Sinclair nods. I see his Adam’s apple jump nervously.
‘That guy’s such a clown,’ somebody mumbles.
I’ve lost all feeling.
I can’t say what I’m afraid of. Of Sinclair embarrassing himself? Of Val and the others laughing at him and making him feel awful? God, it’s horrible. Did he even prepare for this audition, or was it just a spur-of-the-moment thing to impress Eleanor?
Everyone else on the front row is whispering to each other now. Sinclair shuts his eyes. And then the room falls silent.
When Sinclair starts to act, I forget everything. Because I had no idea he had such a presence, could be so incredibly captivating. It must be the bloody Aquarius in him. I should have known. He’s an air sign: he belongs on the stage. Why didn’t I think of that before?
The whole auditorium is shocked by how good he is. I can feel it. And Sinclair can feel it too. His voice grows firmer, hisgestures grow larger. Mr Acevedo is holding his pen in one hand, not moving.
Sinclair’s still holding the paper with his lines, but after a while, he screws it up and starts improvising. I get goosebumps. Where did he learn to do this? And why is my face glowing as he speaks these lines and looks up into the audience? In my direction. My heart’s thumping in my throat. I feel dizzy and I’m seriously glad I’m sitting down.
A spotlight shines on Sinclair’s face, and he puts his hand to his hair, smooths back his curls. Everyone can see him because he’s made to be noticed. Help.
Val’s not speaking now. He’s sitting beside me and I can feel how edgy he is. I don’t care, and when Sinclair’s finished, I join everyone else in thunderous applause. It costs me a huge effort not to jump to my feet.
Sinclair’s chest is rising more rapidly as he looks out. It almost seems like he’s only just coming back to reality now. He looks kind of surprised by himself.
‘Thank you, Charles. That was . . . that was very good,’ says Mr Acevedo, as the applause dies away. He writes something down and clicks his pen. ‘Very nice. So . . . Is there anybody else?’
Sinclair mumbles, ‘Thank you,’ and leaves the stage. My stomach ties itself in knots as Eleanor taps happily on the seat beside her. She immediately leans over to Sinclair, almost before he’s sitting next to her again, and whispers something to him.
‘Nobody else?’ I jump as Mr Acevedo, who’s sitting in the front row, glances around over his shoulder. ‘This is your last chance.’
I feel the velvet upholstery under my clammy fingers and Val’s heavy arm on my shoulders. I can’t get up. I just can’t, however much I want to. I’m almost sure my knees would give way if I tried to now.
‘Tori.’ It’s Sinclair’s voice cutting through the hush. He’s stood up again and everyone turns towards him. ‘You wanted to, didn’t you?’
My blood runs cold, and a second later, I’m flushed hot.
Shit. What’s he up to? Does he think he’s doing me a favour? If so, he’s very much mistaken.
‘Victoria?’ Mr Acevedo looks up. ‘Last chance.’
Val gives a mirthless laugh. My face is burning.
Say something. Anything.
‘No, I . . . It’s OK.’
Sinclair’s staring at me; Mr Acevedo hesitates. A few seconds pass, my heart is racing. I don’t speak, just shake my head slightly. Then Mr Acevedo turns away again and claps his hands.
‘Good! Well, that’s that, then. Thank you all for auditioning, so many of you. I’ll be announcing the final cast shortly, so you can wait here until then.’
The first people stand up. Voices grow louder. There’s nothing but roaring in my head. Sinclair’s still looking in my direction.
‘Tori?’
‘Hm?’ I jump. Val’s stood up. ‘Are you coming or not?’ he asks.
‘Yeah, sure.’ My heart is thumping the heavy beat of overwhelm as I follow Val and his friends out of the gloomy theatre. The last of the daylight is falling through the foyer windows, but that’s not why the last hour and a half feels like a dream that I’m only slowly waking up from.
‘Sorry, I . . . I think I’ll just wait here a moment,’ I say, and stop still. Val’s a little way ahead and turns back towards me. ‘I wanted to ask Mr Acevedo something.’
He eyes me suspiciously. ‘OK. I’ve got training soon. See you later.’
