"Man, I missed this," Kevin said suddenly, stretching his arms wide as we followed a narrow trail into the woods. The forest around us was alive with the sounds of nature: crickets, distant birds, and the rustling of branches.
"The forest?" I asked with a smirk.
He laughed. "No, being on a film set. I don't know about you guys, but for me, it's such a rush. Living away from home with people I barely know, working together for weeks, and then saying goodbye, probably forever. It's weird, but I love it."
"You're an optimistic guy," I said with a chuckle. "I wouldn't know, though. I've only done one movie so far, and that ended less than a month ago. I liked the experience, but I moved into an apartment with my co-star afterward, so it's not like we all drifted apart. I guess it depends on whether people actually want to stay in touch."
"I filmed a few TV specials with my family," Harry said. "We see each other all the time."
Neither Kevin nor I could relate to that.
Now that he mentioned it, I finally remembered why Harry's face had seemed so familiar. He and his entire family had starred in a bunch of Christmas specials a few years ago. In 21st-century terms, he was what people would call a nepo baby.
Kevin turned to me. "Which film did you shoot before this one?"
I shook my head. "It's a terrible film that nobody should ever watch. I don't even know why I did it. Honestly, I'll be happy if it bombed quietly so no one ever finds out I was in it."
Both Harry and Kevin laughed.
"That bad, huh? Well, this one's not exactly going to be a masterpiece either," Kevin said. "You have a knack for choosing lesser quality films, don't you?"
"I have a knack for getting roles, at least," I shot back. "I didn't even want to be an actor in the first place. I was modeling for an agency in New York when a casting director liked my photos. I only took the role because the pay was good."
"And this one?" Harry asked. "Surely you weren't tempted by the minimum SAG wage they're giving us."
I sighed and looked out toward the woods. "After finishing that first film, I realized I was missing something." I took a drag from my cigarette, turned to Kevin, and added, "So yeah, I get what you were saying earlier, about being on a set away from home. It's addictive. That's why I auditioned for this one."
Both of them smiled, understanding.
We finished our cigarettes in silence before heading back to camp, more specifically, to the dining area. It was a wide, open space with rows of long wooden tables laid out for the entire cast and crew.
Among the mostly male-dominated crowd, three girls stood out instantly. One had her back to us, while the other two faced forward, deep in conversation. None of them noticed us approaching.
Kevin walked straight to their table and slid in beside the girl with her back to us. "Hey, gals, have you met our hero yet?" he asked, grinning. "Meet Noah Hunter. He hunts girls' panties at night, so be careful where you hide yours."
I couldn't stop the surprised snort that escaped me. "At least no one would mistake me for a dead pig, Bacon," I shot back, taking a seat on the other side of the girl.
"Ha! That's the best you've got, Hunter?"
Harry had quietly taken the seat across from me, leaving Kevin and me to our banter. I decided to focus on the girls instead.
"As this asshole has already introduced me—"
"Hey!" Kevin protested.
"—I'm Noah Hunter. I'm playing Jack in the movie."
The girls quickly followed with their introductions. Adrienne, Jeannine, and Laurie, playing Alice, Marcie, and Brenda, respectively.
Adrienne could be considered the lead, since her character had the most screen time and survived till the end. Laurie's role had a mid-length arc; she was the one who died in the bathroom scene. And the first victim was the most beautiful of the three, the one sitting right beside me. Jeannine.
One thing I quickly noticed was that all five of my cast mates, both the boys and the girls, looked like ordinary people you might pass on the street and forget moments later. None of them stood out in any striking way. Not even Jeannine. Yet, somehow, there was something about her, an effortless spark, that quietly pulled your attention toward her.
"By the way, ladies," Kevin spoke up again, leaning back casually in his chair, "Noah here is pretty much a method actor. He likes to practice his scenes for real. So whatever happens in the story, he'll do it in real life too."
"Kevin," I warned, narrowing my eyes, "I will have your bacon and fry it so much that even your mom won't recognize you."
He waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Bacon jokes don't bother me anymore. But it'll be fun watching you roll around naked with these three lovely ladies."
Before I could come up with something nastier to throw back at him, Jeannine leaned closer.
"I wouldn't mind," she said in a soft, teasing tone.
I blinked. "You wouldn't mind what?"
She leaned even closer, close enough that I could feel her breath against my ear. "Rolling around naked with you. Off-set. Just the two of us. What do you say?"
