Ray of Light

❊ Chapter four: Auditions ❊

January 8th 2017

Ray

Okay, I cannot believe I just met the friking Scarlett Johansson! My spirits were lifted as I walked quickly back to my house. I couldn't quite believe it, and she'd even helped me find a job! Well, potentially find a job. My high spirits sunk as I saw my mom waiting in the doorway, an irritated look on her face.

"You were longer than I told you that you could be!" she started.

"Mom, I have the opportunity to get a really well-paid job," I cut her off.

She looked confused.

"Go ahead."

"So, you know Marvel, right?"

She nodded slowly.

"Well, there's a part that hasn't been taken yet, and the audition is next Sunday, 10am," I explained. "If I get it, I'll be able to pay all my rent."

"Go tell your dad," she told me, turning and walking inside.

I cringed internally at the word 'dad'. That man wasn't my father, he wasn't anything close to a dad to me. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, before walking into the living room where my stepfather was sat on the sofa drinking beer and smoking a cigarette.

"Uhm, David?" I asked anxiously.

"What do you want?" he sighed.

"I'm auditioning for a well paying role on Sunday."

He looked at me with confusion.

"It's Sunday today you idiot."

"Next Sunday," I corrected myself.

"Okay and?"

"And if I get it I'll be able to pay you."

My stepdad thought for a moment, then asked, "I'll get all my money?"

I nodded.

"Use your words!"

"Y-yes."

"Good," he replied, taking a long smoke.

I coughed slightly at the smoke, then disappeared up to my bedroom, closing the door behind me.

~~~1 week later~~~

I walked into the studio nervously, rubbing the palm of my hand. There were lots of noises around me - people talking, the sound of equipment. Nothing I wasn't used to, but I wasn't used to there being so much of the noise. As usual, I was there with just my friend, Zila.

"You got this," she assured me, sitting down to wait for me.

I waited to be called, then I followed the casting director into a room.

"You're Ray Hopkins, right?" the woman with blond curly hair asked.

I nodded, then she smiled as she introduced herself as Sarah Finn. She passed me the script then asked, "Do you need anything to help you read or perform the scene?"

I looked down at the script. The words were muddled up and were jumping around on the page like usual.

"Uh, no thankyou," I lied.

I knew this wasn't normal, but I didn't know what it was either. If I tried hard enough, I could make out the words and read them.

"Alright, this isn't your first time auditioning, is it?" Sarah asked.

"No but I've never done an audition for a role this big," I replied.

With a reasurring smile, Sarah said, "Just relax and do your best to put yourself into the shoes of the character."

I nodded and took a breath to calm myself down. Ray, you need this job. I began.

~~~✸~~~

Scarlett

I was on set when I saw a familiar figure emerge from the audition room. It was Ray. She looked quite nervous and hopeful, and I assumed she'd finished auditioning. I was about to go over when I saw another girl Ray's own age go over. I couldn't hear their conversation from where I was, but I could see that the other girl was excitedly talking to Ray, whilst Ray was smiling anxiously.

"Is that her?" I heard a voice beside me ask.

I turned my head to see Chris Evans beside me, holding his script in his hand.

"Yeah, that's Ray," I replied.

"She looks incredibly nervous," Chris commented.

"Exactly," I replied. "Way too nervous."

"You think there might be something wrong?" Chris asked.

"When I met her in that coffee shop, she had a black eye, and when I asked her why she needed money so badly she needed to steal, she just shut me down," I replied. "The barista seemed to know her quite well and said she didn't really get fed well at home."

"What if she's being neglected or abused?" Chris suggested. "And she gets jobs to get money to pay somebody?"

Ray hadn't noticed me and she and her friend had gone outside.

"Who would she be paying though?" I wondered. "She must only be 14 or 15."

Chris sighed and shook his head slowly. Placing his hand on my shoulder, he said, "If anybody's gonna find out why, it's you Scarlett."

I smiled slightly at my best friend's compliment.

"But if she doesn't get the role and you don't see her again, I wouldn't suggest digging into it," he warned.

"Why not?" I asked, turning to him.

"You're little more than a stranger to Ray. I know you care, I really do, but that isn't your business."

Chris left me alone and I sighed. He was right. I barely knew her. But I wanted to help her, find out what was wrong.