Don't Meet Your Heroes

Chapter One: The Assignment

It was the summer before college began. Normally, I would have been out by the lake with friends and spending the afternoons at the mall. According to my advisor, I needed something that would make me stand out on a college application. Something like a summer internship at a prestigious company.  "Did you get those edits done yet?" asked my editor, Mylo Rodriguez. His head tilted slightly to look up at me. His dark eyes almost looked kind in the office light but his folded arms said otherwise. I mentally reminded myself that I needed to excel in this internship in order to get a good recommendation.

"Yes, they're done and here you go," I replied, as I handed him a manuscript filled with the edits I had worked on last night. I work at a book publishing company. Our office has a stunning view that overlooks the city with its tall skyscrapers and the Hudson River.  But I'm not involved in just any book publishing company. It's called TypeRight Publishing. In other words, it rivals HarperCollins publishing company. Too bad my boss is more like Miranda from "The Devil Wears Prada." The male version.

"I'll look through these while -"

"I go and edit the next one. I know the drill." I told him with a smile.

"Good. I expect to see the next round of edits done after lunch." Mylo added.

"On it." I said as I began to walk away.

"And don't show up late tomorrow morning. Remember, you're either here or you're not and if you're not then your work gets passed on to someone else." He added.

"Sorry, Mylo. I'll be on time tomorrow." I replied. With that, I walked upstairs in a rush before he could say anything else. If he said anything else, I wasn't going to stick around to find out. If it's important enough, I'll hear him. The whole damn office will hear him.

"Hey, Asma, tough morning?" Dayannah asked me.

"It's going to be one hell of a morning/" I replied as we both made our way over to the coffee machine.

I can't start work without having at the very least one cup of coffee.  It's not a need, it's a necessity. We head back to our cubicles to finish going through manuscripts. Since it is a publishing company, we're allowed to use our phones to listen to music if that's what it takes to get the job done. I'm lucky I even have this job. It's a competitive field to get into and somehow, I was hired as an intern.

Most drafts are filled with writers who don't know how to make their voices authentic or the book is filled with way too many clichés. The first draft was about a werewolf falling in love with a vampire during a zombie apocalypse. Sounds like this author was trying to rip off "Twilight" and it wasn't a good way to do it. Another was about a boy next door and a girl who didn't even know he existed. It had potential but the story ended up being complete trash. Once I start working on edits, it's easy to get lost in the work and forget about food. Other times I had worked on a story that didn't have a decent plot, so I put it with the other manuscripts that I discarded.

"Anything good?" Dayannah asked me as we both walked into the city to grab lunch during one of our breaks.

"No, what about you?" I asked as we headed to a nearby Chinese restaurant called "The Golden Dragon."

"I got this interesting novel about hijabi fire-benders and the world is different from Avatar. I'm not sure if it'll be too similar or if you think it could work."  Dayannah gushed as we both went to order our food.

"I've always liked the idea of having more Muslim characters in YA fantasy books. Remember We Hunt the Flame?" I inquired.

"That's one of my favorite books! I loved Nasir and Zafira's story so much and I really hope there's a sequel."  Dayannah exclaimed; her eyes shined with excitement.

If I didn't find a draft for Mylo by the end of tonight, I'll never hear the end of it. One decent thing about Mylo is that I never had to worry about asking him if I can take a break to pray during the day but that also meant that I needed to prove to him that I wasn't going to waste his time.  I couldn't hand him one of the other drafts since they were so shitty it would be difficult to find something I could work with. The draft that I send should be interesting and engaging. It needs to be something readers will enjoy and something that would make people want to purchase it.

Today had been a slow one.  That is until I came across this draft with a query letter with a synopsis that almost immediately grabbed my attention. It was a romance comedy about a journalist major and a law student who's forced to work together on a case after it is resurfaced due to a popular podcast. One of them starts to receive a series