Eleven actors sat in the chairs and sofa facing the living room fireplace. Only one of them had seen air-time in television and movies, his screen presence limited to brief character appearances that left only a sense of familiarity about the man.

They were a false family designed with care for the deception to come, a traditional mid-west family unit of successful parents with a large brood. The MacDonal family Turner had created held five children, four married with their spouses in attendance, and the youngest child in her mid-teens.

He looked at them all waiting for silence as small talk filled a nervous moment, the seconds before the director told of his dream. Instinct told Turner that he had picked well and problems would be minimum. It was a talent he learned while commanding men in war, the ability to see the hearts of his men and know who was going to stand firm, or who would run at the first shot. The ability had served him well in the selection of the actors.

“You all met me during the interviews, but I will tell you my name again. I am Turner, the director of this event.”

Several of the actors fidgeted in their seats while the man dressed entirely in black with reflective sun glasses talked quietly, as if he knew they were hanging on his every word. They listened intently because there was a large amount of money at stake and because Turner frightened them. At the interviews Turner sat behind a bank of men in tailored suits asking a variety of question, his were the only questions that intruded on the private thoughts of the actors.

“What we are going to do is portray an alien abduction of an entire family, so we portray it in such a way that we can be air it on national television as if it were true.”

The rustling in the room stopped, the silence stretching as the actors looked at Turner with stunned expressions.

“To make the event seem real, we are going to give one of you a home video camera and you will record the events that take place. When we are done, you will all receive your checks and you will go home to your off-Broadway theaters and resume your acting careers.”

“You make it sound simple,” Ian Corval, picked to play Ian MacDonal the eldest son, broke the silence. Ian was the muscle of the family, the man Turner suspected would be the first to pick up a gun and defend the house. Tall, muscular, and blond, Ian dominated a room like a Viking of old, his movements deft and sure.

“It will be easier than you might expect.” Turner crossed his legs, knowing it would relax some actors. “You have all received bios of the family member or friend you are to portray, and you have had more than a week to familiarize yourself with the information. What we will do is give you a rough timeline of the events that are to happen tonight with the exclusion of several encounter items to help in your honest reaction to the events.”

“Our control booth is in that locked room off the hall upstairs. We will monitor the action from there so it will seem you are all in the house alone with no prompting from someone behind a camera. Please do not acknowledge the room. It will destroy any illusion we generate for the audience.”

“If we are familiar?” Mr. Harris folded his wife’s hand in his. A career as a character actor lent legitimacy to Bob’s question. He, of all the actors, stood a chance of recognition on national television, but the man was a contingency to the hiring of Carol Harris. To get Carol, Turner had been required to hire Bob.

“Not really.” Turner removed his glasses and slouched to a more comfortable position. “Most people will know this is a hoax without thinking twice, but there will be a few who believe what they see. You remember how weird people got after the ‘Blair Witch’ movie released? It does not matter if the entire world knows the event is a lie. There will still be those people out there who will want all of this to be real; they are our audience.

“I don’t know about you guys but this sounds fun.” Guy Morelin, slated to play Lia MacDonal’s husband, rubbed his hands together with a smile. “I always wanted to play in something cool and this seems like it’s going to be great.” The statement was as impulsive as Guy’s typical behavior. Guy would be among the first to die a fake death. He and Bob were a threat to the success of the mission, making Turner decide to get them out of the picture as soon as possible.

Turner leaned forwards assuming a serious expression, acting for all he was worth. “It will be fun, but I need to tell you some of the stuff we have planned will be really frightening and it will take you completely by surprise. The best advice I can give you is, go with it, react like you would in real life.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

There was nervous laughter as the actors looked at each other while coming to grips with the project.

“Nothing deadly, I hope.” Mrs. Harris raised an eyebrow.

Turner gave a small laugh. “No. As each person in the house is ‘abducted,’ they will simply move to a room upstairs we have prepared as a waiting area. We have a television in there connected to our computer, which is connected to the video camera. You can watch the action as it unfolds.”

