Disclaimer: Twilight doesn't belong to me. I'm just following prompts and taking part in FAGE like a good girl and hoping to avoid VampMamma's whip...
Thank you to LisaDawn75 for her wonderful beta job and to Elaine and Dani for pre-reading. You girls rock my world. You're better than sliced bread.
Chapter 1
"Absolutely not... There...there's just no way I'm doing that. Damn it, Jasper, I can't believe you'd go and do this to me!" Edward Cullen exclaimed in a hushed tone.
Jasper Hale, Edward's so-called best friend, clapped him on the shoulder and pushed him forward. "Dude... Dorkward...you need to do this. Everyone thinks so."
Edward shook his head and clawed at his hair.
"Sorry, guys, if you can move along the line, we've a lot to get through today. Do you have your registration papers all filled in?"
"No... I'm s-sorry," Edward started but was very quickly cut off with Jasper stepping in front of him and giving the girl dressed in an official-looking uniform and clutching her iPad a grin.
"Edward Cullen – and his application is all in order," Jasper replied quickly
The girl tapped the screen several times and smiled. "Okay, yes, here we are. Right… Here's your number. If you'll head on in and go to room four and wait in there. You'll be called by name and number into the pre-audition, and then if you're successful, you'll be sent along to another room to perform in front of the judges' panel and the cameras. Good luck!"
Edward blanched as the girl stepped along the line and spoke to the group behind them. Jasper pushed him forward gently, and they headed into the conference center. "P-Pre-audition?"
"Of course, Dorkward... You don't just get to see the judges right away. Jeez, imagine if that was guaranteed… You'd get all the fucking stalkers auditioning just to see the hot women. So, each act is vetted in front of a non-famous judge, and if you're either really good – or hilariously bad – you'll get through to the real audition."
"Bad?" Edward questioned – not quite getting it.
"Come on, man, you've seen The X Factor; you've seen The Voice – and if I remember rightly, you were obsessed with American Idol. Damn, Kelly Clarkson was a hottie...but yeah... You know you get the people that are really good, and then there's a few who are good but not great, and then you have the entertainment – the joke acts who get through the competition but are the first to get voted out in the live shows."
Edward nodded.
"Vocal Sensation is the same. Pre-audition – which you are going to nail. You're something different, Eddiekins. You just need to get a good haircut, some new shoes and the girls will be screaming for you. Your voice is pretty awesome, too. Then later today, you'll go sing for the judges, and they'll give you those four all-important yeses. Boot camp comes next, and they'll cut down to six acts in each category: boys, girls, the over 25's – that's you – and the groups. Judges' Houses will take down to the final three of each, and then it's the live shows. Twelve will become one. And that, my friend, is you."
"You're ridiculous, Jasper. I've no chance. It's all bathroom stuff. I...I really can't do this. I'm not rehearsed."
Jasper grinned and nodded. "And that, my friend, is the beauty of it all. You're rough and real. You're not perfect, and you are not big headed. Now, I'm no talent scout or singer, but I know my music. People are going to know who you are when they turn on the radio. Admit it, man, you know you sound good."
Edward sighed. Yes, he knew that he wasn't a terrible singer. He'd been praised when he sang karaoke after a few too many beers. But singing into a microphone at a small bar was very different to singing live in front of actual people who were going to listen.
All of his life, Edward had been a shy person. As a child, he preferred to play his instruments – piano, guitar, flute and violin. He liked to read, and now, at the age of twenty-six, he taught music and assisted in running the vocal group at Port Angeles High School in Washington. Although he was able to present himself well in front of an audience, he taught. He didn't perform for them. It wasn't in his nature, and whilst he had the confidence to speak somewhat publically, he was still a very shy and reserved man.
Even the sheer thought of entering a singing contest made him nervous. He wanted to vomit. And yet, he couldn't say no.
"I... How can I do this...? What am I even going to sing?" Edward asked his best friend as he slumped down in a row of along with some other contestants.
"It's all done. You're going to sing a little number by the exceptionally hot Miss Lavigne – Nobodies Home. Acoustic. They have a guitar waiting for you."
Edward gulped.
"Dude, you have totally got this in the bag. I've heard you sing that song a hundred times. The arrangement you created is great…even better than the original. Go in there, and just do it. It'll haunt them forever. You'll also perform that in front of the celebrity judges, along with something a little more...upbeat. Your own version of Green Day's American Idiot."
Jasper certainly had thought of everything. "Why are you doing this?" Edward asked his friend.
"Because you're my bro. You need this. All you do it get up and go to work. You sometimes join us at the bar, but you need to do something for yourself. You have a real talent, Edward, and you should embrace it. Everyone else agrees with me."
Edward's head snapped around, and he faced Jasper. "Wait... The others know about this?"
