What's a Magic Carp?
"Excuse me ma'am I'm so sorry. Are you OK?" Andy Sachs put her hand gently to her head. She could already feel a lump growing where the back of her head hit the pavement.
"I'm alright," she shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. Andy thought she may have actually passed out for a few seconds.
The teen put out his hand to help her up explaining, "I didn't mean to knock you over, there was this Magikarp, you see, and I only need one more to evolve a Gyarados.
"Maybe you should try and watch where you're going rather than playing Pokémon on your phone." She looked at her watch, "Shit I'm going to be late!" Andy rushed off without giving the young man another glance.
Andy was second assistant to the Editor in Chief of the world's premier fashion Magazine, Runway. Her boss, Miranda Priestly, was known as the Queen of Fashion as well as by some other, not so nice, nicknames that made it clear that being late was not an option if you wanted to stay employed or, according to some, alive. At Runway if you aren't 15 minutes early you are late.
Her first stop was Starbucks to retrieve Miranda's morning coffee. "Hey Andy, long time no see." She was greeted by a smiling barista.
"Really?" she asked. "The weekend didn't seem long enough for me." Andy was practically bouncing with nervous energy. She was hoping she could get the coffee up to the office before her boss came in, Being late with the coffee was not a great way to start a Monday. "I'll just take her usual," she said. She took the drink and was gone in a flash.
Her speed walking through the Elias Clarke building was not an unusual sight so Andy was baffled by the surprised looks she was getting from her coworkers, 'Jeez, I'm not that late,' she thought.
When she got to the office she was relieved to see it empty. 'Thank God,' she thought, and she placed Miranda's coffee on her desk and arranged her periodicals in the manner that the editor preferred. After these tasks were done Andy sat down at her desk and was surprised there were no notes demanding early morning tasks.
Emily Charlton, Miranda's first assistant was not looking forward to another day without a second assistant. The last one went out for a coffee run on Thursday and on Friday morning Emily finally gave up hope that she would be back. Another day of trying to do the work of two people was not her idea of calm. She knew the day would be off to a bad start anyway, because she had not had time to get Miranda a cup of coffee.
Emily reached the office and was shocked to see Andy sitting at the second assistant's desk. "What in the hell are you doing here?" Emily's voice was so high pitched it was almost a screech. "You need to-" Emily was interrupted by her cell phone's tone, alerting her to a text. "Shit, she's here," she said after glancing at her cell and sure enough the ding of the elevator was heard followed by a quick time click of heels.
Miranda began spouting her litany of tasks when she was barely through the door. "Emily, I need 12 more skirts from Calvin Kline and I am out of scarfs…" her voice tapered off and her eyes widened when she noticed the second occupant in the office. "Andrea," she said in a voice that was as low as Emily's was high. "What do you think you are doing in this office? Did you smack your little head on the pavement on your way in?"
"Wow," Andy replied brightly. "How did you know?" Clearly used to being expected to do things before being asked Andy continued, "So skirts from Klein and scarfs, I'm on it." She was gone before either of the other women could respond.
Miranda slowly turned back to face Emily and said in an even lower voice, "I know we are in need of a new second but what in the world gave you the idea that we should be recycling the used ones?"
"I didn't…I thought you…" Emily threw her hands in the air. "I came in and she was just here!"
Miranda looked into her office spotting the coffee sitting on her desk for the first time in days. "Did you?" She said waving her hand in that direction. Emily shook her head in the negative. "You are telling me she just walked in to the office and took her job back?"
"It seems so, shall I call security when she returns?"
Miranda cocked her head seeming to try and puzzle out the actions of her former employee. Her eyes locked on the coffee on her desk. "No, no I'd like to see how this plays out." She began to walk in to her office.
"But what if she is here to spy on us?" Emily asked timidly.
"If that is the case I expect that the fashion section of her little newspaper will be much improved. Currently it is quite abysmal." She reached for her coffee.
Emily squeaked in protest, "Are you sure you should drink that."
"Really, I don't know what her game is, but I doubt it's a ploy to poison my coffee," She picked up the drink, "I doubt Andrea has an evil twin prone to murder." She took a sip and hummed, "That's all."