Kaitlin O'Connor

Kaitlin leaned against the outside of a red brick building, coffee in one hand, cell phone pressed against her ear in the other hand. Her gray eyes scanned the streets in front of her, watching as the town woke up and started it's morning. It was peaceful this morning, so at odds with her last memories in this town.

Kait inhaled, then exhaled slowly. Summer was giving way to fall in the quiet New England town. It was her favorite time of year. She made to run her hand through her hair, before remembering she was holding coffee.

“Are you sure this isn't a problem?” She asked into the phone. “You and dad have done so much already. I don't want you to feel like I'm taking advantage.”

“Yes, we are sure Kaity.” The woman's voice on the other end of the line was exasperated, in the way only a mother speaking to the daughter she loved can be. “You need time to set up your apartment. And your classroom. Speaking of, have you been to the school yet?”

The quick change of subject didn't surprise Kait, she was only surprised it took her mother so long to do it. She kicked a stray pebble, a release of nervous energy.

“No,” she sighed out, taking a sip of coffee to stall answering. “I was there for my interview of course, but I didn't go past the front office. I'm going today to scope out my classroom, see what still needs to be done.”

“You haven't been back since the shooting Kaity, this will be good for you. Have you spoken to -”

“No.” Kaity said quickly, cutting her mother off.

“You have to face this sooner or later sweetheart. And unless you quit your job and run, which isn't an option by the way, there isn't really a later.”

Kaity sighed again, turning her focus to the direction the school was in. “If you say so. Hey you are sure -” Kait was cut off by her mother's laugh, she enjoyed turning the tables on her daughter.

“Get off the phone Kaity, we are fine here, no more stalling. I love you.”

With that, her mother hung up, leaving Kaity alone with her thoughts. She had never admitted to her parents that she was nervous, she couldn't. Yet in that way that parents have, they knew anyway. Ten years had passed, things were different now. She was different now.

Kait slipped her phone into the pocket of her dove gray purse and forced her booted feet to move her in the direction of the school.

Emilia Carter

“Cut” came the booming voice of the director, ending her first scene back at the Edenridge. Emilia changed directions, walking off the area of the street that had been closed down to act as the set this morning.

“Great job Em.” the director said, turning his gaze to watch her. “You're nervous to be back, but it's working well for your character. Try to have some fun here for me though, ok?”

“Will do” Emilia replied, flashing him a wide grin. She put her prop (but very real, thankfully) coffee into the trash and switched it for a bottle of water. She was jittery enough with nerves at being back on set, the coffee was only going to make it worse.

Emilia took a seat off to the side and pulled out her actual phone, from her actual purse, to check her e-mails. It was still quiet on set, and some actors that were already filming were over the school doing their scenes. No e-mail or messages awaited her from her publisher... good or bad, she wasn't quite sure. She had sent the first set of chapters over for notes earlier in the week. If all went as planned, her first novel would be released around the same time as the show. She hoped to ride on the buzz Edenridge was creating.

“Emilia, they want to have you in make-up to touch you up a bit before your scene over at the school. A golf cart is waiting to take you over.” the assistant director that spoke to Emilia barely looked up from her tablet as she spoke, already hurrying off. Without replying, Emilia made her way to the trailer, waving at people who were standing outside the barriers of the out door set, hoping to catch glimpses of the actors.

---

---

For as long as she could remember, Keisha never had been a morning person. She never understood people who could bound out of bed, put on a pot of coffee and be instantly ready to face the day. For her, the lure of a cozy bed far outweighed that of a hot shower. Keisha was the kind of girl who set her alarm for six-thirty in the morning, planning to get up, go for a run, and still have time to shower and make a cup of coffee before arriving at school early to impress the boss. But, like all the best laid plans, this one never came to fruition. Inevitably the snooze button was just a groggy swipe of the hand away, giving her relief from facing the reality of the day in 5 minute bursts. After the tenth "burst," however, Keisha decided that it was finally time to get out of bed. Her finger found the off button instinctively, as if it needed no help from her brain. When her eyes finally peeled open, her vision was blurry. It took her a few minutes of swiping her hands around her bed before she finally found her black-rimmed prescription glasses. Today, like most days, her very first thought was, “I wish I could sleep longer.” Sure, Keisha loved her job as Edenridge's school counselor, but the comfort and safety of her bed seemed to scream loudest in the mornings.

Having gone through the same motions for almost two years, it only took Keisha a matter of minutes to get dressed in her black pantsuit and matching pumps, and just a tad bit longer for her to apply makeup, masking her tired eyes. By the time six o'clock rolled around, Keisha was behind the wheel of her Honda Civic and on her way to Edenridge. The parking lot was empty, as it usually was every morning. Students and other teachers still had quite some time left before they had to arrive. Keisha, however, liked to arrive a bit earlier than everyone else, wanting to have a little time to spend alone in her office: organizing files, adding appointments to her calendar, etc.

As soon as Keisha entered the building, she made a beeline towards her office, her heels clicking on the tile floor. In one hand she held a cup of coffee, and in the other a large stack of papers. Her purse was dangling from her wrist. On the way to the office, she made her usual stop by Ty's plaque on the wall. She couldn't help but smile as she stared into the warm, dark eyes of the beautiful brown boy. They'd used his Senior portrait for the picture; the young boy looked very handsome in one of their father's old suits. Ever since her brother had died, Keisha made a promise to turn her life around, and she did. She stopped the partying, drinking and sleeping around, instead deciding to focus on her career. It'd taken quite some time for her to get back on her feet, but she was determined. Life was finally starting to get good for the young woman, so just the thought of an anniversary assembly made her heart pound and her palms sweat.

"I miss you," she whispered under her breath, careful to not let anyone hear her. She only stood there a moment longer before turning on her heel and making her way to her office. When she'd finally reached the door, she used her chin to hold the papers to her chest, and used her now empty hand to dig through her cluttered purse for the keys. "Every god damn morning, Nickie. Every morning..."

---

---

"Cut," the director yelled, and just like that, Destiny had successfully completed the first part of her first scene in Edenridge. "Great job, Destiny. Glad to have you back."

"Great to be back, dude," Tiny said with a smile, "I didn't realize how much I've missed acting 'til now. It was a rush, that's for sure." Once she finished speaking, she made her way to the snack table, her stomach growling. She'd been so nervous about being back on set that she'd skipped breakfast. After surveying the table for a while, she finally decided on a blueberry muffin. As she took a quick glance around, Destiny brought the muffin up to her mouth, but paused once her eyes landed on a familiar face.

"Jude?" Destiny said, her eyebrow raising. "Jude Aspers, is that you?" she said, her lips slowly forming a wide grin. After Edenridge had aired its last episode, Destiny hadn't heard very much from her old cast mates. Sure, she'd still see and hear about them in the news, but after a few months, the relationships, naturally, just started to fade. Everyone was busy doing their own thing, trying to move on and pursue their dreams. After the show had ended, Tiny heard a bit about a few TV shows that Jude had major roles in, but hadn't heard anything recent about the man.

