Oceana felt like panicking as she switched from song to song on her pink mp3 player. It took a lot out of her to not throw her worshipped music-giving device to the back of the bus out of frustration. Just an hour ago she felt confident that she would be ready next week, how can she not when she has been preparing her whole life?
But now, ''Ughh this song can't work, and this one won't be good on stage, this is too sad, wait won't that be good? No, I'm here to entertain them not to depress them!'' Oceana was this close to pulling out her brain and yelling at it for being indecisive. The only thing holding her back was that the bus had reached her stop and she needed to get out.
Jumping out of her seat with earphones flying out of her ear, she swiftly paid a couple of coins for her fee and stepped out to Dawnbury's bus station.
There were few people, as most were already at work or home. It was only two o'clock, and Oceana may still be frolicking around the fair if she was not on a deadline.
Waving to some of the townspeople, she sprinted off to the outskirts of the town.
Stumbling on the rocky road along the way, Oceana continued her train of thought as she ran to her house, well that is putting it nicely, technically it is a hut but she never bothered about it. After all, it is only her house, not her home.
'What song should I sing? Becca said something popular enough that the audience could recognize it but not too popular to get compared to the original singer…but can they really compare to me? And am I supposed to impress the viewers or the judges? Or both?? Maybe I should use an original song to avoid the hassle…but which song should I use then? Ugh, I'm going in circles! I should just ask my friends for help instead.'
Finally deciding to put the responsibility on others, Oceana's feet ran faster so she could see her friends quickly. She ran off the road onto a dirt path that dwindled into the bush. Soon enough, she reached a small hut quite a way from all of the other rural cottages. Those cottages were clustered together with small pretty gardens to grow vegetables, it was a tight-knit community where everyone knew about everybody and what they were doing, and for her who had too many secrets she had no choice but to choose this wayward hut as a house.
But it was a hard decision. The surrounding bush was so overgrown that grass covered the hut and even invaded through the wood; making its purpose of protecting the inhabitants from the forest unfulfilled. Dust covered the entire 'building' and Oceana sneezed randomly throughout the night. Besides the sneezes, the wood had many gaps that allowed the cold wind to blow through and disturb Oceana's sleep by freezing her to death. Not to mention having to fend off rats, centipedes, lizards, and the like...land critters were her worst enemy and Oceana vows to drown them all in a slow terrifying death.
Pushing some branches away, Oceana pants as she dragged her tired feet into the shoddy hut.
Shutting the door behind her she glances around the compact room which seemed to be the bugs' home more than hers. It was only big enough for a chest to hold her belongings, a few blankets that acted as a makeshift bed, and a gorgeous out-of-place seashell by the only window. The seashell looked like a clam and could open and close as it had a clasp attached to it. Oceana grabbed the shell and counted the remaining coins inside.
'I took out around 700 coins to the fair, so that's about 7 credits. I spent 3 credits on the entrance fee, 2 for the doughnuts, and 50 coins for the fare…so I'm left with 1.50 credits, plus the amount I saved up in here…' Oceana calculated the different shapes and colours of the coins in her purse, sighing, 'I only have around 20 credits left…I could maybe earn 10 more by next week if I work every day...but even 50 credits wouldn't last me a day in Aurore City.'
Cities were expensive, even if Becca told Oceana that living expenses would be paid she would still need some money to buy an outfit and transportation to the recording studio. Not to mention food, she would need to buy some like a regular human to not be suspicious. Oceana hoped that whatever dorms she would stay in have brimming cupboards and fridges.
Taking her seashell purse, she placed it in her bag along with a few books she was reading that she borrowed from the library. Great, she was ready.
After taking the valuables, Oceana swiftly left the hut not even staying there for 10 minutes. She placed the earphones back into her ears and went to her 'upbeat' playlist. Pressing her new favourite singer's recent song, she started to move her feet again.
Running into the forest behind the hut, Oceana began singing the cheery tune. Her strong melodic voice resounded through the trees and animals stopped in their tracks, as if transfixed by the sound.
Her feet bounced to the beat as they ran through the mud, the birds above her launched into chirping, and the wind picked up as if whistling the high notes. It felt as if nature wanted to join in the fun. Oceana laughed as the approaching river also bubbled along to the tempo, she ran alongside the river bank and followed it to the ocean. Feeling as if she was in a music video, Oceana started twirling, jumping, and random dance moves as she reached closer to her destination.
Oceana was exhausted, she did not have a lot of stamina to begin with and it barely refilled from the doughnuts, but her body stopped listening to her brain and only focused on the song. She did not feel tired in this state, she did not even interrupt her singing to gasp for air from her overworked lungs. All she wanted was to embrace the melody.
It was a magical feeling that only music could bring, all discomfort left her body and filled her brain with serotonin even the lingering anxiousness she had disappeared.
Oceana was singing louder and louder now, competing with the roaring river beside her as the current became rougher. Ahead were violent rapids and the riverbank was becoming steeper from the erosion, one could easily slip and fall onto the rocks. But as if she did not notice Oceana continued running, faster and faster, not even faltering as she ran towards the waterfall ahead. Then, she jumped.