“Next, please!” A middle-aged man with thinning grey hair called into the waiting room. The room was full of late teens and young adults, all wanting to be a part of a new group; their aim being to take the world by storm.

  In response to the man’s call, someone stood up and followed him into the audition room.

  Inside the room sat three people at a long table, with the older man joining them.

  “Please, stand on that circle. The audition will be filmed. My name is Carter Jones. I am the Managing Director at Exorcist, which is the company the group will be working for. On the far end is Daniel.” The brown-haired man smiled in acknowledgement.

  “He is a professional choreographer. Daniel will be present as much as he is needed, so that will be dependent on yours and your fellow members’ skills. If you are selected, of course. Next to Daniel is Charlene.” A small wave came from a black-haired woman.

  “She is a vocal coach, and she will help assess who has the most potential. If any members need a little assistance to reach their full potential, she will be available whenever required. Then, we have Chris.” The blonde-haired woman smiled shyly, her eyes avoiding the man before her.

  “Chris is the most important person in this room to you. Chris will be managing the new group, and she will spend the most time with you, other than the other members. So, if you could introduce yourself and tell the room anything you’d like us to know about you.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet everyone!” The auditionee greeted cheerfully as soon as the man had finished speaking. “Here is my bio.” The young man placed a piece of paper on the table in front of them, and then he continued.

  “My name is Oliver. I’m nineteen. I’ve been singing my whole life, and when I was eleven, I started my dancing training. My speciality is breakdancing.” As he spoke, he bounced lightly on the spot, which caused his short, light pink hair to bounce along, too. Every word he said had a sense of urgency, like he was unable to contain himself and the excitement he was feeling for being there and being given that opportunity.

  Oliver was aware that the number of auditions was limited, and that many more would’ve liked to audition, so he made the most of the chance. When the last word escaped his lips, he gave the panel a large smile. His jade-green eyes glistened with elation.

  Without a response to his introduction, Carter moved him along.

  “Share with us a short performance.”

  Oliver nodded energetically before opening his mouth and letting out the softest of voices, quite the opposite to just a moment prior. He was able to hold his notes for a long time without wavering key.

  At the end of his performance, his large smile appeared again.

 “And the dancing?” Carter prompted with little enthusiasm. Oliver’s smile faltered ever so slightly, but it quickly reappeared as he started to move his body. It took only a second for him to perform a one-handed freeze, a position in which he stayed for thirteen seconds. Straight after standing up from this, he swiftly moved to show his aerial cartwheel, and then a backwards walkover. Oliver was able to execute some more moves before Carter stopped him.

  “Yes, that’s all very well.” He told the boy monotonously. The man looked to his companions, awaiting their review. Daniel began.

  “You’ve got some impressive moves, and I’d be more than happy to work with you to improve them and your strength. There were a couple of things you did that could have a little improvement, so if you’re chosen, I can help you fix those.”

  “That voice!” Charlene jumped in after. “I could barely contain my feelings until now. The girls will go wild for it. Just imagining you performing a ballad… my heart melts!”

  When Charlene finished speaking, there was silence. The director cleared his throat.

  “Chris, your turn.”

  With this being her first major job, Chris needed a moment to compose herself. She was being trusted with something important, so screwing up wasn’t an option.

  “I love the energy you have. And that positivity. If you’re picked, I’m sure you could bring a lot to the group and make things fun for the other members, as well as the fans.”

  When she finished speaking, Carter concluded the audition with Oliver. Chris stared at the table in front of her. Seeing so many new people in one day was becoming exhausting, but she had to push through.

  With the audition over, Oliver left the room.

  Sat in a corner of the waiting room, a young man scrutinised him.