A few days ter o, before we began shooting, I had to get some photos with Toni and ara who ying my father and it didn't take lohan an hour. Today was the first day of shooting for Toni. Different backgrounds were set for us to take different photographs with us ughing and smiling like a normal family.

  "I am sorry." I apologized to Toni when we were doh the photos, "About what I said about your da wasn't bad."

  I was avoiding Toni all these days at home while I practiy lonesome. While I wasn't about to win any ballerina petitions, I think my progress was good. I could've totally behaved with her in the same manner iure, but I didn't want our strained retions to get iween our on-s chemistry.

  Toni raised an amused eyebrow, "Oh really? What brought this on?"

  "Holy? I didn't want my bad behavior to e between our work," I decided to be blunt with her. "And I believe that I reacted poorly to your teasing, that was unbeing of me."

  "Are y to get out of our bet?" She asked with anrin, "'cause I won't let you off the hook that easily mister."

  I shook my head, "No no it's not that. I will learn that move in two weeks so don't worry about that."

  Secretly, I wao show her the perfected move to get in her fad shout about my brilliance. But I knew when to back off. Also, today we were doing a few of the great indoor ses. One where I am getting ready for school and I 'needed' pop tarts. And another was the one where Lynn's bumblebee pendant goes missing.

  Two very important ses in the movie, that show the retionship between Cole and his mother, Lynifully. It would be unprofessional of me to let our differences affect our chemistry.

  "Cole, Lynn!" Night shouted as he rushed towards our location, "It's good you guys are in character for your ing se."

  I was taken aback for a moment before realizing that it might have looked as if we were arguing from afar.

  "First," Night tinued, "we'll be doing the open et se. So the se goes like this, Lynn is getting ready, she gets to the location of Cole i area and shuts one et that's already open. Cole es and you remark to him about the spot on his tie, the camera will be following you as you put the tie in the wash basket and bring a new one for him. There you'll witness all the ets and drawers open a out a shriek."

  Night went on to expin all the details of the se, our individual emotions, and everything iween.

  "Cole, as soon as the camera is out of view, all the set assistants will e quickly and open the ets, you don't have to move from your location. You got it?" At my nod, he further said, "You both get touchups and we'll begin in ten, fifteen miops after setting up the se." Night gave us time to get in our characters as he went baake se preparations.

  "ama," I said to Toni, still in character, "Let's get ready for the se."

  She merely shook her head with a fond smile but didn't say anything as she made her way towards her trailer. I followed along.

  (Break)

  Toni POV

  Toni Collette was having a bst shooting [The Sixth Sense]. Especially the presence of the now 10-year-old little man called Troy. Initially, she wao be more supportive of the little tyke. To be a role model for a promising actor, but that all ged that day when she ractig ballet for her Broaderformance.

  A little teasing soon turo a dang challenge being issued by her, which was quite uncharacteristic of her, to be frank, but she was eager to see what the young man would make of the said challenge.

  Being a (somewhat) veteran actor, who had worked in more than a dozen films, she found the whole experience of shooting [The Sixth Seo be very surreal. The director kly what he wanted from his actors and he asked for perfe in each shot. Something she was fully ready to deliver.

  "Cut!" Night's words reverberated throughout the set, "Lynn, your character o dispy more desperation for the se. Your son's been shut inside a dark store room and all you hear is his cries for help. More helplessness."

  The director was insistent on calling everyone by their character names for the sake of the young 'Cole'. The older actors, including her, had agreed to that little thing as it helped eveo separate their reel life from real life.

  "One more shot, okay?" The director asked and she only nodded while mentally fixing her mental state to begiing.

  That shot was a difficult oaking more than 10 shots before the director was satisfied with what he had. The aggravating thing about the retakes was that they were rarely done because of a mistake on Troy's part.

  Luckily there was just one more solo se for the day, where she just roamed the house and found some things in the house without any dialogues, and finally, she could leave the set to go back to her temporary residence for some mueeded R&R.

  She reached the pd sat down on the couch when she heard that some music ying in the house. And not just any music, the same music she pyed while practig her ballet. The same music that was vely left in the backyard for her practice time.

  Getting curious, she got up and followed the sound to find the culprit. A young 10-year-old boy inning ooes of his right foot gracefully. And not just one spin, he performed two spins oer another. Right when his sed spin was about to finish, he faltered a back down on his heel.

  "Shoot! I was so close," Troy murmured in frustration, messing his hair up with one of his hands.

  It was at right that moment that he found someone him and lifted his gaze to look into Toni's eyes. The immediate shift in his emotions was clear as day for ao see, which turned from mortified at getting caught to angry for a brief moment before setting back to bashfulness at the situation.

  "Hehehe, sorry for taking your record without permission," He rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile on his face, "I was just practig for our bet and I lost track of time. Mum had goo a local bookstore so I was just practig on my own, y'know."

  Toni almost cooed at his rambling but stopped herself in time.

  "It's okay," She finally said, cutting him off, "After all you did wi."

  A sudden look of realization dawned upon the boy, "Aww, I khat. I just wao do better than what you were expeg. So I was going for a double spin. Preferably even triple. Now the surprise is all ruined."

