SKYLAR

She was a devoted optimist. But even she, with her happy-go-lucky personality, could get sad from time to time.

Such was a time now.

It was hard, she had to admit, to watch her trainee friends get called out of class only to return with wide grins and excited screeches. It was hard to see them so excited when everything she wanted was to be among them. It was hard to watch her roommate and best friend pack away her things and leave her.

"You do realize they are discriminating you, right?"

She looked down from the bed she was sitting on at her roommate. Yueliang was crouching on the floor over her blue suitcase, a few of her belongings still scattered on the floor around her in a neat mess.

Skylar simply shook her head at that. "No they're not, Liangie."

Yueliang gave her that look – the look she always gave her when she thought she was being stupid. "It's the most reasonable explanation, Seoyeon. You're as good as that wannabe English tomboy, if not better."

"Yueliang!"

"What? It’s the truth. She can't say a word in English, how on earth is her stage name even Noah?"

Skylar chose to ignore her friend's words. She knew Yueliang didn't really think that of Lim Yoonji. It was simply in the nature of the Chinese girl – to protect those she was close to (even if the girl herself denied it with fervor).  Instead Skylar changed the subject, even if the one she chose sent a pang of jealousy and hurt to her heart. "So, who else is in the group? I know Kim Ardene's in it because they wanted to debut her for quite some time now."

Yueliang put in her copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with extra care into the suitcase and then tried to close it. It wouldn't zip. "The one that's dating dance teacher Boyoung, Chaerin. I think he put in a word for her, because honestly that Japanese girl dances better than her."

Skylar stood up from her bed, and without a word came to her roommate's rescue. She sat on the suitcase and folded her legs underneath her body. Yueliang tugged at the zipper, and now it closed with ease. "Who else?"

"They think Xiuying has a voice unique enough, which I can't argue about. But she still has an accent so that's a setback."

"…Liangie, you have an accent too."

Yueliang blinked. "Oh, right. I forgot."

Skylar had no idea how on earth somehow could forget that he had an accent, but such was Xing Yueliang. That's what made her friend so special.

"You have an accent too though, Seoyeon."

Oh yes. Her notorious accent. Skylar wanted to shudder. (Almost) all the resident of Big Hit Entertainment had gotten used to her pronunciation, but netizens still couldn't quite figure out what exactly her dialect was. And it was better that way. Skylar feared the day someone will finally figure it wasn't exactly an American accent that she sported.

For real though, how was it her fault that it was her mother that had taught her Korean? And why on earth everyone in the company thought that if the secret got out it will rain blood on everything and everyone? Weren't they supposed to praise her mother's courage for escaping the dictatorship of the republic of North Korea? That's what Skylar thought, anyway.

Yueliang's voice brought her back from the depths of her thoughts. Her roommate was still talking.

"…and then they figured Aeri is the best rapper among the trainees, so she's in too. And then there's me. And that's it."

"What? What about Seoyeon-unnie? And Shigure-unnie? They have trained for five years each!" Skylar could only imagine how those two felt. She herself had been a trainee for only two years, but those two… if she felt horrible, they must've been devastated.

"I still think that they're discriminating you."

Skylar had the urge to roll her eyes. Her patience was running thin, and it didn't look like Yueliang was going to drop the subject. "XingXing… I told you already, they're not. Yoonji-unnie had trained for six years, while I have trained for two. I'm not ready yet." It was beyond the point to add that she thought Geum Junghee was better than her, too, and if it wasn't Yoonji, then Junghee deserved a spot on Arora.

"Taeyong thinks so too, you know." Yueliang added.

Skylar finally rose from the suitcase and dusted her grey shirt. "Taeyong-oppa doesn't know what he's saying."

"For once he actually does know what he's talking about. He said that the only thing that's good about the situation is that you're not going to debut before him and then you'll have to call him sunbae. I swear the guy has some sort of honorific or something like that."

This subject wasn't that pleasurable for Skylar either. "U-ugh when is he debuting?"

"Somewhere next year. He hopes that less in a year, but his manager hadn't given him a date yet."

"And what about you?"

Yueliang cracked her knuckles. Skylar flinched at the sound – she never liked that habit of hers. "Three months."

"Wow. That's so soon!"

"I know. We won't stand a chance."

"XingXing!" Skylar scolded. "You're gonna to do great! You're all talented, I'm sure your debut will be amazing!"

"Sometimes I wish to have your optimism, Chocolate." Yueliang gave her one of her rare, small smiles. "But that would mean that I'll get your stupid brain too, so I guess I'll pass."

"XingXing!"

"You know what else Taeyong told me?" Yueliang went on as if nothing happened. "That SM's planning to debut Hina. She's apparently going to be in a duo with this Lettie girl. Says that girl is a beast. A real dance machine. You know Taeyong doesn't say things like that lightly. And that's only one the rookies. They say 2015 is going to be the year of the rookies - rookies that have trained longer and harder than we have. We have no chance, Seoyeon."

