Page 6 of Out of the Gold

Melody

Noble yells, “Action!”

Chase and Jessa walk down the cobblestone street, his head swiveling from side to side as if he’s looking for something. Which he is supposed to be doing—a jewel encased in a material called Aurumite, a special gold-like metal both he and his archenemy played by Mark are searching for. With each step, Chase seems more comfortable in the costume, which probably was Noble’s purpose for filming this part today.

Light catches the inside of Chase’s leg. The Manipul8 Stitches are subtle but enhance the costume. A satisfied smile crosses my lips.

“CUT!”

The actors surround Noble.

With a break in the action, my gaze steers to the only female cameraperson, my best friend in the whole world, Sophia Jenkins. She and I grew up together, but it was dumb luck we both ended up onDoctor Manipul8. Spending so much time with her has been a huge part of why I’m having such a great time on set. I wink at the tall, lanky woman with a brunette pixie cut, and she waves before focusing her attention on an impromptu meeting.

After watching her with the crew for a moment, I grab my Burt’s Bees lip balm from my essentials tote. Hard to say how much longer we’ll be at it today, but I’m proud of how everything’s gone so far. Before they started shooting, Chase received a huge round of applause from everyone for his full Doctor Manipul8 getup.

We did a good job.Idid a good job.

“I like that smile.” Sitting next to me, Judith wears an identical expression on her face.

“He looks good. Great design.”

Without turning her head, my boss adds, “Great execution.”

Her praise seeps into my bones. It’s rare and always to be savored.

She clears her throat and looks from me to Helene, who sits on her other side. “So, I was talking with Noble before, and he’s very impressed with everything we’ve done here. He pulled me aside just now to compliment us on the revisions to the superhero costumes. Did you know he’s going to be directing a new trilogy?”

Helene’s shoulder-length frizzy red bob shakes while my eyebrows rise. “No, I hadn’t heard.”

Judith nods. “He asked me to interview to be the lead costume designer for them.” She turns her head to me. “That’s why I wasn’t able to get into Chase’s trailer while you were sewing him into the costume earlier.”

Now that I understand where she was before, my heart rate accelerates. With excitement for Judith, who deserves this opportunity to shine. With questions as to what this possible move might mean for the TV show—and my career. “Wow. That’s amazing.” I clear my throat. “I’m sure you’re going to get the job. Look at what you did here onDoctor Manipul8.”

Helene pipes up. “You’ve worked your butt off at HBO for years, Judith. And now on this movie. It’s your time.” She flicks her eyes to me. “I agree with Melody. You’re going to be a shoo-in.”

Judith sits straighter. “I really appreciate all the hard work you’ve both put into this movie. Not to mention what you do onLadies of the Abbey.”

Noble claps and the actors take their places. Out of the side of her mouth, Judith whispers, “If I get this job, my position on the show will be open.”

This is happening so fast. I had expected Judith to get some movie offers, which represents the pinnacle of our industry. Movies open so many new doors, including the possibility of an Oscar to add to her Emmys. But, selfishly, I hoped she would stick around the show for a few more years so I would get more time to learn from her. While I’m loving being in Italy, my experience here has taught me that I prefer the family atmosphere of working in TV rather than the team aspect of movies.

This thought leads to my next one. If Judith leaves the show, who will replace her? I remove the knitting needles from my bun and fluff my hair. After graduatingmagna cum laudefrom NYU with a degree in costume design, I landed my job there three years ago. I worked hard for the opportunity, no matter the press release announcing my addition to the show had the headline “Daughter of Legendary Rock Star Braxton Hunte Joins HBO Costume Design Team.” However, I’m the one who arrives early and leaves later than anyone else. I’ve learned a lot from Judith—and I’m ready to step into her shoes.

Glancing at my “rival,” Helene, she seems to have arrived at the same conclusion, only about herself. Over the past fifteen years, she’s been working her way up in HBO with other shows.

Yet, I’m the one who thinks outside the box to include unusual details. Working with other professionals on set, I help create the illusion viewers demand, like fun fringe on the bottom of the lead’s knapsack—while Helene stays well within the lines with expected holes in jeans. My embellishments are the ones fans tweet about all the time.

The assistant director yells, “Quiet on the set!”

Placing my hair back into a ponytail, I recreate my bun and secure it with the knitting needles. My motivation to show Judith exactly what I can do here on set is renewed. I have the remainder of the movie shoot to prove myself. With that thought, I rededicate my energy to giving more than one hundred and ten percent. I glance at Helene again, who plays with her earring.Game on.

The scene restarts. The two actors walk down the street, discussing the research done by Troy Oro, Chase’s character, that involved revising people’s DNA to eradicate diseases.

Chase doesn’t tell Jessa this, as it already was in the first movie, but one of Troy’s experiments went terribly wrong. Or right, I guess, depending on how you look at it. He’s now able to touch the top of a person’s head and rearrange their DNA—for good or ill. When he does this, CGI effects will make the gold stylized “8” over his heart glow.

As they walk down the sidewalk, Chase talks with his hands, gesturing toward a group of people ahead. One of the minor actors steps forward, pushing a curly-headed boy ahead of him. “Doctor Mainupul8, my son’s been diagnosed with a rare cancer. We’ve heard”—the actor looks behind him and all the extras nod—“you can cure him.” He pushes the child forward. “Please.”

Chase extends his hand toward the kid and ruffles his curly hair. “Let me see what I can do.”

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