Chapter 2 – Stage Fright
942 Words
“Places, everyone! Rolling in five!"
The studio bustled with activity. Crystal adjusted her collar as makeup artists darted around her like bees.
“You look calm," whispered Marla, the production assistant. “Are you always this chill before a scene?"
Crystal smiled faintly. “You get used to masks."
“God, I'd be puking. Claudia Harper's your scene partner today."
Crystal's eyes met hers in the mirror. “So I've heard."
From across the set, Claudia entered—late, as always—wrapped in diamonds and entitlement. Her heels clicked a warning on the polished floor. Conversations dimmed.
The director called out, “Ladies! We're starting with scene fourteen. Big confrontation. Claudia, you ready?"
“I—" Claudia froze.
Crystal turned toward her, calm and poised. “Hello, sister."
Claudia staggered back, her mouth opening and closing. “You're dead," she hissed under her breath.
The camera crew watched, mesmerized.
“I'm right here," Crystal said evenly. “Let's get our lines right, hmm?"
The director clapped his hands. “Perfect! That tension? Electrifying. Keep it rolling!"
“No, wait—" Claudia protested.
But the clapperboard snapped shut.
“Scene 14. Take one. Action!"
Crystal stepped forward. “I don't need your charity. You've taken enough from me already."
Claudia blinked, visibly shaking. “Y-you can't just show up like this."
“I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be," Crystal delivered the line with surgical precision, gaze drilling into Claudia's soul.
Claudia missed her cue.
“Cut!"
The director sighed. “Claudia, you good?"
“I need a break," Claudia muttered, rushing off-set.
“Ten-minute reset," someone called.
Marla leaned toward Crystal. “Did she just—freak out?"
“Stage fright," Crystal said. “It happens when you see ghosts."
---
Inside her trailer, Claudia locked the door and ripped off her heels.
Her phone rang. Jack's name lit up the screen.
“Where the hell have you been?" she snapped.
Silence.
“She's alive, Jack! Crystal. On set. In my scene."
“I know," Jack said quietly.
“You knew and didn't warn me?!"
“I didn't know she'd be on the show. I—I saw the news just now."
Claudia paced furiously. “She's going to destroy us. You said she drowned."
“I thought she did."
“She's not backing off."
“Then maybe it's time we confess," Jack whispered.
Claudia stopped cold. “What did you say?"
“I said maybe—"
“No. No, Jack. You don't get to feel guilty now." Claudia's voice trembled. “You're marrying me. We're past all that."
“She looked at me like she already knew everything," Jack said.
“Then make sure she disappears. Again."
---
Meanwhile, Crystal sat calmly under a shade umbrella, sipping iced tea as the makeup team retouched her lipstick.
The showrunner walked by, impressed. “I don't know what kind of training you've had, Crystal, but that stare—you nailed it."
“Thanks," she said, brushing crumbs from Nick's drawing on her lap. He had sketched her as a superhero. *CRYSTAL JUSTICE*, it read.
“Think you can handle live promo next week? Interviews, a magazine shoot?"
Crystal smiled. “I'll be ready."
“Great. The audience is going to love you."
---
That afternoon, gossip sites exploded:
> **“Crystal Quinn Resurfaces! Lead Role in 'Orphan Hearts' Sends Shockwaves"**
> **“Is Claudia Harper's New Rival a Ghost?"**
> **“Dead Star Returns—Better Than Ever?"**
Crystal's phone buzzed with texts from curious producers, half-forgotten acquaintances, and one message she lingered on:
**UNKNOWN NUMBER: Enjoying the stage? The curtain hasn't dropped yet.**
She deleted it. Again.
---
By late afternoon, Claudia emerged from her trailer, eyes hidden behind dark lenses.
She strutted across set, back straight—but tension clung to her like static.
Crystal met her halfway.
“Back so soon?" she asked lightly.
Claudia hissed, “What do you want?"
“To finish our scene," Crystal said, eyes glinting. “And maybe rewrite the ending."
“You think you're clever?"
“I think I'm patient."
“You should've stayed dead."
“I thought about it," Crystal said, voice dropping low. “But then I remembered who shoved me overboard."
Claudia flinched. “You can't prove anything."
“Not yet," Crystal replied. “But keep watching the headlines."
---
The rest of the crew watched from a distance. Whispers spread like wildfire:
“Did you hear what she said to Claudia?"
“Claudia's shaking."
“Crystal's a freaking assassin in heels."
“She's playing the role of her life."
“She's not acting."
---
That night, in the editing bay, the director replayed the confrontation scene again and again.
“Print it," he said finally. “This episode's going viral."
---
In her hotel room, Crystal laid Nick to bed and turned on the TV.
A late-night host opened with a monologue:
> “Looks like Halcyon's hottest soap just got real. Actress Crystal Quinn—presumed dead for five years—is not only alive but starring opposite her former stepsister-s***h-rumored rival Claudia Harper. Someone grab popcorn, because this isn't just drama. This is war."
Crystal muted the TV, lit a candle by the window, and pulled out her journal.
Tonight's entry was short:
> *The first pawn has moved. Claudia's cracks are showing. Jack's silence tells me everything. Phase One is complete. The city's watching. Let them. The next scene belongs to me.*
> – C.Q.
She closed the book, kissed Nick's forehead, and whispered into the dark:
“Lights up, Halcyon. Let's see how well you remember your ghosts."
- Writer
