There was a flurry of footsteps as the girls got ready in their respective dorms.The sun had not yet risen, and the girls were still groggy with sleep. Nonetheless, the girls could feel the mounting tension and exhilaration as they scurried around the room making themselves presentable. The girls dressed hurriedly and headed off to the studios to get their make-up and hair done up for the big day.

Preparations proceeded smoothly as each girl was sent off one after another to get their costumes from the rack. JaeEun and HyeMi were making sure that the girls had taken breakfast when a harried SuJin returned from the closet. "I-I don't my have stage attire..." She fidgeted nervously as the cameras zoomed in on her. The rest of the trainees looked up at her in shock as JaeEun instantly stood up and strode over to the younger in an attempt to understand the situation. SuJin's hands hovered near her face, restlessly chaffing against her jaw. The cameras refocused and it was clear that SuJin was on the verge of crying, hot tears threatening to spill at the slightest notice. HyeMi had gotten up as well, though she stayed well back, reassuring the others as she avoided the cameras and slipped back into the closet. JaeEun and SuJin spoke in hushed whispers now, while the rest tried to resume whatever they were doing before, not wanting to aggravate the situation. A concerned EunMi flickered her eyes towards the two figures from time to time, and it was obvious that the rest were worried as well. SuJin was always relaxed and positive, and it was the first time she had shown outright distress in the course of the past two weeks. It made everybody uncomfortable. The stress of their debut has definitely taken a toil on her. In the other room, HyeMi managed to slip unnoticed into the closet, and sure enough, the rack where the team's stage attires were placed was empty. HyeMi frowned as she looked over at her own team's rack.

"JinRa..." the leader emerged perplexed from the closet room. "Neh?" JinRa turned towards the leader with full of food. "Where's your stage attire?" the younger set down her breakfast and hopped towards the carrier-bag hung above her make-up station. She spun around with a quizzical look on her face as she gestured to the garment bag. " it." Realization dawned on her as she tugged on the zipper, revealing a pink blazer underneath the opaque material. She had accidentally taken SuJin's pink attire instead of her own blue dress. "Oh!" JinRa's hands flew up to cover in surprise, embarrassment prominent in her features. The gasps echoed as the others were made aware of her mistake. Her eyes immediately darted to SuJin, and guilt washed across her face as she saw the elder's red-rimmed eyes. "Joeseonghamnida, unnie..." She hesitantly grabbed the carrier and made her way towards SuJin, bowing deeply as she passed it to the elder. SuJin let out a shaky laugh and nodded understandingly, relieved that she hadn't misplaced her attire and that no real damage was done. As the tension in the room dwindled, JaeEun s her arm around SuJin's shoulders and shook her gently whilst the others let out gigles. HyeMi inercepted the still abashed JinRa as she attempted to return to her seat, giving her a soft clout on the nape of her neck before handing over her own attire. The chuckles intensified and JaeEun dipped her head, hiding her own laughter as the poor girl blushed furiously. Who could have guessed that the ice princess would be such a big klutz?  

The girls adjourned for stage rehearsals, going through each of their performances in turn efore their final run-through. Unlike their previous practices, HyeMi's group was to showcase their item first, leaving JaeEun's group to wrap up their debut stage. The girls waited in the wings while their counterparts took to the stage. "Unnie~ don't they look beautiful out there?" MinAh tugged on MinHee's sleeve, eyes riveted on the dancing figures. MinHee tilted her head slightly, and the sides of her lips lifted at the wonderment in the younger's eyes. She was surprisingly calm, having done this time and time again as a back-up dancer. But it's different now, she told herself, and yet she still felt no anxiety whatsoever. This was her dream - I should be proud. Should I feel afraid? MinHee's eyes crinkled as she decided to abandon the troublesome thoughts and focus on the debut stage. A silhouette seated itself in the darkest corner of the wings, and the lone trainee looked to be... meditating? SooJin nudged the others as she strayed from the group, tip-toeing softly to where YooMi sat with her eyes closed. The others, having been alerted, followed along, save for YoonKi, who took it upon herself to moniter the stage in case they were needed. SooJin held a inger to her lips, and silently held up her phone to take a selfie. The other girls played along and arranged themselves so YoonKi could be in the picture as well, and snap! the girls took off giggling as YooMi blinked in confusion, still none the wiser. YoonKi shielded with her fist, turning an erupting chuckle into a convincing cough. She looked staright ahead, eyes brushing past the other girls onstage as she tried to shake off the involuntary smile. The other trainees in her group had all disappeared back into the waiting room by now. Seeing that the other group still had a long way to go, YoonKi decided to grab a drink, but as she turned to move towards the stage doors, a comical sight had her stop dead in her tracks. Amongst the other girls onstage, YoonKi had spotted one of her team mate flailing as they restarted admidst the orderly lines. "YAH KyMin!" She blurted, eays widening in shock as the girls all trained their attention on her with surprise in their eyes. "This is not your dance..." She continued in a whisper as she apologetically motioned for the others girls to get back to rehearsing. "get off the stage!" 

