I do not own the movie Sing. I only own my OC, Jason.
Sorry the last chapter was really short compared to the earlier ones, but as I mentioned, I'm still getting back into the swing of writing. That's also why I took exactly a month to post this chapter, but I wanted to get it just right. Hopefully it paid off.
By the way, well done to anyone who noticed what the 11th, 13th and this chapter were named after!
Hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a review! :)
Jason's mood hadn't improved in the slightest. When the rest of the Eburno family got home that evening, he was still shut in his bedroom. And like yesterday, nothing anyone said or did could make him open his door.
Not a word was uttered in the household as Stephanie started helping her mother prepare the dinner, though neither of them were sure if Jason would willingly eat it this time. As they worked, Kenneth and the other children sat forlornly in the living room. Alex and Craig both lay on the couch, gazing at the ceiling in silence as their dad half-heartedly flipped through the TV channels.
One finally snapped him out of his dejected state.
"Gina! Stephanie! EVERYONE!"
The sharpness of Kenneth's yell startled everyone in his general vicinity, Alex and Craig tumbling off the couch in shock as his wife and daughter almost dropped their cooking utensils. Quills flew from their backs in all directions and embedded themselves in the walls, the kitchen cupboards among other things.
"Come look at this! Quick!" The father porcupine cried out, gesturing wildly at the television.
His sons untangled themselves and bumbled to their feet as Gina and Stephanie came racing into the living room, avoiding some quills stuck in the floorboards. Their stares then fixed on the dog reporter on the screen, holding up today's newspaper in front of the Moon Theatre's remains.
"Some say he's the worst showman this city's ever seen. Some say he's a walking disaster. A loose cannon. Well, tomorrow night, the name Buster Moon will go down in entertainment history once and for all, as he and this bunch of bumbling amateurs attempt to restage the show that brought down his theatre."
Every porcupine in the room slowly looked at one another, their mouths agape. At last, the silence was shattered by Stephanie's ecstatic squeal.
"The show's back on?! That's awesome!" She cried, bouncing on her toes as everyone massaged their hurt ears. "We've gotta go tell Jason right now!"
Her dash towards the stairs was halted by her brother gently grabbing her paw.
"Stephanie, I'm not so sure you'll be able to convince him." Alex said grimly.
"But there's still a chance for him to sing!" Stephanie cried, stubbornly trying to wrench herself free. She relaxed slightly when Gina placed a paw on her shoulder.
"I'm afraid your brother's right, sweetheart." She said grimly. "Buster Moon and his contestants might be willing to put on the show again but with no prize money to motivate Jason, especially after overhearing his talk with Ash, there's no guarantee we can persuade him to take part again."
Remembering back to Jason's furious denial at the hospital a few days ago, Stephanie's heart sank as the Eburnos all fell silent in turn.
"You're right, Mom."
Everyone turned to look at Craig, whose mouth corners curled up into a triumphant grin.
"We can't. But there is someone who can."
"WAKEY WAKEY, BRO!"
Whether it was from the force of Stephanie kicking the door open or the volume of her shout, a flailing Jason quickly found himself face down on the floor beside his bed. A low groan left his throat as he forced himself up, sparing a glance at the hands pointing to 8:15am on his watch.
"Stephanie, I'm not in the mood for whatever joke you have lined up." The porcupine mumbled, squinting at the light from the hallway illuminating his bed.
"Oh, it's no joke, Jason." His sister replied collectedly, leaning against the door frame. "There's somebody very special on the phone for you downstairs. And believe me, they're not hanging up until you've spoken to them."
Tempted as he was to shove her out and return to his sorrowful slumber, Jason felt a twinge of hope in his heart that the caller was possibly Ash. His mind had been plagued not just by his failure of securing any prize money to save Grandpa, but recently by the guilt of having snapped at her.
Without another word, Jason lumbered past a satisfied Stephanie and, for the first time since the Moon Theatre's collapse, out of his room. The porcupine mentally prepared his apology as he trudged down the stairs to where Gina was waiting by the landline phone. Taking the receiver from her, Jason gently held it up to his ear.
"Hello?"
The phone almost fell from his grip when the caller's voice came through. A voice he hadn't heard in what felt like forever.
"Jason? It's Grandpa. I'd like you to come to the hospital. Right now."
As he trekked through the soulless white halls of the hospital, Jason's mind burned with a hundred questions. Why did Grandpa want just him to visit? Was he going to be okay after all? Did the money that could pay for an operation magically fall from the sky?
All these questions fizzled out once he reached the room he'd been directed to. Steeling himself, the young porcupine pushed open the doors and entered.
There, looking across from his bed with a tiny smile, donning a pale blue hospital gown and a nasal cannula, was Grandpa.
Jason released a breath, staggering slightly; he'd never seen him look so weak before. Swallowing a gulp, he walked over anxiously and lifted himself up onto the lone chair beside the bed.
