"Apologies sir. I didn"t want to disrespect you by asking-"
"It"s a much greater disrespect to let someone into the hangar with my wife without checking their ID."
"Of course sir. Apologies. It won"t happen again. Do you need a map of the hangar?"
"No," says Marc. "I know it well."
"And you have the studio number?"
"We have it."
"You didn"t have to do that," I whisper to Marc, as he leads me into a maze of corridors.
"Your safety is important," says Marc. "And that security guard should have known better."
"He probably feels really stupid now."
"Not as stupid as he"d feel if anything happened to you while he was on duty. Look I"d say the same thing to anyone not doing their job correctly. Nadia. Anyone. And I"d hope someone would do the same for me. If I made an oversight."
"I like that about you. That you see everyone as equal. You don"t think you"re better than anyone. Just because you"re rich and famous."
"Rich and famous?" Marc raises an eyebrow. "I"m sorry. I didn"t realise I was speaking to Gossip Magazine."
"Seriously though. You treat everyone the same."
"I don"t treat you the same."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I put you on a pedestal. And worship you." Marc takes my fingers and kisses them. His lips feel warm against my skin.
I glance around to see if anyone is watching. But the corridors are empty.
"You"re still feeling shy about public displays of affection?" Marc asks.
"Sorry. I just don"t want to be splashed over the front cover of a newspaper."
"There are no press here. But Sophia you will be photographed. Very possibly for the rest of your life. That"s just part of my world. I hate it but it"s how things are."
"I guess I"m still getting used to that idea."
We reach a studio marked "F2: Rapunzel Costume".
"Do you think the other actors will be here yet?" I ask.
Marc checks his watch. "If history is anything to go by, Leo won"t be on time. And neither will Baz or Nadia. None of them were punctual people when I worked with them."
"How will it be seeing Baz after so long?" I say, wanting Marc to tell me more about the "differences" he mentioned earlier.
"It will be interesting." Marc opens the studio door.
21.
"Wow," I breathe, looking around at rails of costumes. "I feel like I"ve died and gone to fairyland."
The studio itself is simple. Concrete floor. Metal roof. And plasterboard part.i.tion walls. But what"s in the studio is incredible.
Rails and rails of the most fantastic outfits, from fairy princess gowns to wicked witch boots and medieval soldier swords.
"I thought we were being fitted for costumes," I say. "I didn"t realise they"d be made already."
"Nadia works a little differently to other directors," says Marc. "She and the costume designer come up with hundreds of finished pieces. And the actors choose what suits them. What they feel comfortable in. Then the costumes are altered. Nadia thinks it helps get the best performances. And the spare costumes are brought out again for other movies. Or auctioned off for a small fortune."
"I can see they"d make a lot of money." These are no ordinary movie costumes. They"re quirky, original and artistic, with cool little details like waterfalls of glittering silver spikes and gold-chain spider webs.
From the crowns and helmets to the shoes and boots, everything has Nadia Malbeck"s style that edgy, gothic look that"s part of her success.
There are so many rails that we can"t see most of the room. But a loud, manly laugh tells me Leo is in here somewhere.
Marc"s grip on my hand tightens.
Nadia appears from behind a rail. "Ah ha! Well, h.e.l.lo, you two. Come through here. Leo and some of the gang have already arrived, but we"re still waiting on Baz." She winks at Marc. "Baz is never on time. He"s worse than me."
Marc raises an eyebrow. "No one could be worse than you."
"Oh Marc, that is not true. Not these days. I"ve grown up a little bit. It"s hard to run a movie without keeping to schedule." Nadia links arms with me. "There"s coffee and churros back here."
"Churros?"
"Spanish doughnuts with chocolate sauce."
"Yum."
"Exactly! And hey I have some news. We confirmed our wicked witch this morning. Finally."
"I"m a little jealous of whoever has that part," I say. "She has some great lines."
"I"m glad you think so. So you"ve had a really good look at the script now, right?"
"More than a good look," says Marc.
