Always
Bootcamp: Part 3
Kaylie’s POV
Sunday, 19th June
“Did you see the way Harry smiled at you?”
I giggled at Alicia’s words. To be honest, I thought he smiled like that at everyone but I saw the look of disdain he had given Melody when she had tried to flirt with him yesterday. I was so happy, and not only I was through, but because the other girls in my group were too. I wish Melody was eliminated but no, she was still here. The two other girls who shared a room with us in the hotel had gone downstairs to grab some food from the café so it was just Alicia and I.
“Are you sure he was smiling at me?” I asked.
“Are you kidding? He couldn’t take his emerald jewels off you!” Alicia exclaimed, clapping her hands together. I got to say, it was like having a sister. And it felt great. Being surrounded by my brothers for my whole life, it was a refreshing change to talk about boys and girly things with someone who was not my mother.
I didn’t know why Harry always looked at me. I was nothing special. Just a girl with a dream. I was a nobody. Yet he smiled when he looked at me, his green eyes sparkling with joy, his dimples making my heart flutter. But today, my stomach was full of butterflies. Why? Because it was the day of individual performances at Bootcamp and only 64 acts would make it through to the next stage of the competition. This time, we could choose what song to sing. Alicia had chosen Skyscraper by Demi Lovato while I had picked Empire by Ella Henderson. Both of us felt more comfortable as soloists and we didn’t have to deal with Melody so we could focus on our own dreams.
“It’s my turn to go. Good luck.” Alicia said, standing up. Her clothes suited her beautifully and she had left her curly hair loose. (http://www.polyvore.com/alicia_bootcamp_part/set?id=204567896) I stood up with her and gave her a hug. I wished her good luck too and squeezed her hands just before she left the room, rolling her shoulders back in confidence.
I admired her strength and her optimism. I never felt that confident before performing. I was always so nervous but I had to minimise that if I wanted to advance to the live shows. I could definitely count Alicia as a friend, even after only knowing her for a couple of days. She was so kind and made me forget we were in a competition. I would hate to compete against her because I didn’t want her to be eliminated and she specifically told me she didn’t want me to get eliminated either. I never thought that applying for The X Factor would result in me making a very close friend with another contestant.
I was due to perform at 2:15 so that gave me 20 minutes. I gave myself ten minutes to walk to the stage, which was the same one that we stood on yesterday. For the other ten minutes, I plugged my earphones into my ears and listened to Empire a couple of times, memorising the lyrics. I needed to do well. I needed to impress the judges again. I wanted to make my grandmother proud. I wish she was still here, wishing me luck as I followed my dreams.
The time flew too fast and I realised it was time for me to go. I stood up and fixed my clothes before walking out of the room. (http://www.polyvore.com/kaylie_bootcamp_part/set?id=204568401)
0*0
The judges’ desk came into view and my heartbeat increased. Simon on one end, Harry next to him, Mel next to him and Dannii on the other end. The two women looked very beautiful, their hair styled to perfection and their clothes were definitely designer brands. Simon always looked casual in jeans and a black jumper with sunglasses on and Harry looked drop dead gorgeous. I could see his legs encased in his signature black skinny jeans with beige ankle boots on his feet and a striped light blue short-sleeved shirt covered his torso, the buttons open to show the swallow tattoos on his chest. I wanted to die right then and there but I told myself to be confident and walked onto the stage, gripping the microphone in my left hand.
All four of them looked at me and I found my heart jumping again when Harry’s eyes locked to mine. I could see the cameras and I knew that this was going to be televised but I tried my best to forget about all that and focus on entertaining the judges.
“Hello, Kaylie.” Simon said with a smile, playing with the pen in his hands.
“Hi.” I said gently.
“So what song did you choose to perform for us today, Kaylie?” Harry asked me. I was lost in the beauty of his English accent. I felt like I was about to swoon and fall to the ground because my knees felt like jelly from him saying my name. I felt more nervous than I did at my audition. And there had been thousands of people there. I only had four judges to impress and cameras pointed in my direction but because this was Bootcamp, I knew I had to do better. I needed to be confident and show the judges that I deserved to go further into the competition.
“I’m going to sing Empire by Ella Henderson.” I answered. I saw Mel and Dannii write on the paper on the desk while Simon and Harry’s gazes remained on me. Simon wished me luck and signalled me to start. The beat of the music started and I raised the microphone to my mouth.
“Build on and love and we’ll…”
I moved my body to the tune until it was time for me to start the first verse.
