Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. I do not. I also do not own any of the songs that are used in this chapter. They belong to their respective artists/labels and no copyright infringement is intended by using them here. All songs and the artists who sing them will be listed at the end of the chapters in which they are used.
A big thank you to all who have read and reviewed so far! I have been trying to respond to each and every review posted! If I miss yours, I'm sorry, but please know that I read each and every one of them! I can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter!
Another big thanks to my girlies Nicci (NicciB23 on twitter) and Gail (kewlwhip76 on twitter) They are making special guest appreances starting with this chapter!
This chapter was not officially beta'd, as my beta Patty is under the weather. Feel better babe! Pixiebella88 did pre-read for me! She's my twitter twin! Go check out her story Outside In! (It's on my fav list!)
When we last saw Bella her and Edward had just had an "almost kiss" let us now continue...
Chapter 4
I collapse onto the sofa as soon as I walk in the door. Freaking out really seems to take a lot out of me. I glance at the clock while kicking off my heels. I still have an hour until my roommates come home to help me begin my transformation. I lay back, putting my head against the armrest and pulling a nearby blanket on top of me.
Aaaahhhh. This is nice.
I close my eyes and try my best to relax.
KNOCK
KNOCK
KNOCK
What the fuck? Who's banging on my door when no one is supposed to be home?
Grudgingly, I stand and shuffle to answer the nap offender.
I swing the door wide open, not bothering to look to see who it is. "What?" I rudely clip to the person on the other side.
"Delivery for Bella Swan," says the young man, his face half hidden by a huge basket of flowers.
I take the flowers, man are they heavy, and place them in the kitchen before returning to the door. The man holds out a clipboard for me to sign.
Now that the flowers have been removed from his face I can see him clearly. It's Jacob, the nice custodian from the office; at least I think it is. I was so flustered that morning; I can't be sure with just one look.
"Is your name Jacob?" I question, I have to be sure.
"Yes? Do I know you?" he replies.
"Um, kind of, but not really. I work at Vamp Records. You helped me on Monday when I dropped a tray of coffee and cookies on top of my boss."
"Ahh, right. I remember you now. So you must be Edward Cullen's assistant," he says with a smile.
"Yes, that'd be me."
"He seems like a good guy, I actually tried to deliver these to you at work, and he told me you had left for home just ten minutes before I got there. He gave me fifty bucks to bring them here instead."
Wow. That was a very generous thing for him to do.
"Well, thank you, for bringing them to me personally. They're exactly what I needed." I move to shut the door.
"You're welcome. Have a nice day, Bella." Jacob winks and walks down the hallway towards the elevator.
I shut the door and run back to the kitchen. I admire the flowers as I draw near. It's a rather large bouquet of beautiful wild flowers. The charming wicker basket is overflowing with a fragrant assortment of lilies, snapdragons, daisies and mini-carnations of all colors. It is quite spectacular, and totally my style.
I notice a card tied to the handle. Its plain white, but the hand written message is very colorful and artistic. It reads Knock 'em dead V! See you soon, Love A & R.
I love those girlies!
My friends are sweet and know me too well. They knew I was going to need a pick me up at some point today. I smile to myself at how lucky I really am, to have two wonderful ladies in my life.
I'm interrupted from my thoughts by the front door opening.
Speak of the devils…
Alice and Rose walk in the front door.
"Bella! Bella we know you're home! Is everything okay?" Rosalie is calling out.
I run around the corner and embrace them both in a tight hug.
"Thank you so much! You guys are the best!" I start to tear up. "I love the flowers."
They hug me back, whispering encouraging words to me. Telling me I'm going to do great tonight, that I have nothing to worry about, and all I have to do is say the word, and they'll bring me straight home. They always know the right things to say to calm me.
Suddenly I don't feel so nervous anymore. A gentle calm has settled over me and I know that I can do this. I know my friends will be there to support me, whether the outcome is good or bad. They will be there.
"What are we waiting for? Let's get started!"
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
An hour or so later, I gaze at my reflection in the mirror. I see myself decked out in black satin hot-pants that cover only slightly more ass cheek than the leotard did. My top half has been draped in a long-sleeved black shirt. It has a boat-neck and the sleeves are slit open from the shoulder to the wrist, where they are buttoned with ruby colored gems. The top somehow manages to hug and enhance my boobs while staying loose and comfortable.
My eyes travel back down my bare legs.
"Alice?" I call out. "I need shoes."
