The Voice

I heard Niall telling Noah to go get me from my room, so I did him the favor. When he stood up from his chair, I ran at my fast pace down the stairs and walked casually into the kitchen, snatching up the last few strips of bacon as I waddled happily over to the table.

Noah laughed at me. “You gonna be okay?”

I nodded eagerly and looked over at and all too amused Niall. “I’m good now. Ish. Enough I can definitely listen.”

He smiled, and to my surprise, he looked down to his phone. “Well, this week I’ve actually brought in someone to help. She’s not helping with the vocal aspect of it all, but she’s helping with the performance side.”

“She?” Noah asked, smirking a little over at Niall. “Do you have a secret lover?”

Niall rolled his eyes and shook his head, but his smile didn’t fade. “Nope. Just an old friend I used to have a crush on.”

Madi gasped. “Is it Demi Lovato?”

“Did I hear someone say my name?” the voice of none other than Demi Lovato herself asked with a laugh as she walked into the dining room. “Ooh. Looks like I just missed breakfast.”

Niall laughed as his eyes began shining brighter than they had . . . for as long as I could remember, something that immediately broke my heart. I mean, literally. It just got stomped on and squished into the ground. Normally, I get it. Even if he does love me, like people seem to think, there are other people who make him happy. Other girls even.

But there was more to that in his eyes. Happiness . . . adoration.

That’s why I looked down at my fingernails intently while he stood up and hugged her, something she very eagerly returned.

“So this is Team Niall,” she said, voice far too chipper for my liking. “I’m Demi. I know your names, but I also know they sometimes don’t call you by what you go by.”

“I’m Everit,” I told her, giving her a tiny smile as I bit back any negative emotion I wanted to let spill out.

She laughed. “The adorable Irish one. Well, I guess you could say that for both of you.”

I just smiled at her and nodded, eyes moving back to my fingernails. I noticed Kiley looking at me strangely, even more so than Noah, but Madi was too busy being excited and introducing herself to Demi. When Kiley cocked an eyebrow, I just shrugged. My phone vibrated, though, so I very quickly checked to see if it was important.

It was Max asking how the phone call went. Instead of answering, I just turned it on silent and placed it on the table. For my own sake, I avoided all eye contact with everyone, Niall especially.

When everyone had introduced themselves, Niall began his speech. “Look, this show isn’t about me telling you what to do and seeing how well you do with it. This is about teaching you how to be a successful musician outside of this. That’s why this week, instead of telling you what to do, I’m giving you two artists. From the two artists I give you, you can pick any song they ever recorded. I think this will be the best option because I may be your coach and mentor, but you know your voice better than I do. I had to do research and listen to a lot of music I never listened to before. Got lots of new stuff from it.” He actually laughed. “Point is, I’ve done my homework so you can do yours. You decide what you wanna do. Madi, for you, the two artists are Loretta Lynn and The Band Perry.”


Her eyes were wide. “Seriously?!”

He was laughing as he nodded. “Seriously. Go on up and have fun with that.”

Very quickly, as soon as he said go, she ran out of her chair and up the stairs, nervously rambling to herself about how she’ll never be able to decide what to do. It made me smile, despite everything else.

“Noah, Guns ‘N Roses or Three Days Grace,” he said, and when Noah’s facial expression completely exploded into a new one, he started laughing. “Come on. You can pull it off, whatever you do. Now shoo, shoo. Get started on that. Oh. Before you go, tell Madi that the girls are singing Hurricane by Bridgit Mendler. The guys are singing . . . In Love With a Girl by Gavin DeGraw.”

Noah actually laughed at that and nodded. “Will do.” And he hurried up the stairs as well.
Niall’s eyes moved over to Brinley, whose eyebrows rose. “You . . . anything Joan Jett was a part of or Evanescence.”

She scoffed but didn’t do anything to stop her flirty giggle. “Gosh, Niall. This is gonna be impossible to choose!”

He just shrugged and smiled a tiny forced smile. “Well, have fun choosing. I agree. It’ll be hard.”

She let out an excited squeal before disappearing upstairs, something that made Demi laugh a little. “I like her. She’s cute.”

“No she’s not,” I snorted before looking to Niall, who stuck his tongue out at me. “What?”

He didn’t say anything but just gave me this look . . . a look that made me very horny and very eager for the next time I got to be alone with him. It was also hidden in an impassive stare, so that just made it more . . . uhh.

“Kiley, I had to dig deep for you,” he informed her. “I really wanted to find people that fit each person, and you’re complex.”

She smiled sheepishly. “I get told that a lot for some strange reason.”

“Couldn’t imagine why,” he laughed. “I finally, though, decided on VersaEmerge or the Cranberries.”

Her lips pressed together. “I think I’ve heard one Cranberries song. I love VersaEmerge, so I guess I should research the Cranberries more. I’ll get right to that.”

“Have fun,” he dismissed before looking at me. As soon as he did, his eyes tightened a little. “I think you were the hardest.”

My eyebrows rose. “Really? There’s not much complex about me. I’m quirky. Strange. A bit on
the slow side. Irish. That’s about it.”

“I can think of a lot more to say about you,” he disagreed. “I agree with all of that, but there’s more to you than that. Point is, for you, I didn’t exactly stick to the same format as everyone else. I still haven’t quite got you figured out. I wanna try something, though. I’m suggesting Christina Perri for one artist.”

To say I was gawking at him was an understatement. I think my mouth was hanging open a little, too, but I regained my composure quickly and let out a breath. “Okay. If you say so.”

That surprised him, but he laughed about it. “Alright. The other artist? I think I’ve heard you listening to them. Tonight Alive?”

