Audition

Camilla was woken from her stupor violently as her friend Peggy almost smashed her against the car door. Camilla stared questioningly back at Peggy, her mind groggy and disorientated from being forcefully taken out of the pseudo dimension. 

"Girl get your ass up we're here," Peggy said exasperated. 

Camilla shook her confusion and disorientation off her body. She looked up to see a large building which she recognized as Golden Prism Production, a relatively famous TV and film production studio. Camilla had a lot of complicated feelings and emotions about this studio but that was in the past now she had a chance to succeed. Camilla was eager to see how much she improved in the short time that she had used the system. She jumped outside of the car and started walking towards the building. 

"Thanks for dropping me off. I'll see you later! I'll call you when I'm done." Camilla beamed as she waved goodbye to Peggy. Peggy waved back then got back in her car and drove away.

Camilla wasted no time entering the building and walking towards the audition site. There she saw lots of people sitting, waiting for their turn. Some of them were practicing nervously, others were sitting there calmly, and some looked desperately around at the other competitors. It was just as hectic as Camilla remembered but unlike last time she felt slightly confident. 

After waiting for about half an hour Camilla was finally called up. She entered the room making note of the people who were judging. She remembered in the past this group of judges was dismissive and indifferent to her performance, this time she planned to change their reaction to her. There were four judges, three were men and there was one woman. Of the four judges, Camilla recognized three of them, and their fame grew to new heights after this film, the last judge was a mystery to her as he was heavily covered up. Even in the past, she knew nothing of the man, she wasn't even sure he was a judge as she remembered that he made few comments and barely spoke to the other judges. 

But none of that mattered now, all that mattered was succeeding in this audition. 

The judges spoke among each other for a while, likely talking about her short resume. Camilla could hear what sounded like disdain and mockery from one of the judges but she paid that no mind, she would receive this type of treatment until she made a name for herself.

"We look forward to your audition. Whenever you are ready you may begin." One of the men whom Camilla recognized as the main scriptwriter Gerald Simmons said as he lazily stared up at her. 

Camilla nodded taking a second to center herself. She chooses to act out the scene where Everett Stein's heinous actions during the disaster had caught up to her resulting in her death. She chose this scene in particular because it would allow her to more easily use the emotions Camilla felt during her death in her last life, in her performance. 

Camilla's face slowly changed into one of shock and surprise, her body language became tense and fearful. The judges who had barely been paying attention suddenly focused on Camilla's performance. 

"What are you trying to say? Do you think I would do something like that? Let's say even if I did why is that an issue? They weren't strong enough to make it so why should I be punished?" Camilla argued her eyes reflecting the deep denial of her situation and actions. Camilla walked back her body becoming smaller and smaller as she shut herself off to the world and others.

"You have no right to criticize me. I'm just doing everything I can to survive and what are you doing?! You're taking on burdens that we can't manage. I don't think that's fair to this group!" 

Camilla's body began to shake unnaturally and tip over falling to her knees. Camilla screamed, her skin became bloodless with fear, and she frantically began spewing apologies and prayers. She desperately reached out towards the judges pleading for them to save her, to take her hand. 

Her eyes lit up as though someone had gripped her hand to bring her back to safety but it was short-lived as Camilla fell backward and acted as though she was crushed underneath large rocks. Resignation, fury, and devastation quickly flickered across her face and eyes as Camilla struggled to free herself but slowly but surely her struggle became weaker and weaker until Camilla's body stopped moving and her cries of anguish went silent. 

Camilla laid down on the ground for about a minute before picking herself back up and dusting herself off. The judges looked at her silently, their faces calm and unmoving. For a second Camilla panicked, she worried that she had failed or that the system was just one giant scam. Camilla had never felt more nervous in her life. 

[Ding! +10 Fame Points from actor Sebastian Malone compliment your acting]

Camilla's eyes widened when that message from the system popped up. Sebastian Malone was the most famous male actor, every film or TV show he was in became a major success. It was said that if you got to work with Sebastian Malone then your future as an actor was bright. Camilla whipped her head to the judge's panel who had begun whispering to themselves, she was trying to locate Sebastian but she could not see him anywhere near the judging table or by the door of the studio. Just how did Sebastian Malone see her? 

That's when it clicked, the strange man who was covering his face with a baseball cap and a mask had to be Sebastian. Sebastian had seen her acting, honestly, Camilla felt as though she would float away at this very moment but she needed to stay grounded until the judges asked her to leave. So Camilla stared knowingly at the disguised Sebastian for a bit before shifting her focus elsewhere. 

