Chapter One
     Can Dahlia Price make it big in Hollywood? Or will she fall flat on her face and be forced to run back to her parents?
 
 
 

Nineteen year old Dahlia Price was like most small town girls, she had big dreams. Smart, talented, and beautiful Dahlia could be just about anything she wanted. She wanted to act, but her uptight parents were thinking more along the lines of medicine or law. Dahlia had no major her freshman year of college which infuriated her paretns. She decided to major in Drama her sophmore year until her parents informed her if she did they would no longer pay for college. It took Dahlia two hours to decide what she was going to do. She sold just about everything she owned, emptied her bank account, and took the first bus to Hollywood.
 
 

Dahlia knew there was no way she could afford an apartment so she opted to stay in a cheap motel until she could earn enough money for a decent apartment. It was pink, a color Dahlia wasn't fond of and there was a cemetary right outside her window, but she couldn't afford to be picky. Three weeks went by and Dahlia went to every audition she read about but she had no call backs. Her money was starting to run low. She needed to find a job fast. She even applied for waitressing and maid jobs. Still no luck.
 
 

Dahlia finally lucked out. She applied for a job posing for a magazine ad for some cheap wine and somehow she got the job. She was so excited she got to the photoshoot early. When she saw the outfit they wanted her to wear she almost ran out the door. She sucked it up since she needed the money. After her hair and make-up were done and her skimpy outfit was on she stood on her mark. The photographer was a complete sleaze of course. He kept "posing" Dahlia but it seemed more like he was groping her.
 
 

Dahlia's next job was a chick flick movie, "Dilema". A young abused woman, "Natalie" shoots her supposedly abusive husband. The twist is did she do it to escape the abuse or to cash in on his $1 million life insurance policy? And was it really her husband beating her or was it her boyfriend beating her to exlpain why she shot him? The only real problem Dahlia had was the part where she had to learn to shoot the gun. She was terrified of them so whenever she had to hold the gun she shook with fear. She knew she had to get over her fear if she was going to be able to finish filming. It took a few extra days but once Dahlia got over her fear she became a fairly good shot.
 
 

Dahlia took a month off before she took another job. A horror movie "Black Hearts"about a college girl "Elaine" who becomes involved in a secret society, The Black Hearts. At first they seem to be typical college girls pretending to be witches. But then she finds out the hard way when they sacrifice her roommate they really are witches and so is she. They need her to complete the Black Heart ritual. If she doesn't they threatened to kill her. If she does the ritual she risks unleashing horrible plagues into the world. Elaine finds out a way to stop them but it ends up making her insane. Filming the movie gave Dahlia the creeps and she couldn't wait until it finished filming.
 
 

Dahlia auditioned for a Sci-Fi movie "Serenity Valley". She got the job but she wasn't sure she wanted it. Fairie Princess Serene and her clan are at war with evil gnomes. Serene's clan gets almost wiped out by the gnomes. Serene is captured and forced into slavery. After years of abuse and torture Serene escapes and uses a vine from her valley as her clothes. Everyday for three months Dahlia showed up for filming. She had flowers painfully stuck into her hair, a mask glued to her face, and the extremely uncomfortable vine glued to her body. She thought that was the worst part until they harnessed her for her flying/levitating scenes. The men hoisting her up dropped her on her but three times. Dahlia almost gave up acting.
 
 

Suprisingly "Serenity Valley" was a hit among the Sci-Fi crowd. Dahlia decided it was time to hire an agent. It took less then two weeks for her agent to find an absolute dream movie for Dahlia. "Her Beautiful Lie", a black and white movie about Marinda, the daughter of a maid rising to stardom as a lounge singer. Rich and powerful men romanced her thinking she was rich. She fell in love with a senator's son and thats when everything comes crashing down. Dahlia watched some of the actors and actressed and she felt like an amatuer. She worked hard to try and be as good as them. When it came time to perform the songs Dahlia blew everyone away with her voice.
 
