starlet

“Fame means millions of people have the wrong idea of who you are.” ― Erica Jong

[robbstakrs]

There is only one thing we say to Death: Not today.

[quatervoisms]

When: December Where: Church of Saints Who: Anyone

When Zack had come to Los Angeles, being in the midst of the Apocalypse was certainly one of the last things he’d ever imagine becoming involved in, but he couldn’t stop himself from doing all that he could to help stop it. Though, the more the world around them started to all but fall apart, the harder it was to hold onto that hope of something going right for them, for once. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he pushed away the exhaustion creeping up on him, and went back to surveying the supplies they’d been able to amass. Supplies that only seemed to be disappearing faster than they could be replenished.

[starofgrace]

The mood had been . . . dismal; there was hope slipping away from the grasp of their hands. It felt as if there wasn’t much left to do or say. Silence seemed to be comforting -- until they realized there wasn’t a way to fill it, fill this void. She had seen many apocalyptic movies to know how this would end; she could also see the fatigue of the situation affect her friend.  

They definitely weren’t in Kansas anymore, were they? 

“ . . . you want to get some rest? I can take over for a bit.” 

[starofgrace]

risingorfalling:

There was a grim sort of satisfaction to the disbelief plastered across her face, to the way her dress was just as ruined as his own tux. For as much as he’d always liked her, Elijah had always been jealous of Grace. She was born to fame, born with all the connections Eli could only dream of having. The jealousy had never been loud, tempered always by respect for her talent and professionalism, and a genuine warmth toward her. But those were gone now, jealousy the only thing that could fill the hole in his chest. How could anyone say she was more deserving of her fame than he was? She’d had it handed to her; he gave up everything for his. 

“The Academy?” He scoffed at her, face twisting into a cruel sneer. “That’s what you’re worried about? Just be glad you’re not dead, Grace.” Elijah was glad she wasn’t dead, or he wanted to be. At one point he’d been worried about her, caught in the chaos. Now, he couldn’t even feel that anymore.

Did he care?

“I don’t care about anything.”

“Just be glad you’re not dead, Grace.”

Her eyes widened, his words affecting her in a hurtful manner. They weren’t like this ( weren’t uncharacteristically hostile towards one another ); they were both dream-chasers. Acting hadn’t been just a job -- it was a lifestyle, a career path that both had chosen to take seriously. And to hear him disregard it, to toss it away as if it didn’t matter, to say that she didn’t matter . . . it was cruel. 

The person standing before may have looked like Elijah, but it certainly wasn’t the same version she had once known. So far, the horsemen hadn’t affected her ( not personally, at least ) in the way Elijah had when he wrecked havoc upon the oscars. They had been excited about the event for months, eager to please and cherish the special moment. 

Or had that all been pretend, too?

Grace’s expression fell, her voice quietly wondering, “ . . . not even about Adele?” 

[starofgrace]

davisadele:

“We’re not talkin’ about me.” She chided her friend, grinning as she rolled her eyes at how easy Grace was able to shift the conversation between the two of them. “We are talkin’ about you an’ your happy day. An’ your prince, not mine an’ my good days.” Adele nodded as she pulled out her phone, sifting through her photos for the one of the dress that she’d gotten to match Elijah’s tux. “Taking the imitative for once an’ actually went an’ got myself a dress. I bet you had many designers beggin’ you to wear their dress.”

“Everyone can wear swimsuits underneath their clothes, strip ‘em off after the ‘I do’s’, an’ then we’re all in the water with the happy couple,” she imagined as she spoke. The mental image was amusing as it was spectacular, something that they would all remember forever. “Small, close family friends and relatives? Of course I’ll come with you but be careful ‘cause I aim to go more Southern with my tastes.”

“But everyone talks about me,” Grace sighed, knowing it was an unfortunate consequence of growing up in the limelight ( or people spreading ridiculous rumors ), “so we should talk about you instead.” She looked at the phone screen, responding, “ -- oooh, that’s beautiful!! You’ll look great, just remember to look at the cameras and smile brightly! And not too many designers . . . then again, with the apocalypse, I don’t blame them for not wanting to participate with the oscars.” 

“Exactly . . except I’m not wearing a bikini underneath my wedding gown,” Grace noted, laughing. The image was surely an entertaining one. “Southern isn’t bad, it’s a good perspective to consider compared to the Hollywood glam.” 

