HOT SET: Playing with Fidelity (A romantic suspense novel) (25 page)

That day
, filming had been cancelled so management could sort things out. The cast and crew spent a leisurely day swimming and relaxing while others piled into the bus for an impromptu trip into Alice. Kate was one of these.

Being the first day of December, it was blisteringly hot so she didn’t vary much from air conditioned comfort. Kate wandered slowly along the shopfronts, sticking to the shade, conserving her energy.
She passed a shop decorated attractively with Aboriginal art, jewellery and carvings and went inside. Chunky jewellery was a favourite adornment of hers and the seed-pod designs were perfect.

The air conditioning enclosed her delightfully and the door shut with a clatter behind her. There was one other customer being served at the counter so Kate perused the jewellery stands,
eventually selecting three earthen necklaces with matching bracelets and two pairs of earrings. The customer left the counter and the proprietor looked up at Kate and froze. An expression similar to the women in Sydney City after the theatre changed her welcoming smile to one resembling being star struck. Kate pushed aside her self-consciousness and placed the necklaces on the counter.

“
Hi,” Kate spoke.

“
Hello,” the older woman said. Her dark hands picked up each of the jewellery pieces and carefully wrapped them individually in tissue paper, typing the numbers into the cash register each time. She didn’t speak further to Kate and Kate surreptitiously studied the local woman.

Her hair was thick, black and threaded with a few strands of grey, parted in the middle and sitting on her shoulders. Her face was c
reased, middle-aged with large smile lines spreading from both eyes. She had long lashes that framed her wide, brown eyes, a round nose and full lips. Her face was kind and gentle, a profile that didn’t look in Kate’s direction again.

Kate was
on edge, wondering if she’d done anything wrong, as she’d heard the woman chatting non-stop to the previous customer, a visitor like herself from what they appeared to be saying. While the woman wrapped her choices, Kate studied some amazing wood carvings of animals, strange faces and aquatic life, all painted with strong earthy colours.

“
That will be three hundred and eighteen dollars.”

Kate handed over her bank card with a smile and the woman
slotted it into the machine and pushed some buttons, handing it over for Kate’s pin. The woman studied Kate as she put in her code, something Kate tried to ignore.

As she handed back the machine,
to Kate’s surprise, the woman took her hand in her warm, rough one and studied it. Kate didn’t feel threatened by her touch and she examined the woman’s bowed head with curiosity.

Finally, she looked up and regarded Kate seriously.

“It is not a gift.”

“
Sorry?”

“
It is an acknowledgement.”

“
What is?”

Kate’s hand was released.

“Enjoy your jewellery,” she said with a kind smile, her teeth large and white.

“
I’m sorry, what did you say before?”

“
Enjoy your jewellery.”

“
No before that?”

The woman shrugged and sat down at a small desk, picked up a small rounded stick, stuck it in paint and delicately pressed it to a large piece of bark, copying the dots she’d previously made.

Kate picked up the paper bag containing the jewellery and left, very confused.

“Damn film is cursed,” Dave grumbled at the fire that night. A cool breeze had risen just as the sun had set and almost everyone was out enjoying the refreshing wind.

“
It was an accident,” Kate said. By now, she’d forgotten the perplexing incident in the store.

“
No, it wasn’t. He should have been wearing a wetsuit under his clothes or something. It’s neglect, plain and simple.”

Kate
was in peacemaker mode again. “Rhys wasn’t complaining when it was happening. Just let the lawyers sort it out.”

Yet, it was the topic of choice across the camp.

On the upside, that day they’d been able to move into cabins, so accommodations were much more cosy and Kate was allocated her own. As she climbed into the craggy mattress, she was reminded of the night Mark had made love to her and she hadn’t responded. Kate’s head was like a browser page with a thousand tabs open as she processed her conflicting feelings of guilt for Mark and concern for Rhys. It took her a long time to fall asleep.

The next morning, or the second day of Rhys’s enforced hospital stay, Mac spoke at the morning’s production meeting. His wild red hair was even more excited than normal and uneven, red stubble marked his thin jaw. Huge bags hung unattractively under his bloodshot eyes and he rubbed at them repeatedly during the talk.

“
Due to recent… incidents, we’ve had to make some major changes to the shooting schedule. We’ll be going back to Sydney on Friday.”

“
That’s only four days…” said Marcus.

“
Yes, so we’ll be operating on a condensed schedule and will do the rest at Fox.”

New paperwork was handed out and everyone opened their folders to file the amendments.

“Tomorrow, we’ll be filming at Ulu
r
u with a skeleton staff. It’s an eight hour journey from here so for those involved, you’ll leave tonight, sleep on the bus and tomorrow film at the Rock before coming back that night.”

