When the last chord dropped, the room exploded. It felt like a wave. Phones went back up fast, but now it was not look a pretty girl sings. It was OH MY GOD HER VOICE. PEOPLE. LISTEN. It felt like she was not asking anymore. She had arrived and announced herself and the room had answered back We heard you

Her knees almost gave out. She put one hand on the mic stand to steady herself. She let out one breath into the mic without meaning to and you could hear the air shake in it.

Thank you she said. Her voice sounded smaller than the room but it did not matter. Her voice had already filled the room. She stepped back off the mark and out of the light. The cheering still surrounded her like warm pressure. Like a hug with sound

The minute she cleared the curtain, Sophie slammed into her so hard she almost dropped to the floor. That was insane Sophie yelled into her ear. That was stupid. That was a problem. You just became a problem

Lila laughed so hard she almost cried for real. I almost threw up, she said into Sophie’s shoulder

Eli walked up next with a look she had not seen on his face before. Soft pride. Tight jaw. Eyes a little shiny like he did not want them to be shiny. He nodded one time slow. That’s the voice, he said. That’s the one I heard when you were practicing in Hall B. That’s the one I told them about. That’s what I meant. Do not lose that one

You told them about me, she said, wiping her face with the back of her hand

He shrugged. I might have told one person you were not just hype. One. Maybe two. The woman judge. And a different producer. And Carina. And Miles. And a mixer I know in Chicago. And a cousin in Phoenix. Minor outreach

Sophie smacked his arm. So you are out here doing marketing

Shut up, Eli said. I do audio. I am professional

Lila laughed again. She could not stop. Her body felt light now like gravity had let go for a second. She pressed her palm flat against her chest and could still feel her heart thudding too fast. I thought I was going to break, she said

You did break, Eli said. That is why it worked

Before she could answer, one of the judges came through the curtain. Not the one who smirked. The woman. The one who watched her with her chin on her hand and said You sing like someone done apologizing. She walked straight toward Lila. Close. No cameras now. No mic. Just human to human

She said When we air this you will not have a normal life for a while

Lila swallowed. Is that good or bad

The judge smiled small. Both. Then she said something that hit like a quiet bell in Lila’s ribs I am happy you did not let them call you the model. Make them use your name. Keep doing that

Lila nodded. My name is Lila, she said automatic

Good the judge said. Then she squeezed her shoulder and walked away like it was nothing. But it was not nothing. It felt like a blessing from someone who had already lived inside this machine and survived it

When everyone pulled back, Lila finally let herself sit. She dropped onto a folding chair backstage and put her face in her hands. She was still shaking, but not from panic now. From adrenaline. From release. From relief. Her chest hurt in a way that felt clean. She felt wrung out and full at the same time.

Her phone buzzed again. She almost groaned. She did not want the outside world yet. She wanted five minutes where it was just the echo of her own voice in her own bones. But she checked anyway because that was what life was now

There were thirty new messages. Two were from unknown numbers. One said Call me. I have a serious offer. One said We saw you tonight. We can make you global in six months. Are you free to meet tonight

She blocked both numbers

Then she saw a message from Carina. I just watched crowd video. They’re chanting already. Baby. They’re CHANTING. You don’t understand what that means. That doesn’t happen this early. You just jumped two steps.

Her hands shook harder. She typed back I felt like I couldn’t breathe

Carina answered Good. That means it was honest. Drink water

Then another line from Carina And Lila

Yeah she wrote back

Do not let them sign you tonight. I am serious. When the room is loud is the moment you’re most in danger. That’s when wolves smile the nicest

That line made a cold little shiver run down her spine. She looked up from her phone and for the first time that night she really saw what was happening around her backstage. People were moving different. People she had never met were hovering a little too close. Producers were whispering to each other and glancing over. A slick looking guy in designer sneakers was pretending to talk to someone else while actually staring at her like she was a contract walking around in human form

She understood. Finally. This is the part they do not show on TV. The part where people start circling

Sophie leaned in. You okay

Lila nodded slow. I am okay. I am just realizing something

What

They are about to try to take me, she whispered

Sophie’s mouth went flat. Over my dead body

Lila smiled tired and grateful. My rep in Nashville is reviewing terms, she said automatically

Sophie grinned. Oh you have lines now

I have lines now, Lila said

She leaned her head back against the concrete wall and let her eyes close. The scene around her buzzed. Voices. Movement. Heat. All of it spinning. But inside her there was a steadier sound now. Not panic. Not fear. Something cleaner. Something real

She could still feel the crowd like a physical weight. She could still hear them shouting when she hit the chorus. She could still hear her own voice shaking after the last note. She could still hear that line in her head I am not your mirror. I am not your skin

For the first time in her life she had proof in front of witnesses that she was not crazy for wanting this. She had proof that her sound could move a room. She had proof that this was not pretend. Not luck. Not cute. Not a hobby

It was her life now

She opened her eyes and breathed slow and steady. She whispered almost silent so only she could hear it You are not asking anymore. You are here

That sentence felt like a new kind of courage. It sat in her bones and stayed there

And as she sat in that folding chair, sweat on her neck, makeup starting to crack, throat raw, heart still running fast, her old life of being told what to be felt like it was getting smaller and smaller behind her

She was not background anymore. She was not a hanger for clothes. She was not a training product. She was not a quiet maybe

She was a voice in a room and the room had answered back