Disclaimer: I don't own the characters nor the rights for Vivo, those rights are owned by Sony and Netflix and a few others. I DO own a few characters in this fic, though.
A song of the heart
Gabi and Vivo had to go to the concert hall for rehearsals after they were dressed and ready.
While their conversation was cut short, that didn't mean that they were finished with said conversation.
They fully intended to get back to it and Gabi was determined to get to the bottom of why Vivo was vanishing continuously —she understood that Las Vegas was a big and exciting place and she, admittedly, wished she could explore it too but that didn't explain why the continuous trips out during the night. She fully intended to resume it once they were alone but she, unexpectedly, found that her frustration with her partner had cooled somewhat especially after learning about his loneliness…she had no idea that Vivo was upset and she felt guilty.
How could she not see it?
Did that make her a really bad friend?
Her stomach knotted and twisted and her gut churned, whether it was out of anxiety over the performance or pure guilt she didn't know…but what she did know was that she and Vivo needed to do their best and put on their best performance yet!
Anyways, she shook off those thoughts for the moment and decided to get a move on.
The two both tossed on their finest clothes (Vivo's was pretty much what he always wore while Gabi picked out a beautiful satin black dress with sparkly sequins sewn in) before they started to make their exit. Gabi and Vivo both bid their respective photographs of both Andrés and Gabi's father, Carlos, farewell before they walked out through the door of the hotel room with Esteban and Rosa following close behind.
But there was a tense atmosphere hanging in the air like a damp blanket.
The weather outside was as gray and black-scented as a pair of soggy soaks after being caught outside in a downpour which were then brought indoors.
The clouds were dark and huddled close together so no blue sky or sunlight (should there be any today) could peak through them and full of rain, there was a specific dampness that hung in the atmosphere which acted as a suggestion that a heavy downpour was on its way.
The air felt as though it was trying to threaten a later spell of rain.
Vivo never liked the rain.
He always felt sad when it rained because it always meant staying indoors and watching from a window as the raindrops hammered down against the ground and drummed against the rooftops, pelting it hard. The rain also carried a scent that reminded him of how he once caught the unpleasant fragrance of a dog whom walked through a hurricane-like rainstorm…he made a mental note not to mention that to Rufus, especially with his long white fur (him being a golden retriever with silky fur and all). Not to mention that Vivo also wasn't entirely fond of getting his fur wet —he never liked unwanted bathes.
Rain usually signalled hard times ahead which Vivo couldn't help but wrinkle his tiny nose in distaste at.
Gabi, however, loved the rain.
She loved to be out in the rain every time back home in Florida!
Even at twelve-years-old now always insist that they both go out and jump in every single puddle that they could find until the both of them were positively drenched in a fine blend of rainwater and mud. She'd even 'forget' (more like purposefully leave behind) to put on a raincoat and just grab Vivo and run into every single puddle of water, letting it splash.
Okay, the Kinkajou had to admit that he loved the splashing.
He didn't know why but it somehow would put a smile on his face —especially when Gabi would start giggling and laughing hysterically at how filthy they would end up later…much to Rosa's utter dismay when she'd have to drag the both of them off for a bath.
Vivo briefly wondered whether Marie would like jumping in puddles too?
He shook his head in dismay at himself.
"Seriously, Vivo, stop it!" He silently admonished "You gotta focus on the reason we came to Las Vegas in the first place: The concert and contest! You don't have time for romantic delusions right now! We gotta focus on Gabi right now, I owe it to her to stay focused!"
Vivo said nothing while looking to the world like a man on a mission, still perched on Gabi's shoulder.
There was no anger between Vivo nor Gabi but there was this feeling of confusion and doubt, the usual harmony sparking the human girl and the Kinkajou had been lessened…
Esteban, Vivo, Gabi and Rosa all left the hotel with the rest of the audition members promptly all climbed into the back of another limousine which was driven by the very same chauffeur whom had brought the Hernández family into Las Vegas on the first they in which they had arrived. Everyone crammed into the back, thankfully not crowding one another, and sat quietly as they felt the tension hanging heavily in the air like the dark clouds outside.
The limo was mostly driven in silence in spite of the chauffeur's continuous attempts at conversation.
Rufus and Nick had an idle conversation among themselves but nobody really understood what they were saying apart from Vivo.
Rufus sat on his haunches right next to Ella, his bulky yet slender frame towering over the sitting youngster and he was arguing with a familiar yet annoying little Blue jay who had taken to temporarily using his furry head as a perch.
The white-furred golden retriever gazed up irritably at the small blue and white bird as he growled softly.
"C'mon, los perro callejero!" Nick said with a scoff in his voice while he rolled his small eyes in annoyance "You have no sense of humour. I certainly found it amusing when you were caught licking out of el inodoro!"
