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Post by Sean Collins on Apr 9, 2012 23:25:53 GMT -5
After being pressured by his family, friends, neighbors...pretty much everyone in his life, Sean finally agreed to audition for one of the biggest talent shows in Europe: The X-Factor. Waking up at the crack of dawn and sitting in a line with thousands of other people with the same dream made him less and less confident. After making it past the first round, he was insanely happy. But after dancing and singing his heart out at the bootcamp round, he wasn't one of the eight boys put through to go to the judges houses.
It stunk waiting and waiting to hear your name, but it was never called. Sean knew he had a good voice, but this just proved that it wasn't good enough. He isolated himself from his friends and family, and wondered what he could do to get better. Somehow, his brain told him to move to America.
He left Ireland, left his family, left his friends, and left his life. He moved to California, and started over. The first place he decided to check out? The beach.
He sat on the soft sand, carefully listening to the ocean waves crash down. It reminded him of the beaches in Mullingar, which made him awfully homesick. He knew he didn't fit in, and he knew this was probably one of the worst decisions he had ever made. But there was no going back now.
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Post by Ellie Mankelow on Apr 9, 2012 23:34:07 GMT -5
Ellie was finally home. Only being gone for a month may seem like such a short time to many but it felt like a life time to her. But now, being home, it was full of memories. Memories she was unable to get away from.
She left her mansion and headed towards the beach that was basically right across the road. It had always been a calming place for her. Somewhere she could truly think. To her surprise, the beach was almost completely empty. Maybe because there was a slight chill in the air. That usually kept a few people away. As she got onto the sand, she could see a boy sitting by himself. He seemed rather lonely. She wondered if she should go speak to him or not, but decided not to. He probably just wanted to be left alone. Ellie's eyes then flicked to the water. It'd be so long since she'd been for a swim. She pulled off her tank top and shorts, and ran towards the water in a purple bikini, letting her long brown hair fall behind her. |
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Post by Sean Collins on Apr 10, 2012 15:12:21 GMT -5
To Sean's surprise, another girl showed up on the beach. He looked around to see if anyone else was there, but the beach remained empty. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. What could he say to a complete stranger? She would probably call the police on him, or something. She stopped for a moment, and suddenly jumped in the water.
Sean perked up for a moment, wondering if the water took her away, but when she came back to the surface, he could tell that she was just going for a swim. This was his only shot, or so he thought. "Is it cold?" He shouted out to her, unsure if she even heard. "The water, is it?" He asked once again, letting his Irish accent echo against the sand.
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Post by Ellie Mankelow on Apr 10, 2012 21:41:33 GMT -5
Ellie could heard a voice calling out to her but she couldn't quite make out what he was saying. She walked back onto the beach and ask she got closer he repeated his question. "Why don't you find out for yourself?" She teased. Ellie was now standing right in front of him. She was now able to examine his features and boy was he attractive. At that moment, she became oddly aware of how she was wearing a bikini and she reached over to pick up her towel and wrap it around herself. "At first it's pretty cold, but you used to it." [/size] |
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Post by Sean Collins on Apr 11, 2012 15:44:08 GMT -5
Sean looked up at the girl, who he easily determined was very fit. She wrapped her towel around herself quickly, hiding all of her features on her body, which Sean seemed to enjoy. "Find out for myself, huh?" He asked, repeating her question. "I just might have to take you up on that offer." He thought about it more, and couldn't remember the last time he was in an ocean. There was the occasional dunk in a pool, but never really in an ocean. He stood up, and wiped his hands off so there were no more pieces of sand. "I'm Sean." He extended his left hand at first, but then he quickly realized not everyone was a lefty. His cheeks turned red, and he quickly held out his right hand for her to shake.
