"Finally!" I excimed as I sat beside my parents iheater at our home. "I thought you would never be doh this film. You said it would take a week to finish it, and that was more than a month ago!"

  "Stop whining," Evan cpped ba irritation while setting up the projector. "Do you want to see it or not?"

  I promptly shut up hearing that.

  "Besides," Evan tinued as he walked over to us after dimming the lights, "Alfonso inspired me a lot with his filming teiques, and I made some ges in a few of the ses and the editing process."

  "Ignore him, Evan," Dad piped in. "These actors won’t uand what it means to be a filmmaker."

  "Yup," I could sense Evan’s grin in the dark room. "All they care about is looking good and showing as much emotion as possible in one se. They don’t care about the story at all."

  "Hey!" I protested. "Don’t gang up on me."

  " we please start the film?" Mum said, cutting our little argument short. "I want to see what my kids have whipped up."

  Without waiting for any other reminder, Evahe remote of the projecth and pressed the py button.

  While Mum had implied I had a lot to do with the film, I didn’t. I shot for a few initial days, and then my part was over. After that, it was all Evan. I didn’t evehe shooting or post-produ of the rest of the film because I was busy with Broadway or filming [Harry Potter].

  The movie iion began pying, and all my attention was on the s which showed my dearest Loki in the first shot. He had grown a lot sihen, but it was unmistakable that this was Loki. Real Loki, who was resting on the foot of my chair, perked up seeing himself on the s.

  And then I heard Jamie Bell’s voice speaking in the background, "My name is Loki, and I’m the cutest thing oh, ain't I? I like to do what any my age would. Eat, sleep, chase around the neighborhood cats, and most importantly, py with my human."

  As each of those as was being spoken by Jamie, a clip of Loki eating, sleeping, chasing around a stray cat, or pyich with me came on s.

  "That st one is my favorite activity, though. I love my human a lot, and he gives me perfect belly rubs." Cue, a clip of me giving belly rubs to Loki.

  "But we ot be together all the time," Jamie tinued. "After our m run together, he would go off to somepce with other short humans like him, all of them looking simir. Though I would know instantly when it was him when he’s back."

  He was referring to the simir uniforms that kids wear while going to school. We had bought a on school uniform for me to portray this character.

  "And I would be sad when he was away." Loki looked like a kicked puppy with his sad fad ears drooped. "But not for long!" Suddenly his ears perked up again as I came rushing into the house in my school uniform, and as soon as I did, he ran up to me and jumped in my arms before lig my face.

  “Then one day, everything ged,” Jamie said in an ominous voice as there was a huge crashing sound. Loki turowards the sound and ran outside through a hole in the door, only to be left fused by the se in front of him.

  A car had climbed upon the sidewalk, and a few people were bickering loudly while there were bloodstains on the floor. Loki turo a er to see an ambunce rushing away from the se.

  “I didn’t know what was happening, but I could smell my human in that liquid on the ground.”

  My heart broke just a little hearing that. I know it is a very depressing topiake a film where the owner of the dog gets killed in a car crash, but that was what Evan wao do. And sihis was not some ercial film, I didn’t want to stand in the way of his creative freedom.

  “I was taken away to a new home,” Jamie said in a broken voice. “The new pce was dark and cold, and I felt so lohere.”

  As that was being said, Loki ut in a cage before bei in a shelter. They didn’t even remove him from his cage. I felt my heart break that this se was shot at all. I bent doulled the real Loki into my p and gave him head rubs. He purred in my arms as I hugged him. Relutly, I tinued seeing how Evan would end the film. He had pnned for Loki to be adopted by someone else, but I didn’t know who this someone else would be because Evan shot that part when I was not around.

  Jamie went on to expin a few things about the shelter, like how he had to bark loudly if he wanted a meal or how the s would ignore him because he was little.

  Passage of time is shown in a very cool transition shot as Loki is shown from all angles in a revolving camera shot, multiple times, as he grows up from a tiny pup ter pup. Not yet adolest, but big enough that the difference was quite obvious for the viewers.

