Gridlock L.A. at Paramount Studios was the West Coast version of New York’s Times Square. Except, unlike the original, it wasn’t free. Thousands paid a hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty dollars to party on the studio’s Manhattan set. Food and drink flowed as revelers danced and sang with DJs and live bands, welcoming in the New Year. The midnight countdown on the main stage led to wild cheering, falling confetti, and an impressive fireworks show.
Anastasia Fernands knew firsthand. She had covered the event the previous year. She was determined that this was going to be the last time.
She parked her blue Prius in an almost empty lot on Van Ness. In a little while, the lot would be packed. Anastasia was early. Whenever she could, she preferred to get her bearings before covering a story. She didn’t like surprises, though she didn’t expect any tonight.
Anastasia looked up into the dark sky and searched for a star. Please let my wish come true.
She strolled around the Paramount lot. The buildings on the faux NYC streets were already bathed with red, green, and blue spotlights. A long red carpet was laid out to welcome VIPs, and a giant Ferris wheel waited to lift partiers into the air. Caterers were stocking the food stations. It was all pretty much the same as last year.
Anastasia looked at her watch. The old year was already over on the East Coast, but there were almost three more hours to go in L.A.
She vowed to herself that she was going to take her destiny into her own hands. That was her New Year’s resolution. No more waiting around for the powers at the paper to promote her. No more asking for permission to do a story only to have it denied because the topic wasn’t sexy enough. No more reporting for the Style section—though in this town more attention was paid to the Style section than to the headlines on the front page.
That wasn’t serious journalism.
She had a story that she wanted to cover. She’d been working on it for months, laying the groundwork. Doing the research had been difficult and painstaking, because nobody wanted to talk about the subject. It was a story that would make her editor sit up and pay attention, an investigative piece that Anastasia would be able to look at with pride.
She was using her vacation time and checking into Elysium.