Chapter 7. Audition
Last night was horrible.
Tsubasa woke up in the middle of the night because a certain ghost's hair was tickling her nose. She was still not used to Fool. Tsubasa simply couldn't get used to a ghost walking, ehm.. flying, around her. The past two days she was too tired to notice him even though he tried talking with her now and then. He didn't follow her to the ice-rink or trainings but he would always stay around her while she was at home.
After she woke up the first time, she could only fall asleep after an hour or so and smash Fool on the wall being scared. She did this a second time too as she found him sleeping while hugging her cheek. She did this a third time too in the morning when she opened her eyes a last time and Fool's face was only inches away from hers.
"Come on already, it's the third time!" Fool yelled approaching Tsubasa after he hit the wall.
"B-But, I can't help it! You were too close." she said hugging her panda-pillow.
"I already told you I can't control my actions while I'm sleeping."
"Liar."
She got off her bed and looked at the clock. It was 7:30 am and the auditions are starting at 9 am, she had enough time to eat breakfast.
Tsubasa walked slowly downstairs as she didn't want to wake up her parents yet. She remembered she still didn't tell her mother about her intention on taking the auditions. Maybe she should tell her after she gets accepted, so she will be happy. It was decided, she will come home tonight and tell her she got accepted. This way, she, her mother and her father will celebrate together.
As soon as she arrived in the kitchen, she saw her mother making breakfast.
"Oh, Tsubasa." the former performer said seeing her daughter. "You're awake early. Did something happen?"
"Uh, oh, n-nothing. Did you make omelette?" she asked sitting at the table.
Tsubasa had no idea how to face her mother while she prepared to go to the auditions. She didn't know what to tell her mother and she was also the worst liar she knew.
"Oh." May said as she placed the omelette on her plate. "Your father told me that you two will be going in town today."
"Do you want to come?" Tsubasa asked out of habit without thinking.
'Wait, what am I saying?!'
Realizing Leon probably made up an excuse for her to go to the auditions without May knowing, Tsubasa mentally face-palmed. She ruined everything.
"Uh.. that is.. you know, Sora is coming over today." May said while eating and looking away.
Tsubasa got saved by this, though she observed that her mother acted weird.
"By the way, where's dad?" Tsubasa asked looking around.
"He told me he's meeting you in the park, didn't he tell you?"
"Oh, right! I forgot, I'm so clumsy." she replied laughing stupidly.
Tsubasa was really confused now, she thought Leon was going to wait for her and they will go together. Well, she should hurry or she will be late for the auditions.
XXX
The black-haired girl stepped inside. It was a familiar room, the one she used to get dressed the day she came here and skated. Though, this time the room was much more lively. A lot of girls were changing, putting on make-up, making warm-ups or praying.
"This is the girls' changing room. The auditions start in ten minutes so please don't be late." a red-haired girl with glasses hanging on the bottom of her nose said.
She was holding a notebook. She tied in a bun leaving only two medium bangs falling over each side of her face. Her eyes were very round and brown, Tsubasa though of a bear seeing her.
"Thanks! By the way, I'm Tsubasa Oswald." the girl said landing the staff member who wore a blue jacket with short sleeves.
She didn't notice that the other girls were staring at her nor did she hear the whispers.
The staff member looked at her hand surprised, but she took it and smiled. "My name is Hilary Dawson."
The staff member left then and Tsubasa stepped forward. She didn't find an empty seat as the room was really full, so she leaned against a wall waiting for the ten minutes to pass.
"Did she just say Oswald?"
"She can't possibly be her, right?"
Tsubasa observed in the end the stares she received from the other girls but as there was really crowded, she decided that people were most likely staring at the person next to her.
Out of curiosity, she turned her head towards her right side and her eyes snapped open.
Next to her was sitting the most beautiful girl she ever saw. She was sitting on a chair without leaning against the wall. Her back was straight, her arms crossed, her legs one above the other and her eyes closed. Her hair was straight and barely touched her shoulders, her nose was small and her lips had a very light shade of pink. The moment she opened her eyes and she looked at Tsubasa, the girl's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes were small, a dark shade of brown coloring them and her eyelashes were long but that wasn't what made them so captivating. She could tell just by looking at the girl's eyes that she was smart.
"Everyone please, come on the stage." Hilary came back and announced.
This made the girls break the eye-contact. The beauty walked out of the room and Tsubasa being captivated by how graceful she was walking couldn't look around, but she managed to get a grip of herself and follow the other girls.
When they stepped in the big room that consisted the stage. Now that the lights turned on she could see that there were two big screens on the right and left side, up the stage, close to the roof.
Tsubasa observed that the boys also gathered in the room. There were more girls than boys, but not much more. Everyone was standing behind the stage while six persons were standing on the other side of the stage. Tsubasa was in the first row so as soon as she looked at the persons standing on the other side of the stage, she couldn't help but smile wide.
Her father and Sora were standing there, almost twenty meters in front of her. The stage was giant.
"Good morning everyone. Good luck on your auditions." that was all a tall, tan man said and handed the microphone to a blonde guy next to him.