My mouth fell open again, but this time in excitement. “I love them! Everyone says they’re just like Paramore, but they really aren’t! They’re Australian, and I’m a sucker for accents.”

He rolled his eyes but laughed again. “Well, there you go, Everit. Have fun, whatever you do, and just remember. You won last week, basically. Don’t let that get to your head. I know it’s you. You’re probably the most modest person I know, for whatever reason, but be careful, okay?”

“I will,” I promised, giving him a small smile. “Thanks.”

He just nodded and stood up, and when he did, his eyes and smile shifted over to Demi. “Need help getting your stuff in?”

Of course.

When I turned away from the two, I actually made a face to myself. I wasn’t paying attention to what they said until Niall said, “Go on. I’ll be right behind you, and then I’ll show you to your room.”

That’s why I hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, knowing he was more than likely sending her on so that he could talk to me. “Yes?”

“Does she bother you?” he asked, apparently having no time to beat around the bush. “It seems like she does.”

I snorted. “Psh. No. She doesn’t bother me.”

He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Really?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Well, I mean, not really. I don’t know her. Just . . . I’m fine. Really.”

“What is it?” he insisted, giving me a cute smile that melted my heart. “I had a crush on her in the past. It’s over. This, you and me, is what’s happening now. That doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

“I think you still do,” I admitted, giving him a sheepish look. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m just saying. It kinda seems like it. That’s not it, though. I don’t know her as a person, but I’m really not crazy about her as a judge. I mean, probably just from a perspective of a viewer, but it kinda seems like she took originality out of some of the people she was mentoring. Like I said, I don’t know. I’ll just have to see for myself. Just surprised me is all.”

His eyes were narrowed playfully, but to my surprise, he very quickly pulled me close to him so he could kiss my lips softly. “I’m not sure I believe you, but I gotta get out there and help her. Go have fun deciding not only what you’re gonna sing but what you’re gonna wear on your date tomorrow.” And to my surprise, he actually made a face.

That made me giggle a little. “Someone jealous?”

“Very,” he muttered in a tone that was beyond sexy. He then surprised me when he, once again, pulled me close to him as he kissed along my neck, occasionally nibbling the skin. “I wish I could do that.”

It took all of my willpower to push him away, very gently of course, and begin walking up the stairs. “One day you’ll be able to.”

“I’m holding you to that,” he said, giving me another crooked and absolutely perfect smile as he began walking away—backwards, of course.

I smiled brightly and nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.”

He let out a small whimper. “It’s harder. I wanna take you to my room and lock the door and stay there for days.”

With that thought in mind, I actually had to swallow hard and just run up the stairs, giving him a scowl while he laughed at me.

You would do that to me, you meanie.

He told us to research each band, listen to songs from each to decide what we wanted to perform, but I just wasn’t feeling Christina Perri. Honestly, it was probably because I was so scared to mess it up, the sheer awesomeness of her, but then again, I could do the same to Tonight Alive.

Still, that’s which band I decided on quite quickly, and it wasn’t too hard to decide the song from there. They had two albums and two EPs, forty-four songs to choose from. From the forty-four, all of which I knew well I might add, I could immediately eliminate eighteen. That left only twenty-six, and within fifteen minutes, I was down to just three.

No Different, Hell and Back, and The Fire.

Someone came knocking on my door, so I just said, “Come on in!” from my computer as I continued listening to The Fire.

Noah laughed. “I’ve already made up my mind.”

“Welcome to the Jungle?” I guessed, laughing as his eyes widened. “I could hear it playing more than once.”

He grinned and nodded. “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m doing Tonight Alive, and I can’t decide between No Different, Hell and Back, and The Fire,” I sighed. “I want a more . . . creepy performance, in a way. I don’t wanna just be known as the sexy and sweet girl as everyone tells me. I wanna do something different.”

“I would definitely go with No Different or Hell and Back if you’re going for slightly creepy,” he suggested. “I don’t remember much of the Fire, but I remember it doesn’t have the same chilling lyrics as those two.”

I nodded. “Agreed.”

Suddenly, it hit me. Just like that. I wanted to do something different, and No Different . . . it was my life. My life had been a hectic mess, and the lyrics describe some of the things that happened while at Prepot. Making it slightly creepy would be a challenge, but I could have fun with it.

My wings . . . they could be a part of it!

“No Different it is!” I exclaimed, smiling brightly as Noah nodded in agreement. “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” he smiled, and he ruffled my hair all over again. “Now, to get you dressed for your date tomorrow . . . .”

Goody.

Notes

The lyrics are from Wasting Away by Tonight Alive. Seriously, if you haven't checked them out and are a fan of Paramore, you should check them out. They have similar sounds, but they're not the same. <3 I love them bot, though. xD

Now, onto other business. As I said, this isn't necessarily how I feel about Demi. Trust me. This is just fiction.

Things with Demi are about to heat up, so please. If you don't wanna read anything bad about her, you've been warned in advanced, so please don't comment and tell me how wrong my depiction of her is, how horrible I am, etc. I know it's not accurate. Really, I do.

...anyways. xD

Hope you guys enjoy! I'm gonna post another chapter tonight before I go to bed. :) (I love the next chapter. :D And I think you guys will too!) Since the weekend is coming up and all. I'm doing so horrid with updating. I'll do my best to get another chapter (after the next chapter) up before I go to work tomorrow. :P

Thank you guys so much for being so awesome! I'm glad you enjoy this story. :) Really, I wrote it a while back, edited it, and decided that I wanted to show others this story. There are so many One Direction fan fictions hidden in the safety of my computer, and to be honest, this might be the only one that ever comes out. x3

I'm glad you guys love it! :D Your response has been so inspiring and day brightening, so thank you for sticking with it this long and being so awesome. :)