Hina!? Hina was going to debut before her!? No. No way. "Really?"

"Yup. Aparently Lettie trained for six and a half years, and her mother is a ballerina. She has dance in her blood. He showed me a clip of her dancing, and you know I don't say that often, but that girl is good. Like, really good."

A pregnant pause filled the room. Yueliang seemed to become lost in her own thoughts, and Skylar glanced around the space. It was rather melancholy, now that her roommate had vacated it. Even though Yuealing wasn't much for posters and personal stuff hanging around the room, the little she had had made it impact. Skylar could see it now. The walls suddenly looked empty, and the whole half of her room oddly deserted.

A sad smiled ghosted over her features. A sudden (and yet not sudden at all ) realization hit her. "I'm going to miss you, Liangie…"

Yueliang looked her straight in the eye with her dark stormy orbs. That expression made Skylar want to cry. "I'm going to miss you too."

❊

The practice room looked empty without six additional girls. It now looked oddly spacious. Skylar didn't know whether she liked it or not.

She didn't know what to do with herself. Usually she would sit with Yueliang and talk before the practice began, but Yueliang was gone. Shigure and Honoka were whispering to each other in Japanese, so she didn't want to interfere. Miyoung and Seoyeon didn't look too inviting at the moment – both were sporting scowls on their pretty faces, and Jessica never spoke more than two words to her. So Skylar settled next to Junghee, who gave her a small smile.

"Why is everyone so gloom?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Junghee was still smiling, but a glint of sadness was oh-so-visible in her big eyes. "Arora."

It was obvious. But Skylar wasn't going to let it ruin her mood. "But that only needs to make us more motivated! We need to work harder, and then we'll debut in no time! You're already so talented, Junghee. Think about how even better you'll be when you debut."

"What about me then, kid?"

It was Seoyeon who was talking, Skylar realized. The bitter tone was ever so clear in the older girl's voice.

"I've been a trainee for six years. How much better can I already get?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest. "I might not be from the original trainees like Namjoon, Yoonji and Chaerin, but I've been a trainee for just as long. All of them had debuted already, except me. Do you honestly believe I can get any better than I already am without actual stage experience?"

"Unnie-"

"I know you're always rainbows and stuff, but not all of us are. So can we please just skulk for a bit?"

Her words hurt, but Skylar knew Seoyeon was right. Everyone dealt with disappointment differently, and while she thought that thinking positively is always the answer, others needed time before realizing that life went on. So she just nodded at the older girl.

The door opened, and the dance teacher came in, looking as gloom as the trainees. Bongyoung looked a combination of sick and severely depressed.

"Let's start folks." He said grumpily, pulling his sweater over his head and throwing it at the corner of the studio.

"Do you think something happened between him and Chaerin?" She asked Junghee in a whispering tone as they stood up.

The other trainee shrugged. "Maybe Bang-PDnim found out about them. We'll find out when he gets fired."

"If he gets fired, you mean."

But Bongyoung wasn't fired that day, nor had he been fired the next. His mood only got worse though, and instead of his usual energetic self he was grumpy and harsh all the time.

"Skylar! Stop zoning out and focus!" He barked at her during one of the practice sessions. She immediately perked up and apologized, but even if she knew she was spacing a bit, Bongyoung didn't have to talk in such a tone.

Something was definitely going on in his life.

Fifteen minutes later his phone rang. Murmuring something that sounded all-too-like "oh me", he told them to take a short break, before answering and leaving the studio.

When he returned, he didn't return alone.

Skylar knew Bang Sihyuk, but the other man's name was unknown to her, even if she did see him around the company. She bowed at the two men out of instinct, and with good reason. The other trainees bowed as well.

"Girls, continue with the lesson please." Bang-PDnim said with a smile, before he and the other man sat in the corner of the room.

It was hard to concentrate and not stare at them, but Skylar tried her best. At least Bongyoung didn't bark at her anymore. The two men left five minutes before the end of class, and none of the trainees knew what was going on.

"Did the director come to your class today?" Skylar asked Hojin, one of the male trainees, after the class had ended. But Hojin said that Bang Sihyuk didn't come to their practice, and he had no idea what it was about.

Surprisingly, the two men were present during their vocal training, too. And then during acting lessons. They were even present during the Korean class Skylar, Honoka, Shigure and Jessica shared with the foreign male trainees Jack and Chen.

No one knew what it was about.

The director and the mysterious man were there the next day as well, and then the following day as well. Skylar didn't think she saw Bang Sihyuk more during those three days than during her entire trainee years combined.

Theories divided between – they want to kick someone out – to – they're planning on making someone solo debut. Skylar herself didn't know what to think. She wanted to think that no one was going to be dismissed from the company (all of them were too talented for that), but she honestly didn't know.

