OBSESSION - h.s.

5

3 MONTHS LATER

The line is long at the X-Factor auditions, and nervousness is coursing through my veins. My dad and brother couldn't come with me, so instead, I'm here with Aisha, Georgia and Cali.

"This is so exciting!" Cali exclaims, looking at the crowd of people around us, taking a sip of her frappuccino.

"If you call being squashed with like 2,000 other people exciting," Georgia mumbles, her agoraphobia beginning to show.

"I think it's great that Lia gets to live out her dream." Aisha smiles at me.

"Thanks, Aish," I reply, giving her a hug. "But the likelihood of me actually getting through the audition process is very low."

"Don't say that, you have so much talent!" This makes me smile, and I turn and face the front of the line again. A few minutes pass in silence, and I am just about to talk to one of my friends when a man comes up to me, followed by a woman holding a camera.

"Hello, love." The man greets me, and I smile warmly. "We're just doing some pre-audition interviews, care to take part?" I am just about to tell him no when Cali pushes me forward.

"She'd love to!" She squeals excitedly.

"Great," the man replies, taking out a sheet of paper from his pocket, seeming to have questions written on it. "So what's your name, how old are you and where are you from?"

"My name is Cecilia Byrne, I'm sixteen years old and I'm from Holmes Chapel, Cheshire."

"Okay, what do you like about where you live?"

"Ah, it's quite small, so I know most of the people there and I guess it's quite... picturesque."

"A young man from Holmes Chapel said the same thing earlier this morning... picturesque. About your age actually."

"Really?" I reply. Our town is quite small so if they were around my age I definitely would have known them, and they would have most likely gone to my school too unless they went to one in one of the neighbouring towns.

"Yeah..." he trails off. "I can't remember his name off the top of my head though." I nod and wait for him to continue asking questions. "So, have you had any past experiences in performing and the music industry?"

"I've performed at school concerts and stuff, but that's about it," I reply. The man is about to ask another question when Aisha cuts in.

"What about those times you performed at the Christmas fair?" I turn to her and blush, trying to shut her up.

"Ah, tell us about that, Cecilia."

"Um, Lia's just fine, thanks," I mumble before continuing. "Yeah, every year our town has a Christmas fair, and for the past couple of years I have auditioned to sing at it and won."

"Wow, that's quite an achievement, Lia." He replies and I thank him. "So, that's all we have time for at the moment, good luck with your audition!" He smiles and walks further down the line of people.

"OMG THAT WAS SO EXCITING!" Cali exclaims and gives me a hug.

I sigh. "I just hope they got me from a good angle, you know I hate my side profile!" I complain.

"Girl, you have one of the best noses out there, remember, it goes with the face." Aisha comforts me, and I stifle a laugh.

The next half an hour we spend waiting impatiently in the line, my nerves growing by the second. Eventually, we make it to the door and finally end up inside, where we are guided to some plastic seats in the waiting area.

"Don't be nervous, Lia. Just pretend everyone's disappeared. It's just you and the song, okay?" Cali consoles me. I look at her and try to smile, but it probably ends up looking more like a grimace.

"Cecilia Byrne?" Someone calls from the beginning of a hall at the side of the waiting room. I look around for the source of the voice and see a man. My friends and I stand up and make our way over to him and he greets us and leads us down the hall and to the backstage area. He tells us a few ground rules and shows my friends to the booth where they can watch me on a screen, and I'm just left with him. I turn around and see that a camera had been filming the whole exchange and I wake up, realisation hitting me; this is actually happening.

Some applause can be heard for the person already on stage as they walk off on the opposite side of the stage to me. The man next to me hands me a microphone and motions for me to go forward and I nod, taking a deep breath. I rock back on my heels and begin walking onstage. Applause greets me and I can't help but smile a little at the action as I make my way to the 'X' in the centre of the stage.

"What's your name?" Simon asks.

"Cecilia Byrne," I reply, trying to keep my nerves from getting the best of me.

"How old are you?"

"Ugh, sixteen."

"Where are you from?"

"Holmes Chapel, Cheshire."

"What will you be singing for us today, Cecilia?"

"Lia's fine, actually," I say out of habit, and then I stop myself, blushing with embarrassment. "Um, I'll be singing Empire State of Mind."

"Okay, whenever you're ready." I hold the microphone up to my mouth and begin singing the chorus acapella. The whole ordeal passes in a blur; the whole crowd and judges fade away and I'm left by myself on stage. I finish up the chorus and look up again, remembering the crowd and the judges and I sigh. They state their comments but I don't really hear them, the exhilarating I'm feeling overpowering it all. The next thing I know, I've been granted three yes's and am beginning to walk off stage when I see someone staring at me from the exit side of the stage.

I don't recognise him at first but when the realisation hits me, I am already standing face to face with the green eyes of none other than Harry Styles.