Chapter 2

Hacienda Colinas del Cielo, Texas 2019

Halona stumbled out of the sweltering set, drained and irritable as all hell. Sweat clung to her neck as she chugged water, trying to drown out Starla's shrill voice demanding yet another pointless script tweak. Finally, the director's liberating cry of "Cut!" allowed her to beat a hasty retreat to her blessedly air-conditioned trailer. Slamming the door with a satisfying thud, she quickly changed into well-worn jeans and a soft, oversized knit top that hung off one shoulder.

Screw it - she was mixing a drink. A generous pour of vodka into a glass of cranberry juice ought to dull the rough edges. Halona settled into the armchair with her beverage, each tart sip melting away the day's accumulated tension. That is, until Starla's unmistakable banshee wail pierced the peaceful ambiance.

Peering out the window, Halona witnessed her co-star in the midst of yet another meltdown, that shrill scream scraping against her nerves like nails on a chalkboard. Screw this - she downed the rest of her drink in one burning gulp and snatched up the vodka bottle. She needed to get out of here.

The trailer door burst open just as Halona was making her less-than-stealthy exit. Sydney raised an eyebrow at the bottle in her friend's grasp. "Going somewhere with that?"

"Just...gonna take a drive," Halona muttered, unable to meet her concerned gaze.

"A drive?" Sydney echoed, her voice edging towards Mom Mode. "Well, let me grab a sweater and I'll…"

"Syd." Halona cut her off gently, placing a hand on her arm. "I just...need to be alone for a bit, okay?"

For a long moment, Sydney studied her face before finally nodding, the worry still etched on her features. "At least leave your location on then? You've got an early call tomorrow."

"Don't worry, mom." She popped the trunk and deposited the opened bottle of vodka.

Sydney couldn't help but laugh at that, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "You're the worst. Just...be safe, okay?"

With a wink and a wave, Halona was out the door and peeling away in her car, the open road beckoning her. No destination in mind - she just wanted to escape for a while, to clear her head amidst the rhythmic thrum of the engine and Johnny Cash crooning through the speakers.

She didn't realize how many miles had slipped beneath her tires until the "Welcome to Oklahoma" sign loomed into view. Halona pulled off at a scenic overlook, grabbing the vodka bottle as she wandered to a grassy patch atop a sun-baked butte.

Kicking off her boots, she sank onto the soft earth, running her toes through the warm blades as she gazed out over the valley, an endless expanse bathed in fiery amber light. It felt good to just...breathe out here. To exist without the chaos and cacophony of Hollywood bullshit.

Cracking open the bottle, she took a deep gulp, the harsh liquor searing a blazing trail down her throat. A violent shudder racked her body as she coughed, the sound swallowed by the vast emptiness around her.

Using her jacket as a makeshift pillow, Halona stared up at tiny pinpricks of stars winking into view one-by-one, memories of bonfires and chasing waves along the shoreline as a kid flooding over her. She took another long swig, the alcohol's warmth blossoming through her chest.

As she shifted onto her side, something dug into her hip - probably a forgotten hair clip or pair of earrings from the day's shoot. But her fingers brushed against cool, aged metal instead. The pocket watch. A strange sense of comfort washed over her as she felt its rhythmic ticking echoing the steady thump of her heartbeat.

With a pang, she thought of her dad. How he'd barely held on seven months after her mom's battle with cancer took her, like his heart simply... broke without its other half. They may have been her adoptive parents, but they were her whole world. Her only family. And now that warm summer breeze, whispering through the valley grasses, carried the whispers of their memories alongside it. Halona took another burning sip as the first tears traced their way down her cheeks, the vodka dulling the edges of that hollowness inside.

Holding the pocket watch against her chest, she let her eyes drift shut, the vast night sky and endless stars enveloping her in their silent embrace. For a brief, blissful reprieve, she managed to escape the suffocating weight of Hollywood, her life, of reality itself.