The New Kid Chapter 118, a glee fanfic

CHAPTER 118

"Welcome to the X Factor. Your semi final starts right here!" Dermott exclaimed. "We are live on ITV1 for a four way showdown. That will see three acts progress to the X Factor final and one miss out at the final hurdle. To get there, they are going to be singing two songs and tonight, they are going to be on point. And who makes it to the final will be determined by the toughest judges out there: you! Yes, it is that time again when we take great pleasure in stripping the judges of their power and handing complete control back to you. No final showdown, no deadlock, no judges spending far too long deciding who they want to send home. Quite simply, the act with the least number of vote will be leaving the competition. Speaking of judges, let's give it up for our four amazing mentors who each have one act in the semi finals. It's Tulisa, Louis, Gary and Nicole!"

The four mentors walked on stage and over to their judges' table. They weren't judges today in any way - merely mentors to their acts.

"The acts are singing songs for you - songs for someone special - and first up, the only over 28 left in the competition. It's Christopher Maloney."

Back in the green room, because Christopher was already backstage, Union J, Ella and Finn got to talking.

"How is he here?" Josh from Union J asked, incredulously. "Like seriously! Our boys District3 and Jahmene are out, and yet he's still here."

"Dude, even Kye was better than him. Christopher should have been out in week 5." Ella remarked.

"I mean, he's clearly getting some votes. Like I realise that some might be from himself, but some have gotta be legit." Finn argued, reasonably.

"Yeah, old people are voting for him. The point of the competition is to find the next big recording artist. He isn't going to sell too many records." Jaymi said. Finn shrugged and turned back to the TV to watch Christopher's performance. His streak of singing sappy love ballads went on: he sang You Raise Me Up this time. It was a very hard song to cover and he did a pretty good job, but that didn't take away the fact that he probably wouldn't be the target of many record labels. He would be great on Broadway though. Probably a better Broadway singer than any of the others.

Ella was next, and as always, she blew the judges and the audience away with her dreamy rendition of I Look to You. It was so emotional; every lyric in the song clearly had so much meaning to her. She sang her heart out every week and if anyone deserved a spot in the finals, it was definitely her. There was no way she was going back to working in a supermarket. She deserved to make number 1 albums. She had grown so much in the competition. She always sang beautifully, she always sang like she meant it, she always sang with passion, but that performance was next level and it was clear that she meant every word she was saying.

Union J were third up. They were coming into the semi finals as the favourites to be leaving the competition this week (having been in the bottom two three times, it didn't look great for them) so it was more important for them than ever that they came out fighting. Being in the bottom two three times was gutting. It was hard going into such a high-pressure semi final knowing that the public weren't voting for them, and there was no sing off to save them this week. They decided to dedicate their song to their fans, and they sang Beneath Your Beautiful by Emile Sande and Labyrinth. They wanted to sing about beauty being on the inside as they wanted it to be relatable to people at home. The judges had saved them 3 times so they needed to go out and absolutely destroy their song to prove that they deserved their place. They did. It was almost like the group had a newfound maturity to them. They had gone from being just an immature group of 16 year olds into being humble, mature pop stars.

Finally, it was Finn's turn to sing his first song: One. He walked backstage and waited anxiously to be announced by Dermott. Neither of his performances tonight would involve his guitar, so he gripped the microphone tightly with both hands.

"Ladies and Gentlemen… closing the second half of the show… the one remaining boy… Finn Hudson!"

Is it getting better

Or do you feel the same

Will it make it easier on you now

You got someone to blame

You say

One love

One life

When it's one need in the night

One love

We get to share it

Leaves you baby if you don't care for it

Did I disappoint you

Or leave a bad taste in your mouth

You act like you never had love

And you want me to go without

Well, it's

Too late

Tonight

To drag the past out into the light

We're one, but we're not the same

We get to carry each other

Carry each other

One

Have you come here for forgiveness

Have you come to raise the dead

Have you come here to play Jesus

To the lepers in your head

Did I ask too much

More than a lot

You gave me nothing

Now it's all I got

We're one but we're not the same

Well we hurt each other

Then we do it again

You say

Love is a temple

Love a higher law

Love is a temple

Love the higher law

You ask me to enter

But then you make me crawl

And I can't be holding on

To what you got

When all you got is hurt

One love

One blood

One life

You gotta do what you should

One life

With each other

Sisters

Brothers

One life

But we're not the same

We get to carry each other

Carry each other

One

To see the actual song, click:

watch?v=JenmS7oLpxM

Or search… "James Arthur One"

At the end of the song, Finn smiled and relaxed considerably. He felt like he actually nailed his performance, and he rarely ever felt that way.