[starofgrace]

castitas-etsuko:

Zoe could see the panic in Grace’s eyes, the way her body seemed to not be listening to her brain and her brain didn’t seem to be comprehending much as it was. She felt bad for Grace, wished she had more time to comfort her, but comfort would come later. They had to get out of all of this first.

Turning Grace’s face towards her own so she was forced to look her in the eye, she repeated gently but firmly, “Grace, listen to me. I know you’re scared, but you have to move. You have to get out of here.”

Looking Grace up and down, Zoe reached into her pocket and pulled out her own phone, pressing it into Grace’s hands. “Take off your shoes, you can’t run in those. Rip the side of your skirt if you need more leg room and just… go. Duck, dodge, weave, it’s like… one of those movie training camps, right? You’re practicing for stunts.”

Meeting her eyes again, she continued, “Take my phone, call anyone you need. All the Saints and the Heavenly are in there, the angels and Raz and anyone you can think of. If you lose the phone, just pray for the help you need. Just breathe. You can do this.”

Grace’s focus shifted ( quite literally ) when Zoe reached for her face, requiring her attention. She tried processing the words, slowly nodding in acknowledgement. Despite the chaos, the fear, they needed to get out of here. 

“W-what about the others?” 

The people bleeding on the floor, the injured ones. The faces that seemed so familiar when they were stamped across magazines. These were faces of the industry, of people she once knew. It felt cruel to leave them behind; to leave them with the horsemen. 

“I -- I can walk in heels,” Grace insisted, knowing she wasn’t going to leave them behind. If anything they were a good weapon. Her hands bunched up the fabric of her dress, her fingers gripping Zoe’s phone. She was about to move until the thought caught her off guard, “ -- wait, what about you?” 

Surely, they all had to flee for safety. . . right?? 

[starofgrace]

davisadele:

“Then we’ll make sure there is plenty of them there. Because your weddin’ should be one of the happiest days,” she spoke, not adding on the tail end of that thought that dipped into a darker place. That their days are limited for them all if they didn’t succeed, but focusing on the moment and the brighter things ― Adele knew they needed them. All of them. “It’s your day, not mine. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” She laughed.

“So, have a beach weddin’ at a place on the beach but not necessarily in the sand. It’s a perfect combination. Then it can be as small or as big as y’all want it to be.” Adele perked up. “Wedding dress, that’s right. I almost forgot the most important part is helpin’ you find a dress. Though you may want someone with a more updated style to help you ‘cause I’ve been told that lace is out along with just ‘bout everythin’ else in my closet.”

“I hope so . . ” Grace mused, feeling as if the ‘happier’ days were numbered with whatever unfolded from the threat of the apocalypse ( which gave more reason to have a wedding ). However, that didn’t make the logistics of planning any easier. “You deserve all the good days too, y’know,” she teased, nudging her friend. “Did you pick a dress for the red carpet yet?” 

“A beach wedding, near the beach instead of on it. That way people can change and go hang out by the ocean once the ceremony is over? Oh, yes, we’ll need a guest list too . . . I don’t know, I was hoping for something small.” The less media attention, the better. “You’re still coming with me, I value your opinion.” 

[starofgrace]

risingorfalling:

Tonight was every bit the rise to fame – or infamy, though Elijah saw no difference in the two – he’d hoped for. All eyes on him as he ushered in chaos on a national scale. What he hadn’t planned on was the descent. Without Adele to anchor him, that hollow in his chest was fully consumed with Belial’s rage. He’d been fighting to hold onto himself ever since the party where he drank the horseman’s blood, but now he was done fighting. There was nothing left to hold onto. Blood still dripped from the gash that ran the width of his face, right eyebrow to left cheek, his tuxedo stained with red, his head pounding from when Zoe knocked him out with her own giant head. He was still clutching his Oscar, dented and scratched and that bitch was going to pay for it. 

But first, he had beef with someone else. Only it wasn’t Isaiah who answered the door. Elijah genuinely liked Grace. They’d spent countless hours together over the past months. Running lines, filming, goofing around on set, making each other laugh during press events. He’d watched her get even closer to Isaiah and he couldn’t think of a better person for his best friend to be with. More than just a costar, Grace was a friend. 

Was.

