Chapter 2: The Audition and the Deception
Sarah was immediately struck by the noise, as swarms of young women roughly her own age chattered and warmed up their vocal chords. She was jostled from behind by a blonde who shot, "Excuse me, but would you please remove yourself from the doorway!" She glared at Sarah balefully with a supercilious lift of her eyebrow and tapped her foot impatiently.
Sarah dodged to the side as the frosty blonde swept past her to the stage. Sarah gasped as she realized what she had thrown herself into: there were dozens of beautiful young women with gorgeous voices who were struggling for the same role as she was. She was certain she didn't stand a chance.
She wanted to run right back out the door, but steeled herself and pushed her way to the desk by the stage. She put her name down and turned to find a seat in the audience to wait for her turn. She glanced down the front rows and took a seat next to a tall, thin woman who had curly auburn hair and bright, emerald eyes. The redhead turned to greet her, "Hello! I'm Kaitlin. What's your name?"
"Sarah," the brunette responded, surreptitiously sneaking envious glances at the other woman's luxuriant hair.
"Are you trying out for Christine, Sarah? I am as well, but I don't expect much—this is my first audition," Kaitlin continued.
"I am," Sarah smiled at the chatty woman. "I'm certain you will do fine at the audition. I don't expect much from myself either however. Seeing all these beautiful, talented people is making me self-conscious," she grinned ruefully.
"Oh, but you're so pretty! And I can tell from your speaking voice that you must have a wonderful singing voice. I bet you get the part…Oh, I have to go! They're calling me!" Kaitlin stretched from her seat and glided gracefully up the stage.
Sarah watched as Kaitlin gave a spectacular performance. Her rendition of "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" sent Sarah and the production managers into tears and most of the other girls into envious fits of sulking. Kaitlin smiled graciously at the managers and took her seat next to Sarah.
"You were wonderful!" Sarah gaped.
"Oh no…I wasn't that good…" the other young woman blushed furiously.
The two watched as more girls were called up, some talented and some not so gifted. Sarah was becoming more and more anxious as her competition filed on and off the stage. I have no chance, thought Sarah. No chance in hell. I don't have a flea's chance in hell of getting this role. Oh my god, oh my god…
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard one of the managers call "Sarah Williams!".
She felt her vision narrow in her anxiety and she tottered up to the stage, feeling as if she were fighting for every breath she took. She clambered onto the stage and waited for the managers to signal her to start. What am I singing again?, she wondered. Oh yeah….
She was signaled by the manager and she shoved her fear away. She took a deep breath and launched into "Think of Me", her favorite piece from the musical. She was certain she was doing well. She hadn't sung this well in quite some time. She felt her mouth tug into a little smile as she sang, and she watched the managers for their reaction. Damn they're good, she thought. Not even a blink from one of them. Oh well…
She ended her piece with a clear and relaxed performance of the famed aria at the closing of the song, and grinned foolishly as her adrenaline crashed. She stumbled off the stage and sat next to Kaitlin. The other young woman smiled at her and whispered her appreciation of Sarah's talents, again confirming her belief that Sarah would be given the role.
They both waited impatiently for the rest of the auditions to end and straightened in their chairs as they noticed the managers talking together. Finally, one of the managers stood and announced, "We have made our decisions…." All across the theater, the young women who auditioned for different roles muttered to their neighbors. "The role of Meg Giry will be played by Angela LaFievre…" A young woman stood and waved gratefully to the manager. "The role of Madame Giry will be played by Gloria Werner…" Here, a middle-aged woman stood and nodded to the manager. "…and finally, our star will be played by none other than Kaitlin McDonne!" Kaitlin gasped and grabbed Sarah's hand tightly in her excitement. She leapt up to greet the managers, but Sarah didn't notice. Her heart sank faster than a stone in a pond. She got up to leave, but was accosted by one of the managers. He sighed and said "Miss Williams, we are very sorry…you were indeed one of our top choices. Please consider trying out for other roles for upcoming performances, would you?"
Sarah nodded dumbly as the man walked away. She stumbled her way to the exit amidst tearful and sullen young women. She made her way through the door and stepped into the open entrance hall. She looked around, but didn't see Michael, so she went to look for him. She walked the length of the entrance hall and trudged through the double doors at one end. She glanced around and noticed an open door to the left. She went through and followed a narrow corridor—it seemed to lead backstage. She trotted along it, swiping at the occasional tear in her eyes. I will not cry, I will not cry...I hope that won't become my mantra, she thought, her black sense of humor surfacing in her unhappiness. She stopped swiftly as she heard a familiar voice chuckling…along with a female voice. She heard the woman whisper, "Aren't you worried she'll find out? I mean, she's only on the other side of the theater…"
"She's in auditions. She won't be out for a whi…oh shit…"
Sarah had ducked behind a prop that had been resting against a wall backstage and gasped to find Michael…holding the sarcastic blonde with one arm, the other hand in the midst of unbuttoning her blouse.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" Sarah screamed, the blood draining from her face. "WHO IS SHE?"
Michael and the blonde sprang apart. Michael eyed Sarah warily and seemed to scramble for a plausible explanation. He obviously didn't find one, "Sarah, I…let me explain…I …this is…this is my ex…Jessica…her name is…and…I…can explain!"
"NO! You can't explain. How the hell can you explain making out with an ex!" Sarah's fury and hurt doubled. "I thought you loved me Michael! I loved you! It's over! You are nothing but a lying, underhanded son-of-a-bitch! "
Michael seemed to catch his train of thought fairly swiftly now. "Hey! Wait a second! It's all your fault you know!" Sarah sputtered with rage. "It's true!" he continued. "If you hadn't been such a frigid little ice queen up to now, I wouldn't need to go elsewhere to get laid! A guy's got needs you know!"
Sarah couldn't speak. He betrayed me, he cheated on me, he lied to me, she thought. She forced her voice back "How long…how long has this been going on?". Her voice was deadly quiet.
"About three months," Michael responded warily.
Sarah took two steps forward and slapped him soundly.
"Have a good life, bastard," she said swiftly.
She turned on her heel and walked back down the corridor, her face stony. She strode through the entrance to the playhouse, and moved down the street. Her mind was unfocused as she let her feet guide her back to her apartment. She let herself in, took one look around and proceeded to throw everything related to memories of Michael directly into the trash. When she had thoroughly combed through her home, she sank onto her couch and let herself dissolve into tears. What am I going to do, she wondered. "What am I going to do?" she repeated aloud.