The Fifteen Minute Novel is an attempt to take a single prompt and use the last sentence written each day as a start for the next day. This year I had several prompts circling around a similar story, so I have combined them. However, the story starts the same way each day, with the last line from the day before and a timer set for fifteen minutes. The hope is to end up with a complete, if very rough draft by the end of the year. Some stories are better than others, but I always learn a whole lot about my own writing when I do this so for me it is not only a nice way to work out a story, but it is a tool for helping my writing get better. And so, we continue this story for 2024 with…
Day 66: The look didn’t give her a pleasant feeling.
The look didn’t give her a pleasant feeling. Sophie walked to the door of Mr. Evers’ office. It was open and she looked in even as she knocked on the open door.
“Ah Sophia,” Evers said. “Please come in and shut the door.”
Sophie nodded, stepped into the office and closed the door behind herself. Evers gestured to a chair and she sat.
“As you know, each quarter we evaluate your work and make notes on where you can improve for upcoming quarters. These reviews help determine pay raises, year end bonuses and promotions.”
He looked up and Sophie nodded.
Evers looked down at his pages and he shook his head as though sadden by what he read. “I see by this that you had an entire month where you didn’t complete any of your assigned projects. That’s not good.”
Sophie blinked, surprised by the statement as he knew why she was out. “I was ordered to take a month off because I had too much accumulated leave time,” Sophie reminded him. She tried not to frown.
He shook his head. “Still the work was late. You did not ask for any extensions so that others would know it would not be completed on time and it was therefore an inconvenience for a great number of people.” Evers looked down at his sheet and made a notation.
Sophie bit back a comment.
“While you did a decent enough job of catching up once you returned from your extended vacation,” Evers continued. “The projects were still late and remain marked as such. And once they were done it was noted that you were not much of a team player. The office was struggling as some of your co-workers had to file for extensions on their projects during the time you were gone.”
Again, Evers looked up at her.
“None of my projects intersect with theirs,” Sophie reminded him, trying to keep her voice light and professional. “My work, completed or not shouldn’t interfere with them doing their own work.”
“It put pressure on them with your absence,” he told her. There was a mean look to his eyes and Sophie found something inside herself harden.
“So, because I was not here to do their work for them, they were unable to complete their assigned tasks?” Sophie asked. She again tried to keep her voice level and calm.
Evers frowned. “I will not have you cast aspersions upon your co-workers,” he said.
“I am asking for clarification, not casting aspersions,” Sophie said.
Evers clicked his tongue against his teeth and looked back down at the page. He made several more notations on the page. “I have to say,” he said as he wrote his notes. “This isn’t looking good for you, Ms. Daniels.”
Sophie kept silent.
Evers looked up. “Especially as you are already on probation. What was the official listing for your probation again?” he asked.
Sophie decided not to lie. “I am not on probation,” Sophie said.
Evers blinked in surprise at her statement.
Ten til Midnight 