2.1.53

Chapter Fourteen: Prey

The morning rush hour was subsiding. There were still people in the breakfast place but we got the corner table facing the road without any difficulty. It was one of those places that were famous without being famous; it was not a dream eatery but it served more than decent tasting food at a surprisingly low price and thus was quite famous among the office goers and people like me with a limited budget.

I was not quite hungry in lieu of the sandwich I ate earlier. But judging by the amount of food she ordered right after sitting down she must have been starving for days.

"So, what is this long story of yours?" I asked after she finally settled in her seat.

"Okay. Let's see where to start. Let me tell you about myself first. So, I am an artist, I never went to art school and learned most of it by myself. I used to post my creations online and some of them took off and then I was approached by this shit company" she sounded pissed again.

"That's great" I blurted out after hearing she was approached by them and then realizing she must be really good in her field.

"That's shit. Because I knew nothing about this company's policies. I just jumped at the opportunity when they provided me. I mean why wouldn't a 26-year-old from a small town not be excited when a multimillion-dollar management house approach you?"

"Wait so you are not from here?" I asked.

"Nope" she smiled, "I am from Tinsown, 23 kilometers from here"

"Oh. I just assumed. Sorry, my bad" I apologized.

"I am full of surprises" She held help up her hand.

I smiled. She looked outside the glass window. There was hardly any traffic then. The waiter came with a large tray full of pancakes and bread and omelets and I counted on my mind about the bills it was going to account for and the money I had in my pocket.

I always chased stories all my life, going out of my zone to talk to people to know about their lives had been my old habit. And somehow it always got reflect on whatever I wrote. So, spending all my money just to listen to a damsel talking about her distress was not a new thing for me. And perhaps I could be a savior in hers.

"So, as I was saying" She cut a piece of her pancake and dipped it in honey, "I jumped at the offer and accepted it without even consulting someone. I signed their contract without even going to a legal personal first"

She chewed hard on the food in her mouth. Her anger visible by the way she was cutting the pieces of pancake.

"So, they scammed you?" I asked taking a sip of my orange juice.

"Yes, they scammed me. The contract was of 1 year and all I got was 9% of royalties. Freaking 9% of the total. And it sold way more in printables" She took a large sip from her milkshake.

"Ouch?" I said and made a pouty face.

"Dude", she rolled her eyes, "Now when the 1 year is over and its time for contract renewal they asked to come down here. I thought maybe this time I will get my creation's worth"

"And you didn't" I said the obvious.

"And I didn't" She got so excited she almost stood up and too loud that the few people on other tables turned their heads towards her.

She got embarrassed and buried her head into eating a pancake.

"Also, these pancakes are the bomb" She complimented. Her voice went so soft while saying that I kept on wondering how she could manage to be the two ends of extremes and how swiftly she changed between them.