Episode 7: Hi, I'm....No one.

Development: Spring continued

Isabelle finally arrived at the studio. She looked up at the large sign on the sky high building.

"CY Music Company" She took a deep breath, suitcase in hand, and walked in,

"Here I go." She whispered under her breath.

She found herself ushered into a room where four other people sat on a couple couches waiting. She slowly walked over and they stood up as she approached. They all looked friendly enough, Isabelle thought. Then a tall, skinny, beautifully tanned dark hair girl approached her, holding out her hand,

"Hi! You must be Isabelle!" She said in English, her incredibly straight teeth dazzled.

"Oh, uh, yeah!" Isabelle shook her hand, trying to be just as warm.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Evangeline. But I go by Evie. I'm from Hawaii! How about you?"

"I'm from California..." Isabelle answered, pausing for a moment before adding, "But I'm originally from China. This very city actually."  Evie's eyes opened in surprise,

"Oh wow! Why did you leave? What made you move to the U.S.? You don't really look Chinese to me?" Evie looked eagerly at Isabelle. Isabelle faltered a little, not knowing how to answer. I should have thought about what I would use as my back-story, she thought; mentally kicking herself for not being prepared to answer these questions. But thank goodness, another one of the people stepped in to save her when he saw her hesitation at the question.

"Evie, don't go prying into people's business so much. Especially when you've just met them."  He then turned to her and introduced himself,

"Hello Isabelle, I'm Hendrick. I'm from Toronto, Ontario. Well, basically Canada." He said, also in English, with a little chuckle. Isabelle hesitated responding for a moment as she took in his dazzling image. He stood almost the same height as her, but a little taller. He had a baby face with curly blonde hair (obviously terribly dyed), and he wore large thick black rimmed glasses. He was clearly Asian, his eyes curved into little almonds as he smiled at her.

"Haha, I've been to Toronto before, it's wonderful." Isabelle said, a little dazed by the sweet aura that seemed to emit from him. He smiled widely, adjusting his bright red bowtie that was situated in the V of his bright yellow vest above his checkered cloth pants. He seemed to blush a little and pushed his large glasses up. Another girl stepped in and gently pushed him aside a little.

"You and your flirting needs help. I sink dat ze big problem is your clotheses." She pointed her finger up and down at his outfit. "Are you trying to be ze hipster? Zat is not ze hipster look." 

Isabelle observed this other girl. She spoke English with an accent, but what caught her attention was how beautiful the blonde girl was. Her golden hair fell in perfect natural curls to her shoulders, and her red lips, blue eyes, and pointy nose seemed like she was princess that stepped out of the pages of a fairy tale. She continued criticizing Hendrick's odd outfit,

"You sink you ahr kuhl but you ahr so not, you stupid prototypical nonconformist! Next sing you will be ze emo next! Verdammt!" She turned to Isabelle now, who couldn't help but let out a little giggle at how her words seemed to be mean, but the way in which she delivered it made it funny and broke some of the atmospheric tension.

"Can you believe vhat he is vearing?" She said to Isabelle with a smile, "A red bovtie and yellow vest. And ze pants! Zat is just...laws of physiks ahr broken!"

Evie now protested at this,

"Just because you wear expensive clothes doesn't mean you have to criticize Hendrick's clothes."

The blonde girl ignored her and continued speaking to Isabelle,

"Anyvayz. Isabelle is it? I've been to ze California you're from. Nosing compared to the great Alps in Munchen I am from. No hiztory! But I zuppose that ze lack of hiztory would not affekt ze talent of its musicians."

Even though she had just insulted her home, Isabelle couldn't help but smile because at the same time she had giver her a chance to prove herself as a musician. Then Isabelle realized the girl hadn't said her name yet.

"Oh! What was your name again?" Isabelle asked as the German girl turned away. The girl had turned to speak to Evie,

"And you ahr not one to speak, Evangeline. Your high wasser pantz und knit mustard yellow zweater. Does your mutter still buy you ze clotheses?" Her playful tone irritated Evie a little, but Evie was good tempered and just pouted. Without turning her head, and making her way back to her seat on the couch, the German girl said to Isabelle,

"I vas trying to make zis less awkward vit all zis introductions. But if you insist. Just call me Karin." She dismissed the subject with a little wave of her hand, and flopped down onto the couch and picked up a magazine with an image of a horse on the front.

"Sorry, Karin can be a little too...blunt sometimes...." Evie whispered loudly to Isabelle. Karin just sat there pretending like she didn't hear anything. Isabelle laughed a little. She was feeling at home with these people already.

"Oh!" Hendrick stepped back a little to introduce the other figure standing farther back. "This is Raj from India!" He introduced. Isabelle noted that Raj too was dressed in a peculiar way. He wore a simple, design-less black sweatshirt with worn, light-washed jeans and torn sneakers that his toes poked through. He had short black hair and the dark, creamy Indian skin.

"I'm Raj." He said briefly, raising his right hand and nodding his head in an upward direction. He had a heavy accent that sounded friendly, but after stating his name, he sat down again and pulled out an ipod and black headphones from the front pocket of his sweatshirt. He put on the headphones, and escaped into the music in the depths of his ipod.

