Summer/Fall 2011

Stiles was never much of a morning person, no matter how hard he tried. So when he had to get up early to travel to his audition for X-Factor, he was not happy, despite the fact that this was what he had been waiting for, ever since his mom told him he could do it. It even seemed like fate this year, just making the cut-off date for birthdays. This was the first year he'd be allowed to audition, and he was going to make it, no matter what it took.

He stumbled down the stairs of his two-story home, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His mom was in the kitchen, mixing him up a batch of pancakes.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" She exclaimed, running her hand across his shaved head.

"Morning Mom." He mumbles, sliding down into a chair. His mom walks over to him, dumping a couple pancakes onto his plate. "Thanks, Mom." He murmurs, grabbing the syrup.

"Just eat up, big day today!" She exclaims. "You're dad should be here soon, he went to go pick up the shirts we ordered."

"Mom, you didn't have to…" Stiles groaned.

"Oh, sweetheart, we wanted to do something special. Today is a big day!"

Stiles grinned at her over his pancakes, just as someone knocked on the door.

"Oh! That'll be Heather!" She exclaimed, turning away from the griddle.

"You invited Heather?" Stiles asked happily.

"Of course, sweetie. She's your best friend! Figured you'd want her here on your big day." His mom called as she walked towards the door.

He could hear the two females chatting in the doorway, as a car pulled away from the house. His mom led Heather into the kitchen, setting her at the table next to Stiles. Stiles's mom then handed her a plate of pancakes, fresh off the griddle.

"Thanks, Mrs. S." She chirped, reaching for the syrup.

The two teens ate in excited silence as Stiles's mom flipped a few more pancakes. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway had Stiles perking up. His dad walked into the house, carrying a small box.

"Hey kiddo." His dad greeted, setting the box down, and rubbing his hand along Stiles's shaved head.

"Hey Dad." Stiles greeted, reaching for the box. His mom handed him a pair of scissors so he could cut through the tape easily, and then he handed them back to her. He quickly opened up the flaps, and pulled them out. The front had the "Team Stiles" logo on them that his mom had drawn up a few weeks ago, and the back had their description. Stiles handed out the "Stiles's mom" and "Stiles's dad" shirts to his parents, before handing Heather the "Stiles's best friend" shirt, and keeping the "Stiles" shirt for himself.

His mom beamed as she and his dad went to go put on their shirts. Stiles kissed her cheek before she left the room, thanking her for the shirts. Heather made her way into their downstairs bathroom as Stiles went upstairs to also change. He pulled off his pajamas quickly before throwing on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He was thankful that it was slightly warmer today, happy that he didn't have to put on a jacket or something.

He took the steps down the stairs two at a time, running into the kitchen where Heather was, just finished changing into her shirt. The quickly gathered up the things he would need for his audition, his parents joining them a few minutes later, both in their shirts.

The drive to the arena was short, Stiles practicing his song the whole way. He knew the song backwards and forwards, was confident in his vocal abilities. He knew today was just the pre-audition, the first step in the audition process. He wouldn't even see the "real" judges today, just the producers. This was probably the more nerve wracking part of the audition process, knowing if he didn't make it today, he wouldn't make it to the actual judges.

When they arrived at the arena, they checked in, and Stiles was shocked at the massive queue that was already there. They waited for a little while, before the producer came out and talked to them. They had some show filming to do before they would actually get to the singing part. They were lead inside the arena area where they learned a few "dance moves" where they did some stuff for different songs, and passing along the X-Factor flag. It was a few hours before they were moved into booths to begin the actual singing process.

Stiles moved into his booth almost on autopilot. The producers were walking around, interviewing people, and the sounds of a few voices carried into the air. Stiles could feel his nerves growing, but he tried not to let it get to him.

When two producers finally stood in front of him he took a deep breath, and let out a small smile.

"Name?"

"Stiles Stilinski."

One of the producers cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Umm, I don't like my given name, so I go by Stiles. My best friend Heather gave me the nickname in Kindergarten."

"Age?"

"Sixteen." He announced,

"Alright Stiles, will you sing a few bars for us?"

Stiles nodded, and took a deep breath. "I wake up every evening, with a big smile on my face, and it never feels out of place. And you're still probably working, at a nine to five pace, I wonder how bad that tastes. When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell. When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell."

One of the producers held up his hand, smiling. He handed Stiles a golden ticket. "Congratulations kid. Callbacks are in a week, wear the same outfit, bring the same people. We'll see you then."

Stiles was then directed to a queue, where he had to hand over his gold ticket and to show them his license for a letter telling him to come back in a week for the next step in the audition process, along with a few instructions.

Stiles left the area, a huge smile on his face. He ran over to his parents and Heather, a huge smile on his face. "I did it!" He exclaimed proudly.

Congratulations were given as they walked back out to the car they came in. Stiles explained all the guidelines, and everything they could expect from the callbacks the next week. He was well on his way!

"Derek!" His older sister, Laura, called to him from the doorway of his bedroom.

Derek groaned and threw his pillow over his head trying to block out the sound.

Laura bounded into the room, tearing his pillow away from him. "Come on, dude! You get to be on television today!" She sing-songed.

