A quality wig, some tasteful padding across the chest, compression tucking briefs, and I’ve become Melinoë.
Kristen and Keysha share a high-five as Sharon nods eagerly.
Just as the last spritz of hairspray settles, a young production assistant pokes her head into the trailer. She wears a one-ear headset plugged into a walkie-talkie, and all black,which is basically the PA uniform. “Mylo, they’re ready for you on set!”
The trio wishes me luck, and I follow the PA down the gravel road and around toward today’s filming location. Her dirty-blonde hair is pulled into two neat braids, and she holds an iced coffee in each hand and keeps her folder tucked tightly under an elbow. Her accent marks her as American, and the Cal State zipper pull on her side pocket hints that she’s a Cali native.
“Need a hand with that?” I offer.
“No, that’s alright. Thanks though.” She carefully picks her way down the gravel slope, moving stiffly to keep from dropping anything.
“You sure? I’m just a double, I’m not gonna tattle.”
The PA hesitates, then twists the folder toward me. “Actually, that’d be amazing.”
I grab the folder, and her shoulders relax.
“Remind me of your name?” I ask, even though I haven’t been told yet; I equally don’t want to call her out and don’t want to bring attention to my being new.
“Oh! Sorry. I’m June, Haley’s PA. And kinda yours now, too! So be sure to let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do,” I say, even though I’m unlikely to take her up on it.
“Haley’s super sweet,” June says. “I basically have to bully her into giving me her coffee order. I think you’ll love working with her; Alanna did.”
“I’m so sorry about what happened to Alanna.”
“Yeah, we all miss her… But don’t let that make you feel weird! Everyone’s super grateful we can keep filming. I can’t believe there’s less than two weeks left…” June gives a wistful sigh.
I let my eyes drift over the slender, branching trunks around us. The winter is mild enough that the trees don’t drop theirleaves, and it’s overcast at the moment, lending the forest an otherworldly light.
“It’s gorgeous,” I say.
“Yeah… I’m gonna miss it. But enough sad thoughts! There’s stillso muchto do.”
I offer a light chuckle. “Yeah, no kidding.”
“Excited for the big stunt?”
“Elated.”
The gravel road leads us out into the clearing where today’s shooting will take place.
June gives one coffee to Bella and the other to Haley, who thanks her effusively. I give June her folder back, and she scurries on to her next task.
Christine is blessedly distracted, chatting with Lana and the assistant director, who I now know is former telenovela actor Alejandro García, thanks to a thorough primer from the stunt crew last night.
Haley waves and steps over. “Hey, Mylo! Thank you again for rescuing me; you have no idea how happy I am to not be in that harness today.”
“No problem. Just doing my job. And if it makes you feel any better, nobody likes the corset harness. They’re a hell of a lot more uncomfortable than a jerk vest, and that’s saying something.”
Haley gives a bashful smile. “That does make me feel better, even though I haven’t a clue what a jerk vest is.”
“Goes over your whole chest, like a vest. And it has straps around the hips, to the insides of the thighs. A lot more area to spread the force over. A lot harder to hide under a bodysuit, though.”
“Ohhh, that makes sense.”
Bella scans the clipboard in her hand. “We’ve got a Texas switch today for a dramatic exit, and I want to see if we can geta jump up onto that boulder. Think you can fit a front flip in there?”
