Love Musical

Aurora

Love Musical—it was a dream high school for every young musician, and I received the chance to live that dream.

I still couldn’t believe that I was standing in front of the Love Musical Academy, LMA. Ever since I got my acceptance letter, my adrenaline had been running high and my feet had not touched the ground because of me flying around giddily in happiness.

“Best of luck, love. I will miss you,” one of my dads mumbled and kissed my forehead.

“Thanks, Dad. I will miss you, too.” I hugged him and looked at my other dad. Before I could say something, he pulled me into a hug, too.

“You have no idea how glad we are that you finally chose your dream and decided to audition this time. I knew you belonged here from the very first time I heard your beautiful voice. Your voice has magic, love,” he said and patted my head. “Just go before I burst into tears.”

I nodded with a smile, trying my best to not tear up as well.

“If you ever get too homesick, remember why you are here,” he added.

“It’s to fulfill my dream of being a famous star,” I replied with determination.

“Yes, now go in there and become the shining star we know you are meant to be!” my dads cheered.

Sucking in a deep breath, I bade them goodbye and walked in through the giant gate of the private academy, wheeling my luggage with me.

Love Musical, in short, LM, was a famous name in Los Angeles. ‘Love Musical’ was the most famous series by the LM company. They had released nine completed seasons, and currently, the tenth season started to on-air last week. Every season represented a different kind of love story. I had watched every season since childhood with my dads, and that series was the first reason I dreamt of pursuing a career in singing.

Love Musical Academy was a school for rising or already famous popsters. Different singers aged between fourteen to eighteen audition for LMA, and they pursue their high school education from there if they get selected, in order to avoid the crazy fans. Getting selected in here already meant you were partially guaranteed to be a successful star.

However, the academy only had a hundred students in total, and all of them released at least one debut album from Love Musical Records, LMR, before they graduated.

I happened to be one of those lucky teenagers, who was selected by them after I auditioned. My dads wanted me to audition last year, but I wasn’t courageous enough before. However, this year, I auditioned at last, and now, I was a sophomore here as I didn’t audition during my freshman year. Though, I didn’t regret it because I dedicated a whole year to make my voice and overall singing better before auditioning, which I think worked wonderfully.

From today, my career as a solo singer started.

As soon as I got inside, it was like a small city of its own. I saw different glass buildings. All of them had initials over them. LMA, LMR, LMD, LMSS, and many more. LMD was the LM dorm while LMSS was the series shooting place. There were more, but I decided to not look around right now because my classes would start soon.

I headed to the dorm building and saw the front desk lady smile at me. I looked at her ID card and saw her name was Jenny King.

“Good morning, sweetheart. I assume, you are a new artist?” When I nodded my head, she further spoke, “Welcome to Love Musical. What’s your full name?”

“Aurora Eugene. I am a sophomore.”

“Aurora...” she repeated my first name. “We use first names here because everyone here is an artist, so we stick as a family here. I hope you don’t mind.”

I shook my head. “No, why would I mind? In fact, it’s good that I don’t have to be known as Ms. Eugene by the teachers here. I already feel like a part of this family.”

“You become a family member as soon as you step into LM territory.” Jenny checked her laptop and said, “I suggest you keep your belongings here for now because your classes will start in a minute. You can see your dorm room once your classes end today. LM hates unpunctuality, and I am pretty much sure, you won’t want your first impression to be that.”

My eyes widened in shock.

I didn’t want to be late for my first class and create a bad impression. “Thank you,” I mumbled and ran to the LMA building with the iPad provided by LM after placing my luggage in one corner.

My first class was English Literature, and before that, we had ten minutes of homeroom, which was mandatory to attend at the end of every week. Since I joined a few days later in this semester, it was Friday today. I received the routine in my mail only last night along with other details. We didn’t need to have any copies or pens as we had to note everything on our iPads.

I reached the class on time and found an empty spot in the fifth row. I sat there, finally being able to breathe properly as the bell rang. However, the bell didn’t sound like an annoying knee-jerk bell at all. Rather, it was a loud yet nice tune—almost like an alarming song.

The homeroom teacher got into the class just on time. “Good morning, artists! All of you were already in LMA from freshman year, but remember we had one spot open for sophomores this year?”

When everyone nodded, the male teacher said, “There is one lucky girl who got that spot after more than ten thousand teenagers auditioned for this. She’s joining from today. Her name is Aurora Eugene. Is she here yet?”

I got up from my seat nervously. I didn’t know so many people fought for that one spot. That was news to me.

“Congratulations, Aurora. I saw your audition clip, and you were really wonderful. Can you introduce yourself briefly? Just mention music-related details, please.”

I gave a curt nod. “I am Aurora Eugene. I am a singer-songwriter, and I can play acoustic guitar,” I introduced myself and found all of the other young artists looking at me. I almost had the urge to scream in excitement when I saw so many familiar popsters here.