Vivo shuddered in mild disgust when he heard that portion of their conversation, he knew plenty of Spanish thanks to how long he lived in Havana Cuba and he couldn't help but overhear due to how loudly the dog and bird were quarrelling with one another. Actually hearing that the all round respectable Rufus was seen drinking out of, what Vivo understood, the toilet wasn't a thing he particularly liked focusing his imagination upon.
The volume of Rufus' growls raised slightly as his non-existent brows knitted together and then flattened to further convey his annoyance. He couldn't help but glower at thin air as he snapped back at the bird with a tone heated with humiliation and irritation of this whole topic.
"It wasn't funny the first couple of times you brought it up and made fun of it and it still isn't funny now….besides, when are you going to get over that anyway!?"
Nick stuck out his little bird tongue in reply.
"When you and your owner win the contest/concert….oh wait. That won't ever happen!"
Vivo sighed in the meantime.
From the short time that he and his family had been in Vegas, the musical male Kinkajou had learned what sort of character Nick was as he shown to be a wry, arrogant, bird-brain who was practically oversaturated in self-confidence. There wasn't really any true vicious or malicious intent behind his words or actions but that didn't make him any more likeable…
In the meantime, Gabi just stared absentmindedly out the window as the world whirled right passed them.
The twelve-year-old girl propped herself up on her own elbow as she leaned her own body towards the dark yet tinted limousine window that was on her left, her cheek smooshing against the pane of what-might-as-well-be-steel acrylic. Her eyes were full of worry and glistened and gleamed with unshed tears that threatened to try and well up in her eyes but, probably out of stubborn refusal, she let her gaze harden despite her glasses shielding those tears from view.
It wasn't like Gabi was making her upset blatantly obvious but it wasn't hard to miss either…
Even Esteban also had a go at trying to spark some conversation between Gabi and himself when he noticed her lack of her usual cheerfulness.
"Hey, Gabi?" He spoke up tentatively "You okay?"
"….." Gabi remained silent for a few moments before muttering in a tone which was barely intelligible, "I'm fine. Just….I'm just a little tired."
Esteban didn't believe that for a second as his brows knitted together to paint a look of concern upon his face. His eyes hardened slightly and his jaw set as he pondered on what to say without either harming the relationship that was just beginning to form or appearing uncaring both to her and to everyone around him. He couldn't help but ponder on how to approach this subject matter since he knew that he had to approach it somehow, even if he had to tread on her toes slightly to do so.
"Gabi…c'mon, we can see somethings up. You sure you're okay?"
Gabi's face hardened into a bona fide glare as she didn't turn to look at him but she did transfer her gaze occasionally from the view outside via window to little Ella who was preoccupied with playing and fiddling with Rufus' floppy but silky soft ears —Rufus didn't even seem to notice or care.
Rosa decided to ask her daughter about her well-being too, hoping to maybe get more of an answer out of her as her mother.
"Gabriella." She said sternly, gaining Gabi's attention. "Are you sure you're feeling alright? I thought you would be bouncing off the walls today…but you look like somethings on your mind. Is something wrong?"
Gabi finally pried herself away from the limo window and shook her head in solid denial as she eyed both her mother and Esteban with great hesitance. Yes, something was playing on her mind and had been since the night before at dinner. But she couldn't bring herself to tell them…not right now. She needed to just suck it up for the minute until she could get a better handle on her thoughts.
"I said I'm fine, I'm okay." She lied through ground teeth.
Nobody believed that but decided not to push it right now, they needed to focus on the audition and getting through it.
The limo driver didn't speak as he kept driving, the limo giving the odd jolt when it drove over a pot hole. The road was slightly bumpy and caused the occupants within to jerk in response with each and every bounce the car made; the chauffeur lamely apologised for each and every pot hole run over, probably hoping to gain a semblance of respect and a tip by the end of this drive to…somewhere they hadn't been before, presumably.
Everyone (animals included) sat in silence for the next five minutes until the limo came to a stop and everyone hurriedly clambered out to see where they arrived at.
They were all stunned.
Stunned to find that they had arrived to stand before a huge and magnificent building which was a far cry from the original grungy building that the group met at —it was ginormous and reminded both Vivo and Gabi somewhat of the Mambo cabana in Miami but it was waaaay bigger.
The building was made from red bricks and a huge neon sign saying "Neon lights concert hall" hung on the front just above a pair of doors that were just as grand as the building itself. A red carpet stretched along the ground towards the doors, and the roof was made from terracotta slates. Tall but rather dinky fountains spurted out the ground and water shot high into the air, sprinkling the group in a faint drizzle of water. There was even some fine rope Crowd control stanchions on either side of the red carpet!
This was a far cry from the old and busted up building that was previously seen.
And it looked even better with the mid-morning sun glinting off of the windows and reflecting the rays of sunlight off of it, making the building itself look almost golden…heavenly, even.
Everyone stared at the building in pure awe.
Nobody dared to move for quite some time until someone spoke up and urged the group of people and animals to go inside.
This beat that manky old building…
Everyone gaped at the huge yet prestigious concert hall building.
