In the Clayton Community of Marietta,
Fifteen-year-old Lily stepped off the school bus and heard Nani, the convenience store owner, call out, "There's express mail for you from Los Angeles."
"Los Angeles?" Lily knew exactly who it was from. She dashed over and found two boxes, grabbing them and hurrying back.
The larger box had some weight to it, so Nani lent her a cart and asked, "Is it that foolish Martin Davis again?"
Lily stored the box and replied, "Yes, it's that fool."
Pushing the cart, she reached her home. In James' yard next door, Hall was digging a hole in the front yard with cardboard at his feet.
Lily shouted, "What can you do besides digging holes, you idiot?"
Hall continued digging, "Waiting for him to come back and fall in, breaking his leg."
The Carter family kids never minded their words. Lily quipped, "Dig deeper, wait for that idiot to return, and may the earth not spare his legs."
The boxes were placed inside the house. After returning the cart, Lily unpacked the boxes to find beautifully crafted animal fang accessories and some more primitive wild animal horns.
Among them was a piece of paper with Martin's unmistakable handwriting.
Each of the four siblings had their share of animal fangs, but the horns were used for crafting.
Except for her, Lily Carter.
Lily stretched out her long legs, dashed outside, and called over to the neighboring yard, "Hey, idiot, stop digging holes! Fill in all the holes you've made!"
Hall turned around and retorted, "Are you stupid? Just now..."
Lily brandished her secret weapon, "If you don't fill those holes, I'll tell Elena. What do you think she'll do?"
Hall begrudgingly turned back and began to fill in the holes. He'd dug far too many, all intended for a certain someone.
All of them needed to be filled in.
Back in the living room, Lily spread out the horns on the table, took out a set of carving tools, and contemplated what to create first.
Once she'd finished carving, she'd send it back.
Her eyes fell on a thick, long, and slightly curved bison horn. A brilliant idea struck her: she'd carve it to resemble Martin.
"I'm a genius!" Lily chuckled happily.
In Century City, Los Angeles,
Martin received a call from his agent, Thomas, and rushed over.
As he entered the company lobby, he noticed a crowd of young men and women in their twenties, some of whom looked vaguely familiar; they were clearly the agency's clients.
Thomas was waiting for Martin and greeted him with a wave.
Martin approached and inquired, "What's going on? Is the company organizing a team-building event or a big party?"
His gaze drifted to a young man next to Thomas, a Latino.
Thomas introduced, "This is Oscar Isaac, another one of my clients. Oscar, meet Martin Davis."
Martin exchanged greetings with Oscar before realizing that their relationship was relatively peaceful, as their positions and resources didn't clash significantly.
Martin scanned the lobby and noticed six or seven other good-looking brown-haired guys, his fellow competitors within the company.
And, of course, he couldn't help but glance a bit longer at some of the attractive young actresses.
"Some of them are in great shape," Martin thought to himself.
He pressed Thomas for more information, asking, "What's the gathering of young actors and agents all about?"
Thomas explained concisely, "Many Hollywood film and television production companies are updating their digital management systems. To better recommend actors, our agency needs to update your information, including digital photos and images."
Oscar chimed in, "So, it's not just us young actors, right?"
Thomas clarified, "It's not just about star status. Those who haven't quite hit the big time yet, like you, are highly valued. When the agency recommends young actors to production companies, they give priority to you."
As Oscar spotted a Latina actress and headed over, Martin whispered, "Who are our competitors in this group?"
Hearing this, Thomas became serious and discreetly pointed his finger, saying, "See the guy shorter than you, the handsome blond one? That's Mike Vogel. He used to be a Model and the company's positioning of him is quite similar to yours. He's already starred in three movies: ' Grind,' 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' and 'Wuthering Heights,' and has gained a decent amount of popularity."
He then shifted his finger slightly, "The one on the left with long hair is Joe Anderson, who's appeared in 'Creep' and ' Dead Again.' And on the right, the brother and sister duo is Eric Lively; his father, Ernie Lively, is a senior actor and producer in the industry and has extensive connections."
Martin inquired, "Is the woman next to Eric his sister?"
"Blake Lively," Thomas replied. He offered a cautionary note, "You can make friends with these siblings, but don't cross any lines. Their father has a lot of influence."
Glancing around and seeing no one else, he continued, "Originally, Adrian was the company's focus in terms of resources. We were even planning for him to collaborate with Anne Hathaway on a project, so don't think too much about it now."
Martin nodded, asking, "Are these people ranked higher than me in terms of resources?"
