Fan Fiction |
by Hibiscus
“Mary, breathe. You need to breathe. See, like this,” And Ariel took a deep breath, demonstrating.
“You are absolutely hilarious.” Mary said meaning everything but.
Ariel smiled brightly.
“Do you know how many reporters have called me asking for a statement about you and Wu Chun, or you and Rainie?”
“No, how many?”
“ARIEL!”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. But it needed to be done cuz…well, a friend needed attention to be taken off his relationship. And besides, isn’t this a good thing?” Ariel said. “If the media thinks I’m dating Wu Chun, they won’t snoop around Mike and me and we’ll be able to avoid rumors.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” Mary said.
“You were off! I didn’t want to barge in on your ‘me’ time.” Ariel replied.
“I wish you had. Oh, I met Jerry Chen at this party the other day.” Mary said abruptly changing the subject.
“Jerry Chen…hmm, oh, Tiffany Xu’s manager?”
“Yeah. He was bragging about how Tiffany was going on some one month trip to Greece to study.” Mary replied.
Ariel crinkled her forehead. “Joe’s going too. Hmm, do you think they arranged it together?”
“Hah, that girl has the biggest crush on him, y’noe. I wouldn’t be surprised if she arranged this trip just so she could spend some time with him.” Mary smirked.
“Psht Mary, I wonder if Joe knows.”
“Ask him. Anyway, you have a photo shoot for Tuesday scheduled tomorrow. Do you want me to take you there or do you want to go by yourself?”
“I’ll go by myself, where is it?” Ariel asked.
“It’s at Alan’s.” Mary said.
“Wow, Angela got Alan to take the pictures?” Ariel gasped. Alan Chou was one of the most talented photographers in the field at the moment. His pictures were not static one-dimensional illustrations; they surpassed the photographic medium, grabbed you with their bold colours and spoke to you. Of course, along with his incredible talent, Alan also came with a reputation for making the most atrocious demands on his models, just so he could capture the correct feeling or image. He was a perfectionist much like Damon.
“How’s the dancing going,” Mary asked sitting down and facing Ariel.
Ariel winced and got up. She pulled up her skirts and showed Mary her newly toned legs. “The man is a slave driver. I spend all my time during practice thinking about how I’m going to torture him.”
Mary laughed.
“Speaking of which, it’s time to go face him again.” Saying her goodbyes, Ariel mournfully left Mary’s office for Damon’s studio.
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Ariel was shown to the set by one of Alan’s minions rushing around with varying degrees of panic to their movements.
“Alyssa, get her suited up and out in 20 minutes!” A tall, lithe man, with really tanned skin and a deeply concentrated expression on his face bellowed.
“Wait,” Ariel thought as a woman approached her with a determined expression on her face. “Is he talking about me?”
Apparently so. Because the woman without any extra ceremony smiled at her a bit curtly, introduced herself and showed her to an empty room with changing cubicles on the side.
“Please put the dress on and then we’ll do your hair and makeup.” She said and left the room.
“Nice to meet you too.” Ariel said muttering. She was taken aback by the rudeness of the photographer. He hadn’t even bothered to introduce himself and Ariel had never worked with him before so she hadn’t known what to expect.
She put on the dress and walked out of the cubicle, nearly shrieking when she saw Mike already at one of the vanity tables, getting his makeup put on by Alyssa. Ariel nodded to him and then went and sat in one of the chairs before the mirror.
“How’s it going?” Mike said. Then he coughed from the powder.
Ariel smirked. “I don’t know how it’s going. The photographer didn’t talk to me.”
“Oh, he’s a bit eccentric, so don’t worry. It’s not that he’s trying to be rude or anything, it’s just that when he takes pictures for dramas and stuff like that, he likes to meet the actors when they are in character. He’s the official photographer for that designer I modeled for and he told me he’d rather think of me as a mannequin than as a person.” Mike grinned.
Ariel boggled at him. “A mannequin? Didn’t that make you mad?”
“Nah, the man’s just doing his job. How he views us is how he captures us is in his lenses and he told me that if he met us before the shoot and we were not in character, he’d be forced to take pictures of Ariel Lin and Mike He and not Daniel Zheng and Tuesday as he’s supposed to.”
“I didn’t realize taking pictures was so complicated.” Ariel muttered.
“It’s an art. You are not the only artiste you know.” Alyssa bit off.
Ariel’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound bratty, it’s just that I’m not very familiar with the ins and outs of photography.”
She stared baffled as Alyssa didn’t reply and start to apply makeup to her face with short, angry movements. Ariel glanced at Mike who shrugged looking as baffled as her.
“Get ready; he’ll come see you now.” Alyssa said leaving the room, her heels making a staccato beat on the floor as she walked out of the room.
“Artistic temperament?” Ariel said to Mike who shrugged again.
Just then Alan entered the room. He was probably in his late 20’s judging from his looks. He had a fit body and a sort of lethal grace to his steps, as though there was a tiger inside of him just waiting to pounce. Ariel breathed deeply in his presence.
“You are Tuesday?” He said stopping before her before abruptly sticking out his hand. Ariel shook it, remembering to nod.
“And Daniel I presume.” Alan turned to Mike. Mike nodded.
“Please follow me.” And he led them on to the set. The backdrop was white and there was a screen set up behind them.
“I prefer to put in the background after I’m done with the initial pictures.” Alan explained as he motioned for them to take their places in front of the camera.
