The studio pulsed with nervous energy. Contestants lined up backstage, face powered, voices warmed, heart pounding. The elimination board loomed above the stage, blank for now, but ready to decide fates.
Amina adjusted her dress, one of Zainab's careful hand-me-down alterations. Around her, rivals whispered, laughed, exchange knowing glances.
"She's only here because of the pity votes."
"Won't last past tonight."
Vanessa, standing at the front, tossed her hair and smirked. "Don't worry dear. This is where your fairytale ends."
Amina forced her gaze forward. Don't let her see you crack.
The judges entered, cameras zoomed, and the host's voice boomed:
"Tonight, one of you will leave this stage."
Performance began. Each contestant sang under the hot lights, voices echoing across millions of homes. Vanessa dazzled as always, every note sharp as a diamond. The audience roared.
When Amina's turn came, she stepped forward, legs trembling. She could feel the weight of headlines, whispers, Vanessa's smirk, her father's betrayal.
She closed her eyes.
And sang.
The first verse wavered, but as she went on, her voice deepened, steadied—layered with sorrow, with defiance. Every note carried her struggles: the empty cupboards, Mama's fading strength, Zainab's hopeful smile.
By the end, the was silent. No applause yet, no jeers— just silence, heavy and electric.
Then, clapping. Scattered at first, then swelling. Not as thunderous as Vanessa's, but real, undeniable.
The host smiled. "Thank you, contestant twenty three."
Hours dragged untill the board lit up with names. One by one, contestants were marked safe. The numbers dwindled.
Finally, only two names remained unlit: Amina Yusuf and another girl with perfect hair and a trained soprano voice.
The crowd buzzed. Vanessa's eyes gleamed.
"And the contestant leaving us tonight is..."
A pause. A drumroll.
"...Clara Evans."
The other girl gasped. Amina froze, barely registering her own name glowing on the board: SAFE.
She wasn't cut. She had survived.
Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She bowed instead, heart thundering.
Vanessa's smile stiffened. Adrian's gaze from the judges' table lingered just a second longer than the others.
Tonight, Amina had won not just the crowd, not the glory—just survival.
But survival was enough.