"Finn! Every week, you bring something different and original to the X Factor and you're what the show is all about: finding someone with real talent. I think you're a really honest performer. I think this time next year, you're going to have your first album out for sure, and quite possibly a couple of number 1 singles. I think you're a true musician. Nicole, you've done a brilliant job with him." Louis said.

"I didn't do anything. He was already such an amazing talent and artist when he came to me." Nicole exclaimed. Finn smiled.

"Finn, not only was that a great performance but that was a performance worthy of going through to the final. I was thinking to myself about something the other day. A lot of people, myself included, have said things like 'even if Finn doesn't win, he's probably going to get a record deal.' I'm tired of hearing that. Why shouldn't you win? Why shouldn't the credible, real, real musician win this show. Why do you have to be the one who goes out early and still gets the deal. You are representing not only Ohio, but you are probably the biggest up and coming artist the U.S have had since… since Elvis actually." Tulisa said.

Wow. That was so unexpected. To be compared to an absolute legend and icon like Elvis. Finn was speechless.

"Thank you. Thank you, Tulisa." Finn said.

"Finn, another amazing performance tonight. I mean, I love the way it's almost like watching a musical boxer. You come out ready for a fight every week and I love watching you pick off the opponents one by one. Brilliant song choice. Listen, you're a finalist for me. I will be extremely disappointed if I sit in the final and you're not singing next week. Well done." Gary said.

"Thank you." Finn said.

"Finn…" Nicole said. "Every time you get on that stage, I can tell how much you want it, how much you're here to take it and I can tell how much winning this competition really means to you. So everyone, vote for Finn Hudson. I do not want to see him eliminated tomorrow."

Finn smiled. He got stellar feedback from the judges, and now, it was time for his quick talk with Dermott.

"I imagine…" Dermott said. "That you, when someone says to do a song that means something to you, you don't really don't really show your emotions, so that would be quite difficult. How hard was it for you tonight?"

"Yeah, but I mean, it wasn't too difficult because I knew from minute one who I was singing about. My friends are like family to me: they mean more to me than anyone in the world. It's a busy schedule right now and I don't get to speak to them much, but the fact that I got to sing a song for them was really nice."

"All right. If you want to see Finn again next week, remember to vote for him. Give it up for Finn Hudson everyone!"

Finn walked off stage, ecstatic. He had done a great first song. Now, there was a quick break and then song 2 would commence. This was the song Finn was truly worried about. It could be his ticket to the finals, but it could also easily spell his doom.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Welcome back to the semi final of the X Factor, where we're about to start round two. The acts are now singing songs that they believe will get them to the final and they better hope they are right because this is their last chance to impress and then it's 100% down to you. Kicking things off this time is one of the girls. It's Ella Henderson everybody!"

Once again, Ella's performance was gorgeous. She sang Power of Love by Celine Dion. She was truly world-class, and was born to sing. After that performance, Ella was, in all likelihood, sailing straight through to the final. She had always been really consistent each week with her performances, and although she might have lifted her foot off the gas a tiny bit at some point, she was now full steam ahead for the final and that prestigious X Factor crown.

Christopher was next, and he sang his most current song he had sung yet, although it was about 6 years old already. He sang Haven't Met You Yet by Michael Buble and it was clear to see that he was way out of his depth. It was the semi finals and his cover was by far not his best performance yet. His first song of the night was a million times better than his second but because it was Christopher, there was still a good chance that he would be in the final three.

The third act to perform their second song was Union J, and they did a reasonably good job. It wasn't as good as their first performance and their song - I'm Already There by Lonestar - was a bit of a safe choice given that both of their songs were pretty similar. But, other than that, their vocals were incredible. And the fact that they had been in the bottom two three times but were still fighting is amazing.

Finn was the final performer of the evening and he was singing his original song. He was very nervous about it, and as he took his place backstage, his hands shook slightly.