"I can't believe it's been so long!"

Perhaps at a certain point of his earlier life, Mike would have appreciated the positive attention he was getting from his sister. She had certainly been calling more frequently and then she even visited him every now and then to check into his health. But now, he just found it odd. He appreciates the sentiment but she was trying too hard in winning back his favor when she honestly hasn't lost it in the first place, but no matter how many times he told her that, she just wouldn't back off.

"The deadline's on Saturday for your new book's manuscript alright?" A woman's voice came through the loudspeaker of the phone that was placed on Mike's desk. The black haired male was on his chair, typing away at his laptop as he listened to his producer speak through the phone.

"Saturday, got it." Mike replied nonchalantly as he shoved his hand into a box of Pocky and began eating the stick before letting his hands fly through the keyboard once more, inputting words that would soon create a sentence that would soon be a paragraph that would soon be a chapter and then a whole book. His eyes were practically glued to the screen.

"Don't forget that you also have a book signing event for your previous book on Monday." The woman continued and Mike only let out a small grunt of reply. He would have snapped at her to say that he remembered everything she was talking about. He would never forget something as important as those dates. After all, if he missed one of those, then that might be more than a small bump in his career as a writer. And perhaps it might lead to his eventual retirement and he wouldn't make as much money and then he'd be kicked out and he'll die of hunger and thirst on the streets with nowhere to call home and no one to call family.

His usual pessimistic thinking was snapped when there was a knock on his door. Mike already knew who it was though. It was too easy to guess. "Gotta go Lim. I'll see you some other time." There was a small hum of farewell before Mike hung up the phone. He sighed and then spun his swivel chair to face the door. "Come in Louis." He called out.

The door opened to reveal Louis. Her hair was let loose, unlike how it is usually seen when she was at work when it was tied in a ponytail. "Morning Mike."

Mike frowned. "Morning." He looked at the digital wall clock that clearly showed the numbers 7:21 a.m. He groaned and then leaned back on his chair.

"Did you pull an unwilling all-nighter again?" Mike looked back at her blankly and then gave her a small nod. She shook her head and then added a chuckle after. "I would suppose that is the life of an imaginative person such as yourself." The words that spilled out of her mouth shocked both Mike and probably the audience. The last time it was showed, she didn't exactly give Mike any compliments since they were kids. So why now?

However, Mike surely would have recovered faster than the audience. "Yeah, sure." He replied before giving her a dismissive wave, obviously not very amused at her attempt to flatter him. But his expression also showed that he wasn't exactly angered by it either. He then waited for her to speak once more.

"Just came here to check in as always. And to remind you of the reunion thing in Edenridge High." Louis continued as she leaned on the doorframe. She never did liked going into his room. It made her think that she's stepping over her boundaries. While they were siblings, their previous relationship was quite... wasn't quite right.

"Ah... right." Mike said with a nod. It was about that anniversary for the shooting. His hand instinctively went to his chest, centimeters to the right of his heart. It was also the place where he was shot at that day. It wasn't a very good memory and it stayed in his mind - the most vivid memory he had. His hand was desperately trying to keep the blood that was spilling out of the bullet hole, covering it up in hopes that it would stop the bleeding. It was futile. His breath became ragged and his vision had started to blur. The last thing he actually saw was the killer before he blacked out. Everyone said that it was a miracle that he was alive. He was a hair's breadth away from passing onto the afterlife.

Louis frowned as she saw her brother stare at her, no, past her. "Mike... if you don't want to go, it's fine you know." She said. While she would be attending herself, she can't make her brother go through those memories again for some get together. He was haunted by that memory and this was making it surface once more.

However, Mike shook his head. "I'll go."

---

"Cut!" The director's voice rang through the air and then Ashley and Vincent looked at each other and the former gave the latter a wide grin. Vincent stood up from his seat and then, with Ashley, headed over to the director. The scene they were set in was different from the others who were at the school so they were in a pretty secluded area, up in an apartment that was under the ownership of a small-time dealer who was a big fan of Edenridge. "Vincent, I'm surprised you still have some skills under your belt since you dropped acting entirely."

"I aim to impress. It's also pretty hard to forget those lessons drilled into my teenage brain from the first shooting." Vincent and the director laughed about it.

"And as for you Ashley, good job as always."

Ashley gave him a bright smile. "If you need us, we'll be roaming around." She told the director before she and Vincent continued on to another part of the area. Ashley hummed as the twins walked down the street. They often pointed and talked about the previous locations of their scenes. It was such a nostalgic experience. This was the highlight of their teenage years. They had been actors that starred in such a big thing. It was quite amazing, to step on foot in this place again.

The feeling was doubled for Vincent who had left the film industry completely in favor of learning medicine. He hadn't acted in a while and he hadn't exactly been thinking about it too. He was glad Ashley decided to drag him along in this revival. It sparked that sense of happiness within him. He spotted familiar faces, and while he didn't talk to them much after the shooting of the show, he did enjoy spending time with them. Ah those were the days.

The back of a man wearing gray coveralls and a distinct mop of ginger hair is shown mopping the halls of Edenridge High. When the man turns around it is soon obvious to the audience the man is Derek O'Leary. Derek is at the school early as he almost always is. Partly because it is his job to keep the school clean and partly because he loves the quiet moments of solitude at a place where he spent his high school years. Each morning he goes through the memories of this place skipping over a particular moment from the past.

This time, however, he is remembering his experience of the shooting in full detail. Derek looks into the entrance of the football teams locker room which is where he happened to be when it all went down. The tall man stands there for nearly five minutes only thinking about how much of a coward he had been. Derek looks down towards the ground and it's obvious to the audience what he is remembering. He and a large majority of the team had stayed cowering in that dumb locker room hoping the gunman didn't come for them.

Derek looked up, sighed, and continued on with his job. He knew some of the others were gonna be here for the reunion of that horrible day and he wanted to make sure the school looked as nice as is did after a good amount of the students had come together to clean the place up in honor of the injured and especially Ty.

He saved the most important for last. When he made it to the plaque of Ty Carter, he made sure that the plaque was completely spotless. Derek dedicated the change in his life to Ty and when he came back to Edenridge he made sure to make a stop by the plaque every day. He knew everyone coming would at one point or another think about Ty so the best thing Derek could think of to do to honor him was make the plaque shine brighter then it ever had before.



"CUT!" called out the director. Ricky stood up straight and stretched with a big smile on his face. The director motioned for him to come over. When he got there the director said, "Good job. Looks like you haven't lost the skill that being a Harrison gives ya."

Ricky responded in his strong Irish dialect, "Just doing the best I can. I completely forgot what it felt like to actually be the character. It felt great." The last time anyone saw Ricky portray a character on screen was as Derek. When the show ended he decided he wanted to make masterpieces just like the show. He felt he had accomplished something seeing his name on some of the biggest movies out there.

"Glad you chose to come here. Know you were a little uncertain at first."