"Uhm, what Kalos meant to say was that I will explain everything." the blue-eyed man said. "My name is Ken Robbins and I am the administrator of Kaleido Stage. This is Sora Robbins, Leon Oswald, Mia Guillem and Alexei Kvarski. We will be judging the auditions this year. In this year's auditions we'll like to see what is your talent, of course it has to be something from the list." Tsubasa wondered what list was that man talking about. "We will be calling you in an aleatory order. You can either come with us and watch the other auditions or go and wait in the changing room."
Tsubasa observed that her father didn't even look at her as well as Sora. Her father had a serious look on his face while Sora had the same gentle expression.
"The first person is.." as Ken Robbins called out the first person, Tsubasa decided it was too boring to just wait so she decided to go and watch the other performances.
XXX
Tsubasa was tense.
She watched until now over thirty performances and almost all of them were perfect. There were all kinds of performances. From comedians to acrobats, actors and dancers.
She also remembered that she didn't have a proper training and she didn't even had experience. How could she compete with such people?
"Next is Yume Naegino." Ken Robbins's voice came out.
As the stage was not as usual, but an ice-skating rink, the judge and the ones who wanted to watch the other auditions had to move in different places depending on the performance. Up until now, they've been in the training room which amazed Tsubasa with its size. Most of people took their audition there, leaving only ten people including Tsubasa.
They were on the stage when the first name, which was a girl, was called out. Tsubasa watched everything from her seat in the first row.
"Yes." the girl stepped on the ice-rink.
Tsubasa looked surprised, Yume Naegino was the beautiful girl she saw in the changing room. For some reason, she smiled and, in the depths on her mind, she was cheering for Yume Naegino. She was even more surprised to see that she was going to give an ice-skating performance.
"You may begin." the man from judge which Tsubasa remembered as being Alexei said.
A silence covered the stage as the brown-haired girl stepped in the middle of the stage. Her hair was now tied in a small bun and, taking off her black jacket, she showed the others a short, purple dress with black tights. She was also wearing a pair of black, short gloves.
She begun by imitating something.. she was moving her arms like she wanted to fly.
'Wings?'
But she wasn't moving them freely, they were somehow tied. They were moving slow and hard, like she was in pain.
Yume begun skating on the stage, but she wasn't moving from a side to another, she was only using a small piece of the whole stage. Tsubasa followed her every move. Even though she wasn't an expert, she could tell that Yume Naegino was holding back. It was like she wasn't giving everything she could. Her spins were small and rare and her speed was slow.
It was not until the climax of her performance that Tsubasa realized what she wanted to do. Suddenly, Yume Naegino sped up and when she reached the center of the rink, she jumped. But it was not a normal jump, like lutz or axel. She had an amazing speed when she jumped a meter and half above the ice. Her body spun three times until she reached the greatest height where she did something which surprised everyone. It lasted only for a second and if you would blink, you'd miss it, but nobody blinked. She fully spread her arms, which were now her wings, and straightened her back. On that very second, her gloves fell off her hands and two purple,long tapes appeared.
"A bird.." Tsubasa whispered for herself captivated by the silhouette on the ice.
She spun three times again as she landed on the ice perfectly, the tapes surrounding her body.
Yume Naegino's performance changed drastically in her last seconds of ice-skating. After her landing, she fulled the stage with life. She was moving more freely, her spins were higher and her arms spread as much as she could.
The skater ended her program by stopping in the center of the stage from where she begun.
Everything was prepared from the beginning. Yume Naegino's moves were that way at first because she wanted to represent a trapped bird, her spin was the moment the bird escaped and the last part of the performance was her free future.
Tsubasa couldn't see the judge's reaction as she was on the other side and it was dark, the only light present in the room being the one who fell above the stage.
"Thank you. Next is Tsubasa Oswald."
"Yes!" as soon as she heard her name, Tsubasa jumped up from her seat and went to the stage.
While she put on her skates, she begun to wonder if she had a chance against those people who were so much more better than her. But she didn't worry for too much. She remembered the reason she decided to join Kaleido Stage; to perform an amazing maneuver. With that dream in her heart and butterflies in her stomach, she stepped on the stage.
From the center of the stage she could clearly see the judge. Her father had a serious expression and he still looked at her as a stranger while Sora tried to whisper 'do your best'.
The black-haired girl took in a deep breath and begun her performance.
XXX
Alexei looked one more time at the piece of paper where her name was wrote.
'Tsubasa Oswald..'
His blue eyes scanned the name many times and yet he couldn't believe. First, he meets this man called Leon Oswald and now this girl? It was not a coincidence.
When the girl stepped on the rink, he had a feeling he has seen her somewhere, but he didn't know where.
"Is this your daughter, Leon-san?" Ken asked.
"Yes, she's Tsubasa-chan, the one I told you about Ken." Sora said in his place.
That was the moment he realized. This girl seemed familiar because she looked so much like her and this man called Leon too. Alexei was sitting next to Mirai's father and in front of him, ready to give an audition was Mirai's sister.