People looked around worriedly.

Further discussion was had about the changed logistics, the daily schedules posted and other minor matters.

“
One more note, Rhys being in hospital is obviously big news. Do not speak to anyone who is not employed by this movie. You risk your job if you do.”

The movie in financial
strife, the star in hospital due to an inadequate risk assessment, they were behind schedule, thousands of kilometres away from the studio… any wonder Mac was stressed. This movie was in trouble and it was only half-way through.

Everyone moved off and the rig morale of film making began again. Most of
Kate’s scenes were with Rhys so she had little on-camera work until he returned. She was going to Ulu
r
u that night, though, as Cally had written Stephen out of that part of the script so filming could continue in his absence. Kate flicked through the amendments while wandering across the patchy grass, moving around a few palm and gum trees, and into the dining marquee for some coffee and a place to learn her lines.

Two days after the fever set in, Rhys pushed open his eyes with effort. He felt so much better this time and he realised the fever had finally broken. He had no idea how long he’d been out; there wasn’t a clock in the staid, white hospital room, but the sun streaming through the louvered windows suggested it was at least mid-morning. Rhys rubbed his face and sat up, hanging his bare legs over the side of the bed. He was busting for the loo and with far less effort than the last two days, shuffled to the bathroom for a pee and a shower.

He stretched in the shower, working out the kinks from spending two days in bed. He’d lost weight, he noticed, but everything seemed to be working and without the ache the virus had loaded on his joints
. He wasn’t back to full strength by any means but he was definitely much improved.

He dressed into a clean pair of undies, shorts and t-shirt and as he opened his
ensuite door, Mira was there, supervising a staff member changing the bed.

“
Good to see you up! How are you feeling?” Mira asked.

“
Much, much better.”

“
Your fever must have broken. I’ll get someone in.”

Rhys
lay back on the bed and turned on the TV, finding a soccer game to watch. Mira returned just as the phone rang and she picked it up. It was Mac checking up on Rhys. They’d all been waiting for the doctor’s okay and he was pleased Rhys felt better. Mac told him about going back to Sydney in two days and Rhys, used to movie schedules changing, just said, “okay.”

Finally, a woman in her
40s marched commandingly into the room, her greying, brunette hair curled into an attractive bun, slim figure clad in a fitted pair of black pants and red blouse and low heels.

“
Rhys, how are you feeling?”

“
Much better thanks, Doc.”

“
Apparently your fever has broken, which is a good sign. Let’s do some checks.”

Rhys
couldn’t help but be a bit turned on by the attractive woman who felt his forehead and used a digital thermometer on his ear. She looked at his tongue and asked him questions about his urine and appetite. He was hungry for the first time in days, so she agreed to send in some food and soon had finished her examination.

“
When can I go? Today?” He wanted to get back on set and, although he wouldn’t admit it even to himself, see Kate.

“
I don’t think so, I’d like you to rest up for a bit longer. A virus like you had messes with your body and you don’t want to push yourself just yet. You’re nowhere near back at full strength.”

“
But-”

“
No buts, doctor’s orders.” She smiled winningly at him and he sat back.

“
Feel free to make some phone calls. I understand you have a girlfriend in the States who’d be interested to hear you’re okay.”

Rhys
felt guilty, he hadn’t thought of Amelia since he’d been awake.

“
Yep, I’ll give her a call.”

“
Right, I’ll leave you to rest.” She gathered up her things, made a couple more notes on his chart and was about to leave when she stopped.

“
Actually, just one more thing… can I have an autograph?”

He called Amelia a couple of hours later but she didn’t pick-up. He left a message on her voicemail about what had happened but knowing she’d panic and want to fly out again, said it was no big deal and that he’d call her soon.

There were 15 people
and incalculable bags, camera and sound gear going to Ulu
r
u and the 20-seater mini-bus was uncomfortably cramped for such a long journey. People had brought pillows and other items of comfort but for those who had to share a narrow seat with someone else, little sleep was had. Kate and Jane were sharing and they slept sporadically with Jane leaning against the window and Kate learning against Jane. The bus had three break stops during the journey and it was a very tired, sore and grumpy group that descended into the black, moonless morning at the gate house of the Ulu
r
u-Kata Tju
t
a National Park.

No
other vehicle was in sight and they could see nothing beyond the faint light spreading outwards from the interior bus light. The heavens were loaded with so many stars, it’d turned grey. The gates didn’t open for 20-minutes so they all sat in sleepy silence on their bags, on the dirt or in the bus. People scratched, stretched, yawned wide-mouthed and complained miserably about the time.

“
This is fire-truckin’ wrong, man. There is nothin’ here,” Marcus yawned again, scratched his groin then suspiciously rubbed his nose afterwards.

