Here is the next chapter folks, it's a little longwinded but it is important to the story so please give it a chance. Let me know what you think? Love as always Tink. XXX


Gabriella gazed around her in awe at the hundreds of chattering, giggling teens, huddled together in front of the Albuquerque Convention center.

"Looks like the word is out" Kelsi quipped, as they took their places in line. It was seven am Saturday morning and already there were nearly two hundred people there, some had even camped over night judging by the various sleeping bags and pillows. A sense of anticipation hung in the air and Gabriella could feel the butterflies in her stomach, she was full of nervous energy.

"You know Kels, maybe this isn't such a good idea," she said as four more cute girls moved in behind them, talking excitedly, giggling.

"Gabriella, we were invited to come, besides it'll be fun…what time do the doors open?" she asked craning her neck, trying to see the front of the line.

"Eight-fifteen I think," she paused looking around her again "Kelsi are you sure this is a good idea, we probably won't even make it" she fretted, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Gabi, all we are doing is auditioning as extras, not going for the lead role," she laughed at the worried expression on her friends face.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around her waist and looked around at the crowd. Most of the girls, wore very little clothing and lots of makeup, the amount of cleavage on show was indecent and Gabriella suddenly felt very conscious of her appearance. She glanced down at the floaty white sundress she wore, wishing it was something a bit more edgy, her fingers automatically going to the white daisy slides in her hair, holding back her ebony curls.

"Kelsi do I look a geek?" she asked hesitantly.

Kelsi shook her head "You look cute Gabs really"

She wished she'd worn heels to give her a little more height, make her feel a little more confident and she wondered if she should have made more of an effort with her hair, no matter how hard she tried to straighten it or tie it back, her curls always managed to escape. In the end she had given up and opted for the little clips, just to keep it out of her eyes.

Kelsi, who snorted inelegantly as a tall blond wiggled past them wearing a pink halter-top and jean skirt, interrupted her train of thought. Gabriella noticed her boobs were prominently displayed and she goggled at her.

"Somebody is trying way too hard…. look she's trying to cut in line…they'll send her back" Kelsi said gleefully.

Gabriella watched in amazement as instead of being sent away, the door opened and she was ushered inside.

"How the hell?" Kelsi huffed beside her

"Maybe she's a new cast member…they'll need someone since Matilda Delaney walked" Gabriella said referring to the star of Fame Academy who

had sensational walked out in a row over pay.

"God I hope not! Did you see her? She looked about thirty"

Gabriella giggled, "Way too old to still be in school"

"There is no way some of these people are still in high school," Kelsi said with a pointed look at some "girls" ahead of them in the line.

"It doesn't really matter though does it, Troy Bolton is twenty two and he's playing a seventeen year old" Gabriella said with a dreamy smile and Kelsi giggled

"Yeah but he doesn't look that old"

Gabriella's attention wandered and beside her Kelsi chatted animatedly, she nodded occasionally to show she was listening but her mind was on her audition. She was terrified; Kelsi was a natural performer and had tried out and starred in many high school musicals. Gabriella wasn't used to being in the spotlight and the thought of performing in front of hundreds of people, even for a few minutes, made her feel more than a little sick. She ran over her monologue again and again, making sure she was word perfect, though why extras had to do a dramatic reading was beyond her.

All too soon an excited buzz filled the air and as Gabriella looked down at her watch she noticed it was time. The doors were opening and the line began to move. She clutched the envelope containing her resume and headshot in her slightly sweaty palms and shuffled forward with the others, until slowly almost imperceptibly they reached the door.

A harassed looking Hispanic woman stood there holding a pen and clipboard

"Name" she barked not even looking up at them.

"Kelsi Nielson and Gabriella Montez" Kelsi replied with a dazzling smile.

The woman's head snapped up so suddenly that Gabriella wondered if she hadn't given herself whiplash, now they had her full attention. She looked at them through narrowed eyes for a second before pursing her lips and scanning the list she held "Montez, Montez, Montez…aha Gabriella Montez?"

