Simple is best.
Natural is beautiful.
That's always what Leila strived to live by. Regardless of the fact that as a model, she often has layers upon layers of makeup on her face, designer clothes, meticulously styled hair, lighting, and the photo shopping, she still believes that natural beauty is the most exquisite.
So how should she look pretty today? Leila wanted to give a good first impression, and she needed to work on her appearance a bit this morning. She did not look like a model at all in the morning. Her eyes were bleary, and there was a pretty formidable cowlick in her hair. With a sigh, Leila attempted to smooth down the cowlick with her hand, but of course it sprang back right away. She knew from experience that she would have to battle fiercely against the evil cowlick to defeat it. That took a lot of time and effort. Well, it was a good thing that she woke up early, and had a plenty of time.
After the morning ritual of eating breakfast, brushing teeth, and washing face, Leila sat down in front of her large mirror to beautify herself. She attacked that cowlick with a straightener and detangler until it was tamed--and it probably took a good 15 minutes. For the rest of her hair, she simply ran a comb through it until it was sleek and smooth, leaving it hanging down her back. Leila added some waterproof mascara to her eyelashes, some eyeliner to make her eyes pop, and a dab of lip gloss. And that's it! Nothing more. The best models know how to accentuate their best features with minimal amounts of makeup.
She was ready to go now. After double checking her email to make sure that she knew the right place and time, Leila headed out the door with her rain jacket. Pulling the hood up to protect her hair, she ran towards her car, carefully avoiding any puddles on the way. She loved the rain, loved the water, but fire was her element--as evidenced by her hair--and she didn't want it to extinguish her flame, especially right now, when she was about to meet everyone for this project.
As she steered her car into the streets, she glanced at the directions she had scribbled down on a yellow legal pad. Turn left at Traction, take another left at 75th... Wait, was she supposed to take a right at Victoria, or left? With a frown on her face, she pulled over and scrutinized her map. Crap, she went the wrong way. Leila had to make a complete U turn to get back on track. And unfortunately, it wasn't the only time she had to backtrack a bit. Leila has amazing directional skills. Don't even deny it...
After some hiccups, she finally managed to arrive at the right place. Grabbing her script, her pencil case, and the blueberry muffins she had baked for everyone, she headed in. Of course, there were people already there. Quietly, Leila placed the muffins on the table, and removed the saran wrap covering them before scampering off to curl up in a chair. Her eyes darted around, taking in everyone in the room as she silently fidgeted with her hair.
Fame.
Despite it being a coveted thing, it was also very difficult to deal with. After avoiding the spotlight for so long, Luke had thought that he was an expert at concealing who he really was.
Boy, was he wrong.
Once the news of his directoral debut had hit the press, chaos ensued. The paparazzi had found his house--how did they do that? Seriously--so Luke was currently staying at a hotel because they wouldn't leave him alone. He wouldn't be able to leave his house because there were so many of them, and they would bombard him with questions that he would of course, refuse to answer. Honestly, did they really think that he'd give them the answers they wanted? Yet they persisted, even going as far as peeking through his curtains. What headline were they expecting from that? "Actor-turned-director eats toast for breakfast!!!" That'll make millions for sure. It's not like he was hiding a girlfriend in his house or anything.
With the relatively safe environment provided by the hotel, Luke was able to relax a bit and gather his thoughts. A lot of pressure was mounting upon this movie--perhaps... No. Definitely a lot more than everyone was aware of. He was painfully aware about all of the doubt and uncertainty people had about him directing, and as much as he hated to admit, those concerns were valid. Although Luke had directing experience, they were limited to plays. Still, he felt that he could be confident. He had spent years observing directors, and he had done his homework and knew that in theory, he would be an amazing director.
But real life application is drastically different.
Luke nervously ran his hand through his hair as he glanced through his papers, messing up his swooping hair a bit. (Let's get once thing straight, it's helluva lot better than that douche, Justin Bieber's hair okay? Luke is
not a copy-cat, he was famous before him.) Then with a quick exhale, Luke steeled himself for this meeting. Stuffing his papers into a folder, then shoving said folder into a bag, he straightened up. After making sure that he had everything, it was time to address another issue.
Cautiously, Luke peeked past the curtain, to observe the street below. What he saw had him jerking away from the window. The paparazzi was gathered just outside the hotel. So they not only found his house, they found the hotel he was staying at. It was stalker-ish to say the least. He understood why they were so desperate for any information though.. The production had been kept under wraps. The public knew that Luke was directing a movie, but nothing else. He knew that they were desperate and it almost made him feel less irritated towards them. Almost.
He felt really bad about inconveniencing the hotel staff. He would have to send them something as a gesture of apology and thanks.
But for now, he had to find a way out of here.
Diving into his suitcase, Luke assembled a disguise for himself.
After his transformation, he gazed at himself in the mirror. Not bad Clemens, not bad at all. At first glance, you wouldn't recognize the former star. He concealed his blonde hair with a brown wig and a baseball cap. His face was largely covered with sunglasses and an oversized windbreaker was draped over him. It wasn't a perfect disguise, if anyone got a close look at him, he might get recognized. But it would have to do. He emitted a small sigh. He wanted to dress a little more formally for the first meeting, but that would draw too much attention.
Sneaking out the back door, Luke quickly walked away with a purpose, skillfully weaving through the crowd with his head held high. He knew that people would get suspicious if he bowed his head. Fortunately, it worked like a charm, and soon enough, he was safely in his car--it was a rental, the paparazzi knew what his actual car looked like--and zoomed away.
Blazion
