HetaVoice!

by 0- Jougen-Knight -0

Welcome to HetaVoice! A singing competition like no other - four Judges pit against each other to find THE HetaVoice amongst many contenders. However, in order to get through, one must impress them while their backs are towards them. Human AU, contains Nyotalia, rated T for swearing, some innuendo and maybe a bit of romance later?

4. Episode 3: The Blind Auditions, Day 3

Hey there guys, HetaWriter/HetaReader here; and I sincerely apologize for not updating this story for a while. I most probably look like a complete dick. DX honestly, I was on-hiatus with this story for a bit because I had writer's block and didn't know what to think up to try and keep this story entertaining and interesting in any way I can. That, and I was updating other stories more.

Honestly, I want to try and make it up to you guys by having this chapter written up, and having the other one written up and uploaded sometime this week. Just please, bear with me - because I'm an ambitious idiot who loves starting new stories before finishing old ones. TTnTT

Anyway, I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart, I thank all those who decide to still stick with this fic; to the faves, follows AND the reviews! I hopefully, will be able to make up for the lack of an update for...a while...but, to warn all of you; my updates won't follow a pattern at all - it'll either range from one day to one month, so be warned.

CloudyDays12: Ah, I see. You will see them both, but not now. ) Thank you.

ChokoKoko: Ahaha, yeah...yes. Chibi!Spain is adorable, isn't he? Hehe...Norway. ) Ah, I'm glad - I tried to keep everyone in-character so, that's very good. :) Actually...I didn't even intend on that one - I was just trying to get teams and pairing up for the next round. XD

Miwasaki Yuki-rin: It's been a long time since I've seen you around. How are you? Ah, thank you very much for the compliment. =^^= Yes, I can imagine Arthur playing guitar like that, too - he's a punk underneath his "gentleman" exterior, after all. Those are really kind words - I try and work hard with everything I write; I try to make them as believable as I can.

Greece's kitty: Actually, Fem!Greece won't be a contestant. She does appear, but pretty later on. (I apologize for that...^^;))

H-Tagi: Wow...that sounds like a lot of sugar. 0w0 yeah, I quite liked typing out Antonio's part - it flowed more smoothly with me. :) No, don't be sorry for your hyped reaction - it's perfectly fine.

Now, shall we continue?

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Episode 3 – Blind Auditions Day 3

The camera is zooming into a rather classy restaurant with crimson carpeting and round tables with white tablecloths covering them, producing a very close shot. The camera's focus then zooms out onto the man sitting at the table.

The man is a familiar Romanian man with shaggy, strawberry blonde hair, red eyes and a fang protruding from one side of his mouth. Dracul smiled at the camera, tonight wearing a black trench coat, and waves. "Hello there, everybody!" he greeted. "Welcome back to another episode of HetaVoice! I'm your host, Dracul Dalca!" he then snaps his fingers and points directly at the camera, signalling a shift between shots.

The shot is suddenly focused on the four Judges who are sitting in the HetaVoice Building's Performance Stage. The camera then zooms in on the Judges one-by-one.

It first focuses on Sadik who glances sideways as he leans slightly forward in his chair. Today, he was wearing a form-fitting black shirt as well as khaki pants, but still kept his mask. "The Blind Auditions are the most unique part of the process," he said. The camera then shifted shots.

This time, it focused onto Francine who was now wearing a regal, violet dress that shimmered under the stage lights, "Since our chairs have their backs towards the performer, we do not know what to face when we press that button." She then slams her hand down onto the big, red button, causing her chair to light up and the camera's shots to get shifted.

"We do not know what they look like," said Arthur who now came into the shot. He was wearing a black-and-white checked bandana around his neck, ripped jeans and a shirt with an oriental designed unicorn on it. "We don't even know what their gender is." He arched an eyebrow, then leaned over and pressed his button.

The shot then focused onto Alfred who was wearing his bomber jacket as well as some jeans and a shirt in the design of the flag of the USA. He grinned, "Dude, it could even be like some huge, soulful voice coming out, and it turns out to be from a little girl. Maybe even a mad soprano and it turns out to be a dude." He then presses his own button, prompting his chair to turn right around.

"What is certain though," continued Sadik as he finally pressed his own button. "Is that the one auditioning is giving the performance of their life."

The camera this time is drawn back into a far-shot so its focus was on all four of the Judges who are now facing the mike in the stand.

"It's a lovely notion."

This time, the camera now focuses onto Dracul who clasps his hands together as his main course enters. He continues, "Join these four megastar Judges on their mission to find the first ever HetaVoice!"

"Each coach is looking for eight singers to place in their team," explained Arthur in an individual shot.

"We have a mission here not only to discover the first HetaVoice," said Alfred in another individual shot. "But to also win this thing!"

Sadik then came into another one, "If more than one of us turn around, as Count Dracula had said himself before; there might be a bit of a bidding war between us."

It then shows a shot of what would probably come up later on – it shows Arthur angrily shaking his fist at Alfred while in another shot, Francine shouts, "Pick me!" while Sadik is just cracking up at the whole thing while clapping his hands.

"And then…" Francine gave a slightly impish smile. "Monsieur or mademoiselle must choose for themselves whose team they want to be on."

The camera then zooms back and onto the Performance Stage, which this time has an audience that are jumping up and down excitedly and screaming at the top of their lungs in delight.

This prompts Dracul's voice-over to now continue, "So far, Sadik Adnan has four of his eight singers." It then shows shots of the members of his team: English woman Agatha Clarkland, Ukrainian construction worker Dmitri Yektarina, Korean high school student Im Yong Soo, and Finnish caretaker Tino Väinämöinen.

In another individual shot, Sadik explains, "I want a voice that's honest and pulls me in. A voice that's believable and tells me a story."

Dracul's voice-over continued, "Arthur Kirkland meanwhile, has five of his eight spots filled up!" it then shows shots of the members in Arthur's team: Italian culinary student Lovino Vargas, Seychellois lifeguard Mitchell Mancham, Belgian patissieur Emma van Stein, shy Vietnamese woman Lien Nguyen, and Danish bartender Ulrika Koehler.

"My team has strong contenders," Arthur said seriously. "Each has their own original sound. The voice that I like to find is one that keeps you raptured and utterly mesmerized…just like these five."

"Francine Bellemare has also secured four out of eight!" called Dracul's voice-over. Shots of the members of Francine's team are then showed: young-looking Chinese woman Ling Chun-Yan, shy Canadian girl Madeleine Williams, Spanish busker Antonio Fernandez Carriedo and finally Italian girl Felicia Valentino.

"My team has talent, non?" Francine smiles in an individual shot. "Three beautiful queens and one handsome king…they each have their own style and I quite love that. However, I would like to get at least one more boy in my team."

"And finally, Alfred F. Jones has three members in his own team," said Dracul's voice-over. The shots then showed the members of Alfred's team: sweet little Liechtenstein girl Erika Zwingli, medical Lithuanian student Toris Laurinaitis, and finally the confident Prussian woman Julia "Julchen" Weillschmidt.

"My team are awesome, aren't they?" laughed Alfred in an individual shot. "Totally rad! I know I've got the least number of peeps in my team, but that only means when everyone else has filled their spots, I still have some left! And then some totally huge-ass voice comes along, they wouldn't have any spots left! My team definitely put the cherries on top of the cake, though!"

The shot then goes off and Dracul speaks up, "Tonight, as we draw closer to the end of our Blind Auditions phase, the pressure is built high!"

"Things are going to get tense now, are they?" Sadik asked with a nervous chuckle at Arthur's direction. "You gonna press your button?" his response was the British man shrieking in frustration.

"Unlike her I'm actually gonna look you in the eye and work for you!" Alfred shouts at an unseen contestant.

Francine arches an eyebrow in Alfred's direction, "Excusez-moi? But where do you think I even look at when I talk to him?"

"Do we seriously have to answer that question, frog princess?" Arthur asked, rolling his eyes. Sadik snorts in response as he gives a cough and covers his mouth.

The camera pans back to Dracul who is seen placing the napkin on his lap. He then grins at the camera and calls, "And now, we shall embark on the next day of the Blind Auditions! The second last day I might add! Who will be the next HetaVoice? Tune in on this episode! The Blind Auditions, Day Three! I'll see you there once I finish my meal!"

He is about to stick his fork in his food when he noticed that the camera is still focused on him. He turns around and sticks his hand into the lens, "Now, get that outta my face! Do you mind? I'm eating!"

[THIS IS HETAVOICE!]

While Dracul was eating though, the first person to audition was already making his way to the HetaVoice Building, walking in fast strides on the red carpet. He was revealed to be a Hungarian man who had dark brown hair that was tied back into a short ponytail, and glittering, grass green eyes. He was also wearing a brown vest, a white shirt, green pants and what appeared to be boots.

He was accompanied by what appeared to be an old, ragged man who had an untamed beard, yet was wearing a suit. He had green eyes, too, but they were glaring. There was also what appeared to be a child with light auburn hair and wearing

"I'm Daniel Hunyadi," the man smiled as the camera caught him and hurriedly made its way over to him. "I'm twenty-seven years old. When I'm not busy with my job as a security guard, I actually do volunteer work."

It then shows a shot of the place where Daniel was volunteering at - it was a building similar to that of a shelter and a retirement home. The kitchen had white walls and many platters and plates were seen as well as a pleasant smell wafting from within.

"We give food to four thousand people a day that are living with life-threatening illnesses such as HIV AIDS and all kinds of cancers," Daniel continued with a fond smile on his face. "It's the most rewarding thing I could ever do."

It then shows a medium shot of him playing with the child (honestly, the cameraman couldn't tell whether the child was a boy or a girl), and laughed as did the young one. The ragged, yet formal wearing, old man was simply watching the pair with serious eyes.

"Six years ago, I got clean off of crystal meth after being evicted and leaving a street gang I was part of," said the Hungarian man as he licked his lips. "I was homeless for a while and because I used up crystal meth, I found out I was possibly HIV positive. At that time, I didn't think I could get out of the hole I found myself in." He cut off, still obviously affected by the memory, but eventually had a smile spread out across his face, "But...here I am! I honestly thought that this could never happen for me."

It then shows Daniel in the Preparation Room as he's thinking quietly to himself rather than moving around and even practising his song like previous contestants.

"The fact...that I get to be heard," said Daniel with a small smile forming on his face. "...by my personal idol, Sadik..." here he gave a small chuckle. "This is a validation of sorts."

"I am...very proud of him," the old man, revealed to be Daniel's uncle, "Mags", said with a small, fond smile crossing his face. "He's been dreaming of this moment since he was about six."

"He's been through so much," piped up the child as they were revealed to be called "Alice". The cameraman was glad that the gender of the child was now determined. "I wanna be strong and kind like Danny when I get older!"

"My uncle," Daniel said softly. "I know I caused him a lot of disappointment, and I know that I worried him a lot. He's my biggest support; I'm so glad I have him in my life. Same with Alice - even though she's not mine, I'm glad to have her in my life; she's one of the things that keeps me going - that prevents me from going back to where I was at the beginning."

Now, it shows the Hungarian man rise to his feet as he starts to make his way to the Performance Stage. "This...is huge for me," he said firmly. "This could propel me to what I've wanted to do for my entire life, since I was a little kid. All I'm ever good at was music and fighting. There is beauty that comes from ashes; you can have a second chance if you want one, and if you fight for it hard enough. If you want it hard enough, you can have it."

And with that, the Hungarian man stepped out on the Performance Stage with the mike in his hand and the stage was painted an orange colour. Not long after he was on the stage, he nodded at the musicians to begin.

At once, a kick drum initiated; giving a constant beat like a heart's pulse, and accompanied by an electric guitar and a solemn bass. Daniel raised his hands and began clapping in rhythm, which encouraged the audience to shout in enthusiasm and start clapping, too. The four Judges were quite interested already by the crowd's reaction.

"Seems like this one wants to get to the point," noted Sadik with a grin.

"How interesting," agreed Arthur, his arms crossed over his chest.

[Daniel]
I'm gonna fight 'em off
A seven nation army couldn't hold me back
They're gonna rip it off
Taking their time right behind my back

And I'm talking to myself at night because I can't forget
Back and forth through my mind behind a cigarette

All of a sudden, the kick was no longer alone and was accompanied by a more rock-like beat with snare and hi-hat as well as crash. The electric guitar blared more vividly as well as the bass, picking it up in sound. Arthur was nodding his head in rhythm to the song and closed his eyes, really getting into the rock-like sound produced from the song.

Sadik also was nodding his head, obviously approved of the song. Alfred was playing with an air guitar in his seat while Francine simply arched an eyebrow and stared down at her button.

[Daniel]
And the message coming from my eyes says, "Leave it alone!"

Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, yeah, yeah!

All of a sudden, the rock-like tone was gone and it returned to the same, creeping and steady music at the beginning; just the kick and the simple bass. However, this time, the electric guitar played more complicated runs.

[Daniel]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Yeah, yeah, yeah!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Don't wanna hear about it
Every single one's got a story to tell
They all know about it
From the queen of England to the hounds of hell

If I catch you comin' back my way, I'm gonna sell it to you
You, you, you, you, you, you!

The audience was screaming in delight as they began moving their bodies around in rhythm to Daniel's song and how bold the Hungarian man was on stage. He had hunched over slightly as he clutched at his diaphragm; his green eyes ablaze with a determined expression as he pointed at various members of the audience while he sang the final line.

Francine arched her eyebrow, her face knotted into a curious expression at seeing how everyone in the crown was enjoying themselves. Sadik was rubbing at his stubbled chin as he listened some more. Arthur arched his eyebrow; surprised at the reference of the Queen, and before he knew it, he found himself with an amused look on his face.

Meanwhile, in the Waiting Room, Mags and Alice were watching from the television screen at Daniel's performance.

"You can do it, Danny!" cheered Alice as she began jumping on the spot with Mags' arms around her. "You can do it! You'll turn them around!"

Mags simply smiled as he watched his nephew do what he wanted to do on stage.

[Daniel]
And that ain't what you want to hear, but that's what I'll do

And the feeling coming from my bones says, "Mind your own!"
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, yeah, yeah!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

"Yours," Francine said to Arthur's direction. "Sounds like he's all you." She then leaned a little and nodded in Sadik's direction, "Or monsieur Sadik."

Arthur snorted back at her and rolled his eyes, disregarding her as he listened more closely to the performer. Daniel had punched the air several times when he sang the second chorus as the song regained its rock-like stance once more, hyping the crowd up even more.

Soon enough, the rocking music lowered again to the steady, creeping and chilled tone from before, but the electric guitar's chords became much more complicated. Daniel strode over to the other side of the stage; his steps exuded a great confidence as he held his head high.

The Turkish man held his hand over the button as he grinned now; causing the audience to scream in delight as encouragement to press the button and turn around. However, he paused as Daniel finally reached the song's hook.

[Daniel]
I'm going to Wichita
Far from this opera forever more
I'm gonna work the straw
Make the sweat drip, drip out of every pore

And I'm bleedin', and I'm bleedin'
And I'm bleedin' right before the Lord.
All the words are gonna bleed from me and I will think no more

And the stains coming from my blood tell me,
"Go back home!"

