[Alright, shall we proceed then?]

Director Wallace said as she retreated to the side with a smile, leaving Sara to stand awkwardly in the middle of the room, alone. The judges to the audition also got themselves comfortable behind the table, rearranging their seats slightly for a better and more comfortable view of the audition.

[I guess I’ll take lead on this, you can call me Mrs. James. Before we start, I would like you to stand directly in front of this laptop. As you can see, we are filming your audition on this camera right here for future reference.]

The female judge, Mrs. James informed as she patted the camera lens.

[O-okay, Mrs. James.]

Sara nodded in understanding, immediately shuffling into place and giving the camera a nervous glance as she steadied her nerves.

[That’s perfect. Now, I’m just going to ask you for some basic information. I would like you to answer as clearly as possible so that our microphone can pick up your voice as clearly as possible.]

Mrs. James’ voice was incredibly steady as she spoke, and Sara found it surprisingly comforting amidst the generally stressful situation she had somehow found herself in.

Sara nodded to show she understood, and Mrs. James pulled out a sheet of paper while also grabbing a pen. Only after writing a few things down on the paper did she then address Sara once more.

[Now then, could you please tell me your full name, date of birth and height as a start.]

Mrs. James asked, attaching a quick addendum quickly afterwards:

[And please look into the camera as you answer.]

[Of course… My name is Sara Weiss, I was born on the thirteenth of August, 2002… And… my height is 5-5ft2.]

Hearing Sara’s stuttering at the end, Director Wallace couldn’t help chuckling as she spoke in a reassuring tone:

[Don’t worry, Sara. Your height is a non-factor, we don’t care much for it when factoring an idol candidate. It’s just basic information the company has to know.”

[Heh…]

Sara chuckled wryly.

Sara actually didn’t care much about how her small height would factor into her prospects as an idol. It was only that Sara always felt embarrassed to speak out her height aloud. It was a constant reminder of how pitifully short she was!

[2002, that means you are Sixteen going on to Seventeen. Are you in your sixth year of High School then?]

Director Wallace asked.

[Ah, yes. Though the final exams are soon, so not for too much longer.]

Sara answered and the Director nodded in turn, seemingly pleased with the information.

Meanwhile, Mrs. James had dutifully and quietly written down Sara’s answers and was ready to continue her questions, all of which mainly pertained to her education and hobbies.

[I attend *** Highschool.]

[My phone number is XXXXX XXXXXX.]

[I don’t have many hobbies. I guess... I like to read and listen to music… And I did do some gymnastics when I was younger.]

[I haven’t had any dance or singing lessons outside of education.]

After Mrs. James had finally finished out the sheet in front of her, it was then finally time for the audition to start in proper.

[Alright then Sara, this audition would usually consist of a singing and dancing demonstration. But because of the special circumstances of this audition, we will only require you to sing, as it can be assumed that you wouldn’t be able to show much skill in dancing anyway.]

Mrs. James explained amicably, and Sara was glad to hear that this was the case.

Singing, she could manage that... Somewhat.

Dancing? She wouldn’t even know where to even begin…

[Wait…]

Director Wallace interrupted at this point and Sara feared for the worse at that moment, thinking she might be forced to dance after all, but was quickly relieved when the Director went on to continue:

[…You said that you have done some gymnastics in the past, right? Does that mean you have some level of flexibility?]

[Ah, yes. I would consider myself a little flexible.]

Sara answered instinctively, turning to look at the Director enquiringly afterwards; Sara was unsure of what the grey-eyed woman was getting at.

[While not the be all to end all, flexibility is a great strength for any dancer.]

Director Wallace explained her thought process, the knuckle of her index finger resting on her chin.

[Do you mind showing us how flexible you are then?]

[I-I should be able to.]

Sara nodded and after a moment's hesitation, shook her hands in a little warm-up before bending her upper body in one swift movement, her legs keeping as straight as possible as the tips of her fingers come to touch the tips of her shoes, and with a little extra effort, even the floor, palm running flat along its length.

Keeping the position for a few short seconds, Sara then sprung back up and immediately shook her hands in preparation once more before going right into the splits!

It took her a second, her limbs not as flexible as they used to be after so many years of inactivity, but by the end of her efforts, Sara had successfully performed the splits, a smile of pleasant surprise plastering her face. Sara had initially doubted herself, thinking it might have taken a little more effort. 

[I used to be able to do this a lot faster and easier… But eh, I guess I’ve lost my touch a little.]

Sara laughed; somewhat glad she could actually still pull this off despite everything. She had mostly Briana to thank for that, as she often dragged Sara out to join her for workouts at the gym or even for the occasional jog. Because of this, Sara was still in relatively good shape.

Otherwise, Sara believed she would have spent most of her time studying, helping her parent's with work, or passing the time idly otherwise. Her desire to exercise on her own had been somewhat muted by her past accident.

Pulling herself back up, Sara brushed off any dust that had caught on her trousers before turning her attention to Director Wallace, who exclaimed gleefully:

[Great, your prospects just keep getting better and better, fufufu!]

Sara gulped at her words, not sure whether to be flattered or scared out of her wits at the sudden praise and the director's eccentric laugh.