Project X

It was dawn. In a small café on the corner of a quiet street, two young girls in their early twenties sat across from each other at the coffee table. Sheila studied the photo on each of the pages in a black binder labeled "Project X". She flipped through the pages elegantly while leaning back on a black velvet chair. Her black outfit made her blend in with the chair. There were only three other customers in the café, including her friend Clara, and an old couple. Outside, the sun had hidden behind the clouds for a week, and the mild wind was tugging at the fragile maple leaves dangling on its branches. Clara: It’s almost time, let’s go. Sheila: Nods. Clara: You wanna drive? Sheila: No. Gets up from the chair and glances at Clara. Clara: Looks over at a cold cup of latte. You didn’t touch your drink; aren’t you gonna drink it? Sheila: No. Walks out the door. The girls swiftly hopped into a silver Hummer and made their way to an old building 45 minutes away from the coffee shop. Clara skillfully pulled into a parking spot and lifted the hand brakes. Both of them got out of the car and stared at the 50-year-old building that appeared more like a giant shopping mall than the old site of Star Entertainment. In a brightly lit hall, a group of students dressed in suits and cocktail dresses were mingling with each other. Keith: Hey guys! Looking good today! Greg: Yo, I’m in your group, you know that? Kieth: Really!? Awesome! What about you, Nell? Nell: I’m with Jean and Peter; the others are from other schools. Kieth: And Dan? Danny: I don’t know anyone in my group, but I heard that my mentor is really nice. Greg: Oh, I think her name’s Claira. Lucky YOU! Kieth and I are stuck with the ice queen. Nell: Woah, THE ICE QUEEN!? Isn't that good though? She's pretty famous now, which means your team won't have to worry about funding for sure! Greg: Ya, but I heard she's really tough to work with. Jean: Walks over. Oh ya, two years ago, her group swept most of the awards in the competition, but she didn’t show up at the celebration party afterwards. Nell: It's not just the competition. I heard that she never smiles unless the camera is rolling. Keith: So, what’s with this ice queen? Is she… The wooden double doors flung open and nine formally dressed men and women began to enter the hall. Clara entered the room first with a bright smile. Clara: Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you all! How's everyone? Victor: Everyone, please have a seat. We will begin the meet and greet ceremony shortly. As the mentors made their way towards the stage, the students obediently returned to their seats. Vara: Whispered to Victor. He’s still not picking up. I can't reach him. Victor nodded and continued walking on stage. Deep down, he prayed that this person wouldn’t show up. He turned to face a group of new faces. Victor: Good evening, my name is Victor; I am one of the mentors for the national high school movie competition. First I would like to congratulate you all on being selected to attend this program. All of you come from schools all across the country to compete in different groups. Previously, five groups would compete against each other. This year, Star Entertainment will once again lend out this location for you to do the training and filming. However, there are ten groups competing, which means this year will be more competitive than ever. This year's program has been named "Project X". I will now introduce you to the remaining mentors. This is Vara, the mentor for group one. Beside her is Clara… During Victor's speech, a young man wearing a sweater and jeans pulled his luggage out of the taxi and turned towards the entrance of Star Entertainment. After fixing his hair, he casually walked towards the ballroom. Victor: And this is Sheila, who I'm sure you are all familiar with. She will be the mentor for group nine. Unfortunately, the tenth mentor did not show up today, therefore… Charles: Sorry I’m late! Just got off the plane, tried to get here as soon as I could, didn’t miss the party, did I? Victor: No. You didn’t. Charles: Hey Vara, Clara, Ben, Tony, Joe, Lesley, Mel. How’s everyone? Victor: Ahem. This is our mentor for group ten, Charles. You are now free to grab some food and introduce yourselves to your mentors and team members. Thank you. The students began to rise and gathered with their group members. The mentors were also enjoying themselves, sharing their stories and catching up with each other, except for Sheila, who had secretly positioned herself by the window, staring into the distance, lost in thought. At that moment, Victor wished he could make Charles disappear, because he could not bare to look at the pain in Sheila’s eyes.