“I see your light
I know it’s coming and I’m terrified
No more defences here to hide behind
Oh, just you and I
And through the smoke
I see you burning like a ray of hope
I found the fire now the ashes glow
Oh, I come alive.”
“And now that I’m awake
I’m not afraid
I’m letting go tonight.”
My eyes momentarily fluttered closed as I approached the chorus.
“‘Cause we found strength in each other’s’ arms
We built this love and we made it our
Empire, empire, empire
And you and I can rule each other’s’ hearts
We’ll build on love and we’ll make it our
Empire, empire, empire.”
I adored the song. Ella was one of my favourite artists and I loved her song Ghost as well but I preferred Empire. It was such a beautiful song and I knew it was the right sort of song to sing for me because I liked to sing those slow emotional songs, which was why I sang Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart for my audition. All the judges’ eyes were on me but the ones I was most drawn too were Harry’s. His hair had been pushed back away from his face by a pair of sunglasses and a small smile tugged at his pink lips. You would think that looking right at Harry would make me stuff up my performance but on the contrary, it only made me give more passion into it, all because of the stunning look Harry was giving me.
“They’ll never take it down
Take it down
Burn it down
Burn us down
Take it down
Take down our empire
They’ll never take it down
Take it down
Burn it down
Burn us down
Take it down
Take down our empire.”
It was an empowering song to me. No-one could take me down. I didn’t want anyone to burn my chances of getting through to the next round. Especially not Melody. I hadn’t seen her all day and I was thankful. I didn’t need to deal with her, nor did I want to. I didn’t come here to make enemies. I came here for myself and for my family. For my late grandmother.
“‘Cause we found strength in each other’s’ arms
We built this love and we made it our
Empire, empire, empire.
And you and I can rule each other’s’ hearts
We’ll build on love and we’ll make it our
Empire, empire, empire.”
“They’ll never take it down
Take it down
Burn it down
Burn us down
Take it down
Take down our empire.”
I lowered the microphone from my lips and took a step back, my nervousness ruining the confident façade I had put on during my performance. Harry looked at Simon, who raised an eyebrow while Mel and Dannii looked at me, showing no indication of what they thought of my singing.
I waited nervously as the judges consulted amongst themselves. Everything they said was inaudible to me and that made me even more anxious. What are they saying about me? Was I good? Was I shit? Am I going to get through to the next stage? My heartbeat sped up when Harry locked his green eyes to mine, the slightest of a smirk on his face, the dimple in his left cheek appearing.
“What a beautiful performance.”
My stomach swarmed with butterflies from his kind compliment. It was the best feedback I could have asked for. I nodded my head and returned his smile a little, rubbing my arm with my free hand, biting my lip as my gaze scanned across the four superstar judges. But just because I had done a beautiful performance, it didn’t mean I immediately got through to the next round.
Or so I thought.
“You’re through, Kaylie.” Harry said, his grin widening, licking his lips. God, does he have to do that in front of me? When I am being filmed? I was so shocked that I didn’t know how to react. The message finally went from my brain down my arm so my hand went over my mouth, my eyes wide. I so badly wanted to leap off the stage and engulf Harry in the biggest and tightest hug possible. But my feet were rooted to the spot and I felt like I couldn’t move.
After at least 10 seconds of silence (which were the most awkward 10 seconds of my life), I managed to choke out a “thank you” before walking off the stage, my hand returning to my mouth because I knew I would scream if my hand was not over my mouth.
I rushed back into the hotel and headed straight for my room, barging through the door, not caring how loud I was.
Alicia jumped up from her spot on the bed and from seeing me, she knew I was through and I knew she was through because anyone who was sent home had to come and grab their bags before leaving. Both of us grinned at each other and launched into a hug bear hug, laughing like maniacs.
“I’m so happy you got through!” Alicia cried.
“Me too! It’s so great to have such a close friend coming along this journey with me.” I smiled, swaying our bodies from side-to-side.
“OK, spill! What did Harry say about your performance?” Alicia demanded, dragging me by the hand and pushing me down on her bed. I knew this question would come up so I decided to tell her the truth.
“He said my performance was beautiful.”
“Oh, wow! I just know it was. I can’t wait for our next challenge.” Alicia smiled, squeezing my hand tightly. I sighed and threaded my fingers with hers, nodding in agreement.
“You and me both.”
Sunday, 19th June
“Did you see the way Harry smiled at you?”
