Moly's flop had drained the room of its earlier energy. The excitement built up by the previous acts had evaporated, leaving only a vague sense of letdown — even her own fans felt faintly cheated, a few of them already scrolling their phones rather than watching the stage. To reignite the crowd, the hosts announced the upcoming performances, taking care to hype the competition between Alex and Kylie, and of course the finale everyone had been waiting for all day: Ethan, singing.
Before the two women performed, one host asked who wanted to go first. Without a moment's hesitation, Kylie — visible to the audience on the big screen from her waiting room, announced she'd perform first, a sinister little smile on her face.
