Chapter 43
At dinner, she heard Mara say to Lacey Quinn Mercer in a whiny, singsong voice, “Why isn’t Damon back yet? I’m so worried I won’t pass p>
Lacey stroked her hair. “Honey, relax. Just perform like you normally do. Damon said that at your current level, you’ll have no problem with the auditions p>
She always had endless patience for Mara. Mira had to admit, Mara had a real talent for winning people over.
“But I’m still scared p>
Lacey thought for a moment. “Mira, your piano skills are so good. Why don’t you take the talent portion of the audition for your sister p>
Mira and Mara were twins and practically spitting images of each other. Strangers usually couldn’t tell them apart unless they were standing side-by-side.
Mira shot them a look. “I’m not interested in cheating p>
“Is that any way to talk to your mother, young lady?” Adrian Mercer snapped.
Mira ignored them, lowered her head to eat, and went to her room to rest afterward.
These past few days, she had been completely focused on the auditions. At home, when Mara provoked Lacey into starting trouble, Mira couldn’t be bothered to engage as long as it was nothing serious.
The next day, Mira and her friends went to the audition venue as scheduled. The second round would cut the one hundred contestants down to fifty.
Mira won her spot with a classical dance and a song.
Mira and Celine passed, but Liora didn’t.
It wasn’t a big deal. For a beginner, Liora had done well just to get through the first round.
She was a good sport, having come mostly to watch and cheer on her friends anyway.
The third round would select the top twenty. This time, the competition was much tougher, and Mira had to take it seriously.
Each round had a different set of judges, and the judges for the third round were of a much higher professional caliber than the previous two.
Moreover, her opponents in this round were all exceptionally talented.
If the first round had many amateur contestants, the second round was filled with skilled performers.
The fifty contestants in the third round were, without exception, the best of the best.
The twenty who would be selected were the cream of the crop. The finals, after all, would be broadcast live on television.
Celine’s number was called early. She went first but was eliminated during the vocal competition.
This forced Mira to pull out one of her ages. She performed “Blossom Under Neon Pair a song she had practiced for a long time under Lania’s guidance. fo
She was saving her two “original” songs and her martial arts-inspired dance for the very end.
This song was a household name from the nineties.
A hopeful heart finds the morning sun, where a new life begins.
Through the quiet storms and the lonely nights, you stood your ground alone.
Let the fire of youth bloom in its deepest red,
As the petals dance on the wind, like the ghost of your smile.
Mira’s voice flowed like a river, her breath control flawless.
She sang softly, her tone shifting from sorrowful to sweet, from gentle to powerful, captivating everyone who listened.
Her delivery naturally drew the audience into the song’s emotions, creating a shared experience.
When she finished, the audience erupted in thunderous applause, and the judges gave her a high score.
When she came offstage, Celine and Liora both told her she had the potential to be a professional singer.
For her second performance, Mira played the piano again. She had a
natural gift for music and could improvise a piece on the spor
matching her mood and the
atmosphere of the room.
With high scores in these two
categories, her advancement was practically guaranteed. For the third talent segment, she could perform a simple dance and still not be
eliminated.
What Mira didn’t know was that while she was performing on stage, Lacey and Mara
were watching from the audience.