And just like before, the rock-like sound came back as the snares were built to a crash and the electric guitar as well as the bass were now playing more loudly and with much more guts. Daniel forced more power in his voice as he made a harsh punch from the final line (second line on the final chorus).

It was here that Sadik finally lowered his hand and pressed his button. At once his chair glowed white and spun around as the audience screamed in mirth at the top of their lungs at seeing that Daniel was chosen.

A big smile broke out onto Daniel's face as he pointed right at Sadik whose own grin was widening at what he was seeing. The Turkish man stood from his seat and began moving his body much like the audience, who now had louder screams of delight at seeing him dance.

Back in the Waiting Room, Alice was screaming in delight, "He did it! He did it! Whoooo!" Uncle Mags simply cackled as he ruffled Alice's head, careful not to touch what appeared to be a single, wild curl.

Francine was licking her lips, still contemplating whether or not he should turn around - this male had a husky voice and a deeper tone; really good for rock music and possibly soul, but was he needed for her team? Alfred was still, meanwhile, fooling around on an air guitar.

Arthur's emerald eyes widened when he saw that Sadik had already picked him. The British man then rubbed his chin as he wondered if he should press his button or not now…

[Daniel]
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, yeah!

The British man then withdrew his hand and decided not to press his button.

The music had stopped on a high note for a moment, as a pause.

[Daniel]
Yeah!

The song ended with all of the instruments playing down to a lower key via chromatics where the drums were in laid-back rolls and the guitars were blaring down complicated chords as well.

The audience was screaming in delight as they applauded uproariously at the Hungarian man's performance just as Daniel laughed and felt really amazing; the euphoric adrenaline still pumping from his performance.

"Yo!" Sadik called as he planted himself back in his seat. "What's up, stud? What up, man? What's your name?"

Daniel laughed, still out of breath that he was actually picked by the Judge he wanted the most, "I'm doing...I'm doing amazingly! My name is Daniel; Daniel Hunyadi, and, man...!" he then wiped the sweat from his forehead as he spoke up quickly, "Sadik, God I listen to all your tracks: Trails of Mystique, Footprints in the Sand, Stigma...honestly, you're my inspiration and one of the reasons why I auditioned for this show!"

"Wow, really?" Sadik felt his face grow aflame from underneath his mask at hearing that as his grin was now like a Cheshire cat's; he was glad he was wearing a mask.

Daniel was about to respond when he simply gave a chuckle at how fan-boyish he must have seemed to one of his singing idols and felt his pale face become red. The audience however cheered at the Hungarian man's words, not minding him being this towards the Turkish Judge.

Francine laughed, "I love it, I love it! See? This is why I love doing this show; it's because it gives real amazing voices and vocalists the opportunity to show their talent and shine, and you sounded so energetic, mon cher. I was dying to see what was behind my chair," here she couldn't help but give him an impish look.

Arthur knew that look and he rolled his eyes; it was the look the French woman got whenever her eyes settled upon a handsome man. He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

"But you know; I looked at mon petite lapin here," Francine gestured in Arthur's direction, who snapped in disapproval. "And I was also looking at monsieur Sadik, saying, "Mon dieu! This is all you!" and well, I'm glad he did."

"Dude, I would've felt really, really stupid to push my button," piped up Alfred. "Knowing now. There is no way in hell he would've picked anybody else except Sadik!"

"I know," agreed Francine with a chortle.

Here, the audience, as well as Daniel and Sadik, began cracking up in laughter.

Arthur coughed, though it could be taken as a snigger at the American man's wisecrack. "For the last second," the British man spoke up over the noise to have his input in. "I was really tempted and thinking that I should turn my chair around, but then this old chap turned his chair around," he pointed to Sadik. "And I thought to myself; this is a match made in Heaven. Honestly, now that I look at it; you remind me of each other, for sure."

"Thanks!" called Daniel in response as Sadik leaned over and patted Arthur's shoulder. The British man nodded and rolled his eyes at the affectionate gesture as the Turkish man returned to his seat.

"You sounded outstanding," remarked Sadik. "Seriously. I felt an instant connection with you," the Turkish man snapped his fingers and continued. "You have style, you have presence, you have the talent; will you join my team?"

"Yeah! Of course!"

And with that, Sadik got up from his chair and went up to Daniel, who made his way over to the Turkish man. The pair gave a bro-hug to each other, and, just like all his other members, Sadik raised one of Daniel's arms as the audience cheered, hooted and screamed in delight at the Hungarian man's success.

"To have someone compliment you like that," Sadik smiled fondly as Daniel had waved goodbye to the other Judges and the audience as he left the Performance Stage to get to the Waiting Room. "It really is a nice gesture and very flattering. It's also inspired me to bring my team up even more now - so they could be more determined when the later stages of HetaVoice arrives. They need all the training, inspiration and determination they can get. But to inspire someone so young and full of energy..." the Turkish man nodded. "It makes everything worthwhile."

Once Daniel entered the Waiting Room, Alice screamed in delight, "You did it!" and she ran up to the Hungarian man to cuddle him. Daniel simply laughed and swept her up, starting to carry her as Mags came over as well. "I've always been so proud of you," smiled the old man. "Today was no exception."

The Hungarian man felt his emotions choke into his throat and his eyes grow wet, but he didn't cry. Instead, he embraced him and murmured, "I know...I'm glad to have you..."

As he left, Daniel gave his final words as he held Alice's right hand while Mags was holding her left one. "I still can't believe that I've been picked; and by Sadik of all people!" remarked Daniel. "I'm just...no words can describe how I feel right now - but it's an amazing feeling! I won't let him down."

Back in the Performance Stage, Arthur nodded in Sadik's direction, "Congratulations, old chap - you have the first audition for today. He's a force to be reckoned with."

"Indeed," Sadik nodded in response, however, the British man could see that the Turkish man seemed a bit more...quiet. As if he was reminiscing something. "Is something the matter, old chap?" Arthur asked, voice carefully lined with a little bit of concern.

"No," the Turkish man smiled; amused that Arthur was actually showing concern towards him. "It's just...I'm even more determined to not let my team down, you know? Daniel looks up to me, my team looks up to me, so there's no way in hell that I'm gonna let them down." He then turned to face Arthur and smirked, "You better be ready then, Artie!"

Arthur arched a bushy eyebrow and gave a smirk himself, "You're on, you old git."

Their chairs turned around back into positions as Sadik gave a loud guffaw at the British man's fighting words.

[THIS IS HETAVOICE!]

"Hey!" Dracul panted as he adjusted his top hat and spoke into his phone. "Sorry I was kinda late, but I've finished my meal now! I know, I know, I missed out on one audition, but gimme a break! It was only one audition - and the guy was Hungarian! As if I was gonna interview him!" after a sigh, he nodded, "Yeah, yeah; I'll only eat when it's commercial. Yeah, alright...yeah." He hung up, pocketed his phone, and turned towards the camera, grinning fangs as he motioned to the red carpet where the next contestant to audition was making his way to the HetaVoice Building.

This man was an Australian who stood with his head held high and he had a wild grin on his face; his light green eyes sparkling with a roguish twinkle from behind slightly bushy eyebrows. He also had pale brown hair with that was waved back and had two ahoge. He was wearing a brown shirt with a green bandana around his neck, and baggy, black shorts as well as thongs on his feet. He also had a bandage over his nose. For some odd reason, the Australian man also had a koala clutching onto his back. The koala itself had a rather demonic sparkle in its evil-looking eyes.

The Australian man was accompanied by two people - young girl and a person who Dracul, for the life of him, could not tell whether it was either a boy or a girl.

The young girl had a more petite stature with small, but still bushy eyebrows. She was wearing shorts, a tank-top with a pink smock, a bandage on her forehead and a red ascot. She had brown eyes and brown hair, which was fastened into a short, curly side-ponytail by a scrunchie, which consisted of a red flower.

The person who Dracul couldn't determine the gender of, had light brown hair as well, which was styled in curly bobs on each side of their head, as well as having a spiral-shaped ahoge on their left side. Their eyebrows were also rather thick. They were wearing black pants with white stripes on the side, a red sweater and a hat of matching colour. The person was also carrying around a wooden staff.

"Next contestant coming in is twenty-one-year-old Jack Cullingham," announced Dracul.

"Accompanying him here today to give him support are members of his family - sister Zoey, and...sibling, Leigh?" The Romanian man drooped as he thought to himself, 'Great...even then, they don't reveal their gender...'

The three entered the HetaVoice Building. Jack was laughing along with Leigh while Zoey rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Feels so great to be here!" Jack said warmly as he smiled during his interview. "Really; I feel so at ease here, actually. Music...means more to me than people think - it's not only a form of expressing myself, but whenever I had myself a time I was feeling down in the dumps; it was my way of escaping reality, mate."

The camera then shows a scene where Leigh is patting Jack's back as the Australian man simply grinned and gave reassuring words that he was alright. Zoey arched an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes at her older brother. The koala had actually climbed up to Jack's head and rested its own head atop of his.

"When I a kid, I was picked on a lot because I was overweight," explained Jack, his once upbeat voice toning down a bit as he recalled why he needed a source of escapism in the first place. "It was really...a bunch of crap. I thought I looked like crap, and soon I believed that I was nothing but crap. That I wasn't gonna be as good as the other kids because I wasn't as "nice-looking" as they were. So obviously, I had to change that." And with that, his green eyes held an amused spark, "I started losing weight in the middle of high school, and honestly..." he laughed and motioned at his now lean and well-toned body. "I can't feel any greater or any happier!"

"The bullying..." Leigh sighed as the camera turned its attention onto him and Zoey. "It was truly horrible; those kids would call him names, push him around, steal things from him...and those were only the tip of the iceberg. Really, it was a terrible business…"

"Well, they can go suck on their words," sniffed Zoey with her nose high. "Because Jack not only looks great, but he sounds great. Really, despite his body changing, his voice still remains the same; and I'm glad, too. It shows that he's still the same old Jack."

Dracul nodded at hearing their words; he couldn't help but give a smile, too. It was nice to see that Jack was doing better from a tormented childhood and had supportive siblings. The Romanian man could definitely relate to the Australian man in regards to a rough childhood.

Jack was now in the Preparation Room, his hands behind his back as he whistled to himself a tune that sounded vaguely familiar. He then stretched his arms and began bouncing on the balls of his feet as he nodded to himself and grinned again. "You can do it!" he uttered to himself in a determined, yet soft voice.

"From the feedback I was getting when I came back after losing weight, I can see that people have shallow views, really," Jack said more seriously. "HetaVoice is a good opportunity for me to see if my voice really outweighs how I look. My voice is never-changing, and it defines me more as a person than how I look. To have just one Judge turn around. Well, I'd be true blue ecstatic. Really, I would."

The Australian man made his way onto the Performance Stage with the mike in his hand as he looked out at the open and at the audience. His stomach churned over, nervous, yet at the same time; really excited. He gave a sheepish smile to the audience as he prepared himself onto the now tinted with a pure white.

"Wonder what this one is like," Francine murmured to herself as she rested against her chair. Sadik nodded in her direction; agreeing to her statement.

Arthur simply narrowed his eyes, "We'll just have to wait and see."

"So nervous, dude," Alfred said with a nervous chuckle.

After an exhale, Jack nodded at the musicians, signalling he was ready, and the music played. A beautiful yet simple piano began to play as delicately crisp guitar strings resounded with it. A soft hi-hat was also being tapped and an electric keyboard joined in. The Australian cleared his throat and began to sing.

[Jack]
I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

A rich voice had escaped from Jack's mouth as he held his hand over his chest. Several times, on the end of the phrases, the Australian man would apply a smooth and well-toned run. A few times, Jack closed his eyes, immersing himself in the song and because it required more force to sing certain notes.

Alfred arched an eyebrow at the voice and instantly leaned forward to slam his hand down on his button, causing it to turn around. Arthur likewise also pressed his own button a second or two after the American man did so. The audience erupted into applause and cheering at seeing two Judges turn around after the first verse. Sadik and Francine simply looked at the Brit and the American in amazement.

Back in the Waiting Room, Leigh smiled; eyes growing moist, "Oh my God, there's two of them already..."

"Yeah," Zoey nodded, a fond smile now crossing her once serious, scowling face as she watched her older brother perform on stage. Dracul found himself smiling as well.

Jack had opened his eyes after finishing the final phrase of the first verse and smiled a much softer smile at both Alfred and Arthur. He then reached the chorus.

[Jack]
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That let me straight to you

Yes, it did
Yeah…

The soft hi-hat became firmer as the piano, electric keyboard and the plucking guitar strings continued producing the same soft and simple melody. Jack then walked to the front of the stage. He made large, yet soft and flowing gestures as he reached the second verse.

Francine was rubbing her chin as she began thinking considerably; listening closely to the performer's voice. She was pondering still on whether to choose him or not.

[Jack]
I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smiled and take my hand
You've been there, you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true.

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Francine leaned forward and quickly pressed her button, prompting her chair to turn around as the crowd hooted and cheered. The French woman arched an eyebrow upon facing Jack, but she smiled widely at seeing him and leant forward in her chair, resting her elbow close to her button's side. Honestly, she did not expect the singer to look like that, but it was a really nice surprise.

Arthur glanced at the French woman sharply; he was hoping that she wouldn't turn around.

Sadik meanwhile glanced at his three fellow Judges and shrugged; his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at his own button, wondering whether or not he should press it.

"He playing hard to get or something?" Zoey asked, slightly annoyed. Dracul couldn't help but laugh.

At the final chorus, the drum's snares and a tom or two were also added, adding more strength to the song. Jack decided to push his voice just the little bit more. His voice was already strong enough, but he wanted to try his best and impress the four Judges. He raised his free arm up as he squeezed his eyes shut and sang again.

[Jack]
And now I'm just a rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true...

Sadik then gave a laugh as he swatted at his button, pressing it, lighting up his chair, and making it turn around. The audience was screaming at the top of their lungs to see that all four Judges turned around on the second audition.

[Jack]
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Yes it did, oh!

That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Whoa, yeah…

The song played its calmer and gentler beginning as a conclusion. The piano making the finale as well as a shimmering from the hi-hat. Jack grinned as he called out to the audience who were screaming and cheering as they applauded, "Thank you all!"

Back in the Waiting Room, Dracul was clapping along with Zoey and Leigh. "Amazing," the Romanian man grinned. He then noticed that Leigh's eyes were practically ready to spill, and so he pulled out a handkerchief adorned with the colours red, blue and yellow, and handed it to them. "He got all four Judges' attention!"

"Thank you," Jack shouted, feeling even more lifted.

"Wow," Arthur breathed. "Honestly - I've never heard of that song before, but you sang it so splendidly, that I believed for a moment, that it could very well be your own there, chap."

"Wow…thank you very much!" responded Jack with a big beam.

"And...I'm not even sure if that's a country song, really," Arthur spoke up, a little confused himself; there were hints of soul and gospel to it as well. Jack's voice certainly didn't help; it showed hints of country, but again, more hints of soul shone through, too. "Is that...is that a country song?" he asked in Alfred's and Sadik's direction.

Sadik shrugged while Alfred nodded as he and Jack called back, "It's a country song!"