“Great to meet you, Aurora,” said the teacher. “I am Kenneth Joseph, but you have to call me Kenneth. I am both your homeroom, English, and Music teacher. Just remember one thing, everyone here is an artist, including you. Everything you feel, just know that all of us here have faced it. Never feel alone. ”

“Thank you, Kenneth.” With that, I sat, and he talked a little more until homeroom was over, and he started taking the English class. It was quiet, and everyone stayed focused. The atmosphere was totally different from the public high school I spent my freshman year in; it was a little intimidating, but I liked the serious, friendly-competitive vibe.

Once the first class ended, a girl from another seat got up and came to me.

“Hey, I am Kiara,” she introduced herself.

A gasp escaped my lips seeing the familiar blonde. “Kiara Haven from the BuzzKilled band, right?”

Kiara laughed. “Don’t go crazy now, okay? Everyone here is a celebrity including you now. So just don’t fangirl here—just a piece of friendly advice because I did that last year and the consequences weren’t so good.”

I stood up, nodding, and we walked out of the class together. “I will keep that in mind then,” I mumbled.

“You are really lucky to get selected because it gets tougher if you don’t audition in the freshman year. Most of the seats are empty only during the freshman year.”

“But I didn’t have the courage back then, so I didn’t audition at that time,” I informed her.

She arched an eyebrow. “What happened that changed your mind?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I just got courageous, I think.”

“Great! So what do you intend to do now?”

“What do you mean?” I asked Kiara.

“I mean, will you join a band or be a solo artist?”

I gave a bright smile and answered her, “Kiara, I definitely want to be a solo artist. I don’t think joining a band is my thing.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Why is that? Bands aren’t bad, rather it’s fun to be with friends all the time. Look, I am in a band, and I absolutely love it.”

“No, I don’t mean that joining a band is bad. It’s just that I left my former friends just to focus on my career. If I join a band, develop a great friendship, and suddenly, the band gets disbanded, what will I do then? I don’t want to go through that stuff again.”

“You are right, Aurora, I understand. Career is the most important here in LM. If a band doesn’t do good or the audience doesn’t love them, LM disbands it without any hesitation.”

My eyes grew wide hearing her. I knew LM was strict just to build a better career, but disbanding a band? Then, what happened to those who developed a nice bonding? That must be so heartbreaking!

Sensing my fear, Kiara added with a small smile, “But look, I am lucky enough to be in BuzzKilled. They are really awesome, and the fans love us a lot, so LM values us as well.”

“Yeah, and I am already happy to have a friend like you on my first day.”

“You are cool. Since we are in the same year, we have the same classes, so I will give you a tour. Come, Aurora,” with that, Kiara started walking.

I looked around the classroom one more time and grinned looking at the LM logo on one side of the wall. I was really here to fulfill my dream. I was already being made out to be a star.

“Aurora?” Kiara called out when she saw I wasn’t walking with her.

“Coming,” I said and took my iPad before starting to walk with her.

It was the lunch break at last.

The classes were fun but boring at the same time. No one was allowed to talk during the class. Everything was strict and filled with rules and regulations.

However, Kiara was really an awesome girl. We instantly clicked and became friends.

I was sitting in the cafeteria, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, as Kiara went to her band’s table. Only healthy food suitable for singers was allowed here, to avoid any damage to our vocals.

I saw plenty of female artists sulking while coming out of the room in front of the cafeteria. It was labeled as the audition room.

“I wonder what they are auditioning for,” I mumbled and continued eating in silence.

All of a sudden, a male voice broke the silence, “Why don’t you find out?”

I looked at the owner of the voice, only to find Davian Leighton, the lead singer of one of the most popular bands called ‘Bizarre 4 You,’ in short, ‘B4U.’ He was the crush of almost every teenage girl in the high school I was in before. To me, he was hot, but I liked Kylen Bronson of the BuzzKilled more than him. Maybe because I saw Kylen doing good stuff like donations and all on the internet, however, all I saw about Davian was doing concerts for his fans.

I decided to act normal, remembering Kiara’s words. Everyone was a celebrity here, after all.

“Why will I find out?” I asked him, arching an eyebrow.

He pulled a chair next to me and sat down, looking at me with his pretty gray eyes. “You know, when I was a freshman, LM was randomly taking some auditions, and I decided to try for no reason. I dragged my friends, Dee and Jax, too against their will, and look where we are now. We are one of the most famous bands here.”

“There are plenty of chances in LM, so nothing will happen if I don’t give this one audition. Besides, LM chose me after seeing my performance, didn’t they?” I deadpanned and finished eating my lunch.

“Timing is very important here. Not everyone is suited for everything. If you miss the perfect opportunity, you may never get one again. LM only releases news about successful artists,” he stated coldly, making me a little scared now.

“But—”

“I know you have heard good things about LM. But welcome to the harsh reality, beautiful.” With that, Davian walked away.

I looked at the cafeteria, only filled with boys.

The girls were so busy with the audition. What were they really auditioning for? Should I give it a try? What if Davian was right? I might miss the opportunity if I didn’t act on time. It might affect my career in the long run.

Without giving a second thought, I rushed to the audition room.