“Now I had a lengthy discussion with the director and we agreed that the theme of these pictures would be the emotions felt between Tuesday and Daniel. That is, by you two.” He stopped speaking and stared at them.
“And when I say emotions, I mean the entire range. Jealousy, hope, love, desire, anger. Everything.”
Ariel nodded, not wanting to interrupt him by speaking.
“And Angela assured me that you both are professionals and will not hesitate to accommodate me or my demands.” He continued
Ariel sighed internally. She didn’t know what he’d make them do but it sounded ominous already. She risked a glance at Mike and saw that he was listening raptly.
“We’ll start with the first batch – which will be Hope. Tuesday, this is the first time you’ve realized that you like Daniel. Daniel – someone get the prop out right now!”
One of the minions ran to Mike with a camera. “Daniel, all you’ll be doing in this shot is looking down at the camera. Tuesday, I want that curious, startled expression on your face. An expression of a dawning realization. You love this man. And you’ve just realized it.”
Ariel got into character, her professionalism and talent taking over.
“Now it’s your turn Daniel. Tuesday, I want you on your toes. Can you do that?” Alan paused and looked at Ariel. She nodded.
“Head thrown back, eyes closed. Okay, just like that. Beautiful. Now Daniel, your expression, a mirror of Tuesday’s expression, except a bit hooded. A bit knowing. Right. Good. Hold it.”
“Now, we’ll move on to Love. I want you two to get closer together. Tuesday, get up on your toes, arms hanging by your side, eyes closed, face raised and lips pressed to Daniel’s. Daniel, your hands framing Tuesday’s face. Your head bent to meet her lips. Your eyes closed. Lean a bit closer. Okay, perfect, perfect.”
“Now, hold that pose, Daniel, open your eyes . Tuesday, yours will remain closed. Okay. Now change. Daniel, your eyes will remain closed and Tuesday, your eyes will be open and you will be looking at Daniel. You love this man. Emote. Speak; scream it with your eyes. I can’t hear you. Speak louder. Good, just like that.”
“Now possession/desire/passion. Daniel, pick Tuesday up. No, not like that. Like, as though you were hugging her and she wrapped her legs around your waist. No no, you don’t hold her like she’s a fragile vase. Hold her like she’s a woman. Your woman. Now Tuesday, I want your head on Daniel’s shoulder, eyes closed in a gesture of surrender. Daniel, face the camera, tell me with your eyes that what you are holding is yours and yours alone. Dare me to try to take her away, hold her tighter. Now Tuesday, I want your hand curling around the back of Daniel’s neck. Slide your hands in his hair, grip the scalp, force his head back and look at him as though he is your forever and eternity.”
“Good, good. Now, on the floor. Daniel, sit down properly. Tuesday, kneel, arms around Daniel, Daniel’s face is hidden in your neck. Look at the camera. He is yours. And yours alone. And you won’t give him up. To anyone. Hold it, hold it…Excellent.
“Okay, that’s it for the couple pictures. Tuesday, it’s your turn for some solo shots.”
Mike walked away from the glare of the lights and Ariel remained kneeling.
“Tuesday, sit back on your haunches. I want your to portray pain. As much as you can. Your mother doesn’t love you. You have spent your entire life trying to make her love you and she won’t even realize your existence. The man you loved has walked away from you in turn calling you incapable of warmth, incapable of realizing his existence. And you don’t know how to let him know that you are not as removed form feeling as he thinks you are.”
And so it continued for the better part of two hours. When her session was over, Ariel stumbled off the set and back into the little changing room. She felt drained by the multitude of emotions she had been put through, been made to feel. She looked up as Mike entered the room, looking as drained as she felt.
And right on his heels was Alan who was now smiling genially.
“I’m Alan Chen. It’s a pleasure to meet you, He Jun Xiang, Lin Yi Chen.” And he shook both of their hands. Ariel gaped at him. Gone was the wild eyed photographer, impassioned by his visions. In his place stood a normal looking, pleasant man.
“I’m a big fan of your acting.” He gushed to Ariel as Mike left to change. Alyssa who had been cleaning up the vanity area, dropped something, shot another glare in Ariel’s direction and stalked off.
Ariel looked after her wide eyed and then said to Alan, “She must not like me much.”
“Oh she’s just jealous cuz I’ve been praising you to the heavens ever since I found out that you were on for the role of Tuesday. You have such an expressive face that it’s a pleasure to photograph you. And you bring out the best in Mike; I’ve never seen him this superb.” Alan continued talking rapidly.
Ariel nodded bemusedly.
A while later, changed and with the make up off, Mike and Ariel left the building together.
“When did he say we would get to see the pictures?” Ariel asked him as he walked her towards her car.
“A week or so. Angela needs to look them over and decide which one she wants to use as the drama cover pic.” Mike replied.
“He’s like Doctor Jekyll and Hyde, don’t you think?” Ariel said as they reached her car.
“Oh yeah, definitely.” Mike grinned. “I wonder if he and Damon are buddies.”
“Probably soul mates. Anyway, s’later.” And Ariel drove off.
As soon as she had driven far enough to not be visible, Ariel parked on the side of the road and breathed deeply. Being so close to Mike had brought all sorts of memories rushing to the surface and she wrapped her arms around herself to quench them.
Mike stared after Ariel’s car long after he couldn’t see it anymore. Holding her once again had been heaven but, and he rubbed his chest as though to ease a pain, it had been torture at the same time. He didn’t know if he could do the drama and retain his sanity.
Ariel, still sitting her car was thinking exactly the same thing.