The atmosphere felt tense and the wind from the windows chilled the apartment. The windows rattled, momentarily distracting Deloise from her mother's gaze.
It didn't take long before their eyes reconnected, each trying to read the other's motive. Deciding to take the softer approach, Deloise finally spoke. " What is this, Mom?"
" Pick it up and open it dear," Esther replied tenderly, holding her breath as she watched Deloise pick up the envelope and take out the enclosed paperwork.
Deloise paled at the contents of the documents. As she continued, her expression grew worse. She vehemently shook her head, showing her stance on the situation.
" I can't, you know that." She opposed, " why would you–"
" NO. I don't want to hear whatever it is you are feeling, my stance on this matter is that you are going." She stated, upset at her daughter's refusal to see reason.
" How could you apply for me? I never consented to pursue admission to the States school of law! "
" Now you listen to me, I am your mother and I know what's best for you." She stood up, " and I am going to do right by you. Whether you like it or not! I have given you enough time with that rubbish you do, but now it's time to get serious with your life, "
" But- "
" No buts! " Esther threw a powerful hit on the table, and her daughter flinched at the sheer power and rage behind it. " You are going and that's final! " She bellowed, determined to see her daughter bend to her will.
Deloise couldn't accept her fate without a fight, and that fact strengthened her resolve not to go through with her mother's will. Her decision solidified by her mother's act of securing admission to the school of law without her consent.
" No." Her tone caught Esther by surprise.
" Didn't you hear me? You don't have a choice in this. I've paid for everything and you resume this weekend."
" I won't."
" Don't push me to the wall, Deloise." Esther spoke in a warning. " for both our sakes."
Deloise erupted at the words of her mother, tired of her prodding into her life without consent. It all ends today.
" Don't even think about blackmailing me." She hissed, " Just once, try to listen and understand me! Is that too hard to do? Why are you ruining tonight?!" Hurt reeked from her voice.
" If my ruining tonight will stop you from ruining your life, then so be it!" Esther screamed, her veins pulsed in anger.
" I am not ruining my life, but even if I am, that's my choice to make. You can't take that from me, Ihave a right to decide what I want to do with my life! "
" I can and I will. To stop you from ruining you." Deloise didn't expect her calm tone, unknown to her, Esther had other plans, she had just the right weapon. " It's me or your acting." Esther muttered, and Deloise froze in shock.
" You know I can't do that, what are you trying to achieve with this?" She inquired, baffled at how low her mother was willing to go in order to have her way.
" I'm done here. Good night." Esther said, ending the conversation and leaving her daughter with a choice.
*****
ANNA'S HOME.
Deloise sat on Anna's bed. Heaps of clothes were strewn carelessly on the bed and boxes laid open and half packed around the bedroom. As a result, the room posed hard to navigate without hitting something on the way.
" Are you going to tell me what is going on or are you just going to sit there sulking?" Anna inquired sassily, her patience almost running out at the sheer attitude of her friendew .
Deloise relaxedrefusing to r, seeking unwilling to respond and unbothered. while la Only thing was that she was. E Her fingers interlocked behind her head and her eyes remained closed. She thought about just how her life refused to cooperate with her these past few days.
She knew her friend was probably getting the shorter end of the stick from her stubborn behavior and refusal to tell her what m was going on, but she couldn't be bothered about it.
For the past three days, they hadn't said a word to each other- both mother and daughter. The air in her house grew strained, uncomfortable, and almost impossible to breathe in especially when they were in each other's presence.
Throughout this period, she became a daily uninvited guest at Anna's home. She couldn't be in the same space with her mother- who decided to stay home and work ever since the night of their argument.
Of course, she still had the envelope with her since the night of her mother's birthday- the night everything went wrong.
That night, she remembered feeling nothing when she was left alone with a choice to make between her dream and her mother. How does one choose between their family and their dream and why on earth was anyone being subjected to such a difficult, and almost inhumane decision?
She couldn't resist thinking along the lines of just what kind of mother would put her daughter- who she claimed to love- in such a difficult position. Deloise didn't want to think, she had an inkling that if she continued with such a line of thought, she might make a mistake.
And one she couldn't return from.