Francine chuckled while Alfred was nodding his head up and down. Arthur's face flushed red as he snapped at the French woman, "Sod off, you! And Alfred, take it easy!"

"I know," Alfred wriggled his eyebrows. "I know!"

"Honestly!" Arthur rolled his eyes. "He's already going bonkers. Anyway, I think I can offer you a slightly different angle - a slightly different approach to what you already do, but really, that said - you don't need much help. Your voice is just that incredible."

"Thank you very much," Jack said as he gripped the microphone with both of his hands and the audience cheered at the Brit's words. "Thank you."

"I'll be honest with you, dude," Alfred spoke up once the noise died down a bit. He shrugged, "I don't even know if country is even your thing, really. You can probably do any kind of music you want! You're that kind of a singer! Know what I'm saying, man?"

"Yeah, I do, thanks!" the Australian man grinned in the American's direction.

"You really have a lot to offer," spoke up Arthur, only to be interrupted by Alfred.

"Let me make it clear! Hey! Let me make it clear!" Alfred shouted as he waved his arm. He then pointed at Jack, "I really wanna work with you very, very badly, dude!"

Jack nodded his head in consideration, "Okay, then!"

Francine shrugged, "Well obviously, mon cher, you got all of our chairs to turn around, so I believe that goes without saying for all of us. Your voice...triggered my instincts like that," she then clicked her manicured fingers as she continued, "You were mastering the distinctive notes within each particular ad lib and run and riffs, and I would be honoured to have you in my team."

"Thanks," Jack dipped his head in the French woman's direction as the crowd also cheered Francine's words. Arthur's eyes widened as well as Alfred's; causing them to exchange glances - it seemed that Francine was now changing her words to try and reel more contestants to join her team.

"Your performance was empowering in numerous ways," Sadik said with a nod as the audience's shouts and squeals calmed down to allow him to speak. "It takes a lot to bank into my own emotional state, and well, when you performed, it tapped right into that - my emotions." Arthur nodded in agreement in Sadik's direction as the Turkish man continued, "And nothing else seemed to matter at the moment; I turned around, and I was glad that that beautiful voice came out of you."

Again, the audience screamed and cheered in approval as Jack smiled again and nodded, "Thank you."

"Son, you have a great voice!" shouted Sadik.

"So, choose whoever you want," Alfred said graciously, spreading his arms out, but only to have them quickly point at himself as he speedily added, "Me."

Francine burst into laughter while Sadik cracked as did many members of the audience. Arthur meanwhile, was unamused at the American man and snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jack then licked his lips as the audience shouted names at him; trying in hopes to influence his choice on who to pick as his Coach. The Australian man gave a whistle as he rubbed at his head, his hands easily combing past his twin ahoge as his grin pulled into a more worried and contemplating expression.

It was a little while before he spoke again. He brought the mike to his lips as he said, "Well, I think I made a decision, mates." Everyone looked up at him eagerly as he continued, "It's a hard one, really. And honestly - I'm gonna have to pinch myself to see if I'm still dreaming or if it's true blue." The Australian man then pinched a few times on his arm, which made some people wonder how he wasn't yelping in pain from doing so yet. He then pointed, "I think I'm gonna go with Alfred."

Alfred shouted in triumph as he pumped his fist, "Yes! Hell yes!" and the audience screamed in delight as they applauded again, cheering loudly. Arthur sat back in his chair as he blew some of his messy, blonde bangs from out of his emerald eyes. Francine also looked clearly disappointed while Sadik shrugged and simply clapped with the audience.

The American man meanwhile, got up from his seat and ran over to Jack. The two did a bro-hug at first, which quickly melded into a real hug as Jack laughed while Alfred was still yelling in triumph at his good luck.

When Jack left the Performance Stage, Alfred smirked in Arthur's direction as he teased, "You know nothing about country music, dude! How embarrassing!"

He gave a loud, obnoxious laugh as Arthur then stood up from his seat and shook an angry fist in the American man's direction, "Shut up, you bloody wanker!"

As soon as he came into the Waiting Room, Jack spread his arms out as he came over and hugged both of his siblings and accepted his koala back from Leigh. The koala fondly clung onto his back, but still flashed an evil look at everyone else who dared approach.

"That was really great," Zoey praised as she patted Jack's arm.

The Australian man laughed as he softly patted the girl's head, "Thanks a lot, sis - you and Leigh...you were the only support I had during my tough times when I thought I only had my voice back then. Thanks..."

Zoey couldn't help the smile spreading out on her face.

[THIS IS HETAVOICE!]

"Now, join us for our next Blind Audition contestant!" grinned Dracul as he started to get over trying to figure out what gender Leigh was and the evil look Jack's koala flashed him before they left.

The next contestant was revealed to be a woman - a more mature Swedish woman.

She had straight, long, pale blonde hair with a dark blue flat hat perched atop of her head. She had deep, storm blue eyes behind clear glasses, and her face was one of great calm. She was wearing a long, flowing blue coat that had lace trimming at the bottom, as well as black, heeled boots.

She was accompanied by a tall Danish man, and a petite and delicate looking Finnish woman who was holding hands with a young girl.

The Danish man was tall and practically towered over Dracul, who paled at the big, cocky grin on his face. He had short, wild blonde hair, and drooping baby blues. He was currently wearing a form-fitting black shirt that contrasted well against his pale skin, and overalls as well.

The Finnish woman had yellow blonde hair in a bob-cut, and was wearing a Santa hat on her head. She was also wearing a pale blue dress with white heeled boots and stockings. The young girl she was holding hands with was wearing what appeared to be the female version of a sailor uniform and had her dirty blonde hair tied into two pigtails.

"Meet thirty-year-old secretary Kristine Olofsdotter," said Dracul's voiceover. "Here to provide her as support today are her best friend Tina, god-daughter Penny, and boyfriend Mathias."

"My name is Kristine Olofsdotter," said the Swedish woman calmly while she was being interviewed. "I am thirty years old, and I originally came from Stockholm."

In the Preparation Room, she simply stared at her reflection in the mirror and blinked a couple of times. Her composed mask then seemed to crack a little as her hand formed into a fist. She simply fixed a strand of loose hair and turned away from the mirror.

"I made a bunch of foolish choices when I was nineteen," said Kristine coldly. "And because of it, it cost me dearly; I got disqualified from a competition involving singing back in my home country."

"Yeah, she's done pretty dumb things," Mathias, her Danish boyfriend, nodded solemnly, the big grin disappeared from his face for a moment. "But come on! We've all done stupid things! Hell; I did something stupid yesterday!"

"Which is?" questioned Dracul, raising an eyebrow.

Mathias sheepishly rubbed at his head as he chuckled, "Drinking a crap load of beer..." he then moaned. "My hangover's just disappearing now..."

The Finnish woman, Tina, gave a giggle as she shook her head in the Danish man's direction, "Oh, Mathias, you silly man!" she then nodded in Dracul's direction as she gave a soft, slightly sad smile. "Yes, those decisions were rash and quite...not well thought out, but really, ever since then, Kris changed herself and now, she's the woman she is today!"

Backstage, she is then seen taking a deep breath as she gazed upwards to the ceiling, her hands resting on her hips. "I believe that regrets are a waste of time," said Kristine before she headed off to the Performance Stage. "Because...they're just the past crippling you in the future." She then sighed, "As soon as I go onto that stage, it's a chance for me to...continue on to my dream, and perhaps leave this time, being remembered on a good note and for my talents."

She then made her way onto the stage, which was now coloured golden yellow, which provided a nice contrast with her dress. The sound of her footsteps reverberated around the stage as everyone watched her eagerly; waiting to hear what she sounded like.

"Heels," Francine said with her eyebrow arched. "This one is a woman."

"Nice one, my French buddy," Alfred grinned as he began to wonder what this woman would sound like - shy? Strong? Sad? Happy?

Was she hot, too?

A strong, heavy drumbeat picked up and after a few bars in, Kristine nodded, going into a rather poised stance as she then brought the mike close to her lips. Her voice was revealed to be strong as low bass and electric guitars were heard.

[Kristine]
This was never the way I planned
Not my intention
I got so brave, drink in hand
Lost my discretion

The audience cheered in approval at the Swedish woman's choice of song and began clapping in rhythm to the song. Kristine's expression maintained its seriousness as she made a graceful motion with her hand as she sang - it looked elegant and poised.

She looked elegant and poised.

And her voice was powerful, despite her calm and serious expression. It was very expressive as well, bending notes easily and reaching high points with no problem.

[Kristine]
It's not what I'm used to
Just wanna try you on
I'm curious for you
Caught my attention

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chap stick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong, it felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

Francine was nodding in approval herself, a smile forming onto her red lips while Alfred was nodding to the music, getting into it. He smiled in the French woman's direction, to which Francine beamed. She then looked over to her left at Arthur and Sadik.

Arthur's face was red now as he blinked. The French woman laughed at how flustered he looked, "Why be so embarrassed, mon petite lapin? I thought men were into women on women action?"

The British man's face exploded into an even darker shade of red as he yelled, "Shut up, you frog princess! That's disgusting!"

Sadik simply guffawed as he remarked, "Arthur's an innocent kid, Francine - can't blame him!"

Meanwhile, in the Waiting Room, Mathias was simply nodding his head in rhythm to his girlfriend's song as Tina held onto Penny. The Dane's face broke into a big grin while Dracul noted, "That's a pretty bold choice for a song."

Mathias laughed, "Yeah? Well, I'm perfectly alright with that."

[Kristine]
No, I don't even know your name
It doesn't matter
You're my experimental game
Just human nature

It's not what good girls do
Not how they should behave
My head gets so confused
Hard to obey

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chap stick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong, it felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

Sadik was swaying his head to the song that the performer was singing while Alfred was nodding his head up and down, getting into it as he loved the artist. However, he didn't press his button. He did watch Francine to see what she was going to do.

The French woman placed a hand over her button, close to pressing down, much to the glee of the audience. However, at the last moment, she withdrew her hand and rubbed at her chin, thinking more deeply as the Swedish woman finally hit the hook.

Kristine didn't look so bothered though, and kept her serious and calm expression as well as her poise as she sang in a slightly softer and lower voice until the last line where she regained her strength.

[Kristine]
Us girls, we are so magical
Soft skin, red lips, so kissable
Hard to resist, so touchable
Too good to deny it
Ain't no big deal, it's innocent

Here, Kristine then shut her eyes as she unleashed a great, higher note on the last word of the hook, holding it as the lights were flashing around her and the instruments picked up.

"Whoa!" marvelled Alfred in awe. Still, he did not press his button.

In the Waiting Room, Kristine's loved ones were now getting more on edge than the singer herself. Penny was squealing as she was covering her mouth, anxious while Tina was now bouncing on the balls of her heeled boots. Mathias was more vocal as he shouted, "Come on! Press the damn button already! She's slaying the crap out of that song!"

Dracul was careful to duck and move out of the way when the Dane flailed a fist.

[Kristine]
I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chap stick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong, it felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it

Just when Mathias, Tina and Penny were scared for the Swedish woman, Francine finally leaned forward and pressed the button, causing her chair to turn around.

The French woman's smile grew wide as she saw the singer and she nodded in approval. Kristine simply dipped her head in respect in Francine's direction as she finished the song on a grand note.

[Kristine]
I liked it.

And with that, the instruments died down a second or two later and the audience screamed in delight as they applauded. Kristine bowed to the audience and to the Judges as the remaining three chairs turned around.

Once the cheering died down, Alfred grinned, feeling disappointed; it was a hot woman, "Well, hello there, dudette! What's your name?"

"I am Kristine," the Swedish woman replied politely. "Kristine Olofsdotter."

"Awesome choice of song," continued Alfred as he nodded. "I can relate to it, like totally."

The audience cracked up laughing as Arthur gave a snort when trying to suppress his own chuckles. The British man covered his mouth as he trembled slightly. Sadik just clapped as he laughed out loud while Francine shook her head after her own bout of laughter.

"And on top of that, you sounded great! So powerful and strong," concluded Alfred; choosing not to say much since he didn't pick her after all.

"At one point, I thought you were actually going to break the speakers," said Sadik. "Your voice is just that powerful."

Kristine dipped her head, "I apologize for that."

"But look at this," the Turkish man motioned to both Francine and the Swedish woman. "This is a great marriage; I think Francine is perfect for you."

"Thank you," responded Kristine with a nod of her head.

"Oui," agreed Francine. "You had me going. At first, I thought it was a little bit shaky, but ma chére, you really found your way as it continued, and it is obvious, non? I liked it."

"Thank you for taking me, Francine," Kristine said as she bowed respectfully in the French woman's direction as the audience cheered again; at the top of their lungs, loudly and in great enthusiasm.

When she went into the Waiting Room, the Swedish woman found herself getting hugged tightly from her spiky-headed, Danish boyfriend who gave a loud roar of triumph as he proclaimed, "Lort, you made it! I know you freaking could! Hell yeah!"

Kristine arched an eyebrow, but shrugged as she returned the embrace and sighed, "You had that much faith in my abilities?"

"Of course!" Mathias grinned widely. "Never had any doubts in you!"

Much to Dracul's surprise, the rather stoic Swedish woman, despite her face retaining its serious expression, was now painted cherry red on the cheeks. Especially when the Danish man leaned over and planted a peck onto her cheek. She simply gave a gentle push on his head after he kissed her, to which he gave a pout at first by sticking out his bottom lip, but laughed soon after as Tina and Penny went up to Kristine to hug her for her success.

"Honestly, at first I thought that the ship had sailed," admitted Kristine when she was interviewed one last time. "I had given up on pursuing a music career, and honestly...I really can't wait."

"I think people..." Dracul cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention. "I think people are gonna love what you represent - which is 'Never give up'."

"Exactly!" Mathias pointed at the Romanian man, grin growing wider as he wrapped an arm around the Swedish woman's waist.

"But now you have another opportunity," said Dracul. "You could've quit a million times, or whenever you wanted to. But you didn't, and look at you now."

"Don't give up on your dreams," Kristine said firmly as she gazed into the camera. "Don't ever give up."

[THIS IS HETAVOICE!]

The next person to come to the HetaVoice Building was a younger Asian boy, Taiwanese to be exact.

He had short, dark hair and bright, brown eyes sparkling in eagerness and excitement. There was a really long, wild curl that was dangling from his head. He was wearing a pink jacket with a white, oriental-designed sun on it, as well as skinny, denim jeans and red converse shoes.

He was accompanied by an Asian woman and a young Korean girl who was chatting up a storm, laughing with the Taiwanese boy.

The Asian woman was tall, slender, and had long, dark hair with a ponytail, as well as side-tail. She was also wearing a card in her hair, more specifically, the ace of hearts. She was wearing a dark-coloured qipao with a slit where her lean legs were more viewable. The Korean girl meanwhile had long, dark hair tied back into a braid and wore a large, golden-coloured hanbok with large, over-sized sleeves.

"Meet nineteen-year-old part-time waiter, Jang Chen Fai," said Dracul from his voice-over. "Hoping to make it through our HetaVoice Blind Auditions! Accompanying him today are his cousin, Lin, and best friend, Im Soo Jin."