  “And then came the day when I actally bit one of my caretakers…” Jamie said ominously. “I didn’t want to. I had heard horror stories from s about how those who bite humans are given the pointy, painful needle that puts them to sleep. On the bright side, maybe I be with my human again…” Jamie finished wistfully.

  My heart broke again as I heard that while looking at Loki’s terror-stri fa the video.

  “Then the bad human came and picked up my cage. I just koday would be my st day.” The video showed Loki being carried to the front of the shop. He was whimpering ihe cage before… the cage ened.

  “What?” Jamie said in surprise. “What is happening?” Suddenly, Loki sniffed audibly. “Wait, is that…?”

  He didn’t finish his sentence as Loki ran out of the shop and into the street where I had just stepped out of the car. Loki jumped into my arms hard, making me crash bato the seat of my car. I couldn’t help but ugh on s as he showed me his utmost affe by lig my face.

  “And then all was good again,” Jamie said one final time as the s bcked out before the credits started rolling.

  I stood up from my seat furiously, letting Loki down on the floor, and turo one grinning Evan. “You assface! Why didn’t you tell me you ged the climax of the story? I thought I died!” Then suddenly it hit me. “When did you shoot that st se?”

  Evan didn’t look apologetic as he replied, “Last week. Remember you were shooting te in the night and had stayed at a hotel he set because of the paparazzi.”

  I nodded in realization. “And then the day, when I came home, you and Loki were not home at all. Mum said you had to shoot. I was so angry with you! And then when I met him after a gap of three days, he jumped me.”

  “Yup,” Evan grinned. “It nned. I wanted him to feel isoted from you so he would show genuine love when you reunite. I also got Jamie to voice for Loki as you may have observed.”

  “You asshole,” I said with a grin.

  “Hey!” Mum rebuked with a gre directed at me. “N.” Then she smiled as she looked at Evan. “That was a wonderful movie, Evan. I loved it a lot.”

  “Thanks, Kathy,” Evan said shyly.

  “It wasn’t just good,” Dad added his two ts. “It was great. Your camera sense is marvelous. That revolving shot showing Loki growing up was some of the best filmmaking I have seen in a rookie film. And the emotion erfect. You grasped it so well, that I don’t think anyone would remain dry-eyed when the film ends.”

  “True,” I ceded to Dad’s praise. “It was a very good film.” The only problem I had with the film was Jamie’s voice. Since I knew him personally, it broke the fourth wall for me and reduced the magic it could have done had it been someone else voig Loki. But that would be nitpig, so I didn’t voice my thoughts.

  “You’re only saying this to make me feel good, aren’t you?” Evan asked.

  “No,” Dad insisted. “If you don’t believe me, why don’t you e at some film festivals? Then you’ll know for sure how good it is.”

  “Maybe I will,” Evan nodded excitedly.

  Although I would never say this to him, I think Evan going to a film festival would be a waste of his time. It would be better for him to hone his craft more by watg different genres of films and shooting more short films. And when he is older, I could directly finane of his full-length films. Or Dad could. We certainly had moo spare. Film festivals for short films are mostly a way for film students and wannabe filmmakers to get finang to shoot a feature-length film. And Evan didn’t .

  But he needed people’s reition for his work. I knew hile his fidence was, and there was er pce to build it than a film festival where total strangers would appreciate his work. And I know they will appreciate it because the film was that good.

  (Break)

  “You wao speak with us, Troy?” Dad asked as he took a seat iting room beside Mum and offered me the opposite seat. Evan was having his personal tutor over at the moment, which is why I chose this time because I didn’t want him to be present during this discussion.

  “Yes,” I nodded before taking the offered seat. “I have been thinking a lot about my future, and I have cluded that I o do something besides ag.”

  Seeing the fused fay parents, I rushed to expin to them, “Don’t get me wrong, I love ag, and I will ti as long as I’m able to, but I need something to do when I’m not ag. I have seen some of the top actors’ works, and I have observed that they do not make too many movies each year. If I were to follow that trend, I would be very bored for the rest of the year.”

  Looking at me skeptically, Mum asked, “What do you have in mind?”

  I paused, not wanting to say it out loud. I didn’t like it, but I also khat this would be best for me and would give me an alternate career choice if I so wished. I had thought about this long and hard and I wouldn’t go back from my decision now.