Kate
turned up her nose up at the aging punk who lived and talked like he was 21 instead of the 36 he really was. But hey, he’d helped her with Nadia so he wasn’t all bad.

It didn’t feel
safe here; they felt exposed. The low breeze whispered dark secrets to them, ancient stories that filled their brains and their imaginations with images of dreamtime and Ancestors. There was something alive in that raw place; an unidentified spirit filling their nostrils with every breath of bracing air.

Jodi, a sound technician
, said, “I don’t like it here. It’s spooky. How long till we get moving again?”

Pete said,
“they’ll open the gates, soon. People like to get here early to watch the sun rise on Ulu
r
u.”

Kate
spoke up, her voice sounding alien in the strangeness of the night. “I’ve heard it’s beautiful in the sun rise.”

A few people grunted and soon
the eerie feeling returned.

A diesel engine was heard far away, the noise
carrying for kilometres in the sprawling wilderness and shortly after, strong headlights materialised from the north-west. It took several minutes for the ranger to pull up and he yelled out a cheerful “morning!” whilst opening the office and turning on the lights.

With the appearance of the red-roofed, arch-shaped gate house, those on the bus
were grateful for proof that civilisation still did exist.

Pete paid the entry fee
s and showed the permit they had for filming in the Park. Right on 5:00 am, the ranger raised the gate and they all piled gratefully into the bus for the last stage of the journey.

A short drive later, Pete pulled up at a car park.

Barry spoke up, “This is where we start. Everybody, off!”

Everyone obeyed
and they located their bags. A minute later, several more cars arrived and ejected quietly chatting visitors, affected by the region as much as the team.

In the hustle to get sorted, people weren’t looking at the sky so no one noticed night was giving way on the eastern horizon until Jodi said in a tone of absolute reverence and awe,
“wow”.

Conversation ceased immediately. Her tone demanded attention and suddenly the scenery did, too.

To the north-west of their position, out of the darkness, a behemoth was heaving its bulk from the earth.

“
The Ancestors wake,” said a strange voice behind them.

Everyone at the car park
was startled to find that behind them in the twilight was an Aboriginal woman dressed in a ranger’s uniform. She was short, with skin the colour of burnt earth and a generous figure clothed in khaki uniform and boots. Her hair was cut to jaw length and parted in the middle and tucked behind her ears. Her face was that of a woman in her 30s, smooth with a broad, rounded nose and full lips which were set in a slight smile at the group’s reaction. But, it was her eyes which captivated the audience. In a stark contrast to her young complexion and figure, her large, dark eyes were somehow very old and as she locked gazes with each person in front of her, she imparted an empathy that read each visitor’s darkest secrets. There was something otherworldly about her and yet she stood in front of them, as real as they.

To Kate, she looked familiar, yet she knew she had never met this woman before.

“Where’d you come from?” Marcus spluttered.

She spoke evenly, calmly, her face barely moving
. “I was here first. You came to me.” She gestured towards Ulu
r
u. “Now, be at peace and watch the Ancestors emerge to greet the day.”

No one felt compelled to argue and they all turned to watch the
inselberg materialise from the cloak of night. It seemed to take both hours and seconds.

The enormous rock’s
ridges were a deep purple while the folds that avoided the faint sunlight were black. The arch of cloudless sky behind Ulu
r
u had become a palette of indigos and blues which lay heavily on the weathered sandstone surface in a sharp line untouched by vegetation. As the sky lighted, the surface began to turn an even darker purple.

“
This is a sacred Aboriginal place governed by A
n
angu law,” began the ranger, her voice rough and complementary with the awakening spirits. “We hear this law from others who know, our Grandmothers and Grandfathers, and we have not forgotten. I speak of Tjukurpa.”She pronounced it “chook-orr-pa.” “This is when our ancestors created this land. Their spirits still live here, will always live here, in the caves and waterholes of Ulu
r
u.”

She
stopped her recitation. Her voice surrounded and held the watchers still. Then, as though expecting their visual applause, the surface turned a dark plum and bright a beam of sunlight struck the far right edge dramatically, illuminating the corner to a fluorescent hue.

“
It’s huge,” someone uttered.

“
I greet you,” said the Indigenous Australian in English before following it up with a string of sounds no one could interpret, but understood instinctively.

Within minutes, Ulu
r
u was in the full glare of the sun and its final bright orange colour. Everyone blinked and shook their heads as though waking from a dream.

“
She’s gone,” said one of the other visitors and sure enough, there was no trace of the strange woman who’d shown them a glimpse of the spiritual world so profoundly.

“
Now, I’m really spooked out,” said Judi.

