Third Person's P.O.V

"Ok next we have Johnny." Buster calls out. 'It can't be the same one that I met last year, could it?' Karla thinks, the animal passing by her and she is in thought.

"...This ain't love it's clear to see

but darling, stay with me."

Johnny sings out with emotion in his tone. 'Wow' She thinks as she looks out the wing. 'Holy crap it is Johnny.' Her eyes widen.

"Wow! Thank you Johnny!" 'Seems like Mr. Moon was impressed as well.'

"Okak, next up we have Meena." The old lizard calls out.

"Don't worry girl, you've got this." Karla says, trying to help the girl out. Johnny bounds for the wing where the females are standing.

"Good luck out there." His British accent comes out thick. Meena mumbles under her breath about how she can do this as she passes by the two.

"Johnny! Remember me? Karla?"

"Oh, hey Karla. How are you holding up?"

"As well as I can be. I was actually visiting my mom when the flier landed on her tombstone. She's the reason that I'm here."

"Can't wait to hear you, I bet you'll sound great."

"Not as amazing as you. You've probably practiced your song. I haven't sung since the accident." Karla looks down, now afraid she won't be able to make it pass the auditions.

"Hey don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll sound just like you did back then. You sing for your mum, right? Then pretend she is sitting next to Mr. Moon." Johnny says as he pulls her into a hug.

"Off the stage, Helga. Go on. You're useless. Thanks. Right. Here we go. Hit it!" A voice pulls the two out of the hug. It's the mouse who was making fun of Karla outside.

"Man, I hate his attitude towards others." Karla comments.

"Every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven.

Don't you know each cloud contains pennies from heaven."

Buster smiles. 'This one's a keeper.' He thinks.

Outside Meena mopes out of the theater, fighting back tears. She kicks a tree in frustration. Every leaf on the tree is dumped on her. 'How am I going to tell my family about the audition?'

Back inside Karla and Johnny are talking about the mouse's performance. "Wow, even his choice of music is cocky." Johnny comments under his breath. This makes Karla start giggling like a mad man.

"What are you laughing at?" Mike asks as he struts off the stage.

"Nothing." Both teens grin. As they look at each other, they start laughing again. Mike shakes his head, complaining about the 'new' generation.

"Ok Rosita, are you ready?" The mother pig holds the microphone close to her mouth and sings pitch perfectly but she doesn't move at all.

"You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine.

Just own the night, like the 4th of July

cos baby you're a firework...."

Buster takes a few notes on the performance, before nodding to Miss Crawly. "Karla Klein." The lizard's voice sounds through the megaphone.

"You've got this." Johnny finalizes. Karla nods as she slowly walks on stage. She nods to the one doing the sound board. Solemn music starts playing and Karla takes one last calming breath.

"Musing through memories,

losing my grip in the grey.

Numbing the senses,

I feel you slipping away.

Fighting to hold on,

clinging to just one more day.

Love turn to ashes,

with all that I wish I could say.

I'd die to be where you are,

I tried to be where you are."

Johnny and everyone else watch the stage as the pup sings out her pain. Tears start to well up in the pup's eyes.

"Every night I dream you're still here,

the ghost by my side, so perfectly clear.

When I awake, you'll disappear,

back to the shadows

with all I hold dear,

with all I hold, dear.

I dream you're still here.

I dream you're still here.

Hidden companion,

phantom be still in my heart.

Make me a promise that

time won't erase us.

That we were not lost from the start.

I'd die to be where you are

I tried to be where you are

Every night I dream you're still here.

The ghost by my side, so perfectly clear.

When I awake, you'll disappear,

back to the shadows

with all I hold dear

with all I hold, dear.

I dream you're still here

I dream you're still here

Ever slightly out of reach

I dream you're still here

but it breaks so easily

I try to protect you

I can't let you fade

I feel you slipping

I feel you slipping away.

Every night I dream you're still here

the ghost by my side, so perfectly clear

When I awake, you'll disappear

back to the shadows

with all I hold dear
with all I hold, dear

I dream you're still here

I dream you're still here

I dream you're still here
Every slightly out of reach
But it breaks so easily."

Karla opens her eyes, the tears now streaking her face and making her vision blurry. She blinks away the tears only to see the two judges in front of her wiping away theirs.

"Thank you Ms. Klein." Buster says, his voice cracking. Karla places the mic back on its stand and walks off to the wing.

"Karla, that was amazing." Johnny says while the other animals in the wing all nod.

