Chapter 1

After months of struggling to find a job as a journalist, Andy had resigned herself to applying for other jobs within the publishing industry. She'd landed several interviews and over the course of two weeks had been to three. Each was the same old song and dance; either she was overqualified, underqualified, or just simply didn't know the right people to land the job. Her final interview of the week was for an assistant position at a Auto Universe, a monthly magazine Andy had only ever noticed in the specialty section at airport newsstands. She'd stopped by a big box bookstore a few days before her scheduled meeting hoping to find a copy, and was lucky to find three back issues alongside the most current offering. She thumbed through them and wasn't terribly impressed. Ever the eternal optimist, she tried to find the positive in the possibility of working for a magazine whose largest non-car related advertiser appeared to be Axe grooming products, maker of the dude-centric body spray. It would be a paying job she'd reminded herself.

The interview itself had been a mixed bag. On one hand it was like any other large corporate interview—a huge HR department HRing for the many disparate entities also housed under the Elias-Clarke umbrella. On the other hand, it was nothing like any interview she'd ever had.

When she arrived at the building at 9AM Wednesday morning, she checked in with security who directed her to the third floor which housed the majority of the HR department for the conglomerate. As she moved towards the elevators, she was nearly knocked down by a slim redhead running in four inch stilettos and mumbling under her breath.

"Out of my way you cow!" The redhead shouted as she slammed a shoulder into Andy and then grumbled under her breath "...going to raise hell... understand how it works...my job twice as hard..."

Cow?! What the hell? Who does she think she is? Andy thought, as she struggled to remain upright. By the time she thought to defend herself the redhead had already blown past her and into an open elevator.

Andy got to the lift just as the doors started to close. The woman shot her the iciest don't-even-think-about-it glare Andy'd ever seen.

"Take the stairs." The British woman spat. "It certainly looks like you could use the exercise." The door closed and Andy's mouth gaped open.

Wow. I'm so glad I'm not...that...or her… or whatever she was—moody, bitchy, mean, having an awful day... Andy thought, and pressed the button to call another lift. No way was she taking the stairs in the shoes she was wearing even if they were only kitten heel height. I need to focus on this. I can't let her bad day ruin mine. She took a deep breath and shook off the interaction.

When the doors opened to the third floor, she found herself in front of a receptionist who, in equal parts disinterested and rude, grunted an acknowledgement of her presence before taking her name and telling her to have a seat. Friendly face out front I see. Andy chuckled to herself.

She looked around the space. The decor was nice enough, with clean, modern lines, though she thought it a bit sterile. At 9:15 sharp, a young, well-dressed woman trotted out to greet her. She introduced herself as Tamara, and confirmed she'd be interviewing her for the job at Auto Universe.

They walked through a set a double doors then wound around through a series of hallways, passing small offices occupied by similarly dressed women and men.

As they passed by one office, the woman inside called out, "Hey Tamara? You'll never guess what happened this time."

"Oh god. Already Steph? The girl started less than an hour ago! What reason did the ol' Dragon Lady give you this time?" Tamara inquired, stepping just inside the doorway.

"Apparently 'her very presence is underwhelming and her performance is abysmal. She cannot complete even the most basic of tasks in a precise, not to mention timely manner." Steph said with dripping sarcasm.

"Ok, so you mean she didn't get her 'center of the sun hot' coffee in 8 minutes flat? She must've taken the elevator down instead of the stairs. Most of 'em don't realize the stairs are much faster even though it's 17 floors."

Andy watched the conversation unfold, not sure what else to do with herself.

"Yeah maybe we should start warning them before we send them up there. You know, give them a bit of an edge?" Steph suggested, eyebrows raised.

"Nuh uh, no way. She would 100% see right through that. She'd know someone intervened and then it would be one of us on the chopping block." Tamara stated. "Besides, it's so obviously a test that goes way beyond just getting her coffee order right. I actually think she should weed out the weak early on, she just doesn't have to be such a raging bi- … jerk about it."

