In The Eye Of The Storm

Saturday 9:45 am
Fear shot through my body as adrenaline sank in - my nerves on hyperdrive. I was contestant number 334, a number I continued to repeat in my head as soon as I had received it. My eyes shot up to the glowing blue television that projected the live auditions of each group onstage before a high pitched woman cut through the speakers in the waiting room and signaled for the next group to step on. They were currently at numbers 93-98 as we were all set up into groups of five. I wiped beads of sweat from my forehead and wound my hair into a lose bun before directing my attention to my group. The other four members were busy gathering themselves, one young girl with curly auburn locks; who appeared no older than 15, had her eyes tightly shut, knitting her perfectly curved eyebrows together as she recited lines for the acting portion of the competition. Two bleach blonde male twins faced each other, determination lingering in their eyes. One of the twins voice flew through the air like a butterfly, swiftly gliding it's way through notes and diligently switching keys before the other chimed in, his voice soft and trembling. The last member of our group wore a black hooded coat that concealed most of his features, his hands tucked in his pockets. His broad shoulders appeared tense underneath the dark hoodie, the tension spreading to the his perfectly curved jawline. His entire figure was toned, perfectly curved in all the right places. He was no doubt betting all his money on the modeling portion of the competition. But where did I fit in? Ever since I was young people have told me I have a "gift" but never explained what it was. I didn't have a fantastic body, nor a breathtaking voice. My acting skills were moderate, so why was I here? I pondered the thought as my anxiety worsened, digging it's way deep into my mind and causing my body to stiffen. The beads of sweat soon felt like waterfalls, pouring their way down an endless abyss. I turned on my heal to leave the building when the same high pitched squeal sounded through the loud speaker calling numbers 330-335 onstage. My eyes shifted around as I watched my group walk onstage with confident strides. I heaved a large, calming sigh, feeling my worries slip away, my heartbeat slowly evening out and raced to my spot in-between number 333 and 335. I had made it this far, there was no way I was giving up now, not with what I could achieve. Even if I didn't make it, and the odds didn't look so grand with how many people still piled in the waiting room I could at least say I tried! Our footsteps echoed in the small corridor as we etched our way up four flights of stairs to the main stage. I clenched my hands into sweaty fists as a solid female voice swung in the air, gradually getting closer. After a few minutes a soft yellow light drifted through the narrow opening atop the last flight, signaling our arrival. All at once I could feel my face grow ghostly white, my eyes burning like I had put a blowtorch to them while having a staring contest. My throat was dry yet body drenched in sweat. My thoughts were completely disarrayed, shifting between everything that could possibly go wrong and imagining my parents that had abandoned me as a child watching me on television with a scowl on their face, reminding them, once again, why they left me in the first place. Before I could finish playing the illusion that etched itself in the back of my head I was hit with a strong ray of light that shined brighter than the sun, pointed directly at me. I continued to follow one of the blonde twins onto the large stage, raising my hand to block out the light and stopped right in the middle of the grand opening. Still petrified I watched the other four members movements and lowered my hand out of respect for the judges, although I couldn't even see them. The light blazed into my skull, seemingly melting my brain until I heard my number being called. I looked down at my tattered blue blouse with the number 334 inked onto a piece of paper that was pinned to it and looked back up to a ghostly figure I assumed was one of the judges. My eyes then shifted to the three numbers that must have been called while my brain was being melted by the blinding lights and I sighed. I was so not ready for this. I unclenched my fists and wiped them on my faded blue jeans before stepping forward. "Start with your name." A voice echoed from the judges table, noting my anxiety with a hint of frustration behind his deep bellow. "A-Annyeonghasayo." I gave a brief bow of respect as my voice rose to an uneven pitch, cracking at the top from my dry throat. I could feel my knees quake underneath me and took a moment to compose myself, allowing my muscles to relax. I could feel the world stop around me, the only thing that mattered was calming myself and picking up the pieces I left back in the lobby. Once again my mind raced to the thought of my parents watching me on television, knowing there little girl was still trying to find them. I had to prove I still cared for them, no matter what they did. My eyes flung open with the largest smile I had ever managed. The smile had spread to my eyes, glistening across the milk chocolate background and shimmering brighter than the lights above. "My name is Na Ri." I announced in a confident voice that echoed all across the stage, flowing down the staircase and into the lobby. "You may begin." Was my only response. I nodded briskly, my bun bobbing back and forth before shifting my feet until they dug against the smooth wood. I knew the dancing portion was first and I planned on putting everything I had into it. The only hard part about the dance portion was that it was freestyle and I had no clue what song would be on until it was already playing. I waited for the music to begin, listening to the baseline for a few seconds before throwing myself into the music. My body flowed swiftly across the floor and within seconds my hair had fallen out and draped down to my lower midsection. I used this to my advantage and added in different flavors of dance, gradually switching from the American hip hop style to the precise moves of male groups and transitioning to the more sexual female ones. Each move was sharp as if I had practiced it a million times. The song ended in what felt like a matter of seconds, my breathing coming out in heavy gasps. I gave the judges another bow as my hair dropped across my face and flung back when I stood. I moved back into my fixed position alongside the other four members and watched the last contestant step forward to begin the introduction, his voice calm and collected. He threw off his black jacket, a tight muscle shirt underneath that defined his perfect muscles. The young girl watched in awe, her mouth gaped open and drool forming across her lips but I was still too nervous to care; too concerned that I hadn't been good enough for my parents to notice. I didn't want to let them down, I wanted to do better and I know I could've done better... but I couldn't go back and change it now.. What's done is done. I let out another deep sigh, noting that I had already finished the first part of the audition at least but still had 3 more to go...

Notes

I'm redoing this fanfic from Wattpad, I really hope you enjoy it!! I've worked very hard on the plot but please tell me if you think I can make it better.