Always
Bootcamp: Part 2
Harry’s POV
Saturday, 18th June
“When do we find out what category we have?” I asked Simon. I was getting really impatient now. Was it too much to ask to get the under 25 girls? I didn’t anyone else to mentor Kaylie. I knew she wasn’t the only girl in the category but she was the contestant I wanted to mentor the most. To guide her through the competition, picks songs for her, take her all the way to the end.
“Just before the Six-seat challenge, so around this time next month.” Simon answered. Good God, why so long? I tapped the edge of the table with my fingers while I played with my cross necklace with my other hand. Today was the first day of the Bootcamp performances. I was excited to see what songs all of the contestants had chosen to sing and if any of them sounded even better.
My mind flashed back to yesterday. I remembered standing in front of the contestants, my eyes scanning over each and every one of them. But my gaze always seemed to shift to Kaylie, especially when she didn’t notice. She had been smiling at the girl next to her and I felt happy that she had found a friend here. I had loved Alicia from her first audition and she seemed like a sweet person so I was glad Kaylie had made friends with her. I could sense that Kaylie was a shy nervous person from her audition but if she wanted to advance further into the competition, she had to gain confidence. I of all people knew that. I could relate to whatever she felt right now. Because I had been in her position six years ago.
“Why?”
I looked at Simon and raised my eyebrows.
“Hmm?”
“Why do you want to know when you find out the category you’re given? You seem very…impatient about the matter.”
I looked away and adjusted the rings on my fingers. I realised what Simon said was right. I had asked myself the question every day. I knew these things took time but I didn’t want to wait this long and find out I would not be Kaylie’s mentor. I shook my head and ran my fingers over my bottom lip.
“Sorry. I’m just…new to all this.”
“I understand, Harry, but you’ll get the hang out of it.” Simon said. I nodded. It was a lot to comprehend that I had people’s dreams in my hands. If I said no, they’d be crushed. And it would be all because of me. There was silence for a few moments before a knock banged on the door.
“Come in.” Simon declared. The door opened and Dermot appeared, his hand on the doorknob.
“It’s time.”
“Good. Come on, Harry, let’s go.” Simon said, standing up, his sunglasses dangling from the V-neck of his jumper. He patted my shoulder and followed Dermot out of the room with me bringing up the rear.
We met Dannii and Mel outside the hotel; both ladies were dressed wonderfully and looked very beautiful. The four of us were escorted around the back where a stage was set. A long table sat in front of him, aligned by four white seats. Simon sat down on one end then it was me then Mel then Dannii, just like it was in the auditions.
I looked at the stage, the lights on and the large X Factor logo printed multiple times at the back. The sun was out today and the sky was a perfect baby blue but there was a large shade above us judges that shielded us from the sunlight. I longed to see Kaylie on the stage, singing her heart out once again. I wonder what song her group had chosen. I waited in anticipation, throwing one leg over the other, as the first group walked up onto the stage.
0*0
Over an hour in and we had seen about half of the contestants. And half of them we had sent home already. There had been tears. There had been arguments. The word I had for it was intense. Kaylie and her group still hadn’t come on yet and my fingers drummed against the table, waiting for the petite 18-year-old to appear in my line of vision.
And then she did.
Alicia came up onto the stage first then Kaylie, followed by the three other girls. But I couldn’t take my eyes off Kaylie. She had her caramel hair up today in a bun and a black bandana was wrapped around her head. Her black and white dress accentuated her curvy yet slim figure and she had paired it with black ankle boots. (http://www.polyvore.com/kaylie_bootcamp_part/set?id=204566954) She was beautiful. I knew I was on camera but that didn’t stop me from smiling.
“Hello, girls.” Simon said from next to me. They all chorused “hello” and “hi” into their microphones. God, it was good to hear Kaylie’s voice again. She sounded like an angel, even when she simply spoke.
“So what song did you choose?” He asked.
“Never Be The Same by Jessica Mauboy.” Alicia answered.
“Oh, great choice! Is everyone happy with the parts they have chosen to sing?” Mel questioned and all the girls nodded. Kaylie looked just as nervous as she did at her audition, her hands gripping her microphone tightly and she shuffled her feet a little. The white-blonde-haired girl (I remembered her name was Melody) had her head held up and ran her left hand down the side of her body. She seemed a little bit…dare I say it, cocky. My eyes went to Simon when he told the girls they could perform. I leaned forward in my chair when the song began. Alicia stepped forward and started to sing.
“Let me tell you about a girl that I used to be,
Same name same face but a different me.
She didn't know what she was thinking,
Didn't know her world was sinking.”
The second girl, Skye, walked a few steps forward and took over from Alicia.
“Had her dreams written on a paper in her hand,
Held on tight but she didn't understand,
The love and hurt that she's replacing.
