Page 2 of Rescue My Heart

“Really? Wow, yes! Thank you!”

“Great. Let’s go.”

They left the hotel room, stepping into the cool afternoon air. The makeup artist had grown quieter now, her earlier excitement tempered by the seriousness of Mazey’s role. That silence was welcome. It gave Mazey the mental space she needed to slip fully into character. Focus, she reminded herself. Get into the zone.

They made their way to the waiting car, a sleek black SUV that was meant to take Mazey to the filming location. The driveropened the door for them, and Mazey and the makeup artist slid into the back seat. The door closed with a soft click, and the driver nodded at her through the rearview mirror once he got back in his chair.

“Ready?” he asked.

Mazey nodded. “Let’s go.”

As the car pulled out of the hotel parking lot, the scent of pine and the promise of distant rain filled the air outside. The sprawling beauty of Phoenix Ridge stretched out before them, with its rolling hills and jagged cliffs. But Mazey hardly noticed. Her mind was elsewhere, already running through the lines she needed to deliver, the expressions she needed to perfect.

The car glided smoothly along the winding roads, the hum of the engine a low, constant sound beneath the whirr of her thoughts. She stared out the window but didn’t really see anything; it was all a blur. Get into the zone, she reminded herself again. No distractions.

The road narrowed as they left the main highway, now winding up through the hills. The higher they climbed, the more the landscape seemed to loom around them, as if the mountains themselves were watching. A part of her registered how cinematic it all was, the perfect backdrop for a dramatic scene. But she didn’t let herself get distracted by the beauty of the view. This wasn’t a vacation. This was work.

She took a deep breath, her fingers tapping lightly on her knee as she reviewed the scene in her head again. She had to be on today; there was no room for mistakes. This was her shot to show the producers that she could be more than just the bubbly, marketable face they’d seen in the past. She needed them to see her depth and range. The part of herself she rarely got to show.

Mazey glanced at the makeup artist sitting beside her, gazing out the window, hands folded in her lap, blissfully unaware of the pressure Mazey was under. It wasn’t personal, but Mazeycouldn’t afford to be personal right now. Not when so much was riding on her ability to nail this scene.

They rounded another bend in the road, and suddenly, the cliff came into view. The car slowed as they neared the edge, and Mazey caught a glimpse of the jagged drop-off just ahead. The driver parked the car and turned off the engine.

“We’re here,” he said.

Mazey stepped out of the SUV, the cool breeze immediately hitting her face. She walked toward the edge of the cliff, her heels clicking softly against the uneven ground. The view was stunning, miles of untouched wilderness, stretching out as far as the eye could see. The ocean below crashed against the rocks, a distant roar that was somehow both calming and overwhelming.

But Mazey wasn’t here to admire the scenery. She had a job to do.

The director was already heading toward her, clipboard in hand, a focused expression on his face. As the crew set up behind him, cameras and equipment scattered across the uneven ground, Mazey’s heartbeat quickened. Something about the atmosphere felt heavier than usual.

The director stopped in front of her, barely glancing up from his clipboard. “Mazey, we’re going to need you to climb down the cliff for this shot.”

“This is the part where I’m rescuing someone hanging off the cliff, right?” she said.

“Yeah.” He nodded, flipping through his notes. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you in a safety harness. We’ve got stunt coordinators here, and everything is set up. If you follow the instructions, you’ll be safe. No issues. Once you’re all set up, we’ll send the actor you’re meant to save.”

Mazey glanced over the edge, the vast drop below now seeming even more daunting. The ocean waves crashed against the rocks far beneath them, the abyss stretching out endlessly.She could feel the ground almost pulling her toward it, the height making her legs feel shaky.

“You’re going to be descending about twenty feet,” the director continued, oblivious to her growing nerves. “We’ll be capturing the whole scene from the top. You’ll look out over the edge, take a deep breath, and start your descent. Cameras will follow your every move. We need to capture that raw emotion as you climb down.”

Mazey tried to keep her voice steady, but the nerves had crept in. “And you’re sure the harness is…safe?”

He finally looked up, meeting her eyes. “Mazey, you’ll be perfectly fine. We’ve done this dozens of times with other actors. As long as you follow the instructions, there’s no danger. The crew will be right here the whole time. You’ll have a safety team watching every move.”

She nodded, though her throat felt dry. She didn’t want to come off as scared, but the thought of stepping off the cliff’s edge, even with safety gear, was terrifying. She’d done plenty of risky scenes before, but this was different. This wasn’t a controlled set with walls around her; it was nature. Unpredictable. Dangerous.

The wind was stronger here, tugging at her clothes and hair, as if reminding her of the very real forces she’d be contending with once she started her descent. The makeup artist adjusted a few strands of her hair that had fallen loose from her updo, but Mazey barely noticed. Her eyes remained fixed on the edge of the cliff, the sheer drop making her palms sweat.

The director, sensing her hesitation, softened his tone. “Look, I know it’s nerve-wracking, but I promise, you’re going to crush this. And once you nail it, this scene is going to look incredible. It’ll be one of the highlights of the show. Just trust the team, trust the gear, and focus on your performance.”

She nodded again, trying to internalize his words. It was easier said than done when all she could picture was the endless drop below, but this was her job. The stakes were high, and she knew what this role could do for her career. This was her chance to show more than just her carefully curated exterior. This was her opportunity to prove she could handle intense, dramatic moments, even if they involved literal cliffs.

The safety crew arrived, walking her through the process of getting strapped into the harness. She listened intently, trying to push past the fear and absorb the instructions. They fastened the straps around her waist and shoulders, tightening everything until it felt secure. The metal clips jingled as they attached the safety line that would prevent her from falling.

“Okay, Mazey, we’re going to start with you at the edge, looking down,” one of the crew members explained, checking the equipment one final time. “Take it slow, trust your gear, and remember, don’t look back up. Just keep your eyes forward or down at your next foothold.”

Mazey took a deep breath, nodding. She approached the cliff’s edge, her heart pounding. The wind whipped against her as she stepped closer to the drop. The sheer height made her feel weightless, as if any wrong step could send her over.

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