Aria Lane woke up to thirty-seven notifications, twelve missed calls from Daniel, and one email subject line that looked so fake she nearly deleted it on instinct:
"ACTION FILM AUDITION — URGENT CONFIDENTIAL INVITE"
From: Starlight Entertainment Studios
She stared at it from her bed, hair a mess, blanket half on the floor.
"…Yeah, that's definitely spam."
She tossed her phone aside and pulled the blanket over her face.
Five seconds later, her phone vibrated again—this time an incoming call.
Daniel.
She let it ring.
It rang again.
She let it ring.
It rang a third time.
Aria groaned, rolled over, and answered.
"What."
Daniel's voice came through sharp, panicked, and already at maximum volume.
"ARIA. WHY AREN'T YOU UP?!"
"I am up," she said, eyes closed.
"Internally."
"NO—physically get up! Did you see the email?!"
"Yes," she muttered. "I deleted it."
A dead silence.
Then—
"You WHAT?!"
"Deleted it," she repeated. "It was obviously fake. Who sends a secret audition email at 3:10 a.m.? Scammers. Or cults."
Daniel sounded like he was genuinely choking on his own soul.
"ARIA LANE, THAT WAS THE REAL DIRECTOR—THE REAL DIRECTOR MASON—INVITING YOU TO AUDITION!"
Aria opened one eye.
"…The bald one?"
"He's not bald—yet!" Daniel cried. "But after today he definitely will be!"
She sat up slowly, processing this.
"…So it wasn't spam?"
"NO!"
"Oh."
A beat.
"My bad."
Daniel made a noise that sounded like an expensive fabric tearing under stress.
Twenty Minutes Later
Aria sat at her dining table eating toast while Daniel paced in circles like a caffeinated hamster.
"Do you have ANY idea how rare this is?" he shouted. "Director Mason doesn't invite people. He barely invites actors he likes!"
"I didn't apply," Aria said, chewing slowly.
"That's THE POINT! Julian recommended you!"
She paused mid-bite.
"…Julian did what?"
"Yes! Apparently he said—and I quote—'If you want someone who can make the action scenes believable, cast Aria Lane.'"
Aria blinked.
"That doesn't sound like him."
"Well, he did," Daniel snapped. "So we're going. TODAY. RIGHT NOW."
Aria raised her toast.
"Let me finish eating."
Daniel grabbed the toast from her hand.
"We don't have TIME!"
Aria stood immediately.
"Give that back."
"NO."
"Daniel."
"NO."
A quiet, dangerous pause.
Daniel froze.
"…Okay, maybe one bite."
On the Way to the Studio
Daniel drove like a desperate man running from creditors.
Aria stared out the window, munching her rescued toast.
"So," she said, "what's the role?"
Daniel gripped the steering wheel harder.
"Female lead. Action film. Guns, stunts, combat scenes, dramatic tension. You know—standard blockbuster."
Aria shrugged.
"Sounds like a Monday."
Daniel thumped his head gently against the wheel at a stoplight.
"Please, Aria. I'm begging you. Do not do anything… weird. Or dangerous. Or reflexive. Or unscripted. Or—"
"Daniel," she interrupted, "this is an audition. I'll be normal."
He stared at her with the bleakness of a man who had watched the sun rise on his own funeral.
"You don't know what 'normal' means."
Aria popped the last bite of toast into her mouth.
"We'll see."
At the Studio Gate
The guard blinked at Aria.
"Name?"
"Aria Lane."
He stared.
Then stared harder.
Then pointed at her with absolute disbelief.
"You're the girl who elbowed the zombie so hard the actor quit!"
Aria: "Probably."
Daniel: "Please don't… please don't confirm that…"
The guard buzzed them in with pure excitement.
"Director Mason's been waiting! They said something about needing to check the roof structure first after you arrive—"
Daniel grabbed Aria's arm and dragged her away before that sentence finished.
"YOU HAVE A REPUTATION ALREADY, DO YOU KNOW THAT?!"
"I didn't do anything," Aria protested.
"You EXISTED."
"…That's fair."
The Audition Begins
They entered a large soundstage where a dozen staff members were watching her like she was some sort of rare animal they weren't sure was safe.
Director Mason stood at the center, looking exhausted—but with hair still intact.
Mostly.
He turned around, spotted her, and froze.
Aria lifted a hand in greeting.
"Morning."
The director stared at her like she'd walked in carrying a bomb.
"…Oh god. She's real."
Daniel whispered urgently, "Smile, Aria. Please smile so he knows you're human."
Aria smiled.
Everyone visibly flinched.
Director Mason rubbed his temples.
"Miss Lane," he said weakly, "Julian said you were talented. I assumed he meant moderately."
Aria blinked.
"That sounds accurate."
He inhaled slowly.
"Let's begin."
Aria nodded.
Daniel silently prayed.
The staff hid behind clipboards.
And somewhere on the second floor, Julian Cross paused mid-scene rehearsal—feeling, without knowing why—
that something interesting was about to happen.