Sugar Valley (Hollywood's Darkest Secret) (10 page)

“That will be seven hundred and sixty-four
dollars,” said the agent. The boys took out their money.

They got the tickets for the plane and waited
right by the terminal for forty-five minutes. Before they walked
onto it, Damen went up to the agent who sold him the tickets, and
asked, “Do really think my voice sounds Southernish?”

Before she replied, Jose grabbed him and
pulled him toward the terminal with tremendous force. They walked
on the plane, handed their tickets to the stewardess, and walked to
their seats. All of them were split up, categorized by their seat
numbers, and that caused a little discomfort to come over them.
Jose sat in the back row, Darell sat in the middle row, and Damen
sat by a window in the front row. The plane took off and was set
for the destination that the boys called “an adventure.” But, in
actuality, it’s called “learning the hard way”...

Chapter Six

Wind blew with great speed through the
Valley, and the sun’s moment of death was not too far in taking
place. Maria stood on the highest cliff, looking ravishingly
beautiful in her long nightgown, and staring out at the horizon
once more, with little tears in her eyes.

She looked to the right of her, and saw trees
on trees, buried within the Valley’s body, standing high up, trying
to be noticed by the regular plateau of the earth. She stared at
the pond, remembering how she used to fish, used to capture
memories of her friends, and suddenly a tear fell out of her right
eye, falling with lingering speed toward her neck. This was it: she
realized the Valley couldn’t protect them anymore, they were now in
the hands of humanity, of life, and what sibyl hands they were.
Maria then sat on the cliff, pushed her white, flowing nightgown
toward her back, and sat motionless on the earth.

Thinking of things, memories that would show
themselves every so often, she gave a small smile, and then a
frown. She smiled, frowned, smiled, frowned, her memories were
coming back to her with full speed, and the Valley’s eye caught
this precious, and innocent moment. She was alone. Her friends had
left, with only words and promises to her that they would show
their presence to Maria once again. She looked up at the sun, not
even squinting from its bright sight, and said, “God, please be
with them.”

Maria then looked toward the Valley and
stared at its beautiful shape. She stared at the green grass, and
how it seemed like a perfect painting, not having any other form of
colorization to its texture. “Let them see their ambition, God, and
allow them to feel the reality of their dreams.” After she spoke
those words, those emotional words that her soul spoke with such
truth, tears began to drown her voice, causing her to grab a white
tissue and blot her nose in a shaking way. Maria then felt her
stomach unnoticeably, without due cause, and stared up at the sky
again. “Please, Lord, give this to them, they’ve earned it, let
happen what’s supposed to happen. Let them fulfill the destiny that
was already made for them... ”

Chapter Seven

Sleeping like a baby, Damen, Jose, and
Darell felt at peace, slowly giving out their own snores that
annoyed the people whom they sat next to. An hour into the flight,
the boys ceased their snores, their own language of sleep, and woke
up to the sight of another new surrounding; an airplane. They’d
never flown on an airplane before, and this sight was different for
all of them. Jose was waiting for the plane to shake from
turbulence, so his body could feel excited, like riding on a roller
coaster. His thoughts shouted out with adrenaline.

Man, this is so amazing, we’re so high
up.

If we die, we wouldn’t feel it. Cool...

Damen closed his eyes every time the plane
shook, praying to God at the same time, and hoping that his life
wouldn’t be taken from the shakiness. His thoughts bellowed out
mercy every time turbulence set in.

Okay, okay, just don’t shake like that again.
Alright, this is cool, this is, oh, God, don’t shake like that
anymore. Man, Damen, it’s okay, this is the safest way to fly,
it’s, oh, God, please don’t shake anymore. I need a drink...

As for Darell, even if the plane’s body
didn’t shake, didn’t create a vibration toward his own body, he
would still pray constantly that this flight would end, by landing
safely, instead of crashing horribly. His mind screamed out
panic.

I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die, my God, please.
I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die, this plane is going to crash, I just
know it. I am gonna die...

