"I can't wait for your audition! You're..."

"Shhh!" I hurriedly shushed Alexy's excited chatter and looked all around me.

Midterms had blown by and during fall break I practically lived at Feel da Beat and fabric stores. Auntie and Alexy had debated for a whole week before they even knew what colors they were going to use. I had stood dutifully as they held swatches up to my face and draped cloth here and there. When those two weren't at me for more measurements or opinions I was in the recording room with Shin Woo, putting the finishing touches on the background CD and memorizing the lyrics. The fifteen-day break had flown by faster than I could believe and now Alexy, Armin, and I were walking to school and the first day of auditions.

"What? You're not backing out are you?" Alexy asked suspiciously while narrowing his eyes at me. I scoffed, giving him an incredulous look.

"Are you kidding? Auntie would murder me!" Alexy laughed and Armin chuckled. "I just... don't want people to know I'm auditioning. If I make it into the show then you can talk about it."

"What do you mean 'If'?" Alexy asked in disbelief. "If I slaved over the perfect outfit for nothing then I might be the one to murder you."

I rolled my eyes and smiled tightly. Honestly, I hoped that I wouldn't make it into the show. Performing in front of Auntie who loved me was wonderful because I knew that even if I messed up she wouldn't care, but to dance and sing in front of a roomful of strangers? I tried to keep from shuddering as I thought of it. That was not the kind of attention I ever wanted.

"Please... just don't tell anyone until later," I begged and Alexy sighed.

"Fine," he agreed unhappily and I exhaled in relief and smiled up at him.

"How did your midterms go? I forgot to ask before now."

"They were fine. I'm pretty good at school when I try," Alexy said and Armin nodded in agreement.

"Do you think they'd let me play Guitar Hero on the big screen as a talent?" Armin asked and Alexy groaned.

After stopping at each of our lockers we walked to class together and took our seats.

"How was your break, Opal?" Nathaniel asked, looking up from his crime novel.

"It was busy," I replied honestly and smiled at him. "What about yours?"

"I mainly worked on scholarship applications and volunteer work. College applications are due by December, after all." I propped my chin in my hand,

"Mmmm. I guess you're right; I had forgotten."

Nathaniel's eyes widened and he gave me a disbelieving look. "You forgot about college applications? Do you know where you are going to go?"

I bit my lip and shook my head. Before now the future hadn't seemed to hold any possibilities and now that I lived with Auntie it seemed like every day was a new adventure... I hadn't even considered what I would do in the next chapter of my life.

"I would have thought you were going to be a doctor or something," Nathaniel remarked thoughtfully and I blinked.

"A doctor? Why?"

"Well, you're really nice and considerate of others. Plus you're super smart."

I laughed and smiled, blushing slightly. "Well, thank you, but I don't think that would be my first choice."

I thought back to all the hospitals and ER's I had been to over my lifetime and shook my head. I definitely didn't want to work there.

The bell rang just as Lysander and Castiel walked into the room, deep in discussion, and they took their seats behind Nathaniel and me. Lysander gave me a half-smile and Castiel smirked at me before Mr. Schiess began passing back our midterm exams. My morning classes passed by quickly and I smiled at Dajan as I walked out of AP Psychology.

"Hi, Dajan."

"Heya, Sato. Want to come with me to sign up my team for the talent show?" he asked and I nodded slowly.

"Sure. I've never been to the auditorium."

"Well then, let me give you the tour," he suggested with a grin.

I followed him past my old locker and down a hall I had never ventured into. We walked to the very end of the hall to a pair of double doors positioned on our right that had five white sheets of paper taped onto them.

"This is the back entrance of the auditorium; it opens right onto the stage. And this," Dajan said while pulling out a pen from his pocket and scribbling something on the last page taped to the door, "is my team signed up to audition. We need a little more practice, but it should be perfect by Friday."

"I'll look forward to watching you," I said brightly and glanced at all of the sheets.

There were already several acts signed up to audition, but hardly any of the slots were filled in for today's time slots. Feeling a knot form in my stomach, I promised myself that I'd check back before going home and if there was still an open spot at 4:30 pm then I would audition.

"Let's go; I'm starving," Dajan said exuberantly.

I nodded absently, but my stomach felt like butterflies were fluttering all around and I didn't feel much like eating. As we walked back he excitedly explained how their routine was coming along and I tried to ignore my own nervous feelings and focus on him.

"Hey, Sato. Starting next month the basketball season is going to get underway. Do you think you will be able to come to watch some of our games?" 

I blinked, mentally processing the sudden change of topic as I looked up at Dajan who was smiling at me with one eyebrow cocked.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention very well, was I?" I apologized sheepishly. 

