After signing his first six-figure acting contract in this new reality, Owen headed to his parents' house.
He was going to visit his mother and sister. As for his father, he assumed he would be working as usual.
His father was an executive in the financial division of a respected company, and his routine rarely left room for spontaneous visits.
He would tell the two of them the good news. It would be a surprise, since he hadn't told them about the audition or that he'd gotten an agent. Partly because, after the Palm Springs festival, he hadn't visited much.
He was still getting used to having such a large family. And they, in turn, seemed to be getting used to the new Owen, though everyone attributed it to a natural change in character after everything he had been through, a bit of character growth, as Matt would say.
He was also starting acting lessons with Sarah today. He had promised her, and they had never begun because he'd been busy. Now that he had to leave in a week to start filming The Hunger Games in another state, he wanted to give her at least a few lessons before he left.
Sarah said she wanted to be an actress. She was sixteen and would begin her final year of high school in September. Though Owen knew that at that age, many teenagers weren't entirely sure what they wanted.
And Sarah, in particular, was ambitious, popular, spoiled, and used to getting what she wanted, very much like the old Owen.
She was drawn to fame, to being a social-media star, an influencer, as people say nowadays.
But what worked in her favor was that, beyond those superficial motives, Sarah genuinely enjoyed cinema: watching movies, following shows, discussing performances, even taking part in a few school plays, and most importantly, she had presence.
That was undeniable. She wasn't a born actor like Owen had been since childhood, but she wasn't a complete amateur either.
She had expressiveness, physical ease, and a way of standing before others that captured attention. If she took it seriously, she could improve a lot.
And if her desire persisted beyond ego and the need for external validation, she could become a solid actress.
Owen didn't know if this was just a passing whim, something fueled by his recent success, or a true calling. But if she genuinely wanted to try, he wasn't going to shut the door on her.
On the contrary, in his past life, he would have given anything to have someone guide him from the start. Someone who knew what they were doing, who could teach and direct him.
He had to learn the hard way, through countless auditions, rejections, barely relevant roles, and years of work.
And even if Sarah showed real commitment, he could make her path easier, so she wouldn't have to go through that stage of casting calls on Backstage.
He could even give her a role in one of his upcoming projects, short films or features.
Nepotism again?
Maybe. But in this case, it wasn't like a human-resources manager giving his cousin a job in a company that didn't belong to him.
It wasn't that. Owen was the creator, producer, and financier of his own projects. Every dollar would come out of his pocket. Every story, every scene, every character was "his." If he decided to give Sarah a role, the only one taking the risk was him.
Still, she'd have to earn it first.
While thinking about all this, Owen rang the doorbell of his parents' house and waited.
He heard footsteps approaching from the other side until the door opened, revealing his mother.
Elizabeth was dressed casually but elegantly, as always. Her blonde hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders.
When she saw her son, her eyes lit up with joy and pride.
"Owen! You came!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm, opening her arms.
Owen accepted the hug, though a bit stiffly. He still wasn't fully used to displays of affection in this new life, but he didn't reject them either.
"Yeah… if I took any longer, Sarah would've gotten mad," he joked, offering a faint smile as Elizabeth pulled away.
Elizabeth laughed softly and nodded.
"She's excited. Says today officially marks the beginning of her acting career…" she said with a hint of theatrical flair, taking him by the arm and leading him inside. "Come on, get in."
The house was just the same as always.
From the living room came the sound of background music. Sarah was there, already ready, sitting on the couch, typing on her phone, dressed comfortably but fashionably.
When she saw Owen arrive, she put her phone away and looked at him, crossing her arms as if trying to hide her excitement beneath a layer of impatience.
"Finally you show up. Do you actually have time to teach me now?" she said in a tone that was half ironic, half cheerful.
Owen let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I do now, but not for long. I have to tell you something before we start."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow curiously, while Sarah stared at him.
"I was hired for a movie," Owen said.