"It was all Emmett's idea, actually. Well, I think he was kidding, but after we all sat and thought about it, it all sounded like it could work for you. Music is your real dream. You know it. You just need a push in the right direction."
It wasn't long before Edward was called into a small room and was told to stand on the marker. He picked up the tan acoustic guitar and stood in front of the microphone.
"Thank you, when you're ready, Edward," the pre-judge told him as he and his female companion sat back in their seats and waited.
Edward swallowed and took a shaky breath. He found his chords and played the opening notes. The song was sad and about a lonely and broken young woman. There was silence as he finished, and the judges looked at one another and nodded. "Congratulations, Edward. You're through to the next round."
Jasper was over the moon when Edward came back, but he'd known that he would get past the opening stage anyway. They waited for an hour, and in the meantime, Jasper filled Edward in on the four judges.
First off was Aro Volturi. He was the Simon Cowellof Vocal Sensation. He was going to be the bad wolf and the one to ultimately win over. Jane Lehene was next. She was an older woman who had a few hits in the 70's and 80's but had since worked with new artists when her comeback didn't exactly go according to plan. Jasper said she was a bitter and washed up has-been who liked to bed hop, according to all the tabloid magazines. Third was a guy named Lois Walsh who had worked on the British X-Factor over the years. He was well known for discovering and managing a number of very successful boy-bands in the 90's – but his choices on the TV shows had sometimes been...laughable.
Last was Bella Marie. She was originally from an all-girl rock band, Before Twilight, that had been runner-up in another talent show several years before. The band had eventually gone their separate ways, and Bella Marie – real name Isabella Swan – had taken the plunge and gone solo with both her album and first single hitting the number one spot. Before Twilighthad done better in their four years together than the act that actually won the show. They had been different, and there had been a market for three girls with an edge. Unfortunately, they had been too different.
Bella had been known for being the bad girl of the band, at the time. She liked a drink or two and got involved in a brawl at a movie premiere. Jasper said that Edward ought to watch out for her as she would also probably be a hard one to crack – particularly with her experience in the industry and the fact that she was also discovered via a contest.
Edward cracked his knuckles – a nervous habit – and entered the room. It was hugely different from the previous audition room. It was rigged with bright lights, and there were several large television cameras scattered around the room. A large table was at the top end, and behind it sat the panel of well-known judges. Edward smiled and headed into the center of the room when directed to by one of the assistants. He'd been briefed outside to state his name, age and occupation to the judges, plus some stuff for the camera, if he so desired.
"Hello!" greeted Louis Walsh. Louis was a graying man, middle-aged with a thick accent. "What's your name?"
Edward took a breath, smiled again and looked across at the people before him. "Hi, I'm Edward Cullen. I'm twenty-six and a music teacher."
The other judges remained silent, and Aro Volturi scribbled something down on his notepad. Walsh told Edward that they were ready to hear him and to give it everything.
And he did. Edward picked up the guitar and sang as though his life depended on it. There was silence from the judges, and they asked him to begin the second song he'd picked out.
Edward waited nervously with baited breath. The judges were staring at him, and it was taking them far too long to give him his evaluation. Volturi was first. He looked bored. He tapped his pen on the paper in front of him and sighed.
"You know... I don't know if you have what it takes, and quite frankly, I'm actually rather bored. You chose your own arrangement – and yes, whilst those were pretty good, what are you going to do during Pop Week?This competition needs versatility. So, it's a no from me."
Edward felt disheartened. He needed three people to like him and say yes to enable him to move onto the next round. Louis was next, and he told Edward not to listen to Volturi, because he really enjoyed the performances of both songs and definitely thought that Edward would go far in the competition.
"Girls are going to either love or hate this whole...awkward-and-geek thing you've got going on, Edward," Jane Lehene purred as she looked him up and down. "Vocally, you are a strong contender, but I don't know. How are you going to fair under the stress of the contest? You strike me as a shy guy. But you know what? I'm going to give you a chance; you have great tone, and it's noted here that you play several instruments. Volturi over there thinks you're not versatile? Prove him wrong. It's a yes from me."
Aro chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "Well, Isabella, looks like it's over to you. He needs three yeses to go, though. He has two."
Bella Marie had remained quiet. She was looking at Edward, her head cocked to the side. Edward could tell that she was undecided over him.
"There is something," she began, "but I can't quite figure out what it is. You're a natural, and your voice is sort of...haunting? People would definitely know who was singing when they turn on the radio and hear one of your songs. I really don't know, though. There is something holding me back from saying yes to you."
Edward stepped forward and looked at the young woman. She looked tired. Edward had followed her career a little through the years, having voted for Before Twilight in the live final of Idol years ago.
"Come on, Bella, give the man a chance. Let him perform at Boot Camp."
Bella chewed on her lip, and Edward waited with baited breath. His heart was beating at what felt like a thousand beats a minute.
"Okay. I see something... It's a yes from me."
Yes? No?
