" Subaru replied. Misaki nodded and sat up. She opened her balcony doors to let fresh air in.
Walking out onto her balcony, the raven haired actress stared down at the oblivious people idly walking past, the script clenched tightly in her hands.
It felt as if it was only yesterday when she was reading for commercials and hoping to get cast. But now, she was reading for big-shot directors and life seemed to be passing her by. Sure, she had great friends and a manager she could trust, but Misaki Ayuzawa would only ever admit to herself, she was afraid. She was afraid of the life she knew nothing about and, more importantly, she was afraid that she could never turn back.
Hope you like the chapter. And, stay safe.
~Golden :)