"Really?" asked Elizabeth, taking a step closer, surprised. "Which one?"
"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes."
"The character's name is Sejanus Plinth. It's a supporting role, but an important one. The shoot will be in North Carolina and Georgia. I've already signed, I start in a week."
Elizabeth's jaw dropped for a second. Then a proud smile spread all the way to her eyes.
"Oh my God, Owen! That's huge! When did this happen?"
"A few days ago," Owen explained calmly as he sat on the sofa next to his sister, who was staring at him wide-eyed.
"An agent wanted to represent me after seeing the short films and the feature I made… he offered me this audition because he knew someone involved. I managed to get the part after a last-minute tryout."
Sarah blinked, still astonished. "The Jennifer Lawrence saga!" she exclaimed, as if that were the most impressive part of it all.
"Yes, that one," Owen nodded. "Although this is a prequel, set many years before. It's about how President Snow became the man we know."
"Oh… so it's like the villain's origin story," Sarah said thoughtfully. "I think there was a book about that, but I never read it."
And she was right. The book had been published in 2020. Now, just a few years later, it was being adapted into a major motion picture.
Owen hadn't read it either, but he had reviewed the script, at least the scenes for his character, and liked them enough to accept the job. He would have only turned it down if he'd thought the project was a complete disaster.
"And how much are they paying you?" Sarah suddenly asked, curious, her tone direct.
"One hundred and thirty thousand dollars," Owen replied calmly. "Well, minus the ten percent for the agent."
"One hundred and thirty thousand!?" she repeated, incredulous, eyes widening even more. "That's… that must be like double, maybe triple what Dad makes, right?"
She didn't say it with any real data in mind. Truthfully, Sarah had no idea how much her father earned as a financial executive, but she had always seen him as successful and well-paid. So, to her, that number was shocking.
What struck her even more, though she didn't say it aloud, was how calm Owen seemed when he said it, no excitement. Yet somehow, it didn't feel strange.
She couldn't know that another person lived inside her brother's body, but the old Owen had also spoken in that same calm, almost arrogant tone, as if great things naturally belonged to him. That innate confidence, that way of acting as though success was simply expected.
Elizabeth looked at Owen with pure joy. Seeing his career take off made her truly happy. He wasn't just an actor working on his own projects anymore, he had won an audition in a major production.
"I'm so glad you found such a capable agent," Elizabeth said, though she couldn't help adding with a trace of concern, "I just hope he's trustworthy."
"Don't worry," Owen replied with an easy smile. "He's reliable. And James already taught me how to read contracts, I don't sign anything without understanding every line."
"Is that what awaits me if I pass your classes?" Sarah joked, raising an eyebrow with a half-smile.
Elizabeth turned toward her with a softer smile.
"It won't be that easy, Sarah. A few lessons aren't enough. What your brother achieved… isn't common. An actor without many connections usually has to go through dozens of auditions, years of rejection, before their career takes off," she said, pausing briefly.
"Your brother wrote and financed two short films on his own, sold an original script to A24, and created the script for Paranormal Activity, which he also starred in. That's why an agent wanted to represent him. It wasn't luck."
Sarah puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms.
"Well! But I have something most people don't," she said, pointing at Owen with a finger. "I have my own brother as a story creator! And producer. And actor. So technically… if I want to work, I just have to convince you."
Owen looked at her with a faint smile, arching an eyebrow.
"So you're that confident I'll keep creating relatively successful stories? What makes you so sure?" he asked.
"I don't know… but you said you already had roles in mind for me before, which means you've got some story in your head… and if you don't, then I'll just have to take the hard road. So let's start the first class!"
Owen let out a soft laugh, shaking his head as he began the first lesson. His mother watched them and offered Sarah some advice, after all, she too had once dreamed of being an actress and had always loved the world of entertainment.
And so the days passed slowly, drawing closer to July 18th, the day Owen would have to travel to North Carolina to begin filming.
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