All the past that she's erasing,
We all get lost sometimes and we forget who we are and we forget who we are.”
Both girls had beautiful voices and held my attention greatly. My gaze was fixed onto Kaylie when she stepped in between Alicia and Skype, raising the microphone to her lips, belting out the chorus.
“Somewhere along the way, we're all running in the crazy race,
Never thinking about the hearts we break,
And as our hope starts fading away things are never gonna be the same.
‘Cause when you're standing there all alone,
Losing everything you've ever known,
You're staring at a different face things are never gonna be the same.”
The passion she had when she sang, it was incredible. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She had all of my attention. The gestures she used with her free hand, the way she moved her body to the beat of the music, the way she opened and closed her eyes when she performed. Before she started singing, she always looked so anxious. But as soon as she performed, she came alive. And that made me believe in her.
The fourth girl, Kristen, started off the bridge when Kaylie finished.
“The more you win, the more you want,
It never ends, it never stops,
Oh it's never enough.”
Then, it was Melody’s turn.
“Oh, the more you win, the more you want,
It never ends, it never stops,
Oh it's never enough, ooooh-ooooh.”
She hit the high note as the other four girls came together to sing the chorus, Melody joining them a little further in.
“We're all running in the crazy race,
Never thinking about the hearts we break,
And as our hope starts fading away things are never gonna be the same,
Cause when you're standing there all alone,
Losing everything you've ever known,
You're staring at a different face things are never gonna be the same.”
I looked as the group of five young girls sang together. All of them were great but it wasn’t just the voices that were important. It was the confidence, the way they moved on stage, their attitude. Kaylie had everything. Sure, she lacked confidence now but that would grow in time. I knew she had it in her. There was a fire brewing within her and I wanted to be the one to ignite it further.
“Things are never gonna be the same.
Things are never gonna be the same.
When you're standing there all alone,
Losing everything you've ever known,
You're staring at a different face things are never gonna be the same.
Things are never gonna be the same,
Things are never gonna be the same,
Never gonna be the same.”
We weren’t permitted to clap so it was just silence when the girls finished singing. It killed me that we couldn’t give them any feedback and we had to decide on the spot who should go through. Simon and I shared a glance while Dannii and Mel shifted in their seats.
“Right, what do you think?” Simon whispered.
“They’re all great.” Dannii said.
“But should we send all of them through?” Mel asked. I looked at the group of five girls briefly and caught Melody’s eye. She smirked at me and bit her lip. I furrowed my eyebrows and broke eye contact with her. Is she here to win? Or to flirt with me? To me, it seemed like the latter was what she focused on more.
“Harry?” Simon asked. The three other judges looked right at me and I was suddenly put on the spot. I leaned back in my chair and ran my hand through my hair for the tenth time today.
“Alicia and Kaylie shone the most but all of them deserve to perform again. I want them to do a song individually and then, it’ll be easier.” I said. Fortunately, the judges concurred with me. Our gazes returned to the five girls, who all waited patiently and nervously. Apart from Melody. She still had that smirk on her face but I ignored her.
“Girls, all of you are through to the next round.” Dannii declared with a smile. I watched as the girls squealed and brought each other in for hugs. I noticed Kaylie kept her distance from Melody. There was tension between them, I could sense it. Disregarding Melody’s attempts of trying to get my attention, I smiled when I saw the look of happiness on Kaylie’s face, her smile brightening up her fair complexion. A rush of warmth flooded my stomach again when she locked eyes with me, brown meeting green.
“Off you go, girls.” Simon directed to the side of the stage with his pen.
“Thank you so much!” Kaylie grinned.
“Thank you!” Alicia said sweetly.
They all walked off the stage and as they passed our table, I saw Alicia and Kaylie link arms, smiling at each other. They already looked close and I felt happy. The girls disappeared behind the hedges surrounding the area, leaving us alone again. I tried my best to hide my smile but I couldn’t. Kaylie’s through. She’s through. I was once again filled with delight, remembering the warmth of her chocolate-coloured eyes, shining with gratitude. I didn’t realise I had zoned out until Simon said my name.
“Harry, you OK?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just…pleased for them.” I answered quickly. I saw the corners of Mel’s thin lips tug up, patting my hand with her ring-adorned fingers.
“You’ve got your eye on her.”
It was a statement, not a question. I knew who the “her” was. Mel didn’t need to specify which girl. I knew it had started to become obvious that I had a soft spot for Kaylie. But who could blame me? She had sung a song I had written for her audition and her voice was amazing. The way she made me feel with a single look made my heart jump. And I knew exactly what was happening.
I was falling for Kaylie Walker.