Chen Fai laughed as he beamed during his interview, "I'm so honoured to be here! Really! I've always wanted to perform; I know that there are seriously talented people out there auditioning, too, but when I got accepted, I was…I couldn't believe it! I didn't think that my singing would be on par with the competition after watching the live streams of the episodes!"

"Well, you're here now, be happy!" Dracul said as he patted the Taiwanese boy's shoulder. "You're skills are worthy to try out here!"

"We have been reassuring him that he would make it," Lin, Chen Fai's cousin said with a soft smile while her face was slightly pulled into a gentle, yet humoured expression. "Honestly, sometimes he goes too hard on himself."

"Yeah," agreed Soo Jin with a sigh. "He's so on edge! All the time!"

"I am not," Chen Fai protested, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes you are!" grinned Soo Jin impishly.

"Am not," the Taiwanese boy began to smile, equally impish as he nudged her playfully.

"You definitely are!" the Korean girl nudged him back in an eagerly light-hearted manner.

Dracul couldn't help but smile at the friendly banter between the two Asians as Lin watched with a motherly smile. The Romanian man glanced at her at had to admit; she was really pretty.

At once, she looked up, and her golden eyes locked into his red ones. She simply smiled at him, too. Smiled that gentle smile

Dracul simply gulped and averted his eyes, but the Romanian man felt his face grow aflame.

Backstage in the Preparation Room, Chen Fai was pacing back and forth, obviously nerve-wracked at the fact that he was going to go onstage quite soon. His hands were now shaky as he checked the mirror and fixed at his hair. He looked up at the long curl that dangled, and blew it out of his face as he ran his hand through his dark hair. He licked his lips and nodded after smoothing out his clothes.

"God, I'm nervous…" Chen Fai said anxiously. "And I mean really nervous. I mean, what if I screw up? All four of those Judges…really, this is a big deal to me. Am I good enough to make it? Will someone turn around for me? I certainly hope so, well…let's see what happens then…"

Chen Fai was now making his way onstage, trying to calm his nerves as his stomach was twisted and knotted all over. His breath hitched in his throat and already, he found that he was beginning to sweat, which he didn't want – he would feel and smell gross.

The stage was tinted in a dark, yet soft, pink as he stopped centre stage with the mike in his hand. He coughed to clear his throat from the saliva hitched there.

Arthur arched an eyebrow and Francine tilted her head while Alfred asked, "Whoa! Is this dude sick?"

Sadik shook his head, "Might just be nerves."

After a while of calming himself, Chen Fai, who was holding on his knees for a moment, straightened himself as the audience smiled at him, encouraging him to start. The Taiwanese smiled gratefully back, feeling much better and ready to perform. He nodded at the musicians to signal that he was ready.

A crisp and even drumbeat played while a laidback and relaxed acoustic guitar played with a soft bass in the background. Chen Fai swayed slightly to the music to immerse himself in it before he started singing.

[Chen Fai]
Baby hair, woman's eyes
I can see you watching in the night
All alone with me, out waiting for the sunlight
I…I feel cold, you warm me.
And when I feel I can't go on, you come and hold me

A smooth and sweet voice resounded from within the Performance Stage as the audience cheered, making Chen Fai calm down more as he began walking relaxedly around the stage, with both hands now on the mike.

Sadik leaned forward on his chair as he settled his hand a few millimetres above from its red surface. Likewise, Francine also leaned forward on her own chair with her perfectly manicured nails caressing her own button.

Both the Turkish man and French woman exchanged a glance, overlooking Arthur, and giving a knowing smile at each other. There was no doubt; they both knew that the other was going to press their button.

But the question as, who would turn around first?

[Chen Fai]
It's you and me forever

Oh, Sara smile
Won't you smile a while for me, Sara?
Mmmmm…

If you feel like leaving, well you know that you can go
Why don't you stay until tomorrow?
Mmm…

If you wanna be free, oh…
All you have to do is say so

Oh, girl…

A button was heard being pressed and the crowd screamed and whooped in delight as Francine's chair was the first to light up and turn around. The French woman smiled at the Taiwanese boy performing.

Sadik then arched an eyebrow as he grinned and, rubbed his stubbled chin, considering whether or not he should turn his chair around or not.

Chen Fai almost stopped singing, but quickly regained himself and continued, though he was close to jumping for joy. Instead, the Taiwanese boy pumped his fist in triumphant, looking overjoyed.

Back in the Waiting Room, Soo Jin was bouncing up and down for joy as she gave a sharp squeal. She clapped her hands and hugged onto Lin, then next, clamped onto Dracul, who was almost knocked over from being unexpectedly hugged.

The Romanian gave a nervous chuckle as he adjusted his top hat back onto its perch before it fell off. He turned red though when Lin gave a soft giggle in his direction. "Well…he got Francine to turn around!" Dracul said. "That's good news!"

[Chen Fai]
When you feel cold, I'll warm you
When you feel you can't go on, I'll come and hold you
It's you and me forever.

Sara smile
Won't you smile a while for me, Sara?
Oh Sara, smile.

Because one of the Judges turned around (and the lone female one at that), Chen Fai was pumped to give even more of himself during his performance. He began bending some of the notes, adding runs, which flowed quite smoothly with the song, and he was using his falsetto more often. The falsetto was soft and actually really pleasant to the ear.

Francine put her hands on her heart as she sighed; she did love a good falsetto.

Sadik arched his eyebrow and looked at Francine carefully as did Arthur and Alfred. However, the American man and the Brit decided to just observer first.

The French woman shook her head at Sadik's direction, as she pointed at herself, "Non. He is mine."

This however prompted the Turkish man to slam his hand down on his own button and cause it to turn around.

Francine gasped, visibly looking appalled. Sadik simply gave an over-exaggerated evil laugh as he finally came face-to-face with the performer, who was revealed to be a fresh-faced Asian boy.

Chen Fai smiled as he pointed at the Turkish man. Sadik simply nodded his head and grinned.

Arthur scratched his messy head as he stared down at his button, contemplating whether he should just turn to face the performer and have to convince them that they should join his team. Did he really need this voice in his team?

[Chen Fai]
Won't you smile a while for me, now, Sara?
Smile a while for me.
You know I love it when you…
Smile.

Now quite impressed with the voice, and wanting in on the action, Alfred quickly pressed his own button, and it turned his chair around as the audience screamed even louder as they did before.

The American man grinned as he nodded his head in approval, "Nice!"

Back in the Waiting Room, Soo Jin was squealing and jumping around even more than before. She pointed as she cried and furiously shook Dracul's shoulder, "Oh my God! Another!"

Poor Dracul was starting to look really tired. He looked at Lin and forced a smile on his face, though the Asian woman simply chuckled lightly again at the amusing sight before her.

[Chen Fai]
Come on, won't you smile a while for me, oh Sara?
Oh my Sara…

Would you just smile?
Would you smile a while for me now, Sara?
Smile a while for me…

Ooohhh…

Chen Fai had applied a beautiful falsetto as well as a lovely run on the last word of the third line. To finish off his performance, on the last word, he gave a soft, but low run as the instruments softly finished on a more jazz-like number.

The audience screamed and cheered as they applauded the Taiwanese boy, who exhaled deeply again and gave a huge grin as he saw that he was able to get three out of the four Judges to turn around.

Arthur clapped along with his fellow Judges and the crowd as his chair turned around to face the performer. He gave a small, slightly sheepish smile in the Taiwanese boy's direction and nodded in approval.

The cheering didn't seem to want to die down, though; more screams and whistles were heard as Chen Fai punched the air in triumph, particularly from the girls.

This prompted Alfred to raise his arms and holler, "Ladies, make some noise!" Francine complied with a majority of the audience who screamed as well. "Okay now, calm down ladies, calm down ladies!" the American called as he flapped his hands up and down to signal them to be quiet, only for them to scream more loudly. Alfred then laughed and shouted, "You know what? Screw that! Make some noise! Show him some love!"

Chen Fai laughed as he felt his face flush. He wiped at his forehead and inwardly winced at feeling the amount of sweat there.

"Alright," Francine called in a more authoritative voice, signalling for everyone to calm down.

"Great job, man!" continued Alfred. "Great job!"

"Thank you, man," smiled Chen Fai.

"Now, what's your name, boy?" Sadik questioned after cracking up at Alfred encouraging the ladies to make some noise and Francine complying. "And where you from?"

"My name is Jang Chen Fai," responded the Taiwanese boy. "I originally came from Taipei, which is in Taiwan, but I moved out here upon gaining a musical scholarship."

"That's so cool!" beamed Alfred. "So, how's it going for you out here? The hood being nice to you?"

Chen Fai chuckled as he nodded, "Yeah, it's really great out here. Really great. I don't have a car, though, which would be nice."

Sadik was guffawing as Francine raised her hand, "Mon cher, I have a lot of cars!"

Chen Fai laughed while Alfred spoke, "I'm sure you can get a ride, though, from one out of like, four thousand of these dudettes screaming for you!"

The Taiwanese boy felt his face go aflame again as he gave another chortle. The American man then chose to elaborate more on Chen Fai's singing, "But seriously, man…dude, you have such soul in your voice, what genre of music inspires you the most?"

"Well…to be honest, jazz was a big influence for me," responded Chen Fai. "I grew up listening to it as well as traditional stuff. Pop and R&B is also starting to grow on me, and I'm getting quite interested in soul, too."

"Whoa, dude! That's awesome!" marvelled Alfred. "You have like, a lot of soul and conviction in your voice, and your runs were just off the hook! I got a lot of soul in me, so I think we'd be perfect together!"

"Thank you," Chen Fai said with a smile as some members of the audience raised their vocal approval at the American man's words. "I'll consider it."

"Well," Sadik said as his turn came. "Soul is my forte, Alfred. And I, too actually get inspired by jazz and R particularly Louis Armstrong, Chaka Khan, Beyoncé, Arethra Franklin…I feel that you and I speak the same sort of language where that's concerned."

Here, Chen Fai's eyes were twinkling as he listened to the Turkish man's list of inspirational artists. He nodded, both hands gripping on the microphone.

Sadik continued, "To me, with your voice, the sky's the limit. And I want to be the one who will help guide you along and all the way."

"Thank you," responded Chen Fai. "Thank you, I'll definitely consider your words."

"Well, I guess since nobody else is going to say it," Francine shrugged and said it outright. "Mon cher, you are very handsome.

This warranted a loud squeal and cheer from the females in the audience, which were the majority. Arthur rolled his eyes, "How did I know you were going to say that, bloody frog princess?"

"That wasn't very nice, mon petite lapin," Francine said, arching an eyebrow.

"For the last sodding time, I am not your bloody rabbit!" snapped Arthur, who was rubbing both of his temples.

"Well, at least I am secure enough to tell him that," responded Francine as she tilted her head in Arthur's direction. "Do not forget; that I was the first one to turn my chair around for you, too," she waggled her finger and pointed at her button.

Chen Fai nodded and pointed at her, "That's true."

"She was totally turned on," grinned Alfred cheekily.

Sadik laughed while Arthur turned bright red and the audience chuckled at the American man's wisecrack. However, they died when Francine arched an eyebrow and turned to Alfred briefly, "Who's to say I wasn't?"

Alfred's jaw dropped at the French woman's statement as she continued, "I was very drawn in upon hearing your voice and when I turned and saw you, I was reminded of someone…honestly, I wasn't sure who at first. At first, I was thinking maybe Wang Yao," here, Arthur shrugged at hearing the name of one of his band-mates who was also one of the songwriters of the group. "But then, it hit me!" Francine snapped her fingers for emphasis. "I remembered who you reminded me of – Kiku Honda."

Chen Fai couldn't help but smile here – Kiku Honda was one of his most favourite singers of all time; it was a real compliment. "Oh, seriously? Wow…thank you!" he beamed.

"Oh yeah, I can see it now, too," Alfred said after tilting his head.

"Can we please remember that we're not talking about Yao or Kiku here?" Sadik spoke up, finding a chance. "We are talking about Chen Fai, and about him as an artist."

"Pick me, monsieur," the French woman piped up quickly, seeing that the Turkish man was using a great bout of his psychology on the Taiwanese boy. "There's no doubt about it, you have to join my team."

"Whoa, whoa! He doesn't have to!" called Alfred. "So not cool, Frenchie! Because he's joining my team!"

Arthur sighed as he rolled his eyes, "Honestly, it sounds like all three of these bloody gits want to date you, dove."

Everyone laughed at the British man's remark while Francine sighed, "Oh, mon petite lapin, you are so silly…"

"One sec, wait!" Chen Fai called before the audience could start making noise in hopes of somehow influencing his decision. The Taiwanese boy then faced the four Judges, "First of all, I'd like to say thank you. Alfred…" he turned to the American man. "Your music is really cool, and it really is off the hook."

"Thanks, dude!" smiled Alfred.

"Francine…" began Chen Fai.

"Don't break my heart, mon cher," the French woman said.

Chen Fai gave a chuckle as he said, "You're just so unreal. And Sadik, your voice is just so unbelievable." The Taiwanese boy then took a deep breath as he licked his lips, thinking about who to choose. "And…" he said softly. "But…"

The audience died their noise down a bit, seeing that Chen Fai had already made up his mind. The Taiwanese boy then motioned his hand forward, "I gotta go with Sadik."

The Turkish man raised his arms in triumph while Francine slumped slightly and gave a sigh. Alfred leaned back in his chair and pouted a bit, defeated. Sadik stood up and made his way over to the stage as Chen Fai, likewise came closer to the Turkish man as the audience was screaming and whooping in delight.

After the pair exchanged a handshake and a bro-hug, Sadik smiled, "You're truly talented; your own voice."

"Thank you," Chen Fai said, feeling quite flustered.

"I can't wait to work with you and see what you can do."

"Same."

Like with his other contestants, Sadik raised up Chen Fai's arm, prompting more screams and applause to erupt from the audience. The other three Judges also joined in.

Once he got into the Waiting Room, Chen Fai gave a loud shout of triumph as Soo Jin squealed loudly and began bouncing around, her fists shot up in the air at the success of her best friend. The pair hugged as Lin came over, smiling gently at him, "See? I knew you could do it."

Chen Fai laughed sheepishly as he hugged her, "Yeah…you're never wrong…"

Dracul felt fluffy from inside as he watched the Asians. He waved goodbye to them as he smiled, "Ain't that sweet?" Before they left however, he noticed Lin look back at him one last time.

The Asian lady simply smiled and gave a light giggle when the Romanian man's face went on fire.

"You saw nothing!" Dracul snapped at the camera as he placed his hand over its lens.

[THIS IS HETAVOICE!]

After the break, the Romanian man was clearing his throat and tugged at his tie, looking to have recovered properly. He gave an exhale and beamed as the camera now focused on him, "We have some great talent today, right? Right. Anyway, join us for our next contestant coming in!"

He then makes a motion to the next contestant who was walking on the red carpet to the HetaVoice Building.

This time, it was a Thai man who had dark, wavy hair that Dracul felt looked uncannily like a certain Swedish woman's Danish boyfriend's hairdo. However, he looked much calmer and much gentler than the Dane. He was wearing glasses that somewhat magnified his golden eyes, and was wearing a closed, white jacket with matching slacks as well as a shoulder sash.

