Chapter 2

Buffy woke with a start to somebody hammering on the front door and ringing the bell like their life depended on it.

“All right………ALL RIGHT - Jeez where’s the fire!?” Buffy leapt out of bed, threw back the curtains and hoisted the window open, poking her head out.

“Hello? Who's there – hello?”

Willow bounded off the porch and onto the front lawn. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she called up, "Buffy!  Are you all right?  I've been trying to ring you all morning!"

“Sorry, okay, I’m coming down…” Buffy closed the window, yawned and stretched, grabbed her robe off the back of the door and made her way downstairs.

“What’s up anyway?” Buffy opened the door and made her way to the kitchen, Willow behind her.

“It’s lunchtime! Oh, look, no wonder I couldn’t get through, the phone’s off the hook!” Willow replaced the receiver.

“No – don’t do – oh…too late!” Buffy’s shoulders dropped with a sigh as the phone began to ring.

She shuffled into the kitchen, shook the kettle to see if there was enough water in it, and switched it on. Willow joined her.

“Well, aren’t you going to answer it?”

Buffy took two mugs out of the kitchen cupboard. "You answer it."  She closed the fridge door, having taken out the milk.

“Hello, Buffy Summers residence.” Buffy gave Willow a funny grin as she poured the boiling water onto the instant coffee and stirred.

“Um, well....I’ll be sure to pass on the message…I will…what did you say your name was?....Okay, got that....bye” Willow replaced the receiver, only for it to ring again.

“Hello?.... Oh, hi.... Did you?.... Well I’m sure Buffy will be very grateful that you voted for her last night…yes, I’ll tell her…okay, bye” Willow put the receiver down again.

"Well...aren't you little Miss Popular..."   The phone rang. Willow picked it up and said, "Wrong number!"  She pressed the cut-off digits with her finger, then lay the receiver to one side of the phone.

“Now do you understand? – I didn’t get to bed ‘till after four o clock this morning, and then I had to phone in work and tell them I wouldn’t be in. Since 8.30, it’s not stopped ringing!” Buffy put a mug of coffee in front of her friend.

Willow nodded. "Sorry I had to bail out on you last night, but I had an early lecture, and I knew those show people wanted to talk to you. Anyway...a Duane Morgan and a Stacey Shaw said they voted for you last night, those were the calls." 

Buffy leaned against the sink, cupping her coffee mug in both hands, sipping the scalding liquid.

“Whoever THEY are – and god alone knows how they got my number! Anyway, it’s okay about you leaving, I understand. They’ve given me a whole bunch of stuff to read, a time-table and that.”

Willow grinned and hunched her shoulders, giving an excited squeal. "Gods!  This is SO exciting!" 

Buffy smiled.

“Aren’t you excited? I’m excited! I’m all excited, like a……… very excited thing! Like, like…like it was Christmas, except...well, you know, I don’t celebrate Christmas, but if I did, I’m sure I’d be this ex...“

“WILLOW! – Breathe!”

“Sorry!”

“Yes, I’m excited. I’m also tired, and I still don’t think it’s sunk in yet.”

“So, when do you go to do the show?”

“Next week, but there’s loads of stuff I’ve got to do before then. Rehearsals, run throughs, I had to phone Snyder, tell him I won’t be in – got his snot-rag secretary, Mrs Keogh...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that evening at Buffy’s house....

“Will we still do this when you’re rich and famous?”

Willow and Buffy were sitting cross-legged on the sofa, eating pineapple pizza straight from the box that was between them.

“Rich…what I wouldn’t give to be rich…!” Buffy sighed.

“Hey, chin up! It was a lousy job anyway.” Willow commiserated.

“I know, but at least it was a job! You should have seen her, standing on my doorstep, with that supercilious, haughty, smug bitch face when she handed me the letter from Snyder. She said, ‘Mr Snyder thinks it’s for the best, and I agree with him. Your presence at the school would only be a disruption. We have the welfare of our students to think about’ – I’m not kidding you, I could have hit her!” Buffy let her head flop against the back of the sofa.

“Well, at least you’ve got that $1000. That will keep you going for a couple of weeks.”

