An Unexpected Vacation
It was early in the morning, about 5:30. The sun was just beginning to rise, making all the buildings glow in new light. Vehicles of all kinds were rushing down the many streets, in a frenzy to get to their destinations. Smog filled the air, and dew was on the scarce plant life in the city. This happened every morning: The rebirth of a city.
*Beep*
A young woman moaned in dismay, rolling to her side under a mountain of sheets and blankets. All was hidden under the blankets, except for a few strands of gold hair coming from under them.
*Beep*
She moaned again, once again rolling to her opposite side. Just for once, she didn't want to wake up. She was sick and tired of the same routine every morning. Every single morning. Every morning she would wake up to the same beeping of the same alarm clock. She would then go into the same car and drive to the same job. After her same twelve hours were up, she would arrive back to her same apartment and fall asleep in the same bed, only for the same thing to be repeated the next morning. Talk about a boring life.
*Beep*
"Okay, okay already," said the woman, pulling the covers down to her collarbone. Her sky-blue eyes drooped from her lack of sleep, and her shoulder-length golden-blonde hair was sticking up in every direction.
*Beep*
"ENOUGH!" she screamed, picking up the poor alarm clock and throwing it against the wall. She smirked she watched the thing break and fall to the floor. Letting out a little sigh, she fell back into the comfort of her bed. Slowly, her eyes began closing. Then suddenly.
"OH MY GOD, I'M GONNA BE LATE!" she cried, jumping up from her bed. She quickly checked the time on her clock, only to realize it was gone.
"Damn," she said, regretting breaking the clock. But hey, at least it was a good idea at the time. She quickly ran into her bathroom, carelessly peeling off her clothes the whole way there. This left a line of clothing items coming from her bed to her bathroom. Those probably wouldn't be picked up for at least another week.
Okay, freeze! Before continuing, let's just get a little information on our protagonist. Her name is Serena Tsukino, twenty-four years old. She is single, and currently works as a news reporter for the New York Times. She lives alone in her comfy studio apartment in downtown Manhattan. She came to America from Japan when she was about four. Her father was offered a good job from a newspaper company (the same company that Serena works for) that offered a much better salary than what he got from Japan. Also, all expenses to America were paid. It was too good to turn down. Now, with no further adieu, back to our story.
In a matter of five minutes, Serena was out of the shower, and in a few more minutes, she was dressed and ready to go. She fed her fish and her cat, and walked out of her room, locking the door behind her. She looked at herself in the mirror that was embedded in the hallway wall. Her brown business suit fit her perfectly. It was able to show off her every curve, while still looking intelligent and mature. She grinned at herself.
She knew that she had filled out nicely since she was a teenager. She was always beautiful, but now that she is mature, she is even more stunning than ever before. This is partially do to her grace and charm, which she had developed over the years. Her eyes though still retain a childlike innocence. It's a side only her friends ever see though.
Serena's eyes dropped. Her eyes were full of sadness. Even though she is beautiful, and charming, and graceful, she is still.single. The young woman sighed. This fact was partially do to her shyness. Having only a sister and going to an all-girl school kind of kept her away from boys. Now that she is out on her own, she just can't seem to be able to talk with any boys. Even at her age, she never once had a boyfriend for longer than a week.
"Pathetic," mumbled Serena, feeling disgraced in herself. She sighed again, realizing that all this daydreaming was going to make her late.again. Her boss was beginning to get upset with her, so she wants to get her act together before she ends up risking her job. She stood straight and tall and looked at herself in the mirror once again, before turning away and heading for the stairs.
Truthfully, she didn't like her job much. Also, she was not paid very well at all. She was lucky that she could afford the apartment she had, and the one she had was a dump. She sighed, as she continued walking until she reached the stairway. After several floors, she was finally at the lobby. There was a burning sensation in her ankles from the steps.
'I wish we had ELEVATORS,' she thought as she left the building and entered the lively streets of New York City. Serena never needed coffee to wake up in the morning. All she had to do was step out onto the bustling streets of the city, and she was instantly wide-awake. It was about a block's walk to get to the parking lot. She walked quickly, bumping into many pedestrians on the way.
