Masterpiece
She stood in front of her mirror, deliberating over what to wear to her first internship interview. She had been at it for a good half an hour already, but nothing seemed to fit. A red dress with a grey scarf? She tilted her head to the right, then to the left, then to the right again, carefully scrutinising every single detail on her outfit. No - too passionate, she concluded. A blue blazer over a casual white top? She quickly donned the outfit, frowning slightly as she twisted her body a little to the back. She glanced over her shoulder at her reflection in the mirror. Through her peripheral vision, she caught sight of the clock on her desk. 7:45. Eyes widening in faint panic, she threw on a pair of jeans, gulped down her coffee and made a dash for the front door. This will have to do.
She brisk walked to The Writing Salon, not wanting to be tardy. First impressions were important, she had previously learnt. One hand grasping the name card that read, "720 York St, San Francisco, CA 94110", she mentally prepared herself for the interview. Hard as she tried, nothing could prepare her for the wrath and curtness of the boss, Dinah Jane Hansen. She sent a quick text to her roommate, Normani Kordei, "Didn't manage to catch you just now. Off to be an intern. See you at home later for dinner?"
Rushing along the cobbled streets of York Street, she turned a corner. Wooden ornaments decorated the doorway of the building, and she pushed the glass door forward. 7:57. Ah, just in time. The windchime on the door made a soft tinkling sound, and the receptionist looked up from her work. Seeing the girl at the door, the receptionist looked back down at her desk and studied the papers on it for a few seconds. "Karla Camila Cabello?"
Camila removed her blazer and nodded at the receptionist, whose nametag read, "Ally Brooke." Ally wore a smart white blouse and a black skirt - the typical work outfit. Camila inwardly chided herself. That is what she should have worn instead. While Ally smiled and gestured towards the couch leaning against the wall, saying, "Take a seat. Ms. Hansen will be right with you." Camila continued trying to decipher Ally's character. Despite her typical work outfit, there was something untypical about her. Her light brown hair bounced softly on her shoulders, providing a finishing touch to her small smile. Her gaze lingered on the phone, a small smirk lurking - almost as if she had a secret, a secret she would never tell.
Before Camila could sit down, the phone rang. Ally picked up, her smirk recognisable through her words. "Okay, Ms. Hansen, I'll send her in."
"She's ready for you, Camila. Good luck!" Ally chirped, her smile returning to the friendly one, taking all of Camila's suspicions away with it.
Camila stood up and opened the door nearest to her. She walked into Dinah's office, wooden floor creaking under the clicking of her heels with each step. Dinah was seated behind her desk, furiously typing on her cell phone. "Good morning, Ms. Hansen. Thank you for meeting with me," Camila tried, running a hand through her hair nervously. Dinah nodded shortly, then continued typing.
Dinah Jane Hansen was California's most influential publisher, known for criticising writers' works so harshly that some of whom had a phobia of even touching a pen again. There was nobody who could remain comfortable in her presence. Likewise, Camila breathed in deeply and straightened her skirt over and over again. After what seemed like an eternity, Dinah stopped typing, placed her cell phone down on the table roughly and commanded, "Take a seat."
Camila sat obediently, placing her backpack on the floor next to her chair.
"So, Karla Camila Cabello, right? Sorry about that interruption. My other intern refuses to go for a writing course I signed her up for. She is getting more and more out of hand. I don't want you to behave in the same way, got it?" Dinah crossed her arms on her desk, fingers intertwined and gaze fallen on Camila's.
Camila mentally sent a note of respect to whoever the other intern was, admiring her for her ability to stand up to Dinah, and even to go against her wishes. "Yes, Ma'am. And you can call me Camila."
"Camila. Why did you choose to apply for this internship?" Dinah enquired. She reached out and retrieved the stack of Camila's past writing works from her, glancing through them quickly.
