Four Elements Book 1 - Hidden Powers

Chapter 9 - The turning point - part 1

And she marched out. If the tensions ran high before, they were positively peaking now. Andie worked carefully on her breathing.

“Psst! Andie!”

Andie looked round, and her eyes widened.

“Bane?!” she cried.

Sure enough, there he was.

“Hey,” he grinned mischievously.

He had sneaked inside unnoticed. How, she had no idea.

“Hey!” she beamed, unthinkingly hugging him. “Are you crazy, what are you doing here? If you're caught, you'll be thrown out!”

Some of the other contestants were glaring at her but she ignored them.

“I just wanted to wish you luck,” he smiled.

“Thanks,” Andie said, touched.

Just then, the host came out and called for attention.

“Welcome one, welcome all! Thank you for coming!”

Andie was almost sure someone would come, so she turned to Bane:

“Go, go, before someone sees you!” she grinned, pushing him gently away.

“Okay, okay, I surrender,” he smiled. “Break a leg!”

With that, he caught her hand, kissed it swiftly and disappeared. And all Andie could do was wait.

Slowly, the auditions began. All the numbers were good, though not all matched Andie's tastes.

“Number twenty five.”

Everyone waited for the person to come in.

“Number twenty five, please!” called the host.

Just then, Andie noticed someone looking at her.

“That's you, dumbbell!”

Glancing at her number tag, she realized they were right. Steeling herself, she stepped forwards.

“Ah, there she is! Welcome!” the host said.

She stood in the middle of the stage, and notice Bane and her friends in the audience. Andie looked ahead and saw the four judges, the members of the band.

“Hello there,” said one of them.

“H-hello,” she said, hoping her voice didn't shake.

“What's your name?”

“A-Andie Galestone.”

“Okay. So what are you going to sing for us?”

Andie took a deep breath, glanced at her friends and family, and gave the title.

“Alright, then. The stage is yours.”

She heard the first few notes fill the air. Taking a few deep breaths, she began. At first, she could tell her body was tense, and it probably affected her voice. She glanced up at Bane, for some reason, and his smile made her feel better. And she was singing one of her favorite songs, she should be happy. So, after a few lines, she found herself able to relax, her voice came out stronger, clearer. She tried not to pay attention to the judges in front of her, whispering amongst each other. She had to force herself to look at the entire audience, but found her eyes often coming back to Bane for courage, But after a while, she felt better. It wasn't so scary anymore, it was fun, being up here. Oh, she didn't think she wanted to live her life doing it, but once from time to time... maybe. Soon, the song came to an end. She stayed still as the applause echoed loudly around her. She flushed, but smiled and bowed.

Andie quickly made her way to the entrance hall where everyone was gathered. It would take a few days for the judges to deliberate, so they would all be called back later.

“Andie!”

It was a miracle she even heard her name in the crowd. Looking around, she saw her friends and family coming towards her.

“Hey, guys,” she smiled.

“You were awesome!” Jessica cried, pulling her into a bear hug.

“Thanks,” Andie smiled.

They all hugged her in turn, including her mother.

“Does this mean you're not mad anymore?”

Lauren sighed, but she was smiling.

“Of course I'm not mad.”

They hugged again. the last being Bane.

“Thanks... your little intrusion helped,” she smiled.

They reached for each other and hugged into each other. And to her surprise, Andie found that she actually liked feeling Bane's arms around her, the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat against hers, his minty scent...

“Come on, let's get out of here,” Jessica said.

They broke away with a start.

“Uh, yeah,” Bane agreed.

They followed them out, avoiding each other's gaze.

It was past midnight when the Galestones arrived home. Hannah was already dozing in the back seat with Andie. Hank gently lifted her out and said he'd tuck her in. Andie was feeling pretty tired herself, and made her way to her room with a “goodnight, Mom, goodnight, Dad”. She slid into her room, kicked off her shoes and pulled on her pajamas. As she sat on her bed, her eyes fell on a picture of her and her friends from her birthday party. She smiled at Jessica's huge grin. She always looked crazy on pictures like that. Her eyes rested on Bane, standing behind her. She was looking at him and he at her. They were smiling at each other.

“There's a strong bond between you,” Ardente said behind her.

“... Yeah...” Andie nodded.

“Have you told him how you feel?”

Andie blinked at her.

“What?”

“Well... you have feelings for him, don't you?”

“... What makes you say that?”

“... Am I mistaken?” Ardente asked, confused. “It's just that... the expression in your eyes when you looked at each other earlier tonight...”

“... I... I'm not sure...” she sighed. “And I don't know how to go about figuring it out... I'm hoping tomorrow night will help.”

“How?”

“Well... I'm not sure... Ideally, I'd like it to just hit me...maybe it will, maybe it won't...”

“If you don't my giving my opinion,” Ardente said, sitting beside her, “I don't believe you would have accepted his invitation if you didn't think there was something between you other than friendship.”

Andie had to admit she'd never thought of that.

“...Maybe... I think you paint me in a better light than I deserve.”

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WIll the dance offer Andie the answers she hopes? What is in store next for the Fateful Five? Let's find out in the next chapter!