FINAL BOOK 1: EPILOGUE

Eight months later "Welcome to Vanier University auditions. We"ll call you when we"re ready." The man at the registration table gives me some paper to fill out. " Please confirm your name and contact information here." I fill out the paper and hand it back to him in exchange for a number. I can"t help noticing all the people warming up. I"d expected talented musicians and vocalists, but this is next level. There"s a corridor beyond where the auditions are being held and a sign saying "PLEASE STAY IN THIS AREA." I ignore it. My feet are soundless on the tile floor that looks like marble. The hallway is full of people my age of all shapes and colors and sizes. Some are with parents, some alone wearing headphones. This building, between the Upper West Side and Harlem, is stone. Attached to the original four-story building are another six sto