Dream A Little Dream of Me

Chapter One

“Number 24,” a polished woman said monotonously as she walked into the waiting room. I looked down at the large white sticker stuck to the front of my shirt.

That’s me, I thought.

                I had been waiting for what seemed like hours in the small room. There were a lot of other girls, some guys even, waiting with me. But we were all here for one reason: To audition as a backup singer for an artist at Syco Records. There was some serious nervous tension in the air, undoubtedly because it was such a huge job. And now, it was my turn for a shot at it.

                I got up from my chair, stumbling a bit on my heels. I didn’t usually dress like this, but being just 5’4, I wanted to look a bit taller. Oh and this was just a potential life-changing event. No big deal right?

                “Hi,” I said walking up to the woman smiling.

                “You must be Carey?” the woman said, peering from her clipboard.

                “Yep, that’s me.” The woman nodded, her bored expression unchanging.

                “Follow me.”

I followed her, watching as she walked effortlessly in heels in front of me. Hmph. Why couldn’t I walk like that? I thought. At this point, I was trying to focus on anything but my shaky breath and clammy hands.

It’s ok, I told myself. You’re going to be fine. My brain obviously wasn’t listening considering the fact that now I could feel my forehead beginning to sweat.

Finally we reached the side of a small stage. The woman motioned me to walk onto it.

 I ran my fingers through my long, wavy dark-brown hair and smoothed the black skirt that hit mid-thigh down. I closed my eyes for a moment, thinking about how this was everything I wanted. The memories shot past before my eyes. The singing lessons, my first vocal concert in elementary school, and my loving, supporting family. This was my dream. I took a deep breath, and walked onto the stage.

The bright lights hit me, and I had to squinted to look at my audience. I could make out about 15 people, all looking quite professional and serious.  One in the front nodded for me to start.

I closed my eyes for just one more moment, and then I began to sing. The melody filled the room, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a few bobbing their head to the song.

It was going great. Perfect even. I hit every note, and remembered every word. Then all of a sudden, I stopped. Right in the middle of the song. The lyrics got caught in my throat. Everything went silent. 15 pairs of eyes stared back at me, looking expectantly. Some were scribbling furiously into their notepads. Then my eyes caught another pair, in the back. They belonged to a young guy with a messy mop of curly hair. I didn’t know who, I couldn’t see from here. But he smiled and nodded, willing for me to go on. That smile. Though it might sound silly, it was enough for me to find my place again.

I finished the song, singing it better than I ever had. All because of that gorgeous, indescribably amazing smile.

I walked off the stage, but not before stealing another glance at the boy in the back. He gave me a thumbs up, and I grinned, momentarily forgetting the fact that I stopped mid-performance. That’s when I noticed the four other boys around him. And it hit me. 5 boys. A young man with curly hair. Oh my God. That was One Direction.

Oh my God. That was Harry Styles.