Billie Eilish was busy preparing with her team for her Coachella debut.
It had taken her quite a few years to reach this stage, and she planned on dishing out the best performance possible.
They had spent weeks perfecting the set and the choreography.
Now, with only a few days left, each and every member of the crew was pushing themselves to the limit as they tried to perfect the performance.
Right now, she was taking a short break and was scrolling through social media when she received a notification of a new post from Remus Bennet.
It was a picture of him sitting in a car, with a crumpled-up piece of paper, with a small caption underneath it.
“Finally Done!”
She glanced at the date and realized that it was the day of his SATs, and unlike many others in his position, he was a bit of a nerd, and she would often make fun of him for that.
He had even held back on work just so he could prepare for his exams, which was quite mature of him.
“Lmao, you’re such a nerd 🤓”
She quickly typed up a reply and posted it just as the set manager called her.
“Let’s go again, everyone,” the trainer added.
“Yeah, I’m coming, chill.”
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REMUS BENNET
Remus would be lying if he said that he was not surprised by his mother’s decision, but there was little he could do to change it.
He had hoped to move out of the place with them, but with Leslie, Rue, and Gia all deciding to stay, he would be the only person leaving their home.
It was a big change, truly, but one that he had to make.
The simple truth was that the life of a musician was not an easy one, and that he needed space, quiet, and specific equipment to move ahead in his career, and all of these things were not possible without this step.
He was going to miss his family, of course, but sooner or later he would have moved out regardless because of either his career or college.
The choice had just been pulled forward a bit, given his unique circumstances.
Rue understood that, and so did Gia, though the latter was far less enthused by it.
“Dinner. Every Sunday,” Gia demanded as she offered her own conditions for her ascent to this decision of his.
“Anything else?” he asked, and the girl mouthed out an elaborate list as he helped her with a school project.
He was keeping a record of it when suddenly the doors opened, and Rue burst in through the doors, swaying and jumping with a content smile that vanished as soon as she noticed them both.
“Wait, you’re still here?” Rue asked as she turned towards the clock.
“Yeah, Elliot’s running a bit late,” and now Remus had no excuse to offer to the label, nor that he had any desire to use any.
He had to start recording again, and the plan for the day was for him to do the proper recordings for at least three songs today while Elliot had mentioned how he had a song he wished to work on as well.
Lexie would be joining them as their official videographer, as well, and Amy was already at the studio, which was around an hour and a half’s drive from their House.
The Record Label had made the arrangements for them, and this was one of the perks of having a record label.
They now had access to all of their studios that were dispersed all over the country, though Remus still intended to build one in his own house so that he could work on his songs at his own time and pace.
“What are you two up to?” Rue slid towards the kitchen, where he was busy sifting through batter.
“Ask her?” he pointed towards Gia, who was the commander here.
“I am making Macaroons for my Bake Sale,” and so that was what they were doing.
“Nice, good luck with that,” Rue added, her disinterest clear before her eyes turned to him.
“Sooo…,” and she chewed on the words for a few seconds before she finally asked the question.
“…when you moving out?” and one could consider the question a bit callous, but he did not mind.
“Why?” Still, he was interested in why she was asking him that, but Gia caught on faster than he did as her head whipped towards Rue.
“NO!” Gia cut in, putting down the bowl hard, as Rue gave a triumphant grin.
“I asked him first. The room’s mine,” and so that was what this was about.
Gia’s head snapped towards him.
“Dibs on your room,” she declared, but Rue was quick to chime in.
“Why do you even need a bigger room? You are a kid?”
“I’m not a kid, okay?” Gia answered back quickly, before leaning forward.
“Why do you need it?” she asked.
“Because it’s the perfect getaway room,” and he couldn’t make sense of her words.
“What?” he asked, his interest piqued.
“You know, with the window and the tree, it is the perfect room to leave and enter without getting caught by anyone,” and she was right.
“Can you even climb a tree?” Gia countered, and Rue was many things, but she was not athletic.
“Nope, can’t,” and Gia huffed in triumph, only for Rue to continue.
“But Jules can,” and now he finally understood her plan, and honestly, given how much thought she had put into it, he wanted to just give her the place, but the two of them quickly got into a whole row over the damn thing.
“Nah, it’s mine!”
“Shut up, Gia. I’m older, I get dibs.” Rue contested.
“Keep your own room. His room’s mine.” and then their attention finally turned towards him.