"Well, since I was told I could still do a little writing for the show that my sister is directing I thought might as well." The two were referencing a hit medieval fantasy show that both Ricky and his older sister were working on that just started its fifth season a month ago. "I'm still glad y'all gave me the opportunity."

"Your welcome. Now go on and get outta my hair. We don't need you for a good while."

"Yes sir." Ricky walked over to the door which lead out of the set. He felt like taking a breath. At first he was nervous, but now he was happy to be back.

Mordechai Boaz

Mordechai swung his leg over and hopped off his motorcycle. There were still no students milling around the school so he took his time crossing over towards the memorial garden up front. While Ty had his own plaque, having been the actual target of the shooting, the rest of the victims had a small tree planted with their name engraved in the trunks. The garden was beautiful and well tended to, just off the side of the school's main entrance; nobody would trample it, but it was still easily seen and respected for what it was.

His knees hit the dirt and he knelt in front of his little brother's tree. 'Danny Boaz' was engraved length-wise on the thin trunk of the young Red Maple. Trembling fingers traces the smooth letters as a pained noise left his throat.

"Gavrie-"

His hand flew to his mouth-

Aisik Shomer

"Cut!" The director called as the set went silent. "Aisik, wha-"

"I'm sorry." He choked out, snapping into a standing position as he covered the wounded noise coming from his throat. His accent came out thick as he fought back the feeling of being closed in on. "I'm sor-sorry I ju-" The stunted words fell passed trembling lips and fingers, as though he was trying to catch them before they even came out.

He took off before the director could say anything else, off the set and speeding passed the snack table as a sob choked from his body and he almost tumbled into a cast or crew member as he took a sharp turn towards the trailer lot. He could just barely hear the blur of words as people called after him.

His trailer loomed over him as he threw the door open. He couldn't bring himself to remember if he'd locked the door as he threw himself against the small couch, chest heaving. He grabbed the pillow and dropped his face into it, breath erratic and tears falling freely. He hadn't expected his first scene on set to end like that, but seeing the memorial tree for his on-screen brother brought about memories of Gavriel that he'd been hoping to be able to keep at bay while working.

'Hell,' he thought. 'I didn't even tell anyone why I left mid-season all those years ago. Does anyone even know?'

Aisik had been very careful about keeping his personal life out of media, and even kept it away from his co-stars and crew members lest something get leaked. The only people that would have had any idea about it would have been the people who'd cast him at the auditions, given that he'd all but crashed his way into the room, bloody, bruised, and beaten. But he didn't talk about Gavriel or his parents; didn't talk about the gangs in his neighborhood or their affinity with him, even after he'd started acting. Now that he though about it, teenage Aisik probably made the makeup crew want to burst into tears. A lot. There were always bruises or cuts to cover up.

No media covered random gang violence in a shitty South Boston neighborhood, didn't care about a random victim caught in the crossfire. Everyone in that neighborhood was either a criminal, lowlife, or otherwise wholly unimportant; why write about one more nobody dying? No one knew he was Edenridge star Aisik Shomer's baby brother.

But that left the question: Does anyone know why he left? Why he just broke down? Or would they think it was just the stress from suddenly coming back to acting after 10 or so years?

'I shouldn't have kept everything so close to the vest...' the thought came as unbidden as the tears.

Emilia Carter

Emilia waved to fans as the golf cart brought her from the open street set, to the closed off school. She was surprised that so many people knew about the revival, and cared enough to come be presents for the first day of shooting. It seemed like everyone wanted to get a chance to cross paths with their favorite stars. Laughing, she snapped a passing photo of a fan holding a “Marry Me Vincent” sign. She was sure her friend would laugh about it later, most likely more out of discomfort than actual amusement.

As she approached the school, Emilia took a minute to take it all in. Though her first official scene had already been shot, this was her first one at the school. It was a whole different ballgame, more real. She did a full body shake out to get rid of the nerves, and walked onto the set. This would be her first scene interacting with another actor, and it looked like it was going to be a good one. The director had chosen not to let Destiny and Emilia interact before the shot, wanting the reunion to be as real as possible.

Off down another corridor, Emilia could hear the voices of the others actors. She was eager to get going, so she took her place, and began the scene.

Kaitlin O'Connor

Kaitlin stood out front of the school, her gray eyes scanning the front of the building as if at any moment it was going to attack. She snickered at herself, knowing full well she was being dramatic, and tossed her empty coffee into the trash before entering.

It was exactly the same as when she left it, well, minus the screaming. Kaity took a few steps further in, and spun in a slow circle. Slowly, she began to smile. As much as being back made her nervous, she did have a lot of great memories in these halls... though she did take care to avoid a certain hallway as she made her way her new classroom.

Upon entering, there was a small stack of papers on her desk. Kaitlin rifled through them, still standing. They appeared to be lists of what was already in her classroom, and what she would need to go get for it, along with where it was located in the school.

It was an easy enough task to start her day. She brought the papers with her and headed towards the supply closet that would have most of what she needed. As she walked, she allowed herself to get lost in the good memories this school had given her. As a teacher, she hoped that she would be able to give students good memories too.

She should have known better than to get lost in thought, but had let those happy memories lull her into a false sense of security. Her stomach felt like it dropped into the floor as she rounded corner. It wasn't so much what she saw that stopped her in her tracks... more like who she saw.

“Oh.” She said, her boot squeaking against the floor from how quickly she stopped, mere inches from Keisha Carter.

Once upon a time, seeing Keisha would have excited Kaitlin. She would have embraced the girl. They would have laughed, shared stories, had fun. Now... now they weren't much more than strangers in a familiar place.

Never one to be at a loss for words, Kaitlin found herself unable to do more than clear her throat frozen in place.

Order up!" The curly hair brunette called as she pinned the paper to the wheel and gave it a spin. The young girl was Christina Trent, the goodie two shoes sweetheart was shown with a sense of urgency in her voice as the diner was busy with a breakfast crowd. "Lucy better get here soon, I've got to get to my other job at the school. You know how much that means to me." Though it was clear that Chrissy had still been stuck in her job at the diner, it would be appear quickly that she had followed in her mother's footsteps and became a teacher.

Just then a woman came in and out, taking Christina's position. The young woman gave her a gentle smile regardless, taking off in her car and heading back towards the school as not to be late. During the drive over she pulled out her cellphone and dialed it out. "Hey mom, how's dad doing?" she started, she nodded listening, "Well that's good. Yeah I'm heading over right now. I'll be safe. Love ya too. Talk to you later." Her mother had hated when she talked on the phone while she drove, but she felt that she had to check in on her parents every now and then. Before placing her phone down, she looked at her texts. Several were from her long term boyfriend, the two had been together since high school.

Y dont u fucking answer me Chrissy?

A face of discouragement swept over her lips as she texted back.

I'm sorry. Busy at work. I love you. I'll talk to you when I get home.

