The Desired Effect

The Start Of The Beginning

Wednesday November 29th 2014 - Manhattan, New York

It's a chilly April morning in New York. The beehive of the city was already bustling with office workers, coffee connoisseurs and fashionable freelancers trying to make a go of it in the big apple. Except in one small corner of the city, tucked away in her little nest of a flat, one groggy girl slowly woke.

All cosy underneath her endless cream duvet, she savored the warmth and the comfort of her bed. Her favorite place to be. She groaned as she looked at the time. 7am. The flat was silent and only a slight hum of the hustle and bustle outside could be heard. After all she was on the 11th floor,

With a sigh, she sat herself up, still enveloped in her duvet. She had nothing much to do today but even so. That idea made her just as worried. How would she fill all that time? With another sigh, Poppy slid off of the bed and stood up, wincing a little as he bare feet met the cool laminate floor. Looking at her disheveled image in the mirror she rolled her eyes. Her tired eyes tinged with redness, stared back, the dark circles displaying her lack of sleep for everyone to see. Humming away to herself, she got herself somewhat presentable. The least she could do was get ready and pretend she had a busy day ahead. She decided to head out for an early walk, perhaps grab a coffee and a pastry from the nice cafe around the corner. That would kill an hour or two.

Poppy is the kind of girl that appears years younger than she actually is. Having never taken interest in make-up meant her porcelain skin has kept its pristine, youthful glow. Passers by often had to take a double look because she looked so young. She was young to be in New York alone. She was 19, about to turn 20 in August. Even Poppy has to remind herself that she is only 19. When she's busy recording bands and producing music, it's very easy for her to become so absorbed in her work that she forgets about reality all together. That's why she liked it so much.

As a young record producer, Poppy definitely hit the ground running when she left school. She grew up not far from Leeds and was set for a typical, quiet route to university. However, that wasn't what Poppy had in mind. She sat her A levels, leaving with a B in History, a C in English and a C in Music. On the side however, she was working at a local bar with a great live music set up. There she found her trade and began to get the experience of working with bands. By time she was 18 she had worked with a local band, Kaiser Chiefs, and it was that job that effectively launched her production career. After her work on their album, she found herself an agent who then found her consistent work with various local NY bands. It took a lot of persuading from her agent and work mates but she eventually bit the bullet and made the move. Fast forward a year and here she is waiting on the call for her next job.

The only thing that holds Poppy back and always has done, is her great talent for overthinking. The likely cause being her cold and emotionally starved childhood. When Poppy was 5, her older sister, Kayla died suddenly. Poppy later found out that she had tragically overdosed on ecstasy at a party at university when someone spiked her drink. Ever since, Poppy's parents became cold and distant from Poppy. Not only did Poppy struggle to come to terms with the grief of losing her big sister, but she also had to learn to deal with her ever absent parents. From a young age, Poppy was self-dependent, she was the only person she could rely on. The thought of growing up terrified her. Kayla was a good girl, she was smart and kind, Poppy thought. She struggled to comprehend how something so awful could happen to such a good person. This led to the irrational fear that she wouldn't reach the age of 22. Good girls die young she subconsciously told herself but she could never bring herself to be a bad girl either. She was stuck in this crippling no mans land which filled her with fear and kept her awake at night.

Poppy was different. Her bleached blonde hair, cut regularly into a neat pixie cut, was always blow dried into place, creating an edgy but feminine look which she adored. Faded blue skinny jeans, beaten dr marten boots, a denim jacket and a simple white t shirt was Poppy's uniform. Only would she add in a grey hoodie for the colder weather or switch the jeans for denim shorts in the summer. Poppy didn't have many friends. Her mother to thank for that. Her mother left her with some hefty mummy issues. They all stemmed from her being so hot and cold, poor Poppy never knew where she stood and hardly received any affection ever. This, Poppy has established, is why she has a lack of female friends or finds it hard to socialize with the women at work and perhaps where her 'tomboy vibe' comes from. Her father also left her with a fair share of daddy issues to match. He, even more so than her mother, was cold and showed no affection. Poppy decided that this is perhaps why she is so disinterested in men but on the one rare occasion that she did encountered a man, he was older and her confidence seemingly came out of nowhere.

Poppy snaps from her daydream as she strolls down a quiet side street of the city. Her phone ringing and vibrating in her pocket. She momentarily stops to fish the phone from her pocket. Hastily, coffee in one hand, phone in the other, she answered the phone.
"Hello?" She answered timidly.
"Hi, is this Miss Stewart? This is Lydia from Headline entertainment speaking" a well mannered lady answered. Poppy began to walk slowly, all of her attention now on the ladies voice.
"Yes it is, hi" she beamed back,the nerves bringing out her confidence.
"Great, So um, Miss Stewart, we have a job for you. I will forward the official documentation to you shortly. The only details I can currently disclose is that it will be a recording and production assignment out in Las Vegas..." the lady explained. Her voice seemed wise and worldly. Poppy hung onto every syllable. A flurry of butterflies swirled in her stomach.
"Ok, thank you. I will look over the documents and get back to you!" Poppy announced confidently. A new spring in Her step as she continued to stride down the street.

Bubbling with excitement and nerves, flung herself into the lift in her apartment building. Inhaling deeply, she leant back against the cool metal, pausing for a moment to centre herself. Her thoughts frantically whizzed through her Before her mind could wander once again, the lift doors clunked open, prompting Poppy to dart straight through them. She was on a mission now. All of a sudden she needed to read that email. She needed to scrutinize the words and analyse it. This was potentially her next big move.

Poppy stormed down the corridor to her door, everything was a blur. Within seconds she had waltzed into the flat, skipped across the lounge through the kitchen and into her bedroom. Instantly, plonking herself down at her desk, she flicked her computer on. Impatiently, she fidgeted in her seat. Biting her lower lip, she navigated her way to the email. There it sat patiently waiting for her to open. She had to reread it a couple of times to make sure she wasn't imagining it. She was being offered a 10 month contract. To produce an album. In Vegas with the ex lead singer from an international rock band, the Killers.

All of a sudden Poppy became very aware of her surroundings. 'This was too good to be true' she thought. 'I can't move to Vegas, I can't afford it' she kept telling herself. For what felt like hours she sat on her chair, just allowing her thoughts to consume her. She had learnt the hard way, trying to ignore the thoughts only ever made things worse. In reality it was only 20 minutes. She was brought straight back down to earth by a series of firm knocks on her bedroom door.
"Hey pops!" She heard the familiar voice call  through the door. It belonged to her flat mate, Jaz. Jaz had become a big sister to Poppy since they moved in together. Jaz studies history at Stanford and is extremely clever but you would never tell. She entered Poppy's room, bringing with her a plate towered high with toast. "I made toast, probably too much" she announced sitting herself on the edge of Poppy's bed, an apologetic expression across her face.
"I've been offered a job!" Poppy blurted, feeling that if she didn't say it now she might never say it. Jaz didn't say a word, instead she raised her brow for her to proceed. "Producing this guys solo album" she swallowed, "but it's in Vegas." Jaz's mouth dropped. Poppy stared at her friends face unable to read her expression.
"Wow! That's great news Poppy!" Jaz erupted as the news settled in.
"I don't know whether to take it though" Poppy shrugged, dropping her gaze awkwardly.
"Damn girl, you have to! This is amazing Poppy!" Jaz continued to beam. She was determined that Poppy would accept the job, more so than Poppy was. Jaz only wanted the best for her friend, and Poppy had a knack for overthinking and complicating things.

A/N : So, I finally got around to starting a new story. I'm not sure where this ones going to go but I hope you like it so far.