The trial run for HyeMi's team went well, and the girls swapped places, leaving HyeMi's team to rest while JaeEun's team prepared for their rehearsal stage. HyeMi's team crouched in the wings, sipping from bottles that the leader had passed around. KyunJi and MinJae quibbled about the spacious stage and blinding lights, as they laughed at their mistakes during the trial run. YonNi and MiYoo nodded along and discussed their strategies in minimizing the potential for mistakes during the final stage. They realized that they couldn't see much from the stage, and the second eldest suggested that it was therefore vital that they keep to their routine of aligning themselves with the person directly beside them, and so everybody will more or less be in formation. Some of the girls couldn't be heard on stage as well, and HyeMi had them do a mic test again, just in case. HyeJin quickly entered and voiced the same problem, making sure that the mics were attached properly. They didn't seem to have any trouble with the mics at all, and HyeJin's eyes narrowed. Some of them must not have been singing well on stage. The grils dispersed back to their respective corners as they watched the other team rehearse. HyeSun's eyes were bright, eyes wandering around her as she took in what could be her last sight of all of them together, her book left unread in her lap. She was extremely observant although she was shy amongst others, and she knew that the dynamics would never be the same after that day. I want us to stay like this, together. JinRa sat quietly by the side, nervously tugging on strands of her short blond hair. She was lost in thought when she felt a weight rest on her shoulder. She shifted her head to her right, and did a double-take when she saw a fast asleep HaRu leaning against her. The youngest must have been exhausted from school. JinRa slowly pushed herself up against the wall, sitting straighter so the taller maknae wouldn't have to strain her neck as much. Oblivious, the maknae snuggled even closer, as an inadvertent smile graced JinRa's lips. RuiXian noticed the silent interaction, and conflicting emotions washed through her, before she shrugged them off and returned to her phone. Time passed rapidly, and before long, both groups were done. They retreated to their waiting rooms for dinner and their final touch-ups. 

The girls looked at each other with a mixture of fear and excitement through the final two hours of preparation. Both the leaders stood up to deliver their speeches before they adjourned backstage. JaeEun stood comfortably, although there was a knot in as she struggled to convey her feelings to her dongsaengs. "I would like to congratulate you all - all of us - for coming together and growing as a team for these past two weeks. I know that it has been hard on you all - some of you more than others, but I appreciate the amount of effort you all have put in trying to improve yourselves and the team. Let's do the best we can tonight. Hwaiting!" JaeEun ended strong, pumping her fist in the air as the others followed suit. 

HyeMi stood up then, and glanced at the girls one by one before she nodded to herself. "We've come this far, despite starting off on shaky terms with one another." She fiddled with her bracelet. "I know that I've been hard on you these two weeks, but you all have developed well, and I am glad. It will be easier on you all once you pass this critical stage. Let's make unforgettable memories tonight. Hwaiting, caSTARs rookie!" The girls hollered along with the leader, and went in for a group hug, before being led away backstage.

They had their mics taped in place, and it was time to go on stage.

author's note:     I've been busy with school recently... updates might be a little slower this semester >< but omg can I just put out there that I've come to love all these girls

& please do go take a look at VIXX LR beautiful liar - I was looking forward to it BUT I DIDN'T EXPECT TO LIKE IT SO MUCH OMG