 

Dahlia decided to take a couple months off to relax since filming "Her Beautiful Lie" took a lot out of her. Only a week went by and her agent was calling her with a movie offer.
"Dahlia, I have an incredible movie for you."
"Joanie, I appreciate it but I'm wiped. I need some time off."
"I think you might reconsider when you hear about it. Its called "Hawaiian Ginger" You'll play Ginger, a college girl who goes to Hawaii to study. While there Ginger meets and falls in love with Petie, a surfer boy. You'll fly out to Hawaii in the next couple days and relax in style for the next two weeks until they cast Petie."
"Ok you talked me into it. Book a flight for me and call me with the details."
Two days later Dahlia was watching the sunrise in Hawaii in her hotel suite waiting to see who they cast as Petie.
 
 

Dahlia was expecting Joanie to call her when she found out who was playing Petie. She got a phone call the next day and she almost fainted.
"Is this Dahlia Price?"
"Yes it is. Who exactly is this?"
"I'm Elijah Wood. I figured I'd call and get to know my co-star. The director is a friend and he asked if I'd play Petie. He said we'd be good together."
Dahlia was quiet for a moment. "Wow. I was expecting Joanie to call me with this news."
"I asked if I could do it. I'm looking forward to working with you."
"Same here."

This is the continuation of my first story "A Week". 17 year old Lanie Williams tries to move on after tragedy strikes.



Chapter One




Two months have passed since my mom's funeral. It was all kind of surreal. The church, the limo, and the cemetary. I thought I was done with surprises but mom had one more surprise for me. A $150,000 life insurance policy. I couldn't stand the thought of living in the house where mom died so I sold my little house and moved into this house. Its amazing. No swimming pool, but there is a hot tub and a gym. The couple selling the house was in such a hurry to get back to the city that I got to move in almost immediately. Now all I have to do is decorate.





In five minutes that tiny little stick sitting on the counter is going to tell me if my life is going to change. I have no idea what I'm going to do if I'm pregnant. I haven't talked to Deacon in weeks. He's been so busy with school and I've been trying to get settled in. At least thats what I'm telling myself. I just can't picture Deke and I as parents. OH GOD! Time's up. I can't bear to look but I have to. Its positive! I'm going to have a baby! I think I'm going to faint.





How am I going to tell Deke? I know he said he'd be there for me if I was pregnant, but that was months ago. He's more invovled in school now in the hopes he can graduate early. Ok so now I have to figure out how to do this. I could e-mail him. He is more likely to get it since he's always online doing research, but that seems so cold. I could call him. I'd probably have to leave a message since he hardly ever answers his phone anymore. Oh great here comes the waterworks. I'm too upset to think about this now.





Its been almost two weeks since I took the pregnancy test and I still haven't told Deke I'm pregnant. I'm such a coward. I've been so frustrated lately and the only way I've been able to calm myself down is to kickbox. Deep down I know the reason why I'm so upset is because I haven't told Deke about the baby but I'm going to use the excuse that its hormones.






So far being pregnant isn't too bad. Ok well except for the whole being sick part. My morning sickness(what a stupid name) hasn't been too bad. Its the rest-of-the-day sickness thats really killing me. I just realized I've become so boring since I found out I was pregnant. I have a routine. Toast and tea every morning and whatever makes its way into my mouth the rest of the day.






Ok. Deep breath. I'm calling Deke to tell him I'm pregnant. Well more like his voicemail. Maybe I should just have him call me instead of spilling that kind of info in a message. I was surprised when he answered.
"Hello."
"Hey Deke!" Its Lanie. I was planning on leaving you a message since you're usually busy."
"Yeah sorry about that. I was working on my two term papers and studying for my finals. It payed off. I got B+'s on my papers and I'm pretty sure I aced my finals."
"Thats great, Deke."
"The Dean told me if I keep my grades up I can take some summer classes so I can graduate early. Enough about me. What's going with you, LaLa? Did you need something?"
Here's my chance to tell him. "Nothing's going on and nothings wrong. I just wanted to see how you were doing."
Deke was quiet for a moment. He knows I'm lying. "If you're sure."
"I'm sure. I've got to go, Deke. I'll call you in a couple days."
"Bye, LaLa."





I had a chance to tell him and I totally blew it. He seemed so happy and things were going great for him at school. I just couldn't ruin things for him. Damn. Listen to me. I don't know if this baby is going to ruin my life or Deke's. Sure its going to make things complicated to say the least. I can handle it though. Its settled. I'm going to call Deke tomorrow and tell him about our baby.





