WISHES

Maya Larson was seventeen when she got a phone call that would change her life. She’d seen an advertisement online, which was an audition for a girl group. One of her unfulfilled ambitions, was to turn her love of dance into more than a hobby and this could be her opportunity to try. The name was already decided and how many members were in the group. Maya sent in an application and told her parents of her plans.

After much discussion, they agreed to lend her the money for a trip to another state. It would take several hours for her to arrive at the chosen venue with time to spare. Danghae had become nothing short of a small city, rapidly growing in popularity, in particular with the younger generation; the perfect place to make or break someone who had a dream to follow.

Maya stood amongst the long queue of hopeful candidates, running through it all in her head again and again, determined not to forget anything. A lady with a clipboard checked her name off the list and handed her a number. At last, it was her turn. She opened the door to the Danghae Dance Academy practise studio and walked in. If her heart had been beating any louder, it would have burst right out of her chest.

Five other people sat behind a table. She was too nervous to keep eye contact with them for too long. Quickly, she remembered to tie her long hair back up into a tight ponytail. She wore exercise pants and a loose shirt over a singlet. Her sneakers had no laces. Her entire outfit was very comfortable and easy to dance in.

Introductions were given. She took some deep breaths and calmed herself down, answering in a firm clear tone of voice, when Erik Raymora the man in charge, asked who she was. “Alright Maya, what do you have prepared for us?” “ I sing a little, but my main passion is dancing, which I’ve loved ever since I was a kid.” “Very well. Go ahead.”

The upbeat pop music came on and she got into position. Within moments she had allowed her body to be carried away by the feeling of moving to the beat; not once did she miscue a single step.

 She then froze on the spot as the piano version of a favorite song started. She was a little bit shaky to begin with, but her vocals smoothed out and got a bit stronger as the melody continued to play. The whole thing was over in about fifteen minutes or so. There was no applause when Maya finished, but something in the way they looked at her, said that she might be in with a shot…

**********

ETHEREAL’s debut could have gone either way, but luckily for Maya, Terry, Charlize and Savannah, they were able to put together with total confidence, a dynamic live and well-choreographed show. The audience’s reaction, both in the studio and for those watching the tv, was very positive. With guidance from SHEINI MUSIC’s team, they had become involved in everything that went into creating an album. The final selection of ten songs were written by the girls. A couple of them really got into the producing side of things.

They had fun coming up with concept photos for the album cover and cd booklet. An official YouTube channel was set in motion after their first broadcast. Fans could now catch a glimpse of ETHEREAL behind the scenes. The girls shared their feelings and thoughts about whatever came to mind, alongside the musical aspect of what will hopefully be enduring and successful careers.

Savannah’s naturally strong vocals were never in question and did not require much tweaking, but she had a little trouble when it came to dance. Her slightly curvier figure also gave her some concern, however when she brought up the idea of dieting, everyone around her said no, she was fine the way she was. An up-and-coming popstar with an eating disorder, was not unknown to them in this kind of business, so SHEINI tried to discourage the behavior if it should rear its ugly head and ask the person to seek help.

The group had an instructor Lee Calloway, who saw Maya’s potential at once and allowed her to plan a few of their dance lessons. Her voice did get better as she learned the ins and outs of professional singing. Terry Harmon came from a ballet background and singing wasn’t a new thing for her; what was already there began to flourish. She suggested sharing her recently acquired apartment with the three girls, that just so happened to be less than a block away from where they would be training.

Her mother had stumbled across the space a couple of months ago. It was fully furnished, of a medium size, with one bathroom, two bedrooms and a comfortable day bed in the study. The apartment would have proven to be a bit pricey for Terry to be living there by herself anyway, so a couple more tenants were very welcome. SHEINI paid some of the rent, but the group insisted that through various part time jobs, they could provide the rest.

Charlize Baxter was the oldest and immediately stepped into the role of leader. She picked up dancing fairly quickly, much to her own surprise, but had no experience whatsoever at singing; she totally winged it at her audition and managed to get through, so clearly her skills just needed some polishing.

From day one, she practiced constantly, sometimes forgetting rest and mealtimes in her attempts to improve. The members made a habit of checking in and reminding her not to overdo it. She ended up developing her own sound, not a hugely powerful voice, but steady enough to hold a tune without breaking and blend in well with the others.

The path to stardom for ETHEREAL may have seemed to be a rather easy road to travel, with very little in the way of obstacles stopping them, but like anything worthwhile, it definitely was not. SHEINI had reliable staff to keep the girls grounded and safe from harm. They appreciated having such a great support team; it was sadly a common thing these days, to hear about musical acts like theirs, not being looked after properly by people whom they should be able to trust.

There were, however, unexpected incidents that no one could have foreseen; Savannah tried but failed to hide her addiction to alcohol and was called out on it. She broke down, apologizing to everyone for her problem. She was actually toying with the idea of rehab. "I was so sure I had a handle on it but maybe I don't." Somehow the company kept this from the media, only close friends and family were made aware of the truth. Savannah’s recovery would be an ongoing process, but she was well on the right track, by the time she returned.

