The Jaguar Star (Tales of the Were Jaguar Island #4) - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,16

plans. Katrina let the talk flow around her, soaking up as much information as she could, learning as she went.

Katrina noted that everyone at the table, including Liatha, had heaped their plates with food. Katrina, by contrast, had chosen to make a sort of egg sandwich for herself with a slice of toast and a helping of scrambled eggs. She would need the protein for the day ahead, but she didn’t want to eat anything too heavy, since she was bound to be nervous. They all had coffee, but Katrina had opted for bottled water. She knew she had to watch every calorie when filming because the camera could be merciless.

She supposed the men didn’t have to be as cautious, and Liatha worked behind the scenes, but the amount of food they packed away was impressive, regardless. Katrina looked around the picnic pavilion that had been taken over completely by craft services and noticed that a lot of the other folks were eating just as heartily. Maybe it was the free food. Maybe it was the tradition for actors and crew to have large breakfasts then eat lighter the rest of the day. She just didn’t know.

Liatha asked her a question, and Katrina put her wandering thoughts aside and made small talk with the older woman. She ate slowly, finishing when everyone else did, and spent the few minutes they had before they had to be at their various tasks just sitting back, enjoying the feeling of camaraderie and anticipation. Everyone, it seemed, was eager to get started.

By some unspoken consensus, everybody rose about the same time and headed out to their various locations. Katrina and Ren were scheduled to go over blocking for some of the indoor scenes inside the old church, while Greg was taking the rest of the men in the cast, and a few of the women, as well, to rehearse one of the big fight scenes.

Ren held back when Katrina started heading for the old church with Liatha. Katrina wasn’t sure, but it was possible Ren was giving her a bit of the cold shoulder. Or, maybe, he was just a little hard to get to know. Maybe it would just take some time for him to warm up to her. She’d just bide her time and let things unfold. The last thing she wanted to do was act clingy and annoying. She’d bet he got a lot of that already from his legions of adoring fans.

Katrina left Liatha with Sonia, who was already inside the building, directing a small crew that was erecting a supplemental lighting rig. Katrina went to the area Sonia indicated, which was set up like a small set. They’d be using different areas of the interior and exterior of the old building to represent different parts of the castle where a lot of the scenes were set. Katrina went toward the front of the building where the altar must have once been. There were a few people already gathering there, ready to work, who greeted her with friendly smiles as she approached.

Katrina was all set to take notes, colorful pen in one hand, script in the other, when Sonia and Ren joined the rest of the small group. The first scene they were going to tackle just happened to be the first meeting between Robin and Maid Marian. It seemed fitting to her, to start there, even though the film wouldn’t actually start at that point.

The backdrop included one of the stunning, authentic tapestries Liatha had mentioned over breakfast. There was even a guy who worked for the insurance company on the set, whose sole job was to look after the tapestries that were on loan for this project. They were works of art that carried very high price tags, and everyone had been warned not to touch them without gloves—or, better yet, not to touch them at all.

Katrina had her script turned to the proper page and was ready to work when Sonia arrived, walking briskly across the open space at the center of the old church. The pews had long since been removed so the building could be used for other activities. Sonia got right to it, positioning Katrina and Ren where she wanted them to start the scene and working through the camera angles and movements she wanted them to make. Katrina took rigorous notes when she wasn’t actively being instructed. She noticed that Ren didn’t write much of anything down, but he never seemed to miss