"Attention students of Capital Academy for the Talented. We are holding auditions for the annual singing competition, The Next Sensation, will begin Thursday afternoon. There will be a sheet posted tomorrow, Wednesday morning, and you must sign up there in order to audition. Don't forget if you are not comfortable to be on live television than this is not the right competition for you. That is all, have a wonderful day students and may the odds be ever in your favor."
The PA system cuts out and the hallway has turned from dead quiet to excited discussions. Now normally whenever there is anything on singing going on I am all for going and WATCHING, but this announcement does not excite me, in fact it scares me. I don't want to be anyway apart of the competition but since I actually made friends here, they are begging me to. Normal I am not one to back down easily but Madge's puppy dog eyes look so much like my little sister Prim's that with both of them using their power over me I am starting to think about actually auditioning.
I am Katniss Everdeen and I am a junior at Capital Academy for the Talented. The academy is for those who are extraordinarily talented and their abilities can surpass over thousands of applications. Limited slots are open for each district in each area of talent. My area is singing. I love to sing and it has always been something I have been praised for and when I was told to apply for the school I didn't want to at first. When I finally decided that I would apply is when my sister Prim did. She was applying for the acting area of the school and without a doubt would get in, and I was right. So when Prim applied I gave in and sent one in myself. At first I didn't think I got in because Prim got her letter a week later accepting her to the school, mine on the other hand came almost two months later, and the most shocking part was that I was in fact accepted. The reason behind my application taking so long to accept was that there were so many applications for the singing area in my age group. The fact I got in flat out was amazing but the even better part was that I was one of 450 accepted in my age group for singing out of over 6000 applications.
"Katniss Everdeen you have to audition! I am going to sign you up weather you like it or not. Your talent should not me wasted. I believe in you!" The encouraging words started almost all the way down the hallway and now all eyes were trained on me. Thanks a lot Madge.
"Don't worry Madge I decided I will because you and Prim won't stop pestering me about it. So there you go. Are you happy now?" I ask in the sweetest voice I can.
"Yes I am, now let's go to our room so we can pick a song for you to audition to!"
It's Thursday and I am pacing the waiting room waiting to be called for my audition. I am more nervous about this than when I actually applied for the school. I see a boy that looks about a year older than I am with curly, brown hair and dark forest green eyes watching me intently and I gather all the courage I could possibly have and smile at him. He smiles back at me and I think my heart just melted. It wasn't cocky like I had expected it to be but it was nervous. He was just as nervous as I am.
"Katniss Everdeen we are ready for you." I jump a little at the sound of the receptionist's voice and turn to go into the room.
"Good luck Katniss. Hopefully we will both get in." This voice also surprises me I turn and smile at the boy with green eyes.
"Thanks you too…." I trail off not knowing what to call him.
"Marvel my name is Marvel Taylor" He replies with a smile.
"Well thank you Marvel."
I walk into the auditioning room and see a group of about 22 people there with clip boards.
"Please say your name and what song you will be singing for us." says Principle Trinket.
"My name is Katniss Everdeen and I am going to be performing Gravity." I take a few breaths and listen to the music in the back I let the music take control of my body and just sing.
"Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long
No matter what I say or do
I'll still feel you here
Till the moment I'm gone.
You hold me without touch
You keep me without chains
I never wanted anything so much
Than to drown in your love
And not feel your rain
Set me free, Leave me be
I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am and I stand so tall
Just the way I'm supposed to be
But you're onto me
And all over me
You loved me 'cause I'm fragile
When I thought that I was strong
But you touched me for a little while
And all my fragile strength is gone.
Set me free, Leave me be
I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am and I stand so tall
Just the way I'm supposed to be
But you're onto me
And all over me
I live here on my knees
As I try to make you see
That you're everything I think I need here on the ground
But you're neither friend nor foe
Though I can't seem to let you go
The one thing I still know
Is that you're keeping me down
You're keeping me down
But you're onto me
You're onto me
And all over
Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long."
I let the last note hang for a moment and the room is in complete silence. It is several moments later until Miss. Trinket says anything.
"Thank you dear that was lovely, you will know if you are going to be a contestant tomorrow at lunch with the rest of the student body."
