Modern Monsters

Jeremiah the Deertaur

Female Reader x Male Monster

Going to work is a pain in the ass, but I suppose that's true for everyone. For me, it involves a long, long, long, train ride, then a bus from the train station. It gets a bit tedious. Back when I lived closer it was fine, but I had to move for several reasons. It's complicated. A'me' thing, but I have been trying every day to get a job closer to home.

I work as a manager for a really big department store. I'm kept busy, busier than I want some days, but hey, that's work. Every time I mention to my boss that I would like to find something closer, he keeps trying to convince me to stay. It's becoming one of those things where I feel like I'm not allowed to leave. I have a bad boss, but so do a lot of people. Why should I complain?

It's a rare afternoon off, and I am enjoying it by not getting out of bed. I have my phone in hand, coffee at the ready, and my favorite music playing. That's when my sister starts sending me texts. She has a pretty cool job working at a radio station in town. It's a small operation, but because it's one of the few local stations in the area, it does a lot of business. She books talent and guests for the shows the radio does, and organizes the 'midnight plays' they do on Saturday nights.

"There's an opening at the station," she texts me. "Get down here in thirty and you might have a chance at securing it."

"Isn't that nepotism?" I reply. "Also, I don't know anything about radio! I would be great anywhere I go, but why ask me?"

"You're a manager aren't you? You know more than you think. We need someone good with people down here. Need a sheepdog for all these sheep."

"Nellie, I work in retail. What the hell am I supposed to do herding sheep?"

"Get your big ass down here or I'll tell Mom you were mean to me!"

I break into a grin and laugh. My sister was never a tattle tale, but during college she started deploying that tactic. "You're just jealous I have a great ass. You can't keep using that excuse."

"You're not the boss of me. But if you get down here you might get to be."

I take in a deep breath and sit up, get dressed and slap on a fresh coat of paint that resembles grown-up makeup. I make it down to the station and into the lobby, where the front desk looks like something made from repurposed wood from a barn. The man behind the desk is typing away with a disgruntled look on his face.

"Excuse me, I'm here for the-"

"You're Nellie's sister, right?" he spits rapidly, firing the words like bullets. "Down that hall and through the green door on the left." He goes back to his work like I'm not even there.

"Oh, uh..." I shuffle sideways from the desk. "Thank you?" I make my way down the hall and find myself at the green door on the left. Cautiously, I knock, and it opens right away.

"There you are," Nellie hisses. She grabs my wrist and pulls me in. "About damn time." She pulls me to a long conference table and makes me sit down. There are already people sitting there, whispering idly amongst themselves. She joins them, pointing to me, and they all turn to look. I plaster on a fake smile, knowing the real one would probably make me look like a creepy doll. "Hi." I wave anxiously.

"This is Elise," Nellie says. "She's been the manager at Aurora's for a few years now. She's my candidate for the new position."

"Yes, yes, we gathered that," another woman sighs. "Elise, we're looking for a new talent manager, someone to do day-to-day negotiations with our on-air talent."

I furrow my brow. "I thought that's what Nellie did."

"I mainly focus on the guests," Nellie chimes in.