Was this girl serious? We had met barely five minutes ago, and she was already acting this boldly? My mind flooded with questions before I could form a single word. Should I say yes? Should I laugh it off? Would she be offended if I refused?
Before I could decide, she burst into laughter. "I'm kidding, silly. I have a boyfriend." She paused, then added with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Or maybe I'm only saying that so you don't get any ideas. You'll never know."
I exhaled sharply, unsure if it was from relief or disappointment. I wasn't fond of teases like her, so I decided to have a little fun of my own. Two could play that game.
"For what it's worth," I whispered back just as confidently, "I'd love to do it too. I've got a girlfriend, but she wouldn't mind you joining us. Maybe your boyfriend can come along, and we'll make it a nice foursome."
Her jaw dropped so wide you could have fit a whole fist inside if you tried.
"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Adrienne asked curiously, glancing between us. "It's bad manners to whisper while sitting with a group."
"My bad," I said quickly, pointing toward Jeannine's bun. "I was just telling Jean here that she should let her hair down. She'd look really cute that way."
"I know!" Adrienne agreed enthusiastically. "I told her the same thing earlier today. See, even Noah agrees with me."
Jeannine gave me an unreadable look, a mix of intrigue and playful irritation, before turning back to the others.
As I sat there, watching them talk and laugh, I realized Kevin had been right. I was going to love my time here at the camp, shooting Friday the 13th.
(Break)
Jeannine Taylor, or as she preferred to be called, Jean, woke up earlier than usual that morning. Normally, she liked to sleep in to preserve what she called her "beauty sleep," but today was different. It was the first day of filming, and though she didn't have any scenes scheduled, the excitement and nerves kept her wide awake. This was her first movie, after all, and she was eager to see how it all worked behind the camera.
Stage plays, which she had done plenty of, revolved almost entirely around the writer's vision. But films, as her agent often reminded her, were a director's world. The writer's influence ended with the script.
The cabin was still and quiet. Kevin and Harry were snoring softly, one of them murmuring something incoherent in his sleep. The girls in the other bunks hadn't stirred either. Jean's gaze drifted upward toward the top bunk, where Noah lay. He hadn't moved an inch.
Her heart gave a small flutter at the thought of him. Noah Hunter. The boy who had completely thrown her off her game last night. That almost never happened. At 25, Jean was used to making younger men blush with her confidence and wit, not the other way around. Noah was only 18, practically a kid, but there was something about him that unsettled her.
Sure, he was strikingly handsome, perhaps one of the most attractive and effortlessly sensual boys she had ever met, but that wasn't what bothered her. It was the way he carried himself. The way he spoke. So assured, so unfiltered, so…him.
The worst part was that, if he had been serious, she wasn't entirely sure she would have said no. There was something magnetic about him that had held her attention all through dinner and even afterward.
Trying to shake the thought away, Jean slipped quietly from her bunk and began getting ready. She dressed in a simple shirt and jeans, pulled her hair into a loose ponytail, and stepped outside. The morning air smelled crisp and earthy, the kind of scent that lingered after dawn mist began to fade.
She had assumed she'd be the first one up, but to her surprise, the entire crew was already bustling around the set. Cables snaked across the ground, light stands were being adjusted, and people shouted friendly instructions across the clearing.
Jean turned to the nearest crew member, a man adjusting a reflector panel. "Is it normal for everyone to start this early?" she asked, genuinely surprised.
"Yup," he replied with a nod, still focused on his work. "Most good directors like to start early and wrap early too. Unless it's a night shoot."
"Got it. Thanks," she said with a polite smile.
Since she wanted to understand how things worked on a movie set, her next goal was to find Sean and observe how he managed the production. But before she could, her eyes caught someone unexpected across the clearing.
Noah.
He was very much awake. Not just awake, but already in motion, confidently giving pointers to a lighting technician.
"You're doing a great job, Derek," Noah said, his tone firm but friendly. "That's exactly what Sean wants."
"Thanks, Noah," the man replied gratefully, clearly pleased to have his work noticed.
Having said his piece, Noah moved on to the boom operator.
"Can you see that spot over there, by the red gas pump? That's where you need to be. Sorry, I didn't catch your name," Noah said, pointing toward the far end of the set, where a faded red pump stood beside an old service shed.
"Flynn," the man replied, adjusting the cap on his head.
"Yeah, Flynn. Any questions?"
