Didi… Didi...
Natasha looked below to see her pager ringing with a message. Checking the number, it looked to be from some unknown one. However, the message let her know who it was that called her.
Seeing Tony's message, Natasha's heart skipped a beat. She didn't know if Tony was in any trouble. It was good that she bought this pager and gave Tony the number.
Initially, when she bought the pager, she didn't think about how it can be used as a communication device between Tony and her. She bought it so that she wouldn't miss out on any audition opportunities.
It had already been one month since she came to Los Angeles. Only now did she realize how competitive this industry was. After running around for two weeks with no lead or clue, she even went to Screen Actors Guild to find any opportunity available for her.
Alas, it was not that easy to enter the circle.
She even registered herself in the guild after some serious thinking. While it was true that low-level crews might hesitate to hire a newcomer who is already a member of the guild due to cost reasons, she also realized that she didn't have much capital here to be an outlier.
While joining the guild did cost her some money, she could still afford it at the moment. The main reason she joined was that the guild would often release audition opportunities for low-budget films. Sometimes, independent directors would even post requirements in the guild.
To a newbie like her, who didn't have any foothold in the industry, these opportunities were very important. So far, all the auditions she had gone for came from the announcements on the guild notice board.
Being an outsider, it was the first time Natasha realized how closed this circle was actually. High-level and medium-level productions mostly recruited through agents. As for low-level productions, most of the opportunities were given to acquaintances and friends of friends.
Especially, the opportunities for females.
She never expected that even after one entire month she would still be stuck at the gate like this. Her counterpart had never faced such a situation. So, she was truly unprepared to deal with such a thing.
Natasha didn't even find part-time work to sustain herself. As she didn't have an agent, the problem of finding a role fell on her head as well. This made her run around Los Angeles for an entire month with nothing to show for it.
Speaking of agents, it wasn't as if no agent had approached her. But, looking at those who approached her, Natasha didn't feel comfortable with them. Her counterpart had encountered such sleazy characters at the beginning of her career. So, Natasha knew that these scumbags couldn't be trusted.
Finding a reliable agent was very important. Natasha knew this very well. It is better to find someone through recommendation or join a big agency directly. If not, you wouldn't even know if you were sold. You would even help them count money after getting sold. So, she wasn't in a hurry to find an agent.
Recommendations can only be obtained through connections. And Natasha really didn't have any good connections, to be honest. She had run into a few people who were willing to introduce her to some agents. But, these people only alarmed her further because of their overly friendly attitudes.
As for joining a big agency, forget it. Big agencies don't sign unknown newbies like her at all. They only care about artists who are either famous or well-connected. As for signing potential newcomers, don't joke around. Don't you see how many newcomers roam the streets of Los Angeles daily?
There is a saying that if you step into Los Angeles, every third person you see will be related to the film industry in some way. Most of those who run around with Natasha are young men and women like her who are searching for opportunities.
So, it is really unrealistic to find a reliable agent to sign through them. Even if they have contacts, they wouldn't be sharing it with others. The competition at the bottom was far more bloodier than it is at the top.
Even still, she had made some acquaintances in this one month. While they may not have connections or influence themselves, there is a slight chance that you can get some opportunities through them. And for that, you always need to be in touch with them.
That is the reason Natasha bought a pager.
And now, it had come in handy. Natasha didn't know what trouble Tony was in. But, she also knew that Tony would never ask her to call urgently if not for important stuff. She could only pray that he hadn't involved himself in some trouble.
With an anxious heart, Natasha dialed the number Tony gave her and waited for the person at the other end to pick up. Inwardly, she was cursing the slow development of technology in this world.
Just remembering how easy it was to call others and communicate with them in her counterpart's memories made Natasha envious. She also conveniently forgot that her current world was three decades behind in the timeline. It was ironic how the human mind works sometimes.
"Hello, hello, my name is Natasha. Tony asked me to call this number," Natasha spoke in a hurried tone. "Is Tony fine? Has he got into some trouble?"
"Heh, Love, you don't need to be anxious. Tony is fine. He is nearby, let me call him over," a rough voice spoke from the other end.
Hearing his words, Natasha calmed down her anxious heart. It looked like Tony was fine. There was no need for her to worry.
"Hey Tony, I understand why you would speak for this chick. Are you sure she isn't your girlfriend? Here, she is waiting on the line for you," Natasha heard the rough voice speak to Tony from the other side.
"Fuck off, Doug. She is my sister," Tony's voice sounded through the receiver.
Hearing him speak, Natasha let go of the anxiety in her completely. It looked like Tony was doing fine from the tone of his voice. And it also looked like Tony had a good relationship with this person called Doug.
"Hey Nat, how's it going?"
"Tony, you scared for a second there. Do not ever tell me to call you urgently if it is not an emergency, you asshole," Natasha grumbled.
"Oh, sorry about that. But, listen. I have something important here. I need you to come to this address immediately. There is a big opportunity waiting for you. I will tell you everything when you reach here," Tony said turning his voice a bit serious.
"Oh, where do you want me to come?"
Tony recited the address and extorted further, "Nat, you need to be here in an hour. I don't care how you come. But, be here as soon as possible."
"Don't worry, I will come immediately. But, you better have a good explanation for me when I arrive," Natasha grumbled.
"Ok, see you in a bit."
Natasha rolled her eyes seeing Tony cut the call urgently. Still, Tony's words intrigued her a bit. She knew that Tony would never exaggerate things to her. If he said that there was a big opportunity waiting for her, then there would be something for her there. So, she didn't hesitate to call a taxi and board it immediately.
*****
"So, what's the opportunity you spoke about?"
Natasha asked when she saw Tony waiting for her at the entrance. Tony looked around furtively and beckoned her to the side. Natasha obediently followed quite curious in her heart.
"You still remember how to smoke, right?" Tony asked looking around in a small voice.
"No, I have quit, Tony. You must know this," Natasha said furrowing her eyebrows.
"But, you still can smoke right?" Tony pressed.
"Yeah, but like I said, I quit," Natasha said.
"Doesn't matter," Tony waved his hands urgently.
Tony fumbled in his pockets and produced a cigarette. He beckoned Natasha to take it. Natasha shot him a glare in return.
"Trust me, smoke one," Tony urged.
Natasha reluctantly took the cigarette and lit it.
"Get used to it. It will be hard to smoke after a long time. But, you must get used to it," Tony said calming down a little.
And his words proved true. After remaining clean for a year, Natasha found the harsh smoke irritate her throat a bit. Still, she had been smoking for years before quitting. So, she quickly became accustomed to the feeling.
"Doug, the man you called, is the one that is helping me settle down," Tony said lighting his own cigarette. "And he has some friends who have contacts in the entertainment industry."
Natasha coughed uncontrollably hearing Tony's words. Tony merely glanced at her and continued.
"I have been trying to butter him up so that you could find some opportunity through him," Tony said nonchalantly. "He promised me that he will inform me if something came up. Lucky for you, a good opportunity has come up."
"What opportunity?" Natasha asked curiously.
"There is an MV being shot for a rap song. You know Kid Z right?"
"Yeah, I have heard some of his rap songs,"
"It is his current single. The response to the single was really good. They didn't expect such a good response when they released the single. This was supposed to be a warm-up song for his next album. But, the album will only come out six months later," Tony whispered in a hushed tone.
"So, they didn't prepare to shoot an MV for it first. But, the single became a hit unexpectedly. Now, they are trying to increase the popularity by releasing an MV."
"Are you telling me that you found an opportunity for me to be an MV heroine?" Natasha asked excitedly.
*****
A/N: Check out my other stories and let me know your thoughts...
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