"Thanks guys. I listen to that song a lot after I lost my mom." (True, I actually started crying again when I was typing out the lyrics. Yes, I type out every lyric, I don't copy and paste until I am ready to post it on Wattpad. I save everything on google docs.)

As time goes on, the line outside the theater dwindles down until the last animal has auditioned. "Okay, that's everyone, Mr. Moon." Miss. Crawly tells her boss.

"Phew. Alright, call everyone back to stage Miss. Crawly and let's get–"

"Hello? Can I have everybody back to the stage please! Everyone come back to the stage for selections!" Miss. Crawly speaks through the bullhorn. Buster wincing at the volume.

"Thank you Miss. Crawly." Buster says as he tries to clear his ear out with his claw.

"You're welcome, Mr. Moon." Miss. Crawly speaks right into his ear, again with the bullhorn. Everyone stands on the stage in three rows.

Buster stands in front of them, with a clipboard, looking intimidating. "Alright, let's see now....hmmm....I'll take...." He paces in front of them, before pointing his pen at the frogs. "...you guys..." He passes more of the animals, he stops in front of the porcupine couple. "And which one of you is the girl?"

"Ha ha. Very funny." Ash jokes.

"Loud and horrible but shows promise. Welcome to the show." Buster reads the comment he made for her, before turning back around.

"Cool. I guess we could hang." Lance says casually.

"No, no, I just want her. Not you." Buster points out bluntly. Both the porcupines yell out in shock, but Buster doesn't bat an eye. "Alright, the rest of the group acts-thank you so much." A good number of animals leave the stage in defeat. "Oh, don't feel bad, folks! There'll be a 10% discount on tickets for everyone."

"Yeah, sure, thanks a lot." A goat complains.

"Let's get outta here, Ash." Lance starts off the stage. When he doesn't notice her following him, he turns and almost growls out. "Ash?"

"Uh yeah. Yeah, let's go." Ash hesitates but leaves anyway.

"Okay soloists: Johnny, Mike, Pete, Richard, Daniel, Ray, and Karla!" Buster calls out. Said animals nervously step forward. "Mike. Wowza! I gotta have you in my show!"

"Oh, I , if you insist." The cocky mouse blushes in embarrassment.

"And I'll take Pete..."

"Woo-hoo! Yeah!" The opera singing camel cheers.

"...and two more...let me see now..." Buster circles around the rest of the animals. He checks them up and down from behind. Richard the bull becomes so nervous that he suddenly breaks wind. Right where Buster is standing.

"Oh my gosh. I am so sorry." Richard farts again. "Urgh! What is wrong with me?"

"Phew. Thanks for coming, Richard." Buster says waving away the smell.

Richard takes a step to leave when *CRUNCH* He steps directly on the snail. "Oh my–! Ray!" The bull picks up the snail who looks bewildered. "You alright? Just hang in there Ray! I gotcha! Oh...oh...whoopsie...oh...gosh..." Richard farts with every other step out of the theater.

"Okay, then I'll take..." Buster starts up again. Johnny and Karla hold their breaths. "Daniel and Karla! Thank you Johnny." Said gorilla nods sadly in agreement with the decision and starts to leave the stage. Karla watches him, also saddened at the decision. Daniel the giraffe hasn't responded. "Daniel? Can you hear me? You're in the show!" Buster calls out, trying to get his attention.

"What? Are you talking to me?" Daniel questions.

Buster takes hold of Miss. Crawly's bullhorn. "Yes! I WAS SAYING THAT YOU ARE IN–Oh geez, this is gonna drive me nuts. Johnny, get back here. You're in. THANK YOU DANIEL! GOODBYE!" Buster says the last line into the bullhorn. Johnny looks relieved, while Karla silently cheers for her friend. "Okay, that's everyone on my list. Ummm...wait a second. Rosita...is Rosita still here?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm here!" The mother pig rushes to the front of the group.

"Rosita, Rosita, Rosita: Great set of pipes but boring to watch..." Rosita sighs, thinking she wasn't good enough. "...so what should I do...I could partner you up with...Gunter? Gunter! Where are ya?"

"Ya! Ya! Das is me!" The scandinavian pig dances his way across the stage to join with Rosita.

"Ha ha ha yah! It's gonna spice things up on stage." Buster says dancing a bit.

"Wait, you want us to sing together?" Rosita asks, confused.

"Ja! The two of us together, are you joking me? We're going to be spicy, no? Hahaha haha!" Gunter replies.

Outside the rest of the animals leave the theater. The kid howls as her mother shoves her in her pouch. "That koala is a fool, Sherry-Anne! You are gonna be a star one day!"

