The Heartbreak Factor - Part One

Chapter Four.

Walking along the gorgeous St. Lucia shores, I couldn't believe where I was, let alone why I was here. The Caribbean sunshine was glistening down on the golden sand and the calm ocean. Crushing the soft sand with my feet, I looked out at the horizon, admiring the waves as they came towards us, softly crashing on the shore. This was my idea of paradise. 

"Guys, watch this," Lucy shouted, putting an end to the peacefulness.

Before we had the chance to turn around to see what she was doing, she had already ran into the sea like an over-excited dog, fully clothed. "Oh my God, Lucy," Jade laughed as we all watched Lucy flapping her arms and legs around in the water, causing a huge splashing display. "They should have sent her to Butlins.”

"Nothing wrong with Butlins," Lucy shouted as she ran towards us, kicking her legs in an over-exaggerated fashion in our direction, splashing us with water.

“Nothing right with it either though, Lucy,” Amy joked.

The best part of being at the judges' houses wasn't the free holiday or spending hours in the sunshine singing, but getting to know new and amazing people. Since we got here yesterday morning, I'd got quite close with Lucy. She's promised that if we both get through to the live shows that she'd be my big sister in the X Factor house. I also get on quite well with Jade. She's a lot older than me - she's 25, but she's really nice and funny too. Tulisa got revealed to us as our mentor yesterday when we arrived here and since then she has been absolutely amazing. And I suppose at least since getting here I haven't thought about George once... Okay, that's a lie. He's all I can think about. When I got home from boot camp, I tried calling him but his phone went straight to his answer machine. I couldn't bring myself to leave him a message; I didn't even know what I would say in the message even if I did. He hadn't tried getting in contact with me at all so I decided to just leave it and concentrate on getting through to the live shows. To get this far and get sent home would seem like such a waste of time. I had to get through to the live shows. After all, I joined this competition to see how far I could make it as a singer, not to find love - not that I loved him but you know what I mean..

We all walked up a little bay around a rocky cliff headland and back up the sandy steps to the villa that was our home and judges houses base for the next few days. As we got to the top of the steps, we all turned around and took in the stunning view - you don't get views like this in England, sadly. Now it was time for the bit we were here for... the singing. 

*

"Hiya Sammy, how are you feeling?" Tulisa asked to me as I walked onto the villa roof where her and Tinie Tempah were sat on the sofa, waiting for my arrival.

"Excited but really nervous," I smiled, standing in front of them, holding the microphone as my hands began to shake slightly with nerves.

"Just relax and take your time," she said to me, reassuringly. "You can start whenever you feel ready to start."

I took a deep breath and looked at the pianoist, signalling for him to start playing my chosen song.

“You’ve got the words to change a nation but you’re biting your tongue,” I began to harmonise as Tinie Tempah looked at Tulisa with a look of pleasantly surprised shock on his face. Tulisa smiled at me as she listened to every word I sung to the best of my ability. “You’ve spent a life time stuck in silence afraid you’ll say something wrong. If no one ever hears it how we gonna learn your song? So come on, come on, come on, come on.”

Although I was concentrating on every single lyric that I was singing, the gorgeous sunshine stole my attention as it set over the Caribbean horizon. “You’ve got a heart as loud as lions so why let your voice be tamed? Baby we’re a little different, there’s no need to be ashamed. You’ve got the light to fight the shadows so stop hiding it away, come on, come on.”