Unfinished Symphony (Logan 3)

"I'm not perfect, Mom . . . Sis, and I didn't go there to be the hit of the party. Honest."

"It doesn't matter. Who cares what these losers think around h

ere anyway? Most of them will be gone in six months. You'll see," she said.

I got into the rear of the car and Mommy got into the front. None of us spoke as Richard made his way through the city streets, cursing at drivers, mumbling about why he should be living in a nicer neighborhood by now.

"And I would be, too, if I'd only got the sort of cooperation I need."

"I'm sorry, Richard," Mommy said when we pulled into the mall parking lot. "I know I was a bad girl."

"Just try to do a good job in there. Important people come to this plaza and someone could easily spot you. Remember what I told you . . . exposure, exposure, exposure . . . that's the name of the game."

"Right. I'm sorry," she said and leaned over to kiss him. He didn't soften much, keeping his back straight, his eyes forward.

"I'll be back to check on you later," he said. It came out as a threat. Mommy turned to me before getting out.

"Good luck, honey," she said, "and listen to whatever Richard tells you."

"I don't know what I'm doing or--"

"Will you get going, Gina," Richard ordered. "You're already a few minutes late."

"Yes. Right away," she said and left the car. Before I could get into the front seat, Richard started away. "Where exactly are we going?" I asked.

"Live Wire Studios," he said. "A friend of mine is doing us a favor, giving you a chance."

"But I don't understand. How do I start acting without a single lesson?"

"The director teaches you everything you have to know right on the spot. It pays real well. We could make a half a year's rent on this one assignment if you do it right," he said.

"A half a year's rent?" So much money, I thought, and dependent on me.

"That's right and that's only the beginning. I've been telling your mother how good it could get, but she goes off on a bender like this and nearly ruins things from time to time," he said. "It hasn't been easy for me, no matter what you think."

"Maybe she's not really happy here then," I offered. He was silent. "Why did you say it was my fault, what happened last night?"

"You upstaged her," he said, "and Gina hates being upstaged, especially by someone who's supposed to be her younger sister."

"Upstaged? But . . . I didn't mean to do anything like that."

"Sure," he said with a smile. "None of you women mean anything."

"It happens to be the truth," I snapped.

I glared at the scenery. The buildings and the neighborhood began to look more seedy and rundown. Where were we going?

Finally, he made a turn into a driveway. I saw a building with something called an Adult Reading Store in front of it. The driveway wrapped around behind it to another building that looked like an attached garage, but above the doorway was a sign that read LIVE WIRE STUDIOS.

"Here we are," Richard said.

"This is a studio?"

"Most of the studios look like this," he explained. "People who don't know Hollywood have this fantasy, this glamorous view of it. It's just another warehouse, just another factory churning out fantasy instead of shoes or chairs. That's all. Now remember," he warned, "you're twenty-one years old. Oh, I told them you were in a small film back in West Virginia."

"What?"

"It's nothing. Everyone makes up his or her resume here. The film was called Cherry Blossom. You played Cherry."