Chapter 18 (FINISHED EDITING)

The black limo pulled up on the massive gravel driveway shadowed by the huge mansion ahead. Rose was snoring, asleep on my shoulder while Lindsay was typing furiously away on her iphone. Like the first time we met, we all caught the same plane back from the other side of the USA.

As soon as we got to the front door our individual stylists grabbed us and prepared us for the night time show, where the footage from our week was going to be aired.

Jo dragged me up to my room and sat me down. She had assistants running around with clothes on hangers, make up bags, hair weapons and massive bottles of hairspray.

Oh lord.

My hair was straightened to perfection with a middle part, my make up was done 'naturally' although it sure didn't feel that way as they had to pil on the gunk so my face wouldn't look pale under the bright studio lights. When Jo pulled out my dress I almost died it was so gorgeous. I slipped on the dress and the soft material fell to an inch above my knees. I was handed black pumps with thin straps around the ankle. I slipped them on and stumbled my way to the mirror.

My hair fell to the middle of my stomach and my make up was flawless, but my dress.

It was black and had a sweetheart neckline except there was skin coloured mesh which made it a high neck, sleeveless dress which also covered all of my back until meeting the black material again at the bottom of my spine.

It looked like I was wearing a backless gems, except for the gems, sequins and sparkled which spread out across the dress in little floral swirls across the back and the front which glimmered under the light.

I loved it.

Jo's assistant gave my nails a manicure, french tips, quickly before the show started. Today, instead of having eliminations, we would see the footage from the week and would have guest performers come onto the show to perform.

The call for all girls to make their way downstairs came through and Jo helped me walk down the stairs in my heels. Rose met me there and grinned at me.

Her black hair had been straightened and then curled again into little waves which framed her face as her side fringe was pulled back, braided and pinned. Her make up was simple with dark red lipstick covering her lips and a short red dress framed her body, with a high straight neckline, short sleeves, cinched at the waist and then puffed out a little, and dark red heels adorned her feet, the shade matching her lipstick.

She looked amazing!

We joked around with each other before making our way inside. We sat around the mini stage and had big screens surrounding it. Crew members were scuttling around making sure everything was in order and I noticed Jono on the other side of the room talking to Charlie. He caught my gaze and gave me a big friendly wink before going back to talking to Charlie.

The atmosphere was chilled and relaxed as we waited for the show to begin, knowing that no one would be forced to go home.

Lindsay, though, was in an even more mood than normal. Dressed in a bright red dress with a sweetheart neckline covered in rubies and a short tutu skirt and golden heels, she made sure everyone knew who she was and where she was at all times.

Before the show started they prerecorded two performances of the night, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande and Xavier himself, except he was going to be doing his live. The others had to be pre recorded due to their busy and demanding schedules.

Selena performed first; Stars Dance, in a tight black dress which glittered under the light. She sung her song really well, and dance amazingly as well but I could hear the auto tune coming through the mic. I loved the lyrics to the song, but not necessarily the vocal and music parts. I wanted to try and change it for myself and maybe put it up on Youtube later.

When she finished and Ariana's rehearsal began Selena came over to us and we all got group and individual shots with her to be put up on Instagram later.

She was genuinely really nice and was even more gorgeous close up. Soon her manager whipped her away as she was off to another event but Ariana Grande was about to perform and she was amzing! I loved her vocal range and just how amazing in general she sounded. She performed Baby I in one of her cute trademakr dresses and her typical amazing Ariana hairstyle. Aferwards she came down and talked to all of us as well. It was pretty coo to meet her and Selena Gomez as once but personally, as an artist, I held more respect for artists who wrote their own lyrics like Gabrielle Aplin and Ed Sheeran (And I guess Taylor Swift falls into their as well). But I still loved Selena and Ariana, they were amazing performers and they were living my dream.

After an hour, the now similar but annoying theme song for The Search For Cinderella started up and our makeup was topped up, our hair was fixed and our clothes neatened out.

And the show began.

Elliot explained that instead of it being eliminations it would be watching the home visits of the girls instead and no later, the footage from Lindsays visit was on the screen; first of course.

It started with her getting picked up from the airport in a polished black limo with a personal chauffuer and then her arriving at a white mansion with manicured lawns and rose gardens.

As the show went on I realised how many of these girls came from a 'perfect' family with a 'perfect' home with no sense of reality. I don't know if anyone else noticed how fake the girls relationship between them and their parents were. It was if now they were finally being acknowledged because they were on a TV show.