She couldn't for the life of her explain how she felt at that point, so she decided to go the easy way out - She became someone else for the night.
Submerging her emotions into the soul of some fictional character, that night, Deloise lost herself in her passion, repeatedly shooting a particular scene over and over again.
Her countenance portrayed that of the said character, her disposition, emotions and goal for the night uniting with that of the scripted character she religiously performed till her spirit, soul, and body were fatigued.
Deloise acted with her very best and gave her craft everything. That night, she attained a level of perfection in the said role. Afterwards, she numbly put together the video, unable to ignore the sharp contrast between the video and her reality.
She sent an email of the clip as an audition video, giving her dreams a final and realistic shot. After that, she dropped to bed, succumbing to a dreamless sleep.
******
" Today, two things are bound to happen," Anna spoke firmly, her hands on her waist. " It's either you tell me what's going on or you tell me what's going on." She said to Deloise- who groaned in return.
" Don't even think about playing moody with me or you are going to have to leave." She threatened. " I refuse to spend my last days with a moody person who has refused to speak to her alleged best friend on whatever the problem is."
By the look on Anna's face, Deloise realized that she may have pushed it with Ann and almost spoke up. She made to speak but the memory of that miserable night came rushing back, effectively shunning her to silence.
Anna noticed her internal conflict, but refused to back off. She couldn't let her go back into the slimy shell she's been in for days. " No, you're not doing that, not today. Speak." She urged firmly, while silence engulfed the room.
The silence got broken by the incessant sobs of Deloise. Witnessing her best friend in a state of immense pain, Anna's facade crashed, and she immediately rushed to her comfort.
Deloise wept. The pain she had bottled up for days came pouring down, and her body shook. The veins in her forehead were visible, her eyes reddened and her skin burned. For twenty minutes, Anna focused solely on her friend, slowly rubbing her back in comfort without speaking.
She knew from experience that her speaking would only cause more tears to flow and Deloise usually got sick after crying - It was her nature. She desperately prayed she would fall asleep for the night, to avoid gaining a migraine, fever, or cold.
Soon enough, her tears reduced to inconsistent sobs and inevitable sleep, after which Anna moved Deloise away, careful not to wake her up.
*****
Esther was busy at her work table while the home phone rang nonstop. She felt animosity as she was not quite in the mood to talk to anyone.
The home phone ringing reminded her of a certain someone who used to call her house phone back in the day. She knew she was being paranoid not wanting to pick it up but she couldn't help it.
Back then, it used to be a secret between herself and him. It used to bring flutters in her stomach when she heard it ring, regardless whether it was someone other than him. At the time, just hearing it ring brought her immense joy and pleasure.
Right now, it brought back the pain.
The continuous ringing of the phone ultimately brought her anger, and she couldn't understand why she kept punishing herself for someone else's mistakes! The uncomfortable sting in her heart drove her to the brink of rage.
" Why am I putting myself through this?" She thought bitterly, scrunching her face.
For the fact that she left the phone functional- as a weird way of keeping touch with her past- made her feel pathetic.
Fed up by the ringing of the home phone, she quickly washed her hands, and moved into the sitting room, striding purposefully towards the phone placed on the center table.
Without checking the caller, she picked up, unconsciously holding her breath till she heard a familiar voice.
" Hello ma, it's Anna speaking." She introduced, and Esther to let out a breath of relief.
" O-oh Anna, h-how are you doing?" She stuttered, then wrecked her brain on the reason for her call. Deloise was over there so it couldn't have been for her daughter.
" I'm alright, ma. I just wanted to inform you that Deloise would be staying over at my place today. If that's alright with you."
Esther lost her sense of taste, and her mood turned poor. For a brief moment, she considered forcing Deloise back home but decided against it.
" Alright, you both have a great night, say hi to your mother on my behalf." She concluded bitterly and dropped the phone, fighting back tears.
Her daughter never slept out since she was born. Their relationship was one that they loved and depended on each other, but now, Esther wondered if she might have pushed things too far; if she had lost her daughter for good, If she had pushed her into picking wrongly.
The thought of losing her daughter and their already strained relationship caused fresh waves of tears to flow out of her eyes. She never would have thought that a day would come when the relationship with her daughter would be so strained that she preferred to sleep outside.
