Like a Star, page 19
Director Wales had plans for the last rehearsal. He wanted Joe to act for a little bit with the Elite. It was Frank’s idea, of course. Joe didn’t have anything against them. Well, maybe some dislike for the ones he’d seen bullying Summer. But mostly he thought they were talented and would surely grow to become good actors, singers, and dancers.
Joe loved acting, and he was thankful to be surrounded by powerful actors capable of shining on the stage with him. But it was always difficult to unleash his full potential, especially in the beginning. When he started his career, most young actors were scared of him. It was the veteran actors who helped him, and it was thanks to Stella Clarke that he was able to channel all that energy.
A part of him believed Summer would walk the same path as him, that he needed to be for her what Stella was for him. He had seen her in class; he had gone twice in secret. Yes, he, Joe Starlex, the Young Sun, has personally taken the time to watch her growth. He was there the day she gave birth to Summer the Singer in Madame Marie’s class. He felt strange that day, he couldn’t explain it. He cared for her, that he knew, and he couldn’t be prouder of her hardworking attitude.
The girl was young, beautiful and was hiding an immense potential that very few people could understand. He saw the fearful faces of her classmates; her energy must be tamed before the storm consumed everything. And he was the one who vow to protect her.
Joe met with Gael in the morning for a coffee. Tomorrow night was the SAG awards and Gael wouldn’t be able to assist, so Joe told him to come watch the last practice.
It was marvelous.
J.K. was very satisfied. He even brought Nathan to the practice. Joe recognized him when he entered the theater. Nathan gave him a nod and he nodded back. They had never been particularly close but, just as Nathan, Joe was capable of feeling talent. And a gift as powerful as the one inherited by the Crown Prince of Starland was impossible to ignore. As a great actor he was drawn to Nathan’s director charisma, even though he had never seen him direct.
Once upon a time, Joe had the opportunity to act with Hazel Warner in an episode of a crime series. They were very young; Hazel was four years younger than Joe and she was to play his younger sister. Back then, he didn’t know how to control his presence yet. Hazel was blessed with incredible talent and skill, and she was already cultivating that carefully polished technique she now owned, but Joe was like a wild storm that no one could contain. The nine-year-old Princess of Starland was going to be overshadowed by Frank’s newcomer actor.
James tried using his power to take Joe out of the episode, but the little princess had her pride wounded and she wanted to keep fighting against his non-dimmable light. She told her father that if he changed the actor he would need to find another actress as well. Joe was really impressed, as he had witnessed their quarrel. He admired her fierce personality, such strong will inside that little body. The girl told him he needed to control his energy or else the real power in this industry wouldn’t let him continue this path. And by real power, she meant the producers. But it was okay with her, she would fight him anyway because she had a secret weapon. Her own light would never be overshadowed by anyone because her ally’s light was even brighter than his.
Joe had thought she meant her dad. But he was wrong. Her father had left the studio and the only one keeping Hazel company was another boy. Joe remembered thinking the boy was beautiful. He looked like an incarnation of the sun, with smooth, golden hair that fell gracefully around his angelic face. He had Hazel’s blue eyes, the same as James too, and all the Warners of previous generations. Before that moment, Joe hadn’t noticed his presence at all, but the moment that boy talked to Hazel something in the air changed. It was as if something gigantic awoke.
When Hazel came back, she wasn’t the same anymore. She brought with her part of the unfathomable energy of that boy. And when the assistant director shouted, “Action!” She contained the stormy energy coming from Joe and directed it to the scene as it was supposed to be. Joe would never forget that moment because it was one of his favorite memories of acting with all his might. He learned to admire Hazel Warner that day, but he knew the one who brought out her capacity to harmonize with Joe’s energy was that boy.
Nathan Warner.
When practice was over, Frank showed up to make sure his wonderful idea of having the Elite perform whatever scene they chose with the Sun got done. Frank, Lionel, and Gael were sitting together. Frank greeted Nathan with a handshake, and the Crown Prince of Starland thanked him for letting him be here.