"Wooooooooooaaaaaaah…."
"Now dats what I call a concert hall, not like dat rickety-rackety pile of ugly green bricks!" Crowed an impressed Tyrone.
Nobody could believe that this; compared to the other place, was where they were not only going to practice their routines until nighttime in the duration of the next day! Just the mere thought of this made everyone begin to beam from ear-to-ear with smiles so big that they could have split each and every one of their faces apart.
That's not all!
If this place was as extravagant on the outside, how grand would it look on the inside of this building!?
It was Bea who broke the brewing silence.
"….Well? Are we just gonna stand there and look at it all day or are we gonna go inside and perform our hearts out for our auditions?"
Everyones legs moved before they could even try and move them manually and a majority of the group burst like a well-harmonised chorus of fireworks as they were now behaving like squirrels having a caffeine rush. Without a moment to lose, they all skittered over the red carpet and practically swarmed through the huge double doors like a rushing herd of cattle —it was both amusing to see and face-palmingly-embarrassing to witness a bunch of adults behave like kids having the worlds most dramatic sugar rush…
Everyone went inside, with the exception of Vivo and Gabi and Rosa and Esteban.
The rest were long gone by now.
"….Do you know what just happened?" Gabi looked to Vivo with a blend of confusion and perplexity while Vivo simply squeaked while he shrugged helplessly in return, still perched on her shoulder.
The twelve-year-old and her best Kinkajou friend kept looking up at the amazing building whilst in deep thought. Why couldn't they have done their initial introductions in this cool place? It would have been way cooler and a lot less awkward to have it done in a grungy old building that had little to no appeal whatsoever, not to mention there was something odd about it that she couldn't hope to place her finger upon. She knew it was probably a dumb intuition but it was a gut feeling that bothered her to the end of the world and back.
Gabi sighed and rolled her shoulders followed by twisting her neck from left to right as if warming up for something, steeling herself to try and get rid of those nerves that plagued her.
The pre-teen turned around to face Esteban and Rosa as they had troubled expressions on their faces that matched her own. Gabi, Vivo, Esteban and Rosa all stared at one another as they contemplated on just going indoors but, however, Rosa wanted to see if she could get her daughter to open up to her now that the others weren't present to hear.
The motherly woman finally made her legs move as she walked up to Gabi and knelt down to meet her on eye level.
"Gabriella," she said "I know that somethings bothering you. I can see it. Please tell us what's going on."
Gabi looked away, her expression darkening.
Vivo was getting very worried now.
This ran further than him just vanishing at night, it seemed that his earlier hunch was right when he thought that there was something seriously bothering her. He could see how troubled she appeared and he felt his heart sink when he saw the frustration creeping upon her facial features since he knew that Gabi wasn't an angry person —she was snarky and sarcastic at times but, other than that, she was an explosion of happiness with legs.
The male musical Kinkajou could hear her mutter something intelligible beneath her breath and he could barely make out what she said.
Neither could Rosa nor Esteban apparently.
Esteban decided to step in (albeit cautiously) as he spoke in a low yet soft tone.
"Please, Gabi. We can't help if you don't tell us what's up. That's part of the reason why we're here."
Gabi's expression softened as she looked up at the big and strong filipino man whom stood next to her mother, her heart beginning to melt oh-so-slightly.
"….And the other reason?"
That was an obvious attempt at a change of subject but at least she was more talkative now.
Rosa decided to answer that question as she clung on to one of her boyfriend's muscular arms, leaning in to give him a light and affectionate peck on the cheek (much to Gabi's silent dismay as she inwardly gagged at the public display of affection):
"To support you."
Gabi's frustration turned into heartfelt sincerity when she saw how much her mother and Esteban cared about her, her heart swelling within her chest when she saw the soft and gentle affection present in her mother's eyes —she'd known that care from the instant she was born and she felt happy about it…but she still hesitated on telling her what was on her mind simply because she couldn't stand to disappoint anybody.
But…keeping it to herself was pure torment.
Maybe sharing it would lighten her load just a bit…?
The twelve-year-old, purple-haired girl exhaled heavily in self-preparation to tell Vivo and her mum and her mum's boyfriend what was on her mind.
She opened her mouth to begin speaking…..only to be interrupted by the noise of a car pulling up and parking in front of the red carpet that the small group were still standing on; Gabi looked somewhat relived (probably because that she was given a chance to slip out of that discussion) while Rosa and Esteban inwardly groaned in irritation and Vivo's expression just flattened into a blunt stare.
Why was it that whenever someone got comfortable enough to say something important, it was almost always interrupted by some unforeseen event or passage of time?
The following sounds were of a car door swinging open promptly followed by someone stepping out of said car and the quick succession of sounds ended with a single Spanish phrase that made Vivo and Gabi swear that they could have heard a collective record scratch sound effect in their brains.
"Que diga ¡presente!"
Gabi and Vivo both froze when they heard that single phrase.