I'm five months along, I've had my first doctor's appt, and I even have a belly. And yet I still haven't gotten around to telling Deke. I'm inviting him over today to see the new house but I have to tell him I'm pregnant over the phone or he's going to freak when he gets here and sees my belly.
"Hey Deke. How are you?"
"Great, LaLa. I'm kind of surprised you called. I've left you a ton of messages and you never called back. Were you avoiding me?"
Busted. "Yeah actually I was but there was a reason. I have something to tell you and you better sit down." Deep breath. "I'm pregnant."
"I'm sorry. Did you say you're pregnant?"
"Yeah. Listen can you come over so we can talk about this face to face."
"Definately. I'll be over soon."





I was so happy to finally see Deke again. He gave me a reassuring smile and pulled me into a hug.
"I've missed you alot, LaLa. You should have told me sooner though."
"I know. I had a hard time accepting it and I was afraid you would too. Its been easier to accept since I went to the doctors and since I got the belly."
"Have you had an ultrasound?" It was so cute. He sounded so excited.
"Yes I have. I even heard the heartbeat."
"Boy or girl?"
"I don't know. I want it to be a surprise. You don't mind do you?"
Deke laughed. "I'll live."





We went inside so I could show Deke around my gorgeous new house.
Deke whistled approvingly. "Wow. This place is amazing. Ok now that I've gotten the tour we should start with the serious discussion."
I led him over to the couch where we sat down, both of us looking nervous. "Ok so we should discuss names. Are you going to want your name on the birth certificate? And how is this going to effect us?"
He pulled me close and gave me that reassuring smile again. "If its a girl I'll let you pick the name and if its a boy I want something Irish. Yes I want my name on the birth certificate and we're going to raise this baby together. Nothing will change unless you want it to."
I don't know if it was the hormones but I couldn't stop myself from climbing onto Deacon's lap and we spent the rest of his visit breaking in my new loveseat.
 

Chapter Seven


Day Seven




I woke up feeling much better today even though I was still a little nauseous. I took a long shower and had a leisurely breakfast. I was putting the dishes into the dishwasher when it started sparking. I went to call the repairman but before I could pick up the phone it rang. I grabbed it before it woke mom up.
"Hey LaLa. Just the person I was looking for. I got all you frantic messages. What's going on?"
"Nothing. I was just having a bad day yesterday. I was freaking out over just about everything. Things are better today."
"Glad to hear it. You wanna come visit me at the dorm? I missed seeing you yesterday."
I smiled at how romantically cheesy he was being.
"I'd love to. I'll be there soon."
I left mom a note telling her I was going to visit Deacon and that the dishwasher was sparking.





My visit with Deke was wonderful. We spent the whole time in his room talking. Just talking. I told him all about yesterday even the part where I thought I was pregnant. I left it for last of course in case he freaked out. He was quiet for a few minutes and I started getting the nauseous feeling again.
"You know if you were pregnant it wouldn't change the way I'd feel about you. I'd take care of you and the baby."
"Thats good to know." I was quiet for a minute before asking, "Would it end our relationship?"
"Only if you wanted it to."
After we had lunch I told him I had to get home with mom's car. I had just pulled into the driveway and was climbing out of the car when I heard a bloodcurdling scream.





I was trying to fix the dishwasher with the how to book I'd bought months ago. Things were going good and then I felt a slight tingling. I tried to pull my hand away but it was too late. I could feel the electricity shooting through body and I let out a bloodcurdling scream as my body began to twitch.
I ran from the car into the kitchen where I saw mom lying on the floor. It took me a minute to realize she was being electrocuted. I ran to the phone and called 911. I begged them to hurry. Mom's screaming was getting softer.
Lanie ran into the kitchen and after she figured out what was happening to me she called 911. Lanie never was one to panic in an emergency. I just wished she wasn't here to see this. I felt suddenly felt cold and I heard a strange whispering.
"Don't panic. I am Death. I am here to make your journey easier. Let go Maggie. Lanie will be fine. You raised her to be strong."
I was surprised to find out there really is a Grim Reaper, and he's not evil. Funny the strange thoughts that suddenly pop into your head.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The Grim Reaper is real! As amazing as that was I knew that could only mean one thing.
"No! Please don't take her! I need her," I screamed at the top of my lungs.
But it was too late. She was gone.
"MOM!" I managed to sob as the police and paramedics rushed in.





