Page 48 of Cosplay & Consequences

Paige must have said something to him. He was buttering me up. Trying to put me at ease.

It wasn’t working.

He walked off the set and positioned himself behind the camera. “All right,” he called out. “Quiet on the set! Let’s knock this out! Bring it home, Danny! Action!”

I assumed the stance, taking a deep breath. “Friends and allies, gather close and⁠—”

It wasn’t there. I wasn’t in the moment, and I could tell by Alfie’s face he knew it too. I dropped my head, trying to take even breaths, trying to center myself.

“It’s fine, Danny. Keep rolling. Get back to your mark and we’ll start again.”

I went back to my mark and settled in. Deep breaths.

“Friends and Allies!” I shouted, but it was flat and hollow. I pressed on. “Gather close to me and hear my words. There comes a time in our lives when we must rise above our petty squabbles and fears to face a threat that will consume us all. The forces of the Stygian Abyss seek to claim the soul of my beloved Fiona. They seek to break the pact of Glen Orrin and shroud our world in eternal night. They are gravely mistaken if they think we will let them have our realm without a battle.”

I caught sight of Mike, the boom operator, as he winced. I pushed it aside, trying to focus. “I know that all of you feel betrayed by Fiona–”

Did I say Fee-ona? Or Fi-o-Nah? I swallowed and kept talking.

“–That the pact she made will doom her to damnation. But that pact saved each and every one of you, including those you love and seek to protect. Her sacrifice was noble despite the measures taken. Who among us would have denied that opportunity? You can all turn your noses and claim a higher noble cause, but you all know you would have taken that pact. And who are we to let her burn because of it?”

Mike checked his watch, and I could see he was tapping his foot, impatiently. Leona, the sound technician, was looking at her phone.

I missed my mark and had to adjust for the camera angle, hoping it worked. “So let us charge into the breach, our hearts true and our fists held high. The forces of shadows know that we will not be denied, that we will not falter. Let the beat of our hearts be our cadence. Let every breath we take push us forward until the Stygian Abyss is nothing but a stain on our boots and erased as a threat to our realm. Together. Together we will prevail. Together we will save Fiona. Together, we will bring forth a new age.”

The crew didn’t react, and I could see Alfie’s frown behind his mustache. There was a small bit of applause, most of it coming from my sister and Faye. Brayonna and Bennet were sharing a look with each other as they politely clapped.

“All right, that wasn’t too bad,” Alfie lied. “But I think we can do better. Let’s start it again, shall we?”

I nodded and went back to my opening mark. When I looked up, I saw all the disappointed looks of the crew. Great. So, I wasn’t just sucking at this, I was disappointing everyone.

“Action!”

“Friends and al-”

I tripped over my own feet and fell flat on my face.

I pulled myself up from the floor to see Alfie heave a giant sigh. “Oh, brother.”

I was in trouble.

We did a retake. At least this time I didn’t fall, but it was horrible. Then we did it again. And again.

I was spiraling. Nothing was coming out right. At one point I just stopped and turned my back to the camera and crew.

“All right. Let’s take five minutes,” Alfie called out. Next thing I knew, he was by my side. He was using his calming tones that he always used on the cast whenever they were having problems. It made my head pound even more.

“Danny. Come on. This isn’t you.”

I paced in a circle, the wig causing my head to itch. I resisted the urge to pull it off.

“Take a deep breath, man. You know the words. I saw you on that stage in that interview you did with what's-her-face.”

“Jessica.”

“Right. You know this guy. You are this guy.” He stepped in front of me, forcing me to a stop. “You got this, kid.”

I went back to my mark to try again. Numbness settled inside me. I lost my connection. In the back of the room, I saw Paige trying to wrestle one of the key grips back to the set.