Gabriella nodded timidly "That's me"

"Right we've been waiting for you…. didn't you get the email? Anyway it's too late now…. down the corridor and first on the left" she turned her attention to Kelsi "You, first on the right…. Next" she bellowed barely sparing them another glance and then ushered them along hurriedly.

Gabriella blinked dazedly, what had all that been about, she wondered as she followed Kelsi down the empty hall.

"Why are they separating us?" she mumbled, as they came to a stop in front of opposing doors.

Kelsi shrugged, unconcerned "Could be lots of reasons, maybe they want us for different scenes, maybe it's because you're stunning and Troy Bolton spotted you in the crowd and wants you for his love slave" Kelsi giggled

Gabriella rolled her eyes at her friend "Hmm… that's likely"

"Don't worry about it Gab, I'll just catch up with you later…text me when you're done?"

Gabriella nodded and watched as Kelsi pushed open the door. She just had chance to see a large group of girls, sat around on the floor, before the door swung shut. Wishing she wasn't alone, she took a deep breath and pushed open the door and peeked inside, expecting to see hundreds of girls. Instead there were only four, sat in silence in various chairs around the room. They looked up as she entered, all staring at her.

"Can we help you?" a snotty voice enquired, it was the voluptuous blond with the jean skirt. Up close, Gabriella could see she wore far too much makeup to disguise her bad skin.

"I'm Gabriella Montez, I'm here for the audition," she said softly, stepping into the room, allowing the door to close behind her.

"Oh" she replied and looked her up and down, obviously sizing up her competition.

She took a seat next to an oriental looking girl with long dark hair and a friendly smile.

"You nervous?" she asked

Gabriella gave a wry smile "Is it that obvious?"

The girl laughed "Only to those who know…. I always think call backs are more nerve wracking than the first call…were you at the LA audition?"

Gabriella shook her head, confused.

"Oh, when did you do your first audition?"

"Now" Gabriella replied quietly, looking at the white ballet pumps she wore.

"No I mean the call, your first one,"

"This is my first audition"

Four pairs of eyes all turned on Gabriella, as they stared at her incredulous.

"What do you mean this is your first audition…didn't your agent explain this is a call back" the blond said, talking to her as though she were a child.

"I don't have an agent," she said looking around her, panic fluttering inside her" I think there has been some mistake"

The blond nodded, looking venomously at Gabriella "Too right there has, this is a call back for the role of Mia and Mya"

Gabriella's eyes widened "Then I'm definitely in the wrong place" she got to her feet just as the door opened and Chris stepped into the room.

Carrying a clipboard he also had a slightly harassed look and Gabriella sensed this was commonplace. She had only been in the building five minutes and she already felt exactly the same. He smiled warmly when he saw her, "Gabriella, great you made it, we can make a start"

"I think there has been a mix up, some sort of mistake," she said hesitantly

He shook his head at her, trying to reassure her "No, there's been no mistake…ladies if you would follow me then we can begin"

"But-" she tried again, her protests pushed aside as the girls stood up and filled from the room, the blond at the front, Gabriella trailing at the back, her head spinning.

What did they mean a call back for the role of Mia and Mya? Did extras get speaking parts? Maybe this was a minor role, after all that would explain why there were only a few people going for it. As she followed the group down the hall, nerves fluttered in her tummy making her feel sick. Did she even want a speaking part? Her mom had said she could try out as an extra but auditioning for a speaking part? Would she approve?

In any case it was too late to back out now, she thought, as they strolled into the convention center ballroom.

Gabriella's attention was drawn immediately to a panel of four people sat behind a table, all watching as they stepped into the room, all making notes. Gabriella was aware she was being scrutinized and her nerves increased, with a strong sense of unreality she took a seat and waited to see what would happen next.

