The Director's Cut by Js Taylor (if you give a mouse a cookie read aloud txt) 📕

you are a family to me,” he continues. “We have worked together for years. And I truly value you. I can hardly believe that someone would betray that trust.”

A hush descends on the group.

“I know that whoever is responsible is here in front of me now,” continues James.

They might not be! I want to scream. Ask Natalie where Carol is!

James catches my eye, and I see a flicker of confusion pass over his handsome features.

“I’m not asking you to confess in front of everyone,” he continues. “But I do ask, that whoever is making these leaks, is decent enough to tell me.”

His green eyes are full of sincerity.

“I value each and every one of you,” he says. “And I ask that whoever has made the leaks, understand that they’re jeopardising a lot for everyone here.”

He looks down at his hands for a moment, and then back at the group.

“Thank you,” he concludes. “We’ll now have an actor’s meeting as planned. Anyone who wants to talk can find me afterwards.”

As soon as James is finished talking, the small crowd begins talking animatedly amongst themselves. I wonder what effect James’s words had. Certainly, it seems as though the crew feel real loyalty to him.

Many look positively furious that someone is leaking to the press.

I move determinedly towards him. I want to run. But I can’t risk that I might look suspiciously over familiar.

As I approach, I see that Will is already talking to James, and I have to wait a maddening few moments for their conversation to end.

Then Will drifts away, and I move quickly towards James.

“James!”

“Issy?” James lowers his voice. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Carol,” I hiss, breathlessly. “Natalie’s assistant. I saw her snooping around my cottage. I think she could be the leak.”

James’s face darkens.

“When did you see this?”

“Just now. Just before this meeting.”

James’s face sets sternly.

“Thank you for telling me,” he says, after a moment. “We have the actor’s meeting now, Issy. I’d be grateful if you would join the others in the ballroom as planned.”

“But…” I am baffled by his tone. Is he going to track Carol down?

“I’ll be with you shortly,” he adds, firmly.

I open my mouth, and shut it again. Maybe this is all part of some master plan. I don’t know. So I’ve no alternative but to seek out Callum and drift towards the actor’s meeting place.

Chapter 34

“Do you think the leak will reveal themselves?” asks Callum as we navigate the corridors to find the large ballroom.

“I don’t know,” I say. “The crew seem very loyal to James. But then again, whoever’s leaking has already proved themselves disloyal.”

“I thought it was rather touching,” says Callum, “that James is asking for the leak to consult their own conscience. It’s an old fashioned approach, for sure,” he adds. “But it’s the mark of James, as a man, that he would try that route.”

I’m considering this as we enter the ballroom. It might be a testimony to James’s character, but I don’t know how effective it will be in uncovering the leak.

To our great surprise, Natalie is already seated inside. She looks frail and vulnerable in the enormous room. And once again, I feel myself entertain feelings other than annoyance towards her.

“Hey, Natalie,” I say, waving my hand.

“Hey,” she replies.

Callum and I take our seats. And we all sit in troubled silence.

It’s only a few moments later when James joins us. And the speed of his arrival makes me doubt whether he took my information seriously.

Has he tried to track Carol down?

“I hope we can all get through this session,” James says, “despite the situation surrounding it.” His eyes flicker for a moment.

“In the next hour or so, we’re going to be exploring ourselves as people. We’ll be looking at the roles we all play in everyday life.”

I’m finding it hard to follow James. And I can tell Natalie and Callum feel the same. We’re all thinking, wondering, whether the leak really will be revealed.

“We’ll be doing the same strategy as before,” says James, “of writing down personality traits on paper and placing them in a bag. Then I’ll pull them out, and we’ll discuss. Ok?”

He looks at us all expectantly, but the mood of the group is so fragmented, he hardly gets a response.

“We’ll just get through this,” he says, “and then perhaps we can talk about the press situation. I appreciate you must all be anxious about the future. But believe me. This movie will go ahead.”

I see something like anxiety in Callum’s eyes, and I realise he doesn’t necessarily believe this.

James stands and hands out slips of paper.

“Think of a personality trait which applies to you,” he says, “then write it out as ‘I am’.” His eyes rest on me. “It might be ‘I am brave’,” he adds, “or ‘I am loyal’.”

Callum and Natalie take their slips. But I can tell their hearts are hardly in it. I stare at my own for a moment before scrawling down: ‘I am a good friend.’

Slowly, we all return our slips to the bag.

Then James shakes it and pulls out the first piece of paper.

He stops short, his eyes widening. Then his gaze rests on Callum.

“I have the first paper here,” he says carefully. “It says: I am the press leak.”

Chapter 35

I feel my mouth drop open in clean amazement. Callum? Callum is leaking to the press. I simply don’t believe it.

But then I see James’s gaze switch to Natalie.

And as we all turn to look, her green eyes fill with tears.

Natalie? Natalie was the leak?

“It was you?” asks Callum in disbelief. “You were leaking to the press, Natalie?”

“I am so sorry,” she whispers. “Truly.” Her gaze switches to me, and I am overwhelmed by the loneliness in her face. “Please forgive me, Issy,” she whispers.

I turn to see Callum is every bit as shocked as I am. James looks stern, yet considered.

“But how could it be you?” I manage, after a long silence. “I was with you when the first leak happened.”

Natalie