Welcome to Dartmoor
About a week later, Violet received a notification that she had received an e-mail from Michael Kahn. She was so excited, she practically ran to her computer and opened up her e-mail, probably as fast as humanly possible. When she opened up the e-mail, it read:
Dear Ms Rose,
Thank you for sending me that e-mail, we have very few horse-hands at the moment. Your friend Charlotte has told me much about you, and she has proven you to be very good with horses. Also, since you have a degree in film, it seems you would be perfect for this job, so I'm inviting you to come and visit the set in Combestone Tor, Dartmoor so we can meet formally, and see if you are indeed perfect for this job. Call me at 618-252-2316 once you arrive so we can arrange a date.
Yours Sincerely,
Michael Kahn
Violet squealed with joy. She actually had a chance at attaining a fantastic job, and only at 24! Not only that, but she would be able to see her best friend Charlotte Pace for the first time in years. Violet anxiously called her best friend to tell her the news.
When someone picked up on the receiving end, it certainly wasn't Charlotte.
"Hello?" A man’s voice asked, which shocked Violet a bit. "Uh ... Hi, who's this?" She asked, still confused.
"Right, how silly of me," The voice replied with a chuckle, "I'm Benedict Cumberbatch, Charlotte is my equestrian assistant, she's a tad busy at the moment. You are?"
Violet thought for a moment, then recalled Charlotte mentioning him when she first told her about the job possibility. "Yeah, sorry. I'm Violet Rose, it's a pleasure to meet you Ben. If you wouldn't mind finding Charlotte and telling her it's me, and I've got some blinding news for her, that would be wonderful."
"Oh, of course! I'll just be a tad." Violet waited while she heard footsteps and muffled voices on the other side. Eventually, Benedict piped up again for a short time. "Violet Rose, correct? That's a beautiful name by the way."
"Oh, thank you!" Violet blushed, "And yeah, that's correct."
"Wonderful! I've just got Charlotte right here! Godspeed, Violet." Benedict bid farewell as he handed the phone to Charlotte. Violet silently cheered. She couldn't wait to tell Charlotte the good news.
"Vee? Ben tells me you've got sometin' to tell me ..." Charlotte questioned, and Violet couldn't contain her exited laugh. "Yep! Guess who has an interview with the one and only Michael Kahn?"
"AH Violet!!" Charlotte screamed, the classic exited teenage girl scream, "You're coming to Dartmoor?!"
"Yeah! I can't wait to see you!" Violet continued, "I'm planning on leaving tomorrow. Hey, what's Dartmoor like?"
"Oh, it's beautiful. Even if we weren't filming a horse movie, there'd still be horses everywhere. There's wild Dartmoor ponies all over the place. And you should see the landscapes. Rolling hills for miles and miles and miles, with a smattering of farms. And rock formations everywhere as well, and there's even an old abandoned castle or two! It really does look like no -man's land sometimes." Charlotte continued to ramble. "And the crew is wonderful as well. I mean, we are still casting, but you know. You're gonna love it here. "
"Can't wait mate." Violet smiled, "but for now, I've gotta go book some plane tickets. Toodaloo!"
"Cheers, Vee. I'll see you soon!"
---
A day later, Violet was packing for a trip to Dartmoor the next day. She heard her phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out to see she got a text for Charlotte. It read 'We made a new cast-member friend!', along with a photo of her, along with Benedict and someone she didn't recognize. She tapped on the photo and gasped when she saw that she did indeed recognize the stranger - it was the man in her dreams a week or so ago, ginger hair, tall build and blue eyes and all.
She frantically texted Charlotte back, 'Who's the tall one?'
A minute or two later she got a reply, 'That's Tom. He was just cast as a mounted soldier, James Nicholas or something. He's the sweetest kid you'll ever meet!'
"Fuck, I really should get to Dartmoor soon ..." Violet cursed herself for not buying an early plane ticket. Oh well.
By the time she finished packing, it was about 8 pm. Despite the early hour, Violet starting getting ready for bed, since her plain left and 6 am tomorrow. She set her alarm for 4 am, and drifted off to sleep shortly after.
8 hours later, she woke up to the sound of big band swing blaring from her phone. She leaped out of bed, practically unable to contain her excitement, a huge smile on her face. She swayed her hips to the music as she got changed into her favorite blouse. She skipped over to her bathroom to do her brush her teeth, wash her face, do her make-up and hair, all that jazz.
About 20 minutes later, she was standing in front of the mirror in her apartment's entrance, her suitcase by her side, beaming.
"Here we go."
---
About 2 hours later, Violet's plane was ascending into the clouds. She had always loved planes - From the nothingness outside the window, to the little snacks they serve, everything. As the plane soared through the sky, she let herself drift off to sleep. About an hour later, she was being shaken awake by one of the flight attendants, since they had landed ten minutes ago.
She apologized profusely before grabbing her carry-on and dashing off the plane. As soon as she got to the luggage claim, she heard someone cheer. She turned her head to see where it came from, but instead saw Charlotte rushing towards her.
"VEE!"
"CHARLIE?!"
Charlotte had her in a bone-crushing hug in the span of 0.2 seconds.
"I missed you so much!" Violet cried, and Charlotte laughed at her enthusiasm.
"I missed you too!" Charlotte answered, pulling her friend impossibly closer, "My god, you're finally here! I can't wait to show you around! And everyone here is so nice, nothing like back in crabby old Norwich."
Charlotte gasped for breath before continuing, which made Violet explode into a fit of giggles. "Jesus Charlie, calm yourself. I might not even be staying that long, if I don't get the job."
Charlotte looked her straight in the eyes, her mood suddenly serious. "Bullshit." Is all she said, before her giddy demeanor returned. "I swear to God, you're gettin' that job."
Soon enough, Violet grabbed her suitcase from the baggage check, and walked out of the airport with her best friend by her side. After continuous chatting, Charlotte cocked her head a little, as if she was trying to remember something. Then, she apparently remember what ever it was, since the brightest smile spread across her face.
"Oh, and hey, Vee?"
"Yeah?"
"Welcome to Dartmoor."