chapter 14

The girl finished to a scatter of forced applause. The three judges, one an elderly man, one a young, handsome man, and the last a middle aged dirty blond haired woman, conversed together quietly. Then, the lady opened her mouth... and spoke.

“Lindsey, I think you need to leave. Now.” Her voice was very harsh and abrasive, a barking noise even the dogs couldn’t match. Lindsey, an adolescent with enough pimples to last a lifetime, ran off the stage, bawling. “Now,” she said, a little sweeter, a little sugar mixed in with her whip of a voice, “Who’s next?”

A plethora of people went on the stage, each singing their own song they had perfected. Many were magnificent, with an angel-like voice and heavenly looks. The lady, however, seemed to be unsatisfied with them all. She commented on everything, from the color of their hair to the brand of boots they wore. If you had the slightest slouch, she called you out. If you made the smallest mistake, she would slam you into oblivion.

“Next?” she called, having just tortured the girl with shockingly pink hair. I stepped up onto the stage, staring at the sea of faces before me. The lady smiled, and that seemed to scare me more than her frown. “What will you be singing?”

The shakes began to overtake me. I could feel every eye on me, sensing the whispers. I searched for one face I recognized. Any face.

Sadie was nowhere to be found.

“Well?” she asked impatiently. I realized I hadn’t answered her.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I apologized quickly to appease the witch. “I’ll be singing Release Me,” I suddenly gained confidence, a warm fuzzy feeling taking over, winning the fight I waged with my extreme nervousness. This was mine and Dex’s song, and I was going to sing it the best I possibly could.

For Dex.

As I sang, I began to feel invulnerable, like no one could stop me. Energy flowed through me, shocking me like bolts of lightning. Everything seemed to vanish away, leaving just me and my music. I forgot my troubles, my dreams, myself even. Dex’s presence seemed to be with me, comforting me, erasing all. This very second, I felt that it was Dex that gave me the power to sing like this, pouring my heart out for the world to taste. All my burdens were lifted, my head reaching the clouds.

“Release me... from this pain.” I finished softly, barely a whisper. A wave of applause followed, but I didn’t notice barely a thing, still lost in my trance.

The judge’s voice snapped me back into reality, “Come here and get this,” she said simply, not a trace of emotion showing on her face. I walked to her, anxiety showing through my face. The two other judges smiled and nodded at me as I reached their table.

“Thank you, ma’am,” I quickly took the packet from her outstretched hand. Still showing no emotions, she waved me away, barking, “Next!”

I stepped out of the building, still a little dazed. Sadie ran up to me.

“I knew it, I knew it,” she danced around me, laughing.

“What??” I regained my composure quickly under Sadie’s amused glances. “She didn’t like me.”

“Yes, she did!” Sadie said.

“But... she didn’t say anything about me!” I protested, still a little confused.

“That’s a good thing, Eve,” she sighed. “That lady can’t say anything good about anyone. A compliment from her is impossible to achieve. The fact that she couldn’t find a single flaw to comment on is amazing! Eve, you’re going to be famous!” Sadie grabbed my hands. “Eve, you HAVE to introduce me to all the hot movie stars when you’re uber-popular, okay?”