As each boy felt their different emotions
toward this titanic, gigantic flying contraption, a new emotion was
being discovered, being felt for the first time by the people they
sat next to. The people whom they sat by began to talk to them,
like they knew them from the past. This was new to the boys: they
first had to travel to a strange city, and now they had to talk to
strange people. Each boy had one thing in common, they could
justify their emotions being the same toward these strangers; they
didn’t want to talk to them at all. Jose lay back in his chair when
a woman asked, “So, are you going to California alone?”

He tried desperately to get some sleep, he
was still tired, but in his mind he had to answer the lady, only
because it would be very rude if he didn’t. “I’m going on vacation
with my friends.” Hoping that he answered her for the last time,
out of her first question, Jose closed his eyes and showed that he
was sleeping. But his eyes being sealed shut didn’t stop her.

“How long are you gonna to stay there for?”
the woman asked, itching her big beer belly and popping a peanut in
her mouth.

Jose slowly unsealed his eyes, stared at this
gruesome sight with his vision almost shut, and began thinking of
what to say. “I don’t know ... I say about, I don’t know,” he
answered with confusion.

“You look like an actor,” the woman spoke.
She gave a smile toward him, and that caused his eyes to open
completely; he couldn’t believe she guessed right.

“Really? Well, I am an actor.”

“So that explains why you’re going to
California,” the woman stated in an evil manner. Jose noticed the
change of tone in her voice, and became angered, but yet confused,
as to why she sounded like that. He didn’t know, or even imagine
why she said those words with such an ominous tone to them, so he
tried to ignore her, block her presence out of his sight and mind.
He stared across the aisle, looking at a little girl with blond
pigtails, and hoped that the lady would get the message that she’d
upset him.

But, Jose had to find out, had to see the
answer as to why she asked that. So he turned toward her and
questioned, “How does it explain it?”

“It’s simple ... you’re going there to try to
become a professional actor. Or else you’re going to try at
becoming a movie star,” the woman said. “Good luck,” she added with
a snotty tone in her voice. A small chuckle followed her tone, like
the sound of the devil laughing at a young person, signing their
soul away to him.

He grew angered toward her, feeling that she
was obnoxious, and highly rude for budging into his business, and
making fun of it. So he put some attitude in his words, saying,
“First off, I’m not going there with my friends to try to become a
star. I’m going there because I know me and my friends will make it
happen.”

“Like I said, good luck.” She closed her eyes
and put on earphones, giving Jose a sign that the conversation was
over, done with; it also meant she had the last word—she won.

While Jose thought about what the woman said,
Damen was getting his own piece of advice, his own informative
lecture from a person who just couldn’t mind his own business.

“Me and my friends are going to Hollywood,
we’re going there to meet a casting agent,” said Damen in an
untruthful voice. He stared at this old man, trying to make himself
look good to him by saying positive things about his motive of
going to the land of Stars.

“Oh really? Well let me tell you something,”
the man mumbled. Damen looked at his long, gray beard and waited
for the man’s next words. He noticed the man paused and rolled his
eyes around, like he was thinking of what to say next.

Damen noticed the pause was getting longer,
losing itself in the man’s mind, so he decided to help the old man
out by reminding him that he wasn’t done speaking. “What is it you
want to tell me?”

The man finally snapped out of his trance,
his state of mute, and replied, “Hollywood isn’t all it’s cracked
up to be.”

Damen looked out the window of the plane,
trying to ignore what the man said. He knew the old man’s next
words weren’t going to be the type that had positive meaning in
them, that would help Damen believe in his dream even more. Damen
realized that the old man’s next words were going to be, in a
sense, words that would literally cut him down to size, and rip all
hope from his soul. “It isn’t?” asked Damen. He still stared out
the window, hoping the man wouldn’t reply, but yet hoping that he
would. That’s why Damen kept up the conversation, he was eager for
the old man to tell him words of wisdom; curiosity caused him to
ask that question. Yet, you can’t have your cake, and eat it too,
and Damen realized that there was going to be a downfall to his
curiosity. He was right.