Now he looked at her and felt nothing but a dull twinge of amusement at the way she looked at him. His lips twisted into a sinister smirk. “What did I do? Did you forget already? Because we can turn on the tv, I’m on every channel.”

Grace stared at him with disbelief, this couldn’t have been the same Elijah . . . the same Elijah that had been on press tour with her, the same actor that always seemed to make her laugh on set for the sake of having bloopers. Isaiah’s best friend. Her costar. Nothing seemed to make sense, how could -- how could he have done that? How could he have allowed such a thing to happen?

Or had he been lying the entire time?

Did the late-nights of tired filming not matter? Or the cast and crew that worked months  for something they felt so proud to be part of? Grace felt her hands shake, fingers gripping onto her gown. Meanwhile he held his oscar ( something she now found him to be not-so deserving of ) while taunting the recent gruesome event.  

“ -- people are dead, Elijah. Filmmakers we both looked up to might not make it out alive. The - the entire academy is broken.” 

“Don’t you care?” It couldn’t have been so simple as that, she couldn’t have misread his character so blindly. 

[starofgrace]

countingbluecars:

Isaiah couldn’t stop the goofy smile from spreading across his face at the comment about his do-it-yourself flowers. He loved when she liked the things that he did for her.

Honestly, he loved everything about her.

“I’m glad you think they’re cute, since they’re, y’know, for you,” he said, before turning and holding out his free hand for her to grab onto so they could hold each other’s hands as they went up to his apartment. He pressed a soft kiss to her temple, and started the walk toward the elevator.

“It’s a very special occasion,” he murmured so that only she could hear, “a very special occasion.” He couldn’t help the smile from spreading over his face in preparation of what he was going to say. “Just for you, future Mrs. Faust.”

Calling her that made his heart beat faster — he was so excited about marrying her, he wasn’t about to let the apocalypse stop that. Isaiah wasn’t going to let anything stop that.

He jumbled with his keys, passing off the felt bouquet to Grace while he tried to find the right one off his over-loaded keyring, before he managed to get the door unlocked. He swallowed, suddenly nervous about telling her about the occasion. “Um,” he paused, swallowing again, “Uh, Gracey, it’s, uh, it’s the day that I realized that I was in love with you. Today I mean. Today is the day that I realized I was in love with you. Two years ago.” A nervous laugh. “That’s why I was so weird about December first for the past two years.”

Grace smiled, squeezing his hand in return. She bumped her shoulder against him playfully, leaning onto him slightly for a moment, adding, “ -- you’re pretty cute too.” 

The elevator ride hadn’t been long, and before she knew it, she had been holding the bouquet and watching him fumble with his keys. It was calming . . . the sense of normalcy. Despite the chaos of the apocalypse, the establishment of martial law, the pure panic of the unknown . . . all of that could melt away for a moment ( couldn’t it? ). 

Grace tried not to focus on those paranoid thoughts; the ones that were glaring at her every minute of the day. She tried to remain positive ( especially after the oscars scenario ) but things seemed to be getting harder. Were they really going to survive this? Did they have a chance? The starlet didn’t know. Instead, she followed him inside, replying, “ -- for me?”  

Grace blinked, hoping she wasn’t forgetting an anniversary of sorts ( but how could that be? she always remembered ). However, upon hearing his explanation, she stepped closer, her arms wrapping around him for a hug. 

“You’re my favorite; let’s make this year not awkward,” she stated, leaning up to give him a peck on the cheek. 

[starofgrace]

davisadele:

“You’d be the only princess that mattered that day. All eyes would be on you, woodland creatures in tow, an’ a prince all your own who loves you.” She smiled as she spoke, remembering how Grace thought it would never happen and now it felt like a dream come true.

“What do you want? Like what have you closed your eyes and imagined wantin’ at your weddin’? Maybe start there an’ the rest can just fall into place.”

“But you’d still be a princess, too. And you’d have a prince by your side. I guess our fairytales aren’t ending too badly,” Grace teased. “I’m sure cute woodland creatures would make anyone happy, wedding or not.” 

“Ummm . . . I don’t know, I never thought about it before. I guess a beach wedding would be nice? Although not sure how I feel about sand being near a wedding dress.” 