"I'm gonna be late! I'm gonna be late! Late, late, late, late, late." Serena spoke aloud as she quickly walked down the sidewalk, many men turning heads to gaze at the beauty, and many women doing the same is jealousy. After what seemed like forever, she made it to the parking lot. Once inside, she smiled as she eyed the new red Mustang sitting with all the other cars.
Her eyes then diverted to a few cars down. An old blue 1992 Volvo: her car. She sighed and slowly walked to the thing. At least it got her to work though. She sat inside and started it, her gaze soon returning to the Mustang. What she wanted more than anything right now was a new car. She wanted one even more so than a new apartment, and even a new job. She sighed again once reality hit her.
"In this world you get what you can afford," she said to herself. She forgot who first told her that, but it was definitely true. She backed up and drove out of the parking lot and towards her job. In about twenty minutes she was there. She parked the car and ran into the building, and then to the elevator. She took it to the eighth floor and got out, running to her office.
Serena quickly looked up at the clock. It was six O'clock. She was right on time. She took this time to catch her breath before getting ready for a long day of work. She pulled many papers and books out of her briefcase and placed them on her desk. After settling in, she heard a knock on her door. She looked up to see it already opening.
After opening about halfway, a man's head popped out from behind it. He had dirty blonde hair and large glasses. He wasn't really a good-looking guy, but one would get the impression that losing the glasses would definitely add a lot to his looks. For some odd reason, he is one of the only men in Serena's life that she could feel comfortable with. She was only a friend with him though. She was not at all attracted to him.
"Oh, hey Ken," Serena said, smiling. Ken grinned back, stepping the rest of the way into her office. He was very tall and thin, but his head was large for his size. Maybe it was his goofy look that made him easy to relate with.
"Looking beautiful as ever, Tsukino," Ken said, jokingly. Serena gave a little laugh.
"So how's it going, Ken?" Serena asked. "How was your vacation?" Ken pulled over a chair and sat next ahead of her, on the other side of the desk.
"It was fun. Too bad I had to come back to this place." It seemed as though everybody disliked this job. "I'm surprised you never took vacation yet. Summer's ending soon. Take advantage of it." Serena smiled.
"I need the money. I really can't afford a vacation right now." Ken nodded in agreement.
"Even so," continued Ken, "It's good to get out for a while. Rest, relax, MEET SOMEBODY for Christ's sake. You have to get out more. It isn't healthy to devote your LIFE to a job you DON'T EVEN LIKE." Serena sighed. Where had she heard this before?
"You sound like my mother," Serena said, taking a sip of water. Ken sighed. He heard that Serena's mother tries with all her will to get her to go out some. Obviously, her attempts don't work any better than his.
"You've been here for over four years already, Serena," Ken said. "You DO get paid vacation you know. Hell, you have like two weeks worked up. Take advantage of it. You can't rot in this office for the rest of your life." Serena sighed once again. She knew Ken was right. She knew her mother was right. Why couldn't she just take a week off and get out some? What was holding her back?
"I don't know," is all that Serena said. Ken looked at her, confused. "I just don't know why I can't go out." Well, at least he was getting somewhere. Ken looked up at the clock and saw that it was already quarter after.
"Damn," said Ken. "Serena, we'll continue this later. I have to get to work. Later." With that, Ken was gone. Serena stared at the closed door for a moment, then sat back. She sighed. Really, she didn't know what to think anymore. Her thoughts were cut off by the intercom.
"Serena," said a hard, firm voice. It was the voice of her boss. "Something's going down at the Museum of Natural History. Get down there now. I'm expecting a good story tomorrow morning." This was her job. Go to a place, take notes, write a story, and hope that it is good enough to be put into the newspaper. The only problem is, her stories are rarely chosen. Therefore, she hasn't gotten a raise in God knows how long.
"Those newbies make more than me," Serena mumbled, reluctantly gathering her stuff together and walking out the door. She walked to Dunkin Donuts and bought a Boston cream donut before rushing to her car and driving quickly down to the museum. Once there, she saw that it was already packed with reporters from dozens of different newspapers, radios, and television channels.
"Wow, this must be serious," Serena mumbled to herself through a mouth full of the delicious pastry. She stepped out of her car and walked towards the crowd, notepad in hand. Thanks to her petite form, she found it easy to squeeze through all the other people to get as close to the front as possible. Once she could go no further, she resorted to asking around.