She tossed placed her phone into her purse as she pulled up to the school. She had found herself as a home economics teacher at the school. having had her parents instill those things in her at a very early age. She prided herself in teaching the students about how to cook basic meals, use a sewing machine, and how to change a diaper. Walking through the hallways to her classroom, a heavy burden was across her face. Things hadn't changed drastically since she had been attending Edenridge; but they had so much at the same time. Flashes of that day flickered in her head reminding her of Ty and all the friends and acquaintances she, and everyone had lost that day.

Sitting down at her desk she placed her head in her hands and began to cry.



"CUT!"

Frankie popped her head up with a shit eating grin. "You're terrible Frankie. The minute you start crying, I almost cry every time." The girl let out a small laugh. "Sorry. I almost cry too. I don't know what I would do if I had been in that situation. The Bronx had some shit but never like this." the girl got up, running a hand through her curls as she scooted away from the set. She knew that time meant money and money was every thing in the business.

Making her way across the room she grabbed a small sandwich and a drink. She had been up all night with the nerves of returning to set and seeing some familiar faces. Though she hadn't had a huge part in the series, she felt she had an important roles to girls that could relate to her. They had promised her a scene where Chrissy finally stood up to her boyfriend and ended the problem. It was sort of a disappointment for Frankie when she read that the boyfriend was still in the picture as the revival of the show. They assured it that it would be worked out eventually, and the girl had high hopes for that.

Standing at the food table, she continued to munch happily on her sandwich, her mind wandering off as she looked around at other's scenes.

---

It was the beginning of a bright, sunny morning in the small, never-changing town of Edenrigde. In a lovely four-bedroom home located on the nicer side of town, the sounds of soft classical music slowly began to fill a big, neatly-kept master bedroom. A young woman slowly rose from beneath the bedsheets of a queen bed, rubbing her tired eyes with the back of her hand and her shoulder-length, blonde hair suffering from an adorable case of bedhead. A pair of blue eyes adjusted to the soft brightness in the room as her body took its time to fully wake up. Slowly shifting into a sitting position, the woman reached to her nightstand and pressed the ‘off’ button on her alarm. Her eyes then turned to the shaggy-haired, still-sleeping figure beside her, and a sweet smile rose to her lips. She took a moment to admire just how handsome he was, how peaceful he looked, and how lucky she was to have him. Still smiling, the woman gently kissed her husband’s cheek before finally getting out of bed.

Elaine Lancaster had never been a morning person. Not when she was child, certainly not her teenage years and not as an adult. Even when she had first started working at Edenridge High as a social worker, she hadn’t been able to smoothly adjust to waking up early. But, of course, fate has a funny way of messing around with people, and had decided to bless Lanie with an early riser. Her daughter, two and a half year-old Ingrid Danielle Callahan, had inherited her father Roddy Callahan’s habit of waking up alongside the sun. And so, Lanie had finally gotten used to being an ‘early riser’ herself.

Ever since turning into a mother, Lanie’s days had taken up a routine: get up, take a shower, make breakfast, wake up Ingrid, feed her, get her dressed and ready for the day, then get herself dressed and ready for the day, drop Ingrid at her grandparents’ and make her way to work. Right now, as she mixed pancake batter while leaning against the marble counter top, Lanie remembered what day it was. It had been ten years since the Edenridge High School Shooting: the day that had changed Lanie’s life. Though neither she or any relatives had been injured physically, the consequences of events of that day had sent her to rock bottom. Before that day, Lanie’s life was going pretty well. She had a boyfriend that loved her to no end, a repairing relationship with her parents and had earned enough confidence in herself as to not purge in about a year. But after her boyfriend’s brother had been one of the victims of the shooting, things had quickly changed for the worse. Her boyfriend had disappeared without a word or a trace, consequently triggering back nasty old habits that ultimately sent Lanie to the mental preserve she spend four months of her life in. If it hadn’t been for Roddy’s and Trish’s support, she was pretty sure she would have died. She would have never guessed that, in ten years’ time, she would have been happily married for four years and blessed with the ray of sunshine that was her daughter.

Tonight, the old alumni were scheduled to attend their 10-year class reunion. And after being informed of the news that her old boyfriend had inherited the town’s mechanic shop after its owner passed away, Lanie was afraid that Mordechai Boaz would choose this moment to come back to town. She’d worked too damn hard to get to the point she was in her life to have someone come out of nowhere and stir back old, painful memories.

Pushing the unwelcome thoughts aside, Lanie went back to cooking breakfast and doing the rest of her morning routine. The worry of what could happen loomed over her like a dark cloud, but once her daughter was up and going there was no time to brood over anything.

“Ingrid, honey, you’re going to be spending the night at Grandma and Grandpa’s today, okay? Mommy and Daddy have a special event to attend.” Lanie told her daughter as they stood in front of the Callahan’s house. Roddy’s mother took care of Ingrid while her son and daughter-in-law worked, and she did so happily. She was head over heels in love with her granddaughter, after all.

“But I’m gonna miss you,” the little girl said sadly, a small pout appearing on the full lips she’d inherited from her mother. Even knowing fully well she would be away from Ingrid just one night and that she would be in the excellent care of her loving grandparents, it still broke Lanie’s heart to see her baby girl sad.

“I’m going to miss you too, bumblebee,” Lanie replied, giving Ingrid a big hug. “But don’t worry, love. Grandma will cook some mac and cheese for you tonight, Grandpa will read you a bedtime story before bed and we can go out for ice cream with Daddy tomorrow when we pick you up. Does that sound like fun?”

The blonde child seemed to think about it for a few seconds, then her face lit up with a bright smile. “YES!” she cried out happily, jumping into her mother’s arms again. The two shared a long embrace before the time arrived for Lanie to be off.

“Mommy has to go now. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Be a good girl for Grandma and Grandpa.”

After making sure to give her daughter extra kisses, hugs and cuddles, Lanie left Ingrid with her grandparents, boarded her car and made her way to Edenridge High. She would need all the love Ingrid could give her to get through this day and stay sane.

---

---

---

“AAAAAAND cut!" The director's voice rang through the air, signaling the end of Izabella Wellington’s first scene back in the set that had gotten her career started. “Nice to have you back, Miss Academy Award winner Izabella Wellington.” he teased, going over to Bella and giving her a quick hug.

Bella smiled gracefully at his praise, waving an airy hand. “Oh, please.” she simpered, her native English accent coming out in all of its glory. “If it hadn’t been for this opportunity I wouldn’t have an Oscar to brag about in the first place, so it’s good to be back where it all started.” Having said this, Bella carefully stepped out of the set and walked to where her assistant stood. “Norah, dear, any messages?” Bella asked her Norah, the young and lovely Asian girl that had been working as her assistant for the last four years, as she made her way to her appointed chair on set.

“As a matter of fact, yes. Let’s see...” Norah declared, glancing at her notepad and pointing somewhere in the page with a fancy-looking silver pen. “Okay, here. Nina Ricci’s PR team want to confirm the date for the photo shoot of her new fragrance next week, while Valentino’s assistant confirmed he’s sent you the new season footwear collection for you to try, aaaaaaaand Donatella wanted to personally inform that your dress for the Met Gala is ready, and to schedule a date for a try-on.”

