Off Camera

Playbook show

"Were you not taught how to knock?" He turned to face me, his hands reaching out to cover his pelvic region.

"Ummm…excuse me." I snapped at him. "I didn't know you were here. And besides, I knocked on the front door several times."

"Well…this isn't the front door." He snapped back. "Get the f**k out."

I grabbed the handle and slammed the door then turned around and walked back downstairs because if I stayed in that room for one more minute I was going to do something that I would definitely not enjoy.

Downstairs was louder than when I came in, more people had filtered in—some I recognized from the profile pictures on the website, while some I didn't.

I found a corner that had a good sightline to most of the room and stood there for a while, just watching. That was always the first step—you didn't walk into a new social setting and start walking around immediately. Instead, you watch, you let people show you who they are when they thought nobody was paying close attention.

Near the far wall—a girl I recognized from the website was doing the most unconvincing job of not looking at someone across the room that I had ever witnessed in my life. Her name's Sasha, if I recall correctly.

I followed her gaze.

Zarek, I also recognized him from the website. He had the kind of presence that filled space naturally and Sasha was absolutely, completely, unsuccessfully pretending she hadn't noticed it.

Oh this is easy, this is almost too easy.

I crossed the room calmly, my gaze focused on her as she kept stealing quick glances at Zarek.

"Zarek would be a good fit for you, don't you think?" I said, sliding into the space beside her smoothly enough that she didn't have time to compose her face before I'd already seen what it was doing.

Sasha turned to look across the room at him, her gaze switching to other parts of the room too to avoid him noticing that she was staring at him.

"I mean." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "He's kind of hot, you know and he's got wits. And that…that's rare among our class boys."

"Interesting that you noticed." A small smile tucked at my lips. This is going to be easier than ever. "Well…guess what."

She turned back to me, her eyes gleaming with excitement."What?"

"Zarek told me he likes you." I paused for a moment, letting that settle. "He said he wants to talk to you."

Her whole face went red, her eyes widening. "You…You're kidding right."

"I'm actually not." I answered, my tone very reassuring and convincing.

She looked back across the room at him involuntarily. He was in the middle of a conversation with two other guys, laughing at something, completely unaware that we were talking about him.

She looked back at me, her expression making it obvious that she had just been told something she'd been hoping to be told and now she had no idea how to react now that it was real.

"Okay," she said, trying to regain her composure.

"Okay, so—"

"Sit here," I said standing up from my seat. "Look your best, I'll be right back."

I crossed the room before she could have the chance to turn me down.

The show house was really loud, probably because it was the first day. Twenty four people who didn't know each other yet portraying the best version of themselves.

There were the ones who came in acting too big, too loud, the ones who were too quiet, the ones who were already observing everyone else and hoping nobody noticed they were doing it.

I noticed though.

The cameras were everywhere, little fixed ones in the corners, a handheld operator moving through the room trying to look unintrusive, which was a bold thing to attempt with a camera the size of a small child on your shoulder.

I'd observed all of them within the first twenty minutes, I knew which angles caught which parts of the room.

Kyrian was somewhere behind me, he hadn't spoken to me since we'd arrived and I didn't bother to approach him either.

We were doing an excellent job, existing in the same house without acknowledging each other and I planned to maintain that for as long as possible.

Right now though, Zarek's my main focus.

He was standing with two guys near the kitchen doorway, all of them laughing hard at only God knows what.

I walked up to them and smiled.

"Hi, Zarek."

He looked back. "Hey." He responded smoothly, still laughing.

"Can I borrow you for a second?" I asked, my eyebrows raising in a way that made it seem urgent.

He glanced at the guys—they all gave him an approving look—and shrugged. "Yeah, aight."

I pulled him just slightly to the side, far enough to keep the conversation private but close enough so as not to make it a whole thing.

"So." I kept my voice low and friendly. "Sasha said she thinks you're interesting." I paused for a moment, letting that sink in. "She's too shy to come over herself so I decided to come in her stead. Would you like to go over and talk to her."

He looked across the room at Sasha, who was sitting with her legs crossed looking pointedly at her phone and fooling absolutely no one but herself.

"Yeah…yeah," he said. "I can do that."

"Great." I stepped back, clearing the floor for him. "She's right there."

He nodded once and started moving across the room.

My work here is done.

I turned back to the room feeling, genuinely fulfilled, like a person with a purpose.

The first day wrapped gradually, not with any official ending though, just people slowly exiting the room. I stayed until I could leave without anyone noticing then I grabbed my bags and headed upstairs to my assigned quarters.

I was exhausted. The first day had been a drag. While everyone was having fun I was busy reading people, studying the camera angles, portraying the best version of myself to people I had barely even spoken a word to before all of this.

My feet dragged across the stairs until I finally got to my room.

I pushed the door open and turned on the light.

My heart stopped as I fell bottom first on the floor, my eyes widening at the figure present inside my room.

Director Vress. He was sitting in the chair at my desk like it was his chair, in his office, and I was the one who'd just walked in uninvited.

He looked up when I entered, his expression infuriatingly relaxed, like that of someone who had been waiting comfortably and was in no hurry whatsoever.

"How did you get in?" I asked, still struggling to catch my breath. I hadn't expected to see him. Hell, he was the last person I wanted to see. All I wanted to do was crash into my bed face flat till we're called for dinner, but now that plan has been ruined.

"Don't worry about that." He said it pleasantly, like it wasn't really supposed to be a big deal. "Sit down, Miss Reid."

I remained standing, a little gesture to show him that I wasn't about to buy his s**t.

"I won't waste your time," he continued, unbothered by the fact that I remained standing. "I saw today's footage."

He leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees and his gaze piercing directly into my soul. "You're good with people. We know that, it's one of the reasons why you're here.

But the cameras need to be on Kyrian, that's the story we're selling—you and him. The audience needs to believe it and right now you're not giving them that." He shifted his gaze from me for a second.

"I need a connection between the both of you, something real enough to sell, passionate enough for the audience to buy"

"We just moved in today—"

"Before the week ends," he said, not sparing me a chance to complete my statement. "I want you to kiss him."

My eyes widened like I had just been struck hard. I stared at him, my face contracting into a frown.

I almost laughed, it was forcing its way out of my throat, but I pushed it back down.

I opened my mouth in an attempt to protest, to strongly decline but Vress, having noticed that, raised one finger and moved it slowly side to side.

"Uhn uhn." He said, his voice still pleasant and levelled like he knew just how the conversation was going to end, how I was going to give in to him at the end.

"All you have to do is nod like a good girl and do what I say." He paused for a moment. "Or your tape sees the light of day.”