The Talented

Auditions {amy}

Where there is desire

There is gonna be a flame

Where there is a flame

Someone's bound to get burned

But just because it burns

Doesn't mean you're gonna die

You've gotta get up and try, try, try

~Try by P!nk

I'm Amy. Don't call me Amelia. Really, please don't call me Amelia. Today I'm auditioning for The Talented, a group of really, well, talented people that go to a school in France. Most of my family is part of The Talented. I live in Scotland but I'm taking the train down to London where the auditions are. I hope I make this but I'm not going to stress about it. I've been acting since I could speak. I get out of my bed and put on some ripped skinny jeans, a grey long sleeve shirt and a leather jacket.

"Amy, hurry up!" My mum calls from downstairs. "You don't want to be late!"

"'Kay, mum. I'll be right down." I leave my room and run down the stairs. There is a suspicious smell of burnt pancakes coming from the kitchen.

"Nervous?" Mum asks.

"No. Not really. I've had my character memorised for ages. I'm just anxious to know who my scene partner is going to be."

"Ok. I understand."

"Should we be going? I really don't want to be late."

"Sure, love."

We drive to Glasgow Central and catch our seven o'clock train. The train ride to London is extremely, 100 percent uneventful, and four-and-a-half hours long. The most exciting things I do are rake my ginger hair into a pony tail or coat my eyelashes with mascara. My dad'll meet us in London. We're staying at my aunt's house in London for the week of callbacks and then (hopefully) to France. I packed the night before so I could wake up at six fifteen, around 3 hours earlier than normal for the summer and school holidays. I fall asleep 30 minutes outside Glasgow and don't wake up until the train pulls into King's Cross Station in London.

Mum and I walk through the crowded station, and I barely miss elbowing a little boy in the face. We somehow manage to get outside without losing our luggage, though I don't know how. My aunt is leaning casually against the door of her black BMW, texting someone.

"Hi Ginny!" I call. She looks up, confused. "Oh. Amy. Violet. Good to see you! Get in the car and we'll go. You don't want to be late to the audition!"

My aunt opens the boot and my mum and I put our luggage in. We drive to the theatre where the audition are taking place.

"Ginny and I are going to unpack, unless you want me to come and watch the audition?"

"No, I'll be fine. See you soon!"

I grab my backpack from on top of my feet and walk into the theatre where the auditions are taking place. There are five hallways going in different directions. A little chalkboard easel brightly announcing "All individuals auditioning for The Talented, please go to theatre E4!" stands in front of the hallway to my right. Great, the auditions start in three minutes and I have no idea where to go. I take a step forward and almost trip on something in the floor. I look down and there is a small, raised circular tile in the polished wood. It has five arrows pointing to each hallway. I follow the arrow that has E4 on it, and as I walk I realise that the grain of the wood has a very slight pattern leading me down the hall. This school is weird. My boots click loudly in the echoey hallway and I'm glad when I reach the big doors to the theatre.

The large theatre reminds me of what a manor house library would look like, dark panelled oak and stuffed velvet seating. I sit in the front row next to two boys in black hoodies. "Hi. I'm Amy." I say, but get no response. "Hello?" I tap a boy on the shoulder. He holds his hand up in a dismissive wave, and goes back to jabbering about the space-time continuum. I'm personally very interested in how time travel would be possible without breaching said continuum, but they won't include me in their discussion.

A cheerful looking woman walks on the stage and starts talking to us about how she teaches history at Chance, our potential new school. She says Chance with a French accent, and everything else in a random assortment of variations on accents. If she teaches her class like this, I'll find a way to test out of history.

Then she starts taking role. I find out that my mother signed me up as Amelia, not Amy. That's just about the one thing that can annoy me. A group of thirteen-year olds follow her up, including me and the two boys next to me. Lucy, the accent-changing woman, leaves us backstage to change into our costumes.

I'm easy, I walk onstage as I am. The lights go down, and I'm not Amy anymore. I'm Hannah Lane. This audition is nothing like anything I've ever done before. Instead of doing a scene or monologue, challenges are presented to me, like what would Hannah do if someone started following her, what does she do on Christmas. Random things, but I think I do well. All the judges say are "Thank you Amelia." And "If you get called back, we'll call you." Wow. Thanks guys. They start talking quietly and I take that as my cue to leave the stage.

When I get to the dressing room, a slightly pale girl with brown hair and eyes is asking everyone at once all personal information except the day they were born. Someone had the genius idea to give the people name tags. The inquisitive girl is named Sarah. The girl next to her, Bella, has chocolatey hair and the freakiest blue eyes I've ever seen. On another couch are the two boys I sat next to earlier. The one I tapped on the shoulder is named Dylan. He's not English-looking. He has tan skin, dark hair, and green eyes. Next to him is a boy that resembles a feather. All around, he is pale and thin. I look around the room, and see a silver unicycle. Is someone a circus performer? Dylan directs his vision to where I'm looking, and says what I'm thinking. "Someone thinks they can get in on a unicycle."

"That's so cute! Is someone trying for the circus, I heard that tryout is in D4!"

"Ha ha." Bella says with a sob.

"It's really strange," I reply, not directly to her "The quote-on-quote talents people think they have."

She says nothing, just looks down. I walk over to the couch Dylan and Avery are sitting on, and plop myself between them, making us all very squashed and uncomfortable. On purpose. They should have talked to me about the continuum.

"Amy, can you move? I'm really uncomfortable, my hip is right against the side." Dylan asks. Avery nods.

"Love, I'm not exactly comfortable, but I don't care."

I pick up my book as Avery goes to audition, and Dylan shoves me over.

"Are you flirting with me?"

"No."

I finish my book by the time 13's auditions are over, and follow Lucy to the audience.