Song of the chapter - 'Stranded' by Triptyq

'Bittersweet, I tried to reach you,
Memories of her voice won't leave you.'

"Vallie, c'mon, get up! I don't wanna be late!" a high-pitched voice rouses me and something lands on my bed right next to my left shoulder.

I open my eyes slowly and take in a very excited Violet. I tut and tell her to go back to sleep.

"No!" she squeals, making me wish I could've been deaf.

I turn on my other side and focus on the vintage clock adorning the wall.

"Violet, go and sleep. It's still seven and the show only starts at one. We need to be there by 11:30-12:00," I groan.

"But I-" Violet is cut off by something whooshing past her. I lift my head to see a very irritated Van standing by the door.

"Violet, I swear I will strangle you if you don't shush!" she yells and pushes her off the bed before lying down next to me.

"But I want to talk with Vallie!" the youngest whines.

"Later, Vi," I tell before covering my face with the blanket.

Violet grumbles on her way out and yells after Tracie. Good, now we can sleep.

Vanessa's hands find their way around my waist and I smile, inching closer to her so she can snuggle comfortably. I don't even remember the last time we snuggled.

I soon drift off to sleep. I'm woken up what feels like bare seconds later by someone shaking my shoulder. I pry my eyes open and turn around to face a smiling Stacie.

"Hey, the girls are all ready and eating breakfast. You wanna get up?" she asks.

"Oh, thank you so much, Stace!" I tell her and she smiles, heading out. I guess I didn't register Vanessa leaving.

I kick off the blankets and dress in a casual red and blue checkered plaid shirt over a white vest and black jeans after I'm done in the bathroom. I quickly hook on a necklace and wear my earrings and a bracelet.

I put the clasp of my watch in place as I head out of my room, getting my hair out of the plait I put it in last night. It sits just the way I want when I check it in a mirror in the hallway.

Satisfied for the moment, I ruffle it a bit at the ends as I walk to the living room from where I hear voices. I walk in and plop down on the floor next to Van's foot.

"Ugh, finally you're here, Vallie! I thought I'd turn to stone waiting for you!" Violet squeals. Her tone makes me flinch and I check the time.

"Would you relax, Sass McQueen? It's still ten fifteen!" I humour her and take the dish Stacie hands me.

After an admittedly delicious breakfast and Violet yelling at me to hurry up a kabillion eighty times, we leave at eleven, which is still early. Stacie drops us off at the place and leaves after getting us checked in, reassuring us she'll be back by two, which is half an hour before our audition is scheduled.

As soon as Stacie leaves, Violet and Tracie begin to engage in a playful fight with each other while laughing their heads off. I get the two rowdies in tow and enter, Van getting our audition tokens from the stall and following us.

"You two are staying right here," I tell them and point to a couch when we reach the place we're supposed to wait to be called to audition.

Van wants to explore the place and pleads with me to accompany her so I follow her after ensuring the kids are too engaged with what they're playing with to even think about anything else. We laugh and chatter noisily until we reach a balcony that opens out onto a beautiful view of greenery I never knew could exist in L.A.

Enraptured by the beauty of nature, we lean onto the wall and watch. I don't remember how long we stand there but it feels like years later that someone someone asks us if we happen to know two young girls.

"Rhesus factor, I forgot! Van, c'mon let's go!" I urge Van forward and she follows, laughing her head off at my exclamation.

"Vallie, I'm hungry!" Violet squeals when we near her.

"Me too!" Tracie pipes up when she sees me.

I walk towards the sofa, "Alright, alright, sit down-"

"But I want food now!" Vi screams.

I explain rather tiredly that there's packed food in my bag to which she brightens up and runs towards me, and almost collides with Tracie, Van just holding her back.

"Violet, please don't run, for heaven's sake," Van rebukes her as I set out their lunch. The girls dig in and I check the time.

"Okay, once y'all are done eating, we're going to practice once or twice and then we're going to be called, okay?" I instruct the kids, who nod in response.

I glance at the big screens showing the earlier and ongoing auditions from time to time. I get a little nervous when I notice that most people who've auditioned as of now haven't received very positive responses from the judges.

Even the novelty acts whom I thought they'd absolutely love are being shunned by them. One judge, seemingly the most prolific, even asks the others as to why they even conduct the show.

Van squeezes my arm, presumably reassuringly, and tells me we'll be fine, giving me a strong sense of deja vu. A lump rises in my throat and my eyes glaze over when I remember why that seems so oddly familiar.

Mom used to tell me that several times when dad was gone, and that too with the same tone and the same hand squeeze. Shivers shoot up my spine when I remember even feeling the exact same back then.

I guess this is a terrible time to realize just how much she resembles Mom. In fact she's even a spitting image of the woman who's haunted my sleep every night so far. Guess she'll never leave them, just like dad, and the other dad I remembered when we were younger but who was never spoken about later.

- - - - - - -

Hey everyone who's reading this! I didn't particularly like writing this chapter but the book has got to progress so here you go...

Oh, and, by the way, more cover art by the fab tazell!

Also, Eddie mah boy (Ed Sheeran, in case you're confused) released two singles! I love the meaning of 'Castle on the Hill' but something's so dang catchy about 'Shape of You'!

- - - - - - -