By morning everything felt louder. Her phone would not stop. Her social pages were flooded. Her name got tagged in posts that were not even in English. People were making short edits of her clip with text like When the pretty girl actually SINGS and She sounds like pain and healing at the same time. Someone even slowed down her high note and looped it over a beat and wrote This is my sad girl anthem now. She did not know how to feel about that. It was strange and beautiful and a little unreal

But along with that came the other noise

Two talent managers had already DMed her with fake friendly energy Hey queen loved your vibe Would love to hop on a call and talk partnership and long term brand building. One even said I’ve worked with major pop talent before and can do the same for you. He did not say who. He did not say what that meant. He did say Let’s move fast before the heat dies. That line made her whole body go cold. Before the heat dies. Like she was steam coming off a pan. Use her while she is hot. Then find the next one. She did not answer

The agency texted her four times. We need alignment on messaging. We saw the interview. You are implying you were limited here. You will not suggest that. Come in. We will polish your language

Polish your language felt like Shut your mouth and make us look good

She did not answer that either

Instead she called Eli. He actually picked up on the first ring this time. Yo

Hi she said. I think I am in trouble

You are absolutely in trouble he said in a bored friendly way. But like good trouble. Not jail trouble. Talk to me

The agency wants to control what I say. Outside people want to manage me. People online are already calling me industry plant and sellout and the show’s favorite and I did not even make it to live rounds yet. I do not know what I am allowed to say. I do not know who I am allowed to answer. I feel like I am holding a bomb and every person around me is yelling Cut the blue wire and somebody else is yelling No not the blue one you idiot and I do not even know which one is blue

He was quiet for a second. Then he said Okay. Listen to me. Rule one. You answer only people who respect you. If they talk to you like money first, you ignore them. If they talk to you like a person first, you keep them. If they talk to you like property, you block them.

That made her breathe out a little. I can do that

Rule two he said Calm kills spin. The more calm you are, the less they can twist you. You looked calm on camera yesterday. Keep that. You start yelling on Instagram Live and saying This agency tried to chain me you are done. You say I am finally allowed to be myself. Nobody can cut that to make you look ungrateful without looking like the villain. You with me

Yes

Rule three he said They’re going to try to scare you with words like loyalty and professionalism and relationship. Most of the time that is code for Do what we say with no argument. You do not have to fight. You just have to stall.

Stall feels like lying, she said

No Eli said Stall is self defense. You are in a room full of people who have done this dance twenty times. You have done it once. You are allowed to pause before you sign your life

She let that sink in. Okay

Also he said Your mic check is today. Be early. Warm up. I want you loose not shaking like a leaf. I am not mixing around a locked throat again

She smiled in spite of everything. Bossy

Professional, he said. Then softer You doing alright though

No she said. But also yes

Yeah he said. That sounds right for this part

The mic check that afternoon was for round three prep. It was not the real stage but it was close. A bigger room. Better lights. A full camera crew warming up angles. Two assistants going over call sheets. Makeup people, hair people, wardrobe people, stage crew, audio crew. It felt less like a talent show now and more like TV. Real TV

When she walked in, people stopped what they were doing for half a second to look at her. Not long. Just a flicker. But she felt it. She had become someone they recognized. Someone they already had notes about. She could feel conversations about her that she had not heard. She did not know if that was good or bad

Eli handed her in-ears and said Run Glass Skin first. Then run the cover. We are trying you with a lighter reverb. Do not lean away from the mic like last time.

He sounded normal. Casually annoyed. Familiar. It helped slow her heart.

She put the in-ears in and stepped to the mark. The room smelled like hot lights and cables and dust. Stage floor under her sneakers felt solid. The mic felt almost warm from the person who tested it before her. She closed her eyes and tried to forget about the camera three feet away.

The first note came out too tight. She knew it even before Eli gave her the hand signal that meant loosen up. She rolled her shoulders. She let her mouth soften. She tried again.

The second pass sat right. Her voice filled her own ears first, not the room. She could hear her breath, the air in her throat, the way certain vowels dragged emotion out of her chest. She could hear when it broke and when it held. She felt herself finding center again. Not stage center. Self center.

he finished the verse. Eli gave a small nod. Better. Again.

She ran it three more times until he was satisfied. When she stepped off the mark her whole body felt warm and steady. Her nerves were still there but they were quieter now, like a hum instead of an alarm.

That was when one of the producers walked over. Not a judge. Not crew. Producer. Tall. Smooth voice. Sharp smile. She knew his type immediately. She had seen that smile in fashion. It always meant This will sound like support until the last line where I tell you what you owe me

Lila Hey he said. Great tone. Really strong emotional profile. America is going to eat you up. Can we chat one minute

She nodded. Sure