"Hey what's going on?" Serena asked a woman next to her. The woman seemed to be in her late thirties. Serena wondered in that split second if she will still be a reporter when she's that age. She quickly shrugged the thought off.
"A group a children are being held hostage," the woman replied, not bothering to face the small girl. Serene instantly began writing vigorously on her note pad.
"About what time did it happen?" Serena asked.
"About twenty minutes ago," the woman replied. This went on (with Serena asking several people) for about an hour. At about that time, the man who held the children hostage surrendered and so ended that story. It seemed that this man went insane after being fired from his job at the museum. Talk about a weak motive. Anyway, after getting some more information from witnesses, as well as some background information on the man, she was ready to go back to the office.
Five hours later, she had her story complete. She handed it into the boss so he could look over it before handing it over to the editors. Serena had to impatiently wait in her office for her boss's reply. It took about an hour.
"Serena," spoke her boss's voice over the intercom. Serena instantly stood to attention.
"Y-yes?" She asked. She could tell by the tone in his voice that hers didn't cut it. She sighed.
"Please come down to my office.immediately." Serena gulped, feeling her eyes burning. She knew she was either going to be heavily chewed out, or worse.
'Please don't let me lose my job,' Serena thought, holding back her tears. She learned long ago that crying doesn't help. She slowly left her office and walked even slower down the hall. At the end were two big doors. 'The doors to hell' the workers called them. Serena slowly opened them and stepped into the room, closing the doors behind her.
"Sit," said her boss, who was sitting comfortably behind a large desk. He was a heavy man, but his face was of stone. He was slightly bald on top, and Serena wondered how in the world a man this scary looking was married. Serena slowly sat down on a leather chair opposite him. She looked at him with eyes full of fright.
"Serena," the boss started, "Your story was good, but as usual, lacking material. I had a lot of faith in you, Serena, but I am beginning to lose it. The fact that you are Mr. Tsukino's son will not guarantee you a job here forever. I want workers who can produce. You as of late, however, are not producing. I am willing to give you one last chance though." Serena stood up.
"Thank you, mister Shields," Serena said, bowing. The boss cleared his throat, making Serena quickly sit down.
"Not quite yet, Serena," He said. Serena swallowed. "I want you to take a break. Go home and rest for a week, or two, as long as it takes. In your years working here, you never had a break. I think that's finally getting to you." Serena gasped.
"No, no sir, I'm fine, really."
"Serena, you are going on a break. I'm not expecting you back for two weeks, so you might as well clean out your office." Serena swallowed again, holding back her tears. "I want to see results when you return. Say hello to your father for me as well." With that, he turned in his chair, his back facing her. Serena sighed, walking slowly out of the office.
Ken was already waiting outside for her. His eyes were full of worry when he saw the sad girl walk out of the office, her head hung.
"Are you okay, Tsukino?" Ken asked. Serena nodded. "What happened in there? Were you fired?" She shook her head. "Then what happened?" Ken was now really curious towards what made her so sad all of a sudden.
"He told me to go on vacation for two weeks and relax," Serena said. Ken was dumbfounded.
"That's all?" he asked. Serena nodded silently. "God that's great. You need a break." Serena gasped, looking up at him. Ken had a "what?" look in his eyes. "Anyway, you need help cleaning out your office?" Serena shook her head. She walked silently towards her office. Ken followed her. Personally, he thought it was great that she was going on a much-needed vacation. He just couldn't understand why she didn't want to leave work, if only for a week, PAID.
Serena went into her office and began gathering the few things of hers in the room. Once everything was collected, she began placing all the items into a large cardboard box.
"Damn," she said, "Where's my brush?" She searched through the box to see if maybe she threw it inside.
"Here," said Ken, handing the brush to her. Serena gratefully took it. "Let's talk for a bit," Ken said. Serena sighed and nodded. She sat down on the floor, and Ken did the same, seating himself so he was facing her.
"Yeah?" asked Serena. Really, she didn't feel like talking with him, because he knew how the conversation will turn out to be. She listened anyway.
"Tell me, Tsukino," Ken started, "Why are you so down about going on vacation?" She knew it. She knew that this would be the start of the argument. "I mean, you are so stressed lately. Can't you realize that you need a break? It isn't healthy to do nothing but work, work, work. There's more to life, you know."