He was accompanied by quite a number of people. Nearly all of them though was a group of children, and a Vietnamese man.

The Vietnamese man stood at an unusually tall height. He had a cold, serious expression on his face with a slight scowl present while his honey-gold eyes were burning with a flame on low heat. He had short, dark hair and was wearing a very pale blue button shirt, dark trousers, sandals, and a conical, straw hat that was hanging by its thread on his back.

Funny enough, he was also carrying a paddle, and the children didn't seem bothered by his frosty expression.

"Hello there," greeted the Thai man with a smile. "My name is Kasem Chao, I am twenty-five years old, and I teach music in school."

While he was being interviewed, the Vietnamese man, whose name was Quan, recalled the day when his best friend had received his letter of acceptance to the HetaVoice Building.

[FLASHBACK]

Dracul put a finger to his lips while facing the cameraman as he approached what appeared to be a cross of a middle school and a primary school. It was decorated with some paper lanterns as well as flowery decorations that brought more colour to the dull building. There was also a huge statue of an elephant with its head held high and its trunk raised up at the front in all its marble glory.

The Romanian man could hear some singing that were coming from sweet, young voices dancing in the air as he entered the school's grounds. As he approached a painted red door of a small classroom in particular, he could hear a man's voice call, "That was very good, ana~! Now, from the top, one last time!" and at once, the lovely, chirping voices of children wavered in the air.

After listening a little bit to it, Dracul opened the door to the building as he called out loudly, "Kasem Chao! I'm looking for a Kasem Chao!"

Quan, who was leaning on the wall nearby, turned his head around, eyes widening slightly as he then called urgently in a language that was not English right at the man who had his back turned to the doors. The children who were standing at the front were all gasping and squealing in delight and excitement; recognizing the visitor who just came in.

Kasem himself turned around to see what had interrupted his class and his jaw dropped upon seeing Dracul. He covered his mouth with one hand as his face was pulled into an expression of glee.

"Hello there, Kasem Chao!" greeted Dracul as he stepped forward and offered the red letter of acceptance. "Be proud; you have been accepted to our HetaVoice Blind Auditions! Here is your invitation."

"T-thank you!" the Thai man was able to stammer, still stunned. "This came out of nowhere, ana! Thank you so much!"

And with trembling fingers, he opened the letter and showed its inside, where, in capitalized black letters, read, "CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE INVITED TO THE HETAVOICE BLIND AUDITIONS!"

Quan had come closer for a better look and patted his best friend's shoulder while the children that provided as the choir that Kasem was teaching, were cheering and jumping around in delight at seeing their teacher get chosen. A lot of them were also hugging at the Thai man's waist.

"Congratulations," the Vietnamese man said quietly to the Thai man.

When Kasem turned to thank his best friend, he was shocked; he could've sworn he saw a small smile form on the usually stoic Vietnamese man's face before he turned away.

[END FLASHBACK]

"Music is…simply put, my life, ana," said Kasem with a twinkle in his eyes. "I love teaching music, and I believe that it's a necessary part of life. I've been teaching music for three years, and to be honest, I couldn't be any happier, ana~"

"Even back then when we were both in high school, music was already a big part of his life," said Quan, Kasem's best friend, in a sincere yet toneless voice. "Music establishes him as a person, and I can't imagine him without it. He'll most likely stay married with music for the rest of his life."

At the Vietnamese man's last sentence, Kasem blushed slightly and gave a chuckle while the children were either laughing or giggling at his words.

"Indeed," nodded Kasem. "I actually paid more attention to music than with girls."

"You weren't the only one, though," said Quan, nonchalantly. "I wasn't the least bit interested in girls, either…"

Soon, it was time for Kasem to leave in preparation for going on the Performance Stage. The Thai man was calmly tapping his foot in rhythm as he looked upward to the ceiling, expression thoughtful. He was also seen seemingly praying silently to himself as his hands were clasped together at his front.

"If I were to be picked by any of the Judges," said Kasem in a more determined voice, despite the calm, still laidback expression on his face. "It would mean the world to me – I am here to show myself and to tell a story. But even then, if I do not get picked at all, well…" he shrugged with a small smile, "It's okay – though I will be disappointed, I'm perfectly happy with my life right now."

And with that, Kasem began making his way onto the centre of the Performance Stage where the mike was actually placed in the stand. He calmly took the mike from its stand as the stage was now painted with a beautiful shade of violet.

Arthur leaned back in his seat as he blew some messy bangs out of his eyes. Sadik simply rested his chin in his arm, which was resting on the chair's arm rest while Francine had a leg crossed over her knee. Alfred was leaning forward, staring at his shiny, red button as he closed his eyes to listen.

Kasem gave a nod at the musicians to start, and with that, a single piano chord played, ringing throughout the stage. But immediately following was Kasem's own voice; which was revealed to be more of an alto with a warm, soulful and soft, yet strong tone to it.

[Kasem]

I've been so many places in my life and time…

Immediately once the first line ended, Alfred's blue eyes shot open in interest as he leaned forward and immediately slammed his hand down onto the button. This warranted loud shrieks and cheers of delight from the audience.

The three older Judges were shocked to say the least at seeing the American man turning around already. They watched him closely to see if he could give away anything on the performer.

Alfred blinked as he stared at the Thai man in awe. A beam slowly appeared across the American man's face as he then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, immersing himself with the music and the performer.

Kasem himself simply smiled in Alfred's direction as he continued in his soulful voice. His free hand was held at his front as he walked composedly and softly around the stage. Just his voice and the steady, soft chords of the piano that played in such a way, that it provided not only as background music, but a beat.

Meanwhile, in the Waiting Room, the children from Kasem's choir were cheering, screaming and jumping around in delight. Some of them were holding each other they jumped, while others were tugging on the sleeve of Dracul or Quan's jacket or shirt, respectively as they pointed at the television screen that showed the Thai man's performance.

"I know!" laughed Dracul. "Amazing, isn't it?" he turned to face Quan, but was shocked at seeing that the Vietnamese man had an expression on his face.

His scowl was replaced by a rather stunned look.

[Kasem]
I've sung a lot of songs; I've made some bad rhymes
I've acted out my life on stages
Ten thousand people watching
But we're alone now, and I'm singing this song to you

At the last line, where there was only a second of pause, Francine then chose to push her own button to see what Alfred was enraptured by. The audience cheered and hooted at seeing the French woman's chair light up and turn around as well.

The French woman felt a soft smile form on her own face as she watched and listened to Kasem before.

Soon, a soft cello began to form as the piano continued in its steady beat. However, as the verse continued, it gradually picked up in volume until it was only just under the piano's voice.

[Kasem]
I know your image of me is what I hope to be
I treated you unkindly, but darling, can't you see?
There's no one more important to me
Baby, can't you see through me?

Cause we're alone now, and I'm singing this song to you

"Hey…" Dracul asked uneasily in Quan's direction, becoming a bit worried. "You okay there, buddy?"

He was met with no response.

The Vietnamese man only focused on the Thai man on screen as his expression calmed down. However, he was inwardly shaken.

Soon enough, everything was becoming a blur as the colours and scenery morphed around him. Despite the visage changing, Kasem's voice remained the same; still strong, sincere and soulful.

Before he knew it, Quan found himself back in the music room of his high school – both were still wearing their school uniforms and looked younger. He was on the piano while Kasem was standing by his side.

The Vietnamese man had cracked all of his knuckles before playing, and when he did so, he was producing the same notes as the piano playing during Kasem's performance. Quan could also hear his own voice joining in the song along with the Thai man, albeit in a smoother tone and instead, harmonized along…

[Kasem]
You taught me precious secrets of a true love withholding nothing
You came out in front when I was hiding
But now I'm so much better, and if my words don't come together
Listen to the melody, 'cause my love is in there hiding

Arthur had pressed his button after Kasem sang the second line of the stanza, and stared right at the singer presented before him.

Then at the very last word of the stanza, Sadik pressed his own button. His chair lit up as did the members in the crowd and they screamed and shouted as they applauded that all four Judges had turned around.

Kasem simply dipped his head in respect and kept it there as while the flute, which had begun joining in from the third stanza, blared more soft and tender notes. The Thai man switched hands as he made more flowing, yet strong gestures towards the people in front of him as he sang. He added a nice, short runs a few times on some of the words in the verse.

Alfred lightly nodded his head in time with the steady beat while Francine leaned forward in her chair and rested her head in her palm. Sadik leaned back in his own chair while Arthur simply had a small smile forming on his face.

[Kasem]
I love you in a place where there's no space or time
I love you for in my life, you're such a friend of mine
And when my life is over, remember when we were together
We were alone and I was singing this song to you

Yeah…

Kasem had applied a much stronger run on a higher level on 'over', even having to raise his head and squeeze his eyes shut to let out the note without forcing it to hard, and he succeeded.

Back in the Waiting Room, the children were still watching their teacher eagerly, ecstatic that he had been picked by not one, but all four of the Judges. However, Dracul found himself not paying attention to the Thai man who was performing.

No, instead he looked at the Vietnamese man in interest. "You okay there?" the Romanian man asked, still a little worried.

Quan shut his eyes for a moment and licked his lips. He nodded, though his voice was now hoarse and choked at the end, "Yes. I am fine…"

"That touched by your buddy's performance, is that it?" Dracul asked with an understanding smile.

The Vietnamese man opened his eyes and raised his right shoulder slightly as he continued watching, "That, and…" he trailed off and shook his head after a little moment of thought. "No, it's nothing…"

[Kasem]
We were alone, and I was singing, yeah…
This song to you!

Yeah!

Kasem then made a stronger note at the last word, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut again as he raised the mike high since he had lifted his own head.

Alfred was banging his head and raising his hands up into a V with his index and middle fingers. Francine had moved her hand and shook her head like how she would do if she was performing onstage.

[Kasem]

Oh, singing this song to you!

And with that, the piano, cello and flute stopped in unison as did Kasem's voice. Once the Thai man finished with his performance, he was met with great cheers and applause from the audience and the four Judges.

Alfred and Francine even stood up from their seats to applaud him.

Kasem gave a small laugh as his face turned slightly red from under the lights and because of how positive the reception of his performance was. He breathed, "Amazing, ana…"

"What's your name, stud?" called Sadik so he could be heard over the noise. This prompted the audience to quiet down and let the Judges speak.

"My name is Kasem Chao," responded the Thai man evenly, somehow able to suppress the euphoric adrenaline he felt that made him want to jump around and do cartwheels.

"Well, congratulations," continued the Turkish man. He then gestured around him, "Look at the impact you already made upon entering this show."

"Thank you," said Kasem sincerely as the crowd cheered in approval at Arthur's words.

"At some point," said Sadik. "I noticed that I was the only dumbass in this room who was missing out on the show. It was truly superb, really it was."

"Thank you," Kasem bowed his head. "I appreciate that very much. Thank you."

"The competition is so on!" shouted Alfred as he was patting at the podium where his button was. He laughed, "Dude! I'm totes excited! I heard you come out strong, but you like, followed through above and beyond what I expected! Which was why I turned around as soon as you finished like, one verse of the song!"

"Wow…" breathed the Thai man as he smiled. "Thank you."

"I would totally love you to be part of my team," continued Alfred. "And I'll work hard for you!"

"Really?" asked Kasem.

"Totally!" grinned Alfred, his blue eyes sparkling and his face now pulled into a determined expression. "I'm willing to fight and work my ass off for you!"

"Oh, please…" Arthur rolled his eyes in the American man's direction.

"I ain't smoking, dude!" protested Alfred. "I'll fight for you to the very end! Totes I would!"

Sadik coughed, "Bull crap…"

The audience cracked up as the Turkish man simply grinned mischievously in the American man's direction while the said American man was pouting with an annoyed expression on his face. Kasem meanwhile had only paid attention to what Alfred was saying and simply smiled on, "Thank you, Alfred. Thank you."

"You sounded really strong there, dove," said Arthur, deciding to take his turn. "Really, you even touched my very core, deep down!"

Francine, Alfred and Sadik snorted in laughter at the British man's words, as did several members of the audience who quickly caught on. Arthur at first didn't understand what everyone was laughing at, even Kasem chuckled a little, but when he realized, the Brit yelled with his face aflame, "No! I did not mean it that way, you bloody wankers!"

"Sure, you did not, mon petite lapin," teased Francine. She then turned her attention to Kasem and spoke, "Honestly, your voice blew me away. I had goose-bumps all over my arms…" she raised her arms to which Alfred stood up and peered closely. "It was just unbelievable and…well, the whole place was on fire. As it says on the bottom of my chair, 'I want you'. I would be thrilled if you would join my team, mon cher."

"Well, unlike her I'm actually gonna look you in the eye and work for you!" Alfred shouted, warranting a chuckle to emit from the audience.

Francine arched an eyebrow in Alfred's direction, "Excusez-moi? But where do you think I even look at when I talk to him, monsieur Alfred?"

"Do we seriously have to answer that question, frog princess?" Arthur asked, voice dripping in sarcasm.

Sadik snorted in response as he gave a cough and covered his mouth, but he cracked up soon after. "Well, ultimately, it's up to you," finished the Turkish man.

The audience now screamed and called towards the Thai man in hopes as always of influencing his decision, but Kasem looked totally unaffected by it. The Thai man then spoke up, "First of all, I would like to say, that I am so…humbled. You know? Just at the fact that all four of you turned around for me, I am just honoured. First and foremost." He then took a deep breath as he looked at the four Judges before him, and only at them.

Back in the Waiting Room, the kids were now on bated breath while Quan simply stared at Kasem with a knowing expression. The Vietnamese man could honestly feel the tenseness that the Thai man must've been going through at that moment on the Performance Stage, and it made his skin crawl.

"This is…a tough decision!" called Kasem, as if trying to reassure himself. "I don't honestly know who I should go for…it's just like…" he gave an exhale, his usually calm, smiling and composed self now somewhat shaken. "But, the one who came to my mind the most is…"

Everyone was now practically leaning closer, wondering which Judge the Thai man would pick to be his music Coach.

"…is Alfred, ana," finished the Thai man.

The American man's head immediately shot up at hearing his name being called and he yelled in triumph as he raised his arms up in the air. He then got up from his chair as he made his way towards the Thai man, who beamed again.

"You said you would fight for me," said Kasem.

"Hell yeah, dude!" Alfred pointed with both hands right at him.

"Well, I'm ready to fight, ana," concluded Kasem, his eyes sparking with a determined flame.

"Fuck yeah!" cheered Alfred as he danced on the spot, banging his fist in the air as the audience screamed in delight at Kasem's words. "Come here, fighter!"

The pair exchanged a handshake at first, but then Alfred gave a bro-hug to Kasem who simply laughed and returned it.

In the Waiting Room, the kids were screaming and frolicking around in delight again at their teacher's choice while Quan's tense shoulders relaxed. He turned his head when his best friend entered and slowly made his way to him.

Kasem was patting and smiling down at the children who all ran up to him and hug him. He smiled and stood straight again so he could face his best friend properly.

"You…" Quan trailed off.

