Deloise was in character. She'd been nervous of the watchful eyes of Daniel Greenwood and the importance of this very audition, and fumbled twice as a result of fear, which earned her a solid rebuke from Daniel, and a last chance of redemption coupled with a pep talk from him to give it her best shot.Knowing it was her last shot, Deloise recounted her journey and how she'd discovered her passion for creative arts, its consequences and costs so far. She walked all the way to this moment in order to do what she loved and there was no way in hell she was going to leave a failure. She was far too gone to fail. Under the watchful eyes of the men thrio, Deloise slumped to the floor. Her face contorted to one with immense pain, and the spectators felt the mood of the room change.In character, she crawled painfully to the mannequin situated meters away from her. In the scene she was to deliver, she had just found her son, bloodied on the floor, and killed by poison administered by her hus
Aaron stood with a smirk, waiting for the fire cracker to return, knowing he was her only hope of navigating the school grounds. He was surprised when he found out she actually left. Without him.Mr Austin and Daniel watched their interaction and couldn't help but smile at the duo. Mr Austin was pressing to have Aaron let out of the production, yet refusing to cite a solid reason." They already hate each other, let's make it easier and find some other male lead." Mr Austin said, pressing on the notion to have Aaron dismissed." Matter of fact, if I hadn't seen that, I would have accepted to replace him. But now, he doesn't seem like he wants to lose the role." Daniel Greenwood said, motioning to Aaron who stood with an odd smile, looking at the door in bewilderment." You don't know that." Mr Austin said with a smile." Let's find out then," Daniel said, and without further Ado, called out to Aaron with an excited glint in his eyes. " Hey boy! Still want to drop your role?" He asked
Deloise was in her Royal Arts dorm room. Since her arrival the previous day, she was occupied with unpacking and getting her schedule ready. For the first time in a while she was finally getting free time to properly settle in before classes commenced.Layla - who was tired from her seven o'clock class- dozed off the moment she returned. She could tell that her roomate wasn't a morning person.Nevertheless, Deloise was happy to finally get settled inside her room and got busy on her phone, going through the internet, when she came across a picture of a popular mother and daughter duo in the industry.For a while, she analyzed the picture with a ghost smile. How great would it be if she had her mother with her on this journey? Deloise wondered if a time would come when she got the support of her mother.As though the earth heard her thoughts, her phone broke out in a loud ring, and to her utmost surprise, it was her mother!How on earth she decided to call at that point in time was a t
Deloise was dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans. She turned on her phone, searching for food spots on campus. Seeing her roommate wasn't available, she figured it was best she found her way around campus.Sooner than later.As she strode towards the direction of the cafeteria, she made mental notes on the way and couldn't help but notice the odd looks thrown her way from fellow students.The Royal Arts Academy was a community of over five thousand people - staff and students Inclusive. It was a community that was tight knitted and uneasy to get into.As a result, people recognized each other by default. Making it obvious when a new face showed up. And with Deloise, being a new intake, she stuck out like a sore thumb.Trying her best to appear unaffected by their stares, Deloise headed quickly towards the school's cafeteria, hoping it wasn't too filled up with people. It was school hours afterall.Upon entering the cafeteria, she was welcomed by beautiful aromas of pastries and food.
