Kaitlyn

Introduction to one of the two protaganists, hinting at conflict and antagonist at the end of the chapter. Declan feels like a horse being led to slaughter. A man in a well fitting black suit opens the back passenger door of a black SUV and holds his hand out, palm up, gesturing for him to get inside. Declan nods but keeps his head down to avoid calling attention his way. Not that it even matters how he tries to hide himself, he is Declan Graham, one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood. Letting out a breath, he feels a slight breeze cool the perspiration that had gathered at the nape of his neck. Thanking the driver, he slides onto the shiny leather bench seat of the SUV. Everyone knows that Declan will be at the awards show this evening. It’s part of his contract to be at these things, not to mention that his latest film, “The Destiny of Moondust” has several nominations this evening. When he had gotten the news that he was nominated for the first time for Best Actor, his first reaction was that it was thrilling. That excitement had just as quickly turned to dread at the thought of winning. The thought of it now makes him nauseous, especially as the car passes by a blur of limousines all heading toward the venue like a crew boats racing in a regatta. Despite the public lens that comes with being an actor, Declan is a pretty private person. The cameras on him while he works through a scene, playing a character and knowing exactly what he needs to say next gives him a thrill. When on the red carpet, or lately, leaving a restaurant or hotel, he feels like an animal in a zoo. Typically Declan and his publicist Tori are in agreement that he should arrive within the last thirty minutes of the pre-show, before the awards begin. Enough time to give the photographers their photo ops, do a few quick interviews, and right into the auditorium to find his seat. He had expected to see a crowd of photographers waiting just outside of the lobby doors. The paparazzi are vultures, and they’re desperate to get a never before scene shot of Hollywood’s Golden Boy. In fact, that was the last headline that Declan had seen in the tabloids last week. Never before seen- photos of Hollywood’s Golden Boy whispering sweet nothings to Queen of the Screen Birdie Charger! He rolls his eyes, thinking about the grainy picture someone had snapped of he and Birdie quietly talking on set while waiting for their next scene together. Rumors that had been popping up on every tabloid speculating on his relationship with his co-star and friend, Birdie Charger. This is nothing new in Hollywood, often the lead actor and actress of a film will purposely fan the romance rumors to increase the buzz for the film. Birdie and Declan, however, have had a purely platonic relationship since he moved to Hollywood eight years ago. She had been one of his closest and most trusted friends, a difficult thing to come by in the cut-throat world of Hollywood. This was the first time they had leading roles opposite one another. Their chemistry was off the charts on screen, since they were already so comfortable and knew each other off screen. Declan had assumed that there would be a crowd of paparazzi hoping to catch a glimpse of something sordid with whole cast of their film was staying at the Sunset Marquis. Typically, Declan would be joined by Tori. Tonight, she had a few other clients making their way down the red carpet for the first time, so she had assured him that he would be fine, and reminded him three times the name of the designer for his tuxedo. “Why do people even care about who made this?” Declan grumbled, tugging at the gold cuff links that I was told had been sent over from Cartier. “They don’t, not for the men anyway, but Versace sent this over for you to wear tonight for free, you look stunning, and the people need to know why,” she had answered, straightening his lapel and patting his coat pocket after slipping a piece of paper in it. “I put together a list of people that you need to thank if you win tonight, my name should be at the top of that list,” she winks, “but I left it off there, we don’t need the world knowing how amazing I am, I can’t handle any more clients.” She had tapped his cheek affectionately before giving him a quick air kiss. “I’ve got to run, Josh has called me six times already asking what time I would get there.” She shook her head with a chuckle as she said “First timers.” Declan is surprised to feel the car slow to a stop, thinking of the morning and Tori’s reassurance. OK. Fifteen minutes, you’ve got this dude. Smile, wave, answer a few questions, and then you can go sit down. Not one of his best pep talks, but it will do. As the door opens, he am blinded by a lightning storm of camera flashes. Smiling and nodding as people call his name, “Declan! Over here! Declan this way!” he lifts his hand in a wave and turn his attention to the young woman heading in his direction holding a clipboard. Some of the voices still creating the Richter scale worthy noise are paparazzi, some are fans. The woman standing in front of him is a tiny little thing. She has a cream colored sweater over her black tank and pants, and red heels that matched the carpet. The lanyard around her neck identifies her as an employee for the event. “Hi Mr. Graham, I’m Gigi, I’ve been assigned as your handler for the evening,” she says, her cheeks tinged with pink. “Declan, please,” he correct her. He flashes her the smile that the paparazzi die for as he lean in closer. “It’s nice to meet you Gigi. You’re the one who can get me out of here quick?” Her face turns scarlet just before she composes herself, and a camera flashes as she looks up at him from under her lashes. He can imagine the click bait headlines now. Did Birdie fly the nest after seeing