April 15.
The rehearsals would end the following morning, followed by organizing the sets and filming. Photography was set to begin on May 4, and by June 27, the crew would start filming. For now, the rehearsals were over, and with Billy's charm, they were waiting to double the shoot, maybe even do a long take—two films were uncertain. But there would be an extended version.
-Thanks, Rob, I've been trying to improve my acting skills, but it's tough,- Billy remarked.
-Come to my academy, people will help you a lot. You've got good skills, but you need to work on those small details that are frankly annoying. Sometimes reflecting emotions is a real pain, and positioning is key. Naturalness is another thing, but I believe in a few years you'll have the necessary skills unless you dedicate a lot of time to it, - commented Robert Pattinson.
Robert was helping him practice for the Narnia auditions. Billy was aiming for the role of a Brit, and luckily, he picked up the accent in seconds. Just listening to the Harry Potter cast had greatly improved his dialect, and anything related to accents, Billy picked up three times faster than normal—on a genius level. When it came to music, Billy had the IQ of an average person, around 90-109. But when it came to music-related aspects, Billy's IQ soared to 300. In comparison, remarkable figures like Garry Kasparov, with an IQ of 172, a grandmaster in chess, or Stephen Hawking, with a 162 IQ, paled in contrast. Then there's -Kim Ung-Yong-, the real child prodigy: mastering four languages by the age of two, attending university by four, and working for NASA by eight, with an IQ of 210, holding the Guinness World Record for the highest IQ.
Billy's IQ was at least 270, though it was said to be 300. Playing instruments, singing, mimicking voices, dancing in public, faking emotions, expressing emotions, and of course, being a superstar—from confidence to demeanor—all could be mastered with an IQ of 300. It was enough for people to see Billy's progress as superhuman. In terms of singing, only two people could claim to have such exceptional abilities.
-That's amazing,- commented Robert, knowing that everything was improving dramatically, especially Billy's expressions. As Krum, he was passable, but in his role, what stood out was the intensity of his gaze. The director joked that Billy's stance while being chased by the camera was fantastic.
-Try slouching a bit when you're in front of your parents, and don't forget, in most cases, younger people shrink in the presence of parental or authority figures, especially 90 years ago. It's normal for them to behave differently around figures of authority. That usually happens in films like this, - Robert advised.
Billy nodded, taking the notes seriously. Robert's attention to detail was remarkable, and Billy jotted down every point with a pen.
-Ahhh, how gratifying! I heard from the twins that your birthday is coming up soon. Do you have any plans for a celebration? - Billy asked.
Robert shook his head. He would spend time with his parents at most, nothing new. For now, parties didn't interest him, and he preferred a low-key plan.
-I don't like doing anything over the top, - Robert said.
-Mmm, sounds good. A yacht, a crew... ha! Just kidding. I get it. We can play PES, though you're probably not up for losing again, - Billy joked.
They continued studying their craft, while Emma pretended not to notice. Since they finished their dance rehearsals, Billy hadn't spoken to her, nor did he approach her. They'd had a second dance-off, which she lost again due to nerves—something that had become a big issue.
The score was 3-0 according to him, but she insisted it was only two losses. Yet, the last time had been the most intense. They skipped the waltz and did the quickstep, which led to her close defeat. Emma lost 2-0 in her count but couldn't stop watching him. His confidence was unusual, and young Emma had become somewhat obsessed. Billy felt her gaze but continued to ignore it.
He lifted his eyes and made eye contact with Emma. She looked away at first, but after two seconds, turned back to meet his gaze, only to drop her eyes again in a second.
-I think the best idea is to plan a paintball match. What do you think, Rob? You, me, the twins—all against each other. Or we could fight another team, maybe your cousins or school friends? - Billy suggested.
They continued practicing Billy's role in Narnia for the next few moments, until the call for the final rehearsal. A quick group read-through of the last part of the script revealed anxious faces, even among the adults. They had time to take the rehearsal easy and leave as soon as possible. Their professionalism was high for them, given the distractions of the younger cast members.
***
Billy was playing soccer with the Harry Potter cast on the distant green field. They had been taken to a small country house that resembled a game room, filled with various challenges and shelves. The secret fact was that Daniel Radcliffe was terrible at sports—uncoordinated. Now it made sense why the young boy playing Seamus Finnigan, Devon Murray, was by far the best on the team. Billy was on his team, and frankly, they seemed like the worst, but young Devon was leagues ahead of the others.
The girls watched from a distance, chatting as they waited. There was a small team-building event that had just begun, but a soccer ball had snuck in, arranged by the production crew. First came the match, and then, after a while, an outdoor fair led by some production team members near the village.
The match ended with Devon Murray scoring twelve goals.
-Americans have always been bad at soccer, - Devon teased Billy.
-Haha, that's true, but we're good at boxing and basketball, - Billy responded.
They had a little picnic—tuna sandwiches and fruit—while playing around at the fair. There were even those famous shooting games. Billy decided to stay back at the house for a bit of relaxation. He went up to the second floor, where there were some hockey games. He stepped into the bathroom, and as he came out, he saw a blonde girl he wasn't expecting.
-Were you waiting for me?- Billy asked, standing in the meeting room where they usually did their homework. The place was fairly empty.
-Ah—n-no,"- the girl stammered, her cheeks flushing. - I didn't want to go to the fair. I feel a bit out of place. I think I'll wait here for a while. I don't like it there. Plus, I have to go back to school tomorrow and run around catching up with everyone... because of the rehearsals, I have a lot of homework to do when I get home, - Emma explained.
-I heard you study at an all-girls school, - Billy mentioned.
-What does that have to do with anything? - Emma asked.
-Nothing... Our next game could be a hockey match. You said you'd make me eat dirt in a hockey game, - Billy remarked, pointing to the air hockey table. It was impressive. Billy grabbed a puck, and Emma could have scolded him for being shameless, changing the rules, as it was supposed to be a roller hockey game, not a simple air hockey match. But as he slid the puck onto the table, they both started playing.
They played a total of seven matches. Billy lost two and won five, leaving the score at nine to two.
-It's only because you're stronger, that's why! - the girl could be heard saying.
...