“I’ll go first,” Lia Denning raised her hand with an impudent grin. Guy looked at her and shook his head with a roll of his eyes.

“And miss your big part?” Turner held all the cards and dolled the facts out in small portions, drawing the actors into the spirit of the project. Lia was a feminine version of Ian who earned her livelihood by portraying the typical dumb blond. Her records suggested a high intellect, but she hid it well.

“We want the men to act like the typical hero, you know; run out and try to save the day by protecting the house. Most of the first abductees will be from the male side of the family. The last people to be in this drama will be whoever holds the camera and some of you women. That brings me to the big question; who wants to be the camera freak?”

“I’ll do it,” Marie Warming hopped up and down on her seat in her eagerness to claim the part. A slender young woman, Marie epitomized a bright child in the phase between teenager and adult. Her clothes were typically earth tones covered by a bright blue sweater.

Her desire surprised Turner. He thought Marie would want to be in front of the camera. “You realize all people will hear is your voice. They will not see you.”

“That is okay. I bet they remember my voice for a long time if we pull this off right.”

“You may be right.” She would be the right person with the camera. “You will follow the men when they decide to go outside and look for a light that lands nearby. No one specifically mention UFOs in the beginning, let the audience get into the mystery. It would be best if you think the light came from a crashing plane.” He turned his attention to Marie. “This means you stay close to the men, within audio distance. Well?”

“Sure.” Marie rubbed her hands together and gave the rest of the group a tentative smile. Mrs. Harris returned the smile with a nod, the rest of the actors taking the cue from the woman and accepting Marie’s role without argument.

Returning to the original topic, Turner pulled a paper from his jacket and referenced the sheet. “We start in the early afternoon with Marie roving around the house with the camera and meeting the characters. Try not to ham it up too much. We want this to look real. A large family meal, unfortunately Mrs. Harris, we want the audience to have the stability of a typical American family, but pick your help as the day moves on.”

“Our goal is to have two or three hours of tape before the incidents begin. Hopefully, we will run out of tape just about the time the last people disappear. We are going to add some fluff with a few of the locals, claiming they have known you all for years. That type of crap.”

The people adding commentary to the final version of the video would not be from the area, but there was no need to tell the actors that part of the plan. The security of the project and the participation of a government agency in the creating the video had to be hidden behind confusion about where the abduction took place. It was misdirection of attention at its most basic.

“As I was saying; just after dusk a light will pass over the house. A bright light, so do not look directly at it. This is when a few of the men and Marie will go outside to find whatever crashed. Do not worry about finding it. There will be a light coming from the ravine to the northeast.”

“Now we need the first victim. A beam of light will strike one of you men unconscious. The rest of the people in the party will drag him back to the house where he will remain unconscious, then disappear during a blackout. None of you have pacemakers, so we should be fine.”

“This whole thing gives me the chills.” Bobbi Vincent sat on the couch. She would play the wife of Ian MacDonal. Her mellow tone of voice suggested a role of temptress, while her demeanor told of a person not subject to the trials of life. She was a college girl who thought acting was a fun lifestyle. “Can I call my family before we begin?”

“Sure. In fact, I suggest you all call your families. Try to relax while we set up the UFO and a few surprises.” The actors needed to be relaxed for the drama to succeed. Turner hoped they did not think this was some sort of government snuff film.

Specifically, they did not know the government was involved in this drama, the secret behind the secret. Spending a few more minutes in idle chat, Turner hoped he was conveying the right character to the actors, a visage of earnest capability, a man they could trust.

Casually glancing at his watch, Turner told the actors he needed to check the progress of the preparations outside. In his wake, a decided air of uncertainty remained.

The people in the living room studied each other in silence. All of them had done to do many strange things in their careers but nothing compared to this job. While most people considered actors dreamers, many did not understand the typical actor was based in a real world of debt and scam jobs. The actors in the house had been around long enough to smell the off-color odor of Turner’s little talk.

Lia Denning whispered to Mrs. Harris. “That guy scares me.”

There was no disagreement.