ADAKU:
Hey, what day did you say you wanted to go over the scenes?
SEWANEE:
The 4th. Day before the audition.
ADAKU:
Sweet, then can I ask a favor?
SEWANEE:
Course
ADAKU:
Can you help put me on tape for the Angela Davis thing? I wore him down! He said he’d at least watch a self-tape.
SEWANEE:
OMG YES! Exciting.
ADAKU:
She’d just set her phone down when it vibrated again.
BROCK:
Can I be honest? I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.
SEWANEE:
Are we doing innuendos again?
BROCK:
No. Seriously.
SEWANEE:
What?
BROCK:
Narrating.
SEWANEE:
oh. Phew.
BROCK:
phew what?
what did you think I meant?
SEWANEE:
Uhhhhh this. The texting thing.
BROCK:
Why would I want to stop this?!
And do we have a THING?
SEWANEE:
I don’t know! Lol
BROCK:
Actually, maybe we should stop this.
Remember that telewhatever invention I was telling you about? I hear it’s up and running. Wanna give it a try?
Sewanee froze, forkful of lettuce halfway to her mouth. She set it back in the bowl and stared at her phone. She wrote Okay, sent it, and typed When do you want to set up a time to The phone vibrated with an incoming call.
She threw it on the counter as if she’d been electrocuted. It kept vibrating, pulsing away from her in bursts, the words “BROCK MCNIGHT” taunting.
She didn’t move again until it stopped moving.
Don’t panic, don’t panic, she thought. Why are you panicking? There’s nothing to panic about.
The phone vibrated once.
BROCK:
?
She spun in a circle, blew out some Lamaze-style breaths, and made herself pick up her phone. She quickly typed:
I wasn’t ready. I mean I’m not ready. I don’t know why I’m not, but I’m not. I’m being weird. Sorry. I’ll get back to you. Double sorry.
She pressed send before she could second-guess it.
She watched his bubbles appear.
Then:
No worries. Take your time.
*
March 2
BROCK:
Question. Weren’t you gonna get back to me?
SEWANEE:
Sorry. Yes. Just got tied up.
BROCK:
kinky.
SEWANEE:
Fifty Shades of Deadline. In the middle of a book intent on killing me. World War Two. Every accent on earth. Screaming men. Gonna need a couple of days.
BROCK:
Should I apologize for last night?
SEWANEE:
No!
BROCK:
Be honest.
SEWANEE:
NO. I am. I will. I want to talk. And I will.
I think this is what a crazy person sounds like.
BROCK:
It’s ok. We really don’t have to talk.
SEWANEE:
I pinky-swear promise I’ll get back to you. Maybe an email. Or a letter! Or a carrier pigeon? Regardless: soon.
BROCK:
Good.
THE NEXT DAY, Sewanee sat in Adaku’s living room running the scenes. Adaku assured–and reassured–her that everyone was already convinced she was perfect for the role. The studio was insisting they see a few token actresses, which they both knew was industry standard, but–Adaku adamantly repeated–they were so excited to see her.
Adaku read with her and kept trying to boost her up （you’re brilliant! Love that line reading! They’re going to die, you’re perfect!）， but it wasn’t necessary. Sewanee was genuinely fired up to get back in an audition room. Besides, nothing was more daunting than performing a book. It felt luxurious, actually, building just one character instead of an entire world.
Then they filmed the Angela Davis self-tape. After a few takes, Adaku said, “Any notes?”
Sewanee glanced down at the pages, assessing them the way she might a particularly opaque novel. “Try it distracted. Harried. You don’t have time to be having this conversation.”
“Hmm,” Adaku grunted, and they ran the scene once more. “Yeah,” she said after, nodding. “That’s better. Makes room for the ambiguity.”
“Let’s try one more and that last line? Don’t look at her when you say it. You’re already on your way out. Leave her to interpret it.”
Adaku tried it and, after Sewanee had cut, tossed back her head. “Yes! So much better!” She thanked Sewanee with a hug. “You’ve always been my best director. And I miss acting with you!” She fluttered her hands by her face. “Ahh, I can’t wait!” She spun away and took a drag on her super-duper protein shake Sewanee thought smelled like moldy spinach. “This will move fast, Swan. Get all your recording done because we’re gonna be in Australia for three months.”