  Toni shook her head at the boy's obliviousness, "Do you know how much time it took for me to finish the pirouette to perfe?"

  At the shake of his head, she tinued, "A full month. A long and tiresome month and that was after I had already learnt Tap and basic ballet moves beforehand. You did it ihan half that time without any prior dance lesson and without any instrus."

  At her words, Troy just rubbed the back of his head again but the shy smile turned into a proud one as he said, "I always learhings fast. Be it my studies, music, or dance apparently."

  Toni suddenly had a weird idea that she wao try, "Troy, would you be ied in learning ballet from me?"

  Toni had always wanted a disciple of her own and seeing the raw talent of the kid in front of her, the opportunity was too good to pass up.

  "I don't have the time to learn dance right now," Troy answered with an apologetie, "I already have my accelerated study sessions with my tutor and then there's my music lessons for the se in the movie in addition to the ag o."

  He paused for a moment before remembering ahing, "Oh yeah, I also have to practice martial arts iime. I had to leave my csses behind in LA."

  "Oh e on!" Toni almost pleaded, "Just an hour here or there, whenever both of us are free. You practice when you're on your own. And learning ballet early has many advantages for your future. It will help you with a better band a stronger body, which is required for your martial arts as well."

  Seeing the ptive look on his face, Toni kroy was almost ready to agree, "e on! I'll even talk to your mother for you and tell her it was all my idea!"

  That seemed to do the trick as he relented, "Alright. But only on a trial basis for a week, and no more than three sessions a week. If I think it is too muy schedule, I'll drop it. Okay?"

  "You drive a hard bargain, your lordship." Toni gri the boy who groaned in annoya the quip. "I agree with your terms." Toni affirmed finally, "Now, to begin our first session…"

  "Right now?" Troy asked in astonishment.

  "Yes, no time like the present. I'll talk to your Mom when she's back. To begin with, let's do some warm-up!" Toedly expined as she took a pose ooes of her right leg while lifting the left leg parallel to the ground. Her hands also moved accly.

  "What are you waiting for? e."

  Troy sighed aloud before doing as he was being shown and took a simir stan his toes.

  (Break)

  Troy POV

  Finally, Mum and I were ba LA for the much-awaited Golden Globe ceremony for films and series released in 1998.

  In the USA, there are a whole bunch of awards ranging from Saturn Awards to Teen Choice awards to all the way to the Oscars. Thankfully, both my parents had thought it wasteful to attend ead every small ceremony especially when I had to finish [The Sixth Sense].

  Golden Globes are unique among other awards as they start off the awards season with their nominations being announced before the year is even over. Despite not having the same prestige as the Oscars, their audience viewership is still high because of one fact.

  The presence of all the big celebs.

  It wasn't until 2022 that the celebs gained a sd boycotted the Globes because of their ck of diversity among jury members. If I was a big shot, I would have avoided the Globes as well. One less ceremony to attend. Unfortunately, I am not. So I'm just grateful for the fact that I'm nominated and just go to the ceremony for some media ce and possibly meet some stars.

  "Troy! You look so handsome!" Mum gushed over as I stepped into our living room after donning the three-piece bck suit we had bought ba Philly.

  It wasn't Armani or a simir reputed brand, but it was tailor-made for me by a very experienced, well, tailor.

  "Here, I'll do your tie," Mum offered as she quickly tied a knot with a bck bow tie around my neck. Thankfully she was here to help me out. I could tie a normal long tie easily, but a bow tie eludes me with the result always ing out skewed towards one side or the other.

  "Girls will be fighting over my son today," Mum cooed as she pnted a kiss on my forehead.

  "Mum!" I lightly pushed her away and took in her grinning visage. She was wearing a floor-length one-piece dark blue dress with a marvelous diamond neckd earrings. Her hair was done in a slightly messy but still beautiful bun.

  "Wow!" It was the only word I could utter seeing her in that attire.

  "Thank you, love." She did a little curtsy as she said that.

  "Oh, you're ready? That's great. The limo's downstairs." Dad came into the living room, dressed in his own bck suit with a bow tie.

  Although we got our suits from different tailors, Mum had coordihe colors, designs, and cuts so that our suits would appear to be identical.

  Dad had this tagious smile on his face ever since we came back from Philly. The reason was of course the Harry Potter project. Warner had given the best terms of the three studios he had tacted for the produ rights.

  They had purchased the rights of just the first book for 2 million with an additional 10% cut of the gross box office being given to Dad as the producer. In essence, Dad still owhe rights partly, and any future adaptation would have to involve him. Then there was also his sary for adapting the spy and a cut of the peripherals that would be shared by Dad and Rowling. I khat the Potterverse was a goldmine for peripheral sales. Hoeople will buy different wands, Hogwarts robes, Deathly Hallows, or something simir? Millions if not more.

  There was ahing. Dad had pitched the idea of me ag as Harry in the series and Warner was receptive of the idea. While they didn't ht firm the same, they strongly hihat it would depend upon my performan [The Sixth Sense]. Let's just hope that I will be able to match up to the inal performan my previous life.

  _________________________

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