The Start Of Us

1

A/N: The Outset inspired story you didn't know you needed. Welcome to my first published series! I sat down yesterday feeling inspired and wrote about 5 chapters - nevermind the 4 assignments I have due this Friday, lol. The goal is to have 10-12 parts to this story and publish a chapter weekly. This will allow me to have at least two chapters sitting in my drafts in case I get too busy or lack inspiration. All the parts are around 2-3k words. I will also be posting this on my tumblr (MadameVirgo). As always, feedback is great motivation and if you have any ideas of things you'd like to see in this story, comment them so I can be inspire. Happy reading!

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As a college student, it was hard to decide when the worst time of the year was; but right now, if I had to pick one, it would have to be the period between spring and summer break. That moment where you spend your time either looking for internships or student jobs and struggling to keep up with your assignments and exams; the countless hours spent on LinkedIn and with your nose in the books, questioning if you made the right career choice. I had lost count of how many cover letters I had written and how many organizations I had sent my resume to. Eventually, I had stopped being picky and simply started applying to things I was remotely qualified for.

Beggars can't be choosers, the saying goes. Job searching was a very humbling experience. It was a Friday night, around 11 pm. The rest of my friends would be several vodka shots deep by now, but here I was, sitting in front of my computer. A headache was starting to form itself, either from the stress, exhaustion or the blue light of my computer screen to which I had been exposed for 12 consecutive hours today. If I had to guess, I would say all three. I was close to giving up, resigning myself to the fact that I'd probably have to work an unsavoury retail job this summer - if I even got that lucky - when suddenly my laptop chimed with an incoming email.

Dear Y/n L/n,

After reviewing multiple applicants over the last few weeks, we are pleased to inform you that your portfolio has stood out to us the most. We would like to invite you to an in-person interview and further discuss the position of 'paid marketing intern' with you in the following week. Please reply to this email with your availability.

We look forward to meeting you,

Kate Foster Lengyel

Co-Founder & CEO of 'The Outset'

I re-read the email a few times to make sure it wasn't a fragment of my imagination. To be fair, I didn't remember applying for this position or company. But reading the onboarding kit, it seemed like the internship of my dreams, although the website explained that it was a new company which left me a bit hesitant. This wouldn't be the first time I fell for a scam like that. Sending a silent prayer to the universe, I emailed back.

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A week later, the uber dropped me off in front of a large three-storey modern warehouse in the business district. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the building. Although the outside was beautiful, the inside was magical. The glass windows allowed the light to flow beautifully inside the building. The decor allowed minimalism and comfort to blend comfortably, and the soft music playing in the background seemed to harmonize perfectly with the sound of people talking and walking around. I was so in awe that I didn't see a blond woman with a friendly smile approaching me.

"Hi! You seem a bit lost. Can I help you, dear?" I looked in the direction where the voice had come from, and I felt heat rushing to my face.

"Oh, uh yeah. Sorry. I have a meeting with Kate Foster Lengyel? It's about the marketing intern position." her eyes seemed to light up at that and her smile brightened if that was even possible. I breathed a sigh of relief.