HIRAETH | mike chang

1 | pilot

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STELLA MURRAY stood opposite the shabby looking notice board in the hallway of William McKinley High School, puzzling over the notice about the new "Glee Club" that was forming. Stella was a performer, there was no question about it. Yet, somewhere inside of her there was something stopping her, as if every bit of musicality was tied down into her bones. You see, Stella was desperate to make some friends and be apart of something in High School, just like in her favourite movies. Since her Dad died when she was in Middle School, Stella found herself anxious at whatever was around the corner in life and she often found herself wandering aimlessly through each day, fearing what the next day could bring. But Stella was tired of not having something to feel apart of, she so desperately wanted something that she could tell people that she played a part in. Reluctantly, Stella picked out a pen from her bag and wrote her name neatly on the list.

As Stella waited on the wings of the auditorium, pacing back and forth with nerves, the sound of wheels came from behind her. Stella turned to face the boy who had rolled up behind her in a wheelchair. Stella turned to face the boy in the wheelchair in front of her, folding her arms across her chest to suppress the anxiety rising inside her. "Hey Miss, are you auditioning for Glee club" He asked matter of factly, to which Stella nodded. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you I'm Artie." The boy stretched out his gloved hand and shook Stella's, she was finding herself overwhelmed by her first social interaction of High School. "Stella." She said quietly. As the auditions began, the pair where joined by a girl who Stella later learned was called Tina. The first audition by a girl named Mercedes Jones left Stella intimidated, her vocals and presence were insanely good and was a real star in the making. Next was Kurt Hummel, fashionable and fierce, he was a natural showman and was vocally certain of every note he sang. Soon, Artie was called out and he wheeled himself to the centre of the stage. The piano started and Stella's jaw fell to the ground, the seemingly nerdy boy she met 10 minutes ago was now centre stage singing pony of all songs. Admittedly, Stella was slightly jealous of the boy's unique voice and his bright yet knowledgeable personality. Tina and an overconfident girl named Rachel's auditions were a blur as Stella became overcome with fear. After the last notes of the familiar Les Mis song played, Stella's name was called.

Stella paced nervously to the piano and sat on the stool, setting her shoulders back to give some element of confidence to her performance. "My name is Stella Murray and I will be singing Rocketman by Elton John" Stella said quickly before playing the first chords.

"Rocketman" Sung by Stella Murray

Mr Schuester was left dumbfounded by Stella's performance, sat gobsmacked behind the desk. "Wow thank you Stella, that was a really beautiful performance".

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The newly formed Glee club were undoubtedly messy in their first performance of "Sit Down you're Rocking the Boat". Yet Stella Murray could not hide the immense pride in her new friend, Artie Abrams who found himself singing the lead. Stella and Artie had grown closer ever since they met on the wings of the auditorium and Stella genuinely loved having someone by her side. Rachel argued childishly with Mr Schue, while Artie tried to defend herself and everyone else "I think Mr. Schue is using irony to enhance the performance." "There is nothing ironic about show choir!" Rachel shouted before storming out, leaving the rest of the club confused, Stella was slightly taken aback but could hardly surprise the giggles leaving her mouth at the childish outburst.

After Finn Hudson had been recruited to the club, the group held their first rehearsal in the Auditorium. With Rachel and Finn beginning to sing "You're the One that I want" Stella found herself nudging Artie "Grease is my all time favourite film ever!" She said with an excitement filling her voice. Their whispers were interrupted by Mercedes' outburst "Oh, hell to the no. Look, I'm not down with this background singing nonsense. I'm Beyonce. I ain't no Kelly Rowland." she said with  certainty. The rehearsal finished and the group were left excited with the prospect of visiting Vocal Adrenaline. "I wonder what songs they sing?" Artie asked inquisitively keeping up with Stella. "I wonder if they'll sing Elton John..." she said softly.

The Glee club trip to Carmel High had put a dampener on the group spirits, coupled with the fact Finn had left the club. Stella started to feel hopeless, even worse so after Artie informed her of his ordeal in the portable toilet. Yet she felt that Finn was a good guy, she could feel that he really cared about everyone in the club and it almost seemed like a light in the dark. In the auditorium the group tried to master Rachel's dance steps, Stella who was in the back row effortlessly dancing away hardly noticing Finn's apology. As Finn assigned each person roles he finally turned to Stella. "How about you create some choreography Stella? You're a natural mover!" A smile spread across her face, "of course" she agreed, tying up her hair in a bun.

With an extensive amount of practicing, the group performed Journey's "Don't stop Believing" to Mr Schue and for the first time in years, Stella found herself enjoying herself and her surroundings. Spinning and singing around the stage, Stella noticed Quinn, Santana and Brittney watching on. Brittney smiled over at the girl and in the heat of the moment, Stella found herself smiling back. As she posed at the end, Noah Puckerman was leaning watching the group and instantly Stella could tell, things were looking brighter than they were a few days ago for the Glee Club

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word count : 1001
authors note: thank you so much for
reading the first chapter of hiraeth, I
will try my best to update regularly<3