When the police were done asking me the same questions for what seemed like the hundredth time, I left the house. I had to get out of there. My first stop was to a gardening shop. I asked for a tombstone-shaped marble slab to be delivered to my house. I got some weird looks but at this point I didn't care. Next I went to the hair salon and had my hair dyed back to my natural red. Mom always said she loved my red hair which is why I had dyed it purple in the first place. After driving around I had to go back home. I immediately went to the greenhouse and saw the marble slab waiting. It would have to do until I could have mom buried. Even though it wasn't her real headstone and it didn't say anything on it it still broke my heart to see it.
"Why her? Why now? Give her back! This isn't fair!" I broke down and began sobbing uncontrollably.





I was going into the house when mom's friend Chris walked by. She smiled and walked over to me.
"Hey Lanie, how are you? Where's your mom? Is she inside?"
She didn't know. Oh god, she didn't know.
"Oh Chris! I... mom had an accident while she was fixing the dishwasher. She's...she's dead."
I didn't want to say it out loud. I didn't want to admit it. Now I had done both so it was real. She was dead.
"She's dead? Oh Lanie I am so sorry. Is there anything I can do?"
I shook my head.
"No. Not right now. Thanks though. I'll call you if I need anything."
I started to walk away before she could say anything else.
Then Chris called out, "She loved you alot, Lanie."





I went inside and called Deke. I couldn't bear to tell him what had happened over the phone.
"Deke, it me. Do you think you can come over?"
"Ah sure. I'll be there in 10."
It took him 15 but I didn't care. I threw myself into his arms and cried on his shoulder.
"LaLa, what's wrong?"
"She's dead. My mom is dead. I came back from visiting you and she was trying to fix the dishwasher. It broke before I left and I didn't call a repairman. You called and all I did was leave her a note."
I was sobbing into his chest as I choked out what had happened and he held me tighter.
"Its not your fault, Lanie. It was an accident. You've got to know that."
"I know but it doesn't make things any easier. What am I going to do?"
"We'll get through this. Together."
Deacon left half an hour later. He didn't want to go but I made him. I had to be alone for a little while.





I took a long walk around the town. I wandered to the edge of the park and looked into the woods. It made me think of when I was younger. When I was about 5 years old mom and I used to go to the park every Saturday so we could  explore the woods. Sometimes we'd bring a picnic lunch and we'd be gone all day. That was until she decided I wasn't enough and she needed to have a man in her life. Why wasn't I enough? I couldn't stop the scream that was building up inside. I threw my head back and let it out. It was loud, long, and full of pain. And no one in the park said a word.





I finally composed myself and entered the woods. There was an already worn path and I decided to follow it. I walked for over an hour and I eventually came to a clearing. There was a small waterfall that emptied into a stream filled with moss-covered rocks. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I wished mom was here to see it. She always acted like a high maintenance woman, but she really loved hiking, camping, and nature. It hurt to think about her. It even hurt to breath. I stood staring into the woods as tears escaped my eyes and made their way down my face. After I had cried myself out of tears I wiped my face, and left the clearing.





On a whim I stopped by a small farmhouse that had a free puppies sign. I always wanted one and it wouldn't hurt to look. A friendly old woman led me to a room full of warm, squirming, yapping puppies. White ones, brown ones, and lonely little black one in the corner.
"The black one isn't part of this litter. He's only 6 weeks, the others are 7. He was the only puppy in his litter and his mom died suddenly when he was only two weeks old. We were lucky that Patches accepted him as part of her litter. We thougth he was going to die. The other puppies never really liked him though," the woman explained.
The poor little thing. We had a lot in common. I know he's a dog, but still. I picked him up and his eyes lit up, his tail wagged, and his little tongue went to work on my tear stained cheeks.
"I'll take him."
"Are you sure your mom won't mind?"
I held back the tears, plastered a smile on my face, and shook my head.
"No. He'll be good company."
I left with the squirmy little bundle and walked home. He seemed content to nestle against my neck. I thought about what to name him all the way home. I finally decided on Cash, after Johnny Cash. I love and have always been a fan of Johnny Cash. I'm assuming that I get it from my dad. I stopped in front of the house and looked at Cash.
"Welcome home, Cash."