Flynn shook his head, and Noah smiled. "Great. Come to me if you need anything from Sean. I'll be acting as his assistant whenever I'm not in front of the camera."
"I'll keep that in mind," Flynn said with a quick nod before hurrying off to his post.
Noah turned to the next crew member. He seemed to know exactly what needed to be done and who should be doing it. Jean watched in quiet fascination, completely absorbed by the way he moved from person to person with effortless authority.
"Amazing, isn't it?"
Jean turned toward the voice and found Sean Cunningham, the director, standing beside her with his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. He had a faint smile on his face as he followed her gaze toward Noah.
"When that boy asked to be my assistant, I thought he just wanted to shadow me," Sean said. "But look at him now, he's taking initiative and running things like he's been doing this for years."
Jean frowned slightly, her curiosity getting the better of her. "You don't mind that he's giving instructions to your crew?"
"Those are my instructions," Sean explained easily. "I make a detailed plan every night before we start shooting, outlining who needs to be where and what their job is. Noah found that list this morning and asked if he could handle the delegating. I told him to go ahead."
Jean raised an eyebrow. "But why would he do that? What's in it for him?"
"Experience," Sean said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "If you want to be successful, you have to learn as many skills as you can. You never know what you'll be good at until you try. Acting, directing, writing, whatever it is. If one thing doesn't work out, move on to the next. Even your backup plan should have a backup."
Then he gave her a brief, assessing look and added with a crooked grin, "Or you could just marry a rich man. You're young and pretty enough to catch someone's eye."
Jean's jaw tightened at the comment. Anger flickered inside her, but she swallowed it down. He was the director, after all, and it would be foolish to start off on the wrong foot.
Sean seemed oblivious to her discomfort. "So, why are you up so early when everyone else is still asleep?"
"I wanted to see how things work before I start shooting my scenes," she replied, keeping her tone polite.
Sean nodded approvingly. "Good. In that case, make yourself useful. Go over to Noah and ask him to assign you something. It'll be a good learning experience."
Jean hesitated for a moment, then forced a small smile and nodded. "Alright."
As she walked toward Noah, she couldn't help but notice how composed and confident he looked, moving between the crew with ease. He was wearing a fitted black T-shirt with a deep V-neck, paired with faded jean shorts. The shirt hugged his chest and arms in a way that made it hard not to notice the definition beneath. His biceps flexed with every motion, veins visible under smooth, tanned skin. Even his calves looked sculpted and strong.
"Hey, Jean!" Noah's voice broke through her thoughts. "What are you doing here?"
"Sean told me you'd help me find something productive to do," she replied, suppressing her internal thoughts.
Noah snorted. "That cheap bastard hired you as an unpaid intern too?"
Jean didn't respond verbally, just nodded. Noah flipped through the binder he carried with quick, practiced movements.
"Well, why don't you help Gertrude over there with set decoration?" He pointed toward one of the few women present on the set, who was arranging props beside the gas station. "Just do as she says. We're short-staffed because of the small budget, so any help is appreciated."
Jean nodded and walked off. She knew this wasn't her job, but Sean's words lingered in her mind. Maybe learning more about the production side could help her if acting didn't work out.
(Break)
Sean stood near the monitor, his hands on his hips, scanning the set that was now completely ready, a full fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. All thanks to Noah.
Sean hadn't realized how serious the boy was about becoming a director until now. The way Noah managed the crew, keeping everyone moving without stepping on anyone's toes, showed rare leadership for someone his age. The crew respected him, too. Nobody seemed bothered that an 18-year-old was calling the shots. That alone told Sean a lot.
The kid's claim about working on the set of that Columbia film clearly wasn't a bluff.
Everything seemed to have fallen into its place. The crew was in their positions. The actors were out and raring to go. Now they only needed Sean as a guiding hand so that nothing went wrong. He walked over to his chair; his eyes fixed on the monitor, which showed the current location of the girl and the dog who would open the scene.
"Everything set?" he asked, not addressing anyone in particular.
"It is," Noah replied confidently. "The crew knows their roles, and Robbi's ready. She's been told about her marks and the expressions you want from her. Unless you want to tell her something yourself?"
Sean smiled faintly. "No, we're fine. Let's start right away."
He straightened in his chair, the faint hum of the camera coming to life filling the silence.
"Sound! Camera! And action!"
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AN: Read up to 40 advanced chapters on my website, or check out my other story, Dreams of Stardom.
Link: www(dot)fablefic(dot)com