CHAPTER ONE- A THOUSAND MILES

THIRD PERSON POV

In these four walls, an old and dusty store, a sound of a playing song piece on a piano is all you can hear inside these walls.

F#                         E

'Cause you know I'd walk 

B                     F#  

A thousand miles 

A girl gracefully sings aloud with her emotions as she pressed the key-chord of the piano while closing her eyes.

The sound she of her voice suits the song perfectly. The melody blends well, which surely catches the attention of any person. Like, the boy who is staring at her adoringly, hiding in the shelves.

"Alexandra, that child should be here!" The father screamed in hatred while pointing his finger at his daughter.

"Jordan! Stop saying that to our child!" The mother replied to her husband, trying her best to stop those hurtful words from her husband's mouth.

"She is not my daughter! I did not accept her! She's nothing but trash!" The father exclaims, throwing the vase on the table beside him while walking out of their home.

"Jordan! No! Come back! Come back!"

*LIFE IS HARSH*

Memories of her parent's argument are all that's running through her mind that makes her heartbroken. It cracks her voice as she let it all out. 

Little the girl knows that someone is watching and listening to her in this empty place while she keeps herself busy in her solo performance.

The girl is about to press the F# key-chord of the piano to start to sing the chorus of the song again. When she opens her teary orbs, the boy gets caught standing near the shelves, hiding while looking at her performing.

"...."

"AHHH!!!" The little girl screams that causes the boy to flinch at her pitch voice.

"Calm down! I didn't mean to surprise you." Said the boy in defense while trying to maintain his composure.

He covers his ears with his finger to protect it from the pitch scream he hears.

"AHHH!!! NOO!!" She continues screaming, which makes her veins look visible in her neck that causes the boy to be in a panic.

The boy couldn't think of anything to make her calm down but decided to let out what he comes to his mind.

"CALM DOWN OR I'LL KISS!" The boy lashed at out as his patience is running out from the girl's scream.

"YOU WHAT?! DON'T YOU DARE!" The girl squealed. 

She never imagines that her first kiss will be in this situation that scares her. She would allow a stranger to taste her lips as she covers her mouth.

"Scream again. I'll kiss you. I'll kiss you on your cheeks." The boy scratches his burning cheeks and shyly feeling embarrassed about the words he says.

His words quite work as the girl calms herself down. She was relieved that he didn't want to kiss her lips. 

"WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Said the girl while her throat sores from screaming.

"Looking at you performing effortlessly. It was a beautiful song." The boy said while giving her around of applause.

She smiles at his remark and feels her heart tightens in her chest.

*WHY AM I GETTING DELIGHTED BY HIM?* she thought.

The girl noticed the boy's white polo paired with his black jeans and blue shoes.

It is a match to her white-laced top, blue jeans, and red heels.

The boy cleared his throat to cut the silence.

"You've been staring at me for a while, are you done?" The boy sneered at her. She blushes and looks away quickly and pout.

She tries to look back at him, and they both catch each other's eyes. They chuckle in return, and the girl replies.

"Well, for a stranger like you, your fashion sense is not bad." 

The boy walks closer to her while maintaining eye contact. He stops right in front of the girl while his lips curve upwards, smirking. 

"Starting now, we are no longer a stranger-" 

"JOANABE! ARE YOU HERE? COME OUT NOW!" 

The boy couldn't continue talking because an angry voice from outside interrupted him but little did he know that it was the little girl's mother.

"I have to get going," said the girl in trouble. Her heart beats a thousand per second. 

The mother was looking for her for an hour when she tried to sneak away from her sight. 

When she was about to sprint, the boy grabs her wrist.

*GASP*

"Joanabe, so Joanabe is your name. What is the title of the piece earlier?" 

Joanabe shakes her wrist to loosen the grip. 

"JOANABE! WHERE ARE YOU?" The woman's voice outside is getting worried and shaky.

"I need to go, my mom is worried. Meet me in La Romanina I have a musical audition there at 4 p.m." She said hurriedly like a rapper while the boy let her wrist go.

She sprinted on her way to the door before she opens it to go out-

"BREAK YOUR LEG! I MEAN BREAK A LEG!" The boy screams while standing in his position properly, which makes Joanabe giggle her way out of the store.

The boy smiles at her back when Joanabe exits the shop.

Joanabe opens the door. She finds her mother standing, sweating, and irritated in front of the door, carrying her keyboard.

*GULP! I am in trouble*

"Why did you run away from me?" Her mother asked, raising her brow while her hands on her waist.

"How did you find me?" The little girl asked in return while giving her mom an awkward smile.

Her mother bends down a bit to match her height.

"Sigh... I asked you a question first, but to answer your question. I am your mother, Joanabe, and I will always find you wherever you go." 