I set Cash down so he could explore his new home while I took my diary into the livingroom and sat down on the floor.
"Dear Diary
   When people used talk about a week it seemed like such a long time to me. But the last 7 days haven't seemed like such a long time at all. Ok so I've had alot of excitement and ups and downs to last me a life time. If you had told me a week ago that I'd move to a small town into a house the size of a shack, get sent to a prep school, actually make up with my mom, meet and make love to the guy of my dreams, find out I'm smart enough to qualify for a school scholarship, get a puppy, and worst of all deal with the death of my mom I would have said you were crazy.
   It all happened though. And somehow I'm still standing. I guess I owe my mom a thank you. She made me the strong, self-confident woman I am today. So THANKS MOM! I'm just sorry it took her dying for me to realize it. I still have one nagging question running through my head though. Am I pregnant?"




                             



                           THE END

Chapter Six


Day Six




I woke up early and since it was a Saturday it was definately not by choice. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach and I had no idea why . I managed to throw on some clothes and emerge from my bedroom. It was so early even mom wasn't up yet. I went to the fridge and saw a note from mom. Headmaster O'Bryan had called after I went to bed and scheduled a meeting for this afternoon. School on a Saturday. I must be in hell. I opened the fridge to get some breakfast and when I smelled the food a wave of nausousness hit me. I ran to the bathroom and got sick. My first thought was "Am I pregnant?". I quickly pushed it out of my head. There was no way.





After mom left for work with Melissa I decided to go outside and do some yoga. I tried calling Deke three times already but he was in class. After last night I started to worry that maybe he was ditching me. I figured yoga would be a good way to clear my mind. The more I tried to clear my mind, the more I filled it with random thoughts. What could Headmaster O'Bryan want to meet with me about? Was Deacon avoiding me since I slept with him? Has my relationship with mom finally improved for good? Could I actually be pregnant? 'Stop thinking, Lanie,' I told myself. After a few more unsuccessful attempts I went inside to put on my uniform so I could go to the school.





I was so happy when I got home from my meeting I ran into the house to tell mom the good news. My victory cheer was cut short when I realized she was at work. I ran into my room and grabbed my diary. This was something I wanted to remember for a long time. I had to write it down before I forgot.
  "Dear Diary,
I was so nervous when I got to the school for my meeting. Headmaster O'Bryan came into his office with a folder, smiled and told me the results of the tests I had taken my first day had come back. I scored very high marks and I qualified for a scholarship. No more paying for school! Now I could start saving up money for art school."
I put my diary away and changed out of my uniform. My stomach growled and I realized I hadn't eaten all day.





I decided after searching through the cupboards and the fridge that I'd make salmon. I never really ate it that much before but for some reason it sounded really good. After I got all the ingredients out I started to hope mom passed on some of her cooking skills to me. I had a few small disasters but once it was in the oven it started smelling delicious. I tried to read a book, watch TV, even play chess, but all I could think about was the salmon in the oven. The minutes ticked by so slowly. Finally the timer went off and I ran into the kitchen. I put the salmon on my plate and wolfed it down in record time. I was feeling tired so I wrote mom a note telling her the good news, put the leftover food away, and went to take a nap.





I got home from work feeling energized. It was a lot of work, but I loved it. I changed out of my work clothes and I noticed a note from Lanie on my bureau.
 "Mom,
Great news. I took some tests at school my first day and apparently I scored really high. I qualify for some kind of scholarship. No more paying for school. I'm taking a nap. I'm kinda tired. I'll explain later.
Love, Ya
Lanie"
I went out to made myself some coffee when Chris called.
"Maggie, I know its kind of late but do you think I can come over. I'm at this boring fundraiser and If I stay her any longer I'm going to go into a coma."
I laughed. "Sure Chris. Come on over. I'll make us some coffee."
Chris arrived 5 mintes later with a sheepish smile. "I called from my cellphone. I assumed you'd let me come over."
I shook my head and handed her a mug of coffee before leading her into the kitchen.
"So boring fundraiser huh? My day was anything but boring. Work was hectic since we were short a waitress and our food delivery was late, Lanie had a meeting at school so I had to carpool again, and now apparently she's got some kind of scholarship. She's sound asleep so I guess I'm going to have to ask her about it in the morning."
Chris' eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "All I've got to say is wow. Life is never dull with you around."