"Thank you" I nod my head then leave hoping that the silence was a good thing.
I sit there holding Madge's name as the 12 contestants are announced. They are on number 9 and I still haven't been called, but a familiar face has. Marvel was number 9 named and when I saw his smiling face on the screen I couldn't help but smile. Thankfully Madge was too interested in the screen to see my smile. Than it is number 12 and I know I wasn't chosen. I look away to pack my things and head straight to my room so no one will see me cry. And then I hear a scream but not a sad scream but a happy scream and a pair of arms encircle themselves around me. I turn to see the 12th contestants face disappearing from the screen. That was my face. I made it!
"This is the recording studio you will be recording your songs in before the show. Now there are six floors meaning you will be sharing a floor with your duet partner. There are six boys and six girls and you will each have a partner from the opposite gender. Now go to the table and get your room key and then you will meet your partner at your floor. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."
I see all of the other contenders walk to the table and get their keys, but I decide to hang back and wait till the crowd dies down. When I finally get to the table the lady doesn't even ask who I am she just hands me the key and smiles at me repeating the phrase that everyone says here; 'may the odds be ever in your favor'.
I go to the elevator and hit the button with 6 on it and head up. I know my partner is already there and find that he has also not chosen a room yet.
"Well hello there, nice to see you again." I turn around and see Marvel standing at the kitchen table. At first I am confused as to why he would be in my room and then I smile because I realize he is my partner.
"Well you better you better be happy to see me because I'm not going anywhere." I say as sassy I can but still nice enough for him to smile at me.
"We should get to work the first show is in two days." He says pulling out sheet music to get us started on what kind of a song we want.
"Alright, but so you know I can do any genre so I am flexible with what you want to sing." He looks at me with a look of approval and then smiles at me. This is going to be fun!
The night of the show has come so fast that I hardly realized it was tonight. I am awoken by three very strange looking people that say they are here to help me make an impression. My morning is spent with me being plucked and painted and waxed while talking with Marvel. We have grown very fond of each other the past few days and I feel as if I have known him my whole life.
The afternoon is when I finally feel like I am beautiful. My main stylist Cinna has curled my brown hair into soft ringlets and put me in a navy blue chiffon dress. I was beautiful
Marvel performed first of the two of us and he truly did have a great voice and the judges looked to be enjoying it as well
" Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God, he hears you
And I pray to God, he hears you
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
How to save a life
How to save a life
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
How to save a life"
He walks off of stage and over to me.
"Was that alright? I'm not sure if I liked the way I sounded in the middle. What if the judges hate it? What if the fans hate it? What if I get eliminated because of it?" I'm shocked in his lack of faith in his ability to sing. He sounded amazing.
"Marvel you did amazing. It was better than when the fray performed it. You don't have anything to worry about. I would be worrying for the rest of us because I don't think anyone will be able to top that."
"You are the best." He says after my little speech. His words make my heart flutter and a blush begins to rise to my cheeks. "You also look stunning. No girl here looks anywhere near as good as you." This only causes the fluttering to increase and the blush to fully appear. He smiles and pulls me into a hug and I know that I truly like the man holding me.
"Katniss Everdeen you are up next." The stage manager ruins our moment but the anger is soon replaced by nerves.
"Good luck Kat. Make them fall in love with you like I know you can." Marvels words of encouragement do just that. They give me the courage to get the microphone and on the stage before the break ends.
"Up next we have Katniss Everdeen originally from district 12. The panel of judges said that what made Katniss stand out from all the other students that auditioned was the fact her voice was so powerful. Let's welcome Katniss and see just what the judges were talking about."
The music starts. There's no turning back now.
"Story of my life
Searching for the right
But it keeps avoiding me
Sorrow in my soul
Cause it seems that wrong
Really loves my company
He's more than a man
And this is more than love
The reason that the sky is blue
The clouds are rolling in
Because I'm gone again
And to him I just can't be true
And I know that he knows I'm unfaithful
And it kills him inside
To know that I am happy with some other guy
I can see him dying
I don't wanna do this anymore
I don't wanna be the reason why
Every time I walk out the door
I see him die a little more inside
I don't wanna hurt him anymore
I don't wanna take away his life
I don't wanna be...