  “I want to go to uy,” I finally said it. “Not for some academic course, but maybe for something like musiposition, or drama, or maybe even filmmaking.”

  “You wanna be a filmmaker as well?” Dad asked eagerly. He was eted when Evan had asked him about being a filmmaker, so obviously he’d feel the same about me.

  “I don’t know,” I said holy. “I just know that I want to try out other avenues.”

  “I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Mum procimed before Dad could say anything. “I always wanted you to plete your education, and going to Uni is as much a part of growing up as anything else. However, your course choice would have to be narrowed down a little. Music, Drama, and Filmmaking are three distinct school choices that have their own unique admissios like pying an instrument/singing, ag, and showing your self-made film. And you haven’t even shot anythi.”

  “You won’t be able to go to a drama school,” Dad pointed out helpfully. “There is an age requirement of 18 to enroll in most schools. While I’m sure we vihe dean to give you special sideration given who you are, your peers won’t respect you and think you only got in because of your fame.”

  I frowned as the reality of the situation hit me. It would suck if everyone was saying behind my back how I was the ‘privileged kid’. I didn’t want that treatment at all.

  “Why is there such a requirement when it is not in most other csses?” I asked.

  “Because some of the material they cover has adult themes,” Dad said matter-of-factly. “As a part of their curriculum, many times teachers expect students to perform o build fidend leave their inhibitions aside. Then there are love ses—”

  “On sed thought, drama school doesn’t look all that appealing to me anymore.”

  “Thought so,” Dad smirked.

  Being an actor for so long, I had accepted sex and nudity as part of the business, but I wasn’t eager to do that any time soon. Moreover, I think I’m more of a learning-by-doing kind of guy as far as ag is ed. Also, if I were to go to an ag school, everyone would ask me why I even he csses given my ag prowess.

  “And given how you haven’t made any films till now,” Mum spoke up this time. “Is it safe to assume that your first preference would be a music school?”

  I shrugged. “Sure.”

  “Or,” Dad said before we could finalize it, “you could not go to college at all. I would enroll you with some of the best tutors in London for anything you need. Be it music or drama. You could learn filmmaking like Evan o if you really want that. By tutors, I’m not talking about some amateurs teag kids. They will be real accimed teachers that we couldn’t have afforded back when you started w. This way you could even tinue martial arts or dance csses that you left because of your busy schedule. A college course is very rigid and you will have to take some theoretical csses as well if you go that route. This way you’ll be free to pursue whatever you want and whenever you want.”

  I sighed. Those were a lot of decisions to make for me in quite a small amount of time.

  “I’ll have to think about it,” I said after a few moments. I was more fused about my future options than when I came here with my request.

  Dad nodded. “You still have a year before the uy year begins, so think all you want. As much as I loved my college days, I didn’t learn anything useful for my work there.”

  I was about to go bay room but stopped when the versation tinued. “I think we should also discuss the financial aspects of the business with him as well,” Mum said to Dad.

  “What financial aspects?” I asked, but it was Dad who replied.

  “I got a call from Andrew yesterday. He wao know if you o adjust any of your iments now or if there were any standing instrus for him?”

  “No,” I deed that idea immediately.

  While I didn’t have a lot of cash st year because of my iments in [Billy Elliot the Musical], I had recouped all of that amount and even geed a fixed weekly revenue from both the West End and Broadrodus. Not to mention, my payday of 50 million from [Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets] had also arrived, leaving me quite flush with cash.

  So I had done what any person would—I made some iments. While my parents reended real estate, I politely deed that offer and focused instead oock market. Using my déjà vu powers, I created a dream portfolio for any time traveler. I ied heavily in stocks like Apple, Amazoflix, NVIDIA, Mald’s, and PepsiCo. The first four because I knew about their astronomical rise iure, and the st two because I knew how much Ameris love their Big Mad Lay’s.

  “I don’t want to sell either of these iments,” I insisted. “Even if the price falls a lot, I don’t have a stop-loss. When I receive my paycheck, I’ll decide then if I want to i somewhere else or not.”

  My parents didn’t look happy, but they must have sehat my stance was final so they accepted my decision.

  _____________________________________

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