The mystery of the two men was almost enough to distract her from the extreme loneliness she felt now that Yueliang no longer was by her side. Almost. She still felt sad every time she was sitting alone in her room (they still hadn't given her another roommate), but she tried to be brave and cheerful, if only for Yueliang's sake. Her friend had a lot on her mind with her debut approaching, and Skylar didn't want to put the toll of comforting her on the Chinese girl's shoulders as well.

They were absent on the fourth day. Skylar was so used to their presence by now, that their absence irked her and made her eyes twitch. She half-expected them to appear in her next training session, but they never did.

Her last class was solo vocal training. Her teacher greeted her kindly, and they began with the usual warm up.

"Wonderful as always, Seoyeon." The teacher praised. If there was one class Skylar was confident about, it was her vocal class. The teacher absolutely adored her and she was always better in it than dancing, acting and rapping. Each time the teacher complimented her, she felt on top of the world. "Let's move to the song you've been practicing. Remember to focus on your pronunciation; you still can’t quite say 'exist' correctly."

Skylar nodded and took a deep breath.

The playback began playing, and Skylar sang.

When she finished three and a half minutes later, her vocal instructor wasn't the only one present. Skylar was so lost in the song that she hadn't noticed.

The mysterious man – the one who always accompanied Bang Sihyuk everywhere – was standing by the now-opened door, a serious expression (that somewhat reminded her of Yueliang's) on his face.

"I'm deeply sorry for cutting your class short, Mina-ssi, but I need to borrow Seoyeon." He said in a dry voice.

"Of course, of course."

Skylar stood up silently and followed without question. The walk was silent and short, and she ended up in front of the office of Bang Sihyuk. Shinozaki Shigure was standing there, looking nervous as ever, standing straight as a brick.

Without a word, the man opened the door and gestured for them to come in.

It was the same spacious office Skylar remembered from the first and only time she'd been there, when she only got into the company and had the usual welcome talk with the CEO.

"Sit down girls." Said man gestured towards the two chairs placed in front of his desk. A polite smile tugged at his round face, though not quite reaching his small eyes.

Skylar complied without second thoughts. Shigure eyed everything around with distrust, before taking a seat. The mysterious man stood behind the director and crossed his arms on his chest.

"I won't drag out the talk." Bang-PDnim announced. "Let's get down to business."

The room was silent for one long moment.

"As you two already know, we're working diligently on the debut of Arora. Cheolmin had devoted his entire time to it." The director tilted his head slightly towards the man standing behind him. Cheolmin remained stoic as ever. "While we originally thought of making Arora a six-member group… after long discussions," Cheolmin's expression finally shifted. Skylar thought that his eyes shot her a glare, before his mouth settled in a scowl. The expression was gone so quickly, that she didn't know whether she imagined it or not. "We have come to the conclusion that the two of you ought to be added to the final line-up. You will be great additions to the group."

"I-I'm sorry. What?" she didn't know if it was because Korean wasn't her first language, but Skylar didn't quite understand what the director had said.

The Japanese girl was as confused as she was. "Did… did you just said…"

"That you two are going to debut with Arora. It is now officially an eight-member group. We're going to announce it to the press in two weeks."

The words sank into her mind slowly. They translated into English, and then registered what they meant.

"Are we going to debut?" She felt stupid for asking, but she needed that reassurance. A grin was already spreading on her face, but she needed to be reassured.

"Yes, you're going to debut."

"Oh -" Shigure immediately covered . "Oh, I'm so sorry Bang-PDnim. I just- Nani!? Finally debuting? , that's like so freaking amazing! Oh I gotta tell Nano, he's going to be so jealous-" she began mumbling in Japanese, before turning towards Skylar. The girl's mouth dropped into a large 'O' shape. "We're going to debut."

She didn't think she ever felt so happy in her life before. She thought that she might explode from happiness and scatter to million little pieces any second now, because it wasn't possible for someone to feel so very happy and how was it even possible to be so happy and oh my god she was debuting she was actually properly debuting and she couldn't wait until she told her mother and father-

"We're going to debut, unnie!" All she could do in her current state of mind is repeat the older girl's words. "We're going to debut."

A/N:

The final line-up of Arora is revealed! What do you think of the OT8? 

Congradulations to the applicants who got chosen for debuting in Arora. To those that hadn't, no worries, all the characters will play a part in the story, as you could already tell (an example for that is Lettie, who's going to debut under SM Entertainment).

If your character wasn't present in this chapter, have no doubt - she will appear in the next. I think of this chapter like a second prologue of sorts, to explain the OT8 (even though it's not really explained, but oh well, at least there's some mystery going on).

This chapter was written from Skylar's POV. Every chapter will be written from a different girl's point of view. I want to challenge myself with writing from different perspective, and I hope I'll be able to make each girl shine and be unique. Let's hope I won't mess up ^_^

The song Skylar sang during vocal training is THIS ONE.

Next chapter is going to be the actual debut of Arora. For now, please tell me what you think - do you have any comments, suggestions, things to improve? I'll gladly hear all of them, so please comment what you think ;)