Chapter 1
"Get the hell out of my way!" A blaring car horn sounded as a red pickup truck swerved around a pedestrian. Speeding off north, the man driving clearly showed no concern for the person they almost hit. The young man in the crosswalk had been forced to dive to the side to avoid getting run over by the red light runner, causing him to land on top of the leather guitar case he was carrying. Still in shock, the dark haired boy stared at the murderous vehicle as it drove away, vaguely registering that it was missing it's left tail light.
"Are you alright!?" A short middle-aged woman came running out of the corner store near by. The motherly figure quickly helped the built youth stand up, checking over him carefully, before brushing some dirt off the back of his black jeans. "I saw the whole thing! That man should be put in jail! Are you hurt?"
The teen stood up straight and carefully moved his shoulders around, but didnt find anything wrong. Looking down at the store owner, he shook his head putting her at ease.
Seeing that he did look ok, the redhaired lady started to calm down, and instead turned her attention back to the direction the car went.
"Well, That's a relief. We should still call someone though. Did you catch the plate? Oh god, of course you didn't. Who would be able to do that while being run over?"
Looking over the other once more, she seemed to have just realized that the young man was looking even more attractive than usual. He was dressed very fashionably in a leather jacket and button down shirt. "Oh my, how have I forgotten!? Your mother told me this morning that you have another audition today! You must have been on your way there now. Don't let me keep you then, go on! Ill just ask the other shop owners for camera footage. I'll handle the rest."
The woman's sudden change in attitude over the hit and run was a perfect example of the communities' high expectation of the well known talented youth. Having had grown up in the area, most of the residents knew him by name. Before he could even say a word the boy was handed his guitar and shoed off, only getting a chance to flash a smile and wave goodbye.
"Goo-I mean, break a leg Raymond!" The clerk called after him. "But not for real!"
Raymond just shook his head, and rolled his dark eyes playfully at the woman. He carried on his way. But before he could set into a pace, he felt something off about the guitar case over his shoulder. Confused, he quickly moved to unzip the bag. Looking Inside, he saw a completely splintered guitar.
Shocked, the teen's deep voice let loose a frustrated yell. "Fuck!"
----
"Common, where is it?" A few miles away in a rundown neighborhood, another boy was preparing for the same audition. "It was just here?!"
The petit teen looked much too out of place in his dirty surroundings. Well groomed and fashioned in bright clothing, the youth's gentle and graceful appearance accented his jovial and bright character. However at this time that smiling appearance looked rather worried.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
"I'm so screwed. I'm going to be late!" At that second a loud horn blared from outside, jerking the boy's attention to a red truck that screeched to a halt in the drive way. "Shit!"
Scrambling faster, the youth started to pull on his shoes and collect his wallet.
"Andy!" A loud angry voice called from outside. "Get out here!"
Quickly crouching down, the youth crawled below a window, doing his best to keep out of sight as he made his way to the tiny bathroom at the back of the trailer.
"I know you are there, so dont make me come in there!" The threat in the voice was very real at that point, followed by the sound of a car door being slammed shut. At this point Andy had already opened the bathroom window and was sitting half way out of it. Suddenly a glimmer from the bathroom sink, just a few inches away, caught the boy's attention.
It was a circular locket. "There you are lovely." Sighed the youth's relived voice. A gentle, but quick, hand reached out for the locket, taking and stuffing it into the pocket of a yellow hoodie.
The front door to the trailer slammed open, and the teen could hear footsteps heading toward the closed bathroom door. Downside to living in a trailer, there were no places to hide.
"I know it was you! Smashing up my truck!" A loud bang followed as the burly man pounded on the door. "Im going to beat your ass for that!"
A flash of fear, and frustration moved across Andy's face, but it was quickly replaced by determination as the boy jumped out the window. He wanted to say something to the man, but thought better of it. Besides he was already late. Just when the door flew open, the boy disappeared, barely avoiding being caught by the ragged man on the other side.
---
30min till 4pm on the far side of the business district, sat TalentPop. A Branch building for a famous talent agency over seas. They were currently holding open auditions to add to a recently formed boy group. The main agency had a total of four members already selected for the group, but needed a couple more before they could start pushing forward with their training. Unfortunately finding them wasn't easy.
June Inoue was tasked with searching for candidates over seas. The idea was that a couple of foreign talents would give the group enough diversity to appeal to a larger audience, however they wanted members to be already fluent in the group's original language, and should still be able to sing and dance. If things werent hard enough, they also wanted them to be attractive... In a specific way. At this time she still hadn't found one potential candidate. This audition was currently her last hope.
Seeing the forms in front of her, June still didnt see anything that stuck out to her, making her lose hope. But the day was young and there was still time for a miracle. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
"Come in." June's voice was a mix of honey and cold business. Though she was only a small time recruiting manager, she still held herself to a higher standard. It was more for those she recruited though. Most of the time, these young talents came in expecting to be handed the job. Often new recruits came in thinking that all it took to travel the road to fame was a pretty smile. Once these people made it past auditions, they would find a bucket of cold water when they realized how tough and restrictive everything was, turning their world upside down. The shock would make them soon quit. Angela wanted to avoid this, so she made sure to be tough from the get go.
An old man stepped into the room carrying a coffee mug with hot tea. "We are almost ready to start." He informed setting the mug in front of his much younger boss.
"I see. Thank you. I will be down in a minute. Have you seen them yet?"
The old man shook his head. "I have not. I fear we may not find what we want this time either." With that he turned around a left, leaving his boss to drink her tea.