"Take your time, ana," said Kasem kindly.

"You…sang that song," the Vietnamese man said quietly, unable to find the proper words.

The Thai man gave a single nod in response, "Yes, I did."

"But…why?"

Kasem simply gave a light chuckle, "Because I know how much that song means to you, ana. And because of that, it means a lot to me, too, ana."

Dracul could only smile, feeling all fluffy and warm inside at seeing the two Asian men embrace each other fondly; very much like two brothers.

As they left the HetaVoice Building, the children were singing along with Kasem while Quan simply smiled, which shocked Dracul – he didn't think that the Vietnamese man was actually capable of showing such an expression.

Everyone was holding hands together as they walked away.

[THIS IS HETAVOICE!]

"The bunch today is really talented, aren't they?" Dracul asked as he grinned fangs at the camera. "Seriously, am I right, or am I right?" he chuckled as he then sighed, "Of course, we've had quite a number of letdowns…"

It then shows various scenes that showed some other contestants who were invited for the HetaVoice Blind Auditions, but they weren't picked as nobody pressed their big, red button to turn their chair around.

The reactions of each of the contestants who weren't picked ranged from absolute shock to close to tears, to actually crying on the stage.

"Oh, come on now, love, don't cry," Arthur said, trying to comfort a girl who appeared to be in her late-teens, who was in tears since none of the Judges picked her. "It's not the end of the world…"

In another shot, a man is actually protesting, asking for another chance while the Judges try to reason with him.

"I can do this!" shouted the man. "Singing is my life! Give me one more chance!"

"Look, you have talent and a good voice, I'll give you that," Sadik said sternly, not becoming irritated at the man's persistence. "But you need to utilize your techniques properly or else either the sound will wane, or the meaning of the song will be lost."

The shot shifts next to another lady, this one in her low-mid thirties and she looks absolutely devastated.

Alfred then apologize, "We're real, sorry, dudette…but…" he then shrugged, not sure of what to say here.

Meanwhile, in another shift between shots, it showed a young man. He looks sad, but then he questioned, "What can I do to improve?"

"You know, I love that about you, me petite," purred Francine as she smiled warmly at the young man. "It shows that you're willing to take criticism to stride and to develop better for next time." She then hummed, "A shame; you are very cute…"

"Okay now!" the camera then focuses back onto Dracul who rubs his hands and shrugged, "Why don't we go and have a rundown on who's been able to pick somebody today?" he the cleared his throat as his voice-over spoke during various scenes that showed the contestants that were picked; first onto Sadik's choices, "For Team Sadik, we have Daniel Hunyadi…" the Romanian man spat slightly upon saying the Hungarian's name, but continued with a smile on his face, "And Jang Chen Fai." It then showed the contestants chosen by Alfred, "And finally, on Team Alfred, Jack Cullingham and Kasem Chao." It then shows a single shot of the contestant that Francine chose, "And finally, Kristine Olofsdotter."

The camera then shifts onto Arthur who is now staring down at his button. Dracul's voice-over continued, "However, despite turning around twice, Mr Arthur Kirkland has yet to acquire a voice for his team in this episode!"

Francine arched an eyebrow in Arthur's direction, "Slow day it seems, mon petite lapin?"

Arthur snorted, not even looking at her, "Shut up, frog princess."

The French woman rolled her eyes at the British man's snappy remark and simply said, "Do not worry; I am sure the right one for you will come along."

Arthur arched one of his bushy eyebrows as he watched Francine drink some water. The British woman simply looked back down at his button again as he thought to himself deeply.

"Doing alright, Artie?" Alfred asked, coming back with a hamburger. "Whatcha mulling around here for?"

"I was doing fine, until you decided to show your face," Arthur answered back.

"So not cool!"

"Hey, leave him alone, Alfie," Sadik called, back with a cup of coffee that had far too much sugar poured into it. "Seriously, he'll pick when he hears what he wants, and when the right one comes along."

Dracul simply laughed, "Good luck, Artie! You'll need it since two out of five rejected you, already…"

"I heard that! Shut up, you!" snapped Arthur as he pointed and glared daggers at Dracul. The Romanian man simply gave a little, 'eep!' as he quickly motioned for the camera to run for it. "Get your bloody arses back here!"

…

…

…

The camera was then switched back on, revealing that he was now outside, but it appeared that Dracul was holding it. "Don't worry!" huffed the Romanian man, his little top hat slightly askew. "I'm still alive! But Himant, on the other hand…"

The camera then shifted onto a Cypriot man who was lying face-down on the ground. The man had shaggy hair, which was notably longer on his right side and was wearing a white shirt as well as brown trousers and sandals. From a glint on his left ear, there seemed to be a piercing there, too. There was a red and blue cap that looked crumpled next to him.

The Romanian man asked in concern, "Hey, Himant! You alright there?"

After a groan, the Cypriot man carefully got up, put his cap back on, and wobbled over to Dracul, hands stretching out for the camera.

When he took the camera though, the camera dizzily settled onto the Romanian man for a moment. However, it then flew up skyward as Dracul remarked, "Whoa! I think we need a break…"

[THIS IS HETAVOICE!]

"Feeling better, Himant?" Dracul asked. Seeing the camera nod up and down, the Romanian man beamed as he adjusted his hat, "Well, on we go to our next two contestants! That's right! Not one, but two!" he made his fingers go into a 'V' shape as he then motioned to the red carpet, prompting the camera to look quickly.

Sure enough, it showed two young men walking towards the HetaVoice Building, both talking in their native language it seemed.

The older one was a Norwegian man who had short, light blonde hair and dull blue eyes. He was wearing a belted, navy-blue sailor top with a lighter blue collar, tie and cuffs, as well as matching pants and a sailor hat. He was also wearing a Nordic Cross barrette in his hair. Much to Dracul's amazement, he also had a detached hair-curl that was floating independently beside his head as he continued walking.

The younger one however, was an Icelander. He had silver-white hair that appeared rather tousled, and violet eyes. He was wearing a deep brown jacket, a white dress shirt with a ribbon tie underneath, brown, straight-legged pants that matched the colour of his jacket, and white, half-laced boots. He was also wearing a pair of white gloves and had a shiny, new, black leather guitar case strapped over his shoulder.

Interestingly enough, there was what appeared to be a puffin with a black belly, and wearing a pink bow-tie that was perched on the Icelandic boy's shoulder.

"Here, coming to our HetaVoice Building and hoping to get the Judges turn around for their Blind Auditions, are brothers Lukas and Emil Thomassen!" announced the Romanian man as he came over to interview the both of them. "So the both of you are brothers, and you perform? That's pretty cool! Ever performed together?"

"No," Emil shook his head as he shuffled nervously at seeing the camera aimed at him.

"We don't," agreed Lukas, feeling amused at his little brother's bout of embarrassment of being filmed. "Simply because we have different tastes in music." He then wrapped an arm around Emil's shoulders, "He is more into recent music – mainstream types. Especially if they involve a guitar."

"Oooh, really? What kind of guitar?" questioned Dracul in interest.

"Well…" Emil licked his lips, now tensing as the camera focused on him again. Lukas simply patted his shoulder as the silver-haired boy continued, "More like when a guitar plucks or gets picked."

"He plays guitar," Lukas said with a fond, small smile on his face.

"Only a little…" murmured Emil, beginning to blush. "And I'm not even that good!"

"You're better than most of the kids that go to your school," said Lukas encouragingly. "And you're playing yours during your audition, too."

"Not cool, Lukas, stop it!" murmured Emil, feeling especially embarrassed that the camera was still focused on him.

"Only if you call me big brother," replied Lukas seriously, though there was a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Emil's face resembled the same colour as a fire-truck as he said in a harsh whisper, "No way!"

Dracul couldn't help but chuckle at the playful banter between the two siblings as he continued with their interview, "So, who goes first, then?"

"That would be me," Lukas responded, face growing more serious (if that was even possible) and the sparkle in his blue eyes suddenly morphed into a flame of determination. "Music to me is serious business; it is something that gives me joy, and it was my life-oriented goal ever since I was a child."

"What exactly inspired your love for music?" questioned Dracul, still thoroughly interested.

Lukas responded fondly after a little pause for thought, "When I was seven…I got lost on my way to school. I outran a group of older boys who, simply put, wanted to hurt me. So, I ran away, and became lost. I was wandering around until I heard a violin. I followed it, and it led me to a building where I saw a man listening to an opera soundtrack and played violin as accompaniment. He noticed me and beckoned me over. Because I am shy around strangers, I was hesitant, but the music invited me in. And soon, I felt myself escape into another world once the violin played again with the opera. It became a habit, and I visited that man many times; he was a Norwegian who was born in Belarus, apparently. Played violin for most of his life. When he encouraged me to sing, he told me I should not hide my own source of music because it was very nice to listen to, and well…" the Norwegian man's pale face was lightly tinted pink. "I was very flattered. Ever since, I wanted to learn instruments and I wanted to sing even more, too."

Dracul nodded with a smile, "That sounds pretty cool."

"To be honest, I am not sure exactly what made me feel so inspired," admitted Lukas. "Because of him? Because of the music? Because of the worlds that I was brought into from hearing it? Or is it because of how much joy I felt? But, ever since then, music has become a part of me, and I never looked back. My parents couldn't afford a violin until I was in high school, but I was perfectly content in playing the old piano."

"Yeah, you're going to play it, too," noted Emil. "During your Blind Audition."

Lukas nodded, "Indeed I am. I have performed a fair amount of times, but this one has me on edge, the most. You have performed a fair amount of times, too."

"But they're all in school!" protested Emil, reddening again. "They're just dumb school assessments! Honestly, if anyone's gonna make it through, it's gonna be you…"

The Norwegian man looked amused, "We'll see about that."

Soon, Lukas had to go backstage in the Preparation Room. He was staring at his reflection in the mirror as his fingers were running along on his thigh. The Norwegian man is then seen leaning against the wall waiting for his turn, his eyes softly closed as he concentrated quietly.

"I think what has me more nervous about this contest the most is the fact that you aren't seen at all," remarked Lukas one last time before going onstage. "The only thing that they can judge you on is the source of music you yourself can produce: your voice. My voice…if they do not like my voice, then well…" the Norwegian man shook his head. "There is nothing I can do about that."

The stage was now tinted a soft, dark blue and much to the audience's surprise and excitement, there was a white piano positioned centre stage. The Judges themselves didn't even know that there was a piano there as it was moved in during the break.

Lukas entered the Performance Stage, radiating a rather refined and composed aura. He calmly made his way to the piano and positioned himself there. The audience, particularly the girls, leaned forward eagerly (he was quite handsome).

Meanwhile, Emil was actually peering from backstage at his brother. He felt both nervous and excited for his brother; this was what Lukas loved, and one of the things that gave him joy in life.

This was his big break after getting rejected so many times.

Lukas took off his hat, laid it beside him on the black, leather seat and checked if the mike worked. Once he found that it was functioning properly, he seated himself back in place and at once started playing. His eyes softly shut as his fingers flowed along the piano's ivory keys, producing a melody that flowed calmly and evenly just like his fingers, and it was on mezzo piano volume.

[Lukas]
I've been roaming around
Always looking down at all I see
Painted faces fill the places I can't reach

Arthur arched one of his bushy eyebrows while Alfred lifted his head up from his rested hands. He tilted his head as he stared down at his button. Francine meanwhile leaned back in her seat as she shut her own eyes.

Lukas' voice was slightly deeper than what the audience was expecting, but it was sweet, soft and sincere, which made them cheer in delight nonetheless. It was a beautiful match to the piano melody he was producing.

"Oh wow," sighed Sadik. "Beautiful, huh?"

Arthur nodded, "Indeed…"

[Lukas]
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody

During the chorus, Lukas had held a few notes and alternated some with some smooth, few-stepped runs.

Sadik leaned forward in his seat, his hand close to his big, red button, his eyebrows furrowed behind his mask as he began to think more.

Arthur also leaned forward more on his seat, staring at his own shiny, red button.

[Lukas]
Someone like you, and all you know, and how you speak
Countless lovers under covers of the street

This time, the Norwegian man ended softly on each line of the second verse, producing a gentle, hushed tone, which caused the audience to cheer again.

"Oh…magnifíque!" sighed Francine as she listened more closely.

"How charming…" Arthur agreed, also sighing beside her.

The French woman then laughed as she lowered her hand to press her gleaming, red button. Arthur's eyes shot open as he stared at the French woman who simply shrugged and responded, "I just have to know!"

She was definitely not disappointed when her chair turned around. In fact, she was very happy.

Lukas had his eyes opened at this point. Though he swelled with happiness inside, he kept his serious exterior. His lips slightly curved upward, though as he gazed at the French woman who picked him.

Francine simply sighed and put her hands over her chest. "Trés beau…" she marvelled.

This time, Arthur leaned forward, his hand just a centimetre or so away from his own button, as he bit his bottom lip, feeling rather irritated at himself.

Should he press it or not?

[Lukas]
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody

Emil sighed in relief as he clutched his own chest. A small smile forming on his lips; his big brother worked hard with his music – he deserved this moment.

Arthur then withdrew his hand from his button as he began rubbing at his temples, getting highly agitated now.

[Lukas]
Someone like you
Oh, oh…
Someone like you
Oh, oh…
Someone like you
Yeah…
Someone like you
Oh, oh…
Mmm…

Someone like you
Yeah, yeah

Lukas placed more strength in his voice upon majority of the hook, however he easily blended it into a soft, audible falsetto during the third 'oh's' last one.

Sadik was leaning back in his chair, his hand on his button as he listened more closely to the performer. Alfred had actually arched his eyebrow a few times while Lukas performed the hook, but grinned at hearing the falsettos. Meanwhile, Arthur was still unsure. He groaned and looked at Francine who still appeared enraptured by the performer.

[Lukas]
I've been roaming around,
Always looking down at all I see…

The song ended with Lukas singing a soft, low note to harmonize with the last piano key he pressed.

Francine's dreamy expression on her face broke into a wide beam as the chairs of the other three Judges turned around while the audience screamed, cheered and applauded the Norwegian man's performance.

Lukas immediately picked himself up from his spot behind the piano, grabbed his hat, took the mike out from its stand, bowed to the audience, and made his way to the front.

"Hey there, dude," smiled Alfred. "What's your name, man?"

"My name is Lukas, Lukas Thomassen," responded the Norwegian man politely. "I was originally from Oslo, Norway."

"Well, man…" Alfred scratched his head. "I didn't push my button, because, well…have to follow our instincts, you know?"

"That is perfectly alright," Lukas said with a nod.

"I'm not saying that you don't deserve to be here!" added Alfred quickly. "'Cause obviously, you totes deserve to! And besides, you have an awesome coach!" he then gestured to Francine now on his right. "A really sexy, beautiful Coach!"

A small smirk had crept onto Lukas' face, "I have no objections. No objections there."

"Yeah, congratulations, dude!" finished Alfred. "Congrats!"

"Thank you very much," said Lukas sincerely despite the serious expression his face pulled back into. "Thank you."

"The reason why I didn't push my button and turn around was…" Sadik paused, trying to find the right way to describe his reason. "Because…ah…I…was looking for balance. Right? In my team."