“I see…” Bella mused, mentally going over what had just been said and sorting everything out before responding while she took a seat on her chair. “Very well. Please, confirm the photo shoot for Nina’s fragrance, add a reminder to my calendar for a thank-you call to Valentino, and ask Donatella if she’s available some time next week. Also, would you please be a darling and fetch me some coffee and sandwiches? I’m feeling rather hungry at the moment.” she added with a good-natured laugh.

Without wasting any time, Norah took notes on everything Izabella had said and went off to fetch the requested snacks. Feeling satisfied, Bella whipped out her phone to give her social media a quick check while she waited for any one of her cast members to approach her. Whereas she would normally retreat to the peace and solitude of her trailer after every scene, this was a special exception. With so many old and dear faces to catch up with, it was best to stick around for a while and see if anyone wanted to chat.

---

Trish fiddled with the lip of her coffee mug, as she absently stared out the old diner window. It's been long, too long since the last time she sat in this very table, looking back at those fond childhood memories once more, she realized much that Edenridge hasnt changed. In the midst of her daydreaming the waitress disturbed her with another refill which Trish had let her.

After highschool she had left everything behind to fulfill her dream of travelling the world. For a teenage girl who barely went to college and got nothing to get by, that dream seemed impossible. But Trish eventually knew she could do it. The last decades of working various odd jobs from one town to another, and meeting new and amazing people had been an awesome adventure. During those times she was hooked up by an artist friend and got a job as a travel photographer. Being on the road is the life she came to love since. It suited her, she could never always stay in one place for a long time.

Coming back to Edenridge was never planned however, hell she wouldnt even bother coming back here if it werent for her job. The client wanted to have photos for an urban magazine, in South Boston area specifically, and 'The Ridge' was the perfect spot for it's quaint little suburban vibe.

And now almost a decade has passed, she finds herself sitting here in this old diner, she wonders how her old friends are doing. A decade with almost no communication, save for a few calls ever now and again, ever since that horrible shooting incident. She wanted to forget about it, another reason why she wanted to leave perhaps. It was the 10th year anniversary, and being around town she thought it's a polite gesture to drop by at the reunion. Part of her intrigues to see how much people there have changed in the course of 10 years.

Once she finished her cup of joe, she payed the tab and got up, slung her bag over her shoulder, then went just outside the establishment to light a smoke. Holding it between her lips she got her Leica m9p on her messenger bag while she walked to cross the street, thought it would be a perfect day to start making some shoots around the town. All the while though, a car came screeching towards her and just stopped at the right second where she was midway to the other side of the street. The driver was honking his horn, and this made Trish almost jump to her shoes.

" Jesus--- Hey! " she yelled pointing casually at the streetlight flashing crimson just above them "Fucking red light. Do you see?" the people close to the vicinity watched in amusement at the angry woman with a heavy Bostonian accent. "Yeah well fuck you too!" The driver didnt seem to appreciate Trish's rather....direct tone. She stared deeply into his eyes, made the guy twitch even, then flipped him off as she casually walked away from the scene.

---

---

---

Gertrude almost forgot how much fun it was to be Trish again, in all her acting years this role was by far, the odd one out so to speak compared to her usual roles. Trish was far from the classy ,high standing, woman of power roles she's usually cast on, that the public had even came to know her that way; Miss Gertrude Maillard, EIFA award winner, the face of Elite Paris, trophy wife of award winning director Marcus Leroy and soon to be ex. The role of Trisha Palmer, the defiant, laid back street kid with an eye for adventure and a smart ass mouth, in a way made her feel more like of herself, the persona that only a handful of people know, and hopes to keep away from the public.

Once the director yelled "Cut!" after that last scene, as if by natural instinct, Trish left and along came Gertrude. Her stance has changed, Trish's messy pony was pulled down as she neatly brushed back her hair, and languidly took the bottled water from the PA.

"Great work. I was afraid you might have lost that lovely Trishs charm. Glad to be mistaken for once. " The director gave her a little joke, true it's been almost a decade since she played this role, she was surprised herself that she still got it after all these years. "It never left, dear." and gave him a restful smile. Gert took a gulp of her water as she walked towards the seats, she felt her phone started to buzz from her pocket. She took it out, and heaved an irritated sigh.

"Oui? Qu'Est-ce que c'est?" She was half hoping that her husband would at least personally call her to talk about the divorce proceedings, but was instead greeted by his personal lawyer. The man wouldn't even talk to her, not that she's upset about it. In fact she'd rather settle with this arrangement. Her face crumpled "I cant deal with this right now." walking towards the exit of the set she stood there with another fellow actor, she glanced at him momentarily but didnt say anything as she was busily arguing someone on the phone.

"Quelle!? That wasn't part of the negotiation." there was now obvious irritation in her voice, her other hand tried to soothe her now growing headache. Seemed like she wasnt happy to hear what the other person had to say "No." she demanded "Tell him to call me or I'm personally gonna raid him and his mistress;s pretty summer home of theirs. Monsieur Benoit, I am not to be taken lightly." she threatened which seemed to work, and the lawyer told her that he will be reminded. "Oh he better." she said darkly and hung up.

She relieved her tensing and breathed a lungful of air, not even on the set Edenridge could she get a break from this mess. She reached for her other pocket and got out the props from the shoot, a box of Luckies and helped herself to it.

Aisik Shomer

It took him a while to calm down. He'd already heard three of four other scenes run through to completion as he just sat there. Grabbing a bottle of water, Aisik steeled himself and left the trailer, heading over to the make-up team that respectfully said nothing as they worked to reduce his puffy eyes. Once he was all touched up, he headed back to the director.

"Aisik! Good to see you back. What happened back there?"

"Just...bad memories coming about at the wrong time," he answered, a sad smile on his face. "But I'm ready to complete the scene."

"Ah," The director waved him off. "No need. We got all the emotions and footage we needed for that part. Head to your second scene at the autoshop class."

"Will do," Aisik replied, giving the man a small salute and jogging to the set right behind the school, where the school's autoshop was.

---

Mordechai Boaz

"Mordechai! You're back too?" Mr. Garnere, the autoshop teacher called out in surprise when he saw the man walking through his garage door. "It seems all you kids are coming back home." His eyes were kind and warm, the deep creases of both frown and laugh lines were filled in with grime from working with the cars, and trying to teach students to as well.

"Hey, Mr. G." Mordechai replied, a sad smile on his face as he gave the dirty man a quick hug. "Yeah, I got the call about Phil. He left me the shop." He didn't try to keep the confusion out of his face as he stared at his old teacher. Him and Mr. Garnere bumped heads over how to run the class, but they'd always gotten along when the teacher came over to the garage for his second job as an actual mechanic. The older man pinned him with a knowing gaze.