"Yeah yeah, it just makes our jobs so much harder. I mean seriously, this is number 6 this month! I hardly have a pool to choose from, and at this rate there will be absolutely no one qualified within the tristate area before the year is out," grumbled Steph, the frustration clear in her voice.

"We just gotta keep throwin' stuff at her until something sticks. It will eventually. Promise." She flashed a smile to Steph's rolling eyes. Tamara backed out of the office and led Andy into an identical space down the hall.

"Sorry about that detour. We've been trying to find a suitable second assistant for a very difficult executive for ages. I really thought we'd found a survivor this time… anyway, tell me about yourself." Tamara began as she pulled a folder out of a drawer and flipped to Andy's resume. "I see you tick all the right boxes for this job."

"Well you can see that I graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern University with my degree in journalism. I was the Editor in Chief of the newspaper there for two years." Andy pointed out.

"Yes I can see that, but tell me something not on these pages. I can tell you're a very good writer from these samples you attached. What makes you think your skills will transfer well into an assistant role when you're used to being the boss?"

"Well, to be honest I started applying for assistant jobs because I couldn't find work as a journalist. My passion is writing—getting the story and getting it right the first time. When I was editor in chief I was forced to make some tough decisions. One in particular brought not only journalistic ethics into question, but my personal ethics too. I won't rehash it here, but suffice to say not everyone agreed with me." Andy said, reflecting on that experience.

"Do you regret that decision then?" Tamara interrupted. It was clear whatever Andy was referring to had really affected her.

"Not at all. I still stand by it with a clear conscience. I'm not entirely sure how that would apply directly to this job. There are the more obvious parallels like typing, attention to detail, organizing deadlines, and maintaining interpersonal relationships that I think will translate more directly. I'm also great under pressure and in high stress environments, which might apply unless I'm wrong about the pace of Auto Universe." Andy said as she tapped her index finger on her lips in thought.

"Well… I wouldn't say Auto Universe is the most bustling environment we have here at Elias-Clarke. It is staffed with 85% men though." Tamara mused.

"What does that mean?"

"Oh. Nothing. Sorry was just thinking about the vibe on that floor versus the Runway magazine floors where it's the opposite demographic. About 80% women and 20% men and of the men…let's say a lot of them are as feminine as the women. It can really change the dynamic of a place."

"Huh. That's interesting. Well I've never had an issue with getting along with anyone so I'm not sure it makes a difference to me." She gave her a wide smile and a confident nod.

"That's great." Tamara chuckled, "Please, go on."

Andy fought the urge to get up and pace. It wasn't about nerves. She always did her best brainstorming when she walked back and forth around a room, something about always keeping moving allowed her mind to focus on its task. "I also think being able to see the bigger picture, or um, the ability to zoom both in and out on a situation would be important too. Staying one step ahead of everything and anticipating the needs of those around you. See as editor in chief I felt that yes, I was the final arbiter in the newsroom, but I also had a duty to my readers, my writers, and other staff to be the best, to weather any storm, and to fight for and with them. To see what was coming and remember what had been. I think I honed those skills over time without even realizing it."

"So you're saying…?"

"I'm saying that yes, maybe not being the boss will be an adjustment for me. I doubt it, but who knows. What I do think is that I would be an extension of the person in charge. I'd be acting on their behalf, not only making their work-life run smoothly, but also ensuring that decisions can be made with every bit of information needed. What's that they say? 'Behind every great boss there's a great assistant.' So terribly cliche, but there's a reason for that."

She makes some good points, although it seems a shame that someone so skilled and articulate should be stuck in a job at a d-tier magazine like Auto Universe. Tamara thought.

"You know Andy, I really like what you've said. I have to say though that you seem extremely overqualified for this job." When Tamara stood up, Andy's shoulders slumped and her face fell in disappointment. She made to join Tamara in standing. "No no please sit. Give me a minute to check something?" Tamara gestured with her hand to Andy's chair, and Andy nodded then sat back down unsure of what to think.