Dajan shook his head, pushing my shoulders to lead me into the pizza line before crossing his arms and leaning them gently on top of my head.

"It's okay, you seem to have a lot on your mind," he said cheerfully. I smiled, reaching up and patting his arms on top of my head.

"To answer your question, of course, I will come to watch your games. Just give me some warning of when and where they will be and I'll come whenever I can," I promised enthusiastically. Dajan moved his arms off me as the line began moving forward and he grinned down at me.

"Sounds good. I actually wanted to ask you to be our manager but with your class schedule I figured you might not have time," he said with a shrug. My mouth dropped open in surprise before I smiled up at him.

"You are very considerate, Dajan," I complimented and he grinned, holding two fingers up in a peace sign. I chuckled and then gave him a sad shrug. "I'm honored that you think I would have been helpful. But you're right, I don't think I'd have enough time." 

We got our food and then sat down at our normal table and I listened as all of the basketball boys talked excitedly about the upcoming audition. I finished my food and waved goodbye to everyone before heading out to the courtyard, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. I was surprised when I saw that Castiel wasn't sitting at his tree but then blushed as I realized that I unconsciously came out here specifically to speak with him.

Shaking my head I turned and walked back into the hallway, making my way to the library where I read for the rest of my lunch hour. When the bell rang I went to my locker, grabbed my AP Bio textbook, and made my way to the classroom.

"Hey, Opal." I turned around to see Nathaniel walking up behind me and I smiled up at him.

"Hey Nathaniel, did you have a good lunch break?" I asked and he huffed.

"Someone had the bright idea of letting a raccoon loose in the principal's office so I was stuck with trying to chase it out," he grumbled with obvious displeasure.

"Oh my goodness! It didn't bite you, did it?" I asked with concern and a brief flash of surprise crossed his features before he smiled at me.

"Nah. It wasn't interested in attacking, thanks for your concern though," he said and I sighed in relief.

As we walked into class, Melody was sitting down reading her textbook, but as we got closer she suddenly raised her head. To my shock, her gaze fell on me and I blinked when I saw a small smile cross her lips.

"Hey, Opal, guess what?"

I blinked in surprise since Melody really hadn't talked to me since the time she had told Nathaniel to leave me alone when I wasn't feeling well.

"Uh... what?" I asked hesitantly.

"You were absorbed in the basketball boys' conversation at lunch so I didn't get a chance to tell you. David Scopes and I got back together over the break," she said and I blinked in surprise.

"Really? I don't mean to pry, but I thought you said he was arrogant before... are you sure you'll be happy with him?" I asked while walking over in a slight daze.

Other than the sleepover and Iris's occasional plans of confessing to Brandon, I really hadn't been a part of any 'girl talk'. I was a little shocked that Melody was willing to have this conversation with me.

Melody's gaze softened and I noticed she looked a little sad as she glanced out of the corner of her eye at Nathaniel. She turned back to look at me with a shy smile though.

"David came over to my house during the fall break and practically got on his hands and knees and asked me to come back. He said he missed me and was sorry he had acted like a jerk. And.. it feels nice to be wanted. So I'm going to give it another try," Melody said with a firm nod. I nodded along with her, feeling in awe of her maturity.

"That's great then. I hope everything works out and you two will be happy together," I responded sincerely and Melody smiled up at me.

"Thank you, Opal." Melody's eyes slid over to Nathaniel, who was watching us with an odd smile on his face. "What do you think, Nathaniel?" Melody asked hesitantly.

Nathianiel blinked, looking surprised that he had been addressed. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and frowned a bit.

"I didn't realize you had broken up with him in the first place, to be honest. It worries me that he didn't treat you well in the past, but if you think he's changed then I agree with Opal. I hope it works out for you, Melody. You deserve a good guy," Nathaniel said before his eyes slid over to me and I blinked at his suddenly gentle smile. "And I'm glad that you two seem to have become friends. I thought you didn't like each other for a while there."

I peeked over at Melody to see her reaction and watched as her eyes widened. She looked away from us awkwardly as a small blush came to her cheeks then cleared her throat quickly before glancing up at us as we stood in front of her desk.

"Well... I guess I was a little jealous of how close you two got so quickly. I thought you were choosing her over me or something dumb like that," Melody muttered while looking down at her desk.

I blinked down at Melody in complete shock and swiftly placed my textbooks on my desk so I could reach out and touch her shoulder. 

"Melody, I had no idea! It was never my intention to come between your friendship!" I said earnestly, feeling awful that I had managed to make her feel so sad without realizing anything. 

Nathaniel coughed slightly and I looked over to see that his cheeks were slightly rosy. He glanced at me but quickly turned his eyes back to Melody and gave her a kind smile before reaching out and patting her head. She looked up at him with a shocked expression.

