Chapter 6 "Action!"

Liz laid in bed next to Elena. They were both exhausted from the day and the nightly celebrations. Clearing her mind, Liz closed her eyes and allowed the day to slip away into her dreams.

She was back on a field full of soft green grass and wildflowers. Butterflies danced in the air, and bees moved studiously from flower to flower collecting nectar. The occasional dragonfly darted by. Liz could hear birds chirping in the distance.

She let out a sigh of contentment as she moved to a large lush tree at the top of a gently sloping hill. The branches were covered in green leaves and swayed lazily in the breeze. Liz placed her hand on the trunk. A smile crossed her lips as she felt the cool bark underneath her touch. It was her favorite place to be in her dreams.

She sat cross-legged, leaning her back to the tree and taking in her surroundings. After some time, she closed her eyes, and let her mind wander. She imagined she was a bird, flying high above her dreamscape. Wings spread in the light breeze, she scanned the surroundings. As she flew, she spotted a small reddish fox moving carefree through the tall grass. A grey rabbit hopped in between tufts of flowers, chewing a few pieces of greenery it found delicious.

Without warning, a gust of wind knocked her off her peaceful flight. She quickly returned to her spot under the tree and opened her eyes. The air cooled and became heavy with moisture. She turned her gaze towards the petracore scent and saw dark clouds rolling angrily in the distance.

Intrigued by this disturbance in her dream, she stood and started to walk towards the oncoming storm. She moved slowly, but the distance covered was great. Liz glanced over her shoulder and saw the tree on the hill was already far behind her. A few more steps, and her feet planted on a hard surface.

'A road?' she thought quizically.

She followed the road a while, and a few drops of water fell on her face. A building came into view, but not just any building. It was her old house; the one she shared with her ex-wife, son, and girlfriend. Liz furrowed her brow. She hadn't been there in almost two years and never in her dreams. As she approached the door, the rain fell harder, and the sky darkened. Liz reached her hand to the door handle, and just as she touched the cool metal, lightning arched across the sky. A loud rumbling shook the round. She looked around in shock at the odd westher encroaching on her dream and opened the door. The inside was pitch black. A faint light flicked to life deep inside the house. She stepped towards it.

As she crossed the threshold, she was taken to the set she was in earlier that month. Cast and crew moved about mechanically. The gaffer and grips adjusted a few lights, and the cinematographer gave a thumbs up when everything was positioned just right. With the point of his finger, he directed his first and second AC into position.

A larger man stepped from the blackness and yelled, "Everyone, first positions!"

The cast scrambled to their marks. Liz looked confused but quickly moved her her mark halfway to a far wall. The scene opened up as she moved, resembling a western style dive bar. A short haired woman stood across from her, getting into character.

"Ready. Quiet on set!" instructed a slender woman.

'The first assistant director,' Liz thought.

"Roll camera."

"Rolling," replied the man holding the overly, somewhat comical video camera.

"Roll sound," the first assistant said.

"Sound speed," replied a young, skinny man holding a long boom stick with a grey and black ball of fluff dangling from the end.

"Standby," the director cut in. "Liz, first mark, please."

"Shit," she replied. "My bad."

Quickly, Liz moved further back, closer to the bar entrance. She looked down, realizing she was wearing cowboy boots, acid washed blue jeans, and a blue and black flannel.

'At least I'm in my stage clothes,' she thought, with a sigh of relief.

"Ready?" the director asked.

Liz nodded, putting on her game face. She didn't mind these types of scenes, but sometimes, the intimacy and choreography of a fight scene made her nervous. The punches were normally pulled but sometimes landed harder than expected.

"Slate," continued the 2nd AD.

A woman with oversized glasses stepped up the camera and held up the clapperboard.

"Old West. Scene 22. Take one," she said and clicked the top of the board down with a quick motion. She exited the scene, sliding back into the darkness.

"Aaaand action!" the director said, his eyes steady on the focus tablet. He gave a few words to the focus puller, pointing to where he wanted the scene to be drawn to.

Some of the background actors moved about the bar, some drinking beer, some miming ordering a shot and slamming whatever contents were handed to them by the bartender. The short haired blond moved into position, queuing Liz to step into the scene. She reached her second mark, scanning the bar, and gave an annoyed sniff. Her thumb instinctively slid into her belt loop as she looked around. Her eyes stopped on the other woman across the room, and a mischievous smile swept across her face.

With a slight air of cockiness, Liz walked towards the woman, who only noticed her approach with feigned disinterest.

The other woman gave her a once over with a raised eyebrow and looked away. This didn't deter Liz. She stopped, somewhat uncomfortably close, finger looped back into her belt.

"Howdy. I'm Gina. What might your name be?" Liz cooed, head cocked slightly to the side.

The other woman's eyes snapped back to her, piercing and green just like her ex-wife's. It caught her off guard, aince this actor had blue eyes, but she never broke character.

"You already know who I am, Gina! What took you so long? I've been waiting forever," she whined.

"Awe, I'm sorry, love. You know how it is. I had to finish up at the ranch before coming into town. Let me make it up to you."

Liz leaned in, resting her forearm over the other womans head, using her free hand to brush a loose strand of hair from the other's face, her own giving a look of playful remorse and seduction

"I know. It's ok, though. You're here now, and that's all that matters. I missed you!"

Liz' co-star reached her hands up, wrapping around the front collar of the flannel Liz wore and pulled her in for a kiss. A blush crept across Liz' cheeks as their lips met. She could hear the director giving the cameraman guidance on the angle and where to focus. Then she could hear the director que them to stop kissing and simply gaze into each other's eyes.

Liz expected him to yell cut at that moment, but the words never came. Instead, her co-stars' face twisted into shock right before Liz was pulled away, and her back slammed into the wall.