"So... that isn't how the scene was supposed to go, was it?" Carter asked quietly as we shuffled towards the exit of the studio lot in a daze. 

My head was spinning, lost on Dustin's words. Something tells me it wasn't an accident.

I hadn't gotten a chance to ask him what he meant. He vanished after Luke, climbing into the back of the ambulance, sparking a swarm of paparazzi at the front gates at the sudden spectacle of bright lights and bad news. 

What did he mean? Why would someone purposefully do something like that? Was it a prank gone wrong? Something more sinister?

I tucked Carter under my arm, bracing myself for the crowd of cameras beyond the gates. I wasn't ready to be known. To be a potential subject written under someone else's pen name. The name 'Em Springs' had been mentioned in my most recent article, expressing that a new, unknown actress was starring in the movie with Luke, but I had left the details vague. 

And now, the paparazzi were hungry for more, and I had little chance of making it out the front gate without getting mauled.

A sudden car horn stopped me in my tracks. Turning, I spotted a familiar red head rolling down the passenger window of a black car. "Please tell me you aren't actually walking out of here... You are on the wrong side of the fence for that kind of freedom now," Delle said giving me a wry smile. "Get in before that mob rips you apart for inside information." 

Carter opened the back door before I could protest, climbing inside. "Come on Em, we might as well stay alive for another day." 

I scowled after my little brother. "Yeah, Em. Live a little longer," Delle said with a smirk. 

The car took off after I was inside, the windows flashing with cameras as we slowly inched passed the paparazzi outside the gates. Carter watched with wide eyed fascination, fingers pressed to the glass, while I ducked low in my seat, hiding behind my hair, uncomfortable even behind the tinted windows. 

"You're Delle, aren't you?" Carter asked, popping his head between the front two seats once we were free from the cameras.

She smiled. "That's me." 

"And you're Andrew right?" 

I finally took a moment to register the driver of the car. Andrew Walker, Delle's boyfriend and Luke's brother. His jet black hair was pushed back out of his face, strong muscular arms evidence of his time spent working as a carpenter. Where Luke was famous for his work as an actor, Andrew was well known for his ability to make beautiful pieces of art. Unlike his brother, Andrew wasn't known as the rebel sibling, following in his father's footsteps until he was older, quitting his pursuit of law to do what he does now.

"That's me," Andrew replied, a smile in his voice. "What did you think of the bar on the tiki set?" 

Carter smiled widely. "YOU MADE THAT?" 

Andrew smiled. "Yep."

"It's very... sturdy," I supplied. I was never sure how to compliment craftsmanship.

"I would hope so. It's not every day that I am given the task of making something sturdy enough to support a make out session on top of it."

I blushed deeply as Delle's laughter filled the car. I slunk down in my chair again, hiding behind my hair. 

Ugh... Maybe I can convince Laliana to change her script. 

"Gross." Carter wrinkled his nose in disgust before changing the subject back to Delle and Andrew. "My friend Duke is OBSESSED with your reality tv show." 

Delle let out a low groan, crossing her arms, muttering something under her breath, irritated, while Andrew laughed at her reaction. Delle had hated her time on the dating reality show while under cover. It had made her famous, and made it nearly impossible to do any other detective work since. So she had moved on, working as the movie's fight and dance choreographer. 

"So, what did you think of the shoot?" Andrew asked Carter. 

Carter propped his elbows up, one on each of the front seats. "It's a weird place. Everything looks real, but isn't. People spend hours getting their look changed for a five minute scene. And people that hate each other pretend to tolerate each other. It's like being in the Twilight Zone." 

Andrew chuckled. "I like this kid." 

"I just hope that Luke is okay after what happened." 

Andrew's head suddenly whipped around, staring at Carter as he slammed both feet on the breaks. "What?" 

The sudden stop threw Carter forward, and he nearly crashed into Andrew who had turned to stare at him.

Delle scrambled for the wheel, keeping the car steady as it jolted to a stop. "Andrew, focus!" 

After Andrew and Carter untangled themselves, and Carter had settled back into his seat next to mine, Andrew went back to driving, hands white knuckled on the wheel. "What happened?" he asked quietly, voice uneven, dark.

Carter began to explain, and with each word Carter spoke, the darker Andrew's expression became. 

Delle watched Andrew's body language, reading his distress with concern. "Hospital first Andrew. I'll take them home after we drop you off," she said, her voice surprisingly gentle. 

He gave a single nod and suddenly the car sped up, Andrew itching to get to his brother, muttering angrily as he drove, furious that no one told him what happened to Luke when he also worked on the studio lot, creating sets for the movie. 

"If you haven't put your seatbelts on..." Andrew said into the silence. "I'd recommend doing that now. I'm not slowing down."

...

"Okay, break down everything that happened," Delle said, sliding into the front seat of the car, watching Andrew bolt inside the hospital. 

"I already did that," Carter explained. 

