Chapter Text
Nina paced outside of the music room biting at her nails. She felt like her heart was the engine of a jet and she was about to take off. She hadn't felt this way at an audition in years. This year, her senior year, the theater department was doing a production of Beauty and the Beast. This show was her dream, she had Belle as one of her dream roles for years and years.
Her audition was next and she was humming her song quietly. She would get in, she knew she would, but for once she didn't want to be a motherly character or a funny side character like she normally was. She wanted to be the one to bring a tear to the audience's eye, she wanted to be rooted for, to fall in love only on stage of course. No showmance ended well, she knew from experience. She stopped pacing when the door opened. A familiar face, Jesper Fahey. One of her close friends.
"How'd it go Jes?" She smiled. At the taller boy who had just done his audition for Gaston.
"Oh, amazing as always! Break a leg, Nina!" He smiled in return, a wide smile that eased her anxiety slightly. Only slightly she still felt like her chest was going to explode.
"Thanks, Jes!" She gave him a high five as she walked into the audition room, the rundown music room of Ketterdam High. They really needed a better arts budget. Zoya watched her as she entered the room. Zoya Nazyalensky had been her director for shows since middle school. She was tough because she wanted them to succeed and Nina believed that deep down, deep, deep down, Zoya liked her.
Genya on the other hand the music director and the choir teacher loved Nina. She was sweet and encouraging to everyone, the rare occasion she wasn't was when you made fun of someone else. Nina would fear the day she ever made Genya Safin mad. From being a witness to it she knew she might have a heart attack.
"Hi Nina glad to see you auditioning," Zoya said in a monotone voice, Nina could never tell if she meant it or not. Especially now. Nina had constantly talked about doing Beauty and the Beast, it was the show that ignited her love for theater. It was the first show she ever saw. Her mother had saved for weeks and they had horrible seats but five-year-old Nina didn't care about the view. She cared about the costumes, the music, the dancing, everything and everyone was working together. She wanted to be part of that machine that made the show go off smoothly, that made you believe you were watching a true princess on stage.
"What song are you singing?" Genya asked her while looking over her audition sheet. Right, she was going to sing. Obviously, this was an audition, wasn't it?
"I'm singing Journey to the Past from Anastasia." She had scoured and searched for hours almost days for the perfect song. This song could show her acting and how she sang at different ranges but it was still in her sweet spot. She could rely on the first line.
Heart don't fail me now.
"Lovely!" Genya smiled at her. "Whenever you're ready!" Genya looked at Zoya and nodded at Nina. Nina grabbed out her phone, she already had the track pulled up. She made sure that her phone was on full volume as the soft sweet piano started. She started to get lost in the music, and let herself fade away until it was just her in the role. Nina sang, she sang to the best of her ability as the world started fading around her and she was in the cold. She was walking through a frozen wood, imagining the story and the emotions. She channeled this in her voice. She forgot other people were in the room. The section was ending she was being brought back to the real world. The music room with Genya and Zoya watching her. She could have sworn she saw a tear in Zoya's eye as the song came to an end and she was done. Genya and Zoya both clapped.
"Amazing Nina, we'll let you know if you have a callback. The cast list will be out on Monday next week." Zoya looked up from the sheet she was writing on.
"Thank you both so much." She smiled and walked out of the audition room seeing the tall blonde boy standing outside of the door. It was Matthias, the boy in her choir class who she had suggested audition for the show. She knew he was in choir for the easy A, but they needed guys and Matthias was such a talented singer. Sure he played sports and was stoic but she believed that stepping into a spotlight and letting all your cares go away and you could lose yourself in the character and the adrenaline.
"Break a leg Matthias see you in choir!" She smiled and kept walking away from him as he watched her walk away.
"Oh um yeah thanks, Nina!" He stumbled over his words. Probably just nerves. If only she knew then, but then of course where would the fun be in that?