The day of the audition, Ara prepared herself, growing a bit nervous as she wasn't really a fan of the limelight. She let out a series of deep breaths, trying to shake off negative thoughts as she paced back and forth in the living room. Diego watched her come and go.
"Ara, just sit down, will you?"
"Diego, I can't help it. I'm getting nervous. The more I wait, the more I freak out."
"You'll be fine."
Their conversation was interrupted by Li and Tyler coming down the stairs with some equipment in hand. Tyler caressed Ara's cheek and planted a warm, loving kiss on her forehead.
"Diego's right. You'll be fine. We're all here to support you," he said as he brushed her hair to the side and clasped a necklace around her neck. Ara didn't know he had installed a tracking device on it.
Li handed her a pair of earrings. "These earrings are specially made for this mission. This will be our way to communicate. Make sure not to lose them. Also, this smartwatch will be our eyes, it has a 360-degree vision, so we can monitor you and the people around you. Everything will be linked to Slacovich's desktop in his office's secret room, and also transmitted to my laptop here at home," Li explained.
"Is everyone set to leave?"
Slacovich and Sofie descended the stairs. Sofie handed Ara the forms she needed to fill out.
"Ara, use your real surname. I've heard that one of the judges today is an old friend. I got in touch with him and discussed my suggestions about your audition. Don't worry, he doesn't work there, he's just a guest judge. He's a famous fashion designer from the UK," Sofie said as she applied lipstick to Ara's lips.
"How did you manage to get in touch with him?" Slacovich raised an eyebrow. He hadn't known Sofie had made a move.
"Well, Mr. President," she said, fixing his tie, "I did some research. Every year they invite celebrities, models, or designers as guest judges. So I figured, why not suggest someone who fits the company's criteria? He just launched a new fashion line, so being a judge also helps him promote it. It's a win-win."
"Did you tell him who you are?"
"Of course. And… one more thing." Sofie hesitated.
"What is it?"
"To get into the facility back then, I faked my death with General Prius' help. But I didn't expect my parents to be that smart, they tested the fake body and found a negative DNA match. They asked my friend about me, but even he had no idea what happened."
"That's not a bad thing. We can expand our business to the UK," Slacovich said, fixing her hair and smiling.
"That's not an issue at all, Sofie. I've contacted my own friends since we recovered. I couldn't have done all this without outside help," Li added.
"I thought we weren't allowed to reconnect with people from our past lives," Diego said, scratching his nape.
"It's not exactly forbidden, we were just being cautious. Now that we've built new identities, we can afford to reach out," Slacovich said. "As for me, I need to pay an old friend a visit. Sadly, his name's on our target list."
"We can discuss this later. For now, let's focus on today's mission. Everything will make sense once we gather more intel," Ara said nervously, but with a determined smile.
They all left the mansion. Ara was given an apartment key and some money. She needed to conceal her Demonfire identity and start living alone near House of Flame Entertainment. Tyler dropped her off at the bus stop and bid her goodbye. She didn't know about his plan yet. After she boarded the bus, he pulled over a few meters away, watched her, and left only after making sure she was safely aboard. Though he couldn't visit often, he'd check in whenever it was safe.
Ara now stood in front of the building owned by their enemy. From here on, she'd be facing everything alone. She didn't want to disappoint the others. She entered and asked the front desk where the auditions were being held. The receptionist said it had already started.
She rushed to the room just in time to hear a final call. If only she could use her vampire speed, it'd be easier. A crew member was about to close the door, but she grabbed it in time.
"Wa-ait," she gasped, handing over her form while scanning the room. "Good thing I made it."
"Good job, Ara. Passing the audition is your next mission. Don't worry, only you can hear me," Li's voice echoed in her mind.
"Is this like telepathy? You're talking straight to my brain," she whispered as she walked to an empty seat.
"Something like that. But be careful, you'll look like a crazy person if you're not discreet," Li warned, her voice fading.
Before she could sit, the crew asked them to form three straight lines. The room was large, like a dance studio that could accommodate 120 people with room to spare. The judges entered and sat at their stations. Ara subtly angled her smartwatch to capture their faces.
"Everyone, our judges for today, from your left, Director Horton, Talent Manager Daniels, President Hellgazer, and our guest judge, UK fashion designer Mr. Orico. Your first task is to create a short group performance. Out of three groups of forty, only one will pass. You have one hour to rehearse."
The room filled with murmurs and complaints over the short preparation time. Ara stepped up to help organize their performance. After some heated discussion, the group agreed to showcase their individual talents, dancers, singers, and Ara joined the modeling part. She wasn't tall or curvy, but she had confidence.
Their group was second to perform. The first group had been chaotic; everyone danced, but not in sync, and some couldn't dance at all.
Ara's group went in with a strategy. Ten sang the opening song, then made way for the models on the catwalk. As the modeling ended, more singers took over, followed by the dancers. Though not perfect, their coordinated effort stood out. The third group followed but looked disheartened.
As expected, Ara's group passed. From 120, only 40 remained. Then came the surprise, only 15 of them would proceed to the real audition, selected based on individual performance.
"Fifteen people will be chosen. Then the real audition begins. Step forward, Stacy, Nathalie, Maria, Christine, Ana, Vivian, Ara"
Relieved, she sighed. Li and Sofie congratulated her through the comms. They were given a 30-minute break before the next round.
Ara headed to the restroom and waited until it was empty before speaking to Li and Sofie.
"Girls, what should I do next? I'm getting more nervous." She inhaled deeply.
"You can do this," Li reassured her.
"But be careful," Sofie warned. "I didn't expect Volton Hellgazer to be a judge."
"I will. I'll pretend I don't know him, I can't blow my cover," Ara replied, then made her way back to the audition room.
While scrolling through the photos on her smartwatch, she bumped into someone.
"Ow! My head!" she complained, not looking up.
"You're the one who bumped into me! Watch where you're going!" the guy snapped, standing still, waiting for an apology.
Ara looked up and glared instead of saying sorry. He clicked his tongue in irritation. Ara ignored him and walked off. His manager whispered something, and the two entered the audition room.
Everyone waited for the judges' next instructions. President Hellgazer's chair was empty. The crew announced that a new judge would replace him due to an urgent meeting.
When the new judge entered, the girls screamed. It was Timothy Bright, a famous actor from the company.
Ara was unimpressed, not understanding the excitement. Timothy noticed her and raised a brow when she rolled her eyes and ignored him. His irritation shifted to interest.
"Ara, he's looking at you!" Stacy nudged her excitedly.
"Who's he?" Ara asked flatly.
"Are you serious?! That's Timothy Bright, the lead in Escape the Night!"
"Ahh!" Ara feigned excitement, then dropped her tone. "No idea who he is."
Timothy smirked. Was she pretending? He'd find out. If she didn't know him, he'd make sure she remembered after the audition.
Ara, meanwhile, realized she might've picked the wrong tree to bark up. The audition just got a lot more complicated.