To New York City!!!

Zoe

My mom was going to kill me. Dr. Veronica Adams had once threatened to slice my head open with an axe and then ask my dad to stitch me back up. I had a feeling she was going to do it this time.

Because I was on a plane to New York to become an actress. What if it was all a scam? What if this man wanted to kidnap me and sell my body parts? Was sex trafficking still a thing?. What if all the people he had made me talk to were just liars like him?.

“I can’t do this.” I gasped and unhooked my seatbelt. “I can’t do this, Jeremiah. What if I fail? What if I ruin my life?”.

What had I been thinking?

Jeremiah Lake smiled. “I can promise you that your life will not be ruined. You’re going to be famous, rich, and most importantly, happy. Besides, you can’t run now. We’re already on the plane”.

I took a deep breath to digest his words. Happy. Happy. Happy. I would be happy. I would be free. I was yet to tell a soul.

“We will be meeting with other actors and the crew members as soon as we land. We should have gotten to New York earlier than now, but as you know, trying to convince you took a while,” Jeremiah explained.

He had asked me to call him M.J., short for Manager Jerry, but it sounded kind of weird.

“I don’t know a thing about acting,” I said for the thousandth time, giving M.J. a chance to give up on me.

“All you have to do is trust me. I’ll teach you everything you need to know. Besides, you have everything you need, and that’s your looks,” Jeremiah shrugged. “Buckle your seatbelt, Zoe”.

M.J. had a soothing aura. While Rachel had tamed me by calling me ‘darling,’ M.J. had done it by repeatedly telling me that I was beautiful. I was only 23 years old, and M.J. was the first man to call me pretty. It meant a lot to me.

I had said that I remained a doctor because I had no choice; now that a choice reared its head, it felt stupid not to take it.

I was numb and distant all through the flight and the drive, but when we pulled up to our destination and I beheld the sights Jeremiah had countlessly tried to show me with words and pictures, for the first time in my life, a fire sparked inside of me. A new life.

I was going to be an actress.

“Would you like to rest? I could—”

I cut him off. “I think I’ve been resting all my life. I want to get to work now”.

“Just a note of warning: everyone is already in the conference room. I have already briefed you on what to say and how today will unfold, but I need you to pay no regard to these people’s reactions. They’re just a bunch of clowns,” M.J. assured me.

I nodded.

He was right. The conference room was crowded. Half of the people in it were popular, verified I*******m creators, or famous, and I was just a nobody. The whole room fell silent as soon as I stepped in. All eyes were on me.

“Everyone, meet Zoe!” M.J. said my name with pride, like I was as popular as everyone else in the room.

Someone at the far end gave a whistle, but I had no idea what it meant. And then they all descended on me. A million questions, everyone trying to move closer; someone reached out to touch me.

Were you really a doctor? Was I a failure? Did I fail an exam? How did M.J. convince me?.

I could not breathe, neither could I keep the horror off my face. I was never scared of crowds, yet a panic attack hit me out of nowhere. I thought I would throw up, so I did a trick I learned some time ago and began humming.

“Stop scaring her”.

Just three words, and everyone went back to their seats. It was a small woman. Every circle had its power rank, and M.J. had let me know that concerning the movie he was trying to get me into, this woman before me was ‘god.’ Her name was Eloise, and I needed to make her like me.

I had read about her; she had a Ph.D., was an awesome writer, and everyone wanted to be like her.

“Good afternoon, Dr. Eloise. I am Zoe. It is so nice to finally meet you,” I said politely.

Dr. Eloise smiled and stretched her hand to me. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Zoe. I hope you’re ready for me.” She raised a brow.

I used a line M.J. had advised me to wield. “I was born to make you proud”.

Dr. Eloise angled her head. “I like your person. I hope I like your acting skills better. Have a seat”.

Dr. Eloise made me sit beside her, but when I turned back to the people that had caused my panic attack, there was a slight disdain on every face.

“Where is Arman?” Dr. Eloise asked.

“I’m here.”

I heard his voice before I saw his face. I heard light travels faster than sound, but Arman had to know physics, because he made sure the sound went first. His voice sounded like finely brewed scotch. Handmade. Potent.

But looks? Arman looked like the camera was invented just for him. He had jet-black hair and jade eyes. He wore a casual two-piece that screamed ‘comfort first,’ but nothing about his looks was casual. This Arman person was handsome… and hot!.

I needed air. I was choking again. One man had the same effect that a crowd had on me. This was bad.

“You’re late,” Dr. Eloise scolded lightly.

But Arman smiled like he did not know he was being scolded. “Or, I am right on time.” He gave a boyish grin as he turned to me. “Who do we have here?”.

I should have said something. I knew I should have. But his face was so close; his perfume attacked my nose and then went down my larynx to paralyze my voice box. So, I turned to M.J. and asked for my phone, blatantly ignoring Arman.