The audience laughed throughout Rose's footage as we met her crazy and massive family. Mine was the second last and it was pretty average compared to the rest but the fact that it showed me busking and me introducing the world to my parents made it feel so much deeper, so much more meaningful. Well, to me anyways.

Talia was the last and she came from an upper class family as well but she was real, her family was real and kept each other down to earth.

The recorded performances aired in between footages and after Talias package, Xavier was ready to perform.

Crew members were running around during the ad breaks, setting the stage up. Girl dancers, dressed in black leather booty shorts and tight crop tops revealing big cleavages, were wandering around the stage looking like lost sheep waiting to be instructed, while hoping to catch the eye of Xavier himself.

He was dressed in black skinny jeans, a white shirt with a red and white varsity jacket on top with red and white Nike high tops to finish his 'bad boy' appearance.

His face was being dusted over with make up by his stylist but he wasn't focusing. His eyes were glazed over, even as his manager kept speaking words into his ear commanding what Xavier has to do.

The countdown light began flashing and soon we were alive. Smoke machines pumping out thick grey smoke made it impossible to see Xavier. But then a spot light shone down on him and you could see all the dancers hands on his shirt, clinging to him.

The song started, with a pre-recorded instrumental, well it was more a computerised beat, and I recognised the song as Mirror, Mirror. One of my sisters favourite songs; one of my favourite songs.

Except the original version, the one which was given to me by him himself, the acoustic, authentic and real version, one which held more meaning than anyone would be able to figure out through this.

As he performed I noticed how bored he looked, like he wasn't enjoying it, like he was a robot. He didn't acknowledge the dancer's grinding around his body, performing erotic dance moves. The performance went on and all the girls surrounding me were jumping up and down to the beat yet I stood near the back just watching him, how unhappy he looked.

I knew, deep down this was killing him. The whole arrangement he had with his management was hurting him more than he could tell. He couldn't keep trying to be someone he's not. Sure, he was mysterious personally, but maybe he just wasn't used to talking to people properly, with proper conversation, especially crazed fans of his music, which he didn't even like, who just screams in his face. And maybe, as managements way to hide his awkwardness, his insecurities, they created this 'bad boy' figure who doesn't care abput anyone, that is rude to everyone when in fact it was the opposite.

And as I thought this I realised how much I had judged him before I even came on the show. I used to hate him, thinking he was an arrogant, self centred, untalented dickhead with no respect whatsoever. I never realised how untrue that was. Xavier was the complete opposite.

Everything he did was to please someone, anyone but himself. He was never arrogant nor was untalented but in fact buried with amazing talent that he was unable to release.

And I know who Xavier Matthews is.

And it was about time the rest of the world knew who he truly was as wel.

I knew he wasn't going to do anything though, to protect his, so I was going to take this into my own hands.

And I was going to start with his original songs saved onto my laptop, hidden so no-one else could find his secret.

He finished performing and the end credits ran. As soon as everything was over all the lights turned on and I was momentarily blinded. Blinking, I looked over to Xavier who was staring back at me with a question in his eyes asking for reassurance. That although he hated his performance and the songs he performed, was it good enough, did he pulled it off?

I nodded and gave him a small smile. He relaxed and smiled back until a blonde haired woman with a bag nose approached him. She was all dressed in black; part of his management tea. Xavier instantly tensed, his eyes instantly guarded but Rose dragged me away.

To the mini 'afterparty' out the back in the medium sized patio. Little fairy lights were hung all over the ceilings and food lined the tables. Some of Xavier's back up dancers were here as well, dressed more modestly, in fancy prom like dresses.

All of us let ourselves go loose, dancing like maniacs to all the songs. Well most of us did, whole Lindsay tried to make her moves perfect and failed.

Around 12:30am we headed our way back upstairs to our rooms. I stopped at Roses door and said good night before walking next door to my room, before entering though, I heard a faint sound of a piano playing and I knew it was coming from upstairs. Walking over to the other side of the hall way, I leant against the door hearing him play his own amazing music.

I contemplated going in or not but I didn't want to disturb him knowing he had to release himself some way or another.

I walked back to my room with one goal in mind. For the world to truly know who Xavier was.

A/N: uh oh uh oh. What do you think is going to happen.

BUT GUYS! SFC has reached over 50,000 READS! That is incredible and I never expected it, really.

Thank you thank you thank you! I send everyone a virtual hug and a virtual piece of chocolate xo

ps. I did an interview in The Ratings Book by Awesome-ness, you should definitely check it out xo

Alexis

Question of the update: Most embarrasing moment of your week?