I could sing again. I could not believe what I had just heard. A last chance was given to me. Me and only me.

"Can I say something?" Julia turned on her mike and replied: "I think it's totally unfair that she can sing again and we can't because I know I have a good voice and…"

"You almost failed on casting, and you totally did today." Dieter bluntly cut her short.

"Yeah, but so did she."

"True, but at least, she got the tune right." Tom said.

"I found the tune too!"

"No, you didn't." Tom insisted.

"Also, you didn't ask for a second chance, she did." Mateo replied.

"And bravely so…" Dieter added.

"Yeah, but we all screwed up because of her in the first place! We couldn't practice enough because she kept on missing the…"

"Julia, that'll do." Bill said this time in a firm tone again. "You can't discuss the decisions of the jury."

The studio went silent. The atmosphere was so tense around us now one could have cut it with a knife. Bill was now glaring at her which –I must admit- was a little scary, even for me.

"No!" She suddenly shouted. "I can sing! I swear I can! Just a chorus, just one!"

She then started to sing something I didn't know, probably another song she had prepared just in case too. However, that still wasn't enough to impress the jury:

"Julia… Julia…" Mateo tried to call out to her.

But she wouldn't stop. She just couldn't stop anymore. The silence of the three other judges confused Oksana too who smiled and tightened her grip on her mike, now all hopeful too - except that their silence wasn't of admiration or politeness, it was of annoyance.

"...Thank you." Tom said. "Good bye now, the three of you."

I watched them all walk away from me –though I sincerely felt bad for Martin- feeling now like a lamb brought alone in front of four butchers.

"So Lola, what will you sing?" Bill asked.

""Apologize" from One Republic."

"Go ahead."

M-Y L-A-S-T C-H-A-N-C-E. The letters danced in front of my eyes when I heard the deep sad notes on the keyboard behind me. I thought of how empty the room felt for a second… Except for Bill's eyes. Once again, they were the only spot I would focus on. This song was about cold rage and pain, of fortitude within the resignation.

"I'm holding on your rope

Got me ten feet off the ground

And I'm hearing what you say

But I just can't make a sound...

You tell me that you need me

Then you go and cut me down, but wait

You tell me that you're sorry

Didn't think I'd turn around and say…"

That it's too late to apologize for being where I was. It's too late. It's too late to apologize for fighting for myself and show all these arrogant, ungrateful, merciless people who I really was.

I could see the jury in my peripheral vision, all quiet and focused. Bill was mouthing along with me, which would have made me smile if I were watching this from another point of view.

Only when I had no lyrics to sing anymore did I realize that I had closed my eyes. When I opened them again, they were all looking at me with the same blank expression, except Bill whose smile grew wider and wider. Finally, Dieter smiled at me too and I could at last relax.

"I guess the five of us know the verdict." He said. "What do you think, Lola?"

"I guess… I made it?" I hesitated.

"Lola," Bill said. "I'm so proud of you! You totally made it. I fought for you and I'm glad it was definitely worth it. Welcome back."

His eyes were shining with joy like a little boy's, finding his long lost treasure back.

"Now," He added. "you have to promise me that from now on, you will fight right up to the edge."

"Thank you! I will!" I replied, almost squeaking in the process.

I went to their table and took the badge Bill handed me. I felt like I had no choice but to shake his hand, which I did. I was surprised when the smile he gave me and the intense look of his chocolate brown eyes made me fight not to blush. It was very short but, for the first time in a long period, something else than fear was making my heart beat faster.

"Flirting, aren't we?" Dieter was asking Bill with a mocking tone.

"Come on, that's bullshit!" Bill replied with a big grin.

They then cut to another reply from Dieter, this time to one of the technicians: "He's just falling in love with one of the candidates."

"Bullshit…" Bill softly repeated and kept on smiling.

"Did you see the look on his face, the way he twitched his eyebrow?"

"Yeah, the trust-me-I'm-in-her-pants-by-the-end-of-the-month look. So sexy!"

"Luce, don't talk like that to my baby-sister!"

As I was picking more stuff to put in my suitcase for the second recall in the Caribbean, my oh-so-helping cousin and sister had turned my computer on and were now watching a hacked episode of my second audition on the internet.

"Lola, I'm 12. I've heard everything."

"Yeah, sure."

"Want me to illustrate?" Anna said and took a deep breath.

"No, that won't be necessary!" I interrupted her and sighed.

It wasn't like I cared anyway. I was so nervous I kept on checking the list and space in my suitcase for all the things I would need.

"I cannot believe Anna was right..." I heard my best friend mumble. "He's totally into you."

"Luce…" I said, curious at the tone she just had. "Are you… angry at this?"

"What? No, I'm fine."

I went to take a closer look at her face and she turned her head away from me:

"You're pouting. You are angry at me!"

"No I'm not, dammit!"

"Still, better take care of your hands. That's the first thing he likes in girls, aside from the face." Anna said, her eyes still set on the screen and barely listening to what we were saying.

These words didn't make me angry. They turned me madder than ever. I dropped the towel and tube of sunscreen I was holding and sharply closed the computer, which made my little sister suddenly raise her head at me.

"What the hell?" She said.

I stood up and looked at them both:

"Girls… Girls! ... I'm on DSDS! The greatest singing contest of Germany! This is the biggest chance of my life to ever start a career as a professional singer and I don't want to ruin it! I barely made it to the second audition, and you girls are jealous because one of the cute judges may or may not have a crush on me? So I must take care of my hands? Oh, yeah! I'm totally gonna need that advice when I'm two weeks away from you! Thank you so much!"

I sat on the bed and took my head in my hands. I then felt a hand on my shoulder.

"You're right." That was my friend's voice. "We're not helping you. I'm not helping you; that's childish. I'm sorry. "

I wiped a tear that was about to come out and they both took me into a hug. We then finished packing and my mum called us for dinner. She had cooked my favorite dish: boeuf bourguignon, followed by her own recipe of chocolate mousse with shavings of orange. That night, I was glad I would at least leave them on a happy note.