Lukas nodded, understanding where the Turkish man was coming from.

"That was the only reason I didn't turn around," concluded Sadik. "But congratulations to you, and good luck, stud."

"Thank you very much," the Norwegian man said again. "Thank you."

"Well," Francine then chose to speak. "Your performance hit my heart. There is no explanation other than it just going through my chair. Mon dieu," she sighed. "I just felt pain! I hope you didn't have to suffer a painful life!"

Lukas shook his head, "It's just…a bit strange. My little brother and I moved here from northern Europe not so long ago; three years ago, to be exact. Our family is back home…"

"Je vois," remarked Francine. "So in a way, you are doing it for them?"

"In a way…" Lukas said quietly. "Yes."

"Well, I am very excited to have you as part of my time, monsieur Lukas," smiled Francine.

"I am…very excited, too," the Norwegian man responded, feeling his own face go a bit hot from the remark and from looking at the French woman a bit too long. "Thank you very much."

Francine then picked herself up from her seat and gracefully walked over to the Norwegian man who also made his own way to her in a rather poised manner. The French woman leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tight, warm hug.

Lukas was honestly very embarrassed and felt really timid at being hugged by a beautiful woman. He hugged back, though he felt a little awkward doing so; hugs weren't exactly his forte. The Norwegian man nodded in the direction of the three other Judges as he left the Performance Stage.

"Bet you enjoyed that a lot," smirked Alfred. "Hot guy playing the piano and from northern Europe! Yeah! You chicks always dig European men!"

Francine gave a tinkling laugh, "Yes, he is handsome, non? His looks are a big plus, but really, his voice is just so lovely…his performance really moved me."

"I was so close…" groaned Arthur, who was actually quiet the duration that Lukas was there. "So close…"

"That is your loss, mon petite lapin," said Francine, feeling really triumphant. "What matters is that he is a part of my team."

"He can play the piano as well," marvelled Alfred. "He's like Rosaliese!"

In the Waiting Room, Dracul, who had Mr Puffin perched on his shoulder, saw Lukas enter and instantly congratulated him on his success, "You did it! Your performance was so beautiful!"

Lukas bowed his head, "Thank you."

"Your brother's up next, right?"

The Norwegian man nodded as he turned his attention to the screen that displayed the Performance Stage and all four chairs now turning around back into position. "Yes, and I wish my little brother all the best of luck," he said softly.

[THIS IS HETAVOICE!]

Backstage, nerves were already having a great effect on Emil.

The poor Icelandic boy found that his knees were shaking when he tried to stand up, and when he was tuning his guitar, his own hands were trembling like mad.

He swallowed the lump that gathered in his throat and clutched at his stomach, starting to feel sick since he saw that the crowd he was going to perform his audition to was a very large one that surrounded him.

"I don't know if I can do this…" Emil said, his voice quivering. "I really don't know if I will get picked or not…" he then remembered watching his brother perform earlier and how calm and composed he was. The Icelandic boy licked his lips and sighed, "How the heck was he so calm during that?!" he then visibly sagged when he became aware that he should head onstage now.

His footsteps echoed throughout the Performance Stage as he made his way to the mike, which was now placed on the stand. The stage was tinted a lovely blue-green as the Icelandic boy felt really small at having the hundreds of pairs of eyes that were observing his every movement, judging him quickly.

However, what he wasn't aware of was the excitement the audience had – not only was this new singer cute, but he appeared quite princely. And he was holding a guitar, too.

Emil positioned himself close to the mike, adjusted the stand to his height and checked one last time to see if his guitar was working properly and in tune. He gave a sigh as the musicians nodded in his direction since he was the one leading them in.

'Well…here goes nothing,' the Icelandic boy thought to himself. He spread his legs slightly apart, feeling uncomfortable, and began strumming onto his guitar in soft, even chords. Soon after, an electric guitar joined in, plucked simply as it accompanied Emil's acoustic.

[Emil]

White lips, pale face

Breathing in snowflakes

Burned lungs, sour taste

Arthur arched his eyebrow and nodded in approval at the performer's choice of song. Sadik had also perked his head up, now alert.

Some members of the audience hooted and cat-called, and soon, began clapping in rhythm to the Icelandic boy and his performance.

Emil honestly felt taken aback at the reaction he was receiving from his performance so far, and felt his face flush, but nonetheless, continued on. Continuing in his slightly stronger (yet still soft), alto voice and with his violet eyes closed.

[Emil]
Light's gone, day's end
Struggling to pay rent
Long nights, strange men

"Is he…is he playing the guitar?" Arthur wondered as he glanced at Sadik who shrugged and leaned back in his chair, eyes now closed from behind his mask.

Alfred swayed his head, also liking the performer's choice of song and closed his own eyes to concentrate. Francine quirked an eyebrow as she lay back in her chair to listen more closely to the voice produced forth.

[Emil]
But they say she's in the class A team
Stuck in her daydream, been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems slowly sinking, wasting…

"Come on…" Lukas muttered as he watched his little brother perform in the Waiting Room. Dracul patted the Norwegian's shoulder, relaxing him a little bit.

But only just a little bit.

"Come on…"

Sadik had leaned forward with his hand outstretched and on his button; just one little nudge with enough force would enable it to be pushed.

Likewise, Arthur's hand was now a fist, and it was just close to the red button, too.

A bass began to strum; it was very soft and barely audible, but it was there nonetheless, and it provided as a smooth layout to a few gaps where the electric guitar and acoustic didn't fill.

[Emil]
Crumbling like pastries and they scream,
"The worst things in life come free to us."
And we're just under the upper-hand
Going mad for a couple grams
She don't wanna go outside tonight
And in a pipe, she flies to the mother land
And sells love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly

For angels to fly…

"Oh!" called Alfred after hearing the performer's slight run done on the last word of the third last line and the two 'fly's'.

Francine licked her lips as she glanced down at her button, hands not close to it as she began thinking. Sadik didn't move his hand yet as he still pondered while Arthur then placed his fist underneath his chin as he lowered his head and shut his eyes to concentrate.

Emil felt much better than before, feeling more used to the stage now, and continued to strum, his face at ease as a simple, soft piano joined in, providing as a beat and joining his guitar. The bass became louder as well, now wanting to be heard.

[Emil]
Ripped gloves, raincoat
Trying to swim to stay afloat
Dry house, wet clothes

Loose change, bank notes
Weary eyed, dry throat
Call girl, no phone

Sadik rubbed at his stubbled chin, his hand still not moving from where it was, which was getting more members of the audience on edge.

Alfred was wriggling restlessly in his own chair, tongue poking out in a comical manner as he began to wonder if he should press his own button and see who the person was.

Francine simply wondered if anyone else was going to press their button, and if they did; would the performer be worth the fight. She also wondered if she needed a voice like this in her team.

Arthur seemed torn just like the previous audition with Lukas; he didn't know whether or not to press his button, get it over and done with, and take a look. The British man looked to his left and saw that Sadik looked to be entranced, but contemplating. He then decided that if Sadik pushed his button before the song's final hook, then he would let him have him.

[Emil]
But they say she's in the class A team
Stuck in her daydream, been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries and they scream,
"The worst things in life come free to us."
'Cause we're just under the upper-hand
Going mad for a couple grams
She don't wanna go outside tonight
And in a pipe, she flies to the mother land
And sells love to another man
It's too cold outside

Noticing that nobody was picking him yet, Emil was starting to feel nervous, even after he made his voice stronger during various parts of the chorus. He felt his stomach drop and his heart sink, but continued on, trying hard to push those horrible feelings down, telling himself that it was okay if nobody picked him.

Instead, he decided to make his voice much gentler and softer; much like how Lukas usually sang. He shook his head to get his bangs out of his face and continued.

[Emil]
For angels to fly

An angel will die covered in white
With closed eyes and hoping for a better life
This time, we'll fade out tonight
Straight down the line

"Don't give up!" Dracul piped up cheerily. "He can do it!"

"Come on…" Lukas was now seething slightly. "Press it…one of you, please. Just press it…"

An instrumental played for a little while where Emil had played around on his guitar a bit, more so out of habit than for showing off; strumming a few chords that harmonised with the piano rather than going along with it. This caused the audience to cheer and cry in delight towards the Icelandic boy.

Once the final chorus came, Emil made his voice even softer, but still a bit strong as only his guitar and the piano were heard. Icelandic boy went back to the normal chords as he sang.

The bass joined in at the third line.

[Emil]
But they say she's in the class A team
Stuck in her daydream, been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries and they scream,
"The worst things in life come free to us."

Suddenly, the instruments stopped for a moment and only played in a few beats as Emil's voice stood out more.

[Emil]
And we're all under the upper-hand
Going mad for a couple grams
We don't wanna go outside tonight

The piano then started playing with the bass while Emil just strummed on every second bar or so. The Icelandic boy shut his eyes as he shook his head during the second last word on the second last line, producing a stronger sound.

[Emil]
And in a pipe, we fly to the mother land
And sell love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly

All the instruments picked up and played normally again. Emil made his voice stronger and for that, closed his eyes as he moved his head up to let the note out in a more powerful manner.

Sadik as close to standing up in his seat; he was now crouching in his chair as his hand was still close to the button.

[Emil]
For angels to fly
For angels to fly

The sound of a button being pressed was heard and everyone screamed and cheered in delight upon seeing Sadik's chair glow white as it turned around. The Turkish man stood up straighter and he grinned upon seeing the Icelandic boy performing.

Emil himself was shocked to see that someone had actually turned around for him. And for that, he couldn't help the big smile that spread across his face as he held the notes on the last words of each line.

Alfred, Francine and Arthur had all turned abruptly upon seeing Sadik's chair turn around and began to wonder whether they should press it or not.

"Å, herregud," breathed Lukas as he sighed in relief that his little brother was finally picked. Dracul laughed as he patted the Norwegian man's back, "Told ya so!"

[Emil]
For angels to fly
To fly

Or angels to die…

The song ended with Emil's voice, a single guitar chord (from his guitar) and a piano chord ending in unison. When his performance was over, Emil breathed a sigh in relief as he clutched at his chest with one hand, and with his guitar with the other. The audience erupted into cheers, whoops and screams in delight as they applauded the Icelandic boy's performance.

Sadik was still standing in his spot, clapping with his hands high up in the air as the other Judges' chairs turned around.

"Thank you so much," Emil breathed as he bowed in Sadik's direction.

"What is your name?" inquired Francine.

"My name is Emil Thomassen," replied the Icelandic boy. "I am seventeen years old."

"You have a beautiful voice, mon cher," smiled Francine.

"T-thank you," Emil was able to stammer out, feeling his face glow red from getting a compliment from a woman.

"I am now kicking myself for not hitting that button," sighed Francine as she gazed down at the said, red button. "But, congratulations!"

"What I love is that I can hear your inner voice," Arthur spoke up. "It's a great thing to be able to sing once you tap into that. By the way, your last name is…Thomassen, correct?"

"Y-Yes," Emil nodded. "That's right."

"You don't have a brother, do you?"

"Actually," Emil rubbed the side of his head. "He auditioned before me."

Hearing that, the audience gave a loud, interested, 'Oohh!' while the four Judges reacted accordingly; Sadik arched both eyebrows in surprise, Arthur nodded his head while he muttered, "I knew it." Alfred's jaw dropped to the floor as he exclaimed, "No way! That's sick!" while Francine's smile widened, "Monsieur Lukas is your brother?"

"Yes, my older one," Emil responded. "He's twenty-four this year."

"That is totes cool!" shouted Alfred. "I'd totally love a sibling to jam with!"

"Your brother is actually a part of my team," beamed Francine. As she looked closely, she then raised her head, "Upon closer inspection, I can definitely see some family resemblance between you two."

"Really?" questioned Emil, doubtful. "We don't even look the same…"

"Anyway, just to finish what I was saying before; your performance was just splendid, dove," said Arthur. "Really, it truly was; and on guitar, too. I am glad you're a part of this old chap's team," he motioned to Sadik. "Really, congratulations."

"Thank you," Emil said with a nod.

"Wow," Sadik said, a small smile forming on his own face as he shook his head. "Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow." This warranted a laugh from members of the audience and Francine. "What particularly impressed me when I listened to you," continued Sadik. "Is that you have…the best kind of voice. Really, you can sing anything."

Emil felt his face grow really red by now; that was a big compliment and honestly, he wasn't sure if he deserved it. "R-really?" he asked, feeling quite shy.

Sadik nodded, "And that's the kind of voice that gets me out of bed in the morning. You are an emotional human being, I am all about emotion. Welcome to HetaVoice."

"Thank you so much," replied Emil. "I cannot wait."

And with that, Sadik got up from his seat to make his way to the Icelandic boy who also carefully made his way over to the Turkish man. Despite holding a guitar, Sadik leaned over and gave a hug to the Icelandic boy, who flushed furiously at the close contact, but returned it, nonetheless.

"Thank you so much again," said Emil, still not believing if this was real. "You're really tall…"

"You're welcome," laughed Sadik. "You were awesome. I am pretty tall, but you know what? By the time this is all over; you'll be taller than me."

Emil couldn't help the chuckle escaping from his lips as he nodded and allowed Sadik to raise his arm like what the Turkish man did with his other chosen contestants as the audience continued to whistle, cheer and stamp their feet while applauding.

When the Icelandic boy came into the Waiting Room, he saw his older brother make his way towards him and at once, wrapped his arms around him. Emil turned red again, feeling his face go on fire, but decided to return it.

"You did very well," praised Lukas with a small smile spreading on his face. "I'm very proud of you."

"Honestly," Emil let out an exhale. "I still can't believe it…"

"You were exceptional," insisted Lukas sincerely.

Emil licked his lips as he nodded, "Okay…thank you, Lukas…"

"Big brother."

"Huh?"

Lukas shrugged, "You forgot to call me 'big brother'."

Emil flushed, looking really embarrassed as he said in a furious whisper, "Never!" and he made a beeline for it behind the wall.

However, he peeped over it, disappeared behind it, then appeared again, his back towards them.

"Big brother…" he said in a quiet voice. He then disappeared from behind the wall, and next thing Dracul knew, he saw the Icelandic boy flash a thumbs-down.

Lukas simply looked amused.

[THIS IS HETAVOICE!]

"Right-o!" exclaimed Dracul as he smoothed out his black trench coat. "Well, let's move on to our final audition for today!"

The camera then goes into a shot showing two Indians walking towards the HetaVoice Building. A young man and a young lady.

The one auditioning was the girl, whose black hair was rather wavy at some points, and a bit curly as well. She had dark brown eyes, and was wearing a sapphire blue sari Madisar style where the sari was neatly wrapped around the waist, with the one end of it on the right side, while the rest of the sari on the left. She was also wearing beautiful jewellery; dangling earrings and two earrings with sparkling gems.

The man accompanying her had his black hair combed back and had a tilaka on his forehead. He was wearing a dark suit with a pale coloured shirt and tied. He was also sporting a pair of dark gloves, as well as having a fedora hat perched on his head.

"My name is Jaimathi," the Indian girl said, smiling pearly whites when Dracul interviewed her. "I am twenty years old, and I am here to pursue my dream!"

