Over the hree days, they practiced all kinds of mao refiheir diving skills. Improvi like a distant dream—getting used to the water tank ossible, but far from easy. Billy could feel how his skin wrinkled from being submerged for so long.

  -I'm turning into a merman. - Billy remarked as he climbed out of the water. The others weren’t ier shape, gulping down the air they desperately needed after only breathing through oxygen tubes. Breathing deeply had bee a struggle.

  -Stop being ridiculous. - Robert Pattinsoed, dressed in his yellow suit.

  -Stop being b… Your brow is already furrowed. If you keep it up, you’ll age faster than you’d like, my friend. And aging—it’s such a cruel fate. - Billy teased.

  -It seems we’ll o do some filming tomorrow. Your schedule is packed, but holy, I’m not sure what we’re even doing. - The young man with chestnut hair and pale skin, often sidered the mysterious heartthrob for keeping his thoughts to himself, said with a slight shrug.

  He stood and offered Billy a hand, catg Clemency Poesy’s gaze out of the er of his eye. She was nearby, adjusting her fitted jumpsuit. Her slender frame and proud, lifted made her look poised, but her nervous demeanor betrayed her. The way Billy teased her when he caught her looking at him was almost too much. Deliberately, he pulled off his brown shirt, drying his hair with it.

  -Stop showing off. -

  -e on, Robert. If you were as geous as I am, you’d show off all the time. - Billy’s fiery fidence came across as a pyful challenge as he made his way to a small makeshift dressing room. There, he found fresh clothes, ready to ge and call it a day. He put on a crisp white shirt, silver earrings, and his nose pierg, feeling the weight of exhaustion in his body.

  Stretg his limbs, he felt every ounce of fatigue. M workouts, long hours of rehearsal, aless effort had takeoll. Emerging from the cramped dressing area, he noticed the kids chatting about ohing or another. It was unnerving to see the brown-haired girl so anxious, caught in the grip of her fear.

  He made his way to the main hall, where the rehearsals were taking pce. In another room, ses featuring Ralph Fiennes and his followers—particurly Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch—were being filmed, along with other shots involving the primary cast.

  -See you tomorrow. - He told Robert, who nodded in aowledgment. Tomorrow was an filming day.

  During breaks, they took every opportunity to maximize their time oo Billy’s surprise, he ran into a few familiar faces: Jonny Greenwood, a guitarist, and Phil Selway, Radiohead’s drummer. Also present were Jarvis Cocker from Pulp and Jason Buckle from All Seeing I, though Billy didn’t know the tter very well.

  -I didn’t know you guys would be here. - Billy greeted Jonny and Phil, whom he’d followed for years, admiring their musid career choices. The two embraced him warmly.

  -My God, you’ve grown! The prince of rock himself! - Phil excimed.

  -Well, I guess we have something in on. We’ve all been hired for the movie. - Billy replied, gng at the people nearby with a mix of curiosity and caution.

  -They hired you to sing? -

  -They couldn’t afford me. If they wao pose and perform, they’d o pay me at least 5 million or more. I’m not sure how much Warner charges for lises. - Billy said with a smirk. - But hey, don’t worry. It’d be fun to jam together sometime. Your st album was fantastic; it’s still inspiring me in so many ways. -

  The idea of colborating sparked some excitement. The fideh which Billy said, “They couldn’t afford me,” left everyone slightly stunned.

  -I think it’d be great to py together, though I imagihom might get a little jealous. - Jonny joked.

  -I doubt that. - Billy replied, thinking about the band’s dynamics. He could see the others were eager to hear him sing and uand what made him so renowned.

  -We’re w on a few songs as a team. The musiot fully formed yet, but we have some fantastiposers. Maybe we colborate a bit. - Jonny suggested.

  -Sure, as long as you let me do a cover of ‘Creep.’ - Billy quipped, watg Jonny’s rea. I'm just kidding. We jam when I have some free time. Singing always helps clear my mind. -

  -I like that song… but I don’t like it. - Jonny admitted, noting Billy’s practiced demeanor, honed since his youth. His rebellious streak had only grown stronger with age. The song was Thom’s Baby, written with fervor alongside Albert Hammond.

  -Thom’s got a plicated retionship with it. But what if we adjusted the scales and added a raspier voice? - Billy mused.

  -We could try. This is Jarvis Cocker, by the way. He’s got a unique voice. - Jonny introduced the young man with long, disheveled hair and an eclectic style.

  Billy sipped on a gss of juice. The te afternoon was reserved for studio sessions, where they preferred rec entire positions in a siake. He felt disillusioned by how slowly everything rogressing. Despite months of practice, it seemed they were getting nowhere.

  They o finish “Mills: Predator’s Love” and “The Force of Love (Dr. Karpu).” The rigorous process of produg an album, almost plete yet unfinished, was wearing thin.

  -Dinner’s ready. - Mrs. G announced as she adjusted her ly styled silver hair, tied up in a bun.

  -Hell yes. - Billy excimed, tossing his script into a er. He had spent too much time reading it but found it easier to memorize it as a song.

  -Double the meat, extra veggies, and a bit of pntain. However, still find this recipe rather peculiar. - Mrs. G remarked, jotting down his preferehe steak, sliced into long strips, weighed nearly a pound. Alongside it was a rge gss of mint lemohe sad bowl was brimming with halved cherry tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, diced potatoes, broccoli, and a touch of beetroot. It was a plete meal.

  -You’ve got half an hour before you o head to the studio with the recs. - Mrs. G said as if foreseeing his move. Right ohe doorbell rang—it was the driver, arriving just in time for Billy to eat a little before leaving.

  -Thanks, G. - Billy said, his gaze invitio join him at the table. She served herself a modest portion of sad, a bit of rice, and a small strip of meat in a bowl ner than her hand.

  Mrs. G stood up and brought over a jar of fruit with yogurt to plete the meal. Billy’s diet restricted him from eating after 8:00 PM, a regimen he followed diligently to maintain his well-earned physique.

  ....