With a more influential director came a bigger budget and more creative leeway from the studio. Our viewership had started with a small cult falling, and a year later we were the highest-rated show on television.
“Ready, G?” he asked, squaring a glimpse of the setting sun between his hands.
“Ready. Let’s do it.” I smiled.
I clutched the wooden stake in my hand, twisting my head to see my co-star behind me.
Tom grinned, showing his pointy teeth. He was the kind of actor who kept them in longer than necessary. He was method through and through. “You have to fun faster than me, Gennie.” He winked.
I’d been working with a new trainer for months. I was pretty sure I could kick Tom’s ass, no matter how many rippled muscles he had. In this scene, my job was to outrun him and his fangs. I had to save the ass-kicking for tomorrow when we tumbled in an ancient tomb under the church.
The stunts were low-key enough I could do them myself, but I prepared myself physically. It was grueling and exhausting.
“Action,” Lance called.
As soon as he said the word I pushed off the pavement and began to run. I sprinted with graceful steps, outrunning the vampire on my high leather boot’s heels. My wardrobe was tight leather, while Tom looked like he had hopped out of an Abercrombie spread.
Tom screamed for me to
stop. I turned, feeling the adrenaline rush of the scene. He kept to the shadowed side of the corridor, while I focused on running in the light. It was part of the vampire lore. My character was trying to lure him into the sun, while at the same time he was trying to drag me back to the shadows.
The first time I had read the scene in Atlanta, I had fallen in love with it. The imagery. The light and dark symbolism. The sequence where I had to fight for my freedom. It was the perfect scene for the season finale. Perfect.
I only had a few more feet to run before I turned the corner and landed in the center of the fountain. I hurled myself forward, knowing Tom was within inches of catching me.
But as I rounded the stone building, the sun blinded me. The rays were over the roof, piercing my eyes. I squinted as the tears streamed down my face. Shit. I couldn’t see anything.
I kept running, hoping I could pull this off. We were losing the red and gold hues. I pushed forward. I had seen the fountain, so I knew there wasn’t far to go. I prayed I’d see it again if I could just adjust to the sun.
I launched my body, but immediately regretted it.
“Ouch,” I cried as I hit a solid wall of muscle. Instead of landing in the center of the fountain with a magical stake, I toppled into it taking a passerby with me. Shit. The scene was ruined.
My shoulder ached and my hair was drenched. What was left of my eye makeup ran down my cheeks.
“Fuck. What the hell?” the deep voice groaned underneath me.
I sputtered as the fountain water went up my nose, burning in places that felt horrible.
“Oh my God,” I moaned. I wasn’t sure if I had broken something or not. There was a slow burn in the upper part of my arm.
“Gennie, what happened?” Tom asked from the side of the fountain.
“Yeah, Gennie,” the stranger echoed.
I rubbed my eyes, making it harder to focus, but I caught a glimpse of sapphire blue eyes and dark wet hair.
I felt Tom’s arms circle me as he pulled me from the fountain and onto the cobblestones. Lance ran over, mixing swearing with concern. “Fuck, are you ok? Fucking shit. We’re done for the day. But how are you, G? Fuck me.”
I rubbed my arm. I hadn’t gotten my bearings. How had everything gone so wrong? I was running through the beautiful light and now I was a damaged drowned rat.
I spun as the man in a military uniform climbed from the fountain, stepping one drenched shoe and then another on the dry side of the ledge. He shook his hair, letting the water splay like he was some kind of sex god surfacing from the ocean. And holy hell. He might have been.
I tried not to gawk. I tried to keep my expression unreadable. I was used to actors. Tom was more popular than I was. Girls giggled every time he walked by, but he was nothing compared to the man I had tackled into the fountain.
“Your highness. Sir.” Two men rushed into the middle of our circle. “Are you all right? We need to call an ambi.”
I blinked. Did they say what I think they just said?