CHAPTER 12: The Empty Fifth Position
2032 Words
AIRA'S POV
The empty space beside us felt louder than the music.
Elise's marker was still on the floor.
A small piece of tape.
Nothing special.
But I couldn't stop looking at it.
The trainer stood in front of us.
"Positions."
Nobody moved.
Mika finally spoke.
"Ma'am..."
The trainer looked at her.
"May tanong?"
"Opo."
"Go."
"Ano po talaga ang nangyari kay Elise?"
The room became silent.
The trainer's expression didn't change.
"Hindi ko maaaring sabihin."
"Bakit po?"
"Internal matter."
Mika frowned.
"Pero kasama namin siya."
"And now she's not."
The answer was cold.
Mika looked frustrated.
"But—"
"Enough."
Mika stopped.
The trainer pointed toward the floor.
"Positions."
We obeyed.
I stood where Elise used to stand.
It felt strange.
The choreography had been designed for five people.
Now there were only four.
The formation looked incomplete.
The trainer watched us.
"Simulan."
The music played.
We moved.
But without Elise, everything felt wrong.
One count too early.
One step too far.
One person missing.
When the music ended, the trainer stopped it.
"Again."
We tried.
Again.
"Again."
Again.
"Again."
My lungs burned.
Mika's face was red.
Sienna was struggling to keep her balance.
Luna looked distant.
"Focus!"
The trainer shouted.
We straightened.
"Kung may isang nawawala, hindi ibig sabihin mawawala rin ang performance."
She walked toward us.
"Mag-adjust."
We nodded.
"Ulit."
---
By the fifth repetition, we finally managed to complete the routine.
The trainer didn't smile.
"Mas okay."
Then she looked at me.
"Aira."
"Opo."
"Ikaw ang papalit sa position ni Elise."
I froze.
"Po?"
"Narinig mo."
"Opo."
"From today, ikaw ang nasa position niya."
I nodded.
"Opo."
My stomach tightened.
That position was difficult.
It had the most transitions.
The most camera exposure.
The most pressure.
And now—
it was mine.
"Okay po."
The trainer nodded.
"Good."
But I could hear my own thoughts.
Paano kung hindi ko kaya?
---
MIKA'S POV
I didn't like it.
I didn't like that Elise was gone.
Not because I missed her.
Because something about the situation felt wrong.
She had been selected yesterday.
Today, she was suddenly removed.
No explanation.
No warning.
Nothing.
During lunch, I sat with Aira, Sienna, and Luna.
"May alam ba kayo?"
Aira shook her head.
"Wala."
Sienna looked down.
"Wala rin."
I looked at Luna.
"Ikaw?"
She was quiet.
"Wala."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Sigurado?"
"Oo."
I leaned back.
"Parang may alam ka."
Luna looked at me.
"Wala talaga."
I sighed.
"Okay."
But I didn't believe her.
---
After lunch, we had conditioning.
The trainer increased our workload.
"Fifty jumping squats."
Mika groaned.
"Again?"
"Sixty."
I shut my mouth.
"Start."
We began.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Forty.
My legs started shaking.
At fifty, I could barely stand.
The trainer counted.
"Fifty-one."
I looked at her.
"Ma'am, fifty po."
"Sixty ang sinabi ko."
I gritted my teeth.
"Sixty."
I continued.
By the end, I was breathing heavily.
The trainer walked past us.
"Mas malakas kayo ngayon."
I looked at her.
"Talaga po?"
"Oo."
"Parang mas pagod."
She looked at me.
"Pagod ka?"
"Opo."
"Good."
I stared at her.
"Good?"
" ibig sabihin ginagamit mo katawan mo."
I didn't know whether to laugh.
"Ulit bukas."
"Po?"
She walked away.
I looked at Aira.
"Patay tayo."
Aira laughed.
"Oo."
---
SIENNA'S POV
That evening, I went to the vocal room alone.
I needed silence.
I opened my notebook.
The page was still there.
The one I wrote about us.
I stared at the line.
Limang pangalan.
I crossed it out.
Then rewrote it.
Apat na pangalan.
I stopped.
I didn't know why I felt guilty.
Elise and I were never close.
But she had been part of our group for only a few days.
Still, her absence felt strange.
I wondered where she was.
What happened?
Was she hurt?
Did she do something?
Or—
was someone trying to remove her?
I closed the notebook.
The door opened.