"That was an incredibly moving performance. We were truly captivated." Gerald Simmons commented. "We're considering you for the role. We'll be in touch soon with our final decision." 

Camilla smiled graciously as she exited the room, her heart racing a mile a minute. Once clear of the room and the other actors Camilla squealed in delight. She finally had a chance, she could finally succeed. 

The Stardom System was no joke as she was performing Camilla felt like her acting became more natural and had much more depth than it ever had. It wasn't perfect of course but she had never had this much improvement in her life. She made a silent vow to herself to cherish the system and practice as hard as she could. 

Thank you Marshmallow I'm glad I met you. I'm glad we made a contract.

[Marshmallow is happy to have met Camilla as well!]

Camilla smiled at the coquettish action of Marshmallow. She snuggled her face into it giving it a small peck before texting her friend for a ride home.

....

The judges were wrapping up after the last actress had finished her performance. They made some comments here and there crossing names off a list and circling others. While the other three judges were talking amongst themselves and cleaning up their papers Sebastian was just lazily sitting in the chair uninterested in the conversation going on. 

"I feel like Camilla Ramirez is a good choice to cast for Everett Stein. I think her anguished performance will draw in the audience." Gerald Simmons spoke as he pulled out Camilla's page. 

"I disagree, I believe Brianna Arias would be much better. I felt that Camilla's acting was a little exaggerated, it felt too fake." Another judge responded, Sebastian scoffed at this which caused the man in question to glare back at him which Sebastian mischievously shrugged off. 

"I'm more partial to Camilla. Brianna's acting isn't good enough to be compared to Camilla's. I don't even know why you recommend her." The woman added. "I guess that rumor about you having a relationship with Brianna isn't false." She mumbled under her breath but the man managed to catch it. 

The man's face flushed red in anger as he shot upwards out of his seat and shouted and pointed angrily at the woman. "How dare you spread rumors about me! If you don't want to lose my investment I suggest you apologize and keep your mouth shut. The only way I'll keep investing in this film is if Brianna gets this role, that Camilla is a losing investment." 

The other judges looked uncomfortable as the man continued to pressure them with the investment. Without that investment this movie couldn't be made, looks like they would have to suck it up and agree with the man's terms. 

"Then withdraw your investment, and I'll cover for you," Sebastian said standing up to his full 6-foot and 7-inch frame, looking down at this man. 

"And who do you think you are to go against me? I am the vice manager of Elysian Productions you are nothing!" 

Sebastian said nothing and simply took off his cap and mask. Upon seeing the most famous and lucrative actor the man slumped to the ground in fear. Sebastian smiled wickedly at him before putting on his disguise once more. 

"Thanks for the info. I will never work with Elysian Productions ever again, hopefully, your boss doesn't find out." Sebastian smirked as he walked out of the room. 

Sebastian waited outside the door until Gerald Simmons came out. Gerald sighed as he playfully jabbed Sebastian's elbow. The two walked in silence until Gerald finally spoke up.

"You don't have to do that Bas. You're already doing me a big favor by helping me filter out actors. I don't want to steal your money, this film might fail and I don't you to take that risk for me." Gerald deadpanned. 

"I'm not doing this for you...I'm doing this for me. I'll still invest in your film. How about this to make it up to me you let me be cast in the lead role." Sebastian chuckled. 

Gerald whipped his head around to stare at Sebastian looking for some kind of a sign that he might be joking but he found nothing. Sebastian smiled back at him which only caused Gerald to scowl before turning away. 

"I don't know why you're doing this but it means a lot to me. Happy collaboration." 

Sebastian didn't respond and Gerald didn't hound him for one they just continued in silence until they reached their cars and separated.

Sebastian drove home in relative silence thinking back to the auditions. He wasn't impressed by any of the actors auditioning and he was about to just randomly decide on an actor until Camilla walked in. He immediately saw something different in her than all the rest of the actors but he couldn't place his finger on what it was, that was until she started acting. He was drawn in by her performance, it wasn't perfect by any means, there were several places where it struggled awkwardly but it never brought him out of the performance. He could feel the desperation in her acting as though this was her final shot to act and that she was putting everything on the line to try and succeed. Her eyes blazed with the intense amount of love and passion she had for acting and for a moment he felt as if his heart was stolen. 

He didn't expect it when she realized who he was. Her eyes focused on him with shock, awe, and admiration. He wondered how she saw through him, he had made a deliberate effort to tone down his star aura until he looked like a regular person but even then she saw through it. He found it cute that she tried to act as though she hadn't figured it out. 

He wanted to watch her closely to find out if these feelings were a one-time thing or if there was something more about her that warranted his attention. He smiled mischievously this film was going to be fun.