He was angry, he could barely control himself. Why did they appear now? Why does she want to join Kaleido Stage? Why?
"You may start." Ken said and the girl on the stage nodded.
Her performance wasn't anything spectacular, but for some reason,Alexei felt excited; something he didn't feel for a very long time. Her jumps weren't higher than half a meter and her speed was too slow but her body was moving perfectly. It was like her body was moving on its own. The climax of her performance was a high jump she did while hugging her knees.
There was something about this girl.
She wasn't spectacular, she wasn't graceful, she wasn't a pro. She is Mirai's sister after all so why is she like this? She was pretty good, but pretty good wasn't enough. Alexei couldn't understand, but it was clear he wouldn't let her join Kaleido Stage.
"Thank you." Ken said as the girl left the stage.
XXX
"I shall announce the results." Ken said reading a paper.
The judge was standing in front of them and they were all in the training room. Tsubasa heard names being called out and she hoped with all her heart her name will be called too.
"Grey Jhons, Rose Constance, Yume Naegino." Ken continued.
When she heard Yume Naegino's name, Tsubasa wasn't surprised she knew that she will get accepted.
"And Tsubasa Oswald." Kalos called out.
Tsubasa was surprised, amazed and happy at the same time. As she looked at her father's expression she was a big disappointed to see he had the same stunned expression but Sora was winking at her. Her heart was fluttering, she was the happiest girl on earth.
'Did you see this onee-chan? I made It, I really made it.'
XXX
"So, what did you think?" Sora asked looking excited at her best friend.
May was holding the cup of tea tight. She watched Tsubasa's audition.. and she was amazed. As a pro, she knew that Tsubasa wasn't so great, but she had talent. She never, not even once thought that Tsubasa could have such an influence. There was something special in her audition, but she couldn't figure out what. The fact that she got accepted was even more surprising. Tsubasa never trained with her serious, she would only make a few jumps once in a while.
"I still can't believe she didn't tell me about this." May said with a serious tone.
Sora's smile fade. "I understand her May. You understand her too, right? She knows the pain you feel, because she's feeling it too. She knows how worried you are but.. I really understand her. " Sora said looking at the mug in her hands. "I remember when I joined Kaleido Stage and my father came here to take me back because he was worried. I really didn't want to worry them, but I loved the stage so much that I couldn't leave. Maybe.. maybe Tsubasa-chan is still not aware, but I saw it."
May looked at Sora's face surprised. "It?"
Sora nodded. "You saw it too right? That sparkle. She was chosen for stage May, there's nothing we can do about it. If she'll fight until the end, there'll be only glory waiting for her once she ends her journey."
"But if she doesn't fight.." May continued. "That's what I'm worried about, Sora. Tsubasa is sensible, she's not like Mirai was! She will not be able to take all the pressure."
Sora put a hand over May's. "If we will support her, I believe she can do anything. She's your daughter after all, right?"
May looked at Sora's smiling face and she relaxed. Maybe she was right.. maybe Tsubasa was much more powerful than she thought.
"Who are you?" a girl's voice asked in a mad tone.
Sora and May got up from Sora's couch and went on the hallway which led to the front door. Tsubasa, Leon and Hana, Sora's ten-years-old daughter were standing there.
"W-Who am I?" Tsubasa asked confused.
"Didn't you hear me? Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" Hana asked crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Hana, don't be rude." Sora said approaching.
"Mama, who is she?" the little girl asked looking with her blue eyes at her mother. "And why is she so close to Leon?" the little girl gave Tsubasa a deadly glare.
"She is Tsubasa, Leon and May's daughter." Sora answered putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"D-D-Daughter?" Hana asked looking like she was about to faint.
"Hey, what's happening? Why are you all standing here?" Ken asked entering in the house.
"Welcome home Ken." Sora said with a gentle voice as she looked at her beloved husband.
"I'm home." Ken answered looking with the same eyes full of love at hir wife.
"You!" Hana said pointing towards Tsubasa. "I will not give you my Leon by any means!"
"Y-Y-Your?" Tsubasa asked thrilled.
Sora approached Tsubasa and whispered in her ear something. "Hana has a little crush on Leon."
"But.. what about Ken-san?" the black-haired girl asked.
"You can have him, Leon is mine!" the little purple-haired girl said wrapping her arms around Leon's waist.
While Ken begun crying anime tears in the background and Sora tried to calm him, May, Leon, Tsubasa and Hana gathered in the living room at a table.
"Tsubasa." May begun, she looked embarrassed. "Congratulations." she smiled
Tsubasa's worries fade away, her heart felt lighter. "So.. you knew?"
May nodded and her expression changed into a serious one. "Yes and if this really is what you want to do, I won't stop you. But remember Tsubasa, this is a tough path."
Tsubasa nodded but her expression was a happy one. "I will make it mom, you'll see!" she said without worries.
As all of them cheered and celebrated until late at night, May continued to look with worry at her daughter. Tsubasa has no idea what is waiting for her.