Esther was inside her kitchen. Opening up cupboards and taking note of the provision she needed. She opened the fridge and its emptiness was glaring, including the need to visit the supermarket.She was swamped with a lot of orders in recent times and most times, got too busy to cook anything and ordered take out instead. The dreaded visit to the provision store was something she had to do as it ate deep into her healthy eating habits.While she mentally noted the important items she needed, she prepared to take on the darned job alone, as Karen was on a trip.These days, during their conversations, all she could hear was about how much love, care and attention she was getting from her husband. When Esther heard the beautiful stories of Karen and her husband - whom she'd never seen despite her being friends with Karen for a long time, she was brought back to the point when she had someone who cared for her. Someone who she could confidently call hers.Sometimes, she wondered if she w
Esther wore a white t-shirt and joggers pants. She was finally grocery shopping. Her car was parked outside the store, ready to assist her in conveying the items. Her list was pretty long, and she ran around the store, picking out her things and throwing them in the cart.It was mid-afternoon and surprisingly there weren't many people in the store. She wasn't complaining as it allowed her free reign, access and speed all through her shopping spree.It was nice to shop when there weren't as many people and Esther found it almost enjoyable. Keyword being almost.Having gathered all she needed, Esther was ready to go and trudged towards the counter to get her check. There was no line, and she immediately got checked and packed.Taking two trips to her car, Esther was finally good to go and mentally hi-fived herself for a job well done. Unknown to her, someone was carefully watching her with unbelief clad in his hooded eyes. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. That person was Daniel
Aaron was in his apartment on campus, packing a bag when Tony walked into his room." Hey man! Where are you off to? "He plummeted himself on the made bed in the center of Aaron's room." None of your fucking business."Aaron continued packing his bag, nonchalant to Tony's presence. He didn't sleep through the night, and spent the whole time thinking about the deal.As a result, he was crankier than usual." What crawled and died up your ass? Don't tell me you're still touchy about yesterday. "At the mention of the day before, Aaron's jaws clenched." Shut up and tell me why you are here. I don't have all day." He said with gritted teeth." Bullshit. You're cranky. Something's up.""Yeah, something's up, I'm two seconds from decking the shit out of you." Aaron announced in a warning tone."Easy, Tiger. I heard a little gossip and I figured you'd be in the best place to tell. " Tony stood up and walked towards the window mane, not the least bit threatened by his friend."News has it
" Meeting tomorrow by 10am. Office of the Director, Royal Arts Academy. "The message was sent to the selected candidates for the production that evening, and the recipients were excited, hoping to finally get Intel on the status of the project after a while of silence.Amongst the recipients of the invitation were Stella, Aaron and Deloise. On Stella's side, she prepared herself, going through the script once more in case they decided to begin filming. The role was hers after all.Meanwhile, on the side of Aaron, he proposed to talk to Mr Austin about his decision to continue with the job. He didn't know how he was going to feel about it and hoped it wasn't too late to retract his previous demands.Deloise didn't know what to expect. It was the first time she was receiving word from the management since her settling in. Early the next day, she got up very early, had her bath and prepared herself for the ' meeting ' with the director. By the time she was done preparing, Layla was on
It was finally the WBA Awards show. People from various parts of the world expressed their excitement to see their favorite celebrities on the red carpet and eventually on the stage - hopefully with an award. The World Best Acts award show was an event that was held once in four years. It was the most anticipated event of the entertainment world and year after year, people- celebrities and fans alike - worked towards being on the stage or being a part of the show. The WBA’s was a prestigious event that was star-studded, well attended and publicized worldwide. Its stage was every star’s dream, and a WBA award was something remarkable to say the least. For Deloise, she was lucky to be invited for such an event, a feat directly credited to her debut movie that managed to break records in its time, emerging as one of the best movies created at that time. Deloise was seated in front of a mirror while they prepared her for the appearance. Doris was nowhere to be found, busy with ensuri
Two weeks later, the Magazine issue with Deloise went out. The first few days were a bit slow, but as time proceeded, more people got hold of the latest Focus Magazine starring a retired actress. Soon enough, the magazine became the most talked about on the internet. Albeit, most of the conversations around the issue weren’t the most favorable, but publicity was publicity. In the entertainment world, getting spoken about in a bad light was better than nothing. Not that she cared anyway. It was the weekend and Doris relaxed home with Deloise. “Tony is requesting dinner,” She said from the couch and Deloise sighed. “Why the hell is he bombarding me with messages and not you?” “Because I may have ignored him.”“Get him off my back, will you?” she asked, exasperated, “And just so you know, that guy never gives up. Better to get things over with now than later.” “Tell me about it.” Deloise grumbled, shooting off a text back at Tony. Later that evening, in a cozy restaurant, Deloise