They knew it all too well.
It was as though nostalgia stabbed the two like a knife in the back as the two of them tried to truly take in the reality of what was going on right this instant.
The girl and Kinkajou duo whirled around to look behind them and saw someone that they never expected to see here, someone who had become somewhat like an important family figure (like the grandmother that Gabi never had on her father's side), someone who was the anchor to Vivo leaving Cuba in the first place…Andrés' true love…
It was none other than Marta Sandoval!
The familiar elder woman had stepped out of a car and was dressed in a beautiful black satin dress with a beautiful shawl with features around the arms that made the item of clothing appear as though it had a pair of wings attached to it. She also wore sunglasses and had her beautiful hair tied into its usual frizzy Afro/bun but she looked somehow quite…conspicuous.
Nevertheless, both Gabi and Vivo recognised her immediately.
Marta stooped down and stretched her arms out, inviting the twelve-year-old and the Kinkajou in for a hug. She had a friendly smile that could warm even the coldest of hearts that were stranded in the midst of a fierce blizzard and a hug to match said smile. Her eyes were as kind as they always been but the passage of two years were showing due to the small white/silver/platinum streaks present in the bun that was standing tall and high atop her head with a scarf being wrapped around her forehead.
She had a distinct aura that calmed the nerves of the two friends.
Gabi, with Vivo still perched upon her shoulder, ran towards the older woman with outstretched arms, she jumped and threw her arms so they had wrapped around the Cuban retired singer's neck.
"Marta!" She cried (unbeknownst to her, so did Vivo) as she looped her arms around the old woman's neck.
Both the girl and the Kinkajou simultaneously hugged the retired singer whom was more than happy to hug them back.
"Y-You're here! How? What're you-?" Gabi started to ask but Marta simply gave the girl a playful wink.
"Did you think I'd miss watching the both of you perform on stage for the very first time? Of course not! I might be retired but that doesn't mean I can't go out in public and watch other shows."
"And how are you, Vivo?" Marta proceeded to reach forwards and scratch Vivo behind the ear, eliciting some delighted and contented purring sounds from the musical Kinkajou.
He couldn't help but find this really relaxing, plus it was his favourite place to be scratched since he could never reach behind his own ears to get to the designated spot. He even gave a dreamy yet contented smile as he almost dozed off right then and there due to how relaxed he was…but his eyes widened and he slapped both hands over his mouth to silence his purring noises, suddenly seeming sheepish that he could even purr at all.
If it were possible for mammals to do so, he would have been blushing so hard…
After recovering from his state of deep-reverie, Vivo simply gave the love of his former owner's life a thumbs up to let her know that he was alright…but he couldn't hide the slight hint of fatigue and loneliness in his eyes as he flashed an exaggerated toothy grin at her that showed all of his sharp little teeth.
He squeaked reassuringly at Marta to accompany his thumbs up.
Marta chuckled and leaned forwards to plant a kiss atop Vivo's head, making him blush even further.
Vivo couldn't help but become sheepish while he fumbled and twiddled with his own fingers in a failed attempt to hide how bashful he suddenly felt. His smile was so big that his cheek muscles raised up to partially cover his lower eyelids.
He averted his gaze from her as his gaze drifted to the ground below.
Then it was decided that everyone should get a move on and go inside to follow the others.
It took a few moments before Marta rose to stand on her feet once more and started to walk across the red carpet whilst gesturing for the Hernández family to follow her inside the grand concert hall with both of her arms. She made sure to glance across her shoulder to make sure everyone else was behind her and proceeded to lead the group across the carpet and through the double doors.
" Vamos a entrar, sígame," She instructed gently in that same warm and sweet yet motherly (maybe even grandmotherly) tone.
The inside of the concert hall was somehow even bigger than it was on the outside.
The hall was closed so there was nobody in attendance as far as public was concerned except for the main group hoping to audition the next night.
There was a large lobby and the concert hall itself.
The foyer had walls that were made of some sort of metal (probably titanium), the floors were covered with a luxurious royal blue carpet that stretched on and on as far as the boarders of the room could reach. There were the odd window and the ceiling and floor even had lights coming out (the ceiling had neon lights shining down while the floor had little round lights sticking out of the carpet and faintly shining up at the ceiling). As far as furniture gone there was a receptionists desk, a fine leather sofa with a large flat-screen television attached to the wall in front of it, a snack stand, and even a stereo that was attached to the ceiling.
There was a door that led to the concert hall, too!
The concert hall itself was a remarkable room that was dome-shaped, the walls looking somewhat like glass or crystal with the lights reflecting off said material and letting the lights and colour dance around the room. The floor was made from aluminium which was concealed behind the same kind of posh carpeting that covered the ground in the reception corridor. There were faintly-lit lights that hung on the walls and cast almost everything into darkness and made it difficult to see much of anything but, thankfully, there was a huge stage that remedied that. The stage was the epicentre of the room which was lit up with neon blue spotlights and, in front of it, there was a judges table where a trio sat before with unreadable yet idle expressions etched upon their faces respectively.