"Ladies" Chris turned to them with a smile "I would like to introduce you to the producer of Fame Academy Brendan Norton, our director Joe Quinn, our assistant choreographer Mr. Ryan Evens and our script supervisor Dylan Raine"

As Chris introduced them one by one, they each gave a nod and smile in greeting, still furiously writing notes, taking in every detail of their appearance. Gabriella suddenly had an inkling of how it felt to be a specimen under a microscope.

"So if you could hand me your resume and head shots when I call you up…this morning we will run through your prepared pieces and then take a quick break, after which we'll want you to do a cold reading. We will then break for lunch but only three of you will be called back" he looked at them, watching their reactions as he said "After lunch, those of you who are successful will be involved in a screen test with a member of our existing cast"

Gabriella didn't have a clue what a cold reading or a screen test was and looked around in panic as the other girls nodded and smiled at each other, excitement easy to see on their faces. Her heart thumped heavily and her stomach was knotted with nerves, how could she get through this? It was too much, for a second she thought about just getting up and walking out but the fact she was in front of a panel stopped her, she didn't want to embarrass herself.

She turned her attention to the middle of the room as one by one the girls began their audition pieces. They were all good, Gabriella had a sinking feeling and she felt as though she were in over her head. As the auditions passed Gabriella could feel her butterflies getting worse, her heart was pounding and her palms sweating. In a few moments she would have to go up there in front of those professionals and perform the pop song and speech from the movie she had chosen. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

Well, she thought to herself as her name was called, she wasn't going to get the part, as she was very inexperienced and under prepared but she may as well make the best of the experience. Sucking in a deep breath she stood up and walked to the center of the room, her legs shaking all the way.

She smiled wanly at the panel, who were all frowning, probably thinking how young and innocent she looked, kind of as though she didn't have a clue.

"In your own time Gabriella" Chris said with a smile.

Playing nervously with her fingers Gabriella began to sing a verse and a chorus of "Tear Drops on my guitar", her voice shaking a little as she began. She forced herself to pronounce all her words clearly and not to rush through, as she wanted to. She tried to remember the advice given to her by Ms Darbus, not to fiddle, to lift her chin up when she sang and to try and feel the emotion of what she was singing. Her voice sounded nervous even to her own ears and she just prayed that she wouldn't make a total fool of herself. As she sang the last note, she glanced over at Sarah who held up a thumb, and Gabriella felt relief flood over her, at least she hadn't made a mess of it. Gathering herself for a few seconds she began to recite the monologue she had chosen from her favorite movie, Dirty Dancing.

She'd chosen it based on Ms Darbus advice, to work with something you can relate to and after the emotional discussion with her mom it seemed like the right choice. Gabriella could feel tears welling in her eyes as she thought about how she like the character "Baby" had let her parent down, and her entire body language changed. Her eyes sparkled with tears, her hands coming out in supplication, wanting everyone to understand how sorry she was. She forgot about the people in the room watching her, all she could focus on was the meanings behind the words, the pain and emotion in her voice clear, as it rang across the ballroom.

It was as though nobody else existed for that minute and as she uttered the last few words, a lone tear escaped from her eye and trickled down her check. She stopped just short of a sob escaping and self-consciously wiped at her cheeks as she came back into herself. There was a long silence before Chris nodded and said

"Thank you Gabriella…okay everyone lets take thirty"

Gabriella collected her purse and wiped her cheeks with a tissue, feeling silly and emotional, she must look so gauche. She saw nothing of Kelsi during her break, she talked with one of the other girls, Sarah and they speculated who in the cast would be taking part in the screen test. Gabriella told her about her conversation with Chris and Kelsi at East High and that Troy Bolton wouldn't be attending, much to her dismay. Sarah confessed she was more of a Chad Danforth fan. They discussed what they thought the movie was going to be about and the other girls audition pieces, Gabriella had a feeling she wasn't going to get past the cold reading stage but she really hoped Sarah got the part. If nothing else came of this then at least she could take away the fact she had an audition as an extra in the hottest movie franchise in a decade.