Declan’s wandering eye? “We’ll head over here to get some photos of you first,” Gigi points in the direction of the step, turns his attention away from my own rambling thoughts. He see the step and repeat background over the heads of the crowd to the right. “Then one or two interviews and we’ll get you inside! I’ve got your back… Declan” she finishes a little uncomfortably, as if testing out that she was truly meant to call him that. “Lead the way!” He says with an easy, practiced smile and a wink. As I step in front of the backdrop and take my mark at the tape on the floor, I take a deep breath. Tucking one hand in his pocket, he lifts his head and tries not to squint at the onslaught of flashes as the photographers yell out instructions. “Look to the left!” “Hands in your pockets!” “Face the right!” “No smile for this one!” “Eyes over here!” “Take a step forward!” “Lets see that watch!” “Hands out of your pockets!” He does as they instruct with practiced ease, though reminded of how much more awkward this is when there’s not a woman on his arm. Just standing in front of a crowd alone, alternating between a smile and a smolder. Declan realizes he probably should have taken Tori’s advice and walked the carpet with Birdie, even though they both knew it would have fueled the media rumors. At least then, he would have had someone to share this spotlight with. After what feels like a lifetime, but was probably closer to forty-five seconds, Gigi catches his attention and motions for him to step off the platform. Giving the cameras one last wave and smile as a few photographers yell out good luck wishes and congratulations on the nomination this evening. “Where to boss lady?” Again, her cheeks flush and she looks down at the ground quickly before collecting herself. Usually, women are throwing themselves at him, not looking away and getting flustered, especially the women that tend to work on the red carpet. It’s refreshing. These days it seems like everyone in Hollywood is looking for their fifteen minutes. “Umm, we’re going to head this way for an interview with 24Entertainment, and then right next to them is CelebNews, and then you’re good to go inside,” she stammers. A sign above the camera to their left says 24Entertainment and a tall blonde woman is being interviewed. As she turns, he realizes it’s Birdie. She must have had the same idea and arrived just moments before he did. She notices Declan standing behind her and her smile widens as she wraps her arms around him in a hug. Birdie puts her whole strength into hugs, even with her fans. It’s part of why she’s so loved. “Good luck tonight, I’ll see you in there!” Birdie whispers into his ear before she is ushered on her way toward the next interview. “Welcome, welcome Mr. Declan Graham,” says a woman in a high necked black dress. He recognizes that she’s interviewed him before, but can’t for the life of him remember her name. “We saw just now you had a sweet moment with your co-star Birdie Charger.” She observes, using her fingers to make air quotes as she says co-star. “How does it feel to be nominated for Best Actor this evening, alongside several other ensemble and crew awards for The Destiny of Moondust?” “You know, it’s an honor to just be nominated. I’m surrounded by such amazing company in the category, I don’t even know how I fit in there!” “It couldn’t hurt working alongside America’s sweetheart!” “Birdie and I have been such close friends for so long, it was great to finally be able to work with her. I think we’re both really proud of this project.” “Well we all loved it here at 24Entertainment. So, we’ve heard that you do your own stunts ” the woman continues. “I try my best,” he says, forcing out a fake chuckle and shifting on his feet. Do they really consider jumping over a fence stunt work on this movie? It’s not like there were any real action scenes, it was a romance! “Who are you wearing tonight?” “The tux and shoes are both Versace,” he replies, silently thanking Tori for reminding him over and over again, despite still not understanding why anyone cares. “And the cuff links are Cartier.” He holds up a sleeve to show her plastering another smile to his face. “Well, you look amazing!” she gushes, “who are you most excited to see tonight?” “I hear that Taylor Swift is going to be here.” Taylor always seems to appeal to the female fan base. “Everyone is a Swiftie these days, right?” He says, winking at the camera, and the woman laughs. Its a safe answer. Behind them, Gigi motions for the woman to wrap up the interview so we can move on. “Well good luck tonight, Declan, we’ll be rooting for you!” the woman says, “and that’s all for me tonight. I’m Ana Scrimm, reporting live from the red carpet for 24Entertainment. We’ll see you for the after-show!” As the producer says cut, Declan waves again and steps down off the slight platform to move along to the next interview. The next set of questions, though slightly shorter due to the clock ticking down to the start of the show, is much of the same. Can’t they think of something a little more innovative to ask? Why would people even want to watch them asking the same three questions to different people over and over? Breathing a sigh of relief, he allows Gigi to usher him toward the auditorium doors. My interview smile is replaced by a genuine one as I spot Tori standing facing a much taller man, that has his back to me. As I get closer, I realize it’s my agent Luke. “I’ve got it from here Gigi,” I say, turning to the young woman, “thanks for all your help!” Gigi nods and waves quickly before turning around and scurrying away. I need to make a mental note to ask Tori to request her as my handler for the next show as well if she’ll be there. As I turn back to Tori and Luke, I notice that they appear to be having a