Eddie casually strolls past the crowd. "Auditions are over, pal. The show's already been cast." A hippo tells the sheep, sadly.

Back inside, Buster looks over the animals he has chosen. "Okay, you are my chosen few. This is it folks. A defining moment in all of our lives..." He cuts himself off when the group of red pandas come back onto the stage. "...ummm, no, no, not you guys. I dismissed all the group acts already; you, you can go home."

The red panda leader, not understanding him, nods happily and replies in japanese. "Ware ware wa kini sho de yarukodoga tetemo shiwawase desu!" (We are so happy to be in this show!)

"Look, look, look I'm really sorry but all the slots are filled and–"

"Ware ware wa futatabi anata no dameni utemasu!" (We will sing for you again!) The pandas take this from their leader as their cue to dance again.

"No, no, no! Listen NO IN SHOW. GOOD BYE BYE. Miss. Crawly!" Buster tries to explain before asking for help.

"Come on, you guys, outta here come on, off the stage...thank you so much..." As Buster says this, Eddie comes in and sits down in the back, looking at the flier.

Mike jumps on the treasure chest. "Hey Moon. What's the story? Is the prize really inside this thing?"

"The prize? Oh sure. Yes, it's all in there." Buster answers, not looking or really paying attention.

"Well open it, will ya? I wanna see what $100,000 looks like." Mike rubs his paws together. All the other animals, aside from Karla, agree with the mouse.

"Sure I'll open it-" Buster digs in his pocket for the keys, before realizing what was actually said. Turning to Mike, he says, "Wait, what did you say?"

Eddie takes this chance to come down to the stage and holds out the flier to his friend. "He said a hundred thousand dollars."

Buster reads the flier with the mistake on it and lets out a shrill yelp. "A hun...ah!- Uhh...I forgot my keys...I'll...be right back..." He grabs Miss. Crawly and pulls her offstage. Eddie follows them to Moon's office.

Miss. Crawly is sobbing while Buster paces frantically. "For the last time Miss. Crawly, I am not going to fire you. Now would you pull yourself together. And please blow that nose of yours." She does just that but it sounds like a gloop-filled trumpet. (That is how the script that I am using puts it. Not my words.) "No no no! Not in here. Blow it outside! Thank you!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Moon." She scuttles out of the room, howling with remorse.

Eddie sits at Buster's desk, while said koala continues to pace. "Buster, whaddya expect? She's, like, 200 years old."

"Eddie. Please. Look, if your folks could just loan me the money until–"

"$100,000? Buster, come on!"

"Whew...I've gotta think. I've gotta think. I've gotta come up with a solution, I've got to think, there's got to be a way..."

"Look, maybe it's time to stop thinking and it's time to just move on. I mean, this theater of yours- you could get some decent money for it and, I dunno, maybe we could do something together." Eddie comments.

"What, what, sit around playing video games? Dah! Do you know what that is?" Buster points at a bucket engraved with the logo: Moon's Car Wash.

"Uhhh...it's a bucket?"

"Yes, and do you know why I have this bucket?"

"Cos the roof is leaking?"

"No, that's the bucket for the leak." Buster points to a normal bucket filled with water. "I have this one cuz it belonged to my father. Every day for 30 years, he worked his tail off washing cars just so I could buy this place. Every day, Eddie. Just for me."

"Wow. He sounds like a great dad. So, how do you wanna handle this?"

"Uh, Mr. Moon, I have Judith from the bank holding on line 2 again." Miss. Crawly's voice comes from the intercom.

"Well there's only one thing I can do." Buster sighs.

Karla's P.O.V

The other animals and I talked after Buster rushed out. I learned that Rosita just wants to be noticed by her husband and show her kids that she's a good singer. Mike only cares about the prize, which totally wasn't obvious before. Gunter, well he's probably here because he's bored. Pete didn't really say much, and the frogs were already deciding what they wanted to sing.

"So what made you decide to audition, Karla?" Rosita asks. I tense up a bit and notice Johnny do the same out of the corner of my eye. 'Weird' I think.

"Well, I used to sing all the time, but...um last year my family went through some...stuff and I stopped. My parents spent ever since trying to get me to start singing again. I was visiting my mom when the flier passed by." I explain vaguely while fiddling with my charm holding my Mom's ashes.

"Sweetheart, did you lose her?...............Sorry, you don't have to answer if you don't want to." Rosita asks, coming over to me. I only answer with a nod, trying not to let anymore tears fall. She pulls me into a motherly hug and I let her, missing the feeling.