“
Me, too,” responded Kate.

With the rising of the sun, the ambiance changed and Barry started issuing orders. Despite the horrible night travelling in the bus, they were now refreshed and energetic.
The team chatted companionably, united by the strange events of that morning.

The day was spent filming in several locations around Ulu
r
u. Barry constantly reminded everyone they were on a very strict deadline and the team cheerfully performed their roles. Miracles happened that day and they canned all the footage needed.

It was just before sunset when everyone was given 20-minutes to have a quick wander around the base of Ulu
r
u.

Kate
read the signs and was drawn to one offering the Mu
t
itjulu Waterhole. It seemed amazing a permanent supply of water was here and it took just over five minutes of a brisk walk to arrive at the basin sheltered on three sides by impossibly high, vertical, red rock walls. The water was black from the shadows but clear when she reached the fence protecting the sacred space. She was the only one there and leant over the railing to stare into the mesmeric liquid.

According to the information plaque, this was the home of a
wanampi
, an ancestral water snake and it was easy to imagine a scaly creature resting quietly under the still surface.

As she stared at the cliff’s reflection in the mirror-life
surface, the far-away tourist and desert sounds strangely faded into unnerving silence and she felt like the world was closing around her. Immobile, she continued to watch the water and she was sure she saw the liquid shiver just as the crunch of a footstep spun her around quickly. The ranger from that morning stood a few meters away, examining her closely with her amazing wise, old eyes. Her attire and presence hadn’t changed and she tipped her head in greeting. Kate responded the same and turned to face her fully.

“
My name is Kyeema,” she said. “It means ‘
of the dawn
’. What is yours?”

“
Kate.”

“
You won’t find answers staring into the water, Kate.”

“
Sorry?”

“
You’re looking for answers. The ancestors only guide, they do not answer directly.”

“
I’m sorry but I don’t believe like you do. I was just thinking.”

“
I think there is a part of you that does believe. I saw you at sun rise. You could feel them. You are special.”

Kate
couldn’t deny it.

“
This place,” she swung her arm wide. “This place is magical.”

“
It is sacred. It is inhabited by those before us.”

Kyeema
walked to the fence rail and pointed to the surface.

“
Here some of them live. It is up to the living, the traditional custodians, to protect this space, to keep it clean and safe for them. We do not own the land, we are the caretakers.”

“
It’s beautiful. Just…”

Her words faded away as to
Kate’s endless astonishment, the water shivered visibly again and this time, she knew she’d seen it. There had been no breeze, nothing obvious to explain it but the surface had shifted as though something was pushing from underneath, causing tiny waves to lap briefly against the rock shore.

“
They speak,” Kyeema whispered and she closed her eyes and turned sightlessly towards the waterhole. Kate’s were wide open and she watched Kyeemain with fearful curiously.

“
You will experience a lot more pain yet.” The unexpected change of topic disturbed her.

“
Excuse me?”

Kyeema
kept her eyes closed, face sightlessly turned towards the waterhole.

“
There is more to come. Much more pain. You will lose yourself.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
The seasons are turning. It has already begun. You cannot stop the seasons.”

Kate
was terrified. She only stayed because she couldn’t command her feet to run. She’d never experienced anything like it, never seen someone in a trance, hearing words she could not. She lived her life mostly in the reality of what she could see, touch and control and whilst she did think there were higher powers beyond humans, she didn’t follow any particular religion. So to see and hear someone who could see beyond human reality was confronting.

Kyeema’s
eyes snapped open and she let out a long breath.

“
It is rare that the ancestors speak so strongly and hardly ever to a woman. You must be very special, Kate.”

“
I don’t understand.”

“
You don’t have to. It is what it is.”

Shouts of laughter sounded behind her and
Kate looked to see some of the crew coming down the wide path. She wanted an explanation from Kyeema before they arrived but when Kate turned back, she was gone. A frantic examination revealed no evidence she’d been there at all, not even a footprint. Now she was really scared.

Shaking her head and feeling very disturbed, she
walked to the rail again, just for a few more seconds by herself. On the top of the wooden rail, right where Kyeema had been, was a smoothly carved piece of red sandstone, with a heavy incrustation of glossy crystals. It was a piece of Ulu
r
u.

She picked it up and turned it over in her hands. It was a perfect disk
about the diameter of her thumb, thicker in the middle than on the edges. It was otherwise plain except for a boring for threading a tie.

The crew were only a few metres behind her and
without thinking, she slid the disk into her pocket and glanced at the water one more time. It shivered once more.

“
The seasons are turning,” she whispered, “What the hell does that mean?”

The trip back that night was uneventful. Pete and Dave had taken turns to sleep during the day and were sharing the drive back through the night.