serious conversation, but the concerned expressions on their faces are quickly replaced with smiles as soon as they see me approach. “There’s the man of the hour!” Luke calls brightly, clapping Declan on the back as he grips his right hand to shake it, holding on a little too tight. The smile on Luke’s face looks forced. “Well if it isn’t my dream team,” Declan says leaning down to give Tori a kiss on the cheek. Tori hates the red carpets just as much as he does, and she’s got a terrible poker face. “My other clients are all settled in their seats,” she tilts her head toward the auditorium doors, “I’m yours for the rest of the evening. Anything I need to know about since I saw you at the hotel?” Tori’s tiny frame may make her look like a meek, fuzzy bunny, but that woman is a full-grown lioness, even scaring me sometimes with her ferocity. She is also the most meticulous person that I have ever met, always on point no matter how many situations she may be juggling behind the scenes. Without a doubt, it was not accidental that she was waiting where she is as I finished up my interviews. “I behaved myself, smiled like a good boy, and didn’t tell them that their questions were fucking vanilla.” I says with a charming smile, batting my eyelashes, knowing that Tori isn’t afraid to tell me when I’m acting like an overgrown toddler. She also has been known to tell the press where to go and how to get there when their questions get too intrusive for my preferred private lifestyle. She’s been in the business a long time and she protects me as one of her own. As he looks into Tori’s eyes, expecting to see annoyance, they only shine with concern. “What’s going on Tor? I know that look in your eyes isn’t because you’re worried about me winning tonight,” he lowers his voice and lean in a little closer. While they may have the illusion of having a quiet conversation without a camera right in their faces, they are still very much in the limelight here on the outskirts of the red carpet. “Nothing I can’t handle sweetness, you just worry about enjoying yourself tonight,” she taps Declan on the cheek fondly, “Now let’s get you settled in your seat- do you still have your acceptance speech?” “Right here boss,” he jokes, patting his chest where the list she had written out sits in the inside pocket of his jacket. Declan might pay her salary, but Tori is definitely the boss. “Just as long as I remember to take the right list out of my pocket, otherwise I’ll just be thanking the vet and making an appointment with the dentist.” His eyes widen and he facepalms to lighten the mood, peeking out from behind his hand to see if it made her smile. She rolls her eyes slightly and then links her arm in his and begins to lead him toward his seat. They pause several times as Declan's name is called by friends and actors who shake hands or lean in for a hug. The lights in the auditorium begin to blink and dim slightly, indicating that the show is about to begin. As they reach a row a few back from the stage, Declan recognize a few castmates from The Destiny of Moondust. A white paper placard rests on the third seat from the aisle with his name and headshot on it, marking his seat for the evening. “Tori and I are right behind you,” Luke says, clapping him on the shoulder as he heads toward his seat, followed by Tori. The film’s director, Sarah Shakespeare stands from her seat at the end of the aisle along with her husband to let Declan pass. He leans in to give her a hug and whispers “I’m so proud of what you’ve done Sarah, win or lose. You’re up there with the original Shakespeare.” Sarah laughs, her eyes a misting over with emotion from the evening, and gives him a squeeze. Since she had her directorial debut, she was constantly being compared to William Shakespeare, despite there being no familial relation. “What we’ve done, Declan. I couldn’t have done it without you guys,” she replies, leaning back to look up and meet his eye, giving him one last squeeze on the biceps. Sarah’s husband shakes his hand as Declan continues past him and deflates into his seat like a bounce house with a hole in it. Looking around the huge, opulent auditorium, his eye catches behind him on Luke and Tori. Once again, they’re whispering with furrowed brows as they look at Tori’s phone. Oh shit, did I say something stupid in an interview, or accidentally post something on my social media that’s going to get me cancelled? His thoughts are frantic and start to spiral as he scrambles for his phone in his pocket. “You ok bud?” Birdie asks, sitting down in the next seat. He hadn’t even realized that she had come up beside him. “I don’t know,” he answers honestly, gesturing behind him. “Those two haven’t looked up from that phone since they sat down, and they look worried. I’m trying to figure out if I accidentally did something that’s going to require my PR team to work overtime.” Birdie pats his hand tenderly. “It probably has something to do with the uptick in fake accounts on Instagram. It’s all my manager could talk about this morning. She’s been on the phone all day trying to get a few accounts shut down. They’ve been acting like I have a secret account and they’re asking for creepy things from fans.” She shivers slightly. As the lights dim, a camera makes its way down the aisle, stopping near our row. Birdie removes her hand and sits up straight. Even the slightest touch making it look like they're more than strictly platonic would be all over the media for the rest of the week. If there are people out there trying to make Birdie look like a creep, I can only imagine what they could be doing posing as other celebrities. I wonder if that’s the issue tonight. Declan shifts with discomfort at the thought. The look on Tori’s face indicates that whatever she is seeing, it isn’t good.