"Why'd you have to be so happy?" He grumbled.

"I can't support my baby brother?"

"No." He groaned out, before sitting up in bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and stretched out his muscles. He kicked Laura out of his bedroom before grabbing the clothes he wore to his original audition a few weeks ago.

He stumbled down the stairs, the smell of his mom's cooking hanging in the air. His whole family were waiting in the kitchen, and a knock at the door revealed his girlfriend Kate on the other side. He and Kate had only been dating for a few months, but they'd been friends for years, and Kate's niece, who was only a year or so younger was a dancer with the X-Factor troop, had started this year.

He walked over to Kate, kissing her cheek. He led her over to the table, where they settled in for a bit of breakfast before they had to leave.

The drive to the arena was short, silent except for Derek humming his song, practicing again. He wasn't super nervous, having already performed for the producers twice, and then waited for the callback after that second time. He was also curious who else would be auditioning for the judges today, and he wasn't quite sure how he felt, or who he was more anxious about singing for.

The judging panel were some of the best people in the whole business, Adrian Harris, a producer who was known for being a bit of an asshole, except for people he really liked. He had kickstarted plenty of careers, but also could take down people at the snap of his fingers. Bobby Finstock who used to be a talent scout for big name record companies, was the only really likeable judge. He was tough, but he also cracked a lot of jokes. Marin Morrell was the only female judge, a semi-retired pop princess who was known for pushing contests to work harder, and perform better. Alan Deaton was the head judge, owner of some of the biggest talent firms in the business. It was his company, Alpha Records, that the winning act would end up being signed to. Deaton was the toughest judge, offering advice in cryptic comments, and sometimes sarcastic remarks.

When they arrived, Derek quickly checked in, then stood in line with his family and Kate, waiting for the judges. The line seemed to be moving at an average pace, but it seemed to crawl by for Derek. His parents got into a conversation with the parents in front of him. Their son who was auditioning, was also standing with a pretty blonde girl. They looked to be in a deep conversation, and the male kept waving his hands around, a little exuberantly.

Kate had her makeup mirror pulled out, and she kept fixing her hair, especially when the television cameras came near them.

"Sweetie?" She crooned to Derek.

Derek turned to look at her. "What?"

"You wouldn't happen to know where I can get a drink, would you?"

Derek sighed, and handed over his water bottle.

"Thank you!" She chirped, before guzzling the whole bottle down.

Derek tried to stifle his groan, but his mother just reached inside her purse and pressed another water into Derek's hands. She flashed him a brief smile before returning to her conversation. He took a quick sip before going over his song again. He knew he knew it perfectly but it seemed to calm his nerves. He'd rehearsed it a thousand times, he could do this.

Soon enough, someone approached his place in line, and began talking to the boy a few people ahead of him, getting his story. He tried not to pay attention, focusing instead on what he was going to say if they came up to him.

After about a half hour, the camera men approached Derek, ready for his brief interview.

"Hi, I'm Derek, I'm eighteen and I'm from Los Angeles." He announced to the camera, trying not to show his nerves.

"Hi, Derek. Tell us a bit about yourself. Have you always wanted to be a singer?"

"I never thought of myself as much of a singer until I auditioned for my school musical, and I got the lead. We performed Beauty and The Beast, and I played the Beast, and ever since then people told me I could sing. So, I guess I kind of just decided to go for it. Now, I can't imagine myself doing anything else. This is kind of my one big shot. A conformation that I'm going down the right path in life."

The producer thanked him, then moved on to the next people in line. Derek sagged a little before taking another sip from his water bottle. The line seemed to move more quickly then, and before he knew it, he was inside the venue, almost to the front of the line. He started to sweat a little then, and excused himself to go to the bathroom, his stomach rolling and pitching inside him.

He walked inside, and did his business quickly. He stepped up to wash his hands at the sink, and splash some water on his face. He was about to open the door to walk out when it flew open, and he had to step back quickly before he was hit.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry!" The kid he had seen in line earlier, apologized. He looked almost as nervous as Derek felt.

"It's fine." Derek appeased him.

"I'm Stiles." He introduced himself, sticking out his hand.

"Derek." He shook the offered hand, and Derek noticed that the kid's hand was kind of clammy.

"So, Derek, have you auditioned yet?" He questioned.

Derek shook his head. "Have you?"

"Nope." Stiles answered, popping the 'p'. Derek almost chuckled at the kid's fake confidence. He could see the kid was actually sweating bullets.

"Are you nervous?" Derek asked.

"Scared shitless." Stiles answered, honestly.

"Me too." Derek shrugged. "Well, I should get back in line."

"Good luck." Stiles said, moving further into the bathroom.

"Yeah, you too." Derek left the bathroom, and made his way back in line. A few minutes later, Stiles slid into line with his parents, and soon after that he was in the arena, auditioning.

Time seemed to speed up even faster as Derek was suddenly at the front of the queue. He watched as Stiles came back from inside the arena, a huge grin on his face as he talked animatedly, showing he had made it through. He caught sight of Derek still standing in line, and flashed him a thumbs up, and Derek nodded, still a bundle of nerves.

