Chapter 13: Fame (6)
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“You’re finally done? It took you girls longer than expected! We have to hurry up now…” The last person approached me. She looked a bit like Norleen, her attitude was similar to her bright persona at least. “I’m Sofia, pleased to meet you.” She smiled at me and I turned to greet her. Then I was lead to another part of the house I didn’t recognize…
I wonder if Sofia is going to act the same way as well…
This part of the house was a photo studio. It had a white board, green screen, many lights and equipment I hadn’t even heard of before.
“You’re as stiff as a log Angelica, loosen up a bit, will you? Or are you nervous because it’s your first time?” Sofia asked me with a pleasant smile. But I was far too preoccupied with what had just happened. As well as thinking what if it repeats itself again. “What’s the matter?” She asked me gently, with a concerned look on her face but I wouldn’t allow myself to be tricked another time.
“I don’t know how to pose for you…” I told her. It wasn’t to gauge her reaction or anything, it was the truth. I didn’t know how to pose, what was I even posing for? I was so confused, at some point I forgot what I was doing here…
“It doesn’t have to be anything too special, just do whatever you want.” Sofia instructed me but those unclear words left much more to be expected. I couldn’t do anything so I stood there stiff and unmoving. With my eyes wandering about as if I was a lost child.
“I…” I mumbled under my breath. I was embarrassed. Although I was confused I shouldn’t be like this. Sofia was watching over me as she calmly waited to see what I would do.
“Look to the side, with that same expression… good…” Sofia suddenly began praising me and I followed her words and did as she asked of me. She’s energetic, lively… like the others but she feels more genuine… much more so than Norleen was towards me.
“Lean against this wall over here and look at the lens directly. Rest your leg there… Right, you’re getting the hang of it.” Sofia continued giving me more and more instructions one after another. I followed them carefully making sure I didn’t mess up.
“Is it okay if I ask you something?” I turned towards her it seemed to catch her off guard.
“Of course! Anything, I’m already up for a chat!” Sofia’s cheerfulness washed over me like a flood. Why was she open and so much more genuine than the others?
She surely has hidden intentions like the rest of them and yet I don’t want to believe that’s the case somehow.
“As a photographer… do I look good on camera?” I asked her sincerely. I had never had my pictures professionally taken before.
“Hm… I can see why you’d have concerns about that. Have they told you, you look strange?” Sofia asked me this time her eyes filled with sympathy and understanding which actually made me more embarrassed.
“It was the reason I was kicked out from a few sets… things like that made me lose my confidence and yet I kept trying to make it work.” As I spilled my guts in front of her I couldn’t help but wonder if she didn’t think I was strange too.
“You’ve done well, I can tell… But it’s not that you look bad, you’re just awkward and that makes it hard for others to do anything with the footage. You need to focus.” Sofia’s encouraging words made me all the more flustered.
“How d-do I do that?” I asked her while stuttering my words slightly.
“Think of the character you need to play and do that. It won’t be as stressful if you don’t try to act like yourself.” Sofia said while standing behind the camera once more. It looked so natural to her to be there although she was beautiful enough to be the one in front of the camera instead.
“Not like myself?” I asked her hesitantly, I couldn’t understand, it was the first time someone’s given me advice like that so I might have become all the more flustered.
“See, if I told you to ‘act natural’ you wouldn’t know what that means, in turn you might actually start acting even more strange… But if I tell you to play a role then it’s decided.” Sofia’s explanation made much more sense than I expected it to and I understood it without worry.
“I see… then what role should I play?” I asked her with a smile at that point I was more or less convinced she was different than the rest of them.
“Let’s try something that matches your outfit… Hm… delinquent girl?” Sofia suggested it was just then that I actually paid attention to the last fit I put on it was a bicker jacket, a black leather one accompanied by ripped jeans and a stamped T shirt.
“I can do that…” I told her confidently as I posed and she looked ecstatic.
“Really good! Look a bit more fierce!” Sofia continued guiding me through the shoot one after another. “Great work! You’re doing better than expected. Now let’s change outfits and do the next look.” Her voice encouraged me and I felt like I didn’t have to worry anymore, I made some rather silly poses, changed clothes and continued. It had been about half an hour of just pictures by then, we must have taken hundreds if not more…
“Hm… maybe a bit more to the left… that’s perfect!” Yet Sofia didn’t seem to be the least bit tired despite the way she moved back and forth trying to catch a better angle.
“You’re really amazing, you know that?” I told her, at some point I couldn’t hide my true feelings anymore.
“Me? Amazing, how so?” Sofia asked while looking away from her camera. She looked surprised by my sudden words.
“Out of everyone here you seem like the person that understands people the most. You don’t have any animosity towards me either.” I explained why I said what I said and this seemed to leave her in more awe than before.
“Ah, see the rest of the girls might be a bit prickly in the beginning but once you all get used to each other, you’ll be fine.” Sofia reassured me again she was looking out for me more than I imagined she would. We might have been perfect strangers but she was a kind woman.
“I don’t get it why they act like that. It’s not like I’m their competition or anything.” I replied looking a bit puzzled as I was.
Sofia laughed heartily. “Haha, no, no you got it all wrong. They’re not being mean because they think you’re a threat. They just hate new people.”
“So I’m not a threat to them?” I asked her, I had assumed it was the reason they disliked me.
“Of course not, why would you be?” Sofia asked while tilting her head to the side. I couldn’t tell if she was just clueless or she saw something that I wasn’t capable of seeing for myself at that moment. Either way it didn’t matter.
“Because Sky kissed me and confessed to me.” I told her outright maybe then she’d understand.
“That’s not as huge, you know?” Sofia stared at me with such an unimpressed look in her eyes.
“I see…” I nodded along in understanding, so that man was someone that kissed people a lot then?
“Hm… you’re looking a bit glum… is it because you’ve already fallen for him, hmmmm???” Sofia’s playful teasing left me more confused than before.
“No… I just, my head got messed up by meeting all of you today.” I explained while stepping back.
“Isn’t that sweet, so you’re already influenced by us?” Sofia asked me with a curious expression upon her face, I wondered what made her so energetic.
“A bit…” I admitted that I had been influenced they were all beautiful women with dark secrets and they only told me things as much as to satiate my curiosity and no more.
“Well, I can’t do much but tell you to keep it cool. Come on, one last picture.” Sofia said while I wore the most plain clothes of the bunch. I sat in a chair.
“Okay…” I didn’t think about how to pose I just sat there.
“I want this to be very natural… casual even. No character, you can look confused if you want to. Just look directly at the lens and try to smile.” Sofia instructed me the same as before but this time she wanted something that was more me than a character.
“I got it…” Although I said that, I didn’t really know what that me would look like at all. After everything I been through… smiling should be easy but… it wasn’t…