"Do you agree to these ditions as id out by this trad the remuion of 250,000?" A judge asked me with an almost incredulous expression on his face.

  Asshole. He didn't have to state my pensation for the Sixth Se loud. He robably jealous that I, a 9-year-old, was earning from this movie more than what he probably earned for aire year.

  Steve and Kathy took quite some time iating my remuion with the producers. At first, they were me only 100,000, but Steve argued that my role was almost equivalent to that of the protagonist Bruce Willis and should be paid at least a million. They argued and discussed and finally agreed on a pensation of 250,000.

  "Yes sir." I answered the petty man, absolutely refusing to call him 'your honor'. Yeah, I be petty too.

  "Very well, your trust deposit amount has bee 30%, just as st time," He grumbled and sighe tract as the officiator, passing on a copy each to Steve and Barry, who had e representing the produ team.

  Taking our tracts, we made a hasty retreat from the courthouse.

  "It was good we could work it out so fast," Barry smiled at Dad and me.

  "A pleasure doing business with you Mr. Mendel," I said in a pretentious voice.

  "Oh, our business has just begun kid," Barry answered then turo Steve, "I'll email you a list of approved voice coaches for his at corre in a few het him started as soon as you so he get at least a month of training before the table read in December."

  Steve nodded, "We'll do that. Anything else?"

  Here Barry turo me, "Speak only in the Ameri at till the shooting begins. It will be easier for you this way."

  That seemed to be a reasonable request so I nodded in assent. People have done much worse and crazier things for a role like losing aining tens of pounds of weight, shaving their heads or whole bodies even, and whatnot. Speaking in a different at for a month seemed tame enough.

  "Good. Oh before I fet, here is the script for the movie. I must remind you again not to share it with anyone," Barry took out the script from his messenger bag and ha to Steve before bidding us farewell.

  "Let's head home." Steve indicated the script in his hand, "You get started on this while I begin my work on Harry Potter. I have to prepare for meetings with Disney, Warner, bia, and Paramount to pitch the idea for the movie."

  "bia and Paramount? Didn't you say you wao keep it to Disney and Warner?" I asked in curiosity.

  Steve pulled out the car from the parking lot as he expined, "Paramount has been with me for a long time. Sherry Lansing, the curreakes care of people. Even when I came back after a long break, she was the first to offer me the ce to tinue w there. I 't fet that. As a courtesy, I will give her the ake a fair offer. After that, it's all business. Simirly, I know a few people at bia, so the more studios that are in tention for the option to produce Harry Potter, the better it will be for us. Whives the best terms will be the studio of my choice."

  I nodded in ption, "What about the script? Made any progress?"

  "I told you it will take at least 6 months for that. I am just pitg the idea with the book sales figures, which have been astronomical so far. Then I have to keep in touch with Ms. Rowling to make sure that any ge I make in the Harry Potter universe doesn't affect the future stories. I also have to get in tact with a VFX pany to see what is feasible to show on s and what is not before including it in the script. Then there are set designs and other things to keep in mind while writing the script." Steve finished his expnation.

  "Wow. I didn't even know so much went into writing a movie script." I ented, "Are you sure you want to write the script yourself? I mean, I know yood but you already have a lot of responsibilities as a producer."

  "I want to write the first movie at least. That's partially because the produ hasn't begun so I have time. If we do make it into a series of movies, which I fully io, then I'll have to get someone else to tinue from the seovie onwards." He expined his reasoning which did make some sense.

  Later movies of Harry Potter were all released within 10 years of the first ohis means that some of them began produ before their predecessor was even released. That would hardly give Steve, as the producer, much time to work on the script.

  "What about the director?" I asked when ahought came to my mind, "I mean will you direct the film?"

  "Oh God no!" Steve chuckled, "Being the producer and scriptwriter is good enough for now. I was thinking maybe Steven Spielberg. You know the director of ET, Jaws, and Jurassic Park."

  That's a really good idea. Steven Spielberg would make a fantastic movie that's for sure. But we know he won't e cheap. From what I remember, he charged a good pertage of Gross box offiaking Jurassic Park and ended up earning more than anyone else for that film. And that list includes Universal Studios.

  "He's a good one. If he disagrees for some reason, you get the director of [Home Alohat movie is great." I said as ily as I could.

  While many people think that Alfonso Cuaron and David Yates were the best directors for Harry Potter, I would have to disagree here. Chris bus started such a grand movie franchise with little to no visual background. All others had to tinue an already going series, but for Chris everything was done from scratch, and for movies shot in the early 2000s, the first two movies were every kid's favorite. And I couldn't think of a better person to start the series.

  "You mean Chris bus?" Steve asked in wonder, p over my suggestion.