Saturday, 18th June
“When do we find out what category we have?” I asked Simon. I was getting really impatient now. Was it too much to ask to get the under 25 girls? I didn’t anyone else to mentor Kaylie. I knew she wasn’t the only girl in the category but she was the contestant I wanted to mentor the most. To guide her through the competition, picks songs for her, take her all the way to the end.
“Just before the Six-seat challenge, so around this time next month.” Simon answered. Good God, why so long? I tapped the edge of the table with my fingers while I played with my cross necklace with my other hand. Today was the first day of the Bootcamp performances. I was excited to see what songs all of the contestants had chosen to sing and if any of them sounded even better.
My mind flashed back to yesterday. I remembered standing in front of the contestants, my eyes scanning over each and every one of them. But my gaze always seemed to shift to Kaylie, especially when she didn’t notice. She had been smiling at the girl next to her and I felt happy that she had found a friend here. I had loved Alicia from her first audition and she seemed like a sweet person so I was glad Kaylie had made friends with her. I could sense that Kaylie was a shy nervous person from her audition but if she wanted to advance further into the competition, she had to gain confidence. I of all people knew that. I could relate to whatever she felt right now. Because I had been in her position six years ago.
“Why?”
I looked at Simon and raised my eyebrows.
“Hmm?”
“Why do you want to know when you find out the category you’re given? You seem very…impatient about the matter.”
I looked away and adjusted the rings on my fingers. I realised what Simon said was right. I had asked myself the question every day. I knew these things took time but I didn’t want to wait this long and find out I would not be Kaylie’s mentor. I shook my head and ran my fingers over my bottom lip.
“Sorry. I’m just…new to all this.”
“I understand, Harry, but you’ll get the hang out of it.” Simon said. I nodded. It was a lot to comprehend that I had people’s dreams in my hands. If I said no, they’d be crushed. And it would be all because of me. There was silence for a few moments before a knock banged on the door.
“Come in.” Simon declared. The door opened and Dermot appeared, his hand on the doorknob.
“It’s time.”
“Good. Come on, Harry, let’s go.” Simon said, standing up, his sunglasses dangling from the V-neck of his jumper. He patted my shoulder and followed Dermot out of the room with me bringing up the rear.
We met Dannii and Mel outside the hotel; both ladies were dressed wonderfully and looked very beautiful. The four of us were escorted around the back where a stage was set. A long table sat in front of him, aligned by four white seats. Simon sat down on one end then it was me then Mel then Dannii, just like it was in the auditions.
I looked at the stage, the lights on and the large X Factor logo printed multiple times at the back. The sun was out today and the sky was a perfect baby blue but there was a large shade above us judges that shielded us from the sunlight. I longed to see Kaylie on the stage, singing her heart out once again. I wonder what song her group had chosen. I waited in anticipation, throwing one leg over the other, as the first group walked up onto the stage.
0*0
Over an hour in and we had seen about half of the contestants. And half of them we had sent home already. There had been tears. There had been arguments. The word I had for it was intense. Kaylie and her group still hadn’t come on yet and my fingers drummed against the table, waiting for the petite 18-year-old to appear in my line of vision.
And then she did.
Alicia came up onto the stage first then Kaylie, followed by the three other girls. But I couldn’t take my eyes off Kaylie. She had her caramel hair up today in a bun and a black bandana was wrapped around her head. Her black and white dress accentuated her curvy yet slim figure and she had paired it with black ankle boots. (http://www.polyvore.com/kaylie_bootcamp_part/set?id=204566954) She was beautiful. I knew I was on camera but that didn’t stop me from smiling.
“Hello, girls.” Simon said from next to me. They all chorused “hello” and “hi” into their microphones. God, it was good to hear Kaylie’s voice again. She sounded like an angel, even when she simply spoke.
“So what song did you choose?” He asked.
“Never Be The Same by Jessica Mauboy.” Alicia answered.
“Oh, great choice! Is everyone happy with the parts they have chosen to sing?” Mel questioned and all the girls nodded. Kaylie looked just as nervous as she did at her audition, her hands gripping her microphone tightly and she shuffled her feet a little. The white-blonde-haired girl (I remembered her name was Melody) had her head held up and ran her left hand down the side of her body. She seemed a little bit…dare I say it, cocky. My eyes went to Simon when he told the girls they could perform. I leaned forward in my chair when the song began. Alicia stepped forward and started to sing.
“Let me tell you about a girl that I used to be,
Same name same face but a different me.
She didn't know what she was thinking,
Didn't know her world was sinking.”
The second girl, Skye, walked a few steps forward and took over from Alicia.
“Had her dreams written on a paper in her hand,
Held on tight but she didn't understand,
The love and hurt that she's replacing.
All the past that she's erasing,
We all get lost sometimes and we forget who we are and we forget who we are.”
Both girls had beautiful voices and held my attention greatly. My gaze was fixed onto Kaylie when she stepped in between Alicia and Skype, raising the microphone to her lips, belting out the chorus.
