The Glimpse

I have reworked Chapter One to a more pleasing read and wanted to share. :) Weird nights are still kicking my behind a bit so the grammar is as it has been this year not stellar. And for some reason I am not winning with Blogger formatting. :(

The Cult of Celebrity was full fledged by the late 21^st century. With the advent of Glimpse technology the impossible appeared to happen. More than ever celebrities were worshipped and adored. Previously stalking was thought to be a problem but with Glimpse it rose to unforeseen heights. Some came to see it as the ultimate invasion. Many celebrities took a stand and disconnected from the Glimpse network en masse. The change of heart only occurred after a tragedy involving a weakness none even contemplated existing. The Glimpse still exist today and many still partake in the perceived wonder it offers but not to extent of the first few years of its release.                                                                              

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“And this year’s winner for best in genre is Casi Evans!”

A crowd pleasing announcement, many stood and applauded as Casi made her way to the stage. As always the lights were blinding as she stood in front of the podium. She was barely able to see past the first few rows. She reached for the comfort of the small statue. 

Cold metal, comforting as she wrapped her fingers around it. The shock of the cold snapped her out of the momentary fear she felt.

Of course none of her Glimpsers caught her emotions thankfully. Probably a fair few got blinded as well but the Hyper Glimpsers would edit that later on and soften the effect. The Basic guys would just have to deal and be happy they got an opportunity to see what was happening. 

And she knew they would be thrilled, she might have been weary of receiving awards but the fans never felt the same. She was at the top of her game, and she was very careful to maintain a well crafted Glimpse persona. Gone were the days of hard work and social networking being the key to success. Now it was all about how good your Glimpse image was.

There was the other route of course but being a porn queen was short lived at best. Never having felt comfortable with the idea of her naked body on display it wasn’t an option. She would probably have been a millionaire many times over by now though.

She smiled into the lights and held the award up triumphantly. What a load of crock she thought. She leaded in ever so slightly toward the microphone.

“Thank you! Thank you so much, it is always a pleasure to feel the love that comes with one of these. I send out a thanks to all the wonderful people I work with and the amazing fans, you guys make it all worth it.”

A skilful dab at the artificial tear forming in the corner of her eye, a last smile and wave to the crowd. Turn and exit stage left, she followed her scene instructions carefully and gracefully. The Glimpsers would lose the feed in a moment and until then she would act the part. The perfect celebrity, all they dreamt she could possibly be.

“Disconnected.” The soft voice said in her head.

With a sigh of relief she dropped her shoulders and let the award hang by her side. It was sometimes more exhausting working on The Glimpse network than acting out a tough scene on camera. A stage hand hurried up and she handed the award over to him, it was to be used for another “winner” in a few minutes. 

Truth was, there were only ten awards in total, the entire ceremony had a careful balance of swapping. Everyone eventually got a reward but it certainly wasn’t made of gold. Bronze and gold film if you got lucky. She had gotten lucky and only one of her six awards was the dreaded brass and gold spray variety.

She flopped down next to one of the evening’s winners and kicked her shoes off. He handed her a bottle of water from the table next to him. She smiled and nodded her thanks.

“Congrats Eric, you did well.”

“Thanks Casi, same to you. How many Glimpsers did you get tonight?”

She closed her eyes briefly, the Glimpse Interface was easier to read with your eyes closed.

“Just over ten, you?” 

“Almost nine, must be slipping. Time for some antics again I guess.” He shrugged broad shoulders.

Eric Dainfern was almost as popular as herself, with his reputation as a bad boy he rocketed through the rankings. Even though he was as normal a bloke as one could get it. His publicist felt that with his looks he could only work as an old worldly yet naughty persona. They had dated on orders of the Network for a while, it gave her a reputation as the kind of woman who could tackle anything. For him it showed that he wasn’t a lost cause and some lucky woman could tame his “wild” ways someday.

In truth they had been good friends and nothing more. Neither had been interested in the other and had fun going on holidays together where they could laze round the pool and get the reading in they generally missed out on. 

“Any idea what the Network has in mind for you?” She asked while toying with the bottle.

“No idea Cas, but I can tell you I wish it could just be the two of us again. Sitting by the pool, reading and drinking margaritas while soaking up sunshine.”

A small flutter started in her stomach, surely not? She thought, now would be a bad time to fall for someone. Even someone like Eric. A great friend sure, but not “Network Sanctioned” at this point. He smiled at her and for a fraction of a second it seemed to her that his eyes widened slightly when he looked at her.

“That would be fantastic Eric, somehow I doubt the Network would pair us again though.” 

There, that should put an end to that idea for now. Please, let that be the end of that idea, she pleaded with herself. She had managed this far in her career without getting entangled with an actual relationship. The Network had set out a road map for her and she was happy to stick to it, with her family history she didn’t want emotional entanglement.