"I'm not a child anymore, Ken," Serena retaliated. "I hate always working, but I have to in order to survive in this world. Can't you understand that?" Ken sighed in frustration. This was getting absolutely nowhere.
"It is a PAID vacation though. I think there's more of a reason to it than, 'I hate always working, but I have to in order to survive in this world'. Just tell me, why are you being so stubborn?" Serena dropped her head.
"I.I don't know," she said. Ken looked confused. Serena, seeing his confused look tried to keep going. "I mean, I never did get out much. I've been working since I was fifteen. I guess.I guess work is all I've ever really known." Ken was silent. He never thought of it that way.
"Well," said Ken, smiling, "There's a first time for everything. Try to have fun for these two weeks. I'm sure you won't regret it." Serena was silent. Then, after several minutes, she smiled.
"Okay.thanks, Ken," Serena said, the shine in her eyes returning. Ken smiled in return then looked up at the clock.
"Damn, I have to go," Ken said, standing up. "Have fun, Serena. See you soon, okay?" With that, he walked out the door. Serena stared at the closed door for a few minutes.
"Thanks, Ken," she mumbled, before standing up and carrying her box of belongings out the door. She decided that she was going to start this vacation with a lot, and lots of sleep.
Serena walked into her apartment, using her foot to close the door behind her, since she was holding the box. She put the box down on her table and instantly fell back to her bed. She laid there for several minutes, staring at the ceiling.
"So what now?" Serena asked aloud. It had been a long time since she had absolutely no responsibility, and now that she has none, she has no idea what to do. She turned her head to her left to see the light on her answering machine beeping.
"Somebody called me?" She asked. Her getting called by anybody was rare, unless if it's from her.
"Mom," Serena sighed. She knew who it was before even listening to the message. Sighing once again, she lazily reached her arm over and hit the button.
"*Beep* Serena, it's your mother. I assume that you're at work now. Anyway, I'm calling to ask you to come down and visit us. We haven't seen you in so long. You can't just be tied up in your job forever you know." How did Serena know that at some point in this message her job would be mentioned? "Anyway, I'm asking you to just take a week off and come down here. We're having a large dinner tomorrow night to celebrate you father's retirement and we would like for you to be there.
"Anyway, I'm begging you to please just this one time take some time away from work? We would all love to see you. Jill misses you too. She really wants to see you. You missed her graduation you know, and she was really upset. Please, don't upset her again? Anyway, I know asking this of you is useless. Please though, think it over? Call me back when you have a chance. Bye! *Beep*"
Serena just stared at the ceiling. She felt bad for missing Jill's graduation, but she couldn't take off that day. Really, she was beginning to miss her mother.
"Maybe I should go," Serena said. "I haven't been there since Christmas. I always have a good time there. Plus, there's nothing else to do. Long Island's a nice place. Maybe I should relax at home for a week or two. I'm sure mom will appreciate it." She slowly sat up and picked up her phone, which was sitting next to the answering machine. She dialed her mom's number.
*Ring*
*Ring*
*Ring*
"Hello?" answered a voice on the other end of the phone. Serena instantly recognized it as her mother's.
"Hey mom, it's me." Silence. This silence went on for well over a minute. "Um.mom?" Serena asked, curious to why her mother was suddenly dead quiet.
"S-Serena? My God, what a surprise. You're home early today. Is anything wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong. I'm just on vacation now." More silence. This time though, it was expected. Serena was hoping her mom wasn't having a heart attack.
"WH-WHAT? I can't believe it. My, this is so exciting. I guess I finally got to you. How long are you taking off for?" Serena knew hat what she had to say next would shock her poor mother even more.
"About two weeks." Silent.again.
"WH-WHAT? That's so good. Good for you Serena. So, are you coming down here?" Serena was waiting for her to cut to the point already.
"Yeah, sure. When do you want me there?"
"Anytime. Just be sure that you're here for dinner tomorrow." Serena sighed in relief. She was thankful hat she would be getting some sleep before having to commute to Long Island.
"No problem, mom. I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye." She quickly hung up before her mother could do any more talking. She loved her mother to death, but the woman could talk on for hours. Serena had no time for that. She lied back down in her bed, thinking about the next day. She actually found herself looking forward to it.
"Home," said Serena, smiling, before closing her eyes and falling fast asleep.