"I'm sorry you felt that way, Melody. You'll always be an important friend to me though. I rely on you a lot with student council duties and everything."

Melody's cheeks colored slightly from a blush. I frowned when I saw sadness once again cross her expression, but she quickly covered it with a smile and nodded.

"Thanks, Nathaniel," she said with a chuckle.

Just then the bell rang and Nathaniel sat down next to her and I sat in the other chair beside him. After class got out, Melody inserted herself in between Nathaniel and me and chatted excitedly about what she and David had done over the break. I listened with interest, commenting every once in a while, but Nathaniel remained silent. When we reached our separation point I waved to them as I left for Economics and felt gentle happiness build up in me. It made me really relieved to find out that Melody didn't hate me after all.

"Opal!" An energetic Rosalya called out to me, waving from her seat next to Lysander. I smiled and took my seat in front of her.

"Hey, Rosalya! How was your break?"

"It was FANTASTIC!" she exclaimed and I giggled. "Leigh took me to a fashion show! The new lines are amazing! Not as amazing as my Big Bear's, but still!"

"Big Bear?" I asked while barely holding back a chuckle. Lysander shook his head slightly while Rosalya sighed with obvious pleasure.

"It's our new nicknames. He calls me his Teddy Bear and he's my Big Bear," she explained dreamily as her eyes took on the faraway look which meant she was thinking of Leigh.

I looked over at Lysander who shrugged but the corner of his mouth twitched upwards slightly and I smiled.

"Have you decided if you're going to play in the talent show?" I asked him and he nodded.

"We have a special song we're going to play. You'll be there, right?"

"Of course!" I exclaimed excitedly. I felt a glow of happiness go through my entire body. I could hardly wait to listen to Lysander's song!

Class started and I sighed when I saw the 93% on the top of my page. I hadn't had enough time to study since I was working with Troy so much and Shin Woo had upped our practice times. Vowing to myself to do better next time, I tucked the test in my folder and took out my notebook, taking meticulous notes during the lecture.

When the bell rang I walked out with Lysander until we reached Mr. Faraize's classroom where I waved goodbye to him. I walked in and sat next to Violette who was drawing in a large sketchbook. As I took my seat she looked up and smiled at me.

"Good afternoon, Opal. How was your break?"

"It was busy. How was yours?"

"It was a lot of fun. Kim and I went to a couple of art museums and I bought a new sketchbook," she said, showing it off to me.

"Hey there!" I smiled up at Kim who set her backpack on the ground before flopping into the chair next to me.

"Hi, Kim. How was your break."

"Pretty good. Hung out with Violette and went to an awesome concert." Kim told us all about the concert she had gone to until the bell rang to begin class. Mr. Faraize took his spot at the head of the room and held up a small stack of papers.

"You all did very well on your midterm test, I am proud of all of you. Today we are going to skip the lecture and jump right into painting! So after you get your test back, gather your supplies and I will explain the project."

Once everyone had been seated again, Mr. Faraize went around the class and placed a small sheet of paper face down in front of everyone before returning to the front of the class.

"The piece of paper in front of you is going to be your inspiration for our next project. I do not want you to copy the picture exactly though; put your own imagination into it and try to see it from your point of view. With that said, please flip over your picture and begin!" I turned my picture over and let out an "Ooo" as I examined the majestic waterfall depicted on the paper.

"Awe, that's a nice one. I got a tree," Kim said with disappointment and we both looked over at Violette who was already picking up a paintbrush.

"What did you get, Violette?" Kim asked. She smiled up at us, showing us her picture of the grand canyon with the sun setting in the background.

"Oh, how pretty!" I exclaimed. Violette nodded with excitement but immediately turned back to her paper.

Kim and I chatted some more as we began work on our paintings. The bell rang and suddenly a bolt of nervousness clutched me. I put everything away, said goodbye to Violette and Kim, and slowly made my way toward the auditorium.

From down the hall, I could see a small crowd surrounding the doors and I hung back, pretending to read a notice board for the acting classes until the crowd slowly dispersed. Swallowing hard, I walked over to the doors and glanced at the signup sheet for today. The 4:30 slot was still empty. Nervousness clutched me and I groaned, wondering if there was any way I could possibly get out of this. An image of Auntie's excited face flashed through my mind and I sighed in defeat.

I guess I'd better go practice, I thought to myself. Turning to leave, I suddenly jumped back, bumping into the door behind me as I stared into Lysander's steady gaze.

"Are you alright?" he asked and I giggled nervously.

"Oh, yes. You just startled me."

"I apologize. Are you signing up to audition?"

"N-no!" I denied fiercely but then felt guilt rush through me. I tried to rationalize it away since I had no intention of putting my name down on the list... Mentally shaking my head I looked up at Lysander and asked, "Are you?"