"Welcome back to a hotly contested X Factor semi final." Dermott said. "The acts are doing all they can. One more act is still yet to perform his final performance. Singing an original song… it's Finn Hudson everybody!"

Just stop your crying

It's a sign of the times

Welcome to the final show

Hope you're wearing your best clothes

You can't bribe the door on your way to the sky

You look pretty good down here

But you ain't really good

We never learn, we've been here before

Why are we always stuck and running from

The bullets, the bullets?

We never learn, we've been here before

Why are we always stuck and running from

Your bullets, the bullets?

Just stop your crying

It's a sign of the times

We gotta get away from here

Just stop your crying

It'll be alright

They told me that the end is near

We gotta get away from here

Just stop your crying

Have the time of your life

Breaking through the atmosphere

And things are pretty good from here

Remember, everything will be alright

We can meet again somewhere

Somewhere far away from here

We never learn, we've been here before

Why are we always stuck and running from

The bullets, the bullets?

We never learn, we've been here before

Why are we always stuck and running from

The bullets, the bullets?

Just stop your crying

It's a sign of the times

We gotta get away from here

Stop your crying

Baby, it'll be alright

They told me that the end is near

We gotta get away from here

We never learn, we've been here before

Why are we always stuck and running from

The bullets, the bullets?

We never learn, we've been here before

Why are we always stuck and running from

Your bullets, the bullets?

We don't talk enough

We should open up

Before it's all too much

Will we ever learn?

We've been here before

It's just what we know

Stop your crying, baby

It's a sign of the times

We gotta get away

We got to get away

We got to—we got to—away

To hear the actual song, click:

watch?v=Y8R-zl7SDUU

Or search… "Sign of the Times by Harry Styles"

After singing the final note of the heart-wrenching outro of the song, Finn stepped back from the mic stand. The audience's reaction to the song was going to be everything, and for a brief, horrifying moment, the whole arena was silent. Then, they erupted. Applause, cheers, screams and stomping feet echoed through the arena. Finn saw Nicole at the judges' table giving him a subtle thumbs up and he relaxed slightly. It had gone well. Very well.

"Finn!" Louis exclaimed once the audience had finally quietened down. "If there's any justice, you are sailing right through to the final because you've paid all your dues doing all those small gigs with nobody listening. Now, people are listening. You're in everybody's homes, you're original, you're incredible, and you've got the X Factor!"

The audience screamed their approval of the fantastic feedback Finn had just gotten from Louis.

"Finn, I feel so proud to be a part of this show while you're on it." Tulisa said. "I know I've said this before. This is everything I wanted to see when I watched the X Factor so many years ago. And what would make me even prouder is to be sitting on this panel and hear the words 'and the winner is… Finn Hudson!' Make it happen, people!" Tulisa exclaimed.

"Thanks. Thank you." Finn said.

"Finn, this is simple. You know how I said that last week, it was the performance of the series? Well, you've just topped that. This was the performance of the series. That was amazing. It really was. You are a great singer, but there's something else with you. You make people emote. You bring out the emotion in people and I know all over the country right now, whether people are ironing, washing the dishes, they will have stopped and watched that performance. Well done. And you don't know how happy I am that you performed an original song for the competition. It was just gorgeous, and if this is what you're producing in the semis, I can't wait to see what you pull out of your hat for the finals." Gary said. His comments were probably the best of any of the judges (other than Nicole of course), but then again, Gary was one of his biggest supporters. Not a bad friend to make in the music business!

"Finn…" Nicole said. "This is why I came to the U.S, buddy. America, come on. If Finn Hudson isn't in the final then what am I doing here? Please, please, vote for him. That performance was genius, and he wrote it all himself. I didn't help at all with that performance. It was epic. It was transcending. Beautiful."

Finn nodded and a faint smile appeared on his lips. Although nothing was certain of course, he felt like maybe, just maybe, there was a spot for him in that three person final.

"Finn…" Dermott said, walking up beside him. "You're a stoic guy. You don't take praise easily. How important is it for you to get through to next week's final?"

"Um… I've never wanted anything more in my life." Finn said. "That's all I can really say. Thank you so much everyone for voting for me up to this point. This has been the best couple of months of my life."

"Ladies and Gentlemen… one more time. Give it up for Mr. Finn Hudson!" Dermott exclaimed.