It was early in the morning, about 5:30. The sun was just beginning to rise, making all the buildings glow in new light. Vehicles of all kinds were rushing down the many streets, in a frenzy to get to their destinations. Smog filled the air, and dew was on the scarce plant life in the city. This happened every morning: The rebirth of a city.
*Beep*
A young woman moaned in dismay, rolling to her side under a mountain of sheets and blankets. All was hidden under the blankets, except for a few strands of gold hair coming from under them.
*Beep*
She moaned again, once again rolling to her opposite side. Just for once, she didn't want to wake up. She was sick and tired of the same routine every morning. Every single morning. Every morning she would wake up to the same beeping of the same alarm clock. She would then go into the same car and drive to the same job. After her same twelve hours were up, she would arrive back to her same apartment and fall asleep in the same bed, only for the same thing to be repeated the next morning. Talk about a boring life.
*Beep*
"Okay, okay already," said the woman, pulling the covers down to her collarbone. Her sky-blue eyes drooped from her lack of sleep, and her shoulder-length golden-blonde hair was sticking up in every direction.
*Beep*
"ENOUGH!" she screamed, picking up the poor alarm clock and throwing it against the wall. She smirked she watched the thing break and fall to the floor. Letting out a little sigh, she fell back into the comfort of her bed. Slowly, her eyes began closing. Then suddenly.
"OH MY GOD, I'M GONNA BE LATE!" she cried, jumping up from her bed. She quickly checked the time on her clock, only to realize it was gone.
"Damn," she said, regretting breaking the clock. But hey, at least it was a good idea at the time. She quickly ran into her bathroom, carelessly peeling off her clothes the whole way there. This left a line of clothing items coming from her bed to her bathroom. Those probably wouldn't be picked up for at least another week.
Okay, freeze! Before continuing, let's just get a little information on our protagonist. Her name is Serena Tsukino, twenty-four years old. She is single, and currently works as a news reporter for the New York Times. She lives alone in her comfy studio apartment in downtown Manhattan. She came to America from Japan when she was about four. Her father was offered a good job from a newspaper company (the same company that Serena works for) that offered a much better salary than what he got from Japan. Also, all expenses to America were paid. It was too good to turn down. Now, with no further adieu, back to our story.
In a matter of five minutes, Serena was out of the shower, and in a few more minutes, she was dressed and ready to go. She fed her fish and her cat, and walked out of her room, locking the door behind her. She looked at herself in the mirror that was embedded in the hallway wall. Her brown business suit fit her perfectly. It was able to show off her every curve, while still looking intelligent and mature. She grinned at herself.
She knew that she had filled out nicely since she was a teenager. She was always beautiful, but now that she is mature, she is even more stunning than ever before. This is partially do to her grace and charm, which she had developed over the years. Her eyes though still retain a childlike innocence. It's a side only her friends ever see though.
Serena's eyes dropped. Her eyes were full of sadness. Even though she is beautiful, and charming, and graceful, she is still.single. The young woman sighed. This fact was partially do to her shyness. Having only a sister and going to an all-girl school kind of kept her away from boys. Now that she is out on her own, she just can't seem to be able to talk with any boys. Even at her age, she never once had a boyfriend for longer than a week.
"Pathetic," mumbled Serena, feeling disgraced in herself. She sighed again, realizing that all this daydreaming was going to make her late.again. Her boss was beginning to get upset with her, so she wants to get her act together before she ends up risking her job. She stood straight and tall and looked at herself in the mirror once again, before turning away and heading for the stairs.
Truthfully, she didn't like her job much. Also, she was not paid very well at all. She was lucky that she could afford the apartment she had, and the one she had was a dump. She sighed, as she continued walking until she reached the stairway. After several floors, she was finally at the lobby. There was a burning sensation in her ankles from the steps.
'I wish we had ELEVATORS,' she thought as she left the building and entered the lively streets of New York City. Serena never needed coffee to wake up in the morning. All she had to do was step out onto the bustling streets of the city, and she was instantly wide-awake. It was about a block's walk to get to the parking lot. She walked quickly, bumping into many pedestrians on the way.
