Mia Sanchez,a 24-year-old writer at The G&N Web sat behind her desk, sipping her coffee and staring at the stack of papers before her.She inhaled the aroma of the freshly brewed coffee that her assistant had gotten for her on her way out.Friday had marked her thirtieth freedom again,but she was still left with countless tasks to tackle before she made her exit.
As the youngest and most talented writer under Leah Reynolds,the company's most eligible manager,she was no stranger to the deadlines and high expectations of her superiors, including Mrs. Jenkins. Her schedule was never free,thus making it unbearable for her to go on a vacation and enjoy her day.
Her eyes were fixed on the files before her,still daydreaming about her perfect vacation and the money that would appear like a fairy in her dream,when her worst nightmare approached her.
"Mia?"
Her desk growled under the weight of the folders Mrs.Jenkins slammed on it.She was almost a few minutes from getting off of work and the woman had found no better time to approach her than now.
"Where is your head,Mia? I have been calling out to you." said Mrs.Jenkins,rolling her eyes at the poor lady who was preparing to apologize."I need you to listen attentively.I need a good..no great...no best story for next week.One that will grab the attention of the public and get them talking nonstop.Can I count on you to deliver?"
Mia nodded with determination,her mind racing with ideas,since she was always up for a challenge with a tight deadline.Most of her works had succeeded and was known well by the public.
Mrs.Jenkins chuckled for a minute,before her expression contorted into an otherworldly frown one would receive if she wanted to kill."You will try your best?I need more than that.And don't just try,I need you to make it the best."
"Yes, ma'am.I will make it the best."Mia replied,now practicing a faint smile.
Mrs.Jenkins had been the pain in her butt since she became crowned as the most successful and talented writer of The G&N Web.She had a way with her words that made her seem like an unpredictable adversary,yet she was farther from that.
Mia remembered the time when she was only one clueless newbie,unaware of what to do and then the manager had decided to put her under Mrs.Jenkins' wing.The lady had piled up several projects she was rather meant to do.The poor girl was speechless and too frightened to report.And since then,she had survived her four years there still continuing Mrs.Jenkins' project.And she was certain,this was something Mrs.Jenkins was supposed to do.
"I have to get my Pandora charm so I may not be available on Monday.This body gotta do its work." With that,she strutted off boyishly,shaking what her mama had given her.Her high heels clicked on the tiled floor, shooting a warning click before it died down,where everyone was sure the lady was out of sight.
Mia had thought she was from another realm because the woman was too obnoxious for anyone's liking.Sadly enough,she was married.
She grabbed the folder on her desk,flipping its pages to satisfy her curiosity.She wanted something that would pique her interest.Unfortunately,the pages contained information on AI tech and whatever she saw useless.
Her eyes went over to the clock which read 11:00 p.m and she was on her way to leave when her Chief Editor came over to her desk. He was a blonde haired man,toned abs.. although a little chubby and he was tall.But one couldn't daydream about him because he was already off the single boutique.
"Ah,my favorite writer!" Mr.Johnson exclaimed,pushing Mia back into her seat.
"Do you need anything Mr.Johnson?"
"Of course! I have heard great things about you and also I learnt you are bold and fearless especially when you challenged the president's ruling."He said,his voice serious yet with a tinge of admiration. Due to her critics on the president's bad ruling,she had provided the opponents a better way to overthrow him and that was how Mia was awarded.
"I think there's more to what you're saying? What exactly do you need?" Mia inquired.
Mr.Johnson handed her a fresh folder containing pictures of young girl.When she took the first picture in her hands,her heart ached at the sight.
"Oh my! She's too beautiful.Is she a model?"
The man just hummed and passed down another photo.This one was of a fat girl with small Asian eyes,her hair fell to her shoulders.She had a shy smile which reached her eyes and her teeth was more like the whitish pearls she had seen.She was also dark in complexion.
"Which one is beautiful?"
Mia was startled by the question.Her lips failing to open as she processed her reply.As much as they both were she couldn't take her eyes of ...both.
"I dunno...they are all beautiful."She replied, calculating the weight of her answer to not sound like someone body shaming."The first one is pretty,she is fair and slender and has this nice doll-like face.And the second one looks cool and beautiful.She is fat, rounded face,nice eyes and soft lips.I love both."
Mr.Johnson shook his head."That's not what the world thought.She was overweight.Some called it obese,others called her fatty.She had surgery last year and that was the one you saw first.The chubby one was what she was born to look like."
"So what is my task?"
"Suicide." He stated bluntly."She took her own life but I don't think that's the only story behind it.I heard the Pandora woman ask for an attention grabbing headline...why don't you make a good use of the girl's death?"
"You want me to take advantage of a death??"Mia's eyes widened.
"No!" He chided."Her death has more details that meets the eye yet her parents said it was suicide.There are others like this in the world and I trust you ..my favorite writer to tackle it.I promise to give you a raise."
Her eyes lit up as he stretched the last word playfully.He was always sure that was the only way to get the little girl to work for him.A raise.
"I will do it!"
But was it going to be her nightmare?