Amanda walked a little faster toward the makeup trailer, her bright orange umbrella patterned with tiny flamingos shielding her from the rain. A little less than a week had gone by and Amanda had fully settled back into her life as lowly servant, far from the glitz and glamour of award season. She stopped just near the steps, then reached up to grab the door latch just as Dru and Henrik, the production assistant holding the black umbrella over her head, made their way across the parking lot. Amanda loved the rain, especially in LA. It cleared the air, refreshed the earth. Made it a little easier to breathe, if only for a few hours. It was much better than filming in Atlanta, where Dru’s last show had been on location. Amanda understood the producers had chosen Georgia for the tax breaks, but she did not miss the humidity.

“We’ll see you on Monday,” Henrik said as Dru stepped under Amanda’s umbrella and up the stairs. Dru didn’t respond.

“Thanks, Henrik,” Amanda said.

“Hurry up,” Dru grumbled.

“Oh, sorry.” Amanda opened the door and followed her inside where Dru’s attitude immediately changed. She couldn’t muster a single word for the production assistants, but Tally and Patience had been hired just to keep Dru happy. The wig the previous hair person had slapped on her had been dragged up and down the Internet for weeks, and Dru’s mom had quietly raised hell until they brought in a Black woman who knew how to build and install a proper lace front. Tally was one of the best in the industry, and the studio learned pretty quickly that hiring her had been the right move. Everyone on the show was now sporting a sleeker head of hair, wig or natural. Since Kaidence got her way, Dru figured why not push for a makeup artist who understood how the camera picked up Dru’s light brown skin tone without making her look oddly washed out.

Yes, Dru was playing a space vampire, but that was all the more reason for her to look amazing. Vampires in the next galaxy did not let their looks go. Tally and Patience made Dru look sexy as hell, and she was too smart to get on their bad side.

“Hi,” Dru said bashfully as she shuffled toward Patience. Tally was busy taking down Dru’s costar Webber’s elaborate updo at the far end of the trailer.

“Hey, doll. You killed it out there today,” Patience said, and she pulled Dru into a light hug.

“Thank you. It’s not every day you have to banish your most loyal servants to a deserted outpost. It was a very emotional day.”

“I bet it was. Have a seat and let’s get you out of here.”