The stage appeared huge and made everyone appear small and diminutive.
It was intimidating but the place as a whole was amazing!
Upon entering the reception room, the rest of the group had already signed in.
Nigel saw Gabi and Vivo first and raced up to meet them, his face a mask of mild annoyance for whatever reason.
"Hey! There you guys are, we'd been waitin' for yaaaaa…?"
The swing-dancer trailed off when he spotted Marta followed by Rosa and Esteban whom had come to follow Gabi and Vivo inside, his eyeballs practically bulging out of their sockets when he saw the retired Cuban singer. He couldn't help but stare at her slack-jawed as his mind and voice box seemed to stall.
The other performers immediately rushed over to see what the commotion was.
Upon seeing Marta Sandoval in their presence, it seemed that all of their minds (or the humans anyway) appeared to turn to jelly while they tried to process the fact that a Cuban mega superstar was standing right in front of them. Their eyeballs were practically ready to pop right out of their sockets as they stared at her non-blinkingly for what felt like an eternity.
"OH…MY…GOODNESS, ITS MARTA SANDOVAL!" Bea cried, grabbing her violin case tight "I am a big fan!"
Their staring apparently made Marta feel rather discomforted as she shuffled awkwardly on the spot.
She tried to not show it, however.
She managed a polite smile.
"Thank you very much, dear."
"Okay, everybody!" Cried Nico confidently, recapturing everyone's attention "According to the receptionist, we'll go in one at a time so it's gonna be Gabi and Vivo first and then Nigel and then Ella, ect, ect…"
When she heard that she and Vivo were going on first, Gabi gulped nervously and subconsciously gripped Vivo's tail in her fist, eliciting a yelp from the Kinkajou, and then she released him but the anxiety written plain across her face didn't dissipate in the slightest. Her eyes were bugging out of her head and her breathing was soft and wispy, full of nerves.
Vivo could feel the anxiety radiating from the twelve-year-old's shoulder which he used as a perch and gave her a silent look of support.
He didn't know she would be so nervous but he perfectly understood why, it was the first time either of them performed in front of such important people who would determine whether or not they would be able to allow them to perform in front of an audience of thousands and that even made Vivo's fur stand on end —he couldn't imagine the anxiety flashing through her mind. He felt his heart squeeze at the sight of the usually optimistic girl seeming so uncharacteristically vulnerable.
He simply leaned in and nuzzled her cheek with his little pink nose, comforting her.
It seemed to work as Gabi's shoulders grew less tense and she giggled softly and scratched Vivo on the top of his head.
"Heh…Thanks, Vivo," She smiled.
Vivo smiled back and chirped as if to say "You're welcome".
After that levity was provided, the duo both took in a deep breath at the very same time and made their way through the double doors that led into the dome-shaped concert hall while someone escorted Rosa and Esteban backstage so they could simply observe the show. The rest of the group decided to take seats in the reception so they could wait for their chance to audition in front of those judges.
Gabi and Vivo both followed that same agent lady through the doors as she gave them some instructions.
"The judges whom you'll encounter are Nicole Cromwell, Simon Bowell and Fabian Solomon."
Gabi gasped as she recognised those names.
"Oh….m-m-my….gosh! Those guys are, like, super-duper famous!"
The woman gave a dismissive noise and nodded.
Vivo didn't care for this woman's attitude towards Gabi; she was talking to the twelve-year-old as if she were as dumb as a pile of bricks and he really didn't appreciate that, Gabi didn't deserve to be talked down to as if she were a toddler being told about why the sky is blue or something!
She was smarter than that!
The woman, nevertheless, resumed talking despite Vivo's silent yet visible distaste for her.
"Yeah. That means that you're gonna have to perform like you've never performed before unless you wanna be a name that people forget in the blink of an eye in favour of more talented people."
"S-S-Sure…no p-problem…." Gabi tried to sound optimistic but there was no optimism to be found in her voice.
It didn't take long before Gabi and Vivo were both standing on the gigantic stage, Gabi clutching a microphone and Vivo continued to perch on her left shoulder whilst trying to send her as many encouraging looks as possible, it was all they could do to try and ignore the crew and stagehands rushing and bustling about around them and then behind them.
The duo could both feel Rosa and Esteban watching them too from backstage.
In front of the stage were more people occupying the space inside as three judges sat in front of the stage at a desk with big red buzzers on the surface of said desk.
"Okay. Tell us who you are." Said one of the judges.
Gabi swallowed while shaking and shuddering as she stood on stage whilst quivering beneath the spotlight.
She couldn't help but have stage fright as she was used to performing in front of a small collection of people in the middle of Downtown Key west back in Florida but this was a different level —she felt goosebumps but she tried to breathe through her nerves and shake them off. She felt her hands and shoulders start shaking while she pointed to herself and then to the orange mammal perched upon her shoulder with his tail wrapped gingerly around her neck as she introduced herself and her partner.