“Somewhere along the way, we're all running in the crazy race,
Never thinking about the hearts we break,
And as our hope starts fading away things are never gonna be the same.
‘Cause when you're standing there all alone,
Losing everything you've ever known,
You're staring at a different face things are never gonna be the same.”
The passion she had when she sang, it was incredible. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She had all of my attention. The gestures she used with her free hand, the way she moved her body to the beat of the music, the way she opened and closed her eyes when she performed. Before she started singing, she always looked so anxious. But as soon as she performed, she came alive. And that made me believe in her.
The fourth girl, Kristen, started off the bridge when Kaylie finished.
“The more you win, the more you want,
It never ends, it never stops,
Oh it's never enough.”
Then, it was Melody’s turn.
“Oh, the more you win, the more you want,
It never ends, it never stops,
Oh it's never enough, ooooh-ooooh.”
She hit the high note as the other four girls came together to sing the chorus, Melody joining them a little further in.
“We're all running in the crazy race,
Never thinking about the hearts we break,
And as our hope starts fading away things are never gonna be the same,
Cause when you're standing there all alone,
Losing everything you've ever known,
You're staring at a different face things are never gonna be the same.”
I looked as the group of five young girls sang together. All of them were great but it wasn’t just the voices that were important. It was the confidence, the way they moved on stage, their attitude. Kaylie had everything. Sure, she lacked confidence now but that would grow in time. I knew she had it in her. There was a fire brewing within her and I wanted to be the one to ignite it further.
“Things are never gonna be the same.
Things are never gonna be the same.
When you're standing there all alone,
Losing everything you've ever known,
You're staring at a different face things are never gonna be the same.
Things are never gonna be the same,
Things are never gonna be the same,
Never gonna be the same.”
We weren’t permitted to clap so it was just silence when the girls finished singing. It killed me that we couldn’t give them any feedback and we had to decide on the spot who should go through. Simon and I shared a glance while Dannii and Mel shifted in their seats.
“Right, what do you think?” Simon whispered.
“They’re all great.” Dannii said.
“But should we send all of them through?” Mel asked. I looked at the group of five girls briefly and caught Melody’s eye. She smirked at me and bit her lip. I furrowed my eyebrows and broke eye contact with her. Is she here to win? Or to flirt with me? To me, it seemed like the latter was what she focused on more.
“Harry?” Simon asked. The three other judges looked right at me and I was suddenly put on the spot. I leaned back in my chair and ran my hand through my hair for the tenth time today.
“Alicia and Kaylie shone the most but all of them deserve to perform again. I want them to do a song individually and then, it’ll be easier.” I said. Fortunately, the judges concurred with me. Our gazes returned to the five girls, who all waited patiently and nervously. Apart from Melody. She still had that smirk on her face but I ignored her.
“Girls, all of you are through to the next round.” Dannii declared with a smile. I watched as the girls squealed and brought each other in for hugs. I noticed Kaylie kept her distance from Melody. There was tension between them, I could sense it. Disregarding Melody’s attempts of trying to get my attention, I smiled when I saw the look of happiness on Kaylie’s face, her smile brightening up her fair complexion. A rush of warmth flooded my stomach again when she locked eyes with me, brown meeting green.
“Off you go, girls.” Simon directed to the side of the stage with his pen.
“Thank you so much!” Kaylie grinned.
“Thank you!” Alicia said sweetly.
They all walked off the stage and as they passed our table, I saw Alicia and Kaylie link arms, smiling at each other. They already looked close and I felt happy. The girls disappeared behind the hedges surrounding the area, leaving us alone again. I tried my best to hide my smile but I couldn’t. Kaylie’s through. She’s through. I was once again filled with delight, remembering the warmth of her chocolate-coloured eyes, shining with gratitude. I didn’t realise I had zoned out until Simon said my name.
“Harry, you OK?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just…pleased for them.” I answered quickly. I saw the corners of Mel’s thin lips tug up, patting my hand with her ring-adorned fingers.
“You’ve got your eye on her.”
It was a statement, not a question. I knew who the “her” was. Mel didn’t need to specify which girl. I knew it had started to become obvious that I had a soft spot for Kaylie. But who could blame me? She had sung a song I had written for her audition and her voice was amazing. The way she made me feel with a single look made my heart jump. And I knew exactly what was happening.
I was falling for Kaylie Walker.
Notes
OK, I think I’m getting the hang of writing from Harry’s perspective. Is it good? Anything I should improve on?
As you can see, I have created a Polyvore account so please click on the links to see the characters’ outfits!
Also, at Judges’ Houses, who would you rather have as Harry’s guest judge: Louis or Niall?
blankspace1 xx
We’re dying for an update here. I love it. <3
11/19/17