"I'm gonna be late! I'm gonna be late! Late, late, late, late, late." Serena spoke aloud as she quickly walked down the sidewalk, many men turning heads to gaze at the beauty, and many women doing the same is jealousy. After what seemed like forever, she made it to the parking lot. Once inside, she smiled as she eyed the new red Mustang sitting with all the other cars.
Her eyes then diverted to a few cars down. An old blue 1992 Volvo: her car. She sighed and slowly walked to the thing. At least it got her to work though. She sat inside and started it, her gaze soon returning to the Mustang. What she wanted more than anything right now was a new car. She wanted one even more so than a new apartment, and even a new job. She sighed again once reality hit her.
"In this world you get what you can afford," she said to herself. She forgot who first told her that, but it was definitely true. She backed up and drove out of the parking lot and towards her job. In about twenty minutes she was there. She parked the car and ran into the building, and then to the elevator. She took it to the eighth floor and got out, running to her office.
Serena quickly looked up at the clock. It was six O'clock. She was right on time. She took this time to catch her breath before getting ready for a long day of work. She pulled many papers and books out of her briefcase and placed them on her desk. After settling in, she heard a knock on her door. She looked up to see it already opening.
After opening about halfway, a man's head popped out from behind it. He had dirty blonde hair and large glasses. He wasn't really a good-looking guy, but one would get the impression that losing the glasses would definitely add a lot to his looks. For some odd reason, he is one of the only men in Serena's life that she could feel comfortable with. She was only a friend with him though. She was not at all attracted to him.
"Oh, hey Ken," Serena said, smiling. Ken grinned back, stepping the rest of the way into her office. He was very tall and thin, but his head was large for his size. Maybe it was his goofy look that made him easy to relate with.
"Looking beautiful as ever, Tsukino," Ken said, jokingly. Serena gave a little laugh.
"So how's it going, Ken?" Serena asked. "How was your vacation?" Ken pulled over a chair and sat next ahead of her, on the other side of the desk.
"It was fun. Too bad I had to come back to this place." It seemed as though everybody disliked this job. "I'm surprised you never took vacation yet. Summer's ending soon. Take advantage of it." Serena smiled.
"I need the money. I really can't afford a vacation right now." Ken nodded in agreement.
"Even so," continued Ken, "It's good to get out for a while. Rest, relax, MEET SOMEBODY for Christ's sake. You have to get out more. It isn't healthy to devote your LIFE to a job you DON'T EVEN LIKE." Serena sighed. Where had she heard this before?
"You sound like my mother," Serena said, taking a sip of water. Ken sighed. He heard that Serena's mother tries with all her will to get her to go out some. Obviously, her attempts don't work any better than his.
"You've been here for over four years already, Serena," Ken said. "You DO get paid vacation you know. Hell, you have like two weeks worked up. Take advantage of it. You can't rot in this office for the rest of your life." Serena sighed once again. She knew Ken was right. She knew her mother was right. Why couldn't she just take a week off and get out some? What was holding her back?
"I don't know," is all that Serena said. Ken looked at her, confused. "I just don't know why I can't go out." Well, at least he was getting somewhere. Ken looked up at the clock and saw that it was already quarter after.
"Damn," said Ken. "Serena, we'll continue this later. I have to get to work. Later." With that, Ken was gone. Serena stared at the closed door for a moment, then sat back. She sighed. Really, she didn't know what to think anymore. Her thoughts were cut off by the intercom.
"Serena," said a hard, firm voice. It was the voice of her boss. "Something's going down at the Museum of Natural History. Get down there now. I'm expecting a good story tomorrow morning." This was her job. Go to a place, take notes, write a story, and hope that it is good enough to be put into the newspaper. The only problem is, her stories are rarely chosen. Therefore, she hasn't gotten a raise in God knows how long.
"Those newbies make more than me," Serena mumbled, reluctantly gathering her stuff together and walking out the door. She walked to Dunkin Donuts and bought a Boston cream donut before rushing to her car and driving quickly down to the museum. Once there, she saw that it was already packed with reporters from dozens of different newspapers, radios, and television channels.
"Wow, this must be serious," Serena mumbled to herself through a mouth full of the delicious pastry. She stepped out of her car and walked towards the crowd, notepad in hand. Thanks to her petite form, she found it easy to squeeze through all the other people to get as close to the front as possible. Once she could go no further, she resorted to asking around.
