𝘚𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 | 𝙅𝙤𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙨

0.4

"Maia Godoy's POV"

"Raising my gaze from my papers and documents in hand, I take a slight step back, making space for whoever... JINJOO? It can't be...

I try to discreetly observe the face of the person who gives me a radiant smile. I wouldn't mistake her. The large black bag - which must hold a guitar - next to her body said everything I needed to know.
I try to contain my excitement, which I usually manage to disguise well, but today it's been difficult to stay calm.
I see her reach her arm in front of me towards the buttons but withdraw it upon seeing the 21st floor already lit. What? Is she going to the auditions? Are they for DNCE? No, it shouldn't be, I haven't heard about the band in a while and—

"Hey, are you here for the backing vocal audition?" - Snapping me out of my thoughts, I look to the side and see a curious expression on her face. She was analyzing me, not in a rude way, just as if she were trying to remember something. I hope I don't stutter and then I open my mouth and extend my hand.

"Um, yes! My name is Maia Godoy, nice to meet you—"

"Oh my god, you're that girl from the cover, aren't you?" - The curiosity and excitement in her voice are evident. I smile broadly, nodding, and she continues - "I've watched that video so many times not to recognize you. My name is—"

"JinJoo-" - My anxiety takes over as our handshake loosens and I realize the mistake I made. Now I look like an obsessed fan... - "Sorry, it wasn't my intention—"

"It's okay!" - She smiles, lightly bumping her shoulder into mine, making me feel more at ease. - "By the way, you sang really well, you know?!" - Her words come out as a loud whisper.

I think my mouth has been open for a few minutes. The only place I've shown my teeth this much before was at the dentist. She was being so kind to me that I prayed we wouldn't arrive at the 21st floor so quickly.

"Thank you. I—" Ding! The elevator gives a slight jolt and then the metal doors open. The nightmare hour has come. I look at the long corridor ahead of me and take a deep breath. I feel Jinjoo pass by and lightly touch my shoulder before wishing me good luck and then disappearing into one of the rooms.

Right in front of the elevator, there was a kind of hall, a socializing area, with light-colored armchairs and tables. There was a large window that allowed for a beautiful view of the city. Wow.

As I pass through the hall, the empty corridor had light blue walls, well-lit and full of doors. The floor was no longer marble, and my heels made a muffled sound with each step I took. The closer I got to the room, the more I heard voices distorted because of the door in front of me.

I stop and wonder if I could just run away and come back, no one would notice. No! I needed to do this, or I would regret it.

I raise my hand to touch the cold iron doorknob and turn it. When I open the door, the conversations and voices reach my ears clearer than before. I observe the room, there were at least about 30 people there. I close the door behind me before heading to the woman sitting at a table with the sign "Staff" written on it. As she feels my presence, she adjusts her posture and smiles without showing her teeth.

"Good afternoon, I'm Maia Godoy and I'm here for the 2:00 audition," I say. I hear a female voice call a number from the other side of the room. The person gets up and heads towards the two large doors at the end of the space. I see the doors open and the new girl enter, then closing them again.

"Okay, let me see here" the woman then carefully takes my documents and directs her attention to the computer in front of her.

I hadn't noticed how quiet the room had became after the girl entered for the audition. I try to listen for something coming from the other room but no success. There must be some kind of soundproofing, obviously. I turn my attention back when I feel the staff raise a form for me to fill out. I thank her and take the pen, quickly finishing answering all the questions.

"Alright, you're all set, your number is 047," she hands me the papers along with a badge with my name and number. "When the Staff calls your number, be ready to enter the room," I thank her and retreat to an empty chair in the corner of the room.

As I sit down, I can notice more details of the room. It was quite large, surrounded by glass windows, which made the room basically lit only by sunlight, if it weren't for some LED lights on in specific places. In the other corner of the room, I notice a mini brunch: sweets and savories of all kinds were there. And next to it, a table full of water bottles. I wasn't in the mood to eat, afraid of vomiting in front of whoever the people were on the other side of that door.

I take out my earphones from my bag and put them in my ears. The soundtrack I chose was Live Well by Palace, since I love that kind of music. I distract myself while waiting for time to pass.

...

I look at my watch, it's 3:25 PM. I take off my headphones sighing heavily and notice the room almost empty. Was I literally the last person to arrive? Seriously? There was only one person ahead of me now.

I felt a strong urge to go to the bathroom. I look around. The last girl had just entered so it would give me enough time to do what I needed. I informed the woman who just waved her hand, signaling for me to go.

I remember passing by a bathroom in the hallway and then I go to it. When I enter, it's just a porcelain room, a sink, and a large mirror on the wall.

After doing what I needed, I observe myself in the mirror. Since I came straight from college to the audition, my black tailored pants looked a bit wrinkled, but nothing too bothersome. The high-necked blouse seemed like it was trying to suffocate me. I run my hand inside the collar to ease the sensation and then fix my bun, letting some light brown curls fall awkwardly on the sides of my face. I love my hair, I can't deny, but It's very difficult to take care of it. I breathe in and out several times before leaving the bathroom.

"Last call: number 047" - As soon as I open the door, I hear them calling me. Raising my hand to let them know I'm present, I hurry to the other side of the room. I almost missed my turn, almost. I stop in front of the two large doors, trying to calm myself. They open before I can prepare, showing me the space and the people inside.