In the middle of the ocean

Chapter 2: Stolen crescent

I'm not hungry, but despite that I have to eat something. Since most of the shops start opening at this time, I stop at a small bakery that I regularly visit. Mostly because of the openhearted and nice workers but the fresh bread and pastries are the main reason. 

A bell jingles when I open the door and a small, thin young woman with long black hair. She happily smiles when she sees me.

"Hi, Mia! I haven't seen you for some time. How are you?"she asks with her high pitched, quiet voice.

"Good morning, Samantha. I'm fine but I hope I'm not too early. I have to eat something before I go to work."

"Of course, no worries. For you we're always open. What would you like? Let me recommend our new pastry. Claire made it early in the morning. Bu then Nick and Andre came and ate half of it by mistake. Although I'm pretty sure it wasn't by mistake. The pastry smelled really delicious. Pretty sure they couldn't hold back and one bite became 10 bites. And of course each of them got a big scolding from Claire. The pastry looked like half of a moon in the end, so Claire named it Stolen crescent. Great idea, right?"

It's true I smelled something really good before in front of the bakery. Must be really good, if two workers couldn't resist it. 

I laugh a little. "Okay, give me one Stolen crescent."

"Great!" Samantha exclaims and puts the delicate pastry inside a brown paper bag. "Her you go. Bon appetit!"

I pay her, smile thankfully and wave goodbye. I better go now. I don't want to be late.

I quickly walk through the long street and after 15 minutes stop in front of a high, white building with big windows. On the front there's a sign: Stardum. My work place. I open the heavy wooden door and step into the lobby. A middle aged warden greets me.

"Good morning, Mia. Work again?"

"When isn't it?" I giggle and steps into the elevator. I press the 5th floor and the door close with a thud. I have to start on my new book again. I had some free time, but got no good ideas. If this keeps up I'm going to hear it from my boss. The elevator opens and I quickly step out. A short hallway leads me to a door right at the end. 

Writer: Emilia (Mia) Rose

I'm really proud of this title. It brought me where I wished for the most, into a quiet, lone place, without any kind of distractions-

"Hey, Mia! You're late today. That doesn't happen often," my coworker Brad surprises me behind my back.

Well, almost without any distractions. He's my good friend, although he sometimes sneaks up behind me and doesn't leave me alone, when I want peace.

"Morning, Brad. I got a little holed up at the bakery. But I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Well.. okay," he replies, scratching his chin. "You probably won't be too happy to hear this, but boss send me to get you. She wants you to come to her office."

Great. It has already started. I haven't even stepped inside my office and my boss already wants to see me. Surely it's because of my last book. I stopped in the middle and then couldn't continue. No ideas came to me and I lost the drive to continue. She probably wants to know if I made any progress.

I smile in despair and Brad looks at me surprised. 

"You okay? I'm sure it's nothing bad. Come now, we don't want to make her wait for too long."

I follow after him till we stop in front of a murky glass door, with Maria Stellar, writer and editor of literature department, written on it.

I gulp and knock on the door. A "come in" forces me to strongly push the door open. Maybe too strongly because I trip on the carpet and fall inside my bosses office. That's what I get for having two left feet.

"Mia, are you okay?" I hear an elderly, woman's voice and I immediately look up. My eyes meet worried, dark brown ones, circled by thin glasses. I quickly get up and apologize. 

"As long as you're not hurt. Right now we don't need a writer with his arm in a cast," she replies, relieved and sits behind her table. He opens her laptop and takes a pen out of a drawer. 

"Go ahead and sit," she says and I sit down the same second. "How's your book coming along? In the middle of the ocean, right?"

I gulp again. No words leave my mouth. Maria looks at me from behind her glasses and sighs, disappointed. 

"Not great, huh? I thought you were only going through that short period of time when writers don't get any inspiration but I see now it's more than just that."

I drop my head, embarrassed and can almost feel the tears gathering at the edges of my eyes but I blink them away quickly. Not in front of my boss.

"Tell me, what am I supposed to do with you? I don't believe you'll start writing a new book. And I also think you won't be able to continue this one."

There's a minute of silence, leaving me on edge. Am I going to get fired?

Then she continues again. "That's why I decided to assign you to the photography department."