Terry suffered the loss of her younger sister to suicide. Nobody had a clue that things had gotten so bad with Stella. She was fifteen years old. Her family found out what had really been going on, by reading her diary. Kids at school were bullying her and it wasn’t just verbal. A guy she dated, also filmed their intimate moments and had no shame in sharing it with a whole bunch of students which made it even worse. Stella's friends couldn’t get through the walls she started to build around herself. Even her parents and brother tried to reach out, but it was no use.

Terry was inconsolable, although no-one outside their protective bubble would have known. She put on a mask in public, while in private, she was barely hanging on. In the end, therapy came in the form of Maya. She didn’t have any advice, but instead she stuck by her side, offering just to listen and be a shoulder to cry on. The other girls followed in Maya’s footsteps. They were no longer colleagues or friends, during this tough moment in Terry’s life. Their bond had strengthened, and they became sisters.

Eventually she felt comfortable enough with the girls, to talk about her little sister, things that she may not have mentioned to them before. "I think Stella hero worshipped my brother and I because to her, we were the cool protective older siblings. Style wise, she was more girly than me; I still don't own a dress, while her wardrobe was full of them. Stella also enjoyed playing basketball. Our brother Karl was teaching her how to play the guitar. I can't imagine why she would hold back from telling either of us about her struggles at school.

Our parents informed the principal of the video her douchebag boyfriend (who shall remain nameless) posted. He was suspended for five weeks, ordered to delete the footage, reveal who else he sent the video to and offer my family a sincere apology. But the damage had already been done. Personally, I would have liked to castrate him. Stella was very supportive from the moment I filled in my application. She understood how much this meant to me. I had a chance to make something happen and wow, has it paid off! At least she got to see some of my musical journey. Her own dream was to gain a scholarship and pursue a career shooting hoops. She had the skill set too."

Charlize was involved in a car accident, which of course made the headlines, but thankfully nobody died. She was released within a few days, having only suffered minor injuries. It did shake up her confidence for a while though, and she was not as eager to get back behind the wheel herself. "The outcome could have been a lot worse, so there's that to consider. But perhaps, I'll have someone else drive me around." Maya thought she was very lucky indeed, to have nothing bad happen to her, except for the removal of her tonsils, a procedure that came and went without a fuss. 

FIVE YEARS LATER…

April 12^th, 2016.

Maya paced back and forth behind the stage, feeling both excited and scared to death; her solo album MINE had finally launched. Tonight, was going to be her first official live performance of the single FADING. She had conjured up a basic outline of the song a while back, with the original intent of it being included in a group album; ETHEREAL was planning another comeback by the start of next year.

The girls talked about it and agreed that before then, they would take a much-needed break after all of their hard work. Training and endless hours in the music studio brought forth chart topping hits with elaborate music videos, packed arenas for every tour and a wave of dedicated fans. It was still a lot to handle, especially when they were teenagers. They couldn’t keep going at such a frantic pace, for fear of completely burning out.

Savannah went home to her family. Terry decided she would go on a road trip with her brother. Charlize was secretly dating an actor named Allen Whitlock. They had so far been able to have their relationship fly under the radar and were happy to spend some quality time with each other. Despite her other hobbies and the fact, she also missed seeing her parents, Maya wasn’t keen on tearing herself away from her music.

She stayed awake late most evenings, scribbling lyrics in a well-worn 250-page notebook and forming unique sounding melodies with test samples of various instruments that she might use for a song, on her laptop. She then approached one of the SHEINI producers with a rough demo. Neil Coleman played the songs. He thought it was a brilliant move to release some work as an individual. He convinced those in charge to approve, which they did without a second thought and now…

“Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for Maya, a member of the popular and very talented girl group ETHEREAL. She’s here to sing a song called FADING from her solo album MINE.” Maya walked carefully towards the microphone stand, with a bright smile on her face. Her nerves were settling with each passing second.

The crowd was cheering as she waved to them. “Do you feel sometimes that everything you wanted and got from life was in danger of suddenly disappearing, right before your eyes? I know the feeling all too well and it is what inspired my first effort at a solo record. I can assure you though with total honesty, that this venture does not mean the group has broken up. We have new stuff on the way, just you wait and see!” More cheerful applause. She gave a nod to the musicians accompanying her and the song began.

Her voice was sounding so good, you could sense the emotion in every note. Maya almost cried when glancing around at the audience, she spotted her members. She hadn't even known they would be there. The girls were singing their hearts out right along with her. Maya and her sisters in all but blood, had achieved heights that none of them ever dared to imagine and it was a long way to fall down. However, she felt within the depths of her very soul, that ETHEREAL's comeback could turn out to be their best era yet.

THE END