"I hope to become a professional writer in the future, and this opportunity would be a stepping stone towards that dream. I've always wanted to learn from somebody as skilled in their field of expertise as you are. You've been my role model ever since I was a little -" Camila stopped short. "No, that's not what I meant. I didn't mean to say you were old. I just meant -"
Dinah rearranged the stack of Camila's works neatly and pushed them towards Camila. She leaned back against her swivel chair, her arms resting on the arm rests. Just as Camila thought she was in trouble, and that Dinah would unleash the wrath she was famous for having on her, Dinah laughed. "I like you." Camila raised an eyebrow, about to apologise further, but Dinah continued. "Your writing is not entirely perfect, but I see a lot of potential in you."
"What do you think you have that the other aspiring writers applying for this internship don't?" Dinah had already made her mind up about hiring Camila, but she took a special interest in this particular girl. She leaned forward, arms resting on the desk again. A playful grin crossed her lips, knowing she had just posed Camila a tough question. No applicant had ever been asked this before. Dinah usually tried to be nice, contrary to popular belief.
Camila froze for a second. "Ma'am, I would love to say something interesting, but I don't have any other job or siblings or anything even remotely fascinating. All I do is read poetry and attempt to write." She smiled sheepishly at Dinah, not knowing what more to say.
Dinah laughed. "Well, I can't confirm you for the position of an intern yet. Not until you improve your writing, anyway. I find that most of your pieces lack emotion. You speak of the characters like they're mere characters, without even a hint of development."
Camila flinched.
"But I like you. So here's what I'm offering. Contact my other intern and learn from her. Observe everything she does. Observe how she writes. Observe what she gets her inspiration from. I want you to learn how to incorporate emotion into your writing, into your stories. Move in with her, if you have to. After that, work on another anthology for me, with at least three of your best works. Here's her number." Dinah handed Camila a name card. "I trust you'll see yourself out?"
Camila nodded silently, crippled with shock. "Thank you, Ma'am." She grabbed her backpack from the floor, pocketed the name card, and opened the door.
"Oh, Camila," Dinah began again. "You have a month to get back to me. I hope to see your masterpiece then. All the best."
Camila thanked Dinah profusely then closed the door behind her. She reached for her cell phone. Normani had texted her back, saying, "Good luck babe! I'm cooking dinner later (:" Camila sent a quick text to Normani. "THERE'S A CHANCE THAT I MIGHT BE THE INTERN I JUST HAVE TO GET BACK TO DINAH JANE HANSEN IN A MONTH WITH THREE OF MY BEST WORKS I'M SO EXCITED GONNA CONTACT THE OTHER INTERN NOW I HOPE SHE'S NICE SEE YOU LATER"
Ally's voice interrupted her happy thoughts. "No, you cannot send it to me soft copy. Ms. Hansen only reads works hard copy, you know that."
A girl dressed in a winter coat threw her hands in the air dramatically. "Look, Ally, I can't get it to you hard copy, because my printer is spoilt. I already sent Dinah a soft copy, and that'll have to do for now until I get my printer fixed. And don't expect it to be fixed anytime soon." The girl retorted. Her long black hair flowed down to her midriff, past the tips of her red scarf, with went nicely with her red beanie. "Sorry, Ally. Please let Dinah know for me."
Camila raised her eyebrows again. She had thought nobody in the world would dare to do things that did not satisfy the way Dinah wanted. She would have shaken her head at the girl, silently reprimanding her for her sassy attitude, but she was too captivated by the girl's beauty. All the same, she would not want to work with the girl.
"Well, you can send it to me, and I can print it for you, right here -" Ally started, when she spotted Camila standing in the hallway. Turning to Camila, she asked, "Oh, hello, Karla. How did it go?"
"Good, thanks. I'm supposed to contact Ms. Hansen's other intern, apparently. But other than that, I think it went well," Camila answered.
Ally flashed Camila her friendly smile. "Oh, just as well. This," she gestured to the girl in the winter coat. "This is Ms. Hansen's other intern, Lauren Jauregui."