Dara's POV
"Wohh! (Blow) I can do this!" I thought before walking towards the room when unexpectedly someone bumped me.
"Oh, sorry," a tall, tan, and handsome guy accidentally hit my shoulder which caused me to drop my belongings.
"It's fine," I say and kneel to pick up my things. The man was about to help me when someone called his attention.
"Sergey! Let's go!" I heard the other man shout like he was in a hurry.
When the man whose name is Sergey looks back at me and I'm almost done.
Because of our situation, his colleague is in a hurry and Mr. Alex is waiting for me. We don't have a chance to talk and rush to our business.
"Come on, hurry!" the other man said, grabbing the man's (Sergey) hand and dragging him the opposite way.
On the other hand, I immediately stood up and ran towards the door where Mr. Alex was waiting.
The staff who's calling the auditionee is Mr. Alex. He's the one from last time with Ms. Eva. We contact them before going here to inform them we are going to audition and they guide us inside.
"Sorry," I breathlessly said.
He didn't respond but he doesn't look angry about what happened, instead he guided me inside the room.
I was amazed at how big the theater stage was. Except for the five people seated in the front row and the staff member standing next to them while they wait for the auditionee, there is no one else occupying the seats.
"Put your bag here and then stand on that red spot. Don't feel too nervous. Just do your best," he lastly said.
"Thank you so much, I need that a lot," the thing he said just now made me smile. He nods to me as a sign of response before he leaves.
"I can do this!" I took a deep breath before putting my bag aside and walked confidently to the spot with a full smile on my face.
"Hello, Good afternoon," I treated the judge happily.
"Hi, beautiful young lady. How are you?" one of the male judges said.
"I'm feeling nervous right now but I'm feeling great to be here," I responded.
"That's fine. Most auditionees are nervous too. It's pretty normal," he replied, making a casual conversation. "Anyway, who will you be today?" he added.
"I want to audition as Athena. One of the side characters," when I said that, the judges' faces looked as if I was already not subtle for that role.
'Gosh!' I nervously thought.
"Oh, I thought you were going for the female lead. Your gorgeous and a face like that is enough to make you a superstar," he commented.
"Thank you so much but I'm afraid I can't get that role. To tell you the truth, this is my first time auditioning," I nervously said while holding the end of my shirt secretly.
"Really? That's sad but we can do it somehow. The workshop can mold you into a star," another male judge replied to me with a smile.
"I don't want to be rude but I need to say this," another judge interfered.
A beautiful judge spoke that caught my attention. 'I think I already saw her somewhere, but I'm not sure where' I thought.
"An amateur like her can't play as a female lead in her first project. We can't risk the project because of her look," she added talking to the male judge.
I can feel the tension between the male judge and her because of me when the other judge broke the awkwardness.
"We're not going to decide only because of her beauty. Yes, she indeed has the face, but why not give her a chance to prove herself. Shall we?" the man said and smirked at me.
I feel a little uncomfortable about it but thanks to him. The bad atmosphere between the two judges faded away.
"Yes, yes," I said, agreeing. The judges looked straight at me which made me more nervous.
'Oh, God! I think I forgot my line,' I thought.
I took a deep breath and carefully thought about the lines.
'Calm down! Ok, I need to think as if I was the one who's saying those words but how?' I thought to myself how I can put Athena's character in me when I remember Eli. 'What if Eli was the one who suspected me?'
I'm into the character and start to say my lines.
"You don't know how much I value this friendship," I started. "But I didn't expect you to believe them easily. I thought you knew me, but just simple words from them are enough to make you like this!" the side of my eyes began to water because of my emotions.
'What's the next line?' I thought to myself, feeling nervous and pressured. I forgot my line.
I panicked and unconsciously said something else.
"You want this friendship over? Fine! Let's do that but don't expect anything from me from now on. I won't tolerate your childish act anymore!" I said fiercely while my tears were about to drop.
All of the male judges clap except for one. The female judge.
"You're good, especially when you do ad-lib," one of the male judges complimented me.
"I agree. You're great for a first-time auditionee. Changing your expression from crying to cold-hearted is a big yes for me. Good job," the other judges commented.
"Thank you," I replied, smiling at them.
"Hmm, question. Can you sing?" the other judge asked.
"Sorry?" I don't quite get that. 'No one told me that I need to sing'.
"There is a part in the script that requires the character to sing, that's why I ask. So… Can you sing?" he asked, which made the female judge look at him.
"Ow, I'm not prepared for this but to answer your question. Yes I can," I am not confident about anything but in terms of singing, I think I can try.
"Could you give us an example then? Any song is fine. I just want to hear your voice," he replied back.
I didn't expect this to happen…
All the judges are waiting for me to start. I was nervous but I can't stop now.
I took a deep breath again and began singing acapella. My hand is shaking and because of the pressure within me.
*It's late in the evening
She's wondering what clothes to wear
She puts on her makeup
And brushes her long blonde hair
And then she asks me, "Do I look alright?"
And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight"
We go to a party
And everyone turns to see
This beautiful lady
That's walking around with me
And then she asks me, "Do you feel alright?"
And I say, "Yes, I feel wonderful tonight"*
I didn't finish the song and stopped to look at the judge. I can say that they are impressed by my voice. 'Oh my! I did well.'
" WOW!" the male judge said. "You're amazing," he added.
"I'm hoping to see you on the shooting day. Good luck!" the other said.
"That's enough. Thank you so much for joining this casting. Wait for 2-3 working days for the result," Mr. Alex said.
Lastly, I smile thanking the judges and bow before I leave the stage. The nervousness in my chest was still there until I got out of the audition room.
"How's your audition?" Uriah was waiting for me outside the theater stage with my things.
"Wait, let me breathe for a minute!" I said and took a rest for a minute. "I was so nervous the whole time that I thought my heart would come out."
"It's ok. You did great surpassing that. Here, drink some water." Uriah said.
"Thanks." I genuinely replied.
*Gulp, gulp*
"I think the judges like me. They think my acting is good and ask me to sing," I replied.
"Ow, Really? I don't know about that! Did they tell you why you need to sing?" He asked while we were on our way out of the building.
"They just said that there's a part on the script where the character is going to sing," I explained.
"Is that so?" he only said before we left the building completely.
After the audition, my life came back to normal again.
~
Author's Note
"Be there for others, but never leave yourself behind" - dodinsky
•Grasyang Manunulat.