Luna walked in.
"Hi."
I smiled.
"Hi."
She sat beside me.
"You okay?"
"Oo."
"Ikaw?"
She looked away.
"Oo."
I laughed softly.
"Pareho tayong sinungaling."
She smiled.
"Siguro."
I looked at her.
"Luna."
"Hmm?"
"May alam ka ba?"
She didn't answer.
I continued.
"Tungkol kay Elise."
She stared at the floor.
"May narinig lang ako."
"Ano?"
"Na may investigation."
"Anong investigation?"
"I don't know."
I looked at her.
She was clearly hiding something.
But I didn't push.
Instead, I said:
"Kung may problema..."
She looked at me.
"Pwede mong sabihin sa amin."
She smiled faintly.
"Alam ko."
"Magkakaibigan tayo."
She nodded.
"Alam ko."
But the way she said it sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
---
LUNA'S POV
I couldn't tell them.
Not yet.
If I told them about the messages, everything would change.
They would become suspicious.
They would ask questions.
They might investigate.
And if management found out—
I didn't know what would happen.
So I kept quiet.
But the problem was—
Aira had started watching me.
Mika had started questioning everything.
Sienna knew when I was lying.
And now I was surrounded by people who cared about me.
That made everything harder.
---
That night, I received another message.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
«Nawawala na siya.»
I stared at the screen.
Another message.
«Ngayon, kayo naman.»
My heart stopped.
Then—
«Apat na lang kayo.»
I immediately deleted it.
I couldn't sleep.
---
The next morning, we arrived at the agency.
Something was different.
People were looking at us.
Staff.
Trainees.
Even some of the security guards.
Whispers followed us.
"Yan yung apat."
"Kasama nila si Elise."
"Alam mo ba kung ano nangyari?"
"Wala."
"May issue raw."
"Anong issue?"
"Secret."
I heard everything.
So did the others.
Mika stopped walking.
"Ang daming nagsasalita."
Aira whispered.
"Huwag mong pansinin."
"Pero tungkol sa atin."
Sienna looked nervous.
"Hayaan natin."
Luna said nothing.
We entered Studio 4.
The trainer was waiting.
But this time, there was another person with her.
A woman in a black suit.
She held a tablet.
"Good morning."
"Magandang umaga po."
She looked at the four of us.
"Today, may camera evaluation."
Mika blinked.
"Ngayon po?"
"Yes."
The trainer corrected her.
"Ngayon."
The woman continued.
"Each of you will perform individually."
My stomach tightened.
Individual.
No group.
No one to save us.
No one to cover our mistakes.
"First."
She looked at Aira.
"You."
Aira swallowed.
"Opo."
---
AIRA'S POV
I stepped in front of the camera.
My hands were cold.
The staff adjusted the lights.
"Ready?"
"Opo."
"Music."
The music started.
I danced.
This was different from the group performance.
No one beside me.
No one behind me.
Every mistake belonged to me.
I remembered the trainer's words.
Potential isn't enough.
I pushed harder.
I turned.
Jumped.
Recovered.
Then came the part I had struggled with.
I nailed it.
The music ended.
Silence.
The woman watched the playback.
She didn't react.
"Again."
My heart sank.
"Po?"
"Again."
I performed again.
Then again.
On the fourth attempt, she finally stopped.
"Okay."
I breathed out.
"Salamat po."
She wrote something on her tablet.
I walked back.
Mika squeezed my shoulder.
"Magaling."
I smiled.
"Salamat."
Then—
"Next."
Mika stepped forward.
---
MIKA'S POV
I loved the camera.
At least, I thought I did.
But being alone in front of it was terrifying.
The woman said:
"Show me your personality."
I blinked.
"Po?"
"Don't just dance."
I nodded.
The music started.
I danced.
But halfway through, I realized what she meant.
I was performing the choreography.
But I wasn't performing myself.
I stopped.
The music continued.
The woman didn't stop it.
So I improvised.
I changed my expression.
Added movement.
Made the choreography mine.
When the music ended, I was breathing hard.
The woman looked at me.
"Better."
I smiled.
"Salamat po."
"Your dancing is strong."
I waited.
"But you're angry."
I frowned.
"Po?"
"Your eyes."
She tapped the tablet.
"You're always trying to prove something."
I looked away.
She wasn't wrong.
"That's dangerous."
I nodded.
"Opo."
