Chapter 086
HANNAH
I was frantically flipping through the pages of one of my books, searching for a quote I had forgotten when Julia's name was called. I stuffed all the books into my backpack and watched Julia climb onto the stage like she owned it.
When asked what talent she wanted to entertain the audience with, she simply answered, "Singing." I rolled my eyes, wondering if her voice would be any different from the other girls who had sung earlier.
The spotlight shone on her. She began to sing. A few seconds later, I realized something painful. I hated Julia more than anyone, but I could not deny that she had a really good voice. As a matter of fact, she sang better than anyone else. Who could have imagined that a crazy, jealous, demonic witch like her would have the voice of an angel? Definitely not me.
She finished her performance to defeating applause. I guessed she hadn't been kidding about winning competitions since she was little. With that voice and her nauseating aura, she would have certainly won several pageants. How many had I won? Oh yeah, none.
More contestants came on. There was dancing, more singing, finger painting, acrobatics and lots more. With each performance, I felt a little more of my confidence die.
"Hey."
I turned to see Willa behind me.
"What are you doing back here?" I asked her.
"Something told me you needed me close. The audience is not really allowed backstage, but-" She smiled. "Apparently, there are advantages to being an Alpha's daughter. You nervous?" I didn't even have the strength to lie anymore. I nodded. "I know. I would be nervous, too, but you got this. Don't back down now. Don't-"
The moderator called my name, and I swear my heart stopped beating for a second. I felt my skin turn cold.
"That's me," I said with a laugh.
It sounded more like a scream, so I stopped.
Willa blew me a kiss as I walked to the stage. My legs felt like they had weights attached to them as I walked, and the books I carried didn’t really help much. Finally, I was in front of the microphone, facing the crowd. It was more overwhelming than I imagined. Hundreds of eyes were staring at me, and it felt like I was sinking. Why did I ever sign up for this? I had technically signed up for my own death.
One of the judges said something. I blinked to focus, dragging my eyes away from the audience and the judge speaking.
"Go on, introduce yourself," he said, smiling reassuringly at me.
"Hello," I said, surprised that my voice was steady. I'm Hannah Baker, and my talent is reading."
There was a stir in the crowd.
"Reading," the judge said. "That's..."
"Different," another judge finished.
I managed a smile. "Yes, it is. I've read over two hundred books in the last twelve months." I took my backpack off my shoulder. "All the books are in here. You can pick any book, and I'll tell you everything about it."
"That's very confident of you," the judge said. "We will definitely take you up on that challenge."
The judges took turns picking books and asking me questions about them.
By the end of my presentation, the audience was hooked. They kept expecting me to fail at least one of the questions, and they got more eager and impressed when I didn't. So did the judges.
"Absolutely impressive and unique," declared the first judge, finally leaning back in his chair. "Thank you, Hannah Baker, for that remarkable performance."
I left the stage to a standing ovation. I thought it was even louder than Julia's.
A few more contestants were called. Soon, it was time to announce those qualified for the next stage.
"Unfortunately, some of these amazing ladies will be leaving us today," the moderator, a woman dressed in a shimmering silver gown, announced. "In this round, thirty contestants will go on to the next stage of the competition." She smiled. "I know you're all dying to know who they are. Well, let's get right to it!"
The name-calling began. The first contestant to go on to the next round was a girl who had done a fantastic finger-painting job.
Julia was among the top ten. She beamed and swayed her hips as she walked back up the stage to take her place among the others. Her minions, sitting in the crowd, kept cheering and screaming their lungs out even when the moderator started talking again.
The moderator called the other numbers. By the time she reached the twenty-fifth person, I had lost hope. Even though my performance was unique, there was certainly no way my reading was that impressive. I should have done something else.
Among the expectants around me, there were quite a few I felt had done a better job than me. There was no hope.
Willa gripped my arm so tightly that it hurt, but I didn't mind. She was probably the only thing keeping me grounded at this point.
"You'll get in, Hannah. You'll get in," she kept saying.
I wondered if she meant it or if she was just saying it to make me feel better.
"And the twenty-eight person to advance to the next round is... Hannah Baker!" the moderator announced.
"That's you!" Willa screamed.
I couldn’t believe it. Me? Oh, goddess, I qualified. For a moment, it felt like a dream. I did it!
I screamed with Willa. We jumped up and down in excitement like a pair of lunatics.
"Hannah Baker, please come to the stage," the moderator said.
A big smile was plastered over my face as I returned to the stage. Numbers twenty-nine and thirty were called.
I couldn't lose the smile even when our hands were repeatedly shaken, and we were congratulated.
I qualified.
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