The day after the thunderstorm, production resumed with some emotional scenes. However, the local wildlife had other plans - mosquitoes began their relentless assault on the cast.
Lucas watched from the sidelines, trying to contain his laughter as a particularly bold mosquito landed right on Jennifer's nose mid-scene. A fly kept buzzing around the camera lens, adding to the chaos.
Finally, Jennifer broke character, swatting at the air in frustration. "These little blood-sucking demons!" she exclaimed, making everyone burst out laughing.
Later, during Elizabeth's scene, she managed to maintain her Capitol accent while dealing with the pests. "Oh my word," she trilled in Effie's voice, delicately swatting a mosquito. "These district insects have absolutely no manners! No manners at all!"
The crew erupted in laughter. "That's definitely going in the behind the scenes," Francis called out, laughing softly.
During their downtime, Lucas suggested a game where they would imitate each other's characters. "Come on," he grinned, "let's see who does the worst impression."
"Now this I gotta see," Woody said, already pulling out his phone to record.
Lucas went first, dramatically flipping his non-existent braid. He narrowed his eyes, perfectly mimicking Jennifer's serious Katniss expression. "Gale, I need to hunt for my family," he proclaimed in a high-pitched voice.
Jennifer immediately stood up, looking offended. "I do NOT sound like that!" Then she smirked, pulling out her own phone. "Oh yeah? Well, watch this."
She adopted an exaggerated dreamy expression, batting her eyelashes. "Oh Katniss," she swooned in her best Peeta impression, "I've been watching you since we were five. The way you shoot that bow..."
"Hey!" Lucas protested, though his eyes danced with amusement. "I'm not that sappy!"
Elizabeth recorded everything on her phone, barely containing her laughter behind her camera. "This is gold."
Liam attempted Elizabeth's Capitol accent next. "That is mahogany!" he shrieked, mincing around in an exaggerated fashion.
Elizabeth gasped in mock outrage. "I do NOT walk like that! Effie Trinket has much more grace, thank you very much!"
Their phones captured every ridiculous moment, each actor trying to outdo the other with increasingly outlandish interpretations of their characters.
After their imitation game, Lucas held up his phone with a smug smile. "So, who's the winner here? I think I'm the winner. My Katniss impression was spot on."
Jennifer snorted, "You're so full of yourself."
"A young actor who is an EGOT like me has the right," Lucas chuckled.
"Hey, you're hurting someone's feelings here," Woody said, putting on an exaggerated 'wounded' expression as he looked at Lucas. "Some of us are still waiting for our EGOT."
Everyone laughed, but when they finally tallied the votes, Lucas did indeed win for his eerily accurate Katniss impression.
"I don't believe this," Jennifer muttered, rewatching the video of Lucas imitating her character for the tenth time.
Their playful argument was interrupted when a crew member appeared. "Hey guys, the food's here! Fresh barbecue and all the fixings from that famous place downtown."
"Oh, that looks delicious," Jennifer perked up, her mock resentment instantly forgotten.
"It's from Lucas," the crew member added, gesturing toward him. "He ordered for everyone."
The cast looked around in surprise, noticing that all the crew members and extras were receiving generous portions of the local delicacy.
"I guess it's fair since Lucas is a tycoon actor," Woody said, already diving into his portion. Everyone nodded in agreement, too busy enjoying the unexpected feast to tease Lucas any further.
"Just don't expect this every day," Lucas warned, though his smile suggested otherwise.
***
A few days into filming at the outskirts, rain interrupted their shoot once again. The crew and extras rushed to their designated tents, while Lucas and Jennifer found themselves in a separate tent, their trailers unable to reach the muddy filming area due to the deeply rutted access road.
Jennifer's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Lucas pull out a portable hibachi grill and some meat from his bag.
"Are you crazy? Grilling inside a tent?" Jennifer exclaimed.
Lucas chuckled, setting up the small grill. "The smoke will just escape through the gaps."
Jennifer shook her head disapprovingly. "This is such a bad idea..."
Despite her protests, Lucas proceeded with his impromptu cooking. Soon, the aroma of grilled meat filled their tent. He handed Jennifer a perfectly cooked piece.
She took a bite and nodded appreciatively. "It's good."
Lucas smiled, taking a bite himself. The rain continued to drum against the tent, creating a cozy atmosphere. As they finished their meal, they exchanged knowing looks. Soon, they were kissing deeply and passionately, making up for lost time.
A sharp knock on the tent pole interrupted them. They jumped apart, both blushing furiously.