“You should decide!” Rue declared.
“Yeah, decide!” Gia agreed confidently, and only a fool would step into this war.
“I think Elliot and Lexie are here,” and with that, he removed his apron and slid out of the kitchen.
“No!
NO!” “Tell us!” they both shouted at his back as he skidded away.
“Yeah, I’m letting Mom handle this one.” and with that, he slid out of the house as the two continued arguing with each other.
He had to wait in his car for a few minutes before Elliot and Lexie finally showed up.
“Finally,” Elliot sighed as Remus slid into the seat beside him while Lexie took the back seat. Find the original chapter at g.com.
They drove out of East Highland quickly, and about two hours later they finally reached the studio where Amy was already waiting for them.
“You are late,” she complained, and Remus pointed towards Diva responsible for this.
“Ask him?” he pointed towards Elliot, who had undergone quite a bit of a makeover.
Amy eyed him up and down, and he noticed how his friend straightened up under that scrutinizing gaze.
“Guess you can clean up,” and that was all she said before she smiled at Lexie.
“Hey, I’m Lexie.” Lexie pushed her hand forward as she greeted Amy warmly.
“Yeah, I’ve heard a lot about you.” And with that, the two of them led the way, as Remus slid beside Elliot.
“Dude, what was that? What’s going on here?” he asked, and Elliot took a second before he answered.
“Nothing,” he added before his eyes landed on Amy’s back.
“Man, she’s kinda terrifying,” and there was definitely more to this, and he had every intention of prying that out later, but first they had to work.
The studio was a thing of art, and if the studio they had rented was functional, this was a masterpiece.
“Yo, this place is insane,” and the walls were light green, and there were sofas and cushions along with uniquely shaped lamps and ornaments.
It was as if he had walked into the lobby of the Ritz, yet it was just a simple studio.
“This place was designed by a European architect. It is one of Interscope’s most prized offerings,” Amy added as she plopped down onto the sofa.
“Now chop, chop. We have already wasted enough time,” and so Remus went first, given that he was simply here for recording.
They had already done the work for four songs of his, and the only thing left for them to do was the recording.
Elliot hooked up his laptop to the whole setup, and a few minutes later he began singing.
This was the first time that Amy was hearing him sing live, and given her expressions, he could tell that she was impressed quite a bit.
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AMY PAPALIA
Amy had tried her hand at a few different professions.
She had started her career in Investment Banking and had worked for one of the biggest firms in New York before transitioning into law after her former employer had her blacklisted from the banking industry out of sheer spite.
It did not really matter to her, given that she had little interest in the money and the influence offered by the job and the industry and had only entered the field out of sheer curiosity.
After completing her PhD, she had ventured into law at the advice of her former boss, Mike Ross, and though the legal field was quite interesting and challenging, Amy preferred dealing with people and emotions rather than precedents and legal scriptures.
This idea was what drove her into her final career, as she realized that she could use all of her vast experience as an agent of sorts, but the transition was not an easy one, as few people were willing to put their trust in a newcomer like her.
But that all had changed now, and now she found herself managing two budding artists who had taken the world by storm.
She had landed the job through Harvey and Donna’s recommendation, and while that may seem immoral, this was simply the truth of their world.
Connections mattered, and Amy had made several over her diverse but limited career.
Many had cautioned her against taking on such young artists, warning her about how teenagers and their families were a hassle to deal with.
But for her, this could not be further from the truth.
Remus’s family was very trusting of her, and while he was still a minor, Leslie hardly treated him as one and trusted him to make his own decisions.
The boy himself was quite mature for his age and had very realistic goals.
Elliot, on the other hand, was more mischievous and easygoing.
He cared little for his career and wished to enjoy life, though she had realized early on that she would need to put in a bit more effort with the latter one if she was going to make an artist out of him.
Before signing them up, Amy had interned for quite a few people within the industry, and so she had a pretty good idea about how the whole thing functioned.
She had sat in on quite a few recording sessions and had seen several artists practice and perform over the years, and so she could tell that what she was witnessing was not normal.
Remus had taken to the booth first to record his new songs for the label, and he had been holding back in his work for a bit of time so that he could wrap up his schoolwork, which was rather mature of him.
He had performed once at the fair near his town, but Amy could not attend the event because of some other obligations, so in a way this was the first time she was witnessing him singing live.
She had known that he was talented, for one did not break out as he had without a bulk of talent.