"Well this turned way too mushy for my taste, if that koala doesn't come back and explain things, I'm leaving." Mike calls out.

As if on cue, Buster bursts through the auditorium doors. "Okay, everyone, listen up! I gotta send you all home. Right now." 'What?!' Apparently, I'm not the only one confused because everyone else asks the same thing. "Yup. Cuz like my dad used to say, 'Get a good night's sleep, and do a great day's work!'." I see the sheep behind Mr. Moon slap his forehead. 'I guess he said the wrong thing.' "That's right. Rehearsals begin first thing in the morning and if you wanna become stars and win a hundred grand, then you better be ready to work harder than you've ever worked in your lives. So get some sleep and dream big dreams!" As we cheer, the red pandas dance around their boombox. "Miss Crawly!" Mr. Moon calls out and she shoos them off stage. We all head out of the auditorium only to have the news reporter from earlier filming us.

"...And you can see the lucky few leaving the theater behind me. Now back to you in the studio, John."

"You need me to walk you home?" Johnny asks.

"Nah, I'll be fine. Wait, before you leave again." I pull out my phone, without look away. "Here, put your number in." I say confidently, handing it over, before I turn a bit shy. "I was going to ask when we last saw each other but you disappeared."

He chuckles as he takes the phone and inputs his contact. " Here you go."

"Thanks. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at rehearsal." I kick my heels and get ready to skate away.

"Don't forget to send me your contact back." Johnny comments, and it seem like he wanted to say more but tosses his skateboard on the ground and rides off. I shrug and skate off in the other direction.

Third Person's P.O.V

As the cast leaves the auditorium and the camera films them, Meena sits in the kitchen of her home, tears rolling down her cheeks as she whisks a bowl of batter. Her mom lifts the oven. "Oh, honey, please don't cry. You are not a failure. They'll be other chances, you just–"

"--Bah! The heck there will!" Her grandpa says from the doorway.

" Dad, please–" Meena's mom tries to calm him.

"Come on, don't you want this?" He asks his granddaughter.

"Well sure, but I messed it up." Meena answers, looking down.

"Then you gotta go back there and say, 'Mr. Moon, I demand you let me re-audition!' Be confident! Show 'em you ain't gonna be pushed around! You got that, Meena?" He tells her in a stern voice. He doesn't wait for her to answer fully. "Good. Now go get my cocoa." He leaves after grabbing a plate of muffins.

In the apartment of the porcupine couple, Lance is playing the guitar and singing while laying on the couch.

'I won't sell out for nobody,

won't follow no fool...'

"Would you stop! I'd only be doing it for us!" Ash informs him as she picks up the chips that are laying around her boyfriend.

"Oh, really?" Lance asks.

"Yes, really! If I won that money, we could build our own recording studio, start our own label, I mean the whole world would get to hear your songs." Ash explains.

"I'm not listenin' to my girlfriend,

'cos she just wants to sell out..."

Ash gives up and storms out of the room.

Mike stands outside a nightclub playing regular jazz with his sax, but changes it to a more seductive tune when a sexy female mouse passes. She looks at him as he twirls around her down the sidewalk. She walks into the nightclub and looks behind her shoulder at him, begging him to follow her. Mike starts to obey, but is stopped by the gorilla bouncer. "Hey! Just a minute! Wait, wait–" The female mouse walks into the club. "Aw. Look at- I know, Derek the manager, he'll vouch for me! Come on!" Mike looks at the bouncer. The gorilla shakes his head and pushes Mike aside to allow three bears to pass.

"Hey Mario, how's it going?" One of the bears say in a thick russian accent.

"Oh, for crying out loud! Oh yeah, oh, let the bears in. Let the bears in. Fine." The bouncer turns him away again. Mike retorts with a rude honk from his sax.

Johnny walks through the door. He immediately sees his dad's gang gathering around a model plan of their next heist. Big Daddy notices his son coming in, "There he is! I got a surprise for you, my son. Ha haha."

"What's that?" Johnny asks, not knowing what he's about to be roped into.

"Tell him the plan." Big Daddy looks at one of the members.

"Right. We've been told there's a ship carrying 25 million in gold, gonna dock at night right here, with the usual guards here and here." The member explains pointing out different places in the model. "But lucky for us, there's a sewer right under here, so the getaway driver meets us here."

"And that is gonna be you this time, Johnny." Said gorilla looks at his dad in horror. Ever since their car crash with Karla's family, Johnny has tried as much as possible to stay as far from the actual job as he could.

"Wha- you want, you want me to drive?"