“I wouldn’t reject a request from my good friend J.K. Wales,” said the Devil of Starland.
“Thank you anyway,” replied Nathan. “Especially because we know such a gesture would never happen at Milky Way.”
The tension in their gazes was broken by Jazz, who went immediately to hug Nathan. Jazz and Nathan were first cousins, and she was very loved by the Warners. She sat on his lap as the Elite began acting with Joe. Nathan wanted to take Jazz for lunch, but the little girl was waiting for something to happen. And after 30 minutes, when the Elite were finally done and everything seemed to have ended, J.K. turned back to the spectators.
“Does anyone else want to have this experience of a lifetime and share the stage with the Sun?”
Jazz got excited. “Told you something awesome will happen if we waited a little longer,” she told Nathan.
Frank smirked. J.K. was doing exactly what he expected him to do. Lionel and Gael were excited too. Nathan was beginning to anticipate something. He, after all, believed in the hope shining in his little cousin’s eyes.
“Dancers? Singers? It could be whatever scene you like,” said J.K. “What about the production team?” He turned to the right wing. “Is there anyone among you who wishes to share the stage with the Sun?”
J.K. was looking straight at Summer. The girl was between Suray and Carol Marie, her friends pushing her to step forward. Joe noticed that more people had gathered in the crowd. Most of the Constellations teachers were sitting behind Frank.
“What about you, young girl? What is your name?” J.K. pointed at his target. All of this was an act to lure her—there was no way he would leave this place without witnessing the secret behind that girl’s mystic light.
“Summer,” she replied.
“Do you want to be a producer?” he asked her, forgetting they were surrounded by people. It was J.K. Wales’ first time talking to her.
“No,” she said.
“Then what are you doing here?” he asked, his intentions clearer than ever.
“I want to be an actress,” she replied, no trace of doubt was found in her voice.
Joe smiled. Frank smirked.
Jazz trembled with excitement.
A chill ran down the director’s spine. He could see them. That girl’s determination in the form of a small pair of wings. They were the smallest wings he had ever seen, but they remained permanently on her back in a way he had only seen the Moon and her predecessors maintain.
He smiled. How could he not? Talent like that was so hard to find, yet so wonderful to discover.
Who is that girl? he thought. He knew he was the only one who could see her wings from where she stood, and maybe Frank too, for there weren’t any eyes in this world that could compare to the Devil’s. Not even James. But maybe… someday Nathan would surpass him.
“So,” continued the director, “are you going to take this chance?”
Summer looked at the Sun on the stage. He was shining as bright as ever, but he wasn’t giving his all. He had been suppressing himself and she felt an urge to set him free.
“Yes…” she said. She made her way to the stage until she stood face to face with the most talented artist this world had recognized.
The thrill of anticipation ran through the veins of those sensitive to talent. The director couldn’t hide his emotion anymore. Frank was trembling as well; he had been waiting for this moment all along. What a sight, he thought. He knew all the people in the theater could feel the tension, some could even see the feathers dancing around her. And once she stood in front of the Sun, in the middle of the stage and under the lights, Joe’s supernatural wings reacted to Summer’s solid little wings in an image only a few chosen eyes could appreciate entirely.
“What scene?” asked J.K.
“Scene five,” she said.
Joe smiled.
That was Dulcinea and Don Quixote’s meeting scene. The one they discussed the first time they talked and the one she had been secretly dreaming of performing with him.
Something mysterious happened when the lights shone on her. She changed. Joe was planning on taking her seriously, but not at the beginning. First, he wanted to see just how much her light could stand against his own. He didn’t expect her to be that prepared. She had mastered the script, mastered it in body and soul. She understood the essence of Dulcinea because she understood the essence of Don Quixote.