[starofgrace]

closed: @risingorfalling

She had been separated from Isaiah during the chaos; the downfall of the oscars. Now she paced inside his apartment, her gown dragging across the floor while her hands tightly held her phone ( waiting for a call, a text, anything ). She had to believe he was okay -- she had to know that. There was no way she could’ve gone home, but she also didn’t know where else to go. His place almost felt safer whereas hers had reminders of the day ( and all the excitement in preparing for the oscars ). 

When there was noise outside the front door, she didn’t think twice to check, opening it immediately in hopes of finding a familiar face. Instead, her costar stood before her ( his performance still plaguing her mind as the oscar stage fell prey to the horsemen ). Grace was upset, upset by him and his alliance.  

“ -- you, what did you do?” 

It made no sense, they had been on the red carpet hours before the incident. They had been waiting for this moment for months. Where had it all gone wrong? Did she not know her costar?

[starofgrace]

quaiintrclle:

Grace hadn’t been sitting too far from her originally, but even as Renee had moved enough to somehow find her way to an interaction with Belial and the loss of her shoes, Grace had seemingly stood stock still, untouched by chaos if only by sheer luck and the dumbfounded expression on her face. She could have left Grace, the heartless thing to do was absolutely that, but she was furious with Belial and it seemed like letting him win if she abandoned Grace, who was many things all of which she rather liked. 

And so, pausing as she drew close, forgetting the fact that she was, by now, well spattered with blood, she answered Grace, voice urgent to cut through the girl’s haze and the surrounding chaos. “For fuck’s sake, Grace, you fight for it.” Free hand, the one without a knife, encircled Grace’s wrist and she not so gently tugged her forward, only to have Grace stumble, making her realize Grace needed something more. “Grace, when you act, you always shove the personal shit, the fear, the self-consciousness, whatever, away and do the job, right? Do that. Do it RIGHT NOW. The job is getting out of here. Be whoever you have to get it done.”

Grace had been a deer in headlights, too shocked to move ( to slow to process the actions around her ). When Renee reached for her, pulling her along, the starlet tripped over her own feet, the fabric of her dress getting caught underneath her heel. She winced, knowing that if she had any chance of escaping, she needed to avoid twisting her ankle in the process.

However, her neighbor’s demands focused her attention onto something else: acting. She could push her own emotions away ( her own fears ) and fall into character as someone else. Someone experienced with such scenarios; perhaps an action star or a bond girl. Anyone but her . . . and suddenly, it made the task of fleeing much more doable. Grace nodded, snapping out of her daze, “ . . . right, no - you’re right.”

This might even turn out to be the performance of her lifetime. “Lead the way.” 

[starofgrace]

davisadele:

“I doubt it. It’s Disney, though imagine having a Disney inspired wedding. Now that wouldn’t be too difficult to plan or stay focused on when you could be wed in Cinderella’s Castle.”

“I think people usually start with a wedding planner? Or at least getting people in their bridal party. I ain’t never been in one but they always look so much easier from the outside looking in.”

“A disney inspired wedding? Imagine having all the princesses as your bridesmaids,” Grace added, laughing. “We’d have all sorts of animals in attendance too.” 

“You’re right . . it’s a lot of planning but, I’m not sure I even want something extravagant.” After all, with the world ending, did they even have time to plan properly? She sighed, not knowing how they would go about this. 

[starofgrace]

castitas-etsuko:

Zoe saw Grace’s face go pale next to her and automatically reached out to squeeze her arm and steady her. Elijah’s betrayal was unexpected and somewhere in the back of her mind she made a mental note to find and help Adele after this, but the issue at hand needed to be dealt with first. 

“This isn’t over. It’s not over until we run out plans and we’re not there yet. We just need to get Cass to that stage.” Looking around at the chaos, Zoe could feel the anger start to bubble up inside her chest and tried her best to tamp it down, pulling a dagger out of her purse that she had stored for just this occasion. 

Looking over at Grace, she exhaled, “Try not to panic, if that’s at all possible. Just get yourself out, get Isaiah, just get anyone that you can out of here. This room is a hotbed of Horsemen influence so getting them away should bring them to their right minds.”

The human contact snapped her back to reality, her heart racing as the screams across the room seemed to get louder. She tried to comprehend what the Virtue had been saying, but only seemed to nod in return. 

“ I -- “ am panicking. 