"Yeah, it's time my boy had a proper role in the gang, eh?"

"Hang on, hang on, Dad. Barry's always been our driver." Johnny tries to get his dad's attention off of him.

"Barry don't mind, do ya Barry?" Big Daddy glares at the normal getaway driver.

There was no need to be intimidating, Barry still feels off being the getaway driver. "No. no, that's fine with me." He waves his hands like he is trying to shove the responsibility away. Big Daddy nods his head and throws an arm around his son.

"So when exactly is this ship comin' in then?" Johnny asks nervously.

"We ain't got a date yet–"

"Probably won't be for a while though, will it?" Johnny infers.

"Well what do you care? It's the last job we ever need to do. When it comes in, we go- right?" Big Daddy asks.

"Great. Can't wait." Johnny says half-heartedly. He heads to his room and pulls out his phone. 'No new messages' He sighs, hoping that she made it home alright. After seeing her laid up in the hospital, he quickly realized that he doesn't want to ever see her like that again, especially if he was the cause of it.

Rosita stands at the bottom of the staircase, checking each of her piglets for clean teeth. She also is speaking into the phone. "Um hi, I saw your ad in the paper....... Yes, I need a nanny, just for a couple of weeks...... You can? Great!.......Oh, the kids? Yes, they're wonderful.....They, yeah, I have 25.......No I'm-I'm not joking. But they're really no problem....Hello? Hello?"

"Goodnight, Mommy!" The last piglet in the line says sweetly before heading up to bed. Rosita looks between the phone at her kids sadly before turning to the front door when the lock switches. Her husband Norman shuffles wearily through it. It's clearly been raining outside. Rosita takes his coat and case.

"Hey! How was the big meeting?" She asks. Norman just groans and opens the fridge. "That bad, really? Well, I have something really exciting to tell you–"

Norman shoves some pie into his mouth as he passes by her, heading to the sofa. "--Mmmm. You make the best pie, honey."

"Listen Norman, I know it's short notice but I could really use some help with the kids tomorrow because, well, you are not gonna believe what I did today... Norman? Are you listening to me?" Her husband's answer is a loud snore and the food on his lap slides off the plate. Rosita sighs before hearing Buster's words repeat in her head.

"Rehearsals begin first thing tomorrow morning so get some sleep and dream big dreams!"

"Hmmm..." Rosita thinks before getting an idea on how to take care of the kids. She spends all night working on an over complicated device.

After skating away from the auditorium, Karla pulls out her phone and taps on an app. "I've got time for a few deliveries before it gets too dark." She skates away toward the restaurants or grocery stores that have orders ready for pickup. About an hour and half later she finally returns home. Panting she walks inside, "Hey Dad." She calls out. When she gets no response, she looks in the living room only to find her dad asleep on the couch. "Well, at least he's getting some sleep. I'll just write a note before I leave." She heads into her room and starts getting ready for bed. "Oh, I need to text Johnny my contact." She realizes. Pulling out her phone and finding Johnny's contact she sends him her info.

'Here you go, and before you bother to ask, yes I am already home. I don't text and skate.

Karla (phone logo)'

Not too long after three dots pop up, signaling that he is typing.

'Thanks. Glad you made it home safe. Can't wait to hear what song you choose tomorrow.'

'Like I will ruin the surprise. Goodnight.'

'Goodnight'

The next day, Rosita's contraption starts with the alarm clock going off. The system pulls back the curtains to the bedroom and Rosita's voice comes out of the tape recorder. "Good morning everyone. Now, I want you all dressed before breakfast." The piglets, groaning, groggily do as they're told. Downstairs a train track mounted to the ceiling with mechanical arms, attached to said train, run around the table pouring cereal and milk into the bowls before lifting out of sight. The children run to the table and begin to devour the meal. Norman sleepily enters, pulling on a jacket.

"Rosita, have you seen my car keys?"

"Don't forget, your keys are in your coat pocket." Rosita's voice recording says.

Norman looks in his pocket and find the car keys. "Oh, I found 'em. Bye honey." He is completely oblivious to the mechanics whirling above his head.

"Bye, Norman." There is a pause before a whistle sounds. "Time for school!" The piglets all get up from the table as the cloth is lifted on wires and carried out. A device next to the door, hands each piglet a backpack. "...Bye Iggy, bye Perry, bye Carla, bye Gail, bye Rory, bye Micky, bye Moe, bye Nelson, bye Hannah, bye Tess, bye Kelly, bye George, bye Andy, bye Freddy, bye bye Casper." A counter flips to 25, triggering the door to close and lock.