"Yes, silly girl, I know this," she replies, handing me a pair of black boots and some colorful socks.
I pull open the ball to reveal knee high neon pink socks with black microphones on them. I should have known that Alice wouldn't be happy with my plain white socks. I giggle to myself at the thought of Alice and what her reaction would be to that as I slowly tug the pink ones up my legs.
I pick up one of the boots; these are significantly shorter than the thigh-high death traps I wore on Monday. This pair is only knee-high in length and only have about a two inch heel. I'm not sure what they're made of, but there's no zipper. The top part is slightly stretchy, and conforms to my toned calves as I slip them into place.
Much better. I am much less likely to kill myself in these.
I turn towards Alice, who points to a chair. I sit, like a good girl, while she and Rose fuss over me with hair and make-up implements. Half an hour later they spin me around towards the mirror.
Wow.
There she stands before me, the red-headed beauty that I conjured up earlier this week, Victoria.
For the second time this week I am stunned by my, rather her, beauty. Her skin is like porcelain, her cheeks slightly flushed to a beautiful rose color. I look at my eyes and am met with molten chocolate, the lids colored with charcoal gray with a pearlescent white giving off a slight shimmer. They are rimmed in a smoky black and are practically screaming "I WANT TO HAVE SEX!" to anyone looking into them. My lips are painted in a shade of nude tonight. But the hair, oh my God! The hair is what impresses me most.
Victoria's garnet hair cascades down my back in waves, it has that 'just got laid and didn't bother fixing my hair' sort of thing going. I reach up to run my hands through the wig. It not only looks real but it feels real! If I weren't the one wearing it, I'd swear to you it wasn't a wig.
I envelop my girls in a big bear hug. "You two are amazing!" I gush at them. They are both beaming with pride.
"We know," retorts Rose. "We're awesome." She smiles and pulls her shirt over her head, walking into her room.
Alice follow suit, and soon the two of them are ready to go. Both dressed to the nines. Ready for a night out, we all head to the door.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
EPOV
God, I hate these things.
There are things I love about my job, and things I hate. Having the ability to make a nobody into a superstar is one of the things I love most about my job.
Sure are a lot of nobody's here tonight.
Having to sit through several hours of wannabe stars singing karaoke to show the community that Vamp Records can keep a positive link to the local community is one of the things I hate most. But you have to take the good with the bad.
I am trying to keep positive here, but I really hate sitting through things like this. You see, if I go to recruit a new talent, I've usually heard them before. I don't sit in bars waiting for the "next big thing" to sing karaoke.
I down the rest of my drink in one gulp and wave the bartender over.
"I'll have another, and keep 'em coming," I tell the young man, handing him a hundred dollar bill.
"Yes Sir, Mr. Cullen." He generously pours my vodka with Red Bull.
I turn my back to the bar to people watch as I sip my drink.
The eye candy here is plentiful. Most dressed in short skirts and skimpy tops with fuck me heels on. Not that I'm interested in the eye candy. There's only one piece of candy I want right now, and she told me she wouldn't be here tonight.
Isabella.
Yes, I have a 'thing' for my new assistant. I can't help it; she's gorgeous, smart and is the best damn assistant I've ever had. She even took the time to research me before I came to Seattle to work.
You've been researching her as well, by 'stalking' around her unsecured Facebook page.
I shake my head. I won't be able to do my job if Isabella is running through my head all night long. I glance around at my surroundings.
The club is fairly new, recently re-opened. It's called Nicci B's and has become one of the nicer places in town. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Miss Nicci B herself, when I came in a little while ago. She's a young African American woman, attractive and is a spunky little thing. She has her bangs dyed purple, with matching contacts on her eyes. Her personality is just as colorful. She was pleasant and polite to me, but I saw her a few moments later ripping a beer distributor a new one for not bringing the correct order. A few minutes after that she's in the arms of whom I presume to be her husband, kissing him as if she's sending him off to war. She wears her emotion on her sleeve but she seems to be a woman who knows her shit, and doesn't take crap from anyone. I can respect that.
I raise my glass to Miss Nicci as she passes by me with a smile and a nod.
Turning slightly in my stool, I watch as the staff gathers the contestants over to the side.
At least it seems as if it will start on time.
Looking down the line of contestants, there are only twelve that I can see, there were supposed to be twenty.
Awesome, less people equals less singing!
With luck I'll get out of here at a decent time.
I wonder if I should call Isabella later. Maybe she'd join me for a night cap?