"H… H-Hi, Grandpa." Jason said quietly.
Neither porcupine said anything else for the longest time. Jason repeatedly opened his mouth, as if to speak, but no words came. His eyes darted around the room, looking at everything but his grandparent's frail state. It wasn't until he felt a paw upon his own that he looked at Grandpa again. The elderly porcupine's strong gaze made him freeze.
Then he spoke softly but firmly.
"You know I'm dying, Jason."
At long last, Jason caved.
Burying his quivering face into his arms on the side of Grandpa's bed, the porcupine bawled. His body convulsed violently as pent-up tears poured from his eyes, drenching the sheets that barely muffled his lament. Each time he seemed to be calming down, more heavy sobs found their way out of him. All the while, Grandpa's paw rested on his crying grandson's shuddering shoulder, the kind smile never leaving his face.
Twenty long minutes passed before Jason's ragged breathing finally subsided. Trembling, he slowly lifted his head from his arms, his bloodshot eyes meeting Grandpa's own.
"Feeling better?"
Inhaling shakily before releasing a deep sigh, Jason gave a tiny nod.
"Grandpa, I'm so sorry." He said raspily, wiping away the leftover tears on his cheeks. "I've been denying it for so long. And when I heard you were in the hospital, I convinced myself that I could save you if I won the prize money. And then it turned out there wasn't any, and I…"
Jason thought back to yesterday's spat before burying his face in his paws.
"Oh, God… I said some terrible things to Ash yesterday. She only wanted to help and I threw it back in her face."
"Gina mentioned an 'Ash' on the phone." Grandpa replied. "Is she one of the contestants?"
A wistful smile came to Jason's face.
"Yeah. Oh, Grandpa, she's amazing." He began to ramble, the senior porcupine listening attentively. "She's talented and funny and cute and… she really helped me a lot during rehearsals, especially on the high notes. If I see her again, the first thing I'm doing is apologising."
The young porcupine gave a disappointed sigh, looking down at the bedsheets.
"It's just a shame all that rehearsing went to waste now that the theatre's gone."
"Not quite." Grandpa said with a grin. "Me and your family all saw the news last night. Mr. Moon and the other singers are going to be putting on the show this evening."
Jason's head snapped back up to look at him in surprise. "Wha… really? It's back on?"
"That's right." Grandpa then took his grandson's paw again, that kind but firm look returning to his eyes.
"Jason, do you remember what I told you the day you got into the singing contest?"
The young porcupine fell silent as he thought back to that evening, lying on his bed on the video call.
"That… when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes up, you should take it?" He replied softly.
"And that you were chosen because that koala saw something inside you that you didn't see in yourself." Grandpa then gave his paw a light squeeze of encouragement.
"Tell me, Jason. After all that time you've spent practicing… do you see it now?"
Jason fell silent. A torrent of memories flooded his brain.
First came his part-time work. The dreary atmosphere of JEC Insurance, the monotonous clicking and clacking of his keyboard and the cold, unforgiving glare of Mr. Reece. Day after day of the same tedious routine and for what? A reasonable paycheck for a job that, apart from an occasional chat with a fellow employee, he didn't even really enjoy.
Then Jason thought back to entering the contest. How nearly every contestant made him feel welcomed, how he took in the magnificent scope of the amphitheatre and how the melodious sounds of everyone practicing echoed throughout the whole theatre. And he'd certainly never forget the bond he'd forged with Ash, both in their informal talks and their undying support of each other during the rehearsal at her apartment.
Finally he remembered singing.
Standing onstage, microphone clutched in his paw. The absolute euphoria of closing his eyes and letting the music take control. All his worries scattered to the winds as the vocals burst through his worries and flowed out of him. The time spent with Ash that had further helped bring out his passion.
A spark deep within that had finally… awakened.
"…Yeah. I do."
For the first time in days, a big smile spread across Jason's face which Grandpa returned, complete with a strong pat on his shoulder.
"Then what are you waiting for? You've got a show to get to."
Jason gently leaned into Grandpa, wrapping his arms over his shoulders as happy tears welled up in his eyes.
"I love you, Grandpa. Thank you so much."
The moment those words left his mouth, the porcupine leapt off the chair and sprinted out of the room, a joyous smile nearly splitting his face from side to side as he sped past doctors and patients. When he burst through the hospital doors into the sunlight, he yanked his phone out of his jeans pocket and turned it on for the first time since the theatre's collapse. A notification instantly lit up the screen:
1 new voicemail from Buster Moon
Seeing that it had been received just over an hour ago, Jason pressed the notice and held the phone to his ear.
