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 86: “Who knew,” she thought as she reached for a green pencil.
“Who knew,” she thought as she reached for a green pencil. The rest of the weekend passed quietly and she braced for what Monday would bring. Sophie pushed herself hard at the small gym in the apartment complex, reaching a new level with her workouts.
‘I wonder if that means I need to change it up some,’ she thought as she wiped down everything she touched and took her sweaty self back up to her apartment. While Sophie didn’t consider herself to be very fitness oriented, she had to admit, if nothing else, the gym was great for working out her stress. While she was still a little worried about what the office would bring, she felt a lot more settled than she had before her session in the gym.
After her shower, Sophie used a scented body lotion that she knew only she could really smell. If anyone else got close enough for them to smell the scent of the lotion, then they violated her personal space enough for HR to be called in. Sophie liked having a scent that she found calming on her, but she didn’t like to wear perfumes and scents others could smell. The body lotion was to her, a good compromise. If she needed a non-office scent she could easily lift her hand to her face if need be.
With some of her files being transferred elsewhere today, Sophie knew that the need for something to calm her down might occur. ‘I can’t imagine Kisten taking one of my files with grace.’
In addition to the calming body lotion, Sophie made sure to dress well. She found that nice clothing was a sort of body armor. It made her feel strong and confident. It might not repel arrows and deflect blows from a mace, but in an office environment the nice clothing armor was the perfect self-confidence shield.
Sophie also made certain she had several podcasts and a couple music playlists to get her through the day as well. ‘You learn nothing good when you eavesdrop,’ she reminded herself as she left the apartment. Still, she knew that she would listen in a bit. ‘It’s like self-defense,’ she tried to tell herself.
She didn’t really think Kristen or any of the others for that matter would do anything to her in retribution for being given her files, but she didn’t think it could hurt to find out their reactions. The drive from apartment to office made some of her nerves rise again, but Sophie did her best to tamp them down. In the office, Sophie found she beat everyone else into the office.
She walked past Kristen’s empty desk to her own and then gathered her files for the day. As expected, there were some changes. Three sections she normally dealt with were missing and a large number of newer system files were added. Sophie took them back to her desk as the others started to arrive. She smiled politely at those she passed and took her stack of files to her desk. Sophie set them down and then logged into her computer.
When she sat down and brought up her e-mail, she was unsurprised to find a message from Elizabeth. Sophie clicked on it and read over the information. The e-mail was short and simple. It basically broke down the files that were taken from her and listed who they were portioned out to.
‘No one from my division,’ Sophie read. She felt the worry she carried melt away.
Ten til Midnight 