<π§ Song Recommendation: Counting Stars (Acoustic) by Jake Coco, Corey Gray, Alexi Blue> (inspiration)
...
(February 25th, 2019 β Westin Bonaventure Hotel)
"Von! Von! Von, wake up or you're gonna miss the call time!"
Von was ripped from the realm of sleep by a pair of hands shaking his shoulders violently. He groaned, swatting at the air as he peeled his eyelids open.
His vision was blurry as he tried to see through the morning light coming from the open curtains.
Above him stood Julian, who was dressed in a grey suit and had his hair styled to perfection.
Von rubbed his face. "What the problem?"
"The problem is that the first round started an hour ago!" Julian exclaimed, checking his diamond-encrusted watch frantically. "It's 9:00 AM already!"
"Nine?"
The word jolted Von's brain like a shot of espresso. He sat up, grabbing his phone from the nightstand. The screen confirmed the betrayal: 9:03 AM.
"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" Von asked, swinging his legs out of bed.
"You slept very late," Julian said apologetically, stepping back to give him space. "I heard you muttering lyrics until like 1 AM. I figured you needed the rest. Besides, I checked the call sheet downstairs. We're at the very bottom of the order because of our surnames. So it won't be our turn until at least 1:00 PM."
"Oh." Von paused, processing the logic.
He remembered seeing the list. With nearly two hundred contestants, going alphabetically meant being a 'Varley' was finally a blessing.
"Right," Von nodded slowly, the panic subsiding. "Thanks for waking me up, dude."
"No sweat," Julian smiled, though he was tapping his foot nervously. "I'm gonna head down to the lobby to warm up. Don't take too long, okay?"
"I won't."
Julian slipped out of the room, leaving Von in the silence.
Most people in Von's position would have spent the next four hours getting dressed up. Von went to the gym.
He had a Daily Quest to finish, and if there was one thing the System had taught him, it was that discipline beat motivation every time.
For the next hour, Von was the only person in the hotel gym. While other contestants were downstairs, he was on the treadmill. He lifted weights and did planks until he was exhausted.
When he returned to the room at almost 11:00 AM, drenched in sweat, he ran into Julian in the hallway who had come back to grab a bottle of water.
Julian stared at him, bewildered. "Did... did you just work out?"
"Yeah," Von panted, wiping his forehead with a towel.
"We have to sing in two hours," Julian said, looking at him like he was insane. "Doesn't heavy exercise constrict your vocal cords?"
"It gets the blood flowing," Von replied. "I just felt like it."
Julian could not question him further as they went their seperate ways. After Von consumed the Stamina Pill, the fatigue vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of energy. His lungs felt open and his mind was sharp, feeling stronger than he had when he woke up.
After a quick shower and a light breakfast of fruit and oatmeal, Von climbed onto his bed with his guitar and notebook.
He spent the remaining time visualizing the performance. He went through the lyrics and composition one last time. It had taken him hours last night to remember the exact chord progression of the song from his future memory; specifically the acoustic arrangement that made it punchy.
"Status."
_________________________________________
SUPERSTAR SYSTEM β STATUS PANEL
_________________________________________
[BIO]
β Name: Von Varley
β Age: 18
β Class: Student
β Title: Street Performer
β System Level: 0
[STATS]
β Vocals: C- (30/300)
β Composition: F (0/10)
β Charm: C (0/300)
β Willpower: C- (0/300)
[PROGRESSION]
β Skills: Basic Instrument Mastery, Resonance, Emote.
β EXP: 0
β Current Fans: 56
β Quests: 2 Active
β Star Shop: 6 Vouchers
_________________________________________
He had finally pushed his Vocals to C- after dumping all his accumulated EXP from the Daily Quests into the stat. It wasn't a massive jump, but it was still the difference between "Amateur" and "Competent."
Looking around the hotel earlier, he had noticed most contestants were hovering around C or C+, with the elite few like Julian likely in the B range. Although they were some few at D+, a C- was still dangerous ground, and Von was banking on it to be enough.
He closed his eyes and waited.
***
At 12:55 PM, a staff knocked on their door.
"Von Varley? You're up."
Von grabbed his guitar and took the elevator, after which he was redirected to a set of double doors and into a smaller, converted conference hall.
The setup was intimate but intimidating. A small, elevated stage stood in the center, bathed in a spotlight. Facing the stage was a long desk where the three judges sat: Jax, Aria, and Rex Sterling.
Behind them, a small group of production staff watched in silence.
As Von walked up the steps, the judges looked up from their notes. Jax and Aria looked polite but exhausted; they had been listening to singers for four hours afterall. And even though they had some breaks, it was still a chore.
But Rex Sterling stopped writing. He looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took of his glasses.
"Well," Rex murmured, leaning into his microphone. "If it isn't the Miami busker."
Aria looked up in surprise. She squinted at Von. "Oh! You're the one who performed the original song at the auditions, right? The one about coming home?"
"That's me," Von said, adjusting the mic stand. "Good afternoon, Judges."
"Good afternoon, Von," Aria smiled, leaning her chin on her hand. She seemed to wake up a bit. "You made quite an impression last time. What do you have for us today? Another original?" She gave him a daring wink.
Von met her gaze and nodded confidently. "Yes, ma'am. I'll be performing another original piece. It's called... Coming Home."
The judges exchanged glances.
"Coming home?" Jax repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Is this a sequel?"
"Something like that," Von said.
"Interesting," Aria said. "I loved your first one. I do hope I like this one as well."
"I'll do my best," Von said.
Jax checked the digital timer on the desk. "Alright, Von. The rules are simple. You've got thirty seconds. Make us feel something."
Jax tapped the red button.
[00:30]
The clock began to tick.
Von didn't waste a second. He strung the strings of the acoustic guitar and began singing calmly.
πΈ βͺ
Lately, I've been... I've been on the roam...
πΈ βͺ
πΈ βͺ
Looking for a place to call my own!
πΈ βͺ
πΈ βͺ
But baby, I know... I know who I am
No more running away... Yeah, I'm coming home
πΈ βͺ
βͺ
I am coming home..
πΈ βͺ πΈ βͺ
He played a more upbeat tone that fell as soon as it rose, giving the piece a deserved completion.
PING!
The timer blared as soon as he finished.
Von stood in silence after performing as he looked at the Judges.
Jax was the first to react. He let out a low whistle. "That... was beautiful! That ending energy? Man, you woke me up!"
Aria was beaming. "Yes! You're an amazing composer, Von. Seriously. That hook is stuck in my head already. I don't think I've heard a catchier song all day."
"Thank you," Von said, bowing his head slightly.
Rex Sterling had been quiet. He was tapping his pen against his notepad, staring at Von plainly. Finally, he spoke.
"You know how to sell a song, and you have an ear for what works. You're a talented one, boy. Good job."
Von felt a warm glow spread through his chest. Getting such a compliment from him was not what he expected.
"Now," Jax said, reaching for the digital keypad on his desk. "Let's score him."
The screens on the the Judges' table came to light as the scoreboard system came to life.
The numbers flashed on the screen one by one.