Like a mother does to her child, she kisses her daughter's forehead, and the uneasiness from them is gone. 

The mother is relieved so as her.

"Joanabe, don't make me so worried. You know that you still have your audition. Do you know what time is it?" 

Joanabe shakes her head because she did not know the time and look down. 

She sniffs, and tears are starting to build up in her eyes that makes her vision blurry. She is starting to feel guilty.

"Joanabe, I was worried about you. I want you to be aware of what I feel. You are a clever child, but you suck at feeling people's emotions."

Her mother lightly pinches her nose to make her daughter look in her eyes. 

"C'mon, don't cry. You still have an audition to go." Her mother pulls her into a hug that warms them at the same time. They feel secured and happy, but something is still missing.

The hug still feels incomplete.

They both pull away and smile at each other. 

Her mother offers her a hand, "Let's go! So we won't be late."

She looks at the hand and holds it tightly. She swings both their hands while walking to the shed.

Her mother hailed a cab heading to La Romanina.

After a 10minutes ride. 

The cab stops at the entrance of the stadium.

Before they enter her mother hands the keyboard she is carrying to her daughter.

"You can do this Joanabe, go own the stage!" Her mother gives her encouragement to make her feel relax.

 They both enter the stadium.

A ray of light welcomes them inside as she sees the white stage she's been dreaming of, with a big spotlight. Red curtains on the side and the stage are covered with red carpet. 

The chairs for the audience are arranged per bloc (VIP, Lower bloc, Middle Bloc, Upper Bloc).

Since Joanabe is a participant in the audition that makes her mom sit in the VIP chair without having any reservation or payment while she is backstage.

The program is about to start in 15 minutes. 

She didn't even notice time flies so fast in a day.

She is starting to feel nervous, seeing the other participant rehearsing or vocalizing in her side makes her confidence fade. 

Joanabe looks at her palm that is sweating and trembling from her nervousness. Her hands clench it into a fist.

Suddenly--

A man with a red suit, black tie, white jeans, and black shoes walks in the center of the stage. The spotlight is on him.

**BANG!**

*AWE!*

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen! I am William, your host for this wonderful event. Today we will start our audition for the next talent search. Are you ready as we witness one of the participants have what it takes to showcase their talents?"

The audience is hype from the entrance of the MC. 

Joanabe knows that she is the third one to perform. They informed her the day after she signed up.

"Let's call the first participant, Shally Mae. Around of applause please." The host said as Shally Mae walk into the center of the stage and grabs her guitar.

The host prepares the mic for her.

The crowd warmly welcomes her and applaud.

"WOAH!! GO SHALLY MAE!" An unknown voice of a fan screamed in the audience.

Shally Mae giggles to her fans and nods to the organizers of the show as the signals that she is ready. 

She starts playing her song.

Shally sings teardrops of my guitar by Taylor Swift effortlessly, and there were no signs of nervousness from her voice. 

She adds a little ad-lib and ends the song with a beautiful low note and a strong strum in her guitar. She spread her hands after putting her guitar down confidently with a big smile while the crowd whistles in her performance.

Joanabe is starting to feel pressure in her seat. She tries to go to the bathroom, but her name is mentioned by the host.

"Unfortunately, the second performer informed us that he could not make it because he is sick, but the show must go on. Please help me welcome our next participant, Joanabe! Around of applause, please." 

She is shocked when her name is called by the host. Her mouth is wide open, and her eyes enlarge. 

She walks at the stage. 

All eyes are on her. She gulps and shakes her hands to calm herself.

A staff prepares her a keyboard stand. She smiles, and thank the staff.

Joanabe smiles at the crowd instead of receiving warm applause or cheers. She receives nothing but silence.

She gives her nod to the organizers and starts playing her piece. 

The piano produces a similar tone to the song a thousand miles as she presses the key, shivering. Her emotions are leaking at the tip of her finger. She glimpses at the crowd, who are uninterested in her performance. 

Until Joanabe couldn't keep up the vibe as her voice start to crack and her throat sores. She remembers her scream at the shop. 

*WHY? WHY NOW?*

She trembles and feels ashamed. Her voice is not in a condition to sing. She wants to stop in the middle of her song.

"DON'T STOP! KEEP GOING! YOU GOT THIS!" A familiar voice screams and cheers in the crowd. 

Her eyes widen and scan in the audience seats. But she did not find the person who cheers her on.

She forces herself to continue to sing while trembling and finishes her song with a hoarse voice because someone believes in her.

She walks out of the stage immediately, biting her lower lip to hold her tears from falling.

Joanabe wants to go to the restroom and cry.

Her foot slips on her way to the restroom. However, a hand grabs her waist to keep her from falling to the ground.

Moreover, she turns around to see and thank the person who saved her. Suddenly, her body is pulled forcefully into a back hug.