“Sure,” I squeaked out, standing up. I followed her down a winding hallway, which seemed endless. She didn’t say a word to me, didn’t turn back to make sure I was right behind her. I closed my eyes as we walked and tried remember the lines to the monologue I had burned into my brain.
She opened a door, leading me into a small room. Behind a table were three other people; two men and a woman.
“Sorry for the wait, we needed to see a bit of the dancers first,” The other woman said, reaching out to shake my hand. “I’m Shannon. It’s nice to meet you. I saw your submission a week ago and thought you looked like a perfect Daisy. But I didn’t realize who you were. People.” She addressed her panel. “Amy is the new scholarship winner at Leopard Academy.”
“Oh.” They gave me a smile and I felt anger flare. Was that how I was going to be referred to the rest of my career - as a by-product of Liam’s success? Perhaps letting him get me this audition was not such a good idea. If Shannon had liked my look, had she been planning to call me anyway? I scanned my memory quickly, trying to remember if I had left my phone off at any point or forgot to check my junk email. “And what do you have prepared for us, Amy?”
“Uh…” I passed, taking a deep breath. “A monologue, one that we are working on in school.”
Shannon waved her hand, indicating I should head to the center of the room and start. Starting was the hardest part, and it took several breaths before the words came out of my mouth. But once they did, they flowed. I knew this monologue, I knew Beauty’s emotions and feelings as well as I knew my own. The fact that the people were unfamiliar to me and that the staging was different didn’t bother me. I leapt into it, not holding back anything. Make Strong Choices. Liam’s motto echoed in my head, and when I finished, I found myself on the ground, Beauty’s tears pouring from my eyes.
There was a silence from the panel, and then they nodded.
“Thank you, Amy. We’ll be making our choice in the next few days and will be in touch.”
“Uh…that’s it?” I asked, surprised. “No cold read?”
“That’s all. You’re still in school, right?” Shannon asked, and I nodded.
“Yes, but…”
“So if we’re interested, we’ll talk to Liam. Thank you.” She gave me a look that clearly indicated I was to leave.
I got up, turning my back quickly.
“Thank you,” I said, rushing out of the room. My heart was running marathon again, and I wasn’t sure how to feel. I knew auditions were supposed to be like that, but that one felt wrong. I had caught to condescending tone they had used when referring to me as the scholarship winner; that I had only gotten before their panel by Liam’s influence. And they clearly weren’t impressed by that.
Porsche was another half hour, and the silence of the waiting room almost killed me, the thoughts running through my head like wild fire.
“How’d it go?” she asked, when she came out. I shrugged.
“I don’t know. They didn’t let me do anything besides the monologue. And they looked at me like I was a reality show winner.”
“Ah, Amy it doesn’t mean anything,” she shrugged. “Shannon’s just like that. She knows talent when she sees it.”
“Whatever. I just want to go home,” I replied, gathering up my stuff.