The MC appears on stage, effectively distracting me from my thoughts while explaining a few rule changes. They've lifted the three minute time limit from the first song because of having only half the contestants show up. Round two will consist of eight, instead of ten. Everything else is the same.
He introduces the first singer, and the contest gets underway.
I don't really have to pay attention to the first round, as the audience decides who moves forward, but I can't help but listen. A couple of these people aren't so bad. There have been two I'm going to keep my eye on so far. A young lady named Gail sang Pink's "Fucking Perfect" and did a decent job. The crowd seemed to like it. The other is a guy named Jake. He looks familiar, but I can't seem to place where I've seen him before. He sang John Mayer's "Your Body is a Wonderland" and I'm pretty sure all the girls were swooning for him after that. Though, I can't tell if they're attracted to his voice or his extremely well defined tan body and long black ponytail.
I realized I had zoned out during the last three or four songs, as I turn my attention back to the stage I hear the MC announce that this is the final first round contestant, a karaoke contest virgin he calls her.
I cringe inwardly, this can't be good. Someone who's never sang karaoke before enters a contest? Either they are extremely confident in their ability as a singer, or they've got balls made of steel.
The opening beats to Ke$ha's "Blow" begin to play.
God, I hate this song!
Needing a dose of "forgetfulness" I gulp down the rest of my drink and order another one, along with a shot of tequila. I have a feeling I'm going to need it.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
BPOV
"Oh God, what am I doing here?" I wonder to myself quietly.
The second to last singer is on stage now, there's only one more person to perform in round one after this, me. I'm not so confident that I can do this anymore.
"Oh God, oh God, oh God," I chant to myself as I pace behind the little curtain on stage. I'm nervously shaking my hands out, stretching my neck and doing little head rolls, all in an attempt to loosen up. So far it's not working.
"Bel… VICTORIA!" I hear someone hiss from the side. I turn to see the two responsible for the situation I find myself in right now.
"What?" I angrily whisper, as I wave them in. "I'm already nervous enough, don't make it worse!"
"Shut it Red," says Rose. She hands me a shot glass and a lime. "Here, drink this."
I down the tequila. It warms my throat and my belly. Almost instantly calming my frazzled nerves. I suck on the lime for dear life.
"Now drink this," Alice tells me, handing me a bottle of water.
I take a few sips. I am starting to feel a little better, a little more put together.
"Now, remember. There is no Bella here. She's at home, snuggled in bed watching 'Desperate Housewives' on Netflix. Right here, right now, there is only Victoria," Alice begins my pep talk.
"Victoria, the red headed sexy siren that stole everyone's breath at my studio on Monday," adds Rose. "Whatever you were feeling then, grab onto it NOW and use it."
She's right. They're both right. I hug them tight and push them back towards the front of the bar. I take a few deep breaths.
I am Victoria. I AM Victoria. I AM VICTORIA.
It doesn't take long to get the feeling of freedom and confidence back once I've pushed myself out of my head. Tonight Bella really doesn't exist. Tonight there is only Victoria, and I plan to embrace her with everything I have.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. As I exhale and reopen my eyes, I am there. I am no longer Isabella Swan. I am Victoria.
VPOV
I hear my name being called, it's finally my turn. It's time to blow this shit wide open. I have listened to the other singers. Most were crap, a few were good. I know in my heart I will have no problem moving on through to the next round.
My entire body tingles with excitement and nerves as I step onto the small stage. The MC shakes my hand and introduces me to the audience. He jokes about my being a karaoke virgin. I laugh back. Little does he know, the joke's on him. Vaguely I can make out my friends screaming my name. I also hear a few catcalls from the guys. Bella would be put off by that, but me, I thrive on it.
I let the music take over as I begin to sing and dance to my chosen song.
Ha-ha-ha-ha...
Dance...
Back door cracked, we don't need a key
We get in for free, no VIP sleaze,
Drink that Kool-Aid follow my lead
Now you're one of us, you're coming with me
It's time to kill the lights and shut the DJ down
This place about to
Tonight we're taking over, no one's getting out!
[x3] This place about to blow - oh-oh-oh!
Blow-oh-oh-oh
This place about to blow
Now what? What? We're taking control
We get what we want
We do what you don't
Dirt and glitter cover the floor
We're pretty and sick
We're young and we're bored
It's time to lose your mind and let the crazy out
This place's about to
Tonight we're taking names 'cause we don't mess around
[x3] This place about to blow - oh-oh-oh!