"Unless you learn to use it."
She walked away.
I stood there.
Use it.
Maybe she was right.
Maybe my anger wasn't something I needed to erase.
Maybe I needed to turn it into strength.
---
SIENNA'S POV
When it was my turn, the woman asked me to sing without music.
I almost panicked.
"Acapella?"
"Yes."
I nodded.
I closed my eyes.
Then sang.
The room disappeared.
I imagined the small room where I used to practice.
The old microphone.
The cheap earphones.
The songs I wrote secretly.
My voice trembled at first.
Then became stronger.
When I finished, nobody spoke.
I opened my eyes.
The woman was staring at me.
"Who taught you?"
I shook my head.
"No one po."
"Really?"
"Opo."
She nodded.
"Interesting."
I didn't know what that meant.
"Thank you."
I returned to my seat.
Aira smiled.
Mika gave me a thumbs-up.
Luna nodded.
I smiled.
For the first time that day, I felt confident.
---
LUNA'S POV
"Last."
I stood.
The camera turned toward me.
The woman looked at the tablet.
Then at me.
"Ready?"
"Opo."
"Music."
The song started.
I danced.
I sang.
I performed.
Everything was automatic.
Then the woman said:
"Stop."
The music stopped.
I froze.
She stared at me.
"Again."
I nodded.
Again.
Then—
"Again."
Third time.
"Again."
Fourth.
"Again."
Fifth.
I was beginning to understand.
She wasn't testing my performance.
She was testing how long I could endure.
I continued.
Sixth.
Seventh.
Eighth.
My lungs burned.
My legs were shaking.
But I kept going.
Finally, she stopped.
She stared at me for a long time.
"You're hiding something."
My heart stopped.
I looked at her.
"Po?"
"You're holding back."
I forced a smile.
"Pagod lang po."
She shook her head.
"No."
She stepped closer.
"You're afraid."
Silence.
I didn't answer.
She leaned toward me.
"Question is..."
She paused.
"...what are you afraid they'll discover?"
My blood ran cold.
The room suddenly felt freezing.
I looked toward the glass.
Behind it, I could see Aira.
Mika.
Sienna.
They were watching.
The woman noticed.
She smiled.
"Interesting."
She turned off the camera.
"That's enough."
I stepped back.
"Opo."
I walked toward the others.
Aira looked at me.
"Okay ka?"
"Oo."
Mika frowned.
"Parang hindi."
"Okay lang."
Sienna quietly touched my arm.
"Halika."
We left the room together.
---
AIRA'S POV
We thought the day was over.
It wasn't.
At five in the afternoon, the four of us were called into the conference room.
There were three executives.
The same director from our first evaluation.
He placed four folders on the table.
"Sit."
We sat.
He looked at us.
"Congratulations."
Mika smiled.
"Salamat po."
"Your individual evaluations were strong."
We smiled.
Then he added:
"But we have a problem."
My smile disappeared.
"What problem?"
The director opened a folder.
"Elise Marquez."
Everyone became silent.
"She has been suspended."
Mika frowned.
"Bakit po?"
The director looked at us.
"Because of a serious breach of agency policy."
Sienna swallowed.
"Ano po?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he said:
"Until the investigation is complete, you are not allowed to contact her."
Mika's eyes widened.
"Pero—"
"No."
The director's voice was firm.
"Understood?"
"Opo."
He closed the folder.
"Good."
We stood.
But before we left, he said:
"One more thing."
We turned.
"Starting tomorrow, you will have a new schedule."
He smiled.
"Your first official concept evaluation."
Mika's eyes widened.
"Concept?"
"Yes."
The director looked at all four of us.
"If you pass..."
He paused.
"...you may become the first confirmed members of the agency's new girl group project."
My heart stopped.
A girl group.
An actual group.
Not just a development team.
Not just trainees.
A real possibility.
Mika smiled.
Sienna's eyes filled with tears.
Luna looked stunned.
I couldn't believe it.
The director opened the door.
"Congratulations."
We stepped outside.
For the first time, the dream felt close enough to touch.
But none of us noticed the staff member standing at the end of the hallway.
He was holding a folder.
On the cover were five names.
Four of ours.
And one crossed out in red.
ELISE MARQUEZ.
The staff member looked at us.
Then quietly said:
"Simula pa lang."
And somewhere inside the agency, behind a locked door—
Elise opened her eyes.
- Writer
