A week passed uneventfully, the script was carved in his head. With his confidence up, he didn’t mind even when the other students called him by his mocking nickname.

It couldn’t put a damper on his good mood.

The students saw this and they gossiped.

“He must have gotten a girlfriend.”

“The ‘Wooden Portrayal’?”

They all laughed. No one would want to get with someone who obviously had no future. At most he would soon drop out and find a minimum wage job.

They had seen him act, like a soulless wooden doll he moved about the stage with vacant eyes and rigid arms. He was an outcast in the entertainment industry.

“Well it’s not any of our business.”

The gossip didn’t last long as there were better things to whisper and spread. Like a cat that had lost interest in a bug they talked about more interesting things.

The top student was one of them. He had been given the chance to star in a movie that was said to be directed by the famous director, Roman Nerovich.

He had flown in from Greece and was ready to spread his connections in America.

Caige quickly lost interest in the conversation though, the teacher had walked in and gave him a cold stare. He was the heavy baggage the teacher had to carry, his terrible acting had made the other teachers feel pity for Mr. Smith.

It hurt Mr. Smith's pride.

Mr. Smith quickly looked away from him, as if he were an eye sore.

The teacher clapped his hands for attention and began his long speech on the correct etiquette when facing a veteran actor and how connections with them were highly important.

“Caige, come up here and show them an example.”

Mr.Smith, as always, chose him.

He woodenly greeted the teacher as if he were a veteran actor. The class held back a laugh when he shook the teacher's hand rigidly.

He was asked to return to his seat, so he quietly made his way back, already used to it. He didn’t know why he couldn’t move fluidly when he was acting. He could never get in the ‘zone’ they mentioned either.

His mood that was full of helium was quickly deflated. He closed his eyes and laid back in his chair.

The class was soon over, and he headed home. 

The air hit his face like a cold wet blanket.

He wrapped his coat tightly around himself and stopped by a small convenience store that was close to his home.

He opened the door to the small apartment he had rented to be closer to school. He would stay at his grandfather's place but the travel expenses weren’t something he could afford on a regular basis.

 He sat on his couch languidly, he just wanted to be a couch potato.

With chips in his hands he watched the person on tv throw a pie in someone’s face.

He switched the channel.

As channels flipped past, his eyes closed and he felt tired. He yawned and with watery eyes he made his way to bed.

He flopped down face first and waved all his thoughts away as he slowly lost focus and fell asleep.

**

He jumped up from bed at the sound of the alarm clock and started getting ready for the audition. 

The day had finally come!

He felt his heart that was anxious yesterday start to warm with excitement. He could do this!

He brushed his dark brown hair neatly. 

He had studied the script like a madman and now he could finally show his new found skills to the world. 

Even if his way of getting in the ‘zone’ was different from others it didn't mean he didn’t work hard for the opportunity to benefit from the System.

He felt no remorse or guilt for his acting method.

**

The sound of people mumbling was roaming the room. They couldn’t help it.

Everyone was so nervous.

Most of the people there were newbies who had never had such a huge opportunity. This could shoot them straight to the top of the entertainment industry, even if it wasn’t the top they would still benefit greatly.

All the eyes of these newbies eyed their opponents. 

They had to see where they stood in this competition for the role.

Caige just sat stiffly in the middle of the seats, the cold metal of the chair was the only thing he was focused on.

He didn’t want to unsettle himself.

If he started panicking he wasn’t sure the System could really help him with his acting. He chewed on a piece of candy. 

It was delicious.

He calmed down and looked up. The numbers called had the people dwindling in the room. 

The room was painted with a light blue that was easy on the eyes. The dark blue chairs they sat on matched the room to a tea.

Crunch.

He broke the last of the candy and waited patiently for his number to be called. 

“Wooden Portrayal~, fancy meeting you here~.”

A sultry voice greeted him at his side.

“I wasn’t sure it was you till you looked up. I’d be nervous too with that terrible acting of yours~.”

The voice held a hint of malice, clearly hoping to freak him out. Telling him to quit while he was ahead.

The thin man’s eyes were crinkled, showing a hint of joy at his anxious figure.

Caige glared at him. He wasn’t afraid in the slightest of the thin man nor was he scared of waking into that audience of judges. He had been mocked day in and out, he also had plenty of experience in class.

The thin man looked at him in surprise at his angered face. He clearly didn’t expect resistance.

“34, 34 please come to the auditorium.”

He stood up and dusted himself off, with confidence he walked into the auditorium. His heart thumped with a tinge of anxiety that he had not noticed before.