Chapter 13
"Max-ee-mum Ride!"
I jolted my head around quickly to see a very large man in a very white suit ambling toward us. Us being the flock, Total, and my mom.
"Oh, Max-ee-mum. So very glad to finally meet ju." This strange enormous man snatched my hand, shook it so hard I lost feeling in it. "And dees must be dee flock!" He looked around at Gazzy, Iggy, Fang, and the rest with a smile larger than his pumpkin-sized face, red cheeks gushing like we were his own children that he hadn't seen in fifty years.
"Please forgive Dimitri. I am executive producer of new film that ees about ju. And dees ees Starlight Productions." He gestured at the high ceiling lobby in which we were standing. "Soon to be beegest production company in vorld." He paused a moment, studied us, waiting for us to react to what he thought was the eighth wonder of the world. I'd been inside castles in Germany and witnessed hot springs in Antarctica. Inside Saint Paul's Cathedral in New York City. Trust me. This was not the eighth wonder of the world. But it was clean and big and not currently threatening claustrophobia so I guess Starlight Productions was okay. At least for the moment.
The friendly neighborhood Dimitri led us through the lobby and to an elevator that took us to a series of large rooms on the fifth floor. Eyes fell on us as we walked, conversations halted on headsets as we passed by. And the stares weren't filled with repulsion at the six grubby homeless kids who'd look like they'd just been through the fire (which of course we had). People looked at us like we were celebrities. Those are the kids with wings, I imagined them thinking. I glanced at Nudge, her mood on an instant upswing. The fire had singed her hair and the support beam had left her with a droopy wing that we couldn't scrunch up, but her eyes bulged brightly and her smile itself illuminated the room with more power than the florescent lights above us.
Gazzy whispered details of everything we passed to Iggy: the large fountain in the lobby that I know he was dying to jump in, the Aquaman costume that hung in a display case. Angel stroked Total in her arms as they walked, Total yapping about his upcoming wedding (whatever). Fang and I merely hung back and observed. We were both twitchy from the people gawks and I could tell by his concentrated game face that his mind was in the same place mine was. Trying to deduce exactly who tried to blow up our house and have us all killed. Who was after us now?
Food provided a momentary respite from my worries as it always seems to do. The spread in the first room we visited rivaled a royal feast and with our usual grace, we dug in like we hadn't eaten in a month. My mom hob-nobbed with the CSM folks while Dimitri barked orders at twenty different people, all at different times within the course of ten minutes, and in three different languages. After my fifth doughnut, he made his way toward me, a tall skinny red head latched on his arm. I wondered if this was Anna Banana's replacement.
"Max-ee-mum!" Dimitri shouted, though he was only three steps away. I felt Fang's immediate presence at my side. "Dees ees Chelsea. Chelsea Hargrave. She ees daughter of CSM vice-president and new upcoming Hollyvood starlet. And she play ju in Max-ee-mum movie. Ees fantasteek, no?"
My mouth dropped opened and I tried to casually place a hand over it so my half-eaten doughnut wouldn't fly out. A barely audible Fang snicker pierced my ear. I instinctively nudged his side – so hard that maybe he wouldn't laugh for a month.
"Vell? Vut ju theenk?"
"Um… okay –"
"We think she's perfect for the part," Fang said, still working overtime to suppress his laughter.
"I let ju talk," Dimitri said, then scooted off to startle some other lackey's soul.
"Enchanted." Chelsea stepped toward us and continued her supercilious babble. "Max is it? I've been studying your background for the past week, but I thought perhaps I'd benefit with some one-on-one time with you." She pompously eyed me from head to toe. "I see a shopping venture is out of the question. Perhaps lunch?"
Fang grabbed my hand and squeezed it. Good thing, too. It almost went in the newest red-haired wonder's face.
"And you must be Fang?" The RHW stepped in between us, forcing Fang to drop my hand. "Hmmmm. Perhaps some alone time might be in order with you as well."
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A/N: Sorry for the extended hiatus... not going to lie - just unmotivated to write this story as of late (I like it - just have two other stories I'm crazier about). Anyway - trying to put a two update each week goal on my agenda... hopefully I will achieve it.
Story note: I will admit I have not researched production studios as much as I would have liked before I wrote this so please forgive any fallacies. Also, I have decided that Dimitri is like a cross between Russian and Greek - weird accent, but I like it.
Enjoy - and thanks for reviewing!
