The Audition by Hannah Lane

I watched her from the Directors Panel. She didn’t want to be there, anyone their right mind could have see that. She was trying to hide behind the other girls, trying to make herself unnoticeable. I noticed her. Despite her best efforts she caught my eye immediately, there was something about her presence that sent a shiver down my spine. Auditioning for Princess Chan, a Chinese musical was the last place I wanted to be, my mother had starred in all the productions at Stage School when she was my age and she clearly wanted me to follow her footsteps. I was a self conscious child, an outsider, and being here amongst the chattering groups of girls, I was way out of my comfort zone… I continued to watch her, my scrutinizing gaze unnerving her when she caught my eye, when this happened she would quickly pull her shoulder length curtain of ginger hair over her stormy grey eyes and hide. She wore a shapeless purple dress which was far too big for her small frame, and a tall purple hat, the sort Princesses wear in fairy tales. A tall man holding a battered clipboard signalled for the first girl to get up onto the stage but the director quickly intervened. He was wearing a green tweed jacket and a matching cap “Actually, change of plans,” he spoke calmly with the tiniest hint of excitement in his voice, his eyes flickered around the room as he spoke and landed directly on me. He smiled broadly revealing a picket fence row of dazzling white teeth, “I’d like you to go first please,” he nodded at me encouragingly. I shuffled up the steps to the stage slowly, I could feel one hundred eyes burning right through me as I reached the stage. My face burned and I could feel tears pricking my eyes. I blinked vigorously but my mask slid and a hot tear rolled down my cheek. I could feel all my fears surrounding me, but they were real. My mother was standing behind me looking down her nose at the useless piece of rubbish sobbing at her feet. On the floor behind me sat a green man, his hands to his mouth ‘Boo, get off the stage!,”Umm… hello, are you alright?” the Director asked from his chair. I looked over my shoulder, had they not seen any of that? I pulled my hair over my face and escorted myself to the door, with a brief backward glance I saw the director take out a red pen and draw a large fat cross on his clipboard, and with that I turned on my heel and walked away.