Ellie Marlow was digging through her closet, tossing aside everything in her way.

“Seriously, Liv,” she called out to her roommate, followed by a frustrated scream. “I can’t find my boots anywhere! They’re the only ones that go with this outfit and that aren’t flat.”

Liv was in the bath, and could not be bothered. Besides her dozen or so naps throughout the day, bath time was her favorite part of the day. She ran up and down the tub—thanks to Ellie, the water recoiled from her, like she and it were two poles of a magnet, repelling each other.

“Finally!” Ellie said while hopping into the bathroom, trying to walk and put on her boots at the same time. “Ugh, forget it—I’ll put them on when I get there. Okay, move—I have to go to work now.”

The orange cat looked up at Ellie and meowed.

“Seriously, Liv. I’m so late already.”

The cat continued to stare blankly at her. Ellie reached into the tub and picked her up. As the cat left the tub, the water filled the space where she had been standing.

“Okay, bye,” Ellie said, after kissing the cat on the forehead. The cat’s paws pushed her back, trying to reject the affection as easily as she had repelled the water a few minutes ago. Ellie put her on the ground, and she sprinted out of the room. Ellie stood on the edge of the tub and jumped in.

Traveling nearly instantaneously through an aquatic dimension, Ellie stuck her head out of the sink in the janitor’s closet she kept filled with water for days such as this. Seeing she was alone, she carefully climbed out, thankful that the disgusting water rolled right off her when she needed it to. Fully emerged from the sink, boots still in hand, she stepped to the floor without making a sound. As she brushed off stray bits of cat fur, she could hear voices in the hallway.

“Veronica! What have I told you about those shoes!” Arnold, the male lead anchor of the network, bellowed.

“I, uh, don’t remember?” Veronica said.

“You know the dress code. I don’t want to hear about your ‘casual flat Fridays,’ or whatever you kids are coming up with nowadays. Get down to wardrobe and find some heels, or don’t come back here ever again.”

“But I’m not even on air—no one knows what I’m wearing.”

“I’ll know, and I’ll be furious the entire time I’m delivering the news. People will pick up on it and think something’s wrong. If I’m in a bad mood, the world’s apt to think the country is on the brink of war, or the government is mired in some fresh scandal. That’s the power I yield! Do you want to send the country into a panic because you wanted to wear something comfortable?”

“N-n-no,” Veronica stammered. “I guess not.”

“Good—now get out of my sight.”

Ellie was extra glad she had spent the time to find her boots. Once the hallway was clear, she tiptoed toward her office.

“I’m sure you heard that,” a cool and almost frighteningly calm voice said to Ellie. “You’re supposed to be wearing your shoes. I’m glad to see you’re following dress code, at least—even if you are fifteen minutes late.”

Ellie turned around to see that Aubrey Reina, co-anchor of Beacon’s Royal News, had somehow materialized behind her.

“I wasn’t late,” Ellie said, pointing to various non-existent stains on her boot. “I was trying to see if Dominik had any fake-leather stain remover in the closet. I read online somewhere that if you walk around in boots with stains, the stains will set faster. I didn’t want to ruin my boots forever.” She was saying anything she could think of, trying to make her lie seem somewhat believable. “I’ll have to forward you the link sometime—it was really interesting.”

“I don’t see any stains.”

Ellie sighed and bowed her head. “Okay, I’m late.”

“That’s what I thought. Could it be because you were up all night working on that piece you’ve been assigned? The one that was due yesterday, before five?”

“That certainly played a role—but not because I was working on it.”

“So, you thought you’d sleep in a little because it’s completed, and the best expose we’ll air all year. You felt you deserved that?”

“No.”

“At least it’s a very good expose and we’re going to get our guy?”

“I mean—I hope so. Or I hope it will be when I finally, you know, finish it.”

“Ellie! I don’t know how much longer I can keep making excuses for you. You want to get hired on here, right? Like, you’d enjoy being paid by us rather than being an intern?”

“I mean, obviously, I would enjoy being paid.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“I think that’s what I want. I mean, I applied and got accepted. Getting paid and working here seems like the next step.”

“The ‘next step,’ Ellie? This is the number one morning news show in the country. Do you know how many people your age would literally kill you for this position? And then we’d report on it—because that’s what we do! You would be the news on the show you refuse to do work for. Is that how you want your life to end up?”

“Of course I don’t want to be killed, Aubrey.”

“Then do your work, and I’ll tell my hit man to back off.”

Ellie laughed. Aubrey didn’t. Ellie immediately straightened up.

“I don’t know what’s going on in your life, Ellie—and honestly, right now, I don’t care. I want my report. I want my man. And you’re the only one who can give it to me. If you won’t do that for me, I’ll find someone who can. Hell—maybe I’ll even give Brendan a shot. As if I could get him to turn on his idol. You know how much I hate having that guy on my program, but after what Arnold did to him, we don’t have much say—and my ace in the hole is not doing her job. Do you see what kind of predicament we’re in?”

Ellie nodded, eyes still fixed on the floor.

“Your evidence is solid—Nicholas is definitely up to something fishy. You and I are going to catch him eventually. I need you, and you need me. That’s all there is to it. I know how much this means to you—what he did to your life—but that doesn’t mean you can just give up. I also know how hard this must be for you, so I’ll give you until volume three. If I don’t have it by then, you’re out of here. You got it?”

Ellie nodded.

In a flash, Aubrey transformed from stern boss to caring mentor. She put her hand on Ellie’s back and guided her down the hall.

“In the meantime, I’m going to need you to produce something. It doesn’t have to be anything monumental, but I need to give Arnold and the execs a reason to keep you around.”

“I’m sure I can come up with something. Anything in particular?” Ellie asked, now comfortable enough to speak casually to Aubrey.

“I don’t care—steal something from Brendan if you have to. I just need you to produce something this week.”

“I can do that.”
Standing outside Ellie’s office—the one she shared with Brendan—Aubrey once more assumed her stern boss demeanor.

“I wasn’t kidding about kids your age killing for this position. If you play your cards right, you could work here for a long time and be well off. It’s a big break—I’d hate to see you lose it.”

“I know it is—I’ve just been going through a lot lately. I wonder if this is a good fit for me.”

“Where else can you command the world’s attention, Ellie? Here you can make a real difference, but you must put in the work. You’ll never have a bigger stage than this. You’ll never be more powerful than when that camera is on you and you deliver irrefutable evidence. It’s the biggest rush in the world.”

Ellie moved her mouth without making any sound as she searched for the right answer.

“You’re like nineteen, you have time to figure this stuff out—but you should be thinking about it at least.”

“I’m twenty-five.”

“Oh, well, that’s still pretty young. You’ll figure it out. But trust me—once we take Nicholas down you’ll be hooked. You’ll know that the path of truth and justice is for you. And if you fail to deliver, you’ll be fired, and I’ll make sure you never work in another news room again. Either way, you’ll have your answer.”

Aubrey smiled and patted her intern on the shoulder.

“Now put on your boots and get to work for once!”

“Oh—yeah.”

Ellie stepped into her boots and walked into the office she shared with Brendan.

Next Chapter: Chapter 2