Two days later, Martha May woke up to the sound of her cell phone ringing. She begrudgingly picked it up, answered it, and said,

"Hello?"

"Did you just wake up?" Heather's voice answered back.

"Heather? What's going on?" Martha yawned.

"Never mind. I need you to get down to the office right this second, with Johanna's coffee." Heather replied.

"Coffee? Johanna? NOW?"

"Yes, NOW. Get a pen and write this down. I need one no-foam Latte with extra almond milk and three skimmed coffees with foam and sugar. Got it? Good. See you soon."

Before Martha could say another word, Heather had already hung up the phone. Martha sighed and ran a hand through her fiery hair in frustration as she sat up in bed.

'Looks like I have the job.' She thought, heading towards the closet.

By now, Martha had picked up the four cups of coffee and heading to the office as fast as she possibly can when her cell phone rang. She picked up.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Where are you?" Heather asked.

"Oh! Don't worry, Heather. I'm almost there."

"Hurry up. Johanna is growing impatient." Heather hung up.

Martha picked up the pace. Johanna and a few other people were in her office, waiting for Martha to arrive with their coffee.

"Is there some reason as to why my coffee isn't here yet?" Johanna asked Heather. "Did she get in an accident or something?"

"No. No, she couldn't have. Where in the world is she?" Heather said as she picked up the phone, only for Martha to arrive only a few seconds later. She put the receiver down and took the coffee from Martha. "Oh, it's about time! Now hang up that coat of yours, if you can even call it that."

Martha nodded and went to hang up her coat just as Heather went into Johanna's office to give her the cups of coffee. She quickly sat down at the second desk.

"Okay, you and I answer the phones." Heather explained as she headed back to her own desk. "It must be answered every single time it rings. Calls roll to voicemail and she gets very upset. And you are not to leave that desk until someone says you can leave."

"But what if I need to—" Martha started.

"What? The last time an assistant left the desk was when she got a bloody nose. She went to the bathroom to clean it up and because of that, Johanna missed Kalfonzo just before he boarded a 12-hour flight to the Jungle of Nool for research. She now works at TV Guide."

Martha paused. "Stay at the desk at all times, got it."

"Good. Now remember, you and I have totally different jobs. You get coffee and run errands, but I am in charge of her schedule, her appointments, and her expenses. But most importantly, I get to go with her to Thneedville for Fashion Week in the spring."

"Thneedville? You mean that plastic, manufactured town with no trees or live plants? That horrible place has a Fashion Week?"

"Of course it does, every few years. I get to wear the most gorgeous clothes, I go to all the shows and parties, I meet all of the designers and models and celebrities; it's just divine."

"…Sounds like fun." Martha rolled her eyes.

"Oh believe me, it is. Now stay here; I'm going to the art department to give them the book." Heather then went over to Martha's desk and showed her a large spiral book. "This is the book. It is a mock-up of everything in the current issue. We deliver it to Johanna's place every night and she returns in the morning with her notes. Usually, the second assistant is supposed to do this, but Johanna is very private and she doesn't like strangers in her home. Until she decides that you're not a villain or a total psychopath, I get the task of waiting around for the book. And don't worry, I'll be right back."

Just as Heather started to walk away, the phone on Martha's desk rang. "Um, Heather? What should I…?"

"Deal with it. You're smart, you can handle it." Heather said before she disappeared down the hall.

After a moment, Martha picked up the phone and said, "Johanna Starling's office. She's in a meeting right now, but I can take a message. Okay, uh-huh." She took out a sticky note and a pen and began to write what the person on the other end was telling her. "Okay, is that it? Great. I'll get it to her very soon. Thank you, bye." She hung up and let out a soft sigh.

"Well handled." A voice said; Martha looked and saw that it was Franklin; he was holding a pair of high-heeled shoes. "I thought you might need these. Size six, I assume?"

"I don't think I need these shoes, but thanks anyway. You're Franklin, right?" Martha said, reluctantly taking the shoes and setting them on her desk.

"Yes, and you are the new girl. Martha May, if I'm not mistaken." Franklin replied.

"You're not mistaken… Is something wrong?"

"It's just… that outfit you're wearing. What were you thinking?"

"Oh?" Martha looked down at herself; she was wearing a lime green sweater over a white dress shirt with a black skirt, white tights, and casual black flats. "…I was in a hurry and didn't have time to choose something really stylish."

"Heather? Heather?" Johanna's voice called from her office.

"She means you." Franklin said.

"Oh, okay." Martha said, getting up from her desk and race-walking into the office. "Yes, Johanna?"

"There you are." Johanna said. "How many times do I have to scream your name, Heather?"

"Actually, it's Martha. Martha May? My name is Martha May."

"Whatever. I need five to ten skirts from Effie Nickels. And make sure we have Tier 15 at exactly 8:30 am tomorrow. Remind Natalie I need to see a few of those satchels. And then tell Willow I'll take Tara if Raquel isn't available. Oh, and Heather?"

"…Yes?"

Johanna looked down at Martha's feet, noticing the shoes. She looked back up at her face with a bored expression. "That will be all."

Unsure of what just happened, Martha quickly turned around and went back to her desk; she picked up the shoes. "On second thought, maybe I do need these."

"Told you." Franklin said before making his exit; Heather soon returned without the book.

"So, how'd it go?" She asked.

"Well, Johanna just told me to get five or ten Effie Nickels skirts, something about Tier 15 at 8:30 tomorrow, someone named Natalie with satchels, and Willow about two girls named Tara and Raquel, I think. She was going so fast, I could hardly keep up." Martha explained.

"Maybe next time, buy yourself a tape recorder." Heather said, taking a recorder out of one of her desk drawers. "That's what I did when I first started working here."

"Um, good to know." Martha picked up the phone, but Heather stopped her.

"Why don't I take care of Natalie and Willow?" She offered. "We could split it up; we'll get it done so much faster if we do it together."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course. It sounds like you're in way too over your head already. You need all the help you can get."

"…You have no idea."

"Don't worry, I've seen it plenty of times before. You're not the only one who's struggled on her first day. I'll talk with Willow and Natalie while you handle Effie Nickels and Tier 15."

"Thank you so much, Heather. How can I ever repay you?"

"Later. Right now, we have work to do. Come on."