The building was filled with children who looked polished and prepared for fame. Styled hair, expensive clothes, even teams of adults following them around. Emma stood at the gate for nearly ten minutes before gathering the courage to walk in. At the registration desk, a secretary asked where her parent was. Emma explained that her mother was in the hospital, so she had come alone. When asked for the fee, she placed the box on the counter and said with trembling certainty, “I counted it. It’s exactly right.”
Nearby, a wealthy woman—the mother of a favorite contestant named Sophie—looked at the pile of worn bills with thinly disguised contempt and suggested the staff check carefully, hinting that children like Emma might be trying to gain sympathy.
Emma lifted her chin and said quietly, “I’m not asking for pity. I just want one chance.”
A man standing a few feet away heard that and turned.
He was Daniel Harper, the head judge.