<🎧 Song Recommendation: Evergreen by Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners>
...
"Hey, would you like to join my team?"
"What rank were you?"
"Eighty-four."
"Sorry, I've got a team already."
"Hey, you seem to be looking for a team?"
"I heard you telling that other guy. Eighty-four is too low. I'm looking for Top 50 only. Walk on."
That was the hurdle Von was facing as he navigated the rapidly thinning crowd of the Grand Ballroom. He hadn't expected this task to be this difficult. In his mind, eighty-four wasn't that bad of a rank.
But no one else shared the same thoughts.
"I even finished in the top half of the competition, and it's like this?" Von muttered, rubbing his face with his palm in frustration.
It was an annoying social experiment. No one wanted to team up with someone of a lower rank than them, fearing they would be dragged down.
Even worse, the contestants of lower ranks were avoiding each other like the plague, desperately trying to latch onto the legs of the higher rankers like parasites hoping for a free ride.
It was pathetic, but understandable. This was survival after all.
Von checked the time. He had been circling for thirty minutes.
"Forget it," he sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Everyone can't get a team. Eventually, the music stops, and whoever is left without a chair has to group up."
He returned to the back of the room, found an empty chair, and sat down. He pulled out his phone, deciding to conserve his energy while the desperate bargaining continued around him.
He played a few rounds of a mobile game, tuning out the noise, until a hush fell over the room.
Von looked up. The ballroom, which had been swarming with two hundred people, was now cavernous and empty.
Only a small cluster of people remained near the back.
"Must be the last ones," Von muttered, pocketing his phone.
He stood up and walked toward the group. There were exactly twenty-five people left. They were the rejects. The ones nobody wanted.
[Name: Unknown]
[Vocals: D]
[Name: Unknown]
[Vocals: D-]
[Name: Unknown]
[Vocals: D+]
Von wasn't surprised of what he saw when he used [Inspect] The high rankers had been snatched up immediately, leaving only the vocal equivalent of scrap metal.
His eyes landed on a girl sitting near the wall.
[Name: Unknown]
[Vocals: C-]
Von raised an eyebrow. 'C- minus? That's actually decent.' She was technically on the same vocal level as him, stat-wise. So he was a bit lucky.
Von took a step toward her, ready to seal the deal.
But then, his peripheral vision caught something.
Sitting alone in the far corner was a bearded man who looked entirely out of place. He sat with his shoulders hunched, staring at the floor.
[Name: Unknown]
[Vocals: E+]
[Skill: Drum Expert]
● Description: A rhythmic savant capable of maintaining perfect tempo and complex percussive arrangements.]
E+ Vocals was abysmal. It was the lowest score Von had seen in the entire competition after all.
But the skill...
Most people here didn't have specific skills when he used [Inspect] on them.
'But this is a singing competition, what good is a drummer,' Von thought, debating with himself.
Logically, the C- girl was the safe bet, but as Von looked back at the man. He looked defeated.
Something about that look resonated with Von. It reminded him of his past life; sitting in a dark room, knowing he had nothing to offer the world. The loneliness and weight of being a "nobody."
Von sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Dammit."
He turned away from the C- girl and walked toward the bearded man.
'I mean, surely he can be helpful with his drum skills,' Von rationalized. It only made sense they'll get a rock song for a team performance, so that'll further improve them.
He stopped in front of the man.
"Hey, bud. You joined a team yet?"
"Uh... no. I haven't."
"Great!" Von grinned. "How'd you like to join mine? We just need one more person, so you'll complete us."
The man blinked in surprise. He looked around to see if Von was talking to someone else. "Me?"
"Yes, you."
"Actually... look, man. I should tell you. I'm Conor Prince. I'm Number 200."
"Okay?"
"Number 200," Conor repeated, emphasizing it. "I am dead last. The worst singer in the building. Do you really want that anchor around your neck? Or are you... are you perhaps a low ranker too?"
Von shrugged. "If you consider eighty-fourth low, then yes, I am. So, are you joining or not?"
Conor stood up abruptly, "Of course I'm joining! Yes! Thank you. Thank you for this opportunity. You see, I actually wasn't expecting much when I registered for this competition. I'm a session guitarist from Seattle, lost my gig, bills were piling up, and my ex-wife said I should try something crazy. So I did. And well, I managed to scrape through the auditions, so here I am. In LA. I've never been to LA before. It's really bright here."
"Right," Von interrupted gently before Conor could explain his entire family tree. "Let's save this for later. Well first meet up with the rest of the team."
***
The walk to the elevator was filled with Conor thanking Von profusely. Room 429 was located on the fourth floor, just down the hall from Von's own room.
Von stopped in front of the door and knocked gently.
"Who is it?" a voice chirped from inside. It sounded high-pitched and distinctly youthful.
"It's Von," he called out. "Aura invited me."
There was silence for a few seconds, followed by the lock turning.
The door swung open.
Standing in the doorway was a girl that barely reached Von's chest, with a messy bun of blonde hair and oversized round glasses that magnified her brown eyes. She was wearing a baggy t-shirt that hung off one shoulder and fuzzy socks.
She looked up at Von, then at the scruffy Conor, before a massive, beaming smile split her face.
"Oh! You brought a friend! Come in, come in!"
Aura was sitting on one of the beds, reading a book. She closed it and stood up as they entered.
"So, we're complete now?" Aura asked as her gaze slid over Conor.
"Yeah," Von said, closing the door behind Conor. "We're all here, so we should go receive the song now before the line gets too long."
"Wait!" Aura's roommate interrupted. "We haven't introduced ourselves properly yet! We're gonna be teammates! So let's know each other!"
"I'm Sofie Taylor, 21 years old!"
Von was surprised hearing her age, given her appearance. "Von Varley... I'm 18."
"Uh... Conor Prince. I'm thirty-six. I'm from Chicago."
Sofie's eyes widened. "Thirty-six? You're like the team dad! That's so cool!"
Conor blushed redder than a tomato.
"You can call me Aura. I'm 18."
"Great!" Sofie clapped her hands. "Now that we aren't strangers, let's go get the song!"
___
A/N: If you're liking the story so far, please consider leaving a review. It really helps the book get discovered by more readers. Thanks a bunch!
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