You and Me (Plus Everyone In Between Us)

Vera Martinez

"And we're living in 3...2...1!" a crewman said from behind a blocky camera flashing a red light.

"Our next guests are the top five finalists from the hit reality TV show Finding Solstice which has millions of views every week," Vera Martinez announced, flashing her million-dollar smile I'm sure actually cost close to a million dollars. Please welcome the Finding Solstice Finalists: Ray, A.C, Lina Bueno-Yamada, Ezra Thompson, and Insomnia!"

The audience blasted off into cheers as we walked outside from behind the grand velvet stage curtains in order, with Alex behind me and Ray in front of me. Vera stood up to greet us from her desk and the soft blue couches centred on the glossy stage.

I'm glad I didn't fall. Martha put me in high red stilettos that wrapped around my ankles, as well as a long red blazer with small shorts underneath so that it looked like an awkward dress. It was by far the most revealing thing I had ever worn. A long braid extension was attached to my hair and fell all the way down my back. Platinum-Man had done a good smokey eyeshadow on me.

Everyone else looked impeccable. Martha knew what she was doing. All seven of us sat on a plush couch next to her desk, and Vera sat down and smiled at us.

"How are you guys?" Vera asked. "You all look so good!"

We all replied with a collective 'good'. This somehow felt more nerve-wracking than the actual competition itself.

It was live. Thalia had given us a rigorous media training session, so I sat awkwardly with a frozen smile on my face. If I said the wrong thing, I was toast.

"Before we get into the questions," Vera announced, clasping her hands together. "Let's go around and introduce ourselves."

The camera panned to Alex first. "Hello, I'm A.C."

Cheers.

"Hello, I'm Ray."

Louder cheers.

"Hello, we're Insomnia," the guys all said collectively. I know they had to practice that.

The camera panned to my face, and I smiled in a frozen way. "Hello, my name is Ezra!"

The audience gave some loud cheers too. Why was I so energetic? It looked like I was trying too hard. Thalia told me I was boring and needed to be more charismatic. Could they see right through me?

"Hello, my name is Lina!"

"And these are the finalists!" Vera finished, resulting in more cheers for us. "How does it feel to be a finalist on Finding Solstice, one of the biggest shows in the world? Is it a lot of pressure?"

We all looked around for someone to answer before Lina volunteered. "I think it's been hard, but it's so worth it. We're so happy to be in these finals."

The audience cheered. They cheered a lot. I hope it wasn't like this after a while.

"How did each one of you guys get on the show?" Vera asked. "Let's start with Ezra."

I tried not to look caught off guard as she smiled at me. "Yes?"

Everyone laughed. I laughed too in response. "How did you get on this show?"

"It's actually a funny story," I began. "I never wanted to audition for it in the first place."

"Really?" Vera asked.

"Yeah," I revealed. "My younger sister signed me up for the show and then tricked me into coming to the audition. I just decided to go with it, and now I'm here."

"Wow!" she said, surprised. "Who's your younger sister?"

"Her name is Maria," I revealed. "She just turned fourteen, and she's a huge fan of the show. I'm so happy to have her as a sister. She caused this to change my life."

"Thank you, Maria!" Vera yelled into the camera and everyone clapped. She would love the attention.

Everyone else gave their backstories. Lina said that her kids encouraged her to try out for the show because she loved opera singers. A.C. admitted he accompanied a friend to the audition and also ended up auditioning himself after they asked if he could sing. Insomnia became a group when they were young and decided to all go on the show.

Ray got a special segment.

"How does it feel to be back in the second round?" Jimmy asked Ray.

"I feel more prepared, but I think there's more pressure," she revealed. "More people are going to be looking at you and watching you, making sure that you have an outstanding performance."

"How did it feel not to win last year?" Vera asked again.

"It crushed me," she explained. "I worked so hard, and I just let it all go. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of Dilemma and what they've achieved, but I still wonder what it might be like."

"I hope all goes well for you," she said. "For everyone, who is your favourite judge?"

"Andre," Lina, Ray, and the guys from Insomnia all said at once. One guy from Insomnia spoke. "He's really nice. He was our mentor and always made sure that we did super well."

"Yeah," Lina picked up. "He knew what he was doing. He was an expert."

Everyone chuckled. "What about you two?" Vera pointed out.

"I really like Brian," I said. "He's an amazing mentor and knows how to help a lot."

"I second that," Alex replied.

The interview went better than I expected. I just sat there, smiled, and looked focused. No big deal. When the cameras went off and it was time for commercials, we were all ushered backstage to get quickly changed into our performance outfits.

The stylists wasted no time stripping off my red outfit into a similar black outfit. The thought made me uncomfortable, but it wasn't as unpleasant as I assumed. I was outfitted with my in-ears and mic pack attached to a belt, then I was in my new outfit. Soon I was wearing a long, gem encrusted blazer and thick combat boots. The makeup artists retouched my face before I was escorted out.

I walked out from the chaotic dressing rooms to see everyone else surrounded in the backstage area. We all looked sharp, if I had to say. But I felt nervous. We did five group practices and I wouldn't say who, but some of us were a bit shaky.

I plugged my in-ears in and stepped out with everyone onto the stage. The lights were still dark, and the cameras were trained on us. I waited in my designated spot as the cues rang out.

"Intro... 2... 3... 4!"

The piano riff of "Know No Better" blasted in my ears alongside the metronome, keeping us in place. Ray soon began singing the song before it went over to the boys from Insomnia. Lina sprinkled in ad-libs in the background.

I sang the bridge and stepped out of the line to interact with the audience. I think they cheered in response. I liked this part the best. Then the instrumental chorus came out.

We were instructed to do light choreography, and it was kind of fun. I had never performed in a group before. It felt kind of comforting. I didn't realize it was over until it was.

Vera came out from behind her desk. "Thank you for your performance! Make sure you catch the finals of Finding Solstice this Friday at 8:00 pm Pacific Time!"

We all came backstage, high off the energy from the show. That wasn't all bad. Now I just had to focus on the concert and the finals. No big deal.

We all remained in conversation, talking about the show, except for Ray. She was on her phone, then suddenly gasped.

"Ray," Alex asked. "What's wrong?"

"They just found out who Andre's mystery girl was," she admitted.

No.

"Who is it?" Lina asked.

"It's Ezra."