“Yeah…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two days later.......

Buffy waited patiently in line at the studio reception desk.

“And you are?” a dark haired woman wearing glasses asked her.

“Buffy Summers. I won the Search For a Star, at the Bronze Club on the 12^th of this month.”

The woman checked her list.

"Let me see...ah, yes. Right. Put this security badge on and please sign the book, then again when you leave. Make your way to rehearsal room 4...just follow the blue line along the corridor. There is no smoking in the building whatsoever...thank you and have a nice day."

 Buffy moved off and fastened the badge to her top. She did as she was told, and followed the blue line to rehearsal room 4.

“Good morning…you are?”

“Buffy Summers.”

“Right, just a quick run through of do’s and don’ts, okay? Do you have a cell phone? If you do, can you please switch it off. There is no smoking inside the building...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay, so...do you have sheet music?”

“Um, yes…” Buffy took what Oz had given her out of her bag.

“Right then…looks easy enough. We shan’t be using dancers for you, you’ll be what we refer to as the ‘quiet spot’ and you’ll be on last but one, with just a spotlight on you.”

Buffy nodded at the director.

“So, when you’re ready, shall we have a try out?”

“Yes…um, the microphone…it’s a bit high for me could you lower it?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy sang her song through.

“Great! Are you happy with that, Clive?” The director looked at his sound man, and got the thumbs up.

“Well, I think that’s every- sorry, what?” the director pressed the earpiece he was wearing, obviously listening to somebody.

“Ah, problem. We’re too short.”

“Short? I could wear heels,” Buffy suggested

“No, sorry, I mean the song. It’s too short. Everyone’s allowed 3 minutes and forty-five seconds…and you’re coming in at bang on three minutes…”

Buffy colored up at her gaff.

“Yes…yes, okay, we can try that....Buffy, could you sing the last chorus twice do you think, and I can put a few little flourishes in perhaps?”

“Sure.”

“Okay, lets go again then."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So come on, tell me – how’d it go?” Willow flopped on Buffy’s sofa without even taking her coat off.

“Good. There were a few little technical hitches – but we ironed them out. I must have sang the song a dozen times at least, and then – listen to this...I went to wardrobe, and I’m going to wear a Vera Wang dress! – I thought that I’d have to buy something, but no! And they’ll do my make-up and hair!"

Willow grinned. "Vera Wang, eh?" 

“Oh, it’s beautiful! All floaty and shades of blue.”

“Sounds very pretty.”

“Willow, I’ve got a problem.”

“What?”

“Well, two problems, to be precise.”

“Go on.”

“Well, they wanted to film me at work, talking about my job, talking about myself....you know, that little bit at the beginning of the show where each contestant shows their day to day lives?”

“And what’s the other problem?”

“Riley.”

“Riley? – What’s he got to do with it?”

“I wrote the song about him.”

“And?”

“Well, he doesn’t know, does he?”

“So, why should he find out now?”

“Coz I told them…I said I wrote it when I was missing my soldier boyfriend.”

“Well…doesn’t have to be him! And you haven’t heard from him in – how long?"

“Fourteen months.”

“Well, just don’t mention his name. If they ask you, say you split up! Go for the sympathy vote!”

Buffy smiled and delved into her purse.

“Oh, um, they gave me these. Here you go…two complimentary tickets to the show.”

“Wow – brilliant…can I bring Oz?”

“Course!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day of the show.....

Buffy had arrived at the studios at 12.30, as requested. The show would be rehearsed and recorded, just in case of any problems, but would be going out live at 8.00pm.

The show would last for an hour, the judges would give their opinions of each act, and then it would be the audience and a general-public phone in to determine the winner. They would have 40 minutes to phone in their votes, while the national news was on, then the show came back live to reveal the voting and announce the winner, who would do their act again.

The judges were, Anyanka, famous piano-playing singer, whose album ‘Show Stoppers’ was currently number one in the charts.

