Nicole Parks was climbing a tree and questioning her choice of occupation. Doctors didn't climb trees. Lawyers didn't spend their days getting twigs in their hair. Accountants sat at nice comfortable desks, rather than on uneven tree branches. Nicole had always fancied the position of a talk show host, but there were so few opportunities for such a thing. Somehow, this had led to her being a photojournalist. Which is how she found herself half way up a tree feeling like a fifth grader. Totally aware of the ridiculous nature of her situation, but pushing forward nonetheless, Nicole wrapped her camera more securely around her neck and braced her foot on the next sturdy tree branch as she climbed in a foul mood.

From the moment her boss had placed this tedious task on her desk, Nicole had just known she'd somehow end up in a tree, on a roof, or leaning off the side of a balcony. And even before she'd found her way into this tree, the rumors of Saz running off on her own after her tour had taken Nicole on quite the wild goose chase.

From hours on the phone with unhelpful airlines, to days of searching through internet feeds tagged with her name to see if there had been any sightings of the pop star, Nicole had more than once been about ready to bang her head on the desk and retire. Her big breakthrough had been when she'd found her way to some small little corner of the internet where someone named Emmet had posted pictures of signed Saz merchandise claiming that she'd signed them for him at work. Figuring out where Emmett worked had been a simple matter of messaging him, and the next thing Nicole knew, she was flying to an island in the middle of nowhere off the coast of western Canada, hoping to beat the local press to Saz's hotel room.

Reaching up, Nicole grabbed the next branch as the scene through the window finally came into view. A sudden wrench on her arm made Nicole bite down hard on her lip to stop herself from crying out in pain. She'd scraped herself against the bark of the tree as she climbed. Trying to forget her arm for a moment, Nicole peered in through the curtains and saw Saz asleep in bed. The pop star had never claimed to be an early riser, and Nicole had expected nothing less.

Grinning like a fool, Nicole raised her camera with the strap still around her neck to focus it on the sleeping star on the other side of the glass. She got a few nice shots and was about to try and find her way back down to the ground, when another person appeared. It was a man, a young man as far as Nicole could tell, and he was coming out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. Grinning wider still, Nicole focused her camera lens and started clicking away madly, her system flooding with adrenaline as she remembered why she loved her job. The thrill of discovery was a high she never tired of.

She continued to photograph the two of them as the young man joined Saz in the bed, still in nothing but a towel. Nicole was sure she couldn't have gotten a better photo from any other angle save for actually being in the room with them. She waited to see if they were going to do anything else worth photographing for a while, but when the man started reading on his phone, Nicole decided to call it a day. It was time to get out of this tree.

Looking down, Nicole tried not to panic as she realized how far she'd actually climbed. Double checking her camera was secure inside her raincoat with the lens cap on, Nicole took a deep calming breath, before beginning to climb down. One branch and then the next one, but despite her slow pace, Nicole lost her footing and fell the last few feet to the ground.

This time she couldn't stop herself from adding a few choice words to the silent morning. Hoping she hadn't been heard, Nicole picked herself up from the ground, dusted off her clothes and winced as she inspected her broken skin and sore muscles. She'd probably have a bruise on her leg tomorrow too.

"Are you alright?" a voice called from above. Nicole looked up and saw the man who she knew had been in Saz's bed moments ago with his head out the window. He looked concerned, rather than annoyed and Nicole decided to take her chances.

"What's your name?" she yelled up at him. The worst that could happen is him not answering, so she figured why not. It would make a great addition to her article to include the boy toy's name.

"Chuck," the man in the window said almost automatically, and Nicole wondered if she could get a surname out of him before he figured out what she was up to. "Are you sure you don't need help?" he tried again. "Sounded like you fell hard. Why were you in that tree, anyway?"

"I'm fine," Nicole dismissed his concern. She was technically fine, no one dies of cuts and bruises.

"Alright then," he said, though he still looked concerned. The emotion Nicole couldn't find in his expression was suspicion. Nicole couldn't figure out why Chuck had given her his name so easily. She'd expected him to be suspicious of someone in a tree with a camera. After all, he was sleeping with Saz! Then again, he probably couldn't see her camera, but that didn't mean he couldn't easily figure out what she was up to. The only way he wouldn't suspect she was with the press was if he had no idea who exactly was in the bed. Oh, this story just kept getting better and better! Quickly Nicole unzipped her raincoat, got out her camera and took a picture of Saz's new guy in the window of her hotel with nothing but a towel. Then she dashed off before he could ask her any questions. Nicole could already see the headlines.

'Pop star Saz, age 26, flees Concert to Corrupt Canadian Youth. Exclusive photos taken by Nicole Parks.'

'Saz secret revealed in exclusive photos by Nicole Parks. She's on the rebound and prefers younger guys.'

'Nicole Park's exclusive photos reveal the truth behind Pop Star Saz's break up with long time boyfriend Bryce.'

Positively giddy with anticipation, and already imagining being headhunted for her dream job, Nicole tucked her camera back into her raincoat to protect those career-making photos. Pulling out her phone, she dialed her boss. She wanted to get this story going before she got back on a plane. She'd head straight to the nearest wifi connection, write the article within the hour, and email the photos straight away.

"Boy, have I got a story for you!" Nicole squealed into her phone as her editor picked up.

"Saz's in Tofino shacked up with some nobody," her boss said instantly.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Nicole said disappointed.

"Because a Channel 5 news van is on route there now," her boss said. "Saz's hotel will be live in less than ten minutes."

"How could you possibly know that?" Nicole snapped back.

"I'm watching the show right now," her boss replied. "They are live streaming in the van on their way there."

"How did they find her!" Nicole whined. She wasn't sure if she was more angry, disappointed or sad, but all her fantasy headlines were vanishing before her eyes.

"Your source, Emmett," her boss replied. "He sold you out."

It's all going down now guys! Stay tuned. :D