A murderer
I feel it in the air
As I'm doing my hair
Preparing for another date
A kiss upon my cheek
As he reluctantly
Asks if I'm gonna be out late
I say I won't be long
Just hanging with the girls
A lie I didn't have to tell
Because we both know
Where I'm about to go
And we know it very well
Cause I know that he knows I'm unfaithful
And it kills him inside
To know that I am happy with some other guy
I can see him dying
I don't wanna do this anymore
I don't wanna be the reason why
Every time I walk out the door
I see him die a little more inside
I don't wanna hurt him anymore
I don't wanna take away his life
I don't wanna be...
A murderer
Our love, his trust
I might as well take a gun and put it to his head
Get it over with
I don't wanna do this
Anymore
Uh
Anymore (anymore)
I don't wanna do this anymore
I don't wanna be the reason why
And every time I walk out the door
I see him die a little more inside
And I don't wanna hurt him anymore
I don't wanna take away his life
I don't wanna be...
A murderer (a murderer)
No no no no
Yeah yeah yeah"
I finish and practically pace out from the rush that performing has given me. The applause is only more of a rush and I can't help the smile that appears on my face.
"Wow was that great or what? Let's give Katniss another round of applause." Caesar Flickerman says. After the second round of applause Caesar turns to ask me a question. "So Katniss what was it like your first time performing on stage?"
I don't even waste a breath thinking of my answer
"It was the biggest rush I have ever felt. I never thought that I would enjoy it so much but I did and I can see myself doing it for the rest of my life." I walk off the stage and straight into Marvel's arms
"That was beautiful Kat. I am so proud of you." He whispers into my ear.
"Thanks now let's make sure everything is ready for our last performance." He smiles and nods at me and I once again enter the stage but this time the nerves are gone and are replaced with the adrenaline I got in the middle of my song.
"Let's welcome back Marvel Taylor and Katniss Everdeen to the stage for their first duet together."
Marvel smiles at me and I smile back, than again for about the fifth time I am surprised when Marvel grams my hand.
(Katniss/Marvel/Both)
"It was two weeks after the day she turned eighteen Oh, Oh, this is just a dream
All dressed in white
Going to the church that night
She had his box of letters in the passenger seat
Sixpence in a shoe, something borrowed, something blue
And when the church doors opened up wide
She put her veil down
Trying to hide the tears
Oh she just couldn't believe it
She heard the trumpets from the military band
And the flowers fell out of her hand
Baby why'd you leave me
Why'd you have to go?
I was counting on forever, now I'll never know
I can't even breathe
It's like I'm looking from a distance
Standing in the background
Everybody's saying, he's not coming home now
This can't be happening to me
This is just a dream
The preacher man said let us bow our heads and pray
Lord please lift his soul, and heal this hurt
Then the congregation all stood up and sang the saddest song that she ever heard
Then they handed her a folded up flag
And she held on to all she had left of him
Oh, and what could have been
And then the guns rang one last shot
And it felt like a bullet in her heart
Baby why'd you leave me
Why'd you have to go?
I was counting on forever, now I'll never know
I can't even breathe
It's like I'm looking from a distance
Standing in the background
Everybody's saying, he's not coming home now
This can't be happening to me
This is just a dream
Baby why'd you leave me
Why'd you have to go?
I was counting on forever, now I'll never know
Oh, now I'll never know
It's like I'm looking from a distance
Standing in the background
Everybody's saying, he's not coming home now
This can't be happening to me
This is just a dream
Yeah, Yeah"
We walk off of stage and are told that we are going to be showed at the end with all of the other competitors. We stand around and are goofing off listening to the rest of the performances until we are needed again. Soon we are done and Marvel and I are on the couch watching our performances critiquing our own voices. It is almost one in the morning when I finally decide to go to bed. Marvel leads me to my door and right before I am about to go inside he grabs the side of my face and smashes his lips to mine.
HEY EVERYONE! So that is chapter one! 3,362 words! HOLY COW! Any way I wanted a long first chapter because I wanted the story line to be explained and also some plot to be set! I'm so excited for this story so please give me feed back and tell me what you think! Thanks love you guys!
Love you lots
Xoxo Ashley 3