Suave, sophisticated English actor Wes Price, who was being tipped to be the new ‘Bond’, the acid-tongued Glory Benson, host of Music!Music! and Chart Countdown on satellite TV, reformed ‘Bad Boy’... now nightclub owner... Warren Walsh, and, finally writer/director Tara McClay.

Buffy had ‘got around’ the problem of no longer having a job by being videoed gardening, making out it was her hobby. And she just said "soldier boyfriend"...not mentioning Riley’s name when asked about why she wrote the song. She was shown the piece and was happy with it.

There were seven acts, two singers, two groups, a comedian, an impressionist and a magic act. The other singer was male, and he was going to open the show, then the magic act, then a group, then the comedian. The second half would be the group, then Buffy, with the impressionist closing the show.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“There…what do you think?” The hairdresser held up a mirror so Buffy could see the back of her hair.

“It’s lovely, thank you.”

“Right, just pop next door, and Mandy will do your make-up.”

Buffy got out of the chair and went next door…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Just a slick of peach gloss, I want to keep the look soft. And don’t worry, I’ve used water-proof mascara,” the girl smiled at Buffy.

“Thanks.”

“You’re the 'Will Love Find A Way' singer, yes?”

“That’s right.”

“I hope you win, it’s a beautiful song."

Buffy beamed. "Thank you!" 

“Well, you know, break a leg!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everything ran perfectly. At the side of the stage, Buffy saw the hand of the stage director count down three, two, one, the audience clapping died away, and the piano took up the haunting tune.

As luck would have it, Buffy could barely see the audience beyond the first three rows.

She sang her song perfectly, with hardly a trace of nerves now. She’d done it so many times in rehearsals that this was just like another one really.

The audience clapped and cheered. Willow did her famously loud finger-whistle, just at the time the camera panned around to her. She saw this on the monitors above the stage and, with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look of horror, sunk down into her seat, turning to look at Oz who was grinning!

Buffy sat in the ‘green room’ with the rest of the acts. They’d all become quite friendly over the last week or so.

The last act finished and the judges all gave their opinions. According to them, it was the group 'Caught in the Act' that was the favorites, but Wes Price and Tara McClay preferred Buffy.

News reached the acts that the switchboards had been jammed with thousands of calls, and one act was a clear winner. Buffy was resigned to the fact that it would be the group, and she relaxed completely.

The forty minutes that they had to wait stretched like two hours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The countdown began and the show was back on air.

Buffy was sitting watching the screen as it came down to the last three top places.

She was thinking, ‘I’m next, I’m next!’

“In third place, with 28, 563 votes, we have that cheeky boy, Dale Dunn!”  The audience cheered.

Buffy was still thinking, ‘I’m next, I’m next!’

“And in second place, with 46, 487 votes, we have 'Caught in the Act' ” 

Buffy looked at the screen. It didn’t register with her, as it was only her left unplaced, that she must be the winner.

Immediately everybody came over to her to congratulate her, but they all watched the screen first as the compere said, "And with an amazing 89, 985 votes, we have Buffy!”

Buffy was floored! She looked so shocked!

Everybody was clapping her on the back, hugging and kissing her. The floor manager came to get her and she started to shake.

“Fantastic girl, you did fantastic! Come on!”

Slightly bewildered, Buffy was lead out of the warren of corridors back to the stage. The roar that went up was terrific. Willow was crying/laughing.

The compere put his arm around the tiny girl.

“So, Buffy…practically ninety thousand votes! I understand you wrote the song yourself?”

Buffy nodded and said a squeaky, "Yes."

She was trying not to cry

“And do you have a recording contract yet?”

She shook her head and whispered, "Not yet, no."

“Well, I tell you, there are a few record managers backstage who would like to remedy that, but first we must ask you to sing again for us. Would you do that?”

“Yes.” Buffy went and took her place.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the winner of the 'Search For a Star Grand Final 2004', Buffy, with her song ‘Will Love Find A Way’ – Buffy!”

The clapping died down and Buffy began to sing again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leaning on a pillar, watching from the wings, was a manager from Aphrodite records. His name was William Carling-Blake, ‘Spike’ to his friends.

He knew one thing; he HAD to have that girl – and not just to give her a recording contract either......