"Um, erm, m-my name is Gabriella Hernández…but just call me Gabi," then she pointed at the Kinkajou sat on her shoulder "a-and this is Vivo."
Vivo chirped and nodded in confirmation, nervous but throwing on a smile.
All three judges were silent until one of the judges, Fabian probably, held up some sort of remote control and clicked a button.
Gabi spun round (as did Vivo as he continued to sit perched on her shoulder) to see a huge screen that wasn't there before switch itself on and images and videos of both her and Vivo's home/plaza performances were being displayed. The two watched as the video played some footage of one of their previous performances —more specifically, the one that had taken place on the day that talent agent lady came to their house…at the beginning of all this.
The twelve-year-old girl smiled softly, her eyes twinkling with nostalgia.
Vivo smiled at the footage too.
He loved performing with Gabi and watching this video purely solidified it, reminding him what this entire adventure was all for…but there was something off with with his partner.
He still couldn't place his finger on what was the matter.
Vivo's train of thought halted when he noticed that the lights in the concert hall were dimming and some backtrack music started to play on the radio in order to lead both him and Gabi into their audition song. The two looked to each other and then down to the judges and back to each other as they simultaneously felt their hearts sink into the depths of their stomach to the point where they were threatening to sink through the flooring below.
Their eyes were practically ready to pop out of their sockets before they softened when the intro to the music played on. Vivo decided to take the lead and started to sing, his mind full while remembering the song which he and Andrés sang together that final time...
"Heeeey,
Lo le lo lai
Lo le lo lai, lo le lo lei
Lai le lo lei…"
The Kinkajou furled the tip of his tail around Gabi's neck, making sure to do it gingerly as to not risk harming her, and carefully balanced himself on her upper arm. He started to swing around in the air by using her neck as a pole and he let both of his arms fly through the air as he gestured to his partner expansively —after he finished singing, he started to rap.
"We're Vivo and Gabi,
we're here to sing it
so judges just get comfortable and sit."
Vivo stopped rapping and swinging and resumed singing once more as he side-eyed the anxious twelve-year-old whom stood as rigid as a tomb stone, albeit a quivering tomb stone, and she looked really nervous but she also appeared to be just beginning to get over her nerves. He saw her frozen lips beginning to twitch into a small smile while her eyebrows knitted together in order to paint a look of reluctant exuberance on her face. She watched Vivo dance and spin around the stage floor with growing intrigue as he danced and sung, whirling and spinning around and around until he stopped to face her.
"Lo le lo lai
Lo le lo lai, lo le lo lei
Lai le lo lei,"
Gabi finally pulled herself together as she, too, started to sing a verse before breaking off into a rap.
She stuttered a bit as she tried to get her nerves under control, she found it more difficult to perform in front of these famous people and she didn't know why. She couldn't help but be daunted by the prospect of singing in front of such famous people but she tried to get over her fear for Vivo; she knew that they both had it in them to perform in front of famed people…but she still wasn't sure about performing in front of an audience consisting of thousands upon thousands of people. The thought made her heart tremble and threaten to stop.
"W-We're here today to put on this dazzling display,
we've come all this waaaaaay."
Gabi bent down and scooped Vivo up into her arms and spun him around through the air, earning cries of surprise from the Kinkajou, Her eyes hardened into a steely gaze determinedly, her musical spark returning momentarily as she spun both herself and her honey bear partner around and around until she stopped and stared at the judges and she began rapping whilst gesturing with a single nod to the Kinkajou being held in her arms.
"Lady and gentlemen this is Vivo the kinkajou,
he came from Havana Cuba but has started life anew.
In Florida he and I are besties,
and we sing so much that both of our chests heave."
Vivo cut in and started to sing as well as rap, grinning determinedly while still being held by Gabi.
He remembered when Gabi sang this particular little ditty when they got acquainted in Gabi's bedroom two years prior, he recalled feeling like it was much too big of a song on first meeting as she seemed to scream in his ears about nobody understanding her and her need to be a free spirit. The memoir of the song felt like a bunch of bricks crashing down on his poor little head. Nevertheless, he sang this song as a need to make it a mashup medley of all the songs that they sang together when they first met. He remembered how loud that song was and how it felt like a ton of cement bricks crumbling in his mind which was followed by making him both scared and giving him a horrific headache.
"We learned to bounce to the beat of our own drums,
we rockin' this world while we both young!
She's a wild young lady and I'm a wild animal but you know 'sum?
She became my best friend and we both singin' till our tongues go numb!"
Vivo and Gabi sang the next verse together.
This time Vivo was reminded of drifting through the Everglades together whilst venturing to Miami in order to deliver Martha's song; he remembered the fear he felt, the reminiscing of being with his recently-departed friend and father figure, the music that was filling his heart and the bond he felt beginning to strengthen with Gabi —especially when he taught her how to play the drums better than she had done previously. The memoirs flashing through his mind brought a smile on his face as he sang straight from the heart. It was true that he was a little bit scared now and was more anxious than frightened but he still decided that this song should be included in their audition.
