#Chapter 6 - The beginning of Competition

And just like that I was taking part of the competition. My heart could not stop pounding. After Elijah made the grand gesture and I accepted I had expected a lot of people to vocalize me being a late however no one made waves to address the situation. Which was fine with me. As I looked up at my advisory I knew that whatever he had in store for me would test more than jus my abilities at an actress. "That's all I can help you with. You won't say it's unfair, will you?" he said. “I cannot image you pouting at the situation at hand.” “Why would I pout,” I said. "You are at a slight disadvantage, kitten. “After all, the other candidates have two full weeks to prepare." My heart skipped a beat. The contest took two weeks of preparation. "What about me?" Ava asked. "Oh—" he said meaningfully, "the game starts the day after tomorrow." Elijah had arranged for me to be instructed by Lydia. She would be in charge of any lessons or important details throughout the competition. That's when the reality of the situation set in. That is why he was so easy to let me into the competition. Two days to prepare? I might not be able to remember any of the lines. This man is the devil in a good suit. Behind him stood the woman that would be aiding me throughout the competition. I wonder how she felt about the situation. Lydia was a few inches shorter than she worn wired glasses that made an attempt to hide her bright hazel eyes. She had her dirty blonde hair twisted and contorted into a bun that was held at the top of her hair by a pen. I chuckled to myself she reminded me of librarian trying to hide the beauty she had behind frumpiness. "Hi I am Lydia,” she said with a sweet voice. ”Hello Lydia, I am Ava. And it is really nice to meet you. Thank you for assisting me through the competition.” I was hoping I would make it through the first round. “No problem, happy to help.” There was no change in her tone. I could tell she really meant this. Even with the meeting between me and Ava going well I was still nervous. I tried to relax myself. I decided to ask Lydia how I should move forward. "What segment are we competing in?" "That's random. But there are certain video libraries." My instructor said. Oh that's not good. I had been gone for years I began to doubt my abilities at this point. "What movies are included?" I asked trying not to sound like a scared little child. “Most of the movies if not all of them will be classics. But that does not mean easy, the movies will be difficult throughout the competition. For example the scene during Titanic to convey sadness and regret. Forest Gump and maybe even song and dance numbers from Chicago.” I felt myself let go of a breath that I did not know that I was holding on to. I knew all of these movies. When I left the human world leaving in a haste I took the collection of the movies I had with me. I had watched these movies countless times not only because my love of the art but also it helped me feel closer to my mother. She had always been an inspiration. However I had committed a serious crime in hoarding classics. The mortal and were worlds do not communicate in the sense of literature, art and theatre. It was taboo to bring anything from the mortal world into the world of weres. Caught importing and exporting anything from one world to the other was not allowed. It was a felony if you were caught smuggling especially without permission. I kept my stash hidden from my Alpha in the floor board underneath our bed. I would only watch my movies when Jacob was out on a run or out of town on business. Werewolves were practical creatures they lived off survival none of them considered any forms of entertainment. They did not need movies or the arts And they certainly did not need actors and actresses. “Alright,” Lydia said as she hand me a huge stack of papers. “This is the script that you have now. I need you to act it out for me.” As I skimmed the pages I whistled. Familiar. This was all familiar to me. If this had been a contest that centered around a newer film in the human world, there was not a chance in hell that I could win. But that was not the case here--these were classics. I thrived on classic movies and tropes. I knew I could win this competition. I tossed the script over my shoulder and smiled. “I don't need these scripts.” I felt my confidence burning in my chest. “Pick any segment you want, Lydia. We can start whenever you are ready.” I thought of my childhood. I had more experience than I realized in this situation. I was a child star in the human world. Even after a decade passing it felt like I had never left the world of entertainment. _______________________________________________________________________ Elijah's POV I wanted to meet with Lydia to see Ava's progress at the end of the day. I had my doubts that she would be able to keep up with the other girls. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to see her succeed. Lydia sat in the chair across from my desk. The pen that was always holding her hair was behind her ear and her hair had fallen down pass her shoulders. I always thought that Lydia should be in the entertainment business but she refused to be Infront of any cameras she would rather be behind the scenes. “So Lydia how is she doing?” I asked. She smiled at me. “Beyond expectations sir. All I can say it she has been nailing everything that I had been putting Infront of her. She does not seem to be a fresh face that has no screen experience.” I noticed that too the way Ava presented herself in front of me was unlike anything that I had ever seen. There was no way she was an amateur. Who was Ava Clifton? “I have been wondering the same thing. I am curious about the newest addition to our contest.” Most actress would be nervous preparing for a game of this magnitude. They would be even more so considering the lack of time to prepare for the first round. “I will investigate this matter later.” I told both myself and Lydia. She stood up and started to make her way to the door. She turned around and looked at me. “If there is an new situation or issues with her, you will be the first one to know. She bowed her head to me and made her way out of the office. Once the door was closed I leaned back in my chair y mouth curled up into a smile. I could not think why but I was truly looking forward to what Ava had to offer.