<🎧 Song Recommendation: Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold>
...
Jax: [9]
Rex: [7]
Aria: [6]
Von's smile diminished the moment he saw the display. He did not expect much from Rex, although the praise had given him a momentary boost of confidence. But what was truly surprising was that Aria who claimed to love the song gave him a six. A lower score than Rex himself.
There was silence in the room for a moment before Aria leaned forward.
"You can do better, Von," she said gently. "I believe you can. You're a great composer, truly. You have an ear for melody that some professionals lack. But right now? Your voice isn't carrying the weight of your words. You really have to work on your vocal control if you want to survive here."
"Thank you. I'll work harder," Von acknowledged, bowing politely to the panel.
He turned and walked off the stage. As Von passed through the lobby, he noticed the digital leaderboard was still dark.
The staff had already informed them that the scores would be collated and revealed en masse, so he wasn't surprised. He kept his head down, ignoring the curious glances of other contestants, and returned to his room.
Julian was still downstairs. Given the order, he was number 200, while Von was number 198.
Back in the room, Von flopped onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't help but replay the performance in his mind. A 22 out of 30 wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either.
He really hoped the Judges were harsh on other contestants as well. If everyone else was scoring in the high twenties, completing his Questband staying in the competition was going to be difficult.
Now, he could only wait until the leaderboard was announced to see where he truly stood.
***
(The Grand Banquet Hall, Westin Bonaventure — 3:30 PM)
The Hall was filled with nervous energy. All two hundred contestants were gathered and seated in rows of plush chairs facing the massive stage.
The chatter was low as they awaited Michael to make his appearance.
Camera crews walked through the aisles like sharks, zooming in their lenses to capture the raw emotion of the moment.
Von sat near the back with a calm indifference. Beside him, Julian was leaning back in his chair, looking entirely too relaxed. He was currently engaged in a whispered, charming conversation with a blonde girl in a red dress seated to his left.
Von nudged Julian's arm, breaking his trance. "Stop being a child and tell me your score."
Julian flashed a sweet, apologetic smile to the girl before turning to Von. "No, I'm not telling you. We'll find out soon enough. Besides, you didn't even tell me yours."
Von rubbed his temples. "I'll let you know when you tell me."
Julian shook his head with a smirk and amusement. "Still no."
He immediately turned back to the girl in the red dress, picking up his conversation exactly where he left off.
"Tsk," Von clicked his tongue in annoyance. He didn't know why, but Julian was slowly getting on his nerves.
Maybe it was how he was always meeting people, especially girls. And they always approached him, which hadn't been the case for Von.
It made him wonder if Julian was just a playboy, or maybe he was just overthinking everything.
Von ignored his spiraling thoughts as the lights dimmed. A spotlight hit the center stage, and Michael stepped out, his trademark wide smile beaming under the stage lights.
"Welcome back, everyone!" Michael's voice boomed through the speakers. "First off, give yourselves a round of applause!"
The applause was polite but hesitant.
"No, really!" Michael laughed. "I've been talking to the producers and the judges, and they are unanimous: the first round went by beautifully. From what I heard, this might actually be the most talented set of contestants this show has ever witnessed. The bar has been set incredibly high today."
A ripple of gratification went through the crowd, shoulders relaxing slightly. But the relief was short-lived. Everyone knew that a "high bar" just meant the competition would be worse.
"But," Michael interrupted. "We aren't here for compliments. You're here for results. Now, for the moment you've all waited for... Here is the leaderboard."
He gestured grandly to the massive screen behind him. It came to life, and names began to populate the list rapidly, scrolling down until the entire board was filled.
[1. AURA NOVA: 30 pts]
[2. CELINE SMITH: 30 pts]
[3. JULIAN WEST: 30 pts]
[4. GREGORY WILLIAMS: 29 PTS]
...
[83. SOFIE TAYLOR: 22 PTS]
[84. VON VARLEY: 22 PTS]
...
[200. CONOR PRINCE: 16 pts]
'Eighty-fourth!'
Von couldn't help but scream inwardly.
The fact that 83 people performed equal to or better than him was a harsh reality check. And looking at the top of the list, they were all perfect.
Von shot a look at Julian. The blonde boy just smiled modestly, annoying Von more.
'Forget about the Quest. I might not even make the top twenty-four if things don't change.'
Michael allowed them a moment to process their positions before raising a hand to quiet the room.
"As you can see, a lot of people did exceptional work today," Michael said, looking out at the sea of faces. "So you might all want to step up your game. Remember, only the top 24 will be going to the Star Mansion after the third round."
He let that sink in. Nearly 90% of the people in this room would be going home soon.
"But you don't need to be nervous yet," Michael reassured them with a wink. "This is just one of the three rounds we'll be seeing you through. The scores are cumulative. And to shake things up, I'll be announcing our next theme."
A hush fell over the hall. Michael walked over to a glass bowl sitting on a pedestal. He reached in, swirled his hand around theatrically, and pulled out a single plastic ball. He popped it open and unfolded the paper inside.
"What do we have here?" Michael grinned, holding the paper up. "Harmony in Chaos."
He looked back at the confused crowd. "For Round Two, you will be required to create a team of four contestants. Once you form your team, you will receive a specific song from the staff which you'll be required to perform before the Judges."
Murmurs broke out immediately. Group rounds were notorious for causing drama.
"But there's a fun twist," Michael interjected, his voice cutting through the noise. "Any score you get from the Judges will be the same for the whole team."
The room went silent.
"Unless the Judges explicitly single someone out for a save, the team rises and falls together," Michael explained cheerfully. "Which means a bad performance by one member will cost everyone. So you have it! You'll be performing in two days, so pick your team wisely. AdiĂłs, mis amigos!"
Michael did a short bow and walked off the stage.