Behind the Scenes

Chapter 11

KATE

I could see everything clearly in my mind, every feature on their faces, every movement of their bodies and every emotion rippling through them. The room was crystal clear as if I had been standing it in for hours, every detail on the edges, waiting for my attention. My fingers flew across the keyboard, the words pouring forth with ease as I recorded it all.

It was a powerful feeling, writing. To some, I'm sure it seemed easy. It was just putting words onto a page, right? They didn't understand the complexity of developing characters from nothing; their physical features, their personalities, and everything in between right down to the smallest nervous tick that made them who they were. It was all those features that brought them to life, made readers fall in love, root for them, and give a shit if they lived or died, even when they were never real to begin with.

I hadn't had this much focus in weeks, and now that I had it, I wasn't going to let it go easily. Locked within the small, quiet room that had been provided for me to write, I found my refuge against the endless bustle of set life, and escaped into a whole other world. A world that was my own to create, to shape and to destroy if I wished.

We were well into filming, the vision of what had once been trapped inside my head now coming to life before my eyes on a daily basis. It was an incredible experience to witness, and humbling to know that I was a part of something this amazing. It was no longer just me and my computer, hiding in my bedroom, taking my imaginary friends and telling their stories through they keyboard. It was now about to be something entirely other; something real, that others could see as if taking a ride through my mind.

The idea was thrilling and terrifying.

Watching it all unfold was inspiring to me. That was probably why over the last week, the voices in my mind began to speak to me again. A twisted form of schizophrenia, where characters were already there all along, waiting for you to show them to the world. Sometimes they were silent, and other times I couldn't even focus on anything else, because everything made me think of them. That was how it had been for days now, until I finally locked myself away and began to write.

I had already got the first round of edits back from my agent on my latest book, mulling them over. There was a lot of things I needed to change, and at the time I had no idea what direction to take. Now, the road blocks were lifted, and I was clear.

A knock at the door broke me from my mind, the images dissipating like mist in the wind. I groaned lightly, hanging my head, before turning towards the sound.

"Come in."

Stephanie appeared at the door, peaking her head in nervously. "Hey, Kate. I'm sorry to interrupt."

I smiled, shaking my head. "No worries," I lied. "What's up?"

Pushing the door open wider, Stephanie stepped inside the room, followed by three unfamiliar faces. Each of them held a notebook in hand, a guest pass hanging around their necks. They looked around my bland, undecorated white walled room with keen interest, before finally to me.

"I'm not sure if anyone told you, but we have some reporters from the media coming through to tour the set today," Stephanie explained, gesturing to the people beside her. "They were hoping to chat with you for a bit."

I glanced to them again, feeling a flutter of nerves in my stomach as they looked at me with anticipation. I had done a few interviews since the book was released, and more since the announcement of Netflix interest in producing the series, but for some reason I couldn't help but feel anxious. I was never overly confident, and always had a tendency to say something that was probably better left unsaid. The last thing I wanted to do was do that with members of the press in tow.