But he was even better than she had thought, and so she watched as he simply plowed through the songs in the blink of an eye.
Remus had little formal training as a singer, yet he had great control over his vocals and could use techniques that took singers years to master on a simple whim.
‘I’m not ready to be just another of your mistakes.
Don’t wanna let the pieces fall out of place
I was only just a breath removed from going to waste
Till I found salvation in the form of your…
Your grace
Your grace
Your grace
Don’t take it away
Your grace
Your grace
Your grace
Don’t take it away’
Amy raised a brow as she watched him hit the chorus of the fourth song, and shook her head in amazement.
“He is good,” she admitted to the girl sitting beside her.
Lexie Howard was an old friend of the duo and had dreams of being a director one day.
She was a lithe little thing and had a nervous energy about her.
Her little crush was obvious to her eyes, and she also knew of the brief period of the relationship between her and Remus, though by his words they had simply decided to forget the whole affair to remain as friends. Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
“I told you, didn’t I?” Elliot added from the front, as he shifted his headphones slightly.
“I don’t really deserve those credits for producer,” and he had made the argument to her as well, but she told him what Remus had said.
“Half the time I’m just hitting play and record. Remus does it all,” and she shrugged.
“I really doubt that, but it doesn’t really matter. It is his decision,” she answered back, as Remus finished his session.
‘I’m not ready to be just another of your mistakes.
Don’t wanna let the pieces fall out of place
I was only just a breath removed from going to waste
Till I found salvation in the form of your…
Your grace (Your grace)
Your grace (Your grace)
Your grace (Your grace)
Don’t take it away
Your grace (Your grace)
Your grace (Your grace)
Your grace
Don’t take it away’
The song came to an end as Elliot gave the boy a thumbs up.
Remus finally put down his headphones as he walked out of the booth, rubbing his throat.
“Finally, that’s a wrap,” Remus added.
“Not yet,” Elliot cut in as he jumped up.
“I have something to show you as well,” and with that, he rushed into the booth as Remus took over the controls.
“Do you have perfect pitch?” Amy asked, trying to make sense of his talents.
“Yeah,” he answered.
“Must be nice,” she added.
“It doesn’t really matter, though. For singing, relative pitch works just as fine and is actually more useful,” and while she knew of some technicalities, she did not know the difference.
“What’s the difference?” she asked, and he turned towards her as Elliot adjusted and sat down in the booth.
“So, in perfect pitch you can know the note in an instant. It is like an objective measure. You listen to a note and know what it is,” and that she knew.
“But in relative pitch, you simply train yourself to discern which note is higher and which one is lower and so forth. It allows you to make a comparison,” and she did not know that.
“You can train that?” she asked, as Remus gave Elliot the thumbs up and pressed play and record.
“Yes,” and until now, Elliot had mostly served as producer for Remus, but the truth was that Elliot had been a musician far longer than his friend.
Elliot had been working as a freelancer for years now, producing and selling stems, writing lyrics and designing tunes.
He had never made a song for himself, but now Remus’s breakthrough had motivated him to do something for himself.
‘I can’t move on, babydoll.
Waitin’ on calls, flippin’ through stations
I’m outclassed, and it’s outrageous (Ooh)
And I’ll take it all, babydoll.
Whatever’s been weighin’ you down….’
And it was catchy and, in many ways, the complete opposite of Remus’s style.
“Nah, you messed that up. Too flat.” Remus called him out the second Elliot was done singing the chorus.
“Flat, and you botched a few words. Run it again…” and in that moment she saw another side of him, as he ran his friend into the ground.
He had him sing again, and again until the thing was perfect.
Elliot didn’t mind, and the whole exercise only helped cement the genius of the boy barking orders at his friend, as she realized that she had just witnessed something very, very magical.
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So, it took them all day to wrap up their work.
By the end of it, Elliot had recorded a song of his own, while Remus now had four more songs to offer to the label.
She would send them to the label, who would listen through them and then release them at a proper time.
“I’ll hit you up once the label finishes their checks,” she added as they walked out of the studio.
“About the concert — I’ll send dates, but I’m leaning toward the sixteenth,” and while that was less than a week away, there simply was too much demand.
Clips from his performance at the fair had gone viral on the internet, and the people were demanding a show.
They could not put them off any more than they had.
“Yeah, sounds good,” Remus agreed.
“Perfect. I’ll text the details. See you Saturday.”
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/ Drkest
Have a fantastic day!