The five musicians sat on the couches and waited for several minutes when the doors to the room burst open.

"How are my favorite protégés doing?!" A loud booming voice filled the room. Everyone stood up, looking at the odd man with blank looks. Isabelle looked around seeing that she was the only one who understood his Chinese. "English then?" The man asked in English with a funny Chinese accent. Everyone nodded and murmured words of agreement. "Well! don't be shy! Gather around!" The tall lanky man pulled up chair and instead of sitting, put one foot on it and leaned his elbow on his leg. Everyone gathered in front of him.

"I know my pasty skin is a sight to avoid looking at. I know my glasses are much too small and round for my face. I know my wardrobe is not in style. It probably was never in style. I know I talk too much for my own good. And I know I have many secrets that seem unfair to hide. But I ask of you guys, do not be afraid to approach me with anything or question my authority." He took turns looking at each one of the musicians directly in the eye. "Now that the serious stuff is over." He cleared his throat and adjusted his dorky round glasses, "I'm Chin Ye, call me uncle Chin. In a few minutes, I'll show you to the dorms you'll be staying at. Oh! And you'll be meeting my younger brother Chin Lu. He's kind of a stick in the mud, but he's pretty wicked with a guitar!"

"I heard that we would be sharing the dorms with the members from CL Entertainment?" Hendrick asked.

"Oh! Right right." Chin Ye let out a funny snorting laugh. Isabelle covered her mouth as she tried to hold in a laugh. Looking over at Evie and Karin, they had a similar expression on their faces.

"The dorms are fairly large. There are eleven floors and two towers. You will be staying in the north tower. The south tower are for the rock musicians my brother owns."

"Owns?!" Evie furrowed her brow.

"Oh did I say owns? Oh hahaha..." He nervously fixed his glasses, "I meant uh...I meant..." Looking around the room, he jumped up off the chair and headed towards the door. "Let's get you guys settled into your dorms shall we?"  They followed him out into the hallway.

"He scares me a little." Evie whispered to Isabelle.

"I know...Does he really know what he's doing?" She answered back quietly. Evie shrugged,

"Ehhhh...we'll see I guess."

____

"Here we are!" Uncle Chin waved his long lanky arms around. "The eight floor, north tower! You can choose your rooms for yourselves!" Everyone started bustling around, going in and out of rooms finding one with the best view from the window.

Isabelle chose the room with a view of the little playground near a school. The city of tall buildings stretched for miles, and the playground seemed to be the only patch of green grass she could see. Just as she was about to lay down on the bed and relax, she heard Uncle Chin shouting down the hall.

"Everyone!! Come out! There's someone you have to meet!"

Sighing, Isabelle slowly made her way back out into the hallway. Standing next to Uncle Chin was a short, stout, and angry looking man. He looks like a gangster, Isabelle thought to herself.

"This is my brother, CEO of CL Entertainment!" Uncle Chin introduced his brother with his nerdy, high pitched voice. His brother was the complete opposite of uncle Chin. He was serious, and down to earth. Literally, closer to the ground.

"I'm Chin Lu." He said without any expression. Hendrick, being sweet and trying to be kind to Chin Lu asked,

"Hello! What should we call you? Your brother asked us to call him uncle Chin!" He said smiling, his eyes turning into the cute almond shape. Chin Lu made no facial expression as he said,

"My name is Chin Lu. Call me...Chin Lu." Everyone was silent for a moment from the curtness of the angry looking man. Then uncle Chin began laughing awkwardly to try and break the awkward silence.

"Hahaha well, my brother is really serious about his work...so... Oh! Look, his favorite new rock music trainees!" Uncle Chin turned around just as a group of guys walked over. All dressed in black, looking up and down the blank white walls of the hallway.

"Just as I thought." One of them said. "Boring as hell." The others laughed at that.

At this, Chin Lu spoke up loudly, "Jay!" The sudden shout made all the classical music students jump. "Show some respect around here."  He shouted in Chinese

"Yeah yeah Mr. Boss." A tall, lean boy sauntered over, smoothing over his dyed blonde hair. The other boys chuckled a little under their breath.

"Eh," One of the other boys spoke in Chinese as well, "Taiyo, look at the nerd with the glasses." Another chuckled rippled through the boys. Isabelle's heart almost jumped out of her chest. She immediately averted her gaze, wishing that she could hide herself somewhere. And then it came. The moment she was dreading.

"Oi! What are you doing here?!" The familiar snappy, rude voice echoed through the hall.

Isabelle slowly turned to face him. There he stood. Gorgeous face, rude attitude and all.

"I can't believe my luck." She thought to herself as she stared into his cold black eyes.

The boy name Taiyo pushed his way forward to get a look at her, and said to the tall blonde boy, "Eh, J Hawk, who's she?"

J Hawk stood silently staring at Isabelle for a second. He looked annoyed, yet confused at the same time, a conflict of emotions on his face. Finally, he looked away and said coldly and curtly,

"No one."

With that, he turned around and left, leaving the other boys turning their heads in confusion, footsteps echoing into the distance, a door slamming, silence.