The character she had chosen to play was no stranger to her. She had dedicated time to build her. Hours every day, Joe could tell. And she had succeeded, because her Dulcinea instinctively called upon Don Quixote. She forced him to get serious with a single look from her character. And the Knight of the Lions responded to his Lady’s call. There was nothing Joe could do about it. It felt natural to lose himself on the stage with this girl.
To ordinary people, they were just looking at each other in silence. But here they were all artists, they knew they were beholding the real thing. Two legendary characters brought to life by two extraordinary human beings.
Summer wasn’t thinking about it. She lost herself in the moment. Being an actress, lending her body to another being to live a life different from her own. She couldn’t be happier. She didn’t consider how Sophia Draxl, the actress playing the role of Dulcinea, felt when she saw Joe giving his all on the first try.
Sophia was really proud of her own Dulcinea, but Summer was the perfect picture of the ideal lady. When all eyes were focused on Joe and Summer, Gael turned to look at the star. He’d known her for a while now. She had asthma and he had treated her many times. Plus, she was Joe’s first girlfriend, and that meant she was out of his league. But the doctor cared for his patient. And even though Summer’s Dulcinea looked better than hers, Sophia’s Dulcinea was Gael’s favorite.
On the other side of the theater, someone felt as if he was struck by lightning. Nathan Warner couldn’t remember the last time he felt such a calling. He wanted to get inside the play, wanted to break down the character and then reconnect it piece by piece, like a puzzle. He needed to talk to that girl. Looking at her light bonding in perfect harmony with the Sun was inspiring. A thousand ideas came to mind, ideas for stories that could only be told by this girl who had the potential of a thousand masks.
What had he been doing with his life all this time? Why hadn’t he met her before? What kind of characters could she play? Could she give life to the complex characters that dwelled in his chaotic mind? Was she the answer he was desperately seeking? A Shonny Faith of his age? A third Stella Clarke? Or was he dreaming too high?
The answer came when Dulcinea spoke and Don Quixote fell to his knees. It was sublime. Poetic. A scene of the purest form of love in an ideal world. It was impossible not to dream, the scene was an invitation to believe in love. When she sang and his voice mixed with hers and the music came alive, everyone who had the privilege to witness that moment was moved to tears.
That was the magic of theater, the magical window that transported them to a different time. The message of the play struck them hard. It inspired them and when the scene was over, they craved more.
But that was it.
Jazz stood up and clapped first. The applause made Summer recover her body, and Joe responded to the absence of Dulcinea. He looked at her in awe as everybody watching them stood up one by one in a standing ovation.
Nathan left. He felt weird. He had cried. When was the last time he cried watching someone act? Not even Shonny Faith’s Feline performance made him shed tears.
J.K. Wales looked at Frank with renewed admiration. He knew he had been manipulated by the Devil, but he didn’t care, the reward was just too big. Frank was allowing him to see Summer’s potential. That could only mean the producer wanted the world to meet his new actress in a play led by him. And just like he accepted Joe in the role of Peter Pan ten years ago, he was more than happy to accept Summer in his next play.
Frank thanked the actors and called them to sit. Joe reached out his hand to Summer, he wanted to shake her hand in thanks for the wonderful time they had. She was breathing hard; she wasn’t used to that feeling yet. She had performed by instinct. The magic came as a chain reaction to Joe’s Don Quixote. The storyteller had a special ability to dive deeply into a role. She had exceeded everything Joe expected from her. And that made him incredibly proud.
So was Lionel. So was Frank. So was Jazz.
So were her teachers.
So were Suray and Carol Marie.
But not the Elite, nor the stars. No other actor felt proud of her. They didn’t know her. They weren’t her friends. They just saw a girl with the potential to eclipse them all. They were pretty sure that the Sun would outshine this newbie, but look at her… She had that lead-character quality that made her hated and feared.
Another rival had appeared. A girl with a thousand masks.