"Hey what's going on?" Serena asked a woman next to her. The woman seemed to be in her late thirties. Serena wondered in that split second if she will still be a reporter when she's that age. She quickly shrugged the thought off.
"A group a children are being held hostage," the woman replied, not bothering to face the small girl. Serene instantly began writing vigorously on her note pad.
"About what time did it happen?" Serena asked.
"About twenty minutes ago," the woman replied. This went on (with Serena asking several people) for about an hour. At about that time, the man who held the children hostage surrendered and so ended that story. It seemed that this man went insane after being fired from his job at the museum. Talk about a weak motive. Anyway, after getting some more information from witnesses, as well as some background information on the man, she was ready to go back to the office.
Five hours later, she had her story complete. She handed it into the boss so he could look over it before handing it over to the editors. Serena had to impatiently wait in her office for her boss's reply. It took about an hour.
"Serena," spoke her boss's voice over the intercom. Serena instantly stood to attention.
"Y-yes?" She asked. She could tell by the tone in his voice that hers didn't cut it. She sighed.
"Please come down to my office.immediately." Serena gulped, feeling her eyes burning. She knew she was either going to be heavily chewed out, or worse.
'Please don't let me lose my job,' Serena thought, holding back her tears. She learned long ago that crying doesn't help. She slowly left her office and walked even slower down the hall. At the end were two big doors. 'The doors to hell' the workers called them. Serena slowly opened them and stepped into the room, closing the doors behind her.
"Sit," said her boss, who was sitting comfortably behind a large desk. He was a heavy man, but his face was of stone. He was slightly bald on top, and Serena wondered how in the world a man this scary looking was married. Serena slowly sat down on a leather chair opposite him. She looked at him with eyes full of fright.
"Serena," the boss started, "Your story was good, but as usual, lacking material. I had a lot of faith in you, Serena, but I am beginning to lose it. The fact that you are Mr. Tsukino's son will not guarantee you a job here forever. I want workers who can produce. You as of late, however, are not producing. I am willing to give you one last chance though." Serena stood up.
"Thank you, mister Shields," Serena said, bowing. The boss cleared his throat, making Serena quickly sit down.
"Not quite yet, Serena," He said. Serena swallowed. "I want you to take a break. Go home and rest for a week, or two, as long as it takes. In your years working here, you never had a break. I think that's finally getting to you." Serena gasped.
"No, no sir, I'm fine, really."
"Serena, you are going on a break. I'm not expecting you back for two weeks, so you might as well clean out your office." Serena swallowed again, holding back her tears. "I want to see results when you return. Say hello to your father for me as well." With that, he turned in his chair, his back facing her. Serena sighed, walking slowly out of the office.
Ken was already waiting outside for her. His eyes were full of worry when he saw the sad girl walk out of the office, her head hung.
"Are you okay, Tsukino?" Ken asked. Serena nodded. "What happened in there? Were you fired?" She shook her head. "Then what happened?" Ken was now really curious towards what made her so sad all of a sudden.
"He told me to go on vacation for two weeks and relax," Serena said. Ken was dumbfounded.
"That's all?" he asked. Serena nodded silently. "God that's great. You need a break." Serena gasped, looking up at him. Ken had a "what?" look in his eyes. "Anyway, you need help cleaning out your office?" Serena shook her head. She walked silently towards her office. Ken followed her. Personally, he thought it was great that she was going on a much-needed vacation. He just couldn't understand why she didn't want to leave work, if only for a week, PAID.
Serena went into her office and began gathering the few things of hers in the room. Once everything was collected, she began placing all the items into a large cardboard box.
"Damn," she said, "Where's my brush?" She searched through the box to see if maybe she threw it inside.
"Here," said Ken, handing the brush to her. Serena gratefully took it. "Let's talk for a bit," Ken said. Serena sighed and nodded. She sat down on the floor, and Ken did the same, seating himself so he was facing her.
"Yeah?" asked Serena. Really, she didn't feel like talking with him, because he knew how the conversation will turn out to be. She listened anyway.
"Tell me, Tsukino," Ken started, "Why are you so down about going on vacation?" She knew it. She knew that this would be the start of the argument. "I mean, you are so stressed lately. Can't you realize that you need a break? It isn't healthy to do nothing but work, work, work. There's more to life, you know."