She is seen in the Building next, having a conversation with her brother in their own native tongue. It looked nice at first, where the young man then patted his sister's shoulder, then gave a smile as he said something rapidly. Next, Jaimathi starts laughing and the pair look to be in fine spirits.

"Our parents…were actually okay with Jaimathi's decision of pursuing music," said Ramesh, Jaimathi's older brother.

"Could be because you are a successful doctor," smiled Jaimathi as she nudged her brother.

Ramesh chuckled, "Now, cut that out! But, really, whenever relatives or family friends come over and say the usual, 'My son is a lawyer, my daughter's doing business…' that kind of talk, they then ask, 'What does your daughter do?' and well, parents simply reply, 'She does music. And we're happy with it.'"

Jaimathi is then seen backstage in the Preparation Room fixing her hair and sari a little as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She put her hands on her hips as she gave a deep breath.

"Sometimes I wonder if my choice of choosing music over medicine was correct," wondered the Indian girl. "I could've done it, but I love music so much – it's my life, and I can't do anything without it. Well, we'll see upon my audition. I will make my parents proud."

She then daintily walked onto the Performance Stage with the mike in hand, her footsteps rather soft since she was wearing slippers. The stage was also now painted with bright red lights, which provided a lovely contrast to her figure.

"Dude, you can barely hear their footsteps," said Alfred anxiously. "Like, seriously, man!"

"Shhh," Arthur shushed him. "Let them start…"

Alfred pouted while Sadik gave a chuckle as he intertwined his hands in his lap. Francine also giggled as she leaned back in her own chair and relaxed.

An electric guitar was heard making blaring noises like a soft, long alarm while the drumbeat produced to accompany it was heavy sounding and thumping in a pattern similar to that of a heart's pulse. When Jaimathi began singing, a soft bass began escorting her voice.

[Jaimathi]
She, she ain't real
She ain't gonna be able to love you like I will
She is a stranger
You and I have history or don't you remember?
Sure, she's got it all

But baby, is that really what you want?

Jaimathi's voice was quite unexpected – it was more unique and it was soft and husky at some points, but other points radiated a load of strength.

The audience cheered as they leaned closer, quite interested at hearing such a unique voice.

The instruments momentarily died down, but on the chorus, the drumbeat picked up with more snares and this time, a more loud and prominent bass was heard giving loud chords.

Arthur shifted his eyebrows, thoroughly intrigued by this voice. Alfred looked highly unsure as did Francine. Sadik turned to face the British man who was rubbing at his chin as he began to think more.

Sadik smiled at him, "This one sounds interesting. You gonna push your button?"

This warranted a groan of frustration as the British man rubbed at his temples yet again, still wondering.

[Jaimathi]
Come on…

Bless your soul, you've got your head in the clouds
You made a fool out of you
And boy, she's bringing you down,
She made your heart melt
But you're cold to the core

Now rumour has it she ain't got your love anymore

Rumour has it, yeah
Rumour has it
Rumour has it, yeah
Rumour…
Rumour has it, yeah
Rumour has it
Rumour has it, yeah

Rumour…

Shaking his head, Arthur slammed his hand down on the button and gave a sigh of relief, finally succumbing to his urge. When he came face-to-face with the performer, he gave a smile as the audience screamed and cheered in glee.

Jaimathi felt comfortable onstage; it was like home. She raised her arm as she sang, making delicate, soft steps around the stage as she squeezed her eyes shut and sang the chorus and pre-chorus, applying more force.

Alfred was nodding at his head, getting used to the voice and Francine shut her eyes as she swayed her head slightly.

The second verse was much stronger than the first one, but still maintained a softness about it, as if holding back. The bass joined in, strumming more loudly, which was unusual, since most songs only had the bass as back up, but it was blended well, and made an excellent accompaniment with the Indian girl's voice.

[Jaimathi]
She is half your age
But I'm guessing that's the reason that you stayed
I heard you've been missing me
You've been telling people things you shouldn't be
Like when we creep out and she ain't around
Haven't you heard the rumours?

Oh, bless your soul; you've got your head in the clouds
You made a fool out of me
Boy, you're bringing me down
You made my heart melt, I'm cold to the core

Now rumour has it I'm the one you're leaving her for

Jaimathi was ecstatic upon seeing that someone had picked her. And it was Arthur Kirkland out of all of them, too.

In the Waiting Room, Ramesh rejoiced and clapped at seeing his little sister being picked a decent way into the song. Dracul grinned as he patted the Indian man's shoulder. Likewise, Ramesh actually patted the Romanian man's shoulder back.

Sadik was half surprised and half amused that the British man pushed his red button, but shrugged and began contemplating on whether or not he should turn around. Alfred looked shocked while Francine arched an elegant eyebrow.

Jaimathi continued to perform with a hand on her hip as she gave a determined and rather sassy look to match the song's context, feeling quite in-character with the persona of the song.

[Jaimathi]
Rumour has it, yeah
Rumour has it
Rumour has it, yeah
Rumour has it
Rumour has it
Rumour has it

Rumour…

Maybe because she was more in-character, but Jaimathi felt the singing come along more easily as she began clapping in rhythm to the beat, which was no easy feat as she was still holding the mike to her mouth.

Suddenly, the sound of another button was heard, and the crowd was whooping in delight at seeing Alfred's chair turn around.

The American man grinned when he saw the Indian girl and he nodded his head to the beat as he leaned more forward in his seat.

Arthur was not impressed.

The song suddenly slowed down to the hook where all the instruments, except Jaimathi's voice now died down. A piano was then added, playing a more grim and sober sound. The Indian girl sang in a slightly higher, softer and falsetto voice.

[Jaimathi]
All of these words whispered in my ear
Tell a story that I cannot bear to hear
Just 'cause I said it, doesn't mean that I meant it
People say crazy things
Just 'cause I said it, don't mean that I meant it

Just 'cause you heard it…

The piano made a shimmering roll and there was a momentary pause for only one second after the hook. Straight after, the heavy, steady and strong drumbeat was heard again. After when Jaimathi sang the first line, the guitar and bass joined back in. The Indian girl picked up the strength again.

In the Waiting Room, Ramesh raised his fist high up in the air and then whistled with the same hand he rose up. Dracul raised his own fist, cheering.

[Jaimathi]
Rumour has it, yeah
Rumour has it
Rumour has it, yeah
Rumour has it
Rumour has it
Rumour has it, yeah
Rumour has it
Rumour has it
Rumour has it, yeah
Rumour has it,
Rumour has it, yeah

Rumour has it,
Rumour has it
Rumour has it, yeah
Rumour has it

Rumour has it he's the one I'm leaving you for…

Unlike the chorus, the last line was sang more softly and ended by itself as the instruments had stopped before it.

Once her performance was over, the audience applauded and screamed at the top of their lungs as they cheered.

"Yeah!" called Alfred with a big grin on his face as he applauded. Arthur stood up from his seat to applaud her.

"Thank you," smiled Jaimathi.

Francine and Sadik were applauding in their own chairs, still seated, as they both turned around by themselves as they didn't push their big, shiny, red buttons.

"Attention, everyone in the house!" announced Alfred. "We are looking at a star up there! What's your name, dudette?"

The audience's calling dropped a bit so the Indian girl could speak, "Jaimathi."

"Well, Jaimathi, I dunno if you noticed, but you see this big, shiny white light on my podium?" he gestured to the shining, white podium where his button was at the top. "It means that I really, really like you a lot."

Various members of the audience giggled as Jaimathi nodded. Alfred continued, "And, I would totally like you to be in my team, because you don't sound like anybody else I've heard of before. And that's important to me!"

"Thank you," said Jaimathi earnestly, holding the mike with both her hands.

"Now Artie's gonna lay a load of crap on you," sighed Alfred as he beckoned to the British man who was two seats away. "Here you go!"

The audience and Jaimathi as well as Francine chuckled in mirth while Arthur visibly bristled and gave the American man the two fingers, palm facing away. He then spoke up, "Well, love, you don't sound like anyone else I've ever heard, which is number one…" he picked one of his left fingers with his right hand for emphasis. "Which is very difficult…"

"I said that already, dude!" Alfred drawled lazily.

Jaimathi giggled at the banter between the two blonde men and the audience chuckled as well.

Arthur glared at the American man for interrupting, "I also pushed my button long before you did, you uncouth git!"

Sadik shrugged as the audience gave a loud, 'oooh!', "He's got you there, Alfie."

"When I first heard you singing, I just knew it," resumed Arthur. "When I turned around, I saw you just laying down this bout of confidence, which was amazing. It was so confident; no nerves whatsoever! You…you just did exceptionally in everything you were doing, and I would…really be thrilled to have you in my team, because I quite loved you and your performance, despite not liking the original artist."

Jaimathi couldn't help but smile at the British man's words as the audience applauded and cheered them, too.

"So you have the two of us dudes out here," began Alfred.

"Let her decide," cut in Arthur sharply.

Alfred rolled his eyes as he shrugged, "So, who's it gonna be? Who do you want?"

"Uh, okay…uh…" Jaimathi licked her lips, feeling nervous only now as she gazed at the two blonde men who turned around. The lights were becoming hot as they shone over her and the audience's shouts, calls and screaming then reached her ears, stunning her for a moment.

After a little while of thought, the Indian girl then spoke up, "Okay. I think I'm gonna go with Arthur."

The audience cheered as the British man sighed in relief, his face breaking into a smile on his usually scowling face. He raised a fist in triumph as he got up and made his way to the Indian girl.

Alfred cursed as he banged his fists down his podium, "Dang it!"

Arthur came forward, his face flushed as he embraced Jaimathi, who smiled widely as she wrapped her own arms around him.

"I can't wait to work with you," chirped Jaimathi.

"Same here, love," Arthur responded, smile still on his face.

Jaimathi waved goodbye to all the other Judges as she made her way to the Waiting Room where her brother was waiting eagerly for her with open arms. She gave an excited squeal as she was stomping her feet on the spot as Ramesh ran up to her and embraced her tightly.

Dracul felt warm as he watched the two siblings hug tightly and speak their tongue rapidly. He then saw Ramesh take out a rather new and sleek phone and dial a number on speed dial.

The numbed picked up, and they could all hear an older woman's voice speak, "Hello?"

Jaimathi spoke rapidly, and before Dracul knew it, he could hear a loud scream of delight coming from the other end of the line. It was so loud, that the Romanian man could hear some slight cracking.

"Your mom's really psyched, huh?" Dracul asked, smiling fangs at Ramesh.

Ramesh laughed, "Yes, she is. I am, too."

The next shot shows both Jaimathi and Ramesh leaving arms over each other's shoulders as they were laughing together and speaking rapidly in, what Dracul thought, was Hindi.

"I can't wait to start!" breathed Jaimathi in her last interview. "Really, I'm so excited! I will do my very best! I'll make my parents and my brother proud!"

Dracul waved goodbye to the two Indian siblings and once they left, gave his attention back to the camera, "And there you go, folks! Thus ends the third and second last day of our Blind Auditions! I'm your host, Dracul Dalca, and I hope you enjoyed!"

…

…

…

"Next time, on HetaVoice," spoke up Dracul's voice-over. "Our fourth and last day ever to hold the Blind Auditions! Our contestants this time have to thoroughly impress our four Judges in order to gain a spot in the few that still remain! Because of this, our Judges will be harder to impress than ever!"

"Honestly, mon cher," Francine sighs in a future shot as she rubbed her head. "I feel that I did not need to have you in part of my team."

"However, others will shine as the spots progressively fill up!" continued Dracul's voice over.

"That was totes awesome, dudette!' Alfred cheered in delight as he raised his fists up. "Really! That was awesome!"

"I'm so lucky to have you as part of my team," smiled Sadik in another shot while Arthur and Alfred look really regretful for not pushing their own buttons in time. "You are just like what the song is titled…"

"And stay tuned for what comes next after the Blind Auditions phase is over!" announced Dracul, the camera then showing a zoom-out far shot of him standing at the centre of the Performance Stage as he grins fangs at the camera and gave a salute, "Because with this very next stage, our contestants that make it through will have to keep on their toes. Now, again, this is Dracul Dalca, closing off HetaVoice. Have a nice day, everybody!"

[THIS IS HETAVOICE!]

---

And the third day of the Blind Auditions go to a close. The final day of the Blind Auditions is already being written as you read this - it's still only about fifteen pages in, but I'm getting there. :) I also apologize if I have gotten rusty - I'm still busy and honestly...I'd prefer writing over work, but alas, life is sometimes unfair...TTnTT

Anyway, a list of who's who here:

Daniel Hunyadi [Nyo!Hungary]
Uncle Mags [Magyar]
Alice [Nyo!Chibitalia]
Jack Cullingham [Australia]
Zoey [Wy]
Leigh [New Zealand]
Kristine Olofsdotter [Nyo!Sweden]
Mathias [Denmark]
Tina [Nyo!Finland]
Penny [Nyo!Sealand]
Jang Chen Fai [Nyo!Taiwan]
Lin [Nyo!Macau]
Im Soo Jin [Nyo!South Korea]
Kasem Chao [Thailand]
Quan [Nyo!Vietnam]
Himant [Cyprus]
Lukas Thomassen [Norway]
Emil Thomassen [Iceland]
Jaimathi [Nyo!India]
Ramesh [India]

Songs sung:
Daniel Hunyadi = Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes (Vers. by Jamar Rogers)
Jack Cullingham = Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts (Vers. by Jeff Jenkins)
Kristine Olofsdotter = I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry (Vers. by Frenchie Davis)
Jang Chen Fai = Sara Smile by Hall & Oates (Vers. by Dez Duron)
Kasem Chao = A Song For You by Michael Buble (Vers. by Jesse Campbell)
Lukas Thomassen = Use Somebody by Kings of Leon (Vers. by Adam Hoek)
Emil Thomassen = The A Team by Ed Sheeran (Vers. by Mitchell Thompson)
Jaimathi = Rumour Has It by Adele (Vers. by Mathai)

I wonder, just out of interest - how many of you have actually searched up the songs the contestants auditioned? Yes, I had to add Cyprus in - he's the cameraman, and also Dracul's partner in a way since he accompanies him a lot. XD

Teams so far:

Team Sadik: Agatha Clarkland, Dmitri Yektarina, Im Yong Soo, Tino Väinämöinen, Daniel Hunyadi, Jang Chen Fai, Emil Thomassen. [Total = 7/8]

Team Arthur: Lovino Vargas, Mitchell Mancham, Emma van Stein, Lien Nguyen, Ulrika Koehler, Jaimathi. [Total = 6/8]

Team Francine: Ling Chun-Yan, Madeleine Williams, Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo, Felicia Valentino, Kristine Olofsdotter, Lukas Thomassen. [Total = 6/8]

Team Alfred: Erika Zwingli, Toris Laurinaitis, Julchen "Julia" Weillschmidt, Jack Cullingham, Kasem Chao. [Total = 5/8]

The next chapter will be up by Sunday, which will be the latest day it should be uploaded. Anyway, again I apologize for being a real bastard.

Thoughts and opinions? I hope you have a pleasant day.

Sincerely,
HetaWriter/HetaReader