I giggled at Alicia’s words. To be honest, I thought he smiled like that at everyone but I saw the look of disdain he had given Melody when she had tried to flirt with him yesterday. I was so happy, and not only I was through, but because the other girls in my group were too. I wish Melody was eliminated but no, she was still here. The two other girls who shared a room with us in the hotel had gone downstairs to grab some food from the café so it was just Alicia and I.
“Are you sure he was smiling at me?” I asked.
“Are you kidding? He couldn’t take his emerald jewels off you!” Alicia exclaimed, clapping her hands together. I got to say, it was like having a sister. And it felt great. Being surrounded by my brothers for my whole life, it was a refreshing change to talk about boys and girly things with someone who was not my mother.
I didn’t know why Harry always looked at me. I was nothing special. Just a girl with a dream. I was a nobody. Yet he smiled when he looked at me, his green eyes sparkling with joy, his dimples making my heart flutter. But today, my stomach was full of butterflies. Why? Because it was the day of individual performances at Bootcamp and only 64 acts would make it through to the next stage of the competition. This time, we could choose what song to sing. Alicia had chosen Skyscraper by Demi Lovato while I had picked Empire by Ella Henderson. Both of us felt more comfortable as soloists and we didn’t have to deal with Melody so we could focus on our own dreams.
“It’s my turn to go. Good luck.” Alicia said, standing up. Her clothes suited her beautifully and she had left her curly hair loose. (http://www.polyvore.com/alicia_bootcamp_part/set?id=204567896) I stood up with her and gave her a hug. I wished her good luck too and squeezed her hands just before she left the room, rolling her shoulders back in confidence.
I admired her strength and her optimism. I never felt that confident before performing. I was always so nervous but I had to minimise that if I wanted to advance to the live shows. I could definitely count Alicia as a friend, even after only knowing her for a couple of days. She was so kind and made me forget we were in a competition. I would hate to compete against her because I didn’t want her to be eliminated and she specifically told me she didn’t want me to get eliminated either. I never thought that applying for The X Factor would result in me making a very close friend with another contestant.
I was due to perform at 2:15 so that gave me 20 minutes. I gave myself ten minutes to walk to the stage, which was the same one that we stood on yesterday. For the other ten minutes, I plugged my earphones into my ears and listened to Empire a couple of times, memorising the lyrics. I needed to do well. I needed to impress the judges again. I wanted to make my grandmother proud. I wish she was still here, wishing me luck as I followed my dreams.
The time flew too fast and I realised it was time for me to go. I stood up and fixed my clothes before walking out of the room. (http://www.polyvore.com/kaylie_bootcamp_part/set?id=204568401)
0*0
The judges’ desk came into view and my heartbeat increased. Simon on one end, Harry next to him, Mel next to him and Dannii on the other end. The two women looked very beautiful, their hair styled to perfection and their clothes were definitely designer brands. Simon always looked casual in jeans and a black jumper with sunglasses on and Harry looked drop dead gorgeous. I could see his legs encased in his signature black skinny jeans with beige ankle boots on his feet and a striped light blue short-sleeved shirt covered his torso, the buttons open to show the swallow tattoos on his chest. I wanted to die right then and there but I told myself to be confident and walked onto the stage, gripping the microphone in my left hand.
All four of them looked at me and I found my heart jumping again when Harry’s eyes locked to mine. I could see the cameras and I knew that this was going to be televised but I tried my best to forget about all that and focus on entertaining the judges.
“Hello, Kaylie.” Simon said with a smile, playing with the pen in his hands.
“Hi.” I said gently.
“So what song did you choose to perform for us today, Kaylie?” Harry asked me. I was lost in the beauty of his English accent. I felt like I was about to swoon and fall to the ground because my knees felt like jelly from him saying my name. I felt more nervous than I did at my audition. And there had been thousands of people there. I only had four judges to impress and cameras pointed in my direction but because this was Bootcamp, I knew I had to do better. I needed to be confident and show the judges that I deserved to go further into the competition.
“I’m going to sing Empire by Ella Henderson.” I answered. I saw Mel and Dannii write on the paper on the desk while Simon and Harry’s gazes remained on me. Simon wished me luck and signalled me to start. The beat of the music started and I raised the microphone to my mouth.
“Build on and love and we’ll…”
I moved my body to the tune until it was time for me to start the first verse.
“I see your light
I know it’s coming and I’m terrified
No more defences here to hide behind
Oh, just you and I
And through the smoke
I see you burning like a ray of hope
I found the fire now the ashes glow
Oh, I come alive.”