"And I love it," I smile.
"Okay. That"s good."
"So who"s playing the wicked witch?" I ask.
"Oh we have landed someone fabulous. Just fabulous. Sigourney Seymour. You"ve heard of her, right?"
Beside me, I feel Marc tense up and wonder why.
"Ri-ght," I say slowly. "Um ... Sigourney Seymour the model?"
"Right! She"s never been in a movie before but she is just perfect. I"ve seen her auditions and she really can act. I guess modelling and acting are pretty similar. Cheekbones to die for. The best face. Well, she was the Chanel girl after all."
"Um ... didn"t Leo used to go out with her?" I say.
"Yes but ..." Nadia shrugs. "You know how LA is. Everyone dates each other. If I paid attention to that stuff I"d never cast anybody."
"I think he was pretty hung up on her at one time," I say. "She cheated on him and he was heartbroken. Are you sure he"s okay with her being in the movie?"
"Well if he isn"t, it"s too late," Nadia laughs. "We"ve had such a nightmare with that part. There"s no way we"re finding someone else now. No way. We"re already too close to the wire. Anyway. Why don"t you ask him yourself?" Nadia pulls me around the clothes rail. "He"s right here."
22.
Behind the clothes rail, Leo lounges on a red-velvet sofa. He"s sipping coffee and chatting to a tiny, pretty girl who has glowing white skin and curly blonde hair.
The girl"s eyes are huge and blue, and her lips pink and puffy. She"s kind of sporty looking. Healthy, anyway. She looks really familiar, actually ... but I can"t place her.
"Hey, hey!" Leo bellows. "If it isn"t my leading lady." He stops smiling when he sees Marc. "And escort. How are you doing buddy?"
"Very well thank you," says Marc, his tone clipped.
"Sophia Rose, meet Ruby Tallow." Leo gestures to the girl beside him. "Ruby is playing the Fairy Queen. And Sophia well Ruby you know Sophia is playing Rapunzel."
"Great to meet you," Ruby smiles. Her accent has an Australian tw.a.n.g and she looks so familiar.
"You"re trying to place me, aren"t you?" says Ruby.
"Yes," I admit. "I"m really sorry. Did we meet before?"
"Remember Trust Street? The Aussie soap opera? I was Tally."
I laugh. "Oh yes. I used to love Trust Street. But your hair was ..." My hands go to my curls.
"Totally ironed straight on camera," says Ruby. "Yep. No one knows I"m a secret curly girl. Good to meet you Sophia. I wish I"d seen you in Beauty and the Beast. I didn"t have a chance I was in Sydney while it was running. I heard great things."
"Thank you."
"And Marc Blackwell!" says Ruby, her grin broadening. "I"ve seen all your movies. But I bet everyone says that. I even had your picture on my wall when I was a teenager." She winks at me. "Bet you did too, huh Sophia?"
I laugh.
Marc slips his hands into his pockets. He looks thoughtful. Too thoughtful.
"So who are we missing?" Leo asks.
"Baz and Sigourney," says Nadia.
I can"t help sneaking a glance at Leo. But he looks fine. Relaxed as ever.
"You can save the eyeb.a.l.l.s, Miss Sophia Blackwell," says Leo. "What do you think I"m freaking out because my ex-girlfriend is in the movie?"
"Aren"t you?"
"Of course not. That was over a long time ago. Years have pa.s.sed. Sigourney must have grown up some in that time. Isn"t that right Marc?"
What the h.e.l.l ...? Why is Leo asking Marc that?
Marc frowns. "Indeed."
"Marc, do you know Sigourney?" I ask, a little confused by Leo"s comment.
"In a manner of speaking."
We hear the squeak of the door.
"Ah ha!" says Nadia, leaping to her feet. "Another new arrival."
23.
Nadia hurries around the clothes rail. A second later she reappears, dwarfed beside the tall, muscular bulk of Baz Smith.
"Look who I found!" she beams, her tiny arm threaded through Baz"s thick tattooed one.