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 109: Sophie was being moved to get out of Kristen’s area but would she be punished?
Sophie was being moved to get out of Kristen’s area but would she be punished? “If she is then at least I am not going to be there to witness the fall out.’ Sophie couldn’t imagine Kristen taking well to being disciplined for something she did to her.
‘I wonder how many chances they will give her,” Sophie thought as the elevator stopped and the doors dinged open. Kristen was on probation because of slacking off on work and now she was in competition with Ryan to see if she would keep her job. ‘I wonder if this will play not that decision.”
Sophie shook the thought away as not her concern as she walked back towards her cubicle. To her surprise Evers was standing with Kristen at her desk. They both looked amused. Kristen looked as though she was trying to suppress a laugh. As she approached Evers looked over.
“Everything go well upstirs?” he asked. His face held a smirk.
“It did,” Sophie said.
“Oh,” he asked, his smirk slipping little.
“My office is being moved to a different floor,” Sophie added. “So I need to go collect things.”
“Why would they move your office?” Evers asked. “It’s still my department. That would create unnecessary hassle for me.”
“I’m in a different department now,” Sophie reminded him. “Elizabeth Walker is my supervisor.”
“Yes, yes, during the reorganization,” Evers snapped. “Everyone knows I’m the one who will be in charge of the new department once everything is finalized.”
“I just know I was asked to gather my things so my office could be moved,” Sophie said. “The folks from the IT department should be up soon.” Sophie walked passed them.
“I swear the upper floors are so inconsiderate,” Evers huffed. “This is going to mean so much more trouble for me.”
Sophie continued on to her desk and wondered if Evers was the one who started the rumors about the new department being under him. ‘A distinct possibility,’ Sophie thought. At the moment though, there was little she could do about it.
As a general rule, Sophie didn’t keep much in her office. Her bulletin board carried a list of inter office phone numbers and a cheat sheet for filing codes. She unpinned both from the board. The top desk drawer contained some basic office supplies. She took them out of the desk, adding the push pins she just took from her board to a small box with their brethren.
One of her large desk drawers contained her bag and lunch bag. She took them both out and put her empty lunch bag, two sheets of info and office supplies in her bag. She then added her mp3 player and earphones along with the wireless carrying and charging case. As far a personal items went that left her with a travel coffee mug and her somewhat broken and battered water bottle.
Ten til Midnight 