a sound she hadn't heard before

nine.

Taylor grasps the steering wheel of her Toyota as she drives through the Lincoln Tunnel, into Manhattan. She can't believe that this day is finally here and they're going to start auditioning the workshop cast. It has been two weeks since the initial casting call was sent out to agents across the city, and since then, unemployed actors in every borough have been preparing their 32-bar cuts of a contemporary pop/rock piece.

Some of the producers for the show were surprised that the team didn't choose to do a round of self-tapes before inviting people in for a live audition, but Levi was very adamant about wanting to see every single person in-person. That means that this week, the team is taking a pause on the creative side of things to audition everybody who managed to snag a spot.

The traffic in the tunnel is heavy, so by the time Taylor makes it to Midtown, she has to rush to the studios. She keeps her head down and walks quickly, just like she has always done. Right out front of New 42nd Studios, however, she feels herself collide with somebody else.

"Oh my god," she says, instantly backing away from the person. Once she steps away, she is able to look at him. He's tall, which is good because it kept them from bumping heads. He has blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and is carrying a binder with his headshot tucked inside the front cover. She can't help but notice just how dashing he is, both in his headshot and as her eyes wander up to his face, in real life as well.

"Pardon me," he says in a posh British accent. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"No, no," Taylor says, "that was totally my fault. I'm so sorry. I'm just in a hurry. I'm running late for these auditions because the traffic was so heavy on the way into the city, and I wasn't watching, and... yeah. I've just really gotta go. I'm so sorry, again," Taylor rambles. At that, she scurries off, through the lobby of the studios and up the staircase, leaving the blonde man still confused in the doorway. She thinks that she hears him call something after her but doesn't catch what he says, nor does she have the time to stop, turn around, and ask.

"Did I make it in time?" Taylor asks, bursting through the door of the studio and collapsing in a metal chair at the end of a row of chairs behind a long table.

"You're good, T. Take a deep breath," Levi says. He's sitting next to her, and Ben is on the other side of Levi. "I want you to meet Kati, our choreographer."

Taylor looks up, pulling her sunglasses off of her face, to see a woman with bright pink hair, dressed in a blue sports bra with a black button-up shirt sitting on the other side of Ben. "Hi, it's really nice to meet you," Taylor smiles. "I'm sorry; I'm not usually like this, I swear. I'm Taylor."

"Don't worry," Kati laughs. "I understand completely. It's great to meet you as well."

Then, Elle walks into the room. "There's a whole lineup of hopefuls out there," she says. "We had best get started right away."

"Cool, cool," Levi replies. "I think everyone's here." Taylor takes that moment to look down the table at all of the people who are going to be watching the auditions. Elle will be on piano, and Taylor, Levi, Ben, and Kati will be watching and taking notes to decide who to call back. On top of that creative team, some of the financial backers have also come to observe. When it comes down to it, they'll get final say on who gets the roles, since they're the ones paying for it all.

After the first three auditions are fine, but quite honestly, far from memorable, Taylor realizes that this week could be a long one.

"Go ahead and send the next person in, Annie," Levi says to the young intern who is helping out with the auditions this week. The girl nods and heads out the door, then reappearing with a man who looks a little too familiar for Taylor. As she watches him take his sheet music to and quickly consult with Elle, she can't quite place her finger on it.