"You know that fool loved you like a son." He declared, dropping a hand on the young man's suddenly tensed shoulders. "And I know you didn't have a good Daddy a' yer own," His harsh Boston accent thickened a bit as he spat at the ground in anger. "But that don't mean you didn't have no strong male figures in your life."

"Yeah...yeah I guess you're right. Phil was always really great; I guess we just fell into that dynamic without thinking about it." A fond smile managed to grace the troubled man's face at the thought of the man he'd looked up to; the man he'd modeled after in order to give Danny a sturdy figure to look up to. He looked towards the door to the school hallway. This is where he'd been coming from to meet Danny in the cafeteria all that time ago. His eyes glazed over as he remember how the shots seemed to echo in the hallway, changing the beat of his heart for one crucial second-

Mr. Garnere shook his shoulder, a worried expression on his dirty face. He adjusted his backwards ball cap and opened his mouth to say something, but Mordechai cut him off, clearing his throat and looking back towards the door.

"So, uh, you said it seemed like everyone was coming back...who else is here?" He shifted on his feet, not looking Mr. Garnere in the eye. The older man gave him one more look before crossing his arms.

"Whelp, Roddy went off to college, but he's been back since graduating; Married that Lanie girl you used to bring around the shop," He didn't miss the way Mordechai flinched at her name, and leveled him with a steady gaze. "She's doing counseling and social work here. They got a cute kid and everything."

"Good f-" Mordechai cleared his throat, shuffling his feet again. "Good for them. Who else."

Mr. Garnere hummed before continuing. "Well, the wife just called from work at the diner; Says that firecracker you used to hang around with is back. What was her name, Trudy?"

"Trish?"

"That's the one! She just came in today. Let's see, who else did you hang around..." The man looked like he was really trying to remember.

"That's, uh, that's fine. Just good to know I should expect familiar faces." Mordechai stopped the man, heading towards the door to the halls. "Thanks, Mr. Garnere!"

"For Christ's sake, you're my boss now and a grown as adult, call me Eddy!" The man called after the retreating figure. Mordechai was already in the hall, however, and hid a grin at the man's yelling. He let his fingers graze against the lockers as he wandered the silent halls, wonder who else he was risking running into just by being back.

---

Aisik Shomer

"Cut! Much better Aisik!" The Director clapped the actor on his leather clad shoulder.

"Thanks," He smiled back, shrugging the jacket back into place. "I kind of forgot how easy it was to slip into Mordechai if I just kind of clear my head. Plus, the jacket is great." He grinned, turning around once in a mock show. "Am I gonna be able to keep it this time?"

"You say that like I don't remember you stealing some of the prop clothes way back when." The director scolded in lieu of answering the suddenly upbeat man. "Now go get something to eat, you'll be having another scene soon."

"Yessir!" Aisik called, walking over to the snack table and grabbing a plate of strawberries and sugar, leaning against the table to watch the other scenes playing out.

Ricky was peacefully standing outside, well as peaceful as one could be on a TV show set, just thinking. Standing there his mind slowly started to drift to his somewhat recently passed girlfriend, Jackie. It was moments alone when he wasn't doing work that he started thinking about her. His mind was starting to go from peaceful happy thoughts to sad and depressing thoughts until someone burst out of the studio arguing with someone over the phone.

Ricky soon realized the woman was Gertrude Maillard, a fellow participant of the original Edenridge. Ricky hadn't really interacted much with Gertrude mainly because at the time Derek and Trish didn't really interact at all so Ricky never warmed up to the girl. After Edenridge Ricky had no real chance of becoming friends with the woman because she went to Europe while Ricky stayed in Hollywood. He had kept track of her like he did with the other actors/actresses that came out of Edenridge as best he could. To be honest, due to what was public knowledge on the woman Ricky was very surprised she had come back to the show.

When she finished her phone call Ricky realized he was awkwardly staring. He tended to do that when he was thinking to himself. He wasn't really looking at her, but she probably didn't know that. Ricky looked away then to his watch hoping it was closer to time to do his next scene then he thought it was, but alas no such luck. The somewhat shy man was now standing outside alone with a visibly angry woman that seemed like she might rip out the throat of the next person who pisses her off. He can't think of what to say and he most certainly does not want to try and just go past her to the door without an excuse. That would just make the awkward situation painfully cringey.

He finally decided he might as well just go with saying something about the show, "So, how did your first scene go?"

Ashley had separated from her brother when Vincent decided to go back to his trailer to go find something he had forgotten. She might not have seen him for quite a while but she wasn't planning on restricting him to go with her everywhere like when they were teens. She remembered those days fondly, when she and Vincent were practically inseparable whenever they were shooting, much unlike the siblings they were portraying. Thanks to the show, a lot of people continually asked about whether or not the Westerian siblings had a relationship like the Averstin siblings. It was assured that everyone on set would say just how different the two personas were.

The black haired female had roamed around, watching the other shoots and giving the others encouraging smiles, not that they needed it considering that most were top-of-the-line actors and actresses who made it big time unlike herself. She was content on just having this though, it wasn't exactly a bad thing. It gave her ample time to visit her mother's homeland and take care of her sick father. It was the greatest sort of balance she could ever need - she had a good flow of money and time for herself. And, she isn't flooded by people when she's walking around town for a jog or to shop for clothing. While it does happen, it doesn't happen all that much.

Her feet led her to the snack table where everyone seemed to be flocking around. And honestly, she didn't really know what to do since her next shoot would be later on in the evening on the anniversary shoot. Ashley was quite surprised with Louis's choice of career though. Back when she was a teen and Louis's persona was still fresh and new in her mind, she had thought that she was aiming to become a businesswoman like her parents and inherit the great sum of the combined businesses of her father and her mother. So when the writers gave her the script and told her that Louis became a Pediatrician, she was dumbstruck. Though the fact that Louis was actually surprisingly good with children struck her, the girl used to volunteer on some of the primary school events before. Ashley wasn't sure why she forgot this certain detail of Louis's past. Then again, she was but a mere teenager who thought she would take the world by storm after Edenridge. She wasn't a very realistic kid back then. She was a dreamer. People said that was a good trait to have and the main trait that was the exact opposite of her brother's as Vincent was more of a realist than an idealist.

Absentmindedly taking a cookie from the snack table, she continued to wander around. It didn't seem like she had a particular place in mind. Then again, most of Ashley's decisions were based upon whim and not some sort of advanced thinking. She's gotten this far into life without taking everything seriously, so that means it's working right?

Her aimless walking eventually led her to a person she had not really spoken to all that much. "Aisik Shomer?" She called out to him. "How have you been? Where have you been?" Normally, she would greet them with a small hug, but felt awkward to do so when faced with him, considering the fact that they really didn't talk to each other all that much. She didn't have much scenes with him and thus didn't lead to much conversations. Despite this, when Ashley heard that his character. Mordechai, disappeared all of a sudden, she was quite shocked. Then the news that Aisik also disappeared reached her soon after. Despite what little interaction they had, she was quite worried for him. He never told anyone why he left and, as far as she knew, didn't contact anyone else after Edenridge. Though the worry subsided soon after the cancellation of the show, she couldn't help but wonder where he had been whenever the memory of the show surfaced.

