Rachel walked into the 'Deaf Lime', home of Akron's blues and teen social scene, last. The atmosphere was noisy and convivial. The building was a rustic brick from the early 1920s with an art deco exterior. Plaster cornices ran along the smoky grey ceilings' edge. The checkered floor was polished to a spooky mirror sheen. The stage situated at the far end of the somewhat intimate room was an unidentifiable reddish wood. Two doors sat just beyond the edges of the stage just after the stage stairs. The left side led to the kitchen and backroom area. The right side lead to the bathrooms and the manager's office. A torrent of people flowed from each, casting the belief that the place is crowded. It is.
A massive lime wedge with name in a stylized font above the stage. Off to the far right about the center of the wall was a block of portraits; people who were 'juicy' or 'moldy'. Far more were under the 'moldy' header. Yet for all the bustle, there was silence on the stage.
Kaylie found an empty table near the center and directed them to it. Old steel having seen better days being cleared as they approached. The busboy smiled politely, waving over a exhausted server. She squeezed her eyes shut as she approached then pasted on a fake smile. "Ladies, we sell no alcohol," she chirped hastily.
"Good, because we didn't want any. Just snackers and ice water. When does the singing begin?" Andrea asked kindly.
The server relaxed noticeably, blowing a ruddy orange lock from her face. Green eyes shined at them. "In ten. You here for GNR or the challenge?"
Andrea looked to Rachel and then Kaylie and Emily. Rachel looked back confused. What's GNR? What challenge?
The server whose badge said 'Chai' caught her confusion. "The challenge is a musical challenge. You pick a song, sing it free or karaoke and they judge you American idol style. The one with the highest score wins."
Rachel and Andrea said simultaneously, "The challenge."
"Is the prize still the same?" Andrea continued.
"Always," the server replied with a grin. "Good luck. And I'll bring out the snackers." As she walked off, Andrea filled them in. "It's always 'name your song' and the prize is $500."
When the server returned, she held a tray of various beef, ham and turkey sandwiches, a bowl of mixed peanuts and pretzels and their waters. Rachel frowned deeply, drinking half the glass of water. Why can't people just ask? At least Finn and dad are kind about it even if they still do eat meat.
Suddenly, everyone was looking at her, half eaten sandwiches in their hands. "Rachel?" Emily asked. "You're not hungry?"
"I'm vegan. I eat only seafood and drink milk."
Kaylie arched an eyebrow as she chewed. "Really?"
"Fish have no soul. Even Jesus ate them," she said seriously. They all stopped chewing and stared at her. Andrea quickly changed the subject, producing a 'song sheet' from under the basket of sandwiches. Pushing it to Rachel, she pointed to the top as her mouth was full of peanuts.
'You belong with me' definitely. After affixing a gold star to the form, she hers and Andrea's to the judges table. Only one was there at the moment with his back to her. "Hi, I brought my form up and I wondered if I-" she stopped when he turned around. It was Mark, her agent and manager.
"Rachel?" He said, stunned. "What are you doing here?"
She said the same thing the same time he did. Mark laughed. A puzzled look crossed her face. I don't get it.
"You go first," he gestured, taking the papers.
"Andrea, one of my friends," she smiled, delight in her eyes, "brought me here after I got a tattoo to signify my elite status in the Wolverettes."
He looked at her bandaged wrist and then her outfit. A pleased, yet worried grin formed. "I do this every week. It's a way to find new talent. I'm glad you are here. I needed to talk to you anyway. Is after the competition, ok?" He gazed at her, amused delight in his eyes.
"After is fine."
"Good because you and her are second and first tonight." He grinned again.
As she walked back, she realized that everything was flowing in two directions. It was either towards the music or away. Finn, Mark, Glee, Mr. Schuester all flow towards. Even my love of Broadway and my dreams are towards. My new friends, the Wolverettes, this tattoo and the rivalry with Quinn flowed away towards something else. Is my whole life going to be like this? Or is it just now? She smiled at Andrea who was waiting at the table patiently. She blew a magenta hair out of her face as she stood watching the line slowly form at the judges table.
"So what position do we have. I hope it's close to the top," she asked excited.
"You're first and I'm second," Rachel replied happily, hiding her amusement. Andrea opened and closed her mouth, shocked. "Serious?"
"I wouldn't lie."
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to start the challenge," the announcer, a short rotund man with a long face and balding tan hair down to his shoulders, spoke resoundingly. He went on to explain the challenge and the prize. Then he introduced himself, Mark and a woman named Ms. Priss as the judges. Each stood up and waved to the crowd behind them. Ms. Priss had a gaunt face, heavy eyeshadow around her amber eyes, deep red lips, a hawkish nose and seemingly no curves. She was gangly and bulky, wearing a blood red cotton summer dress. As she sat back down, Rachel noticed her magenta 3in. spiked heels and pursed her lips in disgust. Emily noticed and leaned over. "Those are Jessica Simpson, aren't they?" She nodded, wrinkling her nose.
Applause rose when the announcements ended. "And now Andrea Dawson of Forest Hills High in beautiful Elida, Ohio will sing 'Love will lead you back' by Taylor Dayne. Andrea strolled to the stage and took the microphone without adjusting the stand. She tapped it once, waited until the words on the prompter cued up and sang. The words flowed out with a bluesy soul unlike she had heard before. She said listening enraptured. Definitely someone to put on the Glee agenda. And then the song ended. Silent reigned for a moment before applause burst forth like a breaking dam. She's good but I am better. They'll stand for me. And I'll split the money with her.
The judging critiques were just like American idol. Andrea got high marks and good praise from each of each of them. After each was done they raised a number from 1-10. The announcer gave her an 8, Mark a 7 and Ms. Priss a 9. She ran back excited. "Did you see? I got a 25! Isn't that the best? It's my highest yet!"
Emily and Kaylie looked up at Rachel who was focusing on the stage and the judges. "It was excellent. You cracked a bit but it sounded soulful and dreamy," she smiled genuinely. Since I've never heard the song before I don't know but you sound better than Quinn.
"Our next performer, number two out of twenty is all the way from Lima, Ohio. It's Rachel Berry singing Taylor Swift's 'You belong with me'.
She rushed to the stage and adjusted the stage before taking the mike in hand. The words hesitated on the teleprompter prompting the tech guy to wave a pause at her. She looked out at him and the audience. "I don't need that." The crowd ooohed and aahed then hushed.
"The announcer tapped his mike. "Did you hear that, folks? She wants to be juicy. You know what that means."
A random patron sitting near the entrance shouted, 'VIP and food for a year!"
Rachel found him and smiled. More oohs rose. The announcer continued, "Yes. Free food for a calendar year and permanent VIP status. Win or Lose you get your face on our wall by the door. Win, it's under the juicy label. Fail, it's under the moldy. To win, you have to be word perfect." He grinned deceitfully. "Only twelve have. Will you be lucky 13, Rachel Berry?"
"Yes, I will!" Rachel stated emphatically. Mark smiled at her. She nodded to him.
Opening guitar and banjo music fell across the crowd as the song began. Rachel looked across the crowd, prepared, and psyched up. Her eyes grew wide as the one person she never expected to see walked through the doors.