[October 1, 2012] [Jack's House]
Almost a month after moving into his new house, Jack had finally stopped feeling like a guest inside it.
The first week had been strange. Every sound seemed unfamiliar, every room felt slightly too clean, and he kept waking up for a few seconds without immediately remembering where he was. The silence had bothered him more than he expected, especially late at night when the lights were off and the house seemed much larger than it had during the day.
That feeling gradually faded.
Now there were books stacked beside the couch, several jackets hanging over chairs where they probably didn't belong, half-filled notebooks scattered across his office, and enough food in the kitchen to make the place feel properly occupied. His bedroom no longer looked like something prepared for a real-estate brochure, while the living room had developed the comfortable mess that came from someone actually spending time there.
Jack stood barefoot in the kitchen that morning wearing sweatpants and a loose shirt, pouring orange juice while several newspapers, entertainment magazines, and unopened packages covered the island.
The newest copy of GQ sat directly in the middle.
His face was on the cover.
Jack picked it up again even though he had already looked at it several times since the advance copies arrived. He wore the dark navy jacket, white open-collar shirt, and charcoal trousers, with one hand resting near his pocket while he looked directly into the camera. The background was plain gray, which made the photograph feel cleaner and more serious than he remembered during the actual shoot.
Across the front were several cover lines, though the largest one sat near his shoulder.
JACK PRESTON
HOLLYWOOD'S NEXT LEADING MAN
Below it, in smaller print:
The 19-year-old actor, writer and producer on fame, ambition, growing up in public, and why slowing down might be his hardest role yet.
Jack stared at that last line and laughed quietly.
"They really liked the burnout conversation."
He carried the magazine into the living room and dropped onto the couch.
The issue had officially started reaching subscribers several days earlier, though October 1 marked the beginning of the larger retail push. Copies were appearing at newsstands, airports, bookstores, hotel shops, supermarkets, and magazine racks across the country. GQ's website had also launched a digital version of the feature that morning, along with selected photographs and several short excerpts from the interview.
Jack flipped through them slowly.
The opening spread used one of the formal photographs from the gray studio setup. The next pages shifted toward the lighter photographs near the industrial windows, including one where he sat forward in the cream knit shirt with his forearms resting across his thighs.
Another showed him standing near the window in the brown jacket, looking away from the camera while sunlight caught the side of his face.
That one had apparently become the editorial team's favorite.
Jack understood why.
He didn't remember posing for it.
Selina had taken the photograph while someone adjusted his jacket, which probably explained why his expression looked so natural.
The article itself began with Daniel Mercer describing the chaos of the dressing room, where several people had been adjusting Jack's clothes while asking him questions about whether he ever stopped working.
Jack skimmed through the introduction and found himself smiling at how different ordinary conversation looked once someone turned it into a magazine profile.
Daniel had kept the tone balanced.
The article talked about Jack's fast career rise without pretending that everything had happened effortlessly. It covered 17 Again, Narnia, Easy-A and The Fault in Our Stars, then moved into his writing career and the unusual position he occupied as someone working seriously in both film and publishing.
Several paragraphs focused on his tendency to involve himself deeply in projects.
One quote had been pulled out in large lettering across the page.
"When you enjoy what you do, it's easy to convince yourself you're resting because you're having fun."
Jack nodded slowly when he saw it again.
"That's painfully accurate."
Another section focused on his approach to scripts after becoming a writer himself. Daniel had included Jack's explanation about understanding why scenes existed, where dialogue repeated information, and how character choices affected the larger story.
The piece also discussed fame without turning it into a complaint.
Jack appreciated that.
Daniel included the part where Jack said he loved meeting readers and movie fans while admitting that constant attention could become exhausting when it followed him into ordinary parts of his life.
The tabloid scandal received less than a page.
Jack had expected more.
Instead, the article simply explained what had happened, mentioned the false reports and manipulated images, then included Jack's response about refusing to judge every journalist because a few people had behaved badly.
That felt right.
He closed the magazine and reached for his laptop.
The GQ website had already placed the cover near the top of its entertainment section. A short video played beside the article, showing clips from the Milk Studios shoot. Jack watched himself getting his jacket adjusted, talking with Daniel during makeup, laughing at something off camera, and moving between poses while Selina photographed him.
The comments beneath the feature were already growing quickly.
Some readers focused on the photographs.
Others talked about the interview.
Several entertainment websites had begun quoting sections from it, particularly the discussion about overworking and the transition from younger roles toward more complicated adult characters.
Jack scrolled for several minutes before closing the page.
He had learned long ago that reading every reaction was a terrible habit.
The success of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them had taught him that lesson again over the previous month.
The book had finally been released after months of delays, and Jack had spent the first few days preparing himself for disappointment.
Instead, the response had been stronger than he expected.
Readers immediately began discussing the expanded magical world.
The beasts themselves received plenty of attention, especially the way different creatures had distinct habitats, behaviors, weaknesses, and relationships with magical communities. Fans filled forums with theories about migration patterns, breeding cycles, illegal creature trading, and which beasts might appear in the next two books.
Jack found that part hilarious.
He had expected readers to care about the creatures.
He hadn't expected people to build spreadsheets.
The political material also became one of the most praised parts of the book.
The story showed magical governments reacting differently to dangerous creatures, international disagreements over regulation, competing interests between researchers and politicians, and growing tension between groups that believed magical beasts should be protected and those who considered them threats.
Some readers had expected a lighter adventure after Harry Potter.
Instead, they found a story filled with exploration, conflict, dangerous creatures, political pressure, and several fights that became increasingly violent as the plot developed.
The reviews had been overwhelmingly positive.
Critics praised the expanded lore and the way the book made the wizarding world feel larger without simply repeating familiar locations and characters. Several reviews specifically mentioned that the story felt connected to Harry Potter while establishing its own identity.
That mattered most to Jack.
He worried all the time about this issue. Since the original story of Fantastic Beasts from his past world was just a movie script, Jack had to expand the story. He needed to add more creatures, politics, and fights to turn a short script into a big book. Now, if Fantastic Beasts felt too similar to Harry Potter, people would say it was recycled. If it felt too different, they would question why it was in the same universe.
Somehow, the balance he created seemed to be working.
Jack leaned back against the couch and looked around his quiet living room.
A month earlier, the silence had frightened him.
This morning, it felt peaceful.
His first house had started feeling like home. His new book had survived the delay and found its audience. His face was sitting on magazine racks across the country beneath the words Hollywood's Next Leading Man.
"So, What's Next?"
-----
[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS]...
If you want to read early advance chapters and support me, you can join>:
patr eon.com/XcaliburXc
[I have > 10 advance chapters] > All chapters available for all tiers
+ [The Big Bang Theory: Science, Music and Billions> 15 chs. Early access.]