---

With a huff of her cigarette, staring into the distance as she agonize about the possibility of losing millions if her, not so idiot husband after all, gets away with all of it at the divorce, she turned to the man who she glanced at while in a heated convo on the phone. She then realized it was Ricky Harrison. She remembered having a couple of shoots with him once or a few but beyond that, there's nothing much she can say about the man except that she barely recognizes him after 10 long years. She could relatively say the same with the other actors as well. Like most of the cast after the first Edenridge, Gert had sometime lost communication with the others when she spent her career in Europe. But without having so much of a break after her marriage, she thought to move back in America for a sudden change of environment.

"Pretty good." She answered, looking up to him as she tries to put a polite smile underneath her lingering irritation at her recent encounter on the phone. A tap on her shoulder cut her off when a patrol guard pointed at a huge 'no smoking' signage behind her. She glanced back, cursed under her breath, not really sure what to do with her stick as she searched around for an ashtray but eventually she crouched down and proceeded to scrape the tip on the floor, once the embers died out she threw it on the bin next to her.

After an awkward silence she urged to at least say something. "How did yours go?" her eyes not particularly looking at anything from a distance "It's been a while hasn't it?"

---

---

"Every god damn morning, Nickie. Every morning." Keisha sighed as she rummaged around the cluttered purse. She could hear footsteps heading in her direction, but chose to keep fumbling around in her bag; it was probably just the janitor. When her fingers finally found the loose key, she smiled in triumph and quickly stuck the key into the door, turning the knob and shoving the door open with her hip. It was then that she heard the noise: a boot squeaking noisily against the tile floor. Keisha quickly jerked her head up, only to meet the gaze of a pair of bright green eyes. "Oh," the young, redhead woman said before clearing her throat. Keisha glanced down at the woman's boots, realizing that she had to come to an abrupt stop to avoid running into her. After taking another look at the woman's face, however, it only took her a few seconds to realize who she was.

"Kaitlin O'Connor," Keisha said incredulously, and almost instantly, her palms began to sweat. Keisha swallowed the lump in her throat before breaking the silence, "Wh-what are you doing here?" She stuttered, mentally slapping herself afterwards. The last time the girls had been face-to-face was ten years ago, just hours before Kait had been shot, and the first thing she thought to ask was why she was there?

Kaitlin met Keisha's gaze, and failed to hold back a wince. Without noticing, she tightened her grip on the papers she was holding, her knuckles turning white from the pressure. Never in a million years did she think that Keisha would choose to work in the very place where her own brother got shot. Apparently, Kaitlin should have learned ten years ago not to underestimate her.

“I, um, I work here now. I took the open teaching position in the English department” She said, breaking her gaze from Keisha's. It was cowardly, but she wanted a way out. “Apparently, you work here too. I didn't see that coming.”

Kaitlin would be lying if she said she hadn't pictured reuniting with her former friend many times over the years. It played out in her mind so many different ways; a friendly embrace, yelling, crying... but this, this awkward stammering? This had to be the worst of them all.

Keisha nodded her head and tapped her index finger on her coffee cup, her mind swirling with this newfound information. Of course, she'd been aware that there was a teaching position open, and she did know that someone had gotten the job. What she didn't know, however, was that it'd been taken by Kaitlin. "Yeah, I've been working here for some time now," Keisha said with a tight-lipped smile, "I'm one of the guidance counselors. I guess I just...wanted to help out. Give the kids around her a person to talk to when they go through rough times, you know?" Keisha held her gaze on the young woman even after she'd looked away, her heart beating uncomfortably fast. After all these years and everything they'd been through, Keisha had no idea how to interact with Kait.

"I want to hug you," Keisha said, "and I would, but my hands are kind of full..." She looked down at the over-sized bag, papers, and coffee mug that she managed to carry at the same time. "Would you like to come in?" She asked as she motioned towards her office door.

Keisha becoming a guidance counselor actually made plenty of sense to Kaitlin. She couldn't count the number of times that she had gone rushing to Keisha with her own problems. That time was long over though. Now Keisha was a problem for Kaitlin. It was in this moment that she realized that despite all the time that had passed, a part of her blamed Keisha for what had happened. The blame wasn't rational, Kaitlin knew she had caused her fair share of problems for herself and others, but the truth of the matter still remained. Those bullets that so many had taken had been meant for Keisha.

It was crazy, holding onto the emotions from that day. Ten years had passed, and she didn't wish any harm on her former friend but...well, grief and blame didn't play by the rules.

Keisha motioned towards the office door, and Kaitlin took a small step backwards.

“No,” she said too quickly, her throat going dry. “I mean, no thank you. Look, I wasn't expecting to see you. I mean, I figured you might show up at the memorial....” she let her words trail off as her thoughts drifted. Kaitlin shook her head to clear it, then rambled on. “But, no. I don't know what to do about this. I'm not sixteen anymore. The woman standing in front of me, truth is, I don't know her. I'm not sure I want to know her. I'm sure you're great, and I hope you are doing well. Truly I do. But... no.”

The words tasted sour as they left Kaitlin's mouth, but they were honest. She was trying the whole honesty thing out for size. So far, it sucked.

---

---

---

---

Destiny grinned so widely as she hugged the young man, that her face started to hurt. For some reason, Destiny didn't realize just how much she missed her old friends. They'd all grown and matured together while working on set. Tiny was amazed that she hadn't burst into tears the moment she saw an old face. "Yeah, I'm glad to be back." Destiny said once they'd pulled away. "I didn't realize how much I missed everything, you know? Edenridge, acting, friends..."

---

---

Aisik Shomer

"Aisik Shomer?" Aisik froze, strawberry already halfway to his mouth, when a voice called out to him from his left. He turned to look at the woman, a hint of confusion as he tried to place her face. "How have you been? Where have you been?" she asked. It took him a second to answer; he wanted to remember her first. It was the tan skin and striking eyes that finally clicked for him. Ashley Westerian. He never had many scene's with her, as often times Mordechai wasn't around Trish when she pranked Ashley's character Louis. He can only really remember a handful of scenes with them both in them.

"Ashley," He smiled, putting the plate down behind him and pushing off the table. "I've, um, I've been good!" He answered, shifting his weight from foot to foot as his smile turned a little nervous. "I actually...moved back home. To Netanya, that is." His old habits already started clawing at him, telling him to leave it at that and not give her any more information. But after everything he's been through, he knew it was better to have things out in the open.

"Uh, Netanya, Israel...I run a Youth Shelter there with...with my partner. I sell my art, too..." He tapered off. Jeez, for all the counseling and therapy he's given he kids in the Shelter, telling them to talk things out and be honest, it was easier said than done. Not that he didn't know that, but it's still odd trying to be so honest with the people he'd kept basically everything from, despite having befriended them all in one way or another.

