“Oh, I didn’t realize she has the experience,” Wendy says brightly. “What kind of stuff has she been in?”
” A Wrong question,” Janetta mutters. “You should be asking what kind of stuff has been in her.”
“What’s that?” Wendy asks. “I can’t hear you.”
“Never mind,” Janetta says. “Just call the director and tell him I want to give my little sister her big acting break.”
Gabrielle’s eyes go wide, and the room seems to spin. She stares at Janetta in shock, trying to read her sister’s expression. Why does Janetta want to give me this opportunity? She wonders. There’s no way she’s doing this out of the goodness of her heart.
“That’s a really nice offer, Janetta,” she says. “But I don’t know the first thing about being a stunt double.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Janetta says with a wave of her manicured hand. “No one is a natural-born stunt double—everyone has to start somewhere. This will be a great opportunity for you to learn.”
“Thanks, but I’m not sure I want to learn,” Gabrielle says.
Janetta steps closer and whispers, “Come on, I’m trying to give you a chance here. Surely you don’t want to spend the rest of your life in the Top Girls Club, and there’s no way the hospital will ever hire you as a nurse after they find out what you’ve done. This could be your only chance at a bright new future.”
Gabrielle bites her lip. Janetta has a point—no respectable hospital will ever hire a former p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.e as a nurse. She shakes her head at herself. I need to be more careful, she thinks. This is definitely some sort of trap.
“I don’t want to embarrass you, Janetta,” Gabrielle says. “I’m sure I’ll just disappoint the director, and that will reflect badly on you.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Janetta says. “Besides, the director and I have worked on several projects together. He’ll be happy to do me a favor.”
“I really don’t think—” Gabrielle begins.
She’s interrupted as the trailer door swings open. Bryan saunters into the small trailer and leans up against the wall as if he owns it.
“I was wondering where you ladies were,” he says.
“Oh Bryan, I’m so glad you’re here,” Janetta says. “Gabrielle just agreed to be my stunt double for the sword fight scene today. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Bryan laughs and puts his palm on Gabrielle’s forehead. “Are you ill?” he asks. “Last I checked, you were hopelessly clumsy. What makes you think you can be a stunt double?”
“Don’t be an idiot, Bryan,” Janetta snaps. “I’m just trying to help my little sister. She’s not exactly on a good path right now, and I feel like it’s my responsibility to help her have a better future.”
Gabrielle looks down at her feet in shame. She’s sure Bryan will ask Janetta what she means, and then he’ll find out the terrible truth. Silence fills the trailer, and Gabrielle grits her teeth.
“Whatever,” Bryan says with a shrug. “Try not to break your neck, Gabby.”
The next hour is a blur. The stylists get to work applying makeup and doing Gabrielle’s hair. They poke and prod her until she feels crabby and exhausted. By the time they finish, she hardly recognizes herself in the mirror.
“It’s uncanny,” Wendy says. “You and Janetta could be the same person. Come on, and you need to meet Mr. Edgar, the action choreographer.”
Gabrielle nods and follows Wendy back onto the set. A short man wearing a black turtleneck and thick glasses waves them over. Gabrielle has never seen an action choreographer before, but this little man takes her by surprise. He looks nothing like the buff action man she was imagining.
“You’re late,” he says. “Please tell me you know how to do stunts.”
She shakes her head, grateful the thick makeup hides the blush creeping up her cheeks. Mr. Edgar purses his lips and circles her.
“Do you at least know how to dance?” he asks.
“I recently started to take dance lessons,” she answers.
“How recently?” he asks.
“A few weeks ago,” she answers honestly.
“A few weeks ago, good God,” he complains. “Are you afraid of heights?”
“She’s not,” Bryan says, walking to join them. “I used to sic the family dog on her and let me tell you, I’ve never seen anyone climb a tree as fast as she did.”
“Well, I guess I have no choice,” Mr. Edgar says. “Let’s just hope you’re not as big a disaster as you look.”
“Well, it’s too late to change your mind now,” Wendy whispers to Gabrielle. “Just do your best and try not to make us all look like fools.”
Gabrielle swallows nervously and follows Mr. Edgar to a thick, foam mat. He hands her a plastic sword and shows her how to swing it back and forth. Then he teaches her how to jump and roll. Gabrielle is surprised by how easy it is—her newly toned muscles make the moves feel graceful and straightforward. After a few trials run, she even starts to enjoy it—flying through the air and landing on the soft foam is kind of exhilarating.
“Well, you’re not terrible,” he says.
Gabrielle can’t help but smile at the reluctant praise.
“Don’t go getting a big head,” he adds. “It’s a lot harder once you’re in the harness and wearing a floor-length dress. Speaking of which, we have to get you into costume.”
He grabs her arms and tugs her toward a changing room and then disappears back onto the set. She takes a deep breath and opens the door to chaos. Inside the bright room, assistants and stylists run in every direction carrying piles of fabric, wigs, and shoeboxes. She steps into the room, trying to avoid crashing into one of the panicked assistants.
“Hey Janetta, get over here,” someone shouts.
Gabrielle looks over her shoulder, wondering where Janetta is. Then she remembers that her makeup makes her look almost exactly like Janetta.
“Uhh, I’m not Janetta,” she says. “I’m her stunt double.”
“Whatever,” the voice shouts. “Just get over here and let me change you.”
Gabrielle follows the angry-sounding voice to a corner of the changing room. A short woman with a pixie cut is pulling a green velvet dress off of a hanger. She looks at Gabrielle and scowls.
“Who put all that makeup on you?” she asks. “You’re a stunt double for Christ’s sake—no one is going to film your face. The makeup will melt under the stage lights and get all over this dress. Take it off at once.”
Gabrielle looks around and finds a makeup table halfway across the room. She pushes through the crowd and grabs some cotton pads and makeup remover. It takes several minutes to remove all of the heavy makeup, and her skin looks pink from all the rubbing.
“Hurry up,” the stylist with the pixie cut shouts.
Gabrielle rushes over and lets the stylist undress her. The short woman lifts the green velvet dress high into the air, and Gabrielle steps into it. The heavy gown fits like a glove, and Gabrielle smiles at her reflection in the dirty mirror. The bodice of the gown clings to her chest, and low cut, lace lined neckline makes her b.r.e.a.s.ts look bigger. The full skirt swishes around her legs, and the gown’s long billowing sleeves make every movement look dramatic.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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