“And now that I’m awake
I’m not afraid
I’m letting go tonight.”
My eyes momentarily fluttered closed as I approached the chorus.
“‘Cause we found strength in each other’s’ arms
We built this love and we made it our
Empire, empire, empire
And you and I can rule each other’s’ hearts
We’ll build on love and we’ll make it our
Empire, empire, empire.”
I adored the song. Ella was one of my favourite artists and I loved her song Ghost as well but I preferred Empire. It was such a beautiful song and I knew it was the right sort of song to sing for me because I liked to sing those slow emotional songs, which was why I sang Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart for my audition. All the judges’ eyes were on me but the ones I was most drawn too were Harry’s. His hair had been pushed back away from his face by a pair of sunglasses and a small smile tugged at his pink lips. You would think that looking right at Harry would make me stuff up my performance but on the contrary, it only made me give more passion into it, all because of the stunning look Harry was giving me.
“They’ll never take it down
Take it down
Burn it down
Burn us down
Take it down
Take down our empire
They’ll never take it down
Take it down
Burn it down
Burn us down
Take it down
Take down our empire.”
It was an empowering song to me. No-one could take me down. I didn’t want anyone to burn my chances of getting through to the next round. Especially not Melody. I hadn’t seen her all day and I was thankful. I didn’t need to deal with her, nor did I want to. I didn’t come here to make enemies. I came here for myself and for my family. For my late grandmother.
“‘Cause we found strength in each other’s’ arms
We built this love and we made it our
Empire, empire, empire.
And you and I can rule each other’s’ hearts
We’ll build on love and we’ll make it our
Empire, empire, empire.”
“They’ll never take it down
Take it down
Burn it down
Burn us down
Take it down
Take down our empire.”
I lowered the microphone from my lips and took a step back, my nervousness ruining the confident façade I had put on during my performance. Harry looked at Simon, who raised an eyebrow while Mel and Dannii looked at me, showing no indication of what they thought of my singing.
I waited nervously as the judges consulted amongst themselves. Everything they said was inaudible to me and that made me even more anxious. What are they saying about me? Was I good? Was I shit? Am I going to get through to the next stage? My heartbeat sped up when Harry locked his green eyes to mine, the slightest of a smirk on his face, the dimple in his left cheek appearing.
“What a beautiful performance.”
My stomach swarmed with butterflies from his kind compliment. It was the best feedback I could have asked for. I nodded my head and returned his smile a little, rubbing my arm with my free hand, biting my lip as my gaze scanned across the four superstar judges. But just because I had done a beautiful performance, it didn’t mean I immediately got through to the next round.
Or so I thought.
“You’re through, Kaylie.” Harry said, his grin widening, licking his lips. God, does he have to do that in front of me? When I am being filmed? I was so shocked that I didn’t know how to react. The message finally went from my brain down my arm so my hand went over my mouth, my eyes wide. I so badly wanted to leap off the stage and engulf Harry in the biggest and tightest hug possible. But my feet were rooted to the spot and I felt like I couldn’t move.
After at least 10 seconds of silence (which were the most awkward 10 seconds of my life), I managed to choke out a “thank you” before walking off the stage, my hand returning to my mouth because I knew I would scream if my hand was not over my mouth.
I rushed back into the hotel and headed straight for my room, barging through the door, not caring how loud I was.
Alicia jumped up from her spot on the bed and from seeing me, she knew I was through and I knew she was through because anyone who was sent home had to come and grab their bags before leaving. Both of us grinned at each other and launched into a hug bear hug, laughing like maniacs.
“I’m so happy you got through!” Alicia cried.
“Me too! It’s so great to have such a close friend coming along this journey with me.” I smiled, swaying our bodies from side-to-side.
“OK, spill! What did Harry say about your performance?” Alicia demanded, dragging me by the hand and pushing me down on her bed. I knew this question would come up so I decided to tell her the truth.
“He said my performance was beautiful.”
“Oh, wow! I just know it was. I can’t wait for our next challenge.” Alicia smiled, squeezing my hand tightly. I sighed and threaded my fingers with hers, nodding in agreement.
“You and me both.”
Notes
First of all, sorry for not updating yesterday! It’s almost been two weeks since my grandfather passed away. My grandmother is just inconsolable still, wailing and crying and I just wasn’t in the right mindset to write or update. I needed to look after her.
On a positive note, I made a twitter, guys! It’s xxblankspace1xx, go follow me! Hope you liked the update!
blankspace1 xx
We’re dying for an update here. I love it. <3
11/19/17