It was nearly midday, and they began filming the final ses of the day. Billy had beeally preparing himself for his ag role long before.

  -Okay, everyone, please get into position, - said Martha, who was the program coordinator. She moved bad forth, addressing issues and solving problems. She was an assistant director, a ret graduate from the Uy of Los Angeles, California, in film dire, part of the new geion.

  -You are the supp role. Remember, when James ehe se to hit Christopher, and you see the situatioing, rush in to separate them, - Martha said quickly.

  -Yes,- Billy replied.

  -Uood? -

  -Yes.

  Martha went to speak with other supp characters aras who were part of the television crew. For just one beach se, they least 45 extras, which illustrates how television series burn through funds disproportionately. An episode requiring a minimum of 50 people for a single se drive costs to unimaginable heights.

  -A! - they announced loudly. Billy took a seat in the beach chair and pulled out the book as described in the script. To his surprise, it tained no information, just bnk pages.

  He immersed himself iing se, trying to embody the character as best he could. He heard the sounds of the fight but was interrupted by an abrupt stop.

  -James, you g the camera three times during the se; you o be more careful ime, -- the director said, pointing to a spot. -- Make sure the microphones are set up properly; the st take had a microphone actally in the frame. -

  Everyouro their positions, but the se was disrupted again when a beach ball hit the rec camera.

  -Se 12, take 3. A! - they yelled.

  Billy got bato position for the third time, fully immersing himself in his character. As he heard the sounds of the fight, he lifted his gaze to watch the se unfold. trating on his role, he noticed some extras whispering.

  Billy rushed forward and shouted, - Stop, that's enough! - as the unnamed supp character he ying.

  By some twist of fate, James swung his arm in the wrong dire, and his fist ected with Billy's eye, just above the cheekbone. Billy felt a surge of anger but quickly recalled his improvisation training: ag impulses are best resolved with more impulses.

  -Both of you, calm down, - Billy said again, but he was ignored as they tiheir fight. It seemed like the situation was esg into a real brawl, which was uable. However, the director didn't intervehe lens was capturing a genuine fight, evident from their gestures and movements. Christopher's sweaty face excited the director, who didn't call a halt.

  Billy grabbed James by the shoulders and pulled him slightly, just enough to make him stop. -Enough, both of you. You've made your point. -

  Christopher didn't know what to say because this wasn't in the script. Simirly, James, who had only started ag three years ago, had tended ag academies or studied on his own at the library. They were experiential learners, not theorists.

  -Don't look at me like that; you're making a se on the beach. Let's take a breather, - Billy said.

  -This isn't over, Christopher. You won't be so luext time, - James replied, now more aware of the situation, remembering what his agent had told him: It's only over when they say 'cut. -

  James's response woke up the actor pying Christopher. -- Good luck with that, -- he said, attempting to leave but still seething.

  Billy sighed, and shook his head while looking at both young men, and the se immediately ended. He put on the charming smile that had always charmed the girls at his school, a skill he learned from Alice, who had told him he should smile more and frown less.

  -Cut, - the director said.

  Billy could only go backstage to rest. He had a few shots left at the beginning of the beach se, and that would be it for the day's work on the eight-episode miniseries. Surprisingly, the coordinator, Martha, approached him and thanked him. Even though the director hadn't fully appreciated Billy's performance due to exhaustion and limited visibility, someoh a keener eye would have reized his talent.

  -Thank you for everything, Mrs. Martha,- Billy said.

  -Don't mention it, young man. I'm just doing my job the best I ,- Martha replied before heading off to handle some matters.

  Billy gazed at the beach, taking in the beautiful Los Angeles sery. The sky was on the verge of turning dark in a ndscape that exuded tranquility. People were pag up all the rec equipment. What had once been a bustling beach with its ecosystem now looked like a desote stretch of sand with no oo cim it, all hidden behind the passage of time. Billy called his grandfather to pick him up, knowing that the old man would be at the pool hall, wasting time with some fetful worker.

  The disappointing feeling of witnessing the passage of time and the artificial nature of life that disappeared with the tide left him somewhat bewildered. His future performances might follow a simir pattern, causing a sense of curiosity about how they would vanish.

  -e on, my little Billy, we must go. The flight leaves at 10:00 PM, - Richard Carson called from the rented car.

  -I'll be right there, Grandpa, - Billy replied. He thought about all the possibilities his ag career held, feeling fident after seeing how well he had performed. There was still room for improvement, but experience would help him refine his skills.

  [A point of excitement]

  The sound of his phone's notification woke them up like an arm clock. Another advantage of films was their direct impact through visual storytelling, pared to the slow and gradual accrual of points from ics, whily geed a few notifications a day. Movies made a high-impact statement in a short amount of time, and the points rolled in generously.

  Billy heard his grandfather honking impatiently. - I'm ing! -

  He took o look at the view; it was such a beautiful su.

  The journey back was exhausting. After a long day of work, ag had drained his energy. The weight of the work he had been doing since he was young was on his shoulders. There were only two more years of hard effort left at the pany and in his studies. After that, he would figure out how to navigate the ing years of his life.

  ...