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 146: ‘Not everything is about me,’ she told herself.
‘Not everything is about me,’ she told herself. She was certain there were many other reasons that Sean could be visiting the HR supervisor’s office. The rest of the day passed normally as did Wednesday. Thursday around lunch time, she again saw Sean visit the HR supervisor’s office, flick a gaze her way when arriving and then again when he left. This time she was getting out her sandwich ass he arrived and wiping off her hands to get back to work when he left.
‘I’m sure it is just coincidence,’ she told herself. She didn’t actually believe it, but there was nothing she could do about it.
‘And as long as things are quiet and I am not thinking about work when I leave then I am able to finish my projects at home. As her workdays were quiet, when she went home progress was steady on the last piece. She was certain that if she worked Thursday and Friday she would have the last item completed and possibly be able to show it off to Janine on Saturday.
‘I just need the quiet to hold a few more days to let me work peacefully,’ Sophie thought.
Thursday, she got that calm. Friday morning however, Sophie was called up to Elizabeth’s office. She had time to tuck her purse and lunch in the bottom drawer and to turn on her computer before the phone rang and the summons came. A glance at the clock on the wall of the HR office showed her that the work day had started by only two whole minutes.
The call from Elizabeth was short and to the point. She was needed upstairs immediately. Sophie left her desk and moved to the elevator. As people were still arriving, there was a little bit of a wait, but she was able to get on and rise to her supervisor’s floor.
The main secretary for the floor had not yet arrived and Sophie thought it strange to see her desk empty. She walked past it to Elizabeth’s office.
“Thanks for coming so quickly,” Elizabeth said. “In a minute we are going to be going into the conference room down the hall and you are going to be asked a few questions. Just answer them honestly and all will be fine.”
Sophie felt butterflies dance nervously in her belly. “What sort of questions?”
“Just about work in your former department,” Elizabeth said. Her phone rang and she reached for it. She listened and nodded. “Of course,” she said. She hung up the phone and looked to Sophie. “They are ready for you. If you head down the hall it is the first door on your left.”
“Oh,” Sophie said. “I see.”
Elizabeth smiled and Sophie turned and walked towards the corridor. She found the first door on the left easily and found the conference room. There was a large table with many seats. Most of them were filled by people she had never seen before. She recognized a few faces but knew no names. She only knew the faces belonged to the upper echelons of the company.
“Ms. Daniels, if you would please have a seat.”
Ten til Midnight 