The Pianist - One Direction

Chapter 1

Breathe in. Breathe out. Inhale, exhale. This is what I love to do, I had to remind myself. This was how I used to sit when I needed to clear my head - in a chair in front of a piano. Still, my head was full of thoughts. I had never been this nervous before in my life. Even if this wasn't the kind of piano I was used to - this was huge, shiny and white, not anything like my old one at home - I still felt like home. It doesn't matter if I'm dead nervous, as fast as my fingers move across those keys, every bad, scared and nervous thought in my head would disappear. I just had to answer the questions first. Don't sound nervous, don't sound nervous.

Just behind my back, a bit to the right, there were five chairs. Each of them occupied by a man or a woman in suit. They looked nice, but tired, as if they had been sitting there for too long. One of the women looked down at a few papers in front of her.

"So here we have..." She paused to read my name. "Isabelle Bower. Isabelle, you are nineteen years old, am I right?"

"Yes." I said, as I did my very best to control my voice.

"Tell me Isabelle, how long have you been playing the piano?"

"About..." I counted on my fingers. Nine, ten, eleven. "Twelve years I think."

"Do you play any other instruments?"

"Umm, I can play a bit guitar, and I've done some singing. And I can do the bases at drums, bass and flute."

Almost all of them wrote down something on papers in front of them. Then the woman who asked the questions gestured to the piano which I'm already sitting at.

I turned away from them, away from the people who could change my future completely, and stared at the piano keys. I wasn't going to say something as "I'm only happy that I've come this far, so I don't care how it goes", because I'm not and I do. I wasn't there to leave. I was there to show them I'm great, and to make it.

When I felt that I was ready, I softly moved my fingers up and down the piano. Some parts faster and some parts calmer. I knew this song good enough to close my eyes, and still be able to play just as good. I was not a selfish or a very confident person really, but when it came to playing the piano, I knew I was good. More than good. I was amazing!

I was applying to one of the biggest music schools in the world; London School of Music and Performances. It was also one of the hardest schools to get in to. Sure, I was good at playing the piano, but it somehow scared me how talented the students at this school were. I was going to make it, though. I just needed to do this without any bigger mistakes.

When I was done, I stood up and turned to the five judges. I was sort of expecting some kind of applause or something like that. I had been working really hard with this piece. I guess they were too good for applauding someone like me or maybe they never did, to anyone. I didn't really look like a girl who would fit in this kind of school, but it was my big goal in life. This was the school I had been dreaming of attending, and the only obstacle in my way was making this people like me and my music.

They gave me a smile and nodded. The woman who had been saying my name before said a small "Thank you, Isabelle." I thanked them and walked out as smooth as I possibly could.

As soon as I got out of the room and closed the room after me, I ran. The auditions were held in one of the buildings that belonged to the school. I ran through corridors and hallways, until I found a bathroom. I slammed the door after me and took off my sweater so that I was standing in my simple t-shirt. I dug my nails into the sweater and buried my face in it. I slowly sank down to the bathroom floor. I had never had this much pressure on me before in my entire life, and it broke me down.