Sorry I haven't added anything for a bit. School and all. You know the drill. Ok, hope you like this next part.

Audition by Eveiveneg

A young man lounged in the middle of the Opera House's rows. His thick blonde hair hung low over his ears, hiding them. He stared out at the stage over the tops of his shoes, his clear blue eyes unfocused and dreamy.

"And…?" He looked up, startled out of his thoughts. "Huh?" he said. The man next to him whistled low and grinned. "You do have it bad. Did you already forget what we were talking about?" He stared at him blankly. "Come on, Morrell. The girl, remember? The one you met last week coming in from Albania?" Nathan blinked at him and mouthed "Oh".

"Well," he started. "Like I said, she wasn't too short, but not real tall either. She had this amazing hair, shoulder-length, a really dark brown color. Kind of like those ebony statues. And her eyes…" he paused. "They were even darker than her hair. So brown they were almost black. They looked like they belonged to a person who carried the weight of all the sorrows of the world on their shoulders."

He stopped again, remembering the young woman. She'd been so nice to him, so kind. He had given up all hope of her actually being shy, as the taxi cab driver had suggested. She had probably just wanted to get away from him.

"Yo, Morrell." Rick waved his hand in front of his face. "Come on, finish the story." Nathan made a face at him, then continued. "I'd just come out of the airport, when the winds started up. I looked around for a taxi, saw one, and headed towards it. I was about to open the door, when this other hand came pretty much out of nowhere. I was just about to tell them off for trying to take other people's rides, when she spoke. She offered me the taxi, and I turned to thank her…" He ran a hand through his hair. "I was just, like, whoa. Totally struck dumb. Like in all those books and movies where the guy sees this girl and…wham. Like that. I told her she should take it. She seemed to deliberate for a moment, then said we could share it. I told her sure, and then we were off."

He sighed. "I tried to talk with her, you know, to find out about her. Like what her name was, and where she was from, and all that. But she just answered my questions, then went quiet. Just before I was about to try again, we got to her hotel. She looked really thankful as she got out, too. Like she didn't want to spend another second in that car with me. The driver told me that it was the saddest attempt he had ever seen at flirting."

Rick laughed. "That's just too funny." Nathan glared at him. He shrugged. "Sorry, but it's true."

An ear-shattering shriek filled the entire room. The two men winced. They looked back at the stage where a woman stood, her hand held high before her as she sung. The rest of the people in the room had lost all patience with her long ago. Even the actual directors, who were supposed to be listening to her weren't paying attention. They seemed to be playing tabletop football. Yep, Nathan thought, they were. They were pumping their fists in the air every time they made a field goal.

Finally the shrill squeaking stopped. One of the directors looked up, bored. "Yes, yes. Nice job. We'll be in contact with you." Apparently she hadn't notice the sarcastic tone in his voice, since she giggled happily and skipped off the stage.

"All right," the director said. "Number 334. You're up next."

Nathan prepared himself for another shrill and off-key song. He turned his head to the curtains. A young woman came out of the draperies, slowly approaching the center of the stage. She'd tied her curly dark hair back in a ponytail, bringing attention to her exquisite features. The darkness of her eyes was emphasized by the paleness of her face. Her small nose and high cheekbones caught the attention of many of the men in the room.

Nathan breathed in sharply. Rick turned to him. Seeing the direction of his gaze and his expression, he whistled long and low. "So that's her, huh? You weren't kidding when you said she was something."

Her boots clicked on the wooden stage as she approached the center. Finally she stopped and turned to the men and women in the front row. "Your name?" One of them asked her. "Irene Thompson." She told them quietly. "What are you trying out for?" One woman asked her. "Chorus." She replied. "All right. What will you be singing for us?" She looked directly at the head director's face as she said, "Sweet Child."

They looked up at her. "Excuse me?" One asked. "Sweet Child. It's a lullaby." Two of them looked at each other. "A lullaby?" One woman questioned. "Yes. Is there a problem?"

"Oh no." A few of them chuckled. "Please, go right ahead."

"Thank you." She stood up straight and closed her eyes. After a few moments of silence, she began. Before she started singing, there had been a lot of noise, people talking about this and that. But as soon as she began, everything went entirely silent. Her clear soprano voice rang throughout the auditorium.

Quiet, sweet child

Silence your weeping

Still your tears

Wake from your sleeping

Realize your loss

Realize your gain

Come out from shadows

Don't hide again

Let loose your soul

From pits vast

Escape, finally

Be free at last

She opened her eyes, but she didn't seem finished yet. She continued, her voice growing in volume.

Join me in this

Circle of life

Open your heart

Stay free of strife

Answer your calling

Draw away from the darkness

Dance in joy

Escape from sadness

Laugh with me

Take life by the reins

You'll taunt the shadows

Trying to catch you in vain

Her voice began to soften, decreasing in sound and volume.

Raise your hands

Fly free from your prison

Stay by my side

Stand with me, listen

Listen…

Listen…

Listen to your soul

Fly and soar!

Asking to be free

And nothing more

You let loose your soul

From pits vast

Escaping, finally

Being free at last

Her voice had dropped to nearly inaudible, and when it stopped, there was silence in the Opera House. Then, suddenly, someone started clapping, then another person, until the entire group present was applauding Irene.

She seemed to start from the reverie she'd been in since she'd started her song. She blinked at her furiously clapping audience, then smiled.

Though she was unaware of it, the smile caused her to become even more striking. Her eyes, though still filled with sadness, suddenly gained a tinge of happiness.

"Thank you, thank you, Miss Thompson! Well done, well done!" The head director had stood up while cheering with the rest of the group. "We shall indeed be in contact with you."

"Thank you, monsieur." Irene murmured. She nodded to them a last time, then made her way to the back stage, taking pride in the fact that she had been applauded by the entire room, and embarrassed because of the looks she received from the other girls and young women waiting for their turn.

"That girl has an amazing voice." Rick said to Nathan as they sat down again. "With that voice she'll be getting a larger part than part of the chorus." Nathan silently agreed with him. And he'd also get another chance to talk to her. Irene. It was a beautiful name.

And the next time he saw her, he wasn't going to make a fool of himself, like before. And she wouldn't want to get away from him this time.

Sorry. This is kind of going slow right now. I'll try and get another chapter up soon.