Assignment 1: Story statement. Catch the scammer and make it out alive. Assignment 2: Antagonist The antagonist is an online scammer who is posing as Hollywood’s biggest celebrity. They are baiting women in their early twenties into having conversations, getting them alone, then transporting them to a holding area for human trafficking in New York City. The protagonist does not realize that the scammer is her boss at the coffee shop until she finds herself blindfolded in a shipping container. He “accidentally” runs into her while she’s sitting as bait for a sting with the FBI, and as she goes to quickly help him, away from the agents, she’s taken by his henchmen. Assignment 3: Breakout Title Private Messages Celebrity Scammer Assignment 4: Deciding Genre You by Caroline Kepnes and The Idea of You by Robinne Lee Assignment 5 Hook Line: After Charlie receives a message from a scammer on Instagram posing as Hollywood’s Golden Boy Declan Graham, the real Declan flies to New York City to work together to find who is sending the messages, and how they might mean real trouble for Charlie and more women in the area. Assignment 6 Conflicts: Inner conflict: Charlie wants to prove to herself and her parents that she is on the right path in her career. Her parents think she is wasting her time pouring coffee instead of using her business degree. She is a little timid, but not a pushover, and tends to question often if her parents are right. Declan is torn between loving the work of acting, and hating the spotlight that comes with it. Someone using his name and doing nefarious things means that he may have more of a lens on him that he doesn't have any control over. Initial Conflict: Charlie commented on Declan Graham’s social media post after an awards show where he didn’t win in his category. She wakes up the next day with a message from an account that claims to be the real Declan. Charlie is thrown into turmoil- knowing that this is likely a scam, but heart pounding and butterflies at the “what-if”. After messages continue to make her hackles raise, she decides to reach out to someone on Declan’s team in Hollywood to let them know what is going on. Secondary conflict: Declan’s publicist has been getting messages about scammers, but is then contacted by the police because girls in New York have been going missing, and the common denominator is screenshots of what appears to be Declan’s messages. The authorities know that Declan isn’t actually to blame, but fear that the missing girls are part of a trafficking ring that they’ve been investigating. Assignment 7 Setting: The novel takes place in New York City during the winter, in the Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan areas. Subsettings: Charlie and Brooke’s apartment: safety net and familiarity becomes a danger when the scammer alludes to knowing where she lives. The apartment is a tiny 2 bedroom walkup in Brooklyn. The temperature in the space is just above freezing due to the cost of oil, but cozy blankets and large wine glasses keep the best friends warm. The ground outside is accumulating snow, which turns to a gray sludge/slush as conflict continues. A big snow storm doesn’t stop the hustle and bustle in the street below, with traffic noises, despite being dampened by the falling flakes, still make their way through the kitchen window. Brewvana: The coffee shop where Charlie and Jamie work, a short walk from Charlie’s apartment. The soft lighting and dark walnut wood counter is an easy combination on Charlie’s eyes in the early morning start of her shift. The smell of the espresso machine hits her as she opens the door, making her mouth water immediately. The counter on the back wall houses all they need for operating the small coffee shop. The sound inside ranges from bustling with early morning commuters on their way to work, to college students chatting about assignments, test scores, and what parties they’ll be attending. The black honeycomb mat behind the counter helps her move quickly around without slipping on any splashes of coffee, creamer, or melted ice cubes. Declan’s Hotel: Located in the East Village of Manhattan, it is a known hotel for celebrities. The penthouse suite where he is staying has two rooms with a built-in fireplace in the wall that you can see through from both sides. The small couch and two arm chairs make the meeting feel more comfortable and easy than why they’re actually meeting there, but the inclusion of FBI agents and Declan’s publicist make the room feel like it’s the size of an office closet. The bar downstairs is where Charlie plans to meet the scammer. The dark wood finishings and velvet upholstery give a darker atmosphere. Instrumental music is just barely noticeable over the buzz of conversation. It smells like wine and whiskey. Shipyard: Mist and fog hang in the air. Cranes stand tall, their shadows visible in the twilight of the day. Shipping containers are stacked up six high, in rows upon rows. Boots crunch on the dirty concrete, and forklifts litter the pier. Declan can only hear his own breathing and the pounding beat of his pulse in his ears. Meanwhile, Charlie lands on a hard, gritty surface that smells like urine and sweat. Blindfolded, she hears whimpers of several women, and the scraping sounds of them shuffling quickly toward the back wall of the shipping container that they’ve all been stashed in. With her other senses heightened, Charlie tries to figure out who belongs to the familiar voice that she can hear whispering as the door to the container creaks closed before slamming so hard it makes her teeth clatter.