“No ... Hollywood is more than that.
Hollywood is a game of survival. If you can’t survive in Hollywood,
then you’ll never make it,” the man replied as he started typing on
his computer. “You see, imagine a great fence, surrounding
Hollywood, surrounding its fame, fortune, glamour and so on. Now,
outside of this fence, are not-so-important guards, waiting there,
picking out people who they think are right for this place, this
‘Hollywood.’ They’re called ‘agents.’ They’re horse manure to
famous people, but to people like you or me, they’re Gods, only
because you have to get past them in order to make something of
yourself on the other side of that fence. Think about it, kid. Some
people don’t even get a chance to talk to the guards, but as soon
as you do, kid, you make sure to let them know, that you’re tough
enough, strong enough, and talented enough to beat the crap out of
them, in order to enter in the place to which so many people get
denied access.”

Damen ignored him for about five minutes. He
knew the man was right, but yet, it made Damen feel empty inside,
it made him feel scared to go to Hollywood. Even though the man’s
analogy was simple but confusing, Damen was frightened of it.
Nevertheless, he wanted the man to know that he was going to make
it, that his dream was going to become reality to him, as well as
to others.

So, Damen turned to the old man, stared at
his long beard, and thought of what he could say to make the man
believe in him. He wanted the old man to say something positive to
him, such as “you have a good chance at making it,” “you have a
good look,” and that would help him make it, but Damen knew he
wouldn’t hear that from him. He began to contemplate the situation,
trying to find out how he could make the old man speak positive
words toward him. It became a mission. Yet, Damen’s insecurities
about Hollywood, and about his small accent, were acute at that
moment. “Don’t worry, me and my friends will survive,” said Damen.
He said it to make his insecurity better; in a sense, he wanted to
believe that he wasn’t afraid of Hollywood. So Damen lowered his
voice, to get rid of his very unnoticeable and faint accent, and
added, “Yeah, we’ll survive.”

“I’m sure you will,” the man stated with
sarcasm.

“No, we will make it happen, we will
survive,” Damen argued again, looking out the window. He was upset;
he was agitated by this man that he just met. What Damen didn’t
understand, was this was a learning experience, that this moment
would help him in the future.

“You sound like you were intimidated by what
I said. Were you?”

Damen turned his head to face him.

“No, just a little upset,” he retorted.
Pulling out the newly bought journal from his bag and opening it
immediately, Damen did not want the old man to say another
word.

“You shouldn’t be upset at all... I thought
you said you were meeting a casting agent there?” the man asked
with an evil smile, a smile that meant he knew there was “no
agent.”

“Yeah, that’s right, we are meeting an agent
out there.” He closed his eyes immediately, trying not to talk to
the old man again, and keep his lie to himself, without the man
seeing it and realizing it.

The man’s last words before closing his eyes
were, “Well ... good luck.” Damen turned to him once more, opening
his eyes quickly, and just stared at this man. “You know, in
Hollywood, you’re going to have a lot of criticisms, you should get
used to it. But, for the time being, good luck,” the man spoke,
trying to calm down Damen’s mind, and eyes.

“Thank you,” pouted Damen in a loud and
ticked-off tone. He began to write vigorously in his journal, and
the old man had a small grin on his face, developing it because of
Damen’s anger. He was amused at his annoyed face.

Damen and Jose thought about the reasons why
they were going to California, due to their new, obnoxious
acquaintances. Now they had to focus on the positive feelings of
their dream. Jose and Damen were surprised that they got so upset
at the negative things they’d heard from these people. They thought
they were going to be prepared for those kinds of things that
people would say to try and demolish their ambitions, to destroy
it. They got hurt, because it’s different when you hear it from a
complete stranger, but in a way it prepared them for Hollywood,
prepared them for life. On the other hand, Darell was getting
positive words from a businessman sitting right next to him. He was
hearing everything that he wanted to hear, but from the wrong
person.