Finding Scarlett Archuleta

Prologue

"My name is Scarlett Archuleta. I will be performing an original song."

She took a deep breath. Inhale, exhale. This was her moment. The judges stared back at her with empty faces.

She lifted out the first verse. Breathy and sweet as she spun the air. She loosened up. This is easy. This is what she was born to do. Scarlett closed her eyes and felt the music as she sang it. She sang about the fire, the anger that her mom left her with. All the empty seats and Mother's days without her mom. The time when she got her period and had no one to tell. The time with the mean moms at the concert and her mom not being there to defend her. The time she needed a friend when she and her best friend were in a fight.

With the last breath, Scarlett rounded out the song. She brushed off the tears from her cheeks and turned back towards the judges.

"Thank you," Scarlett said as she took a small bow. The judges scribbled furiously on a piece of paper. Scarlett's heart dropped into her Nikes. She picked up her guitar and began to walk out of the room.

"Wait!" a judge called out. She was short and plump with a pair of glasses on her nose. Scarlett turned around. Could this be it?

The judge put her hands on her hips. "You dropped this." She held out Scarlett's favorite pick, the only thing she had left of her mother. "We'll call you if you got a callback."

Scarlett nodded, bewildered. She might have gotten a callback! Not guaranteed, but still, it was a chance. She had never been told she might have gotten a callback all seven times she auditioned. Her heart pounded, and she fumbled to grab her phone from the waiting room. She unpinned the number from her favorite pink sweater and tried her best to multi-task.

Unfortunately, Scarlett was not very good at multitasking, which caused her to bump into someone. Not just anyone. Henry O'Toole, the guy she was maybe sort of kinda a little in love with.

Scarlett dropped to the floor to grab her phone. Henry had beat her. He gave Scarlett a big smile and handed her the phone. Her heart fluttered.

"Hey, Scarlett. I didn't know you'd be here." Henry reached out and touched her arm. Electricity buzzed through Scarlett's body.

Scarlett pushed her hair back behind her ears and chuckled nervously. "I've auditioned a couple of years, I've just never really told anyone but Lou. I don't want to make it a big deal, you know what I mean?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm just surprised you don't tell people."

Scarlett smiled and gave another awkward laugh. Henry auditioned every year, he was one of the most talented singers at her school.

"The only time I would see you is if I would ever get a callback." she joked.

Henry laughed. Scarlett's heart fluttered again. They locked eyes for a second. Scarlett cleared her throat. "Anyways, I should probably get going."

This time, Henry seemed nervous. "Oh yeah, I get that. Go ahead."

They shared one last friendly smile before Scarlett slipped away into the crowd.

Scarlett was taught at a young age the rules of the Metro. Her dad was often busy working to try to support her, so she took the Metro a few times a day.

She fished her phone out of the pocket of her puffy coat and put in her earphones. Stay alert. She slipped her phone back into her pocket. The Metro pulled up with a screech, announcing its arrival.

She stepped into the Metro car, trying to find a seat alone. There were a lot of people, and they were all looking at her, pointing and whispering. A few of them looked like they were going to approach her. Don't talk to strangers.

She coughed and put her hood one, hoping people would stop looking at her. She sat down and looked around, trying to not accidentally make eye contact with anyone.

Scarlett pulled out her phone and began to draft a text to Henry. I love you. She deleted it quickly and looked around to make sure nobody saw it. Hey, we should get together and sing sometimes! No, too eager. Do you want to get coffee sometime? Better. But it sounds like a date.

A notification flashed on the screen, and the phone began to buzz. It was Lou, Scarlett's best friend. Scarlett smiled and picked up.

"Hello," she answered.

"So how was your audition?" Lou asked over the phone.

Scarlett frowned. "Ummm..." She thought back to the audition. "They told me that they would call and tell me if I got a callback. But you'll never guess who I saw!"

Lou sighed. "Who?"

Scarlett blushed. "Henry."

"Just ask him out already!" Lou exclaimed over the phone. "You've liked him for so long, just give it a shot."

As much as she wanted to, she couldn't.

"Maybe," she told Lou, trying not to tear her down. "When I'm ready."

Scarlett knew that she would never be ready, but she also knew that it was her stop. She stood up and slung her ukulele over her back, getting off the Metro.

She walked up the stairs, broad daylight beginning to shine onto the gray pavement. Something caught her eye.

"Scarlett?" Lou asked on the phone. "Did you even hear what I said? Scarlett?"

Then all there was was the phone laying broken on the cement, Lou's voice glitching through.

That was the last time anyone had seen or heard from the infamous Scarlett Archuleta.