Safe to say her first day at work wasn’t ideal. Doris couldn’t make it back to pick her but sent a driver to do the job. Deloise sulked all the way back, trying and failing to contain the fury that brimmed within her. Stella had won for the day, but it was just the beginning. If there was one thing she learned from her stay back in France, it was to never let anyone trample upon her. She was a way different person and if it took a lesson from her to make that clear, then she will dish out one. Lets see how well she does with a taste of her own medicine. Deloise dropped down the car and made her way into the house determined to find every dirty detail she could on Stella. With the coding skills she acquired, she could almost hack into anything. A plan hatched in her heart and without a second thought, she headed for her room and shut the door behind her. Deloise took out her laptop with a cynic look on her face. “Senior huh? let’s see what other skills you have up your sleeve.”Her
Doris saw to her promise because the next day, very early in the day, she woke up Deloise, urging her to get prepared for their day out. Sluggishly, Deloise got out of bed and worked around getting ready for an audition she was yet to know a word of. They got into the car and a script was passed along to her. “Finally.” She muttered, “Couldn’t have given me any sooner?” Doris laughed, “You are in a mood. Just so you know, the audition isn’t until-” she glanced at her watch, “One hour.” she finished with a shrug, “Surely that’s enough time to get into the height of things.” “How long is the drive?”“Thirty minutes?” “Great. You expect me to ace this audition or are you trying to test how rusty I am?”“So whiny,” she tutted, and pulled out of the driveway, “Who is this and where is the Deloise who aced her audition on the first day of resumption?” “Rusty as hell.” “Definitely in need of some breaking in.” Doris stepped on it.They proceeded on the journey and Deloise went through
THREE YEARS LATER.A lady with fair skin and long wavy hair stepped out of the Airplane with black shades on. The nostalgic feel of the country hit her in the face with memories she’s rather left unsaid. Dragging along her luggage, she walked out of the airport, checking the time for her designated driver. She might have to call a cab if they took any longer. She held that thought and like magic, a Mercedes appeared in front of her. The car revved and its windows rolled down, revealing a smiling and barely aged Doris who unlocked the door. “I can’t believe my eyes. Is that really you?” She gasped and got out of the car.“Doris Gates. You haven’t aged a day.” Deloise remarked with an equal smile on her face. “You look way too good on that ride.”“Hard work pays off, get into the car.” she said as she stored her luggage in the boots, “We have a lot to talk about.” “It’s good that I’m not in a hurry.” Doris got into the car and they sped off the road. As she drove, they conversed abou
“Just this morning, Evolve Talent Management has put out a statement regarding their newest intake's retirement from the movie industry. In a PR release, they expressed their surprise at her actions, citing how she has refused to retract her decision despite every effort, and as a result breaking the managerial contract signed with the company.”“Hours after the Press conference, an emergency board meeting was called and they came to the conclusion that the now-retired actress would be made to pay a fine (undisclosed) for breaking the contract, and shall be added to the company’s blacklist, effective immediately...”The television was turned off by Doris after the last statement, she watched Deloise stare into the blank screen, worrying at the state of her mind. “I’m sorry...I tried all I could to prevent this but-”“How much am I required to pay?” Deloise asked, “What’s the fine?”“There’s no fine. We settled that using your payments from the appearance at Chicago. What is your next
“How do you feel?” Doris asked Deloise as they got prepared for her conference, “I don’t know.” She muttered, “I just want things to go smoothly.” Deloise felt a hand sweep her back, “Stick with the script and we’ll be done in no time.” “That’s the easy part.” She muttered, spraying a minimum amount of perfume, “I’m worried about what comes after. The people were almost done with judging me, this will reopen that door.”“Unfortunately, this is a world of constant judgment. Even the best actresses get a bit of it too.” She hands over the script, “You’ll get through this.”Deloise goes through her statement in silence, she was supposed to tender an apology, formally announce her separation with Aaron and affirm Daniel’s identity as her father. It seemed like she was accepting every allegations meted against her. She couldn’t find it in her to care anymore, and nodded through the tips Doris gave her on public speaking and answering questions. “You’ll be on in five.” Doris said at the
Deloise woke up to a gloomy cloud. It was time to face everything. She had a press conference later today but before that, she had to meet her mother. It wasn’t news that since that dreaded morning, they hadn’t spoken a word to each other. Matter of fact, she made it a point to avoid her, and any related conversation. Three days ago, that streak was broken by the visit of Ms. Karen who showed up unannounced. That very day, she remembered getting into it with the woman who thought it right to defend the evils of her mother and expose her in one breath. She was prepared to pay her no heed until she went her way but at the mention of the sorry state of her mother, she reconsidered.At the end of that meeting, she had an appointment with her mother, which happened to fall on the same day she was to formally address the world. As a result, she got up early and prepared to leave the house, pondering the future of the meeting with her mother. She didn’t know if she was ready to look her i
Deloise and Amanda were finally having a video call after many failed attempts.“How are you doing? Where are you?” Amanda asked, the worry on her face couldn’t be hidden. Deloise pushed back a hair loft as she replied. “I’m alright.”“I feel so terrible being unable to help. I’ve replied to a tonne of hate comments on the internet but that’s barely enough.” She sulked, “You don’t deserve this. How were you meant to know he was your dad if your mom didn’t say a thing about it? I can’t believe how stupid people are, believing anything they see.”“I’m alright.” Deloise reassured her with a smile. “I appreciate your efforts, but that’s not necessary.”“Still. I can’t look past anyone badmouthing you when they don’t even know you.” She hissed, “If I can defend Anna- who isn’t my biggest fan at the moment, best believe anyone who breathes wrongly about you will be getting a lot more than a few stitches.” That brought a laugh out of Deloise. More so because she meant every word. “Don’t ge