"Aisik! You've got your scene with Izabella next!" The director called over, and Aisik raised his hand to show he'd heard before turning back to Ashley.

"Looking forward to that one," He joked, tilting his head. "What about you? I kind of...dropped off the map after I had them get rid of Mordechai, I don't know anything about anyone anymore."

Kaitlin O'Connor

“Keisha? Kaitlin?”

Kaitlin turned at the sound of her name. Her gaze met that of a ruggedly handsome man, about her own age. She stared, cocking her head to the side, causing her auburn hair to fall over one shoulder.

After a few moments, it clicked. “Roddy?” She smiled slowly, her mind adjusting the picture she had in her head of the teenager she once knew. Ten years ago, Roddy Callahan was in that awkward boy to man stage. Not yet filled out with muscle, not yet grown to his full height, but you could see even then that he would grow up to be masculine and handsome. “It is you. Hi. It's um, good to see you still have impeccable timing.” She looked back over her shoulder, glancing briefly at Keisha in the doorway of her own office, before settling her gaze back on Roddy. “I didn't realize you were in town. I'd love to catch up, but I have somewhere else to be right now. ” That last part was a lie. The only thing on her agenda for the day was setting up her office, but this was all getting to be a little too much for her.

Kaitlin excused herself and made a hasty retreat to her classroom, dropping her folders onto her desk with a soft thump. She had failed to get the remainder of her items for her classroom, but that could wait a little while longer.

Sighing heavily, she slumped into her desk chair and took a moment to reflect on her first interactions since being back in Edenridge. Keisha... well, Kaitlin really botched that one. Her former friend reached out, arms wide open, and Kaitlin darted like a scared rabbit. As for Roddy, that reunion would be easier. It was always an easy dynamic between the two of them; Kaitlin got herself into trouble, Roddy saved her ass.

Kaitlin knew the hardest part of coming back to town was still ahead of her. The memorial reunion was coming up, and she was sure that if Keisha and Roddy were both still around, others would be too. She picked up her purse and fumbled around until she finally found her phone. It only took her a few minutes to open up her folder of text messages, and fine Mike's name.

I've been in town less than a day, and it's already a mess. I might be the most awkward human alive. You had the right idea not coming in for the memorial, but I wish you were here.

Kaitlin hit send and dropped her phone back into her bag, knowing full well it could take hours for Mike to pull his head out of his work and respond, if he even remembered to. Until then, it was time to move things around her classroom, and try not to let any more memories sneak up on her.

Emilia Carter

After her scene ended, Emilia stayed seated in her desk chair, rotating it around and around, finally stopping to grin at the director.

“You might look older, but you certainly don't act it, spinning around like that. Don't break the props on day one, sweetheart.” His words were serious, but his face was full of laughter as he spoke to her.
Emilia stuck her tongue out, getting a laugh from the director.

“Man, a girl breaks one prop vase and she never lives it down.”

“The way I remember it, it was one vase, one cell phone, a window when you hit a ball from a pool table... which I'm still not sure how you managed that one.”

“Ok, Ok, we get it.” Emilia said, laughing along with director. “I'm clumsy and accident prone, and you missed me very much.”

“That I did.” The director said. “Now get out of that chair, I'm sure you are sick of looking at my face and you have a little bit until your next scene.”

“Aye aye captain.” Emilia replied with a mock salute in his direction.

Ashley had not been oblivious to Aisik's nervous habit as he replied to her question though she decided not to pry any further, as it might not be the best path to tread on. "A youth shelter huh? That's so nice of you." She was also well aware of the status of the people in Israel. It's not exactly the best place to grow up in. With all the conflict that has been going on, those kinds of acts would have been surely appreciated. She could see why he had built one as he had grown up in the same place. It must have pushed him to build one. Though, she didn't make any comments about his supposed partner. Again, she'd rather not stick her nose too deep into other people's personal lives... and that especially includes Aisik whom she had never talked to before.

"Aw, I want to see some of your art if possible. I'm sure they're amazing." She hadn't been known for trying to please people so it means that she really means what she says, and she really thinks that Aisik's arts are good ones. Then again, the girl didn't really have much artistic background so she's probably just going to stare at awe at probably every painting the guy had thinking that they were so awesome, and just comment that over and over again because she has a great lack in vocabulary when it comes to appreciating artistic talent. Be that as it may, she certainly does know when someone puts their heart and soul into something they're doing and that's what she appreciates the most.

Her head turned to the direction of the director who had called out to Aisik and telling him that the next scene was with Izabella. Oh! Mordechai and Elaine! That would be so interesting. "I can't wait to see how the writers planned this scene out and how you and Izabella would bring life to the characters." Given that she had been on set for the filming of Mordechai and Elaine's interactions, mostly out of sheer curiosity and sometimes the fact that she just couldn't sit still. Anyhow, their relationship had been very nice up until Mordechai was written out of existence.

"Me? Oh, I've been good. I stuck with the acting business and everything's been-" Ashley stopped herself mid-sentence as she doubled back on what Aisik had said. He told them to get rid of Mordechai? She simply stood there for the longest of moments... which was only about ten seconds before snapping out of her thoughts and could only mutter a single question, "Are you alright?" It wasn't a why he decided to leave. It was more of worry for his being. The thing that immediately came to her mind was that Aisik was sick and had to return home quickly, or his family might have needed him.

Aisik frowned, confusion evident at Ashley's sudden change in topic. "Uh...y-yeah? I'm fine. At least, I think so..." He reached his hand up, running it over his own face in an attempt to find something wrong. "Why? Am I turning red? All I ate were the strawberries and I wasn't allergic last time I checked."

Ashley breathed out a sigh of relief. "No, you're fine right now." She quickly said once Aisik was trying to find out if something was wrong with him. "I just... you know, thought that you might be sick and that's why you told the writers to write Mordechai out. I may not have been the person who told you to come back but I would still feel pretty guilty about it if you were just forcing yourself." She reasoned. From his reaction, it means that there wasn't anything wrong with him in terms of physical diseases. But that does make her wonder why Aisik decided to leave when they still weren't done.

"Oh!" Aisik laughed as her explanation reached him. He dropped his hands from his face. "No no, I wasn't sick or anything like that I just..." He sobered up and hunched his shoulders forward. "Something...uh, something bad happened in my personal life that I knew was going to negatively impact my acting."

'Damn. So much for being open and honest.' Aisik thought. It was still a step up from his openness in the past, but Damned if he wasn't being cryptic. He reached up and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Oh I see. Well I won't pry any further." Ashley said, reassuring him that he wouldn’t need to explain any further if he didn't want to. At least she knew a reason to why he had suddenly disappeared. Though she honestly was curious as to what this "something bad" is.

She turned to the director who was motioning Aisik to get there."I think your scene with Izabella is up. Good luck out there Aisik." Ashley said, gesturing for him to move. "Looking forward to it." She said, giving him an encouraging smile.