Page 29 of The Cut
‘She could have got hurt.’ Nate’s brow furrowed.
Karine inclined her head. ‘Lily’s tough … she can take it … but how about you?’
Nate was reddening, he swallowed and nodded.
‘You have to go through the mill to get the best results. Did watching your sister make you feel something?’ Karine was studying him, like a specimen.
‘It made me feel sick.’
‘Right? So, use it, Nate. These feelings are real.’
Karine pulled something from the bag on her shoulder, a bundle wrapped in a leather zip pouch.
‘I’m going to set you a task. Do you know what improvisation is?’ Karine was holding a small leather camera case.
‘Oh course. We do it at Kidsmet … never invent … never deny.’ Nate seemed energised now, his ruddy face beaming as they picked up their pace towards the amber lights of the small parade of shops in the village.115
‘Good mantra … we might need a little bit of invention, though.’ Karine paused at the end of the lane. ‘Will you take this and shoot some footage for me?’ She held out the zip bag and opened it. ‘It’s a vintage camera.’
Nate frowned. ‘Looks complicated. Can’t I just use my iPhone?’
‘This one will capture some interesting stuff.’ Karine flicked open the cassette window and ejected a tape. ‘It uses real film.’ She blew into the reels, clearing it of dust.
‘What do I have to do?’ Nate’s eyes glinted with intrigue.
‘OK … how about this. I send you a text each day, with a time and a place to meet. I tell you what to wear and what to be prepared for, maybe a few lines of script but not exactly what is about to happen. I want you to be surprised and I want you to surprise me.’ She crossed her arms and smiled at him down the lens. ‘Does that sound like a good plan?’
Nate took the clunky-looking camera and turned it over in his hands. ‘You’ll have to show me how to use it.’
‘Of course. Happy to! They don’t make the tapes anymore, but I’ll try and get hold of some for you. Maybe there are some old home videos stashed away in the attic you could use?’
‘Yeah, maybe.’ Nate smiled, tucked the camera safely into his bag and turned to head home.
‘This will be exciting; we’ll have some fun. I’ll text you the first task tomorrow. How are you with stunts?’
Nate shrugged. ‘Oh … I’m not sure.’ He looked nervous. ‘Why?’
‘There’s going to be a fight.’ Karine’s eyes moved to the path behind him. ‘It might get a little tricky.’ She seemed lost in her thoughts for a second. ‘But don’t worry, we’ll choreograph it to look convincing.’ Karine turned towards the old part of the village. ‘So, my little action hero, I’ll see you tomorrow. Yes?’ Nate116nodded and headed off home. Karine watched him trudging off into the distance.
His gangly awkward body, trousers too short, already outgrowing his school uniform, made her flinch with anticipation for what was about to happen. Max was right, he was absolutely perfect for this role.
Nate was grinning from ear to ear as he opened the front door to his house and headed up to his room. This would be exciting. He loved a new project, and experimenting with an old film camera was right up his street.
He felt like a spy on a mission.
It had already begun; blood had already been spilt, just a spot. A second audition had happened by accident and Lily had nailed it.
Karine had no intention of disturbing the water, but throwing in a catalyst now and then to get what she wanted would be essential.
The cast of characters was beginning to emerge in her mind. The lover, the rival, the outsider, the witness, there was always a bent copper and someone always had to die.
TheHoaxhad been a commercial success.TheCutwould change everything.
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