She left the room and Andy sat back, deflated. God how did I manage to fuck this up? Easy. I took a simple question and made it complicated per usual. I should have just listed generic qualities and moved on. Andy rolled her eyes at herself. She needed this job and she needed the money last week. At that moment she decided she wasn't above begging.

When Tamara returned Andy immediately pounced. "Please don't discount me from this job Tamara. I might be overqualified, but I think I could be excellent at it. I'd like to gain insight and experience at a magazine to broaden my—"

Tamara held up her hand signaling for Andy to stop talking. "Hold on now Andy. I'm not saying no. I went to check with Steph about a job that just opened up this morning."

Andy raised her eyebrows and thought back to the discussion she overheard earlier.

Tamara continued, "It is a Second Assistant job at Runway magazine. You heard us discussing it earlier? Now I'll be honest here, the salary is lower since it's a second assistant position—"

Andy's sharp intake of breath indicated her displeasure.

"—but I think it would be a better place to cut your teeth. It's evident you'd just be biding your time at Auto Universe, but at Runway if you lasted a year there, you could go anywhere you want with the recommendation of your boss. Think The New York Times, Harper's, Vanity Fair."

Andy's eyes widened with intrigue. "Wow. That just seems too good to be true. What's the catch other than the lower pay?"

"Well that's sort of the thing." Tamara hesitated. "You'd be working directly for Miranda Priestly." She broke eye contact and picked some invisible lint off her shirt.

Andy's face remained blank as she waited for Tamara to get to the horrifying part. She had no idea who Miranda Priestly was, nor did she know much about Runway beyond the fact that it was a fashion magazine. She noted the hesitance in Tamara's demeanor, and saw that she was waiting for Andy's reaction.

"And that's a problem because…?"

Tamara looked at her like she had sprouted a third arm. "Oh wow. You don't know who she is do you? The Snow Queen? The Devil in Prada? The Dragon Lady? I'm sitting with the only person in the developed world who has no clue who Miranda Priestly is." She shook her head and chuckled. "Actually that might be for the best, going in with an open mind."

Andy furrowed her brow, thinking that she should maybe look into this person before committing to anything based on those nicknames alone.

Tamara seemed to read her mind and added, "Just don't Google her and give this a try. Why don't we say this. You can start tomorrow at Runway. If for some reason it doesn't work out, we can talk about you moving over to Auto Universe in a couple weeks. I couldn't have you start there for two weeks even if you turned the Runway gig down."

"Well that seems like an offer I can't refuse."

"So don't. Let's get your on-boarding paperwork filled out so you can hit the ground running tomorrow. Miranda's first assistant will have to informally interview you of course, but she's so desperate to hire someone since she's been doing both jobs on and off that I don't think she will have an issue with you."

While Andy filled out her forms, Tamara gave Steph the go ahead to call Miranda's first assistant, Emily, and tell her to expect Andy at 8AM tomorrow. In turn, Emily told her to have Andy show up at 10AM instead. Miranda would be out of the office by then, plus she wanted to have the morning routine go off without a hitch, especially after this morning's hiccup. It would also give her a chance to vet Andy before Miranda saw her. If she was unacceptable, she could just send her away and Miranda would be none the wiser.

"It won't matter tomorrow, but keep in mind everything you heard this morning about coffee. Just remember not to let on you've been warned." Tamara winked as she walked Andy out the double doors to the elevator. "So 10AM. Emily will meet you in the lobby to get your security pass set up. Don't be late. And uh, don't wear that outfit or anything like it. Put something on you can be proud of please. I say that for your own good."

What's wrong with this outfit? Andy thought. She looked down at her skirt and cable knit sweater as the elevator descended. I guess the skirt is a bit shapeless and the sweater is a bit too big… but what I wear doesn't reflect on the quality of my work. She hmphed to herself.

The elevator opened to the lobby and just like that Andy had a new job. A poorly paying one at a fashion magazine of all places, but a job nonetheless. Plus it held the promise of being a step up and into her dream job. I can stick it out for a year, right?