By midday, the studio staff had officially entered crisis gossip mode.
Not in person—
no one dared talk out loud while Aria was within earshot.
But in the crew group chat, a digital dumpster fire erupted.
A production assistant on standby noticed his phone dinging nonstop.
He opened the chat.
And chaos greeted him.
[STUDIO CREW GROUP CHAT — "Operation Hair Loss"]
LightingTech01:
GUYS. ARE YOU SEEING THIS???
SoundOpSam:
She broke the WALL.
THE WALL.
THE INDUSTRIAL-GRADE SET WALL.
CameraGuyB:
You say it like she punched it.
She tapped it.
I'm reevaluating my life.
MakeupLily:
I was touching up Julian and he whispered, "She's terrifying."
BUT IN A GOOD WAY???
PropsQueen:
What about the ceiling beam thing??
I BLINKED AND SHE WAS GONE.
StuntsMark:
She didn't climb.
She ascended.
Like a polite cryptid.
PA_Ricky:
Director Mason dropped his coffee again.
That's the third time THIS WEEK.
EditorNina:
I'm not even on set yet and I'm stressed.
More Messages Arrive Rapid-Fire
InternJ:
Wait wait wait—they hired her already??
AssistantDirectorLee:
We didn't hire her.
We surrendered.
StuntsMark:
Julian is smiling too much.
Help.
LightingTech01:
Did she actually dodge a punch BEFORE he even threw it??
CameraGuyB:
Bro I swear she predicted the timeline.
Daniel Accidentally Joins the Chat
Daniel—who had been added by some cruel soul—finally saw the notifications.
He typed:
ManagerDaniel:
STOP PANICKING.
SHE'S JUST…
…
…BEING HERSELF.
A long, respectful silence followed.
Then:
PropsQueen:
That's the problem, Daniel.
SoundOpSam:
If she keeps "being herself," our insurance premium will cry.
StuntsMark:
Don't lie—she's better than half of us.
CameraGuyB:
Better?
She's what we ASPIRE to be.
Aria Appears in the Group Chat (By Accident?)
One new notification appeared.
AriaLane has joined the group.
Everyone froze.
No one breathed.
Then a message popped up:
AriaLane:
Hi.
Does anyone know where they hid the snacks?
The chat detonated.
MakeupLily:
OH GOD SHE'S HERE
PropsQueen:
WHO ADDED HER??
WE'RE ALL DEAD
StuntsMark:
Snacks are locked in Storage C.
…
Why am I telling her that.
AriaLane:
Thank you.
DirectorMason:
GET OUT OF THIS CHAT RIGHT NOW
DO NOT ENCOURAGE HER
Aria left the chat.
The Crew React In Real Life
Down the hall, Aria walked casually toward Storage C.
Daniel ran after her.
"ARIA NO—DON'T RAID THE SNACK ROOM—THE CREW IS TRAUMATIZED ENOUGH—"
Aria pushed open the storage door.
It wasn't locked.
Someone had already given up.
Inside, the props assistant sat cross-legged on a crate like a monk.
He looked at her with the dead eyes of a man who accepted fate.
"I knew you'd come," he whispered, handing her a bag of chips with both hands.
Daniel's scream echoed through three buildings.
Meanwhile, Julian…
Julian walked by with his script, heard Daniel's scream, peeked into the storage room—
Saw Aria holding chips like a victorious warrior—
And nearly laughed.
Not just a smile.
A real laugh.
He leaned casually against the doorframe.
"You bribed my crew."
Aria shrugged.
"I asked nicely."
Daniel pointed at her dramatically.
"SHE DID NOT ASK NICELY. SHE APPEARED IN THEIR GROUP CHAT LIKE A SUPERNATURAL ENTITY."
Julian covered his mouth to hide his grin.
"This is going to be an interesting production."
Daniel sobbed.
"Please don't encourage her."
Aria handed Julian a second bag of chips.
"For you."
Julian blinked.
"…Thanks."
Daniel grabbed his hair.
"Oh my god—they're bonding. We're doomed."
Back in the Group Chat
A final message lit up the screen:
EditorNina:
I'm not even on set yet but I can FEEL the chaos through my Wi-Fi.
LightingTech01:
Welcome to the era of Aria Lane.
SoundOpSam:
May our director's hair rest in peace.