Talented Me! 16

Graham watched as the girl walks towards the other contestants. Each of her steps held no hesitance and was a beauty in itself to witness. He couldn't help but nudge the assistant at his side.

"Who's that girl there?"

The assistant followed Graham's fingers and spotted Wilona walking. Although confused by why Graham wanted to know, she still replied.

"That's the civilian contestant, sir."

Graham hummed in response and continued to rub his chin. His eyes were deep in thought, unfathomable. The assistant, however, was still confused.

Avina was feeling good. She felt a rise in self-esteem just by being in the set. She was now in the world of stars. Soon, she will join the stars and be one as well.

Avina walked over to where all the other contestants were. They were together chatting and becoming friends with each other. There were Sandra and another actress, and 3 other males. They were split into 2 sides with one crowding Sandra and the others around another male. It was a petty attempt at rubbing off popularity, but there was always a chance it would work.

Avina soon started mingling in with them as well. With the help of 5025, she jumped between topics with ease and spoke of great knowledge. A few minutes later, Avina became acquainted with everyone smiling, chatting, and laughing at the same time. Her focus was always revolving around different people gaining goodwill quickly.

Avina gained useful information talking to them. 2 of the participants were stars, Sandra and Will. Sandra was, of course, an actress and model. Will was a singer and stood at the same height as Sandra. They were both big fishes swimming, and Avina needed to get close to them. The other contestants thought the same and around them, always, was a small group of people.

Once the director thought it was enough time to mingle, he announced that the filming was going to start. Everyone hurried to their places, and the contestants were made to line up. Avina was pushed to the end of the line, but couldn't complain. The cameras started rolling, and Avina placed on a smile.

Along with her smile, her aura started to shift, and she was no longer the newbie. It was as if a switch was flicked, and Avina was a full-fledged professional. Several eyes couldn't help but look over. At first, they were shocked but that soon changed to admiration. She stood high and tall with her dress outlining her petite figure. It was simple but neat portraying the spitting image of an elegant lotus sitting in the water.

In every new season, the show started off with having the contestants introduce themselves. This season was no different, and the contestants began their introduction. Most of them came prepared with what to say in order to leave the best possible impression. Avina, who was the last, waited until it was her turn.

"Hello! My name is Wilona May, and," Wilona hesitated to say her next sentence unsure of what else she could say. "And I like cats."

The people around her let out a small chuckle, and Wilona's cheeks were dyed pink. She looked like a beautiful flower in bloom. Her actions had a bit of naivety in them deep from her soul, and it became more evident with her every action. It was this rare uniqueness that made everyone glance at her a second time; a rare type of attraction only stars had.

The host let out a loud laugh before saying, "I like cats too! What a good day to find a fellow cat lover!"

He went around and swung his arm around her shoulders. He quickly let go returning to his position and stared into the cameras. He began his monologue by introducing the show and the goal of it.

"Does anyone know what today's theme is?" He cast a glance at the contestants.

"Is it cooking?" the actress, who wanted more screentime, replied. It was obvious she was trying to act cute, but it came to be a little cringy.

"Haha, sorry but no," the host turned around to the others. "Any other guesses?"

Everyone shook their heads; no one had a clue of what today's theme was. The host tilted his head before letting go of the answer.

"Well, since no one has a clue, let me tell you! Today's theme is modeling!"

Then, the sound of gears shifting sounded on the stage and everyone turned to look behind them. The original platform turned around revealing the hidden stage behind. It was separated into 3 different parts with photographers at each spot. Once it stopped, the photographers looked into the cameras and waved.

There were gasps of surprise soon replaced with sounds of awe and excitement. Avina looked at the 3 booths and felt her blood pumping. It was finally starting!!

"Everyone pick a partner and go to a booth! Remember to pick someone you'll get along with!" the host said his last line before stepping off the stage.

The cameras panned towards the contestants and everyone was eyeing each other. No one made a move nor talked. Several thoughts were flying in their heads, but none revealed on their face.

Everyone knew the best way to win was to pair up with Sandra or Will, but it was unlikely they would pair up with nobodies. There was a high chance Sandra and Will would pair up with each other. But everyone waited for Sandra and Will to pick first; there was the possibility that they would pick them.

Sandra looked at the calculative eyes thrown at her. She looked over at Will, and sure enough, he didn't care. That was his nature - nonchalant. Sandra slowly stared at each of the faces before her, but every time her eyes clashed with hidden greed, she couldn't help but look away. She wasn't forced to choose a popular star but neither did she want to be forced to pick someone using her.

Her eyes slowly made their way down the line until it met with Wilona's. Unlike the rest, hers was filled with pure excitement. There was no greed in those clear eyes, and her heart warmed. Wilona had her hands folded into one another as she stared in awe at everyone and everything. It was her first time being surrounded by stars, and she couldn't be any more excited.

"I want to be partners with Wilona," she knew who she would pick. "Is that OK, Wilona?"

Everyone looked at Sandra in shock. Sandra didn't pick Will nor another star, but a civilian participant!?

Wilona's eyes went round with surprise before bursting with excitement! Sandra wanted to be her partner!!

"Yes! I'd love to!!" Wilona quickly walked over to Sandra's side and hugged her. Sandra looked at the small head of joy on her chest and smiled. She hugged Wilona back giving a gentle squeeze embracing the small warmth in front of her.

"I don't know if I can be as good as you, but I'll try!" Wilona looked up with eyes sparkling like jewels. She knew she could never be as good as Sandra, but she was going to try her best!

Sandra looked at the adorable girl and felt her heart melting in a puddle of goo.

"It'll be okay."

The rest of them looked at the display of wholesomeness in front of them and sighed. They then began picking their partners out from the remainder and grouped up. Soon, everyone began to move towards the booths.

Graham was watching the situation with careful eyes. He was dissecting the situation slowly contemplating the bond between Wilona and Sandra. It had the perfect mix between senior and junior and big sister and little sister. It was something well-liked by an audience of all ages.

He placed it in his mind to continue thinking about. After the show was over, it would be easy to tell whether it would be advisable or not to continue pushing the plan. For now, it could help gain traction to the show. Whether or not it would help Wilona later, Graham didn't know.

Avina was beginning Operation: Get Along with the Stars, and so far it was going pretty well. Avina found out that Sandra also liked cats and luckily Avina had her trusty system to help. As they were walking towards the booth, Avina began talking about the different cats at the cat cafe. Sandra began talking about her cat, Toffee.

They both chose the last booth and soon made it there. The photographer standing outside waved at them and gave a big grin. She placed down her camera and walked towards them.

"Hello! I'm photographer number 3, Tasha." She pointed towards herself and then at the booth.

"The task for today is to shoot the best picture possible and have the audience judge who wins. There's a clothes rack over there if you want to change, and I'll be waiting for you at the table when you're ready."