Thomas pondered for a moment, "You did well with 'Zombie Stripper' at the North American box office, and you also played the lead in 'House of Wax.' The higher-ups are aware that you have Ms. Meyer's recommendation. Among the group here, aside from Mike Vogel, the others aren't as favored as you."
Martin cast another glance at Mike Vogel and questioned, "Does his agent have his own separate agent's office?"
Thomas sighed, "Yes, he does." He then quickly changed the topic, "Regarding the Best Young Actor operation..."
The two were in conversation when Jim Witt, a board member and senior partner of WMA, descended from upstairs. After inspecting the makeshift image collection room, he spotted Mike Vogel and exchanged a few words with him, presumably offering some encouragement.
Martin was too far away to hear the conversation clearly, but it was evident that Vogel was receiving some words of encouragement.
Martin's name was called from the other side of the image collection room. Martin adjusted his attire slightly and entered the room for the photoshoot, which required no makeup.
Jim Witt stood beside Thomas. Upon seeing Martin, he nodded slightly and greeted, "You must be Martin Davis."
Martin smiled and replied, "That's me. Good afternoon, Mr. Witt."
Jim Witt said, "I met Susan the day before yesterday, and she mentioned you. She said you performed admirably during the shoot in Australia."
Martin sensed a connection between Jim Witt and Susan and replied, "Susan is a highly professional producer. She taught me a great deal on set, and I learned a lot from that shoot."
"Keep up the good work," Jim Witt encouraged before departing from the first-floor hall.
The eyes of others in the room briefly wandered over Martin, who remained composed.
After Oscar Isaac completed his image data collection, Thomas reviewed it meticulously and then saw him off.
Thomas called Martin over and led him to an office partition.
Martin went straight to the point, "How is the operation for Best Young Actor progressing?"
"Lionsgate has been in contact with a few judges, and I reached out to two reviewers through the company's connections," Thomas detailed the work he'd done in recent days, "The chances of securing a nomination are quite high, but winning is a tough challenge."
Martin inquired, "How influential is Wes Craven?"
Thomas seemed surprised, "Can you reach out to Craven directly? His recommendations hold significant sway in the horror movie business."
Martin shook his head, clarifying, "What I meant to ask is if our agency has connections with his company."
"We don't, but the agency should have them," Thomas answered pragmatically, "However, the agency won't expend such significant favors and resources on the Saturn Award for Best Young Actor, especially for an actor of your level. The investment isn't proportional to the potential return."
Martin contemplated for a moment before revealing a bit more appropriately, "I might try another channel."
Thomas immediately thought of Louise under Martin's management, "Give me a call if you need help."
As they got in the car, Bruce asked, "Where to?"
Martin retrieved a pen and notebook from the glove compartment and, while jotting down some notes, replied, "Take me to Sherman Oaks."
Bruce initiated the car and commented, "Two awards in one year, you're becoming quite the regular."
Martin put on a confident demeanor, "Two more wouldn't hurt."
En route, he called Louise, saying, "How are things going?"
Louise responded, "Kelly and I are back. Come over."
"On my way."
The car pulled up at the entrance of the mansion, and Martin, retrieving the key, entered alone. Inside, Louise and Kelly were seated at the bar, sipping on cocktails.
Martin approached after washing his hands, and Louise vacated her seat for him. Martin proceeded to make a new cocktail using gin, violet liqueur, ice cubes, lime, and Gatorade.
"Give it a try, fresh and invigorating," Martin offered.
Louise took a sip and commented, "Refreshing and intoxicating, not bad."
Martin prepared another glass for Kelly, suggesting, "Have a taste."
Louise added, "We arrived in Los Angeles, and we've already begun preparations for the year-end awards."
Martin inquired, "So early?"
Louise clarified, "Not early at all. Many people start preparing a year in advance and even relocate their families to Los Angeles for a year or longer."
She continued, "Kate Winslet has a friend in fashion design, another Brit named Georgina Chapman. Georgina is currently Harvey Weinstein's public partner. They might get married after Weinstein's divorce. She's throwing a big fashion party in Beverly Hills in a few days. Craven has collaborated with Weinstein quite a bit, so I'm sure he'll be there."
Louise emphasized, "I can only introduce you to Craven at best. The rest is up to you."
Martin thought for a moment, "I'll give it a shot. There's always hope if you try. If it doesn't work out, at least I'll know I gave it my all."
With little moral restraint, Martin clutched Louise with one hand and Kelly with the other, jesting, "If all else fails, rich ladies, will you support me!"