Mission in Progress

Dappled sunlight shone through the trees lined along B Avenue, creating mysterious shadows that shimmered and danced on the sidewalks. It was one of those serene summer afternoons when the heat was just right and the breeze felt cool and refreshing upon one's skin, prompting people to go out for a stroll or lounge in cafes when they normally wouldn't at this time of the day.

Near the fountain, a good looking youth could be seen tuning a guitar, seemingly absorbed in his work. His above average features, not unlike idols they see on TV, caused a few people to stop and stare.

"So handsome!" one girl passing nearby whispered to her friend. "Do you think he's single?"

"Who cares if he is? You don't have a chance anyway," her friend answered. She rolled her eyes when the girl ignored her words, staring after the boy with hearts in her eyes. "Besides, he looks young, probably a high school student. Back off, cradle robber."

"Whatever. I'm still going to go ask for his number…"

It was then that Jaxon noticed the attention he was getting. He was right; having good looks really has its perks. Despite himself, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. This was his first public performance, after all.

He began strumming his guitar for the first few notes, before opening his mouth to sing.

***

A seemingly ordinary woman was spending her break time at a nearby cafe, sipping her nth iced coffee for the day. She looked like she hadn't slept for weeks. Her skin was ghostly pale, her glasses askew, her wild mess of hair looked like it hadn't seen a comb for the past several days or so, and the bags underneath her eyes were so terribly swollen. She surprised herself by not shrieking when she saw her appearance in her bathroom this morning, but then again, she didn't have any energy left in her to do so.

"I swear, I'm gonna quit this job for real this time," she muttered, chewing around the tip of her straw absentmindedly.

The woman was a talent agent working for Starxx Entertainment. Long ago, working for a major entertainment company would have made her over the moon, but being in the industry for almost a decade had desensitized her. She used to think that the entertainment world was a dazzling place, a paradise meant only for the most talented gods and goddesses to ever grace this earth. It wasn't long until these naive expectations of hers flew out of the window when she was inevitably exposed to the darker side of the industry.

She'd thought of resigning countless times, but begrudgingly, the job pays good so she always ends up staying.

But this time, this time, she's seriously thinking of leaving the industry for good.

Her phone vibrated, signaling an incoming call. She placed it on her ear without glancing at the caller's name.

"Hello?"

"Miss Rivers! Sorry to disturb you when you must have been so busy –"

The woman stared at the rapidly melting ice cubes in her coffee. "No, it's fine, Catherine. I'm –"

"Andrei is embroiled in yet another scandal! Our PR team is currently doing everything to fix his mess, but…"

She massaged her temples, trying to ward off an oncoming headache. God, what has that troublemaker done this time? "Got it, I'll be there. In the meantime, put that boy of yours under a leash. Can't have him running around and causing even more trouble while the whole thing has yet to be resolved."

"Okay. Thank you so much, Miss Rivers!"

The phone call disconnected. Muttering a curse under her breath, she gulped down what remained of her coffee, and stood up to collect her things. Andrei, that brat, just couldn't give her a moment's peace.

Andrei Scott was one of the artists placed under her wing. He was one of the VIP celebrities (selected artists given the VIP treatment because of their talent, fame, wealth, connections, background or all of the above) signed under Starxx Entertainment, but in reality, the boy was nothing but a handsome face with no real talent to speak of. But his father was Director Sebastian Scott, a prominent director in the industry, and his mother was supermodel Sienna Wilson, the face of luxury brands like Gucci…it was no wonder why he was able to enter this cutthroat industry so easily when the boy couldn't act, sing or dance to save his life.

Everything is certainly possible if you've got the right connections.

***

The weather was beautiful, she discovered once she stepped outside. Too bad, she wasn't in the mood to appreciate it.

She was about to wave a taxi over, when she realized she'd forgotten her wallet in her haste. A groan escaped her lips.

Clutching the straps of her bag, she turned to rush back to the cafe to get said wallet, when a clear youthful voice singing the first line of a song stopped her in her tracks.

This voice…

Her eyes immediately sought the direction where the voice was coming from, and there she saw him, strumming his guitar by the fountain. A teenage boy, not older than sixteen or seventeen was singing a song she'd never heard of before.

A street performance, huh. It would have been nice to stay and listen to this kid sing, but she was in a hurry –

A breeze blew past, rustling the hem of her skirt. She hurriedly flattened her skirt down, but when she looked up again, her attention was quickly stolen by the youth with the violet eyes.

He was smiling.

So…so handsome!

Her mind began working a hundred miles a minute. Such a face would be wasted if this kid didn't enter the entertainment industry! And while his singing needs a bit of improvement, the kid definitely has a lot of potential. He could go places!

But then, she would be subjecting an innocent kid to the mercy of a cruel, cruel world…

However, should the kid continue his street performances, sooner or later, another agent from another company would take notice of him and snatch him up to become their artist. She would have hated herself for missing the chance.

But anyway, she's going to quit soon, so the last thing she should be doing is scouting for a potential artist…

The song reached its chorus, and the boy surprised her by hitting all the high notes effortlessly.

I'm never gonna slow down, never gonna turn back

Gonna stay up all night, gonna live like that

Gonna take life by the reigns, take it all in stride

Gonna keep on dreaming, no matter what comes my way

His voice dripped with youthful passion and fire, that his audience was incredibly moved, the woman included.

It was then that she came to a decision. It's settled; this kid will become Starxx Entertainment's newest star.

As for resigning…she may have to postpone it for some other time.