  "I don't know his name, but I like his movies. And this movie is for kids, like [Home Alone] so it should work." I suggested, "As for swriters, you get the writer of [Forrest Gump]."

  "Eric Roth," Steve murmured.

  "Just a suggestion. I don't know what either of them are w ht now or if they would eveerested in Harry Potter," I ented offhandedly.

  I don't remember if Eric Roth did much work on any other script after Forrest Gump, but that movie was good.

  "I'll think about it. Hey, now that we've sighe Sixth Sense], why don't we celebrate? I know we celebrated st week for [Sex-ed] but this is your first big-budget film!" Steve ged the topic.

  "I am not in the mood for celebrating much," I murmured mostly to myself but in the limited space of the car, Steve heard it loud and clear.

  "And why, pray tell, is that? Now that you mention it, whenever I am home, all I see you do is tinker with yuitar and more retly your piano. Don't tell me you've had your first breakup already." Steve joked.

  "What is it called when friends gh a breakup?" I asked Steve, "That's what happened."

  The instant worry on his face was telling enough that he had guessed the situation somewhat, "What happened son?"

  "Nothing much," I said in a sad tone, "I told Evan about us moving to Eng year and he hasn't spoken to me since. Don't worry too much, he'll probably e around in a few days."

  Steve still looked worried but didn't broach the issue again. He couldn't do anything about it.

  (Break)

  Days passed by as life went on. My daily schedule became even busier than before because of the newly started daily dialect lessons. I started speaking in the Ameri at full-time for practice, be it with my parents or cssmates. The school became even worse because news leaked in the school about me joining a big film produ opposite Bruce Willis.

  The thing is, even the media didn't know that I was starring in the film. That left only one possibility. Evan. I know I should be mad at him for betraying my trust like that, but I wasn't. He was angry and feelirayed so he retaliated. I don't know whether he was regretting it or not, but I didn't front him a be. If this little revenge assuages some of his anger, I don't mind. The tract was signed after all, so what was the harm?

  The only little problem was that the children around me went crazy. They wao talk to me about ag etting them a role in the film or to get Bruce Willis' autograph for them and so on. I did what I had been told by my parents. Keep a good, positive image. So I smiled, made some empty promises, and politely nodded my head.

  But as they say, not everything goes as pnned all the time.

  "Lookie who we have here. Our new celebrity!" A snide voice tore through the locker room.

  It was just after PE css and at the moment I was ging my clothes when I was surrounded by a group of three pre-teen boys.

  Like every normal , our css had a resident bully. Jeff was the self-appointed leader of this ragtag group that mostly tried to harass people but was rarely successful. The reason was simple, the teachers actually gave a damn, and any sort of serious bullying unished severely.

  So Jeff and pany became creative. They would alull back before things could go too far. So I didn't worry too much standing there in front of the three buffoons, just a little self-scious about my state of undress.

  "You need something, Professor Snape?" I asked jovially to the group of taller boys. That was another issue. I was on the shorter side in my css and for my age. This was strange knowing that my bio-dad was taller than 6 feet and my bio-mum was tall enough herself for a woman. Jeff, who was the tallest boy in our css, physically towered over me.

  One of the ckeys, let's call him Dumb, giggled at my remark.

  "I see that someone has read the book," I smiled at Dumb, "Yood, dude. Anyone who reads Harry Potter ot be bad."

  Meanwhile, Jeff and Dumber looked fused before Jeff tried tain some sembnce of trol, "We are not here to joke. You," He jabbed a fiowards my chest dramatically, "have bee arrogant. Tell everyone which film you are w on or with which actor. And Jessica was telling us just yesterday how you will be going to Oscars this year!"

  "Who?" I asked in fusion. I had no idea which Jessica he was referring to because there were two girls named Jessi our css.

  Jeff smugly turo his ckeys, "See, he doesn't even know kids in our own css. That's hant he is!"

  "That's not what I meant," I tried to defend myself, but he cut me off.

  "And what's with the fake at?" He demanded hotly. "Are y to be a proper Ameri like us? You'll remain a dirty izing Brit."

  "Dirty izing Brit?" I was amused by his words more than anything. "Do you even know what izing is?"

  In my head, he was just a little kid, probably spewing whatever he heard at home or wherever, so I didn't take him that seriously. I should have, because he didn't like my dismissive attitude.

  "I'll tell you the meaning of izing. Grab him."

  Before I realized what was happening, the ckeys took hold of one of my arms and dragged me down. I kicked and shouted but to no avail, they were much strohan me. , I knew, Jeff kicked me hard in the chest.

  "Jeff, don't do this. You'll get expelled from school," I let out between moans of pain.

  Clearly, my words had no effe any of the three. I just braced myself for the few minutes.

  ______________________________

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