He clapped his hands and smacked them rhythmically against his fuzzy little knees as he and Gabi raised their heads and sang in near perfect harmony.
Gabi appeared to still be a bit tense but she seemed better than she had earlier.
"And all we can do when our roads bend, is lean into the curve.
All we can do when the tanks run dry is see what's in reserve.
All we can do, when we fall down is get back on our feet.
And all we can do is face a new day while we go on and on,
and keep the beat."
Vivo and Gabi both shifted from that song to singing a different, neither of them could keep from sparing a quick yet cursive glance down to the judges whom each wore unreadable yet blank expressions on their faces; their eyes were just as unreadable as their entire faces were so it was difficult to gauge whether or not they were impressing the judges or not. Vivo tried not to let any hint of fear or worry show because he didn't want for Gabi to see it and get any more nervous than she already was.
They sang in near perfect harmony.
"Lo le lo lai
Lo le lo lai, lo le lo lei
Lai le lo lei,"
Again, Vivo felt nostalgia hit him hard as he remembered singing this song with Andrés on their very last show and said nostalgia felt like a knife plunging straight into his back. He tried not to let the hurt show as his heart started to hurt with each beat while the memory engulfed him. Nevertheless, he shook it off as he jumped high into the air and caught himself by furling his tail around Gabi's wrist and then proceeded to clamber up her arm and perched right back on her shoulder except this was the right shoulder rather than the left.
He never broke his stride as he stared at Gabi and Gabi started right back at him as her fuzzy little partner sat on her shoulder.
"You and I, we are one of a kind!
Keeping time, every time,
Right on tiiiiiiiime…"
This was it, the song was almost over!
Vivo jumped up from her shoulder and performed an expertly-executed flip followed by a spin. His airborne acrobatics were quite the sight to behold as he and Gabi sang together on the stage with as much harmony as they usually muster in a performance while the latter was still regaining her bearings but had mostly reigned in her abnormal anxiety.
"Lai lo lei lo lai
Lo lei lo le lo le lai
Lo lei!"
The girl and the Kinkajou both high-fived one another as they both simultaneously jumped high in the air and landed with their legs huddled together and their arms spread out to the sides while performing a posture conveying showmanship as their finishing move.
"Right on time!"
The song had finished.
A breathless Gabi bent down to allow Vivo access to perch on her shoulder again, which he immediately obliged as he dropped to stand on all fours before he proceeded to skitter up her arm and sit perched on her shoulder for the umpteenth time. Gabi rewarded Vivo some scratches under the chin whilst praising him for how well he did during the performance, the Kinkajou in return gave a soft chitter as he wrapped both arms around the girl and hugged her tight.
It was an adorable display of affection…that didn't affect the judges in any way, shape or form.
The duo which consisted of the girl and the Kinkajou stood still, their eyes glued to the judges seated in front of their desk whilst they scribbled something down on each of their respective clipboards with that same expression of indifference. After a couple of tense moments, they all collectively raised their heads and looked to one another and then back up to both Gabi and Vivo.
The woman spoke first, albeit she hesitated.
"Gabi, sweetheart…this is a big contest with lots of major talents. You've got a nice singing voice but I dunno if it's good enough to get you through this."
Gabi was almost at a loss for words and couldn't find the right words.
"But…B-but…"
Vivo, meanwhile, was gobsmacked. They tried their hardest just now and they weren't impressed!? He also noticed how his singing had yet to be acknowledged and that silently infuriated him even more. His eyes narrowed and he pursed his tiny lips whilst trying not to reveal his gritted fangs to the judges sat before them.
Seeing the outright astonished confusion on both Gabi and Vivo's faces, the woman judge decided to soften the blow that their current contestants were undoubtedly about to receive.
"Listen. You are good, very good! But I don't want you or your pet to get hurt by people prepared to shred people like you apart."
Gabi just blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
The lady judge sighed and shook her head.
One of the men judges took over.
"Look, kid. We can tell you aren't putting your all into this and if you wanna be successful then you gotta put your all into each and every performance. Your pet did great but you…you need to do a bit of soul searching and decide on whether or not you really wanna do this."
Gabi exhaled heavily as she clutched her chest in hopes of calming her pounding heart.
She couldn't take this anymore.
Her pulse was speeding up, her heart was pounding in her chest, she was sweating waterfalls bigger than the Niagara falls, her eyes were watering…it all got too much for her to handle as her mind went into overdrive and her legs moved before her mind could make them; she just needed to get out of there! She spun on her heels and ran out so fast that Vivo dropped off her shoulder and tumbled to the ground.
The Kinkajou rolled a few times before he scrambled to stand back on all fours and raced after his musical partner.
"Wait! Gabi!" He cried as he darted after her "Come back!"
