TV Studio - not what it seems

'We're not trying to hurt you.' God, did she really say that? Even to her ears, it sounded like a line from a b grade movie.  She also made a mental note not to mentally curse the lord's name.
'w-who are you? Whadda ya want? Stay away.' The young man cowering on the floor slurred his words as drunks often do, but was still coherent enough that the words and the terror were readable. Even if you could not speak a word of English, you would have to be from mars to be unable to read the terrified expression on his face. Considering what has happened in the last month, she was not so sure that men from mars did not exist. As she was not sure that men from mars could not recognise facial expressions. This is going to take a lot of persuasion.
'We're the temporary special effects team.' A safe enough lie considering they, well to be exact she, worked in special effects. The catch being that she was in the wrong company's set in the middle of the night. It did not help that this company were also doing a supernatural show therefore there was a rather ominous haunted house in the background. 'We're just testing out some special effects while this place is deserted.' She drew a deep breath, glancing at her friends behind her. 'We didn’t think anyone was here so we went full out. We've just perfected the effect and I'm sorry if it startled you.' She clenched her teeth. She hated the next bit most. Life was much simpler when all she had to worry about was her temperamental boss, although, she had wished for something more eventful in her life. A classical example that you should be careful what you wish for. She glanced behind her again. Maybe not so classical.
'Look lady, I know what I saw and, hey, I know what's real and what just cameras and makeup and digital whatever. I work in special effects myself. 'She cursed herself for not checking what department he was in. too late now. 'That,' he pointed at one of her friends, 'was definitely real. What she did with that, 'he made wild gestures in the air, ' was real.' 
'Nah, all effects. If you want, she could do it again. Its just shadows and lighting angles.' She tried desperately to keep herself from looking at the lights. If she could just distract him from noticing there were no lights on when he discovered them. Her first priority would always be to protect her friends, not like they needed any protection. Her second was to stop him pressing charges for breaking and entering or her boss will fry her in the morning and her third was not to be fired and she could only do that if the second did not happen.
'Look, I know what I saw.' She noted that his voice was less certain and he had actually stood up.
Earlier today, her cheapskate boss, Damon, had asked, no demanded, that she get a good spooky shot of a haunted house but tomorrow morning. He implied that there was another company currently shooting a show about a haunted house, and that their set was free after hours. She always wondered how he got away with illegal activities like breaking and entering, not himself but forcing his employees to commit said illegal activities. It was most likely because he sent regular bribe gifts to the head of every police station and agency within a hundred miles. It is miraculous how the law can turn a blind eye when it suits them. So here she was, with her not-quite-human friends whom she had dragged here to help. When she had almost gotten her shot, the drunken guy had stumbled in and freaked at the shadows Melanie had cast. Not cast as in blocking-the-light-and-causing-an-absence-of-light-on-ground-behind-said-light-source, but as in wave-your-wand, wriggle-your-nose, click-your-hells-three-times, or whatever Melanie did these days. Witchcraft. Spells. Magic. Kind of hard to explain to a sane person. Her day was just getting better and better.
'Here she'll do it again.' She raised he voice slightly. 'M…,' thought of saying Melanie but decided against it, 'Sally could you please turn that light on?' she turned her attention to her other friend. 'Harry,' who was really derrick, but he did not have to know that, ' could you please get that powdery shimmery stuff. They recreated what they were trying to create, not very convincing without magic but hopefully his memory was still fuzzy from shock.
'Not what I saw earlier,' but thankfully his voice was now dominated by uncertainty. Uncertainty was good. It drew the mind away from other questions like ' what are three strangers doing in the middle of the set in the middle of the night and what the heck are they doing with the shadows?' it seemed to have worked this time.
'Just hurry up and lock up behind you.' The man's face was flushed when he remembered the earlier floor incident. It was all a trick, he told himself. Luckily for the trio, people had automatic defences that shut off the impossible.
(to be continued)