All too soon Derek was led backstage where the host, Ennis was waiting.

"You ready?" He asked, his voice a bit gruff.

Derek didn't say much, just nodded his head, as his mom patted him on the back. He was handed a microphone, and suddenly he was walking onto the stage, the lights almost blinding as he walked across until he was center stage, waiting for the judges to speak, his stomach a tight coil of nerves.

"And what's your name?" Alan Deaton asked, from where he was sitting at the far right side of the table.

"My name's Derek Hale." A few cheers erupted from the crowds, but Derek couldn't do much more than force a smile onto his face.

"And how old are you?"

"I'm eighteen." He could faintly hear some girls screaming in the background.

"And where are you from?"

"Los Angeles." A few more screams.

"And are you still in school?"

"I just graduated, and I applied to UCLA." The judges had smiles on their faces, but he couldn't tell much else of what they were thinking.

"And what are you going to study?"

"Performing Arts." There were a few more screams from the audience, and Derek flashed them another smile, before returning his focus to the judges.

"And what are you going to sing for us today?"

"I'm going to sing "Howl" by Florence and The Machine." A few whoop whistles sounded from the audience, and Derek chuckled.

"All right." Deaton answered, gesturing for him to go on.

The intro bars to the song started playing and Derek took a deep breath before beginning. "If you could only see the beast you've made of me, I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free. Screaming in the dark, I howl when we're apart, drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart. My fingers claw your skin, try to tear my way in. You are the moon that breaks the night for which I have to howl. My fingers claw your skin, try to tear my way in. You are the moon that breaks the night for which I have to howl, howl, howl, howl." His voice stuttered a bit over the first few lines, but it grew stronger as the song proggressed. He tried to loosen up, but he was just a bundle of nerves, and he was so terrified that it was going to show to the judges. He felt like he was going to throw up right on stage, in the middle of his song.

The crowd was getting noisy, but he couldn't tell what the judges were thinking besides the fact that they were listening intently. "Be careful of the curse that falls on young lovers. Starts so soft and sweet and turns them to hunters. A man who's pure of heart and says his prayers by night, may still become a wolf when the autumn moon is bright. If you could only see the beast you've made of me, I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free. The saints can't help me now, the ropes have been unbound, I hunt for you with bloody feet across the hallow'd ground." He concluded the song, and the roaring of the crowd increased. The knots in his stomach increased, and it felt like he broke out in a cold sweat, he was so nervous.

Adrian Harris, who sat on the oppisite end of the table from Deaton had a small smirk on his face. "Not bad." He commented. "I mean, you're only eighteen, but not bad."

Derek smiled weakly. He knew Harris was a very subjective judge, known for being kind of an asshole, so for him to say 'not bad' was kind of like saying that he really liked it.

Bobby Finstock cleared his throat from where he was sitting next to Adrian. "You were a little shaky." He started. "But I think you got stronger, and that's important."

"Thank you." Derek whispered, a little weakly. His hands were shaking so much, he wasn't sure how he was still holding the microphone.

Marin Morrell nodded her head. "I agree with Bobby. I think you have something special, something that we could definintely work with."

"Thank you." Derek spoke into the microphone. His heart was beating so fast he was afraid that maybe just maybe, it'd fly out of his chest. He felt like he was going to throw up, right on the stage right in front of him, as he turned to Deaton, the hardest judge to please.

"I think you have a good voice." Deaton commented. "I mean, a little fine-tuning, but I think it's just because you're still young."

Derek couldn't do much more than nod. He wasn't sure how he was still standing, he felt like his knees could give out at any moment.

"Is everyone ready to vote?" Deaton asked, and the rest of the pannel nodded.

Derek's heartbeat increased even faster. He knew that just because the panal didn't have anything negative to say, didn't mean that they were going to vote him through.

"Adrian?"

"Yes."

Derek's heatbeat skipped a bit, the naseau subsiding. At least one person thought he was good enough.

"Bobby?"

"Yes."

Derek felt on the verge of tears. It was all down to this, he only needed three out of the four votes to make it through, and he didn't know what to do.

"Marin?"

"Yes."

Derek was sure his knees were going to give out. He felt like a huge weight had lifted off his shoulders, knowing that he had made it through. The roaring screams in the arena were almost deafening that he almost couldn't make out what Deaton said next.

And that's a yes from me." Deaton concluded. "Congratulations, you made it through!" He announced.

Derek's grin was so big that it threatened to break his face. He didn't remember walking off the stage, but all of a sudden he was enveloped into a hug from his mother, and soon passed to other family members, and Kate kissing his cheek, murmuring a "Congratulations, sweetie." into his ear.

Fate watched as the older boy celebrated with his family, a smile on her face. Her plan was in motion, the one she'd been planning for years. No one had noticed it yet, noticed how her two babies were standing so close in line, had met in a bathroom. How the younger one had made the sign-up date for auditions by just a few hours. How the older one had been so nervous, so nervous.

They drift together, even now, her little ones. The younger one, who had stayed to hear what had happened, catching the older one's eyes across the room. The poor little things have no idea what she has in store, no idea that their journey is beginning.