The car eased onto the freeway. "Yes. But Em hasn't." Delle's eyes caught mine in the review mirror. "I want every detail. Everything you saw, heard, even smelled." 

I stared back at Delle, processing her words, her tone. She had slipped into detective mode with a ferocity that I knew well. But the reaction was strange. Implying something that Dustin had already hinted at. "This isn't the first incident, is it? Dustin said he didn't think this was an accident. What did he mean? What else has happened?" 

Delle's eyes fell back on the road as she wove through traffic. "Technically nothing has happened. But I've seen strange things recently. Fake knife props switched for real ones, only for an actor to test it and realize that he was about to stab Luke with a real knife." 

Carter gasped, eyes wide. 

"What?!?" 

Delle nodded. "It was claimed to be an accident and since no one was hurt, it was brushed aside." 

"That's crazy," I protested, blood roaring in my hears, heartbeat pounding in my chest. "So someone is after Luke?" 

She glanced in the review mirror at Carter in question. I nodded. I didn't keep secrets from him.

"Em..." Delle paused. "I think you are getting framed. If his drink was poisoned, and based on the details I know so far, that's what it looks like... he was poisoned from the drink YOU made. He doesn't want you on the movie, which if that gets out, can twist people into believing YOU have motive to hurt him. Not to mention that a few months ago, you put one of his family members in JAIL."

"So did you!"

"True... But the world knows that already. And if an accident happens around me, we can update the theory, but as it stands now, I think someone is after Luke... and I think they just had the oh so brilliant idea to frame you for it." 

The idea hit me like a sledgehammer and I found myself sinking down in the seat again, finding it hard to breathe. Holy Halibut... how did I get myself into this situation?

"So who are our suspects," Carter asked brow furrowed. "Maybe the studio? It would make for great press to have an enemies to lovers angle to sell the movie." 

Delle raised a brow. "Not a bad theory." Her eyes grew dark as a memory sent her voice into a growl. "Studio execs and producers can get a little crazy about their success numbers. Lavender could be another option. Ex lover wanting to hurt Luke and pin you for it." 

I shook my head. "I don't know about that... Apparently their relationship was fake. For the cameras. She fell for him but he didn't feel the same... And she was offered the role I got put passed on it." 

Delle whistled. "You sure you don't want to be a detective? Your digging is impressive." 

I shook my head. "I already have enough jobs. Besides, Decker has me researching random things for him while he's off chasing that master thief." 

She nodded, seeming momentarily distracted by the mention of Decker. Her ex boss and guy she made out with on a reality tv show when she thought no cameras were around and then had it splashed all over television.

Awkward... 

"It could be a member of the Walker family," Delle said as she pulled the car to the curb in front of our apartment. I didn't bother asking her how she knew where we lived. She knew everything... which was creepy. 

"You should write an article about today," Delle said, turning around to look at me. "Just the details of the accident. Nothing that gives away that this may be more than a freak accident. Your boss will love it and the paparazzi was already sniffing around." She shrugged. "Might as well get one of your articles over with." 

Carter and I climbed out of the car and made for our apartment building. "Hey! Em!" Delle shouted after me, rolling down the window. "Andrew just texted. Says Luke will be okay..." 

I let out an unsteady breath I didn't know I was holding.

Delle watched my face, processing my relief with a hint of amusement. "Just thought you'd want to know." 

I looked away, uncomfortable with her all knowing stare. It was perfectly normal to care about someone surviving a near death experience. Caring was normal. NORMAL. 

"Thanks," I replied ducking into the building with Carter, ignoring Delle's gaze as we left her behind.

Once I had tucked Carter into bed later that night, I took Delle's advice, writing up an article for XOXO Daily Gossip. It was surprisingly hard to write about what happened to Luke. The look on his face as he lay on the ground, pale and unconscious, face pinched in pain. The people swarming around him, looking more eager for a close up to the newest drama instead of wanting to help.

The way Andrew looked utterly terrified about his brother's wellbeing, driving to the hospital in such a chaotic fashion that he nearly drove off the road. Dustin looking scared, as Luke was lifted off the set. 

Luke was more than just a subject of an article. He was a real person. Someone who was loved. And it was going to become incredibly hard to write about him with casual indifference. Especially about something as scary as what happened on set.

After several hours of work, I sent in my article, relieved to have a story out of the way. 

Just four more stories to go...

But when I woke up the next morning, the article that was posted online was different... Edited. The accident that I wrote about was changed into an attempted murder and I was the one being blamed for it.

XOXO Daily Gossip had framed me. And only someone at the studio would know that information. Someone at the studio was out to get me. And before I knew it, I was suddenly famous in a VERY bad way. 

---

Thank you for reading chapter twelve! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes!

UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY!

Things are getting crazy! Em is now famous for being a potential murderer. Luke is in the hospital, and someone is causing problems! 

Who do you think is doing this? Any theories?

Will Luke blame Em? 

Why was Em's article changed?

What will happen next?

CHAPTER QUESTION - If you had to write articles about something you knew a lot about, what would you write?