Had she ever been this alone in her life?
She frowned when she realized the answer was yes. She usually felt alone, just not this isolated. A car could come around the corner at any moment or there could be no one around for miles. It was slightly unnerving for a city gal.
But there was also something that drew her and called to her soul. A sense of peace, of contentment, that was lacking in the city. “Thank you, Maury,” she whispered, suddenly fiercely glad he’d gotten her this role. She had a feeling it was going to change her life.
The next few weeks would be filled with hard work, but she didn’t mind that. She was looking forward to it, in fact. But now she was anticipating her downtime as well. She really hoped to have some time to wander around the woods a bit. Not too far from the movie set, of course. The last thing she wanted to do was get lost.
She slid back into her seat and shut the door. Something dug into her thigh and she reached into her jeans pocket and drew out the necklace. The claw was about three inches long. Deadly. She could well imagine a massive bear with huge paws tipped in these lethal weapons.
She shivered and started to put it back in her pocket. Something stopped her, some impulse and she shrugged. Why not? It was a present. It represented the start of this journey and she knew she’d always associate it with this movie. Plus, it was truly a thing of beauty.
Kellsie slipped the leather thong over her neck and straightened the cord until the claw sat between her breasts. She tucked it under her shirt and smiled as she started the car and began the last leg of her trip.
The drive went faster than she anticipated. Some thoughtful soul had put up a temporary sign on the highway with an arrow, indicating the movie set was off on a dirt road to the left. She was glad for the unexpected directions as darkness had fully fallen and she might have otherwise missed the turnoff. Kellsie maneuvered Betsy down the less-than-perfect road, wincing and apologizing whenever the bottom of the car hit the uneven dirt.
She made a final turn and the lights of the movie set came into view. She stopped and stared out the windshield. It really was like an old-time carnival. The set designer and all his crew had done a remarkable job. It reminded her of something out of the fifties, except maybe a bit seedier. It was perfect.
A knock on her window startled her. She swung around and found a young woman grinning at her and motioning her to lower her window. Kellsie did so and the woman’s smile widened. “Kellsie Morris.” She thrust out her hand. “I’m Brittany and I’m a huge fan. If you park your car over in the employee lot, I’ll show you to your trailer.” The young woman indicated a makeshift parking lot off to the right.
“Thanks, Brittany. I appreciate it.” She shook the other woman’s hand. Time to get to work. By the time Kellsie had parked Betsy and killed the headlights, Brittany was waiting beside the car. Kellsie climbed out and grabbed her purse and map from the front seat before getting her luggage out of the trunk.
“I can carry that for you.” Brittany reached for Kellsie’s bag, but she declined help.
“I got it, but thanks,” she said to soften her refusal. Brittany was extraordinarily pretty with long, blonde hair and golden-brown eyes. Kellsie wondered if she also had a small acting role in the movie. Sometimes actors worked both sides of the camera when they were starting out. Anything to be involved in a movie.
Brittany pouted, but only for a moment and her smile was back. “You’re over this way.” She led Kellsie off to the left.
“That’s quite the set up.” Kellsie inclined her head toward the carnival set.
“It really is, isn’t it? It’s wonderful.” Brittany waved at the man running the Ferris wheel, which was going round and round. “You can try out the rides later if you want. We don’t start actual shooting with the actors for another two days. The director wasn’t quite sure when you’d get here so he took a crew into the woods to get some panoramic nature shots.”
The girl barely took a breath, but she was certainly a fount of information. “That will give me time to read through the script. I just came off my last job.”
Brittany nodded and waved to another man who was staring at them. “Hey, Rob.” To Kellsie she added, “That’s Rob. He’s a cameraman, but he has fast hands, if you know what I mean.”
“Thanks for the heads-up.” A small trailer village came into view. People were rushing around, but Kellsie could sense their eyes on her. Hopefully, she’d meet them all tomorrow morning at breakfast. A movie always worked better when folks got along. She searched for a familiar face but saw only strangers. Weird. She’d been working in this business a long time and usually knew a few others on set.
Brittany led her to a small, silver trailer just beyond all the others. “This is yours.” She opened the door and stepped inside. “It’s small, but you don’t have to share.” The younger woman chewed on her bottom lip, looking worried.
Kellsie was no diva. She’d shared accommodations many times before. She smiled at Brittany, who was waiting expectantly. “It’s perfect.” It was tight, but it had a bathroom, kitchenette and bed. Everything Kellsie needed.
Brittany opened the small refrigerator. “There’s bottled water and a few snacks in here.” She shut the door again. “The dining tent is back by the carnival rides. You can get something to eat there any time of the day. They shut down at around seven at night. Since we’re in a park, they don’t want to take the chance of attracting animals to the food during the night. That’s why there are snacks in all the trailers.”
“Sounds good to me.” Kellsie dumped her duffle on the bed.
“I’ll let you get settled. You must be exhausted after your long drive.”
She yawned, suddenly overwhelmed by fatigue. “I am tired.”
Brittany patted her arm. “Why don’t you take a nap or even call it a night. The director won’t be back until late, if at all. They took tents in case they wanted to get some early sunrise shots in the mountains. You can meet him tomorrow. There’s crackers and cheese and apples and stuff, or I can bring you something if you want.”
“Thanks, Brittany. I really appreciate it. I think I’ll just get settled in. There’s more than enough to eat if I get hungry.” Kellsie just wanted to get horizontal.
“Okay then. If I don’t see you later, I’ll come get you in the morning.”
“Great. And thanks again.”
“No problem. We’re all just happy you’re finally here.” With those parting words, Brittany was gone and Kellsie was alone in her trailer.
She locked the door behind the other woman and surveyed her new home for the foreseeable future. It was compact but clean, and Kellsie appreciated having a place to herself.
Calling Maury was the first item on her list of things to do. She dug her cellphone out of her purse and hit the first button on her speed dial. She didn’t have any family or close friends. Maury was it. The only other numbers on her speed dial were the Gino’s Italian Pizzeria two blocks from her house and Mr. Chang’s House of Food, which made the best sweet and sour spareribs she’d ever had.
She put the phone to her ear and heard nothing. Pulling the phone away, she read no signal. “No surprise there, not with all the mountains surrounding us.” She flipped the phone shut and tossed it back into her bag. She’d have to ask Brittany about that. There had to be some way to communicate with the outside world.
Exhaustion was creeping up faster by the minute. Kellsie bit back another yawn as she went to work unpacking her clothing. It didn’t take long to store her belongings in the miniscule closet beside the head of the bed. It had two built-in drawers and a twelve-inch rod for hanging stuff. Even with the little she’d brought, the closet was soon filled.