Blow-oh-oh-oh
This place about to blow
EPOV
Her looks caught my attention first. That fiery red hair and her smoking hot body entice the primal man in me. I pushed that aside though. Good looks don't mean a good voice.
Boy was I wrong in this case. This woman has an amazing voice and an even better stage presence. I can't help but watch her as she performs. My eyes openly ogling her body as my feet take on a mind of their own and pull me closer to the stage.
This girl is something special.
I stand next to the stage for the end of the song; I know that this Victoria will make it to the next round and probably to the final round as well. If her next song is half as good as this, she'll get my vote to move on. I'm already thinking of what I would pick her final song to be.
She has an almost palpable control over the entire crowd. With every word she croons and every move she makes, they seem to want more. She practically has them eating out of her hand. She owns the stage, her audience.
(Victoria singing)
Go, go, go, go insane, go insane
Throw some glitter, make it rain on 'em
Let me see them hands, let me, let me see them hands
Go insane, go insane
Throw some glitter, make it rain on 'em
Let me see them hands, let me, let me see them hands
She dances her way over to my side of the stage and continues to sing and dance as she looks me directly into my eyes.
We're taking over,
Get used to it...
[x3] This place about to blow - oh-oh-oh!
Blow-oh-oh-oh
This place about to BLOW
OH SHIT! The DJ in the booth just shot off a canister of glitter into the air as Victoria sang the final "blow" in the song. The crowd is going insane, there's no space available on the dance floor, hands are in the air, and bodies are clamoring to get to the stage for a closer look at the Sex Goddess. You would think Ke$ha herself was on stage.
As she heads backstage the only thing I can think about is how badly I want to hear her sing again.
BPOV
I feel amazing as I head backstage after my song. I did it! I really did it!
Victoria did it.
Semantics.
I almost lost if for a split second towards the end. I had been able to forget that Edward, my boss, was here as a judge. That is until I saw him pressed right up onto the stage, like all the other men turned fan boys. His eyes were glazed over and he had a look of amazement or wonderment or something similar on his face. I'm pretty sure he didn't recognize me though.
I can still hear the crowd cheering and chanting my name as the MC takes the stage again. I can't hear most of what he says; all I pick out is that Victoria, Gail, Jake and five others will be moving to round two. It will begin in half an hour he says.
I see Alice and Rose pushing their way to the backstage area; I wave at the security guard to let them through this time. We have just enough time to prepare for song number two. I let them get to work, and for the first time in my life, I am not worried about my next performance, for once I'm looking forward to it.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
VPOV
The second song goes much like the first did. The audience went crazy as soon as I stepped onto the stage to sing "Decode" by one of my favorite bands, Paramore.
I was easily moved into the final round with Edward and the other two judges unanimously deciding to let me continue, as well as the overwhelming approval coming from the crowd.
The final four are announced. It's me, Gail, Jake and another guy I haven't actually noticed until now. His name is Embry, he must be pretty good to make it this far, but I have no clue. I've been focused on myself tonight.
One by one the MC pulls each finalist aside and gives us papers that note what song the judges have picked for our final numbers. As he hands me my song selection my mouth drops open.
FUCK!
I know the song, I know it well. It's a very difficult song to sing, something that is traditionally butchered by even the best karaoke singers. I am going to need every second of the next thirty minutes just to prepare my voice to do the things I'll need it to do in order to get this song out the right way.
I should have known the final round wouldn't be kind to me. I can only hope the other singers have been given equally difficult songs to sing as well.
I allow my brain to head to its happy place as the girls come around. We're ushered into the back of the club, into a private room, where we can listen to the song a few times and prepare in silence and without interruptions.
As the door is gently closed we can hear the MC, "Grab your drinks folks! There's only twenty five minutes until the final showdown!"
Songs Referenced or used:
P!nk "Fucking Perfect"
John Mayer "Your Body is a Wonderland"
Ke$ha "Blow"
Paramore "Decode"
If you have any songs you'd like to see in future chapters (preferably ones sung by women!) please mention them in your reviews!
NOW go and give me some love! Chapter 5 is almost ready to be sent to beta! Chapter 6 won't be far behind! Tell me what you think or hope will happen when the finalists take the stage! Any guesses as to what Victoria's final song will be? Leave a guess in your review- if you're right I'll send you a teaser for Chap 5!
Until next time... keep singing loud and proud!