The next morning Los Angeles felt different to her Somehow louder Somehow closer She walked to a corner coffee shop with sunglasses on and her hood pulled up like she was hiding in plain sight Her body felt tired from the late night showcase but her mind would not calm down She kept replaying what Miles told her You should think bigger

Bigger meant what She did not know yet But the idea would not let her go

Her phone buzzed while she was stirring cheap coffee with a wooden stick The message was from Miles He had sent her a link Then another short line under it This is what I meant

She tapped the link It opened a page for a televised singing competition A real one Not open mic Not folding chairs Not a bar with sticky floors The kind that streamed online and pulled in millions of views The kind where winners got record deals and radio play and interviews The kind where people stopped saying cute voice and started saying career

Her stomach flipped

The application form sat on the screen Name Age City Vocal style Song choice A demo file required She stared at it too long Her chest felt tight She could almost feel the agency breathing down her neck even though she was alone at a table near the window

Do it she whispered under her breath

Her thumb moved before her fear could stop it She typed her name Lila Hart Age twenty one City Los Angeles Vocal style She paused on that box for a full minute She was not trained gospel She was not country She was not pop star clean Her voice had edges to it So she wrote what felt most true Raw emotional female vocal She hoped they would understand what that meant

Song choice She entered her original piece Glass Skin Demo file She did not have a studio version She did have the phone recording from last night She attached it Her hands were shaking now She pressed submit

For a moment nothing happened Then the screen flashed Application received Thank you for your interest Audition windows will be confirmed by email

Her heart pounded in her throat so hard it almost hurt She leaned back in the chair and covered her mouth with both hands She had just done something her agency would call reckless and she felt like she had finally taken a real breath after weeks underwater

On her walk back she imagined the conversation if they found out It played like a script in her mind The director sitting with his perfect jaw line and calm voice You are under contract with us Your image movements public presence and public partnerships go through us first You cannot act alone without permission We shape talent We launch careers We tell you when you are ready Until then you obey

The thought made heat build in her chest She was tired of being told she needed permission to be herself

Training that afternoon felt heavier than usual The studio smelled like hair spray and perfume and nerves The mirrors made the room feel like there were twenty versions of her lined up side by side all wearing the same tired expression Keep your shoulders back the instructor said again Softer eyes You look too alive for this line

Too alive

That made her want to laugh and scream at the same time

During water break Sophie leaned against the wall beside her and whispered You look wired Did something happen

Lila glanced around The other girls were scrolling on their phones pretending to rest while secretly looking at photos of themselves She lowered her voice I signed up for something

Model job Sophie asked or side job I need a side job too rent is killing me

Singing competition Lila said quietly

Sophie blinked Her lips parted You mean like serious serious

Lila nodded I sent in a clip I do not know if they will even call me

For a few seconds Sophie just stared Then she broke into a slow smile that turned warm and proud I knew it I knew last week was not a one time thing You are going to leave us and then I will have to tell people I knew you when you were only kind of famous

Do not say that Lila said laughing but only a little She felt the fear return fast I could get cut for this contract wise

Sophie shrugged You could also get stuck here forever Just walking for other people forever Pick your problem

That landed hard because it felt true

That night Lila sat cross legged on the floor of her apartment with the lights low and her phone on silent She practiced quietly to protect her voice and also her neighbors She sang through two covers and one new verse she had written that afternoon on a receipt in her bag She did not try to sound pretty She tried to sound honest She recorded each take and listened back She hated her voice in some places Loved it in others Wanted it all to feel like truth in someone’s chest the way other singers once hit hers when she was younger and scared and thought nobody heard her

She was halfway through another run when her phone buzzed again This time it was an email Subject line Preliminary acceptance

Her throat closed for a second She opened it with her pulse in her ears

The message said Your vocal sample has been accepted for first round live audition Please report to Stage Hall B Hollywood Arts Pavilion Saturday 2 pm Bring photo ID Prepare two songs one cover one original You will have ninety seconds per song You may not use backing vocals or auto tuning Audio support will be provided for basic instrumental tracks only You agree to appear on camera for internal screening footage

Her breath stuttered She read it three times

Saturday Two pm Hollywood

This was not maybe This was real

Fear hit first Hard and loud and physical Her stomach twisted Her fingers went cold Her brain filled with questions What if I choke What if I blank What if they laugh and say she is just a model with attitude What if I mess up in front of real judges and that clip gets posted and the agency uses it to say See we told you Stay in your lane

But then something else rose up and pushed back against the fear Not anger Not pride Something she could not name yet It felt like a promise she had made to the younger version of herself The girl in the backyard with bare feet and summer air and her mom smiling and clapping and saying Sing baby do not hide your voice Never hide it

Her eyes stung

She texted Sophie I got an audition Saturday Hollywood and hit send before she could talk herself out of it

Sophie answered so fast it almost felt like she had been waiting SAY IT AGAIN IN ALL CAPS

Lila laughed out loud and typed I GOT AN AUDITION SATURDAY HOLLYWOOD in big stretched letters

Sophie sent back twenty screaming face emojis and then wrote I am coming with you I will sit in the hallway like security and if anyone disrespects you I will hiss at them

Lila smiled so hard her cheeks hurt She typed You do not have to She expected Sophie to joke again Instead Sophie replied I want to You are not going alone

That simple line made Lila’s chest warm in a way the agency never had There was power in being chosen by someone who was not trying to own you

The next two days passed like a blur Every free minute she practiced She chose her cover A stripped down version of a heartbreak song everybody knew but she slowed it down made it softer made it personal She chose Glass Skin as her original She rewrote one of the lines to hit harder near the end She wanted the judges to feel that part in their throat

By Friday night her voice felt a little rough So she made tea with honey sat in silence and let her body rest The city buzzed outside her window Neon signs washing soft color across her wall She watched headlights slide across her ceiling like moving stars She tried to picture the room The judges The lights The way the mic might feel in her hand She tried to picture herself not running away from it

She thought about what the agency head said Control She thought about what the buyer said She looks honest We can use honest She thought about being called trainable like she was a dog learning tricks She thought about being told You are not the point The brand is the point

No she whispered into the dark I am the point I am allowed to be the point

On Saturday morning she woke before sunrise Her body felt electric Her chest felt tight with nerves but steady with purpose She dressed simple jeans black tank light jacket hair down face almost bare She looked at herself in the mirror and saw not flawless not branded not perfect She saw a girl who was about to gamble everything on her own voice

Sophie met her in the lobby carrying two water bottles a pack of throat lozenges and her usual sharp smile I brought supplies she said like they were going to war

In a way they were

They took a rideshare to Hollywood The building looked bigger than she expected Stage Hall B sat behind tinted doors with a line of people outside Already waiting Singers of every style Some in glitter Some in ripped denim Some pacing and whispering lyrics under their breath One girl hummed scales One guy bounced on his heels with his eyes closed like he was talking to God

Lila swallowed Her mouth felt dry Her hands felt too light Sophie squeezed her shoulder You good

No Lila whispered Then she nodded Yeah

A staffer with a badge walked down the line calling names When he reached Hart Lila raised her hand He checked her ID and wrist stamped her with a small blue star Contestant

The word hit her like a drumbeat Contestant Not model Not client Not frame Contestant

Sophie leaned in and whispered You are in it now

Lila nodded slowly Eyes forward Breath steady Pulse loud She could feel the future standing on the other side of those doors waiting to see if she had the courage to walk through

She did not know yet that before the day ended one of the judges would say a sentence that would change everything

But she was ready to hear it