ACT 23
Finally, the day of the SAG Awards was here!
Summer had been working all day with the production team in order to get everything better than expected. This night was of highest importance to Frank. He’d put Lionel on charge, and with his right-hand man working that hard, Summer didn’t want to get left behind. The ceremony would be in the Wondrous Theater, the biggest and classiest theater at Constellations Studios.
The red carpet was ready. Summer was dressed in black, the same as her team. The tale of yesterday’s feat was the talk of the day. People Summer had never spoken to or even seen before wanted to meet her now. Her teachers looked at her with different eyes as well. It made her a little uncomfortable; she wasn’t used to that kind of attention and she couldn’t even explain why or how she did what she did. So, she tagged close to Lionel. She felt safe next to him. And, thankfully, he was treating her the same as usual.
Suray did Summer’s makeup. She was beyond happy; it was a dream come true to have her makeup done by her best friend.
She wished Suray and Carol Marie the best of luck, hugged them and left for the red carpet. She had been promoted to Lionel’s fourth assistant, meaning she was glued to him in case he needed anything. But he was such a perfectionist that nothing escaped his predictions. Also, his three other assistants were highly qualified. Summer was smart and productive, and years working in the Carter’s winter resort had polished her event-organizing skills. But foremost she was a fast learner—an aptitude greatly appreciated by the Devil’s right-hand man.
Summer started to get conscious of her position when the actors arrived. She was beholding a real red carpet walk of stars in Starland. All actors from the most recent films to the classics, veterans and rising stars, all these talented people had gathered in the same place. Her heart was shaken when she understood the significance of where she was standing. She wanted to be one of them, to walk the same red carpet someday soon. This desire, burning ferociously inside her, was something completely new.
It brought to her face a beautiful smile.
She had irrevocably fallen in love with acting. Admiration for all the brave actors she was in the presence of inundated her heart. Neverland could be one of them. Although she wouldn’t know who he was, he would definitely recognize her.
“Summer,” called Lionel, shaking her from her thoughts. “They’re here.”
They could only mean Starland’s royalty was in the house.
James Warner, the King of Starland, got out of his limo with his family. It was her first time seeing the founding family of Starland. The Warner name became famous in the final decade of the last century, when war hero Kevin Warner I helped build the greatest theater on Broadway as a gift for his only son, James Warner I, now known as the Father of Starland and the First Sun. Four generations after him, fifth starting from Kevin, James Warner II inherited the throne of show business from his father, the legendary producer Keith Warner.
Looking at the King, Summer thought she could feel his gifted pedigree and how proud he was of his name. He was handsome, with blue eyes and manly features. A glamorous man with grace and manners, and eyes as powerful and intense as a dragon, Summer thought.
The King must’ve been around fifty, like Frank, maybe a couple years older, and still a very attractive man. Summer had heard rumors of the two of them growing up together as childhood friends. Not to mention it was a matter of fact that James Warner produced Frank Hills’ first movies.
James looked happy with his gorgeous wife, the most talented female artist in the world, walking by his side and holding his hand. The red carpet suited the Moon. Shonny Faith was the most impressive woman Summer had ever seen. Not only was she incredibly beautiful, her aura was mesmerizing. Looking at her made you think you were looking at someone special, someone blessed by the light.
It was impossible not to love her, hard not to feel attracted to her. She had a magnetic presence which Summer could only compare to the Sun. And James Warner shone like a Sun. He was the Sun Joe Starlex had overthrown. But once a Sun, always a Sun. Behind them walked the heirs. The stunning Hazel Warner, a promising young actress, hailed by the press as the best of her generation. It was Summer’s first time seeing her in person. She loved her movies and because Matt was such a big fan of hers, she grew up watching her on TV as well. In Summer’s eyes, Hazel was what you would call a real princess. And now, when she was so well dressed in a beautiful gown and elegant makeup, Summer felt as if she had been transported into a fairy tale.