Rosa, upset at watching the entire thing, decided to intervene.
She stormed on to the stage and proceeded to try and convince the judges on her baby's behalf. She had red hot fires blazing out of control within her chocolate brown pools and she had gritted her teeth so much that sparks were flying due to the friction between her upper and lower jaw.
Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned…
"Are you guys loca!? She and Vivo sounded great in my opinion and I'm not just saying that because I'm her mother! They deserve a chance to perform after all the hard work they had put into this!"
The judges looked to one another, unconvinced.
"Look, Mrs Hernández…we appreciate that you're trying to do this for your daughter. But you gotta think about this from her perspective; Gabi clearly ain't ready to stand in front of an audience, let alone sing in front of one."
Rosa was beginning to get spitting mad.
"And who are you to decide that!?" She snapped. "You don't know Gabriella! I do! And I say that she's ready because I believe in her!"
She kept her infuriated glower focused at the four judges but she now had a pleading note in her voice.
"Please just give her a chance! She's nervous right now but she truly shines when she and Vivo are in harmony, she can do this and I'm not just saying that as her mother. Look if you don't see that then we'll leave Las Vegas and go home to Florida but I'm begging you to give her a chance to perform with Vivo and show you all what they can really do together."
Again, the judges looked to one another while they considered the passionate mother's words. They muttered among themselves and kept their voices hushed as they each deliberated on the decision that they were just presented with.
The moments ticked by, causing a rise of tension in the already-tense atmosphere.
Rosa didn't know it but she couldn't help but fidget on the spot as she awaited a verdict.
And then they finally looked back up at the mother.
"….Fine, we'll give ya a chance to enter the contest and concert. Just…don't make us regret this."
A huge wave of relief washed over the mother as she visibly relaxed and the pressure left her figure immediately due to the instant straightening of her posture. She hung her head and let out a sigh of relief while she placed a hand over her own chest to express her own relief, her head ducked in between her shoulders.
"Thank you. I promise none of you will regret this,"
Rosa walked off the stage and headed towards the backstage section where Esteban was awaiting her with an impressed look etched upon his face. His eyes were wide and he looked as though he were trying to suppress a smile.
Even Marta looked pleased and impressed at Rosa's willingness to stand up for her daughter.
But the three stopped smiling when a familiar person stepped up behind them, better known as the very same woman who had invited the group to Las Vegas in the first place; the woman who Rosa had had a strong dislike for since the very beginning.
"…So are ya gonna coddle the girl until she's in her late twenties?" Asked the agent.
Rosa snarled like an angry mother wolf, her eyes blazing with fires of fury.
She refused to have her parenting decisions questioned by this ignorant pig of a woman! She had been through hell and back to raise Gabi all on her own after her husband died years ago and she promised herself back then that she wasn't going to let her daughter face the world all alone —they were going to face it together, even if she was hard on her daughter sometimes.
But this lady had the audacity to treat Gabi like a fool and then question Rosa's decision as a mother!?
No.
She wasn't going to tolerate that!
The infuriated mother basically stormed up to the woman but was promptly held back and restrained by Esteban, whom looked uncertain of whether or not he should be restraining her due to the fact that he didn't look too pleased himself. He didn't like violence and was pretty bad at confrontation but he didn't like how this woman spoke nor did he really care for her attitude.
Rosa snapped.
"Hey! This is none of your business! Besides, I'm going to look out for her until she is old enough and ready to let go of my hand but, until that happens, I will not leave my daughter's side or will I stop supporting her! Not with you guys criticising and pressuring her to make her feel bad."
The agent was hardly phased but she did back off while Rosa, Marta and Esteban all made their exit and sauntered off to follow Gabi to see if they could get to the bottom of her sudden bizarre mood —they wanted to support the twelve-year-old in her difficult times but it was difficult to help her when she refused to divulge what was bothering her to begin with.
Rosa cast a final withering scowl towards the judges as the trio passed by crossing the stage.
She gave a low growl before she stormed off with a cautious Esteban in tow, leaving the scared judges in her wake. The four judges all balked under the intense glower of the raging mother with their heads ducked in between their shoulders and they tried to hide behind their own clipboards while trying to keep the pure terror on their faces concealed.
They looked so scared that they were lucky not to wet themselves right then and there…
A/N: Hi, guys!
I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long to come out, this is one of the longest chapters I have ever written and it took weeks to write.
I tried to make this as dramatic as possible and the song is meant to be a mashup of some of the songs that came from the original film, but I also tried to make the song as good as possible. In the next chapter, we are going to find out what is going on with Gabi and why she's struggling with the show.
Marta Sandoval makes a return!
There are also other questions like what will Vivo do?
Can he help Gabi and get to the bottom of why she's so nervous and doubtful?
Btw, I also decided to change the name of Dancarino and Valentina's daughter's name after getting some advice from an anonymous reviewer and I thought it would be a great idea.
You guys are awesome!
-Chloemcg