He took a step toward me, closing the gap between us to mere inches and I held my breath as he stared down at me. Slowly he lifted his hand and placed it right next to my ear; I could feel my heartbeat pounding as he gazed at me for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he slid his gaze to the signup sheet and with hardly a sound signed his name with a flourish. With a satisfied nod, he took a step back and I did my best not to sigh in relief as my body slowly relaxed. I tore my gaze away from Lysander and looked at the paper. He had signed up for tomorrow at 5:00, which had been right next to my head.

"I can't wait to hear your song," I said sincerely to him as my heartbeat returned to its normal rhythm and his ghostly smile shone down at me.

"I hope you will like it," he said and I grinned warmly.

"Of course I will!"

He nodded and I thought I saw something glimmering behind his mismatched eyes, but he turned away before I could decide what it was.

"May I walk you to your locker?" he asked and I nodded, falling into step with him.

As we walked down the drama hall towards my locker I noticed a few rooms labeled "Practice Room". Once Lysander had dropped me off, I took the CD Shin Woo had given me to practice with and carefully made my way back, making sure no one who knew me saw where I was going.

I ducked into an empty room and sighed with relief. To my delight, there was a small CD player in the corner of the little room. Before launching into the dance I first did some voice exercises, followed by a few easy dance warm-ups. The dance wasn't very strenuous but it was always a good idea to stretch.

Once I was ready I plugged the CD player in, inserted my disc, and hit the play button. Music softly rang out and I began my vocalizing as I got into position for the dance. I ran through the dance three times, stopping and redoing a few steps until I was sure I had them correctly. Just as I was about to start my fourth run-through, my phone vibrated loudly on the ground. I switched off the music and looked at my screen, blinking in surprise when I saw Castiel's name. He hadn't texted me since the weekend he was sick and I clicked on the message curiously.

I'll be at the school in half an hour with Demon.

Quickly I looked up the time and saw to my surprise that I only had fifteen minutes before I would go and audition. Switching back to Castiel's message I chewed my lip in thought. I really wanted to see Demon, but I didn't know how long the audition would last or if someone had taken the 4:30 slot while I practiced.

I would love to see him, but I might be busy in half an hour.

I sent the message, wondering why Castiel had even bothered to tell me when my phone vibrated in my hand. That was fast, I thought as I opened the message.

I don't like to wait, but Demon wants to see you so you better be there.

Reading the message I felt one eyebrow rise. On one hand, I was thrilled that Demon wanted to see me, on the other hand... how did Castiel know he did? I shook my head but typed "I'll try" before hitting the send button.

Sticking my phone in my jeans pocket I released a nervous breath before popping my disc out and replacing it in its case. I left the practice room and walked slowly towards the auditorium doors. No one was there, which I was grateful for, but I was surprised to see one of the doors was propped open. Hesitantly, I stuck my head in to see the stage was lit up but empty. I bit my lip, weighing the chances of Auntie ever forgiving me if I backed out of the audition and slowly stepped into the backstage area. Forcing one foot in front of the other I walked up behind a curtain and peeked around it.

"Miss Opal!"

I jumped, clutching a hand to my heart which was hammering painfully against my ribcage as I whipped around to see Mr. Tremont standing behind me with a wide grin

"I had just stepped out to get a drink of water when I saw someone loitering in the doorway. I knew no one had signed up for this audition slot so I decided to just watch for a minute, but I am absolutely thrilled that you have decided to audition!"

I smiled weakly and Mr. Tremont urged me into the center of the stage while swiping the disc from my hands. He bustled off the stage and into the seating area, which was a lot bigger than I had been expecting. The carpets and seats were dark blue and my nervous brain quickly figured out that with twenty rows, each containing 50 seats, there was enough room for 1000 people to sit in here.

"All set!" Mr. Tremont called as he came down the stairs from the very back of the theater. I could see large windows up there which I assumed must be the sound and lighting control room. "What talent are you exposing today, Miss Opal?"

"Uh... I'm going to sing and dance," I said hesitantly and Mr. Tremont clapped once.

"Marvelous! Just give a thumbs up when you're ready!" I gulped and nervously wiped my hands on my sides.

It's just Mr. Tremont, I can do this. Auntie wants me to do this.

Slowly I let out a calming breath and smiled, thinking of all the times Auntie had supported me and a feeling of peace settled over me. I looked up and flipped a thumbs up to the control room. My song started to play and I let go of all of my nervousness and began.

A/N I highly doubt anyone read the original version of this story I posted on the My Candy Love fanfiction portal, but if you did I have majorly changed Melody's personality in this revamped version. I like her a lot better like this :P