Elara stared at the microphone in her hand for a long moment. Her heart was still beating fast. Then, as if she wanted to confirm what she was thinking, she slowly brought the microphone closer to her mouth again. She opened her mouth and sang the high note once more.
This time it was not a crack. It was a loud, sharp screech that cut through the hall in an embarrassing ugly sound.
A few people in the audience winced and covered their ears. Elara lowered the microphone slowly. Now she understood clearly what had gone wrong.
It was not her voice. The microphone had been tampered with. But only someone paying very close attention would understand that. Most of the people in this hall would think something was wrong with her voice. They would think she had failed at the most important moment of her performance.
The murmuring in the hall continued. Elara knew she had only a short time before the room made a decision about her performance, a decision she would not be able to undo.