"Hi, Jason, it's, uh… it's Mr. Moon. I understand if you're still mad at me. Believe me, you have every right. But I, uh, just wanted to let you know the show's back on. Tonight at sunset, actually. Me, Rosita, Johnny, all of us are gonna fix up the Moon Theatre as best as we can. Make a new stage for us to perform on. There's no prize money because… well, there's no competition. Everyone's gonna be here to sing for themselves. But I-I completely get it if you don't wanna do the show anymore. I just thought you deserved to know. So, uh, I guess I'll see you at the theatre if you decide to come. If not… well, good luck to you, Jason. Okay, bye."
The second the message finished playing, Jason stuffed the phone back into his pocket, his brow furrowed; truth be told, even after his epiphany, he still held a tiny bit of resentment toward the koala. But even so, there was no chance he was going to pass up this golden opportunity.
"TAXI!" The porcupine yelled, waving his arm into the street wildly until one screeched to a halt in front of him. Wrenching the door open, he practically threw himself into the vehicle.
"The Moon Theatre! Step on it!" Jason said to the driver, fumbling manically with his seatbelt.
"Say what?" The polar bear behind the wheel replied, completely bewildered. "Buddy, I don't know if you've heard but that place is nothing but a pile of rubble..."
"I'll pay you double if you can get me there in less than ten minutes!"
The next thing Jason knew, he was pressed up against the seat as the taxi veered down the road, weaving in and out of slower vehicles in its path. Just barely containing his excitement, Jason fished out his phone once more and rapidly sent a text to every member of his family:
Show's back on at sunset! I'm performing! Be there!
The next thing Jason knew, the car had braked sharply directly in front of the Moon Theatre's remains. Taking a brief glance at the taximeter, Jason yanked a large wad of dollar bills out of his wallet and shoved them through the open screen into the driver's waiting paw. He then jumped out of the car and slammed the door behind him.
As the taxi sped away, Jason took in the sight of the ruined theatre. The front was just as battered and smashed as when he'd last seen it. But beyond that, he could see the arch above the stage back in its original place. Curious, he made his way over the rubble carefully. When he was on solid ground again, he could only smile.
A large amount of the debris had been moved to the sides while everyone was bustling about. Buster and his sheep friend were up a pair of ladders, hanging paper lanterns on the buildings either side. Gunter and Rosita were assisting each other in preparing some new props. Miss Crawly was sweeping the newly-fixed stage, humming contently to herself whilst Meena and Johnny set up the seats.
Jason felt his heart skip a beat as he saw Ash making her way over to the stage, clutching some wooden boards in her arms.
"Jason! You made it!"
Snapping out of his daze, the porcupine looked over to see Buster clambering down from the pillar he was on and making a dash toward him. He almost reached out for a hug before restraining himself.
"It's so great to see you back!"
"Glad to be back, Mr. Moon." Jason replied with a smile. "I'm, uh, sorry I'm late. I had a little thinking to do but… I'm ready for tonight."
He paused for a moment in contemplation. Finally he punched the koala in the arm, prompting a pained yelp from him.
"That's for lying to us about the prize money." Jason said. Buster looked baffled for a second before giving a small shrug of acceptance, rubbing his sore arm.
"Okay, well I guess I did deserve tha…" The koala's words died in his mouth as Jason suddenly enveloped him in a tight hug. After a few moments, he pulled out of the embrace with a smile.
"And that's for… everything else." The porcupine added. With that, he made a beeline for the stage, giving a smile and wave to everyone he passed.
Once onstage, he turned to the right in time to see Ash getting off the ladder of the wooden scaffolding. When she turned, she saw Jason and stopped where she was. Neither one said a word for what seemed like eternity. It was hard to read her expression. At last, Jason found his voice.
"Ash..." He said nervously, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "I am so sorry for snapping at you yesterday. I may have been upset but I had no right to take it out on you. I totally get it if you don't wanna forgive me. And I know that I can't save my grandpa's life. I was just in denial about it for so long."
"And the thing is, Ash…" Jason slowly grinned. "…You were right."
He gestured excitedly towards the theatre gradually coming together. "This is what I was born to do. Singing, performing, that feeling of the microphone in your paw and just letting it all out? That's what I born to do! My passion! I mean, what was I gonna do? Just go back to working at a boring desk job with a stuck-up boss day in and day out? Heck, no! Even if tonight doesn't go anywhere in terms of a singing career, I'm not gonna let this opportunity pass me by! I am gonna go on that stage and deliver! And if I go down in flames, HA! Fine by me! I'm going down doing what I love! And…"
His enthusiastic babbling was finally cut off by a finger being pressed over his lips. He gazed at Ash who smiled warmly at him.
"Welcome back, Jason."
Jason collected himself before smiling in return and taking the hammer she silently offered him.
"So you got any more ramblings of enlightenment lined up or are you good to help us?" Ash asked, playfully cocking an eyebrow. Jason let loose a small laugh; he'd missed Ash's dry humour so much.
"Yeah. Let's put on a show."
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*I do not own the rights to the movie Sing. All rights go to Illumination Entertainment