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Post by Ellie Mankelow on Apr 11, 2012 15:47:27 GMT -5
She couldn't help but smile when he handed out his left hand. He turned a shade of light pink and she had to admit, it was pretty cute. "I'm Ellie." "Are you new around here? I don't think I've seen you around before?" [/size] |
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Post by Sean Collins on Apr 11, 2012 15:52:32 GMT -5
Sean half smiled, and nodded. "Nice to meet you, Ellie." He said. Her name rolled off of his tongue perfectly. He was very certain that he wouldn't ever forget it. "Relatively new. I got here a few days ago. Moved here from Ireland." He laughed, realizing that what he said was dumb. Anybody with a brain would know where he came from.
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Post by Ellie Mankelow on Apr 11, 2012 15:55:57 GMT -5
"Ah yeah, I could tell from the accent." "I'm from England so I know exactly how you're feeling but don't worry, you'll fit in soon." She laughed a little. She threw down her towel and held out her hand, "Now, are you gonna come in the water or am I gonna have to pull you in?" [/size] |
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Post by Sean Collins on Apr 11, 2012 16:00:51 GMT -5
He laughed at her first statement; of course she could tell from the accent. "England?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "How strange, after flying across the world, I've still managed to meet someone from Europe." He grinned. "I don't like being pulled in, so I guess you win." He grabbed her hand, smiling.
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Post by Ellie Mankelow on Apr 11, 2012 16:04:00 GMT -5
Ellie smiled and laughed as she pulled him towards the water. On entry, she began to shiver. It wasn't possible for the water to have gotten colder within the last five minutes but it honestly felt like it had. She ducked her head under the water, then, when she came up she asked, "So why'd you come all the way from Ireland to America?" whilst rubbing her arms trying to get warm. [/size] |
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Post by Sean Collins on Apr 11, 2012 16:12:21 GMT -5
Sean pulled off his shirt, trying hard not to get all of his clothing wet. He slipped off his sandals, and walked slowly with Ellie to the water. It couldn't have been that bad, right? Wrong. The water hit his legs, and instantly, he felt thirty degrees colder on the inside. Ellie dragged him farther and farther in, but once he got up to his shoulders, it felt a little warmer. He kicked his legs around, watching her dunk her head under the water, then pop back up. "Honestly," He started, wondering if he should tell her the truth. Would it make him sound weak? Stupid? A bad singer? "I auditioned for a talent show in Ireland, The X Factor." He started, not wanting to get caught in a web of lies. "And I made it past the first round, but after boot camp they kicked me out." He frowned, the salty water tasting awful on his lips.
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Post by Ellie Mankelow on Apr 11, 2012 16:16:23 GMT -5
He's a singer. She had suspected that. Ellie listened to him talking about his story and her heart went out to him. "Oh, I'm so sorry.". He nodded. "But hey, you're in California now. Opportunities are bound to come up somewhere!". She ducked her head under the water once again. "So, if you're a singer, care to sing a few bars?". She teased, although she was dead serious. [/size] |
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Post by Sean Collins on Apr 11, 2012 16:22:43 GMT -5
"It's okay, it definitely wasn't your fault." He laughed a little, looking at the waves. "And that's exactly why I came here. Hopefully things will go my way!" He smiled, listening to her talk. "Sing? What do you want me to sing?" He asked, scrunching his eyebrows together. "Pick a song, any song! Well, a song that I know." He laughed, a knot forming in his stomach. Obviously, he wasn't good enough to stay on the show, so he was getting nervous about singing in front of people now.
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Post by Ellie Mankelow on Apr 11, 2012 16:24:25 GMT -5
"Um.. Well, what was your audition song? Sing that?" She smiled. [/size] |
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Post by Sean Collins on Apr 11, 2012 16:28:33 GMT -5
"So Sick by Ne-Yo." He answered without missing a beat. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes.
"Gotta change my answering machine, now that I'm alone. Cause right now it says that we can't come to the phone. And I know it makes no sense, cause you walked out the door but it's the only way I hear your voice anymore."
Sean sang as best as he could without choking on ocean water, and it all reminded him of his first audition. "And...yeah." He laughed, ending the first verse of the song. He knew it wasn't good, but what else could he do? He went under the water, getting his blond hair wet. He popped his head back up, waiting for Ellie's reaction.
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