"I'm not a child anymore, Ken," Serena retaliated. "I hate always working, but I have to in order to survive in this world. Can't you understand that?" Ken sighed in frustration. This was getting absolutely nowhere.
"It is a PAID vacation though. I think there's more of a reason to it than, 'I hate always working, but I have to in order to survive in this world'. Just tell me, why are you being so stubborn?" Serena dropped her head.
"I.I don't know," she said. Ken looked confused. Serena, seeing his confused look tried to keep going. "I mean, I never did get out much. I've been working since I was fifteen. I guess.I guess work is all I've ever really known." Ken was silent. He never thought of it that way.
"Well," said Ken, smiling, "There's a first time for everything. Try to have fun for these two weeks. I'm sure you won't regret it." Serena was silent. Then, after several minutes, she smiled.
"Okay.thanks, Ken," Serena said, the shine in her eyes returning. Ken smiled in return then looked up at the clock.
"Damn, I have to go," Ken said, standing up. "Have fun, Serena. See you soon, okay?" With that, he walked out the door. Serena stared at the closed door for a few minutes.
"Thanks, Ken," she mumbled, before standing up and carrying her box of belongings out the door. She decided that she was going to start this vacation with a lot, and lots of sleep.
Serena walked into her apartment, using her foot to close the door behind her, since she was holding the box. She put the box down on her table and instantly fell back to her bed. She laid there for several minutes, staring at the ceiling.
"So what now?" Serena asked aloud. It had been a long time since she had absolutely no responsibility, and now that she has none, she has no idea what to do. She turned her head to her left to see the light on her answering machine beeping.
"Somebody called me?" She asked. Her getting called by anybody was rare, unless if it's from her.
"Mom," Serena sighed. She knew who it was before even listening to the message. Sighing once again, she lazily reached her arm over and hit the button.
"*Beep* Serena, it's your mother. I assume that you're at work now. Anyway, I'm calling to ask you to come down and visit us. We haven't seen you in so long. You can't just be tied up in your job forever you know." How did Serena know that at some point in this message her job would be mentioned? "Anyway, I'm asking you to just take a week off and come down here. We're having a large dinner tomorrow night to celebrate you father's retirement and we would like for you to be there.
"Anyway, I'm begging you to please just this one time take some time away from work? We would all love to see you. Jill misses you too. She really wants to see you. You missed her graduation you know, and she was really upset. Please, don't upset her again? Anyway, I know asking this of you is useless. Please though, think it over? Call me back when you have a chance. Bye! *Beep*"
Serena just stared at the ceiling. She felt bad for missing Jill's graduation, but she couldn't take off that day. Really, she was beginning to miss her mother.
"Maybe I should go," Serena said. "I haven't been there since Christmas. I always have a good time there. Plus, there's nothing else to do. Long Island's a nice place. Maybe I should relax at home for a week or two. I'm sure mom will appreciate it." She slowly sat up and picked up her phone, which was sitting next to the answering machine. She dialed her mom's number.
*Ring*
*Ring*
*Ring*
"Hello?" answered a voice on the other end of the phone. Serena instantly recognized it as her mother's.
"Hey mom, it's me." Silence. This silence went on for well over a minute. "Um.mom?" Serena asked, curious to why her mother was suddenly dead quiet.
"S-Serena? My God, what a surprise. You're home early today. Is anything wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong. I'm just on vacation now." More silence. This time though, it was expected. Serena was hoping her mom wasn't having a heart attack.
"WH-WHAT? I can't believe it. My, this is so exciting. I guess I finally got to you. How long are you taking off for?" Serena knew hat what she had to say next would shock her poor mother even more.
"About two weeks." Silent.again.
"WH-WHAT? That's so good. Good for you Serena. So, are you coming down here?" Serena was waiting for her to cut to the point already.
"Yeah, sure. When do you want me there?"
"Anytime. Just be sure that you're here for dinner tomorrow." Serena sighed in relief. She was thankful hat she would be getting some sleep before having to commute to Long Island.
"No problem, mom. I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye." She quickly hung up before her mother could do any more talking. She loved her mother to death, but the woman could talk on for hours. Serena had no time for that. She lied back down in her bed, thinking about the next day. She actually found herself looking forward to it.
"Home," said Serena, smiling, before closing her eyes and falling fast asleep.