SHE [ Camila/You ]

Chapter I

Santa Clara, California
Interscope Records' Anniversary

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Y/N's POV

Holy. Fuck.

My heart sank to my knees as I saw the amount of attendees. It was a huge audience. People from other locations reportedly came in here to watch as well, from what I've heard. Since I can only sense anxiety, everything I have practiced has felt pointless.

Mr. Turner must've felt my uneasiness as he quickly bent down in front of me and gave my back a gentle rub, saying, "Hey, breathe. You'll do well."

"I don't think I can, sir." I stared at him nervously.

"Of course, you can do this. I've been at your practices since you were formed. I've seen how talented and dedicated you were, Y/NN. I promise you, after this, you will sweep them off their feets and your band will be known. Trust me." Mr. Turner offered me a sincere smile.

He stayed by my side till I gradually felt at ease, which I was grateful for.

I turned to look around the backstage and was greeted by the crew, which was concentrated on various individual tasks, starting with the lighting, the platforms, and the technical setups.

"Man, I can't believe it. Our biggest performance yet." Julian stated in awe to which Cleo and Brook agreed.

We all received our earpieces from a man, who I presume to be a crew member. He said with a chuckle, "Now listen, I assume Mr. Turner has already told you this, but I will say it again, for the sake of success. Julian, you're the cue, so everything you say into that lapel will be heard by your bandmates. Use that to interact with one another, understood? You might hear us talk in here too; it's for the blocking directions for the camera and platforms, so please be alert."

We replied with a nod.

"Alright, good luck kids. Do great." He flashed us a smile before walking away.

Mr. Turner rushed in at us. "They're doing a soundcheck on the stage. You'd start in 15 minutes. I've already given them directions with the technical modifications and everything needed to be customized. Right now, all you need to do is relax. I've always believed in all of you since the beginning. You can do this, girls."

Surprisingly, we were all so uptight that as soon as Mr. Turner offered his words of motivation, we crowded around him in a tight hug, which he kindly returned.

10 minutes

OneRepublic and Imagine Dragons showed up backstage. Big men who I assumed to be their bodyguards surrounded each of them. Some of them came up to us and wished us success, telling us they had watched our local performances and had helped them decide to bring us with them. They have engaged in a brief conversation with us and have managed to reassure us while urging us to enjoy ourselves.

"Always keep in mind, you shouldn't step on that stage thinking that you should impress every single one of them. Step on that stage thinking that those people are in there to have fun with you. Do not entirely focus on them, instead, dance with them. They are a part of your show."

2 minutes

The crew said through our earpieces, prompting the four of us to look at each other, "4 Mile Drive, on stage."

We soon embraced tightly before I took the lead as we moved in line toward the stage.

As I've positioned myself in front of the microphone, it would be an understatement to say that the audience resembled a massive wave of human ocean. Thank the universe for the stage lights that were all out, preventing them from seeing us quite yet.