Upon her return to the ballroom, they were told the background to the script.

"So I will play Mya and you will each play Mia, basically this is a telephone conversation that takes place after Mya has persuaded Mia to pretend to be her, remember Mia is very quiet, she doesn't like to cause tension or upset, she'd going along with the plan because she loves her twin even though she hates to perform and is struggling at James" Chris told them, Gabriella tried to take it all in, sure it was to be important in her delivery.

"I thought since Gabriella went last, she would maybe like to go first this time" he turned to her with a grin "that okay with you Gabriella?"

She nodded before turning her attention back to the script as the others took their seats, scanning it, trying to make it easier to read by becoming familiar with it.

Gabriella moved in front of the panel again, who watched her with interested eyes. She sucked in a breath; trying to remember what other tips Ms Darbus had given her. A thought popped into her head, did Ms Darbus know that Gabriella was going to be put forward for a speaking role? Following the conversation with her mother somehow she thought so.

"In your own time Gabriella"

"Mya, it's me, we need to talk," she read, making her voice quiet and timid.

"Mia not now, I haven't got time Justin will be here any minute for our date"

"Mya, I think they know I'm not you, there's this guy-"

"Oh a guy, cute is he?"

"Mya are you listening to me?" she asked injecting a note of exasperation into her voice "I think he knows-"

"How could he know, surely even you can manage to sing a few lines in key and throw a few dance moves together, you know you're not too bad when you give it a go"

"Thanks really," she said sarcastically "but he's on to me I'm sure he is, he keeps asking me loads of questions about what school productions I've been in and what I wanna do when I leave James…I can't do this Mya, I can't I'm sure he knows" she read, making her voice panicked and breathy

"He'd better not know, or we'll both be in trouble…come on Mia please do this for me, it won't be for much longer"

"But there's this showcase coming up and I cant do it, I can't get the steps, I can't get the lyrics Mya, this isn't me, it's too hard let me come home" she pleaded plaintively

"Mia you've got to pull yourself together, it's only for a little while longer…think how much trouble you will be in if we are found out"

"Not if we stop this now, please Mya?"

"Mia, I've got to go…I'll speak to you later"

"Mya? Mya are you there" she read tearfully.

"And we'll leave it there, thank you Gabriella" Chris said, throwing her a big smile. Gabriella returned it weakly, as she made her way to her seat. She felt proud of herself but felt so drained, being in a constant state of nervousness was exhausting.

She observed the other girls performances with an amateurs eyes, she didn't know much about what she saw but she knew they were all far more experienced. There were moments when she thought, I wouldn't do it like that or it should be done this way but apart from that she couldn't really comment. As lunch drew closer Gabriella became more and more fraught, knowing that only three of them would be called back to take part in a screen test. Half of her knew that she wouldn't be called back as she had no real experience but the other half hoped for a miracle. She held her breath subconsciously as Chris made the announcement.

"Ladies, you've all done so well but at this stage we feel we can only take three of you forward to do the screen test….Jamie Leigh, we'll see you after lunch, Sarah, you too and lastly Gabriella"

Gabriella jumped a little, shocked by the news but overwhelmed at the same time. She was going to be in the final three! She was one step closer to being in fame academy and maybe seeing Troy Bolton in the flesh. As Chris dismissed them for lunch she took out her phone and sent Kelsi a quick text, telling her what was going on. She would be meeting a Fame Academy cast member very soon!. She knew she had to play it cool, not overreact, be professional, and act as though she met movie stars every day but she was worried she would freeze. Acting this morning had come so naturally to her, the script had done most of the work; all she had to do was give it a voice. But to do it again when someone more experienced was with her, when a professional, a famous professional at that, was watching over her, she didn't know if she could pull it off. Faced with self-doubt Gabriella began to panic, just a little to but enough to give her second and third thoughts. Could she really do this? Could she really go through this? She was about to find out!