"Who is it?" Lucas called out, moving to the tent entrance.
The safety coordinator stood there, looking concerned. "We saw smoke coming from your tent and got worried. Everything okay in there?"
"Oh, that?" Lucas laughed. "Just did some grilling. Nothing to worry about."
After the coordinator left, Jennifer nudged Lucas. "Told you it was a bad idea."
Lucas grinned mischievously. "Bad idea because we got interrupted?"
Jennifer swatted his arm playfully. Noticing the rain had stopped, she stood up. "Hmph, you enjoy yourself there," she said, ducking out of the tent.
Lucas just smiled, shaking his head as he watched her go. Some interruptions were worth the risk.
Soon, the production started filming again. As they moved through a particularly muddy section of the set, Jennifer lost her footing. Instinctively, she grabbed onto Lucas, pulling him down with her. They both landed in the mud with a splash.
Jennifer burst out laughing when she saw Lucas covered in mud, his usually perfect hair now a muddy mess. Lucas just smiled at her, then scooped up a handful of mud and playfully smeared it across her cheek.
"Hey!" Jennifer exclaimed, immediately retaliating by flinging mud back at him.
The crew and their costars watched the scene unfold, trying to contain their laughter at the unexpected interruption.
"Should've known," Woody called out, shaking his head with amusement. "Can't take a fall alone - has to drag poor Lucas down with her."
The crew members helped Lucas and Jennifer to their feet, both of them completely covered in mud but still laughing.
"The makeup department is going to love this," Jennifer said, attempting to wipe some mud from her face.
Lucas just smiled, not even bothering to fix his mud-caked hair. Francis shook his head from behind the camera, "Well, I guess we're taking five while these two clean up."
***
The mid August Atlanta weather was proving brutal. The extreme humidity made costume changes a nightmare, with makeup constantly running and requiring frequent touch-ups. The afternoon thunderstorms had become an unwelcome daily visitor.
When the power generator started acting up from the heat, the cast retreated to a tent with portable fans.
"God, this weather is killing me," Jennifer sighed, wiping sweat from her forehead. "I'm starting to wish I was in your fancy two-million-dollar mansion sipping some iced tea right about now."
Lucas smiled. "Can't say I wouldn't rather be there too."
The portable fan barely made a dent in the heat. Jennifer started fanning herself with her script, breaking into an exaggerated version of her lines. "If we burn... fan ...you burn with us," she declared dramatically between fanning motions. "Though I think... fan ...I'm the only one burning up right now."
Lucas chuckled at her improvised performance.
When they finally resumed filming, production came to an abrupt halt as someone spotted a cottonmouth snake near the equipment. To everyone's surprise, Lucas stepped forward to help animal control carefully remove it.
"Hey," Liam called out, "think we found our new cast member! Might be better at remembering lines than some of us."
Lucas grinned as he and Jennifer pulled out their phones to film a quick behind-the-scenes video.
"Breaking news from set," Jennifer narrated, pointing her phone at the safely contained snake. "We've got a new co-star. No agent, no demands, works for mice. Perfect addition to the cast!"
Lucas smiled mischievously at Jennifer, suddenly pointing at her feet. "Hey, I think your scaly friend wanted to say hi."
Jennifer let out a shriek, almost dropping her phone. When she realized Lucas was joking, she grabbed his ear and twisted it. "Not funny!"
Their co-stars burst out laughing, though the humor was tempered by the sobering reality that the cottonmouth snake had been genuinely dangerous. Thankfully, the animal control team had anti-venom and proper equipment to handle such situations.
As night fell, the cast and crew retreated to their tents. Lucas and Jennifer snuck out, flashlights in hand, to find a quiet spot under the stars.
The Perseids meteor shower had reached its peak, far more spectacular than the previous nights. Streaks of light painted across the dark canvas of the sky, creating a mesmerizing display.
Jennifer leaned against Lucas's shoulder as they watched. "This world is amazing."
Lucas nodded, "Yeah..." His eyes fixed on the celestial show above, he found himself thinking about countless other realities - parallel worlds where he wasn't the famous Lucas Knight, where he and Jennifer had never met. The thought made his chest tighten.
"You alright?" Jennifer asked, noticing his eyes glistening in the starlight.
"It's nothing," Lucas smiled, letting the tears remain. "The sky is just beautiful and I am grateful."
Jennifer smiled warmly, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. Together they sat in comfortable silence, watching the meteors streak across the summer sky, each lost in their own thoughts about the vastness of the universe and the precious chance that had brought them together.