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× $1,208.75 No more, no less. Those were the numbers her bank account displayed on her phone screen all day long. It was her only bank account, too. So, it was the only savings account she had been maintaining for about ten years now. "Patience, Jess. It'll work out. Just trust the process..." Jessiah mumbled the words as she stared at her phone screen, trying not to frown. She had been waiting for the figures to change all week. Frankly she was praying every day and every night for some money to come in after that two-day modeling stint she just finished and worked for last week.
× She was done. Absolutely done. Done with anxiety-laden days and nights... Done with two whole years of high-functioning depression... And done feeling like she was meandering purposelessness on two legs. Those days were over. She was on a different path now. Well, too early to call it, since it was merely an initial interview for now. But her optimism was just through the roof these past few days. She had bought herself a plane ticket, packed up practically all she needed to start her new city life, and she already let her parents know she was moving away and getting a new job in Los Angeles. The city of angels... Jessi could still recall her mother's tearful advice over the phone yesterday. Her mom was just the sweetest. Supportive no matter what, but just a worrier and too sentimental sometimes. "It's gonna be a rough couple of months, but...I'm happy for you, baby." Her mother was holding back another sob at that point. "If you need anything, some cash for rent, just text
× Los Angeles, California × New season. New goals. New problems. Translation: more workload and stress for them all year. To his dismay, it was just the reality for a busy man like him. He asked for it, though. Ever since he learned how cruel life could be for a piss-poor nobody, he'd been dreaming of having a moneymaking career like this. A decent livelihood. A real job that made people respect him for his work and commitment. "Suck it up and do your best. Do I need to remind you everyone's counting on you?" his uncle would say if he was in a chatty mood. Jenson let out a sigh and flumped down in his swivel chair, tuning out the voices he didn't need to listen to right now. He stared at the dark and empty cubicles outside the huge glass dividers. The workstations were designated for their staff—20 or so on this floor. Unlike him, they all lined up in front of the elevator once the clock struck five. He wished they didn't act like so, but, the management never really encouraged t
× New York City ×"Good morning.""Hi. I'm Kel. Sorry if I smell like a hospital hallway. Got off my shift and went straight here.""I'm Jessi. Or just 'Jess'. And I don't mind at all." Jessi finished applying some highlighter on Kel, the soft-spoken model sitting in front of her. She gave the model a smile to convince her that she didn't mind how Kel's dark hair and pale face smelled of rubbing alcohol. Both of the model's hands also smelled of hand sanitizer and some cleaning product. "At least you smell clean.""Been sleeping in the quarters for about a month now. Training requirements," Kel muttered as Jessi worked on her dark brown eyebrows now. Kel's dark lashes and rather thick brows were such contrast to her pale green eyes. They looked beautiful and striking at first glance. "That place reeks of bleach most of the day.""Quarters?" Jessi repeated in a mumble while flicking a smaller makeup brush. She would be using it for the model's eye shadow."Doctors' quarters," Kel replie
× "Make it eight months. Gonna start shooting the next season soon. Some locations will be outside city limits. I'll need a dependable supply." "That would be 496 doses at 75 dollars per vial of the W70B30, Mr. Roiz." Jenson switched his phone to speaker mode as he reclined in his swivel chair. His spine and joints were aching again, and his headache wasn't helping his mood, either. "Yeah. Sounds about right," he replied to the pharmacy assistant on the other line. It wasn't exactly the usual pharmacy in this side of town, but it catered to their medicinal needs even at ungodly hours, practically open 24/7. As far as he knew, most of the pharmacy's customers ordered products and their prescription meds via phone or online. He imagined putting "also a certified wolfsbane potion dealer" on their storefront would most likely drive potential customers away, instead of attracting more patrons. "The packages will be delivered tomorrow
× 1 new message from:Zach Boss "UM called. Done shooting S2's last episode. They need u guys on set 4am this Wed. Promo shoot" Today 1:27PM Jessi had to do a double-take before the last text message from her boss finally sank in. Her phone had been buzzing while she was cleaning her makeup brushes, and now that she was done drying them, she had a minute to spare before the models needed another retouch. Season two? Last episode? Was he talking about "Road to Valhalla"? The same TV show Zach was working for as the key makeup artist? Daniella from HR had told her about the Hollywood series, and about the steadily growing fanbase it was gaining after the successful pilot season. But Jessi hadn't had the time to do an in-depth research over the weekend. She just didn't expect that someone as rookie as her would get picked from the roster for a job that big. When she just kept staring
× No bloodstains on the pillows and sheets. No signs of struggle. No ligature marks on the young victim's neck or wrists. The girl didn't look older than 25. No surprise there. Darren didn't fancy older women. No pulse. Motionless. Dead. The girl was already dead. Perhaps for about an hour now. Her pallid skin wasn't cold to the touch yet. Jenson got up from the floor and looked away from the corpse on the fairly messy bed. The hotel room looked clean and orderly, but not too clean or suspiciously organized. Hastily, he took off the surgical glove and curbed the strong urge to swear out loud and kick the nightstand. Darren was watching his every move despite the dimness. Covered up by a dark robe, Darren stood against the wall with his hands on his head, clutching his tousled hair that partly hid his shadowed face and panic-stric