“This is true of course, they don’t necessarily like rinse and repeat performances. At least not too often anyway; it sure would be nice though. Don’t you think?” He asked.

She could see that he was probing for a different answer. As much as logic said to just keep quiet, her mouth had different ideas.

“It would be great Eric.” Her traitorous mouth said. To her disgust it even came out softly and wistfully.

He smiled and held her hand for a moment. With a sigh he let go and looked ahead.

“Back to the show then, Glimpse is about to continue.”

They both straightened in their chairs and she surreptitiously slipped her shoes back on. It would be fine for the Glimpsers to see the water though, it would remind them that she is human. Some didn’t like the idea but most preferred it, the online surveys never lied in this regard. It would be quite the thrill for most of her Glimpsers to see her sitting next to Eric.

“So Babe, any answer on that question I asked you earlier?” He asked and gave her the full effect of his lascivious grin. Ooh the bastard, he is taking matters into his own hands. The Network is going to blow its collective top.

“I still don’t know Ric, what has changed?” She asked.

“Everything Babe, everything. I am not the same man I was then, more experience for one.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

She couldn’t help the smile his charm elicited, ah damn it. “Ric, you are a bad, bad man. I will however think about it, not too hard mind you but I will spare some thought to it.”

She looked down at her bottle and cast a glance towards him with a small smile playing on her lips. The Glimpsers on both sides would eat that up. He winked and gave her a triumphant smile. The Network would skin them both alive but what a thrilling moment it was. She felt brave and rebellious. The man is a bad influence, she had to wonder if it was the persona. He had been acting it out for so long that she had to wonder if it was starting to become part of him.

Her manager was walking towards them with a small tight smile, he did his best to not look as angry as she knew he was. The upside of being “on” was that he couldn’t berate her in front of the Glimpsers. What a catastrophe that would be, it wouldn’t affect her but he in all likelihood would lose everything.

“Casi, congratulations and a good evening to you Eric; glad to see you both did so well tonight. Casi, it is time to get going. It is crazy out there so I had the limo brought up around back.” He held out his hand, a refusal on her part wasn’t an option.

She nodded and for a moment relishing her new found rebelliousness she turned to Eric and held out her hand. She had planned to merely shake his hand lightly and flirtatiously. He however had something else in mind, he took her proffered hand and turned it over to lightly place a kiss on the back. For the first time in a very long time she blushed as she pulled her hand free. That had been unexpected and he gave her sly smile. 

“Good night Casi, think on my question will you?”

“No promises Eric, good night.” She managed to get out without tripping up.

As fast as he could her manager steered her away by the elbow. The grip was almost painfully tight, she wagered he had images of her breaking free and running back, straight into Eric’s arms. She hadn’t planned on doing anything like that of course but for a moment that idea left her breathless. Break the careful mould the Network had carved for her? What would that feel like?

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“Dammit Casi, what were you thinking? Eric Dainfern is not an option, even flirting with each other is asking for trouble!”

Hank was pacing up and down in agitation, she sat quietly watching his tirade. What else was there to do really? It wasn’t like he was actually interested in what she had to say. She was amused however that he stumbled over the exact same spot of her living room floor. The cream carpet was proving too much for him in this condition. He always seemed to forget that the corner was right there, regardless of the amount of visits to her home

.

Well, her Network sanctioned home. Her real private space was a cozy two room area in the back of the house. No glimpsers have ever seen it, it didn’t mesh with her Glimpse Persona. Her personal style was simpler and geared towards cozy. Not the best for what people expected from a Glimpse Superstar. The rest of her home was pleasant enough, if more flamboyant than she would have liked.

“Well?” Hank rounded on her suddenly, pulling her out of her amused contemplation. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“For one Hank, I am not your kid that need to give you an explanation and two, it was innocent flirtation. Nothing will come of it, you know that as well as I do. It will bump both our ratings and that is always a good thing.” 

She still felt a sliver of rebellion low in her belly, delicious and curling. She looked him square in the eye with a raised eyebrow of challenge. Surprise flashed over his face briefly, she almost never defied him or anything the Network suggested. He raised his hands in submission, in turn she was surprised by his actions. She had expected anger and further fatherly complaining but he just sank down onto a couch.

“Fair enough Casi, you aren’t my kid even though I feel as protective over you as I would one of them. And yes, it has already been great for your ratings.”

He sat forward and gave her a long look making certain she was paying attention.

“He will however be at the same after party as you and I suggest you steer clear of him. Let the Glimpsers catch you smiling at each other but nothing more. Understood?”

“Understood Hank. I am going to go change now if that’s ok?” She said and walked out of the room before he could respond.