The night that she had been dreaming about, one of the strongest highlights of her career, were crumbling right before her very own eyes. This wasn’t supposed to happen -- destruction wasn’t supposed to touch this ( or maybe that was her foolish hope that things could have gone smoothly tonight ). 

“ -- right, okay.” 

[starofgrace]

Everything had been going smoothly; Elijah had been accepting his award, the cast and crew of their team were cheering . . . everything had been fine, until it suddenly wasn’t ( until war broke lose, violence plaguing over the very people she knew ). Grace felt herself freeze, from shock and disbelief -- was this really happening? Her white dress appearing to be defenseless against the sea of red. 

Grace blinked ( her hands shaking from the sight in front of her ), trying to catch her breath, noting, “ . . .  it’s -- it’s over. How are we even supposed to get out?” get out alive. 

[starofgrace]

countingbluecars:

Date: 1 December 2017 Location: Isaiah’s Apartment Closed: @starofgrace

Isaiah was waiting near the door of his apartment tower,  just inside the door, for when Grace finally managed to get there. He’d wanted to gift her something and he’d sent her a few texts asking her to stay over for the night tonight, along with telling her that he wanted to tell her something ( along with a text immediately afterward saying that it wasn’t anything bad).

The curfews had been hard to adjust to, especially since he had the habit of staying up all night and sleeping a bit farther into the day. Well, unless Grace was at his place, or he was at hers. Then he tried to go to bed with her so that she’d sleep more soundly ( and, he’d admit, he slept more soundly as well ).

Nervously, because of what he wanted to tell her, he adjusted the felt petals of the bouquet he’d made her — there wasn’t much chance of him getting proper flowers for her at this point, and, Isaiah figured, at least these flowers Grace wouldn’t have to watch die. So he’d made her a bouquet from scraps of fabrics that he’d had around his apartment ( a plus of his aversion to throwing things out ).

There was a reason Isaiah had invited Grace over so insistently, and had made the bouquet — today was the day that he’d admitted to falling in love with Grace. Not to her though. Instead he’d found it on his old personal blog; an entry that had said he’d caught feelings and that he hoped that it wouldn’t end too badly, that she wouldn’t break his heart. But what had wound up happening was the complete opposite — they were getting married.

He wanted to celebrate the day that he fell in love with her, and he wanted Grace to know why he’d always been so awkward about the first of December for the past two years.

Of course there were other things that he wanted to talk to her about too, but the most important thing was telling Grace about the significance of the day.

Grace locked the car with her car keys, making her way to the entrance of the apartment complex. The drive hadn’t been long . . . for it seemed like despite the general fear of the apocalypse, most residents hadn’t quite left Los Angeles either. How could they? People still had work, families, properties . . . this was their home ( how could anyone leave that behind? ). Perhaps she already knew the answer to that question; for would departing from the west coast even make a difference?

Could anyone really avoid three horsemen?

She wasn’t too sure, then again, she tried not to think too much about it. Most of her mind was still trying to wrap itself around the aftermath of the bloody oscars awards ( and the fact that she was engaged to be married soon ). The starlet sighed, knowing that had been her last red carpet appearance, knowing that there wasn’t much left of Hollywood now. No one cared for movies anymore, no one cared for anything except survival. 

She entered the building, her hands fumbling inside her purse to put away her keys. She almost hadn’t noticed Isaiah standing nearby until she looked up, spotting him hold a bouquet of some sorts. Grace smiled, stepping closer, “ -- these are cute.” 

Her fingers brushed against the felt petals, her eyes glancing up at him, teasing, “what’s the special occasion, Mr. Faust?” 

[starofgrace]

davisadele:

“But don’t you have a wedding you’re supposed to be plannin’?” She teased the other. 

“If I convince Isaiah to tag along, maybe we can plan for the wedding while visiting disney . . . .  we can try to.” 

“I don’t know, I don’t even know where to begin with all that.”

[starofgrace]

Challenge 32: With a Bang

Grace never went to a prom, therefore the red carpet is one of the few places she can pick and play with gowns, shoes, hairstyles, accessories ( and other glamorous necessities for a celebrity ranked game of dress up ). 

The Oscars is not to be taken lightly, either. She wanted something simple yet something youthful. Dressed in white ( like an angel ), Grace hopes that the peaceful color is enough to avoid any troubles for the evening. It is one night she would like to remember, one night that should never end ( for it is an actor’s dream unfolding into reality ).