Deloise had cultivated the habit and nature of not sleeping out or staying out later than eight because she always wanted to be with her. What changed? Esther looked over her workstation and the zeal to do anything left her body.
As a result, she slowly headed towards her room. The windows shuddered, ushering a cool breeze into the house and leaving a string of goosebumps on her skin.
She quickly walked to the window, shut it, and slipped underneath her bed. She Desperately waited for fatigue to catch up with her, and provide an escape from the horrible gripping of her heart.
****
Deloise stirred awake, and the consciousness of her environment came into her memory. Her eyes got wide in milliseconds and she jolted up at the realization that she didn't go home.
At that moment, she felt shittier than she did in the afternoon when she cried her heart out. Now, she left her single mother and family alone out of sheer selfishness!
She didn't even have the decency to inform her before carrying out such a selfish act. At that moment, she got caught up in her head, judging herself, that she didn't realize Anna was wide awake and watching her episode with keen eyes.
" There's still time, I better leave." Deloise muttered, and scanned around for her belongings, not bothering to check the time.
" Calm your tits down, it's late." Anna finally spoke up, her voice deeper than usual.
" I'm sorry I woke you up, I'm just going to pick up some of my things and head home before it's too late."
" Calm down, it's past two and pretty late if you ask me," she said, glancing at the wall clock hanging by the left side of the room which forced Deloise to glance at the time.
" Well, I guess I'm going to have to make a call then, just a few seconds." She resigned, then shuffled around in search of her phone.
" I already called and informed Esther the moment you slept off. So calm down." She said with patient eyes, while Deloise finally settled upon hearing her.
Deloise hands were intertwined, she bowed her head and sported an eerily calm look.
Anna pushed forward, so softly that you could barely make out the words. " Tell me, what's going on? " She inquired, and as usual, was met with silence.
" Let me help you, Dee. " She professed patiently. Staring at Deloise, who finally let a tear roll down her face. Exposing her willingness to share her inner turmoil.
****
Royal Arts Academy.
It's a resumption day, and senior students of the academy trooped into the school compound. Some were brought in by their parent(s) in vehicles while the rest were dropped off by chauffeurs.
The compound was rowdy with the majority of the people stylishly dressed and pulling on their belongings, headed towards the school's hostels and accommodations area.
Some people were caught up in conversations and situated at various sects of the school compound. The summer events remained a topic in the conversation of students.
" I heard he's as beautiful as he was when he started!"
" Not just beautiful Darlene. He is the most outstanding and talented actor in the entire state! " Another girl gushed with a swoon.
" The whole state?! He's a recognized international actor, at this point, he's a world-class top star! "
The girl group chatted excitedly on the topic that buzzed the entire school and entertainment world at large.
Amid the chaos, a luxury car drove into the school compound. The vehicle- being one that students were familiar with- caused a new wave of gossip. Seated inside the car were the top stars in the academy whose acting skills were on another level.
They were known for their ability to thoroughly portray a character's conflict and misbelief in such a way that one was unable to tell the difference between their on-screen acting and reality.
The duo were perceived geniuses when it came to the acting field, and were coming into the school compound, resuming alongside the others. With their skills, If they decided not to continue with the Royal Arts Academy and go directly into the industry, their future in the acting field seemed secured.
Not only were they top-tier geniuses in their skills and work ethics, but they also had top-tier genetics which made their skin flawless. Their body structure made proof of the existence of angels and heavenly bodies in human form!
To crown it all, the duo happened to be best of friends. Students adored and felt eager to identify with the mini fan base they ruled. They were regarded as the ruling couple of Royal Arts Academy, only that they weren't a couple much to the people's dissatisfaction.
Aaron Steele and Stella Davis were friends bound by the love of acting, who worked their way with determination to get to the top of the acting industry. Aaron Steele was the senior of the duo, as he came into the academy a year before the arrival of Stella.
With their competence, they became the only work-study students permitted in the history of Royal Arts. The school director figured it a waste of time keeping them from the world until their three-year course was over; and after a year of studying, Decided to let them audition for roles distinctively sorted out himself.
This was an attempt to give them a head-start in their career, different from their colleagues who were not up to par with their skill level. As a result, Aaron starred in various sets with supporting roles and other not-so-little roles.
Not only did he have a growing popularity, but gained momentum in the industry, which sent many talent-developing companies after him for a managerial deal. All pending his graduation from Royal Arts.
The future indeed was bright for Aaron, having snagged a main character role in a just concluded movie set he worked on during the summer break. The movie trailer was currently garnering huge anticipation.
Stella on the other hand was an acting Queen, and a gem to the Royal art academy and film industry. She was deemed a princess who would in time take over the reins from the veteran and star actresses of the moment, to rule over the entertainment and movie world.
Her exceptional beauty and fairness made her appear docile, but her skill and mastery of the dramatic art made others with even more experience and passion pale in comparison to her.
Her first movie debut was one of a mermaid princess who fell in love with a human prince and deceptively snags him from his family into her world as a prisoner of love.
Her role was one of expert deception. The contrast of a fairy, the beautiful nature of a mermaid and the deceptive, selfish, and heartless soul of one who can go to hell in pursuit of her desires. The expert display of the role shot her to the limelight as a beginner in the industry, starring alongside other big faces.
Inside the car, Aaron and Stella were both discussing their experiences with their just concluded production.
" You know the most challenging part of my plot? The moment when the character figures out that she's been in love with the male lead. Flowing from feeling pure hatred to ripping his clothes off." Stella chatted excitedly, walking Aaron through her recent experiences.
" I look forward to seeing the smut, " Aaron remarked with a smirk.
" You won't change now, will you? " She reeled at the thought of him seeing the smut scene she acted in her last project.
With how much effort she put into the scene, it was flawless, and maybe, just maybe, Aaron would finally see her as a woman. The duo got down from the car while the driver came down and got out their suitcases as perfunctory.
Oblivious to the people's stare, Aaron walked with his phone ringing. It was the school director, and he'd requested they report to his office as soon as possible.
The duo of Aaron and Stella headed straight for the Director's office, knocking on the door as soon as they arrived,
" Come in!" A voice yelled from within and the duo walked into the office.
" How are my favorite people?" Mr. Austin asked with a smile, motioning them towards the sofa in his office.
" We are good, and ready for another academic session," Stella replied on their behalf.
" That's great to hear," Mr. Austin nodded in contentment, " I'm sure you killed the roles you handled over the break." He said with a smile.
" Yes sir," they replied in unison.
" Alright, I called you in here because I have news," Mr. Austin resumed a serious outlook, " There's a new development, an instant hit, and the director of this project is in need of new faces. In simple terms, he doesn't want experienced people."
" That's weird." Stella remarked, " why would anyone want that?"
" That's where you both come in. With your skills, less amount of popularity, and real experience. You both are more than capable of getting those roles, trust me, you would become the next top star before you know what's happening." Mr. Austin delivered a convincing standpoint, " this production is an award winner, I can sense it."
The director handed over two copies of a script from his drawer. " These are both male and female lead scripts, familiarize yourself with them and come up with an audition video for application, then I'll take it up from there."
Aaron, went through the content of the script, and found the character quite fascinating. The fact that they wanted new faces irked him, he committed to building himself a strong profile in the film industry, and just wasn't interested in pursuing a role without real competition.
He needed a strong portfolio and to ascertain his ability and growth in the field, he needed to par with more experienced people. In his books, more experienced people translated to senior partners in the business, stronger competition, higher profit and visibility.
The idea of competing in an audition with people in his category or lower sprouted no iota of interest from him- regardless of the future predictions for the said production. He was ready to reject the script but decided to play nicely. Just for the sake of the director who carefully sorted out a project he believed was tailor-made for them.
" I'll do it. It seems very challenging." Stella spoke up, after a brief study of the script. " What do you think, Aaron?" She asked with a blinding smile.
" Thank you so much director, you'll hear from me
soon, " He answered.
The director could tell he wasn't thrilled about it, and encouraged in hopes that he turns up a positive answer. " Trust me in this, Aaron. Just trust me."
Aaron stood up, " Thank you, Mr Austin." He said, and they shook hands.