“Next contestant please,” Simon called from behind the curtains. Amee took a deep breath and walked out. Much to her surprise, the crowd started cheering and clapping for her.
“Why hello again,” Simon said looking rather surprised. Niall perked up and looked at Amee, and smiled.
“How is your knee?” Niall inquired.
“It’s fine,” Amee said with a calm smile.
“Are you sure you are ready, love?” Cher asked. She had a worried expression across her face. “I am as ready as I will ever be.” Amee reassured Cher.
“Okay doll, here is the music,” Simon said as he nodded to someone though the curtains. Amee looked at the crowd that quieted down to hear her sing. All of a sudden, she wasn’t nervous or scared. She didn’t see anyone anymore. It was her, the microphone, and the background music, no one else existed in this world. She closed her eyes for a second and when she opened them she saw the musical notes dancing in front of her. She inhaled the notes and started singing. The words flowed through every fiber of her being. She wasn’t standing on stage anymore she was taking a journey through the song. She was picturing herself as Fergie, and her old life as the boy in the song. Once the song ended, Amee floated back down to reality. There was dead silence in the arena. Amee anticipated the booing to commence immediately, however, everyone started clapping, cheering, and screaming her name. Amee let out a nervous laugh as she fanned her face. ‘Damn, these stage lights are hot’ Amee thought to herself. Amee was absolutely elated, the cherry on top was when Niall stood up and gave her a standing ovation. He smiled and winked at her as she blushed. When everything calmed down, Niall was the first one to speak. “Well Amee, that was just,” he seemed like he was at a loss words, “I am trying to think of a word that means amazing, wonderful, spectacular, and absolutely beautiful, but I can’t so I will just combine the words and say amdertacful, yes that is perfect. Amee you were amdertacful” Niall finished. “Amdertacful indeed” agreed Cher as she nodded with a smile on her face. Louis said “I am speechless, that was one of the best auditions I have ever seen or heard so far in this series, amdertacful, simply amdertacful.” The crowd cheered and laughed at the new word, in agreeance. “Well I think they’ve said it all haven’t they,” said Simon with a smile, “So I will leave you with just one word, amdertacful.” Amee smiled as she walked off the stage where Reyna greeted her with a smile. “Ames, you were fabulous, I didn’t know you had such a good voice in there!” Reyna said with glee. “Aren’t you glad I dragged you out here to audition?” Reyna asked. Amee nodded she was still speechless from that last performance. ‘One step closer to dreams coming true’ Amee thought with a smile, ‘and Niall created a new word to describe how good I was, today was AMAZING!’
“Well that finishes the competition here in Oxford, those who were chosen today are as follows : Amee Jonna, Sarah Embels, Jordan Mikelson, Mikey Johnson, Emma Thomas, and finally Gemma Khan,” The announcer said over the big speakers. Reyna and Amee jumped and hugged when her name was called. On their way to Reyna’s car, Reyna pulled out her phone and started fake interviewing Amee. “So Amee Jonna, how does it feel to be almost famous?” she asked. Amee laughed a little and said, “Well it feels like a dream come true!” “What is the first thing you’re going to do when you make it big?” Reyna says as she puts the phone to Amee. “ Oh I don’t know, buy a house for my parents and then donate the rest to doctors without borders,” Amee replied. The smile on Amee’s face was growing wider by the moment. It actually happened, she moved on to boot camp! She had never been more excited in her life. She was so excited that she even forgot about the fact that it would be broadcast all over the UK and it is very possible to ‘google’ a video of her singing. That is until she got a call later that evening from her brother.
“I know something that you don’t know that I know ,” Olly said through the phone.
“you know, I know, you know… sorry, say that one more time,” Amee asked with a laugh.
“I know something that you don’t know that I know,” Olly repeated.
Amee was still confused, She thought about the statement one more time. “Olly, this time in english please,” Amee asked again she was too tired to think. Reyna had invited the entire dorm to their room in celebration and Brits sure did know how to party hard. So it was safe to say Amee was a little too tipsy to understand her brother.
“Let me lay it all out for you sis. Jazz and her sister, were searching meanings of names for Jazz’s sisters future child. They wanted to know the meaning to your name, so guess what they found when they searched it up?” Olly finished. Amee’s eyes grew wide in acknowledgement for the third time that day. The fright had sobered her up.
“Olly, no, please don’t tell mom and dad,” Amee pleaded with him.
“You know, even if I don’t tell him anything, there is still the matter of his patients, or our nosy aunt Nelly, or anyone really for that matter, telling him.” Olly said.
“Well, I can’t do much about everyone there Oyster, I am in this for the long haul, Just help me please?” Amee begged while hoping using his nick name would soften him up.
“How exactly do I help you,” Olly asked
“Just keep everyone in the states all checked so no one tells dad” Amee said
“Yummy, how much do you want this?” Olly asked, Amee knew that just by using his nickname for her, he was already going to keep her secret.
So with a smile on her face she responded, “More than you can ever fathom Oyster, more than you can ever fathom.”
“You will stay safe right?” He asked protectively.
Amee looked towards Reyna and the rest of her new friends and said, “I think I am going to be just fine Oyster.”
“I will work out all the details on my end don’t you worry about that sis, but we will discuss that later. First, tell me about your day, Jazz and I want to hear all the details,” Olly said as he put Amee on the speaker. Amee moved away from the party and re-told the events of the day.
“Where were you?” Reyna asked as Amee returned just in time to help Reyna clean up.
“Sorry, Oyster called, apparently the video is up on youtube and he is going to keep my dad away from it until I get the chance to tell him.
“Oyster? Who is oyster?” Reyna asked
“Oh sorry, Oyster is my nickname for Olly, my brother.” Amee replied as Reyna made an ‘O’ with her mouth in acknowledgement.
“You seem to have a good relationship with your brother,” Reyna said while making a face after picking up something particularly nasty off the ground.
“Yeah I do. He calls me ‘Yummy’ get it Uh-mee, yummy” Amee said as she enunciated and remembered her brother.
“Oh ha ha, that’s cute. I wish I had a brother like that.” Reyna said while opening another trash bag. The trash seemed to just be coming and coming.
The girls had to stay up another two hours to get the room to look good again. Maybe it was because they were tired, or maybe it was because they were tipsy but, throughout the two hours neither of them said much other than an occasional, “Pass me the (insert cleaning utensil here)”. Instead they were both lost in thought. Amee kept thinking about home, and the repercussions she would have to face if she tried out for the x-factor in America, and Reyna, she couldn’t help but think about how the man of her dreams, seemed to take a liking to Amee. By man of her dreams, she meant Niall Horan.
Reyna was in love with Niall from the very beginning. She first saw him on the telly when he auditioned in Dublin. She saw his gorgeous blonde hair and blue eyes and she was sold. She cried harder than him when he got cut after boot camp. She jumped for joy when the band was put together. Not for the other boys, but because Niall still had a chance to win. She cried when they made it though at the judges house. She watched the show religiously, and every week Reyna let out a sigh of relief when the boys came out into the safe zone. When the boys lost, Reyna was devastated for weeks, till this day she refuses to listen to Matt Cardle and Rebecca Ferguson. That was why she picked Amee for a roommate. It was so that she could obsess over Niall with someone else for the next four years. She didn’t think Amee would ever have a chance with Niall, even if they met, so it was perfect. Reyna would sit in her room back at her home in Westershire and create random senarios of how they would meet and what she would say to him. She planned everything. She had planned the first date, him proposing to her, her wedding with him, her future house, their future kids; she had even planned how Niall would cry and what he would say to her when she died of old age. In short, Reyna was ready to be with Niall forever.
When she woke up Amee earlier that day she hadn’t expected Niall to be the celebrity judge for the week. She expected Jessie J, Rhianna, or another celebrity not Niall. Amee was good. She had never heard someone sing so passionately. Every emotion of the songs Amee sang were reflected in her voice. If anyone had an extra factor, it was Amee. Reyna realized then and there that this might be a way to Niall if Amee wins. Not just Niall, but unlimited parties, Amee had to invite her after all the whole singing thing was her idea. The girl came in wanting to be a doctor. She was scared when Amee went on to stage, not because she was worried about her, but rather because Amee’s voice can capture hearts, she didn’t want one of the hearts to be Niall’s. So when Amee ran off stage in tears, Reyna wouldn’t admit it but, she had a small smile on her face. When she got to Amee after she had fallen outside the gate, she saw Niall help her up. ‘It’s alright’ Reyna thought to herself, ‘she fangirl’d in front of him that’s a huge no, no for Niall’ and smiled. So when Amee said to her, “I am going back to the end of the line” she was more shocked and worried than ever. She tried getting Amee away from the thought, that didn’t happen. Instead, Amee had impressed everyone, including the audience. ‘Well this is bloody convenient’ Reyna thought.
“Rey, can you hand me another trash bag please?” Amee said, breaking both the silence and Reyna’s train of thought. Reyna looked at Amee a little annoyed and said “Sure babe.”
Reyna looked at Amee. She had long, dark, frizzy brown hair, and a complexion that reflected her South Asian roots. Reyna took all of it in as she passed Amee the trash cover, and thought with a smile ‘As if Niall is going to go for that, with me standing in front of him’. ‘ A voice isn’t the only thing that will pull you in sweetheart,’ Reyna thought with a smirk.