Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 51: Semi-Finals (5)

<🎧 Song Recommendation: One Life by Ed Sheeran (beautiful song!)>

...

The arena lights dimmed, but the digital world was just starting to catch fire. As the voting lines opened, the InkTube livestream and the Project: Star official app became a battlefield.

Millions of people were typing at once, and the sheer volume of comments was staggering.

[InkTube Live Chat: 3,104,892 Watching]

[DogsorCats? 🐶🐈: I’m calling it right now. This is officially the greatest Semi-Finals in this this show.]

[Aura Fan 01: I’m still crying over Aura, but Von and Celine just blew my mind.]

[Starlight Watcher: it’s so tough! I can’t choose who to vote for fr fr 😭😭]

[Celine Heart 31: VOTE CELINE! Her father’s life is at stake. She did beautifully. 😭🙏]

[Rose Petal: Seriously, how can you not vote for her? She’s singing for a life!]

[TruthSeeker X: What in the fuck? This is a singing competition, not a charity. 🙄]

[Vons Real Wife: Exactly! What happened to last season? The sob story won and the talent lost.]

[Project: Sob Story: Von was miles superior and it’s not even close. The y’all gotta admit.]

[Heartless Guy 91: @TruthSeeker X You clearly don’t have a heart. 💔]

[Dreamer Girl: Winning barely changes Von’s life. He’s a smart student. For Celine, it saves a family.]

[Logic King: Why are we voting based on hospital bills? Vote for the better singer! 😐]

[Fighter4Life 88: I actually agree with the people saying talent first.]

[Fighter4Life 88: I have Stage 3 cancer myself. I’d love money for treatment, but no one is giving me a trophy. 🥀]

[Music Master 92: Oh man, stay strong @Fighter4Life 88! 🙏]

[Aura Fan 01: Sending love to you, Fighter! You’re a warrior. ❤️]

[Fighter4Life 88: Thanks guys, but my point is that no one cares about my story here. They care about the music.] 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

[TruthSeeker X: Respect, @Fighter4Life 88. That’s exactly what I mean.]

[Mr. Know It All 👁️‍🗨️: everyone needs to chill. the show edited those documentaries specifically to create this conflict. it’s a classic rating boost. 🥀]

[I-Eat-Books-4-Dinner: I’m so conflicted! I love Celine and I want her dad to be okay, but Von is the person I would want to see on a world tour. What do I do?! 🤧]

[Smart 82: It doesn’t concern me what anyone else thinks. Everyone should vote for who they want to vote for. I’m following my heart and voting for Celine. I want to see a miracle happen tonight. ❤️]

[Project: Star ✅: THE VOTING PORTAL WILL CLOSE IN 60 SECONDS. MAKE YOUR CHOICE COUNT!]

***

Backstage, the atmosphere was completely different. Von and Celine were completely oblivious to what was happening in the social scape, instead their eyes remained fixed on the large screen before them.

From the bars erratic movement, it was clear that the race was neck-and-neck. One second A would lead, the next second B would surge ahead by a few hundred votes.

Von stared at the screen, his face calm but his mind racing. He was genuinely dumbfounded. He knew he had delivered the best performances of his life, even impressing everyone.

On normal conditions, Celine shouldn’t stand a chance. Yet, there she was, almost beating him in the polls.

Von smiled wryly as he watched her bar surge again. ’The sob story,’ he thought. He knew it would be powerful, but he hadn’t expected it to be this effective.

The sympathy vote was playing a much bigger role than he had ever anticipated. Celine sat across from him with her hands clenched tightly. It was very clear the win meant a lot for her.

Von couldn’t tell who was winning so he could only stare at the pixels and hope his bar was the one on top. The situation stayed like that for a long, agonizing time until the voting channel finally closed.

In the end, Bar A edged over Bar B by a tiny margin.

"They’re ready for you," a producer whispered.

Von and Celine stood up. Neither of them said a word as they walked back out toward the bright lights of the stage, the muffled roar of the crowd getting louder with every step.

As they stepped out under the blinding spotlights, the audience went wild. The Final Four were now the Final Three, but only one more person could claim that last ticket.

Michael stood in the center of the stage, holding a gold-trimmed envelope. He looked at Von and Celine with a look of deep respect.

"Welcome back, you two," Michael said, his voice carrying through the speakers with a heavy, dramatic weight. "I have the results in my hand. But before I open this, I want to say something."

He turned to the audience. "Tonight, we didn’t just see a competition. We saw two different paths. One was a path of incredible, mysterious talent and a drive to be the best. The other was a path of love, sacrifice, and the hope of a daughter. You, the fans, were given a nearly impossible task."

Michael turned back to Von and Celine. "Only one of you can move forward. Only one of you will receive the ticket to the Grand Finale and a direct shot at stardom. The margins were closer than we ever could have imagined. Out of millions of votes, the difference was less than one percent."

The arena went silent for him to announce.

"Contestant A... 1,612,442 votes."

"Contestant B... 1,609,801 votes."

The numbers flashed on the big screen. The crowd gasped at how close it was. Celine’s eyes were squeezed shut.

"The person heading to the Grand Finale..." Michael paused, his hand hovering over the envelope as the dramatic drumroll reached its peak. "...The person the fans have chosen to fight for the crown is..."

...

...

"... VON VARLEY!"

The arena erupted. A massive roar of cheers, screams, and even a few boos from the Celine supporters filled the hall. Confetti blasted from the sides of the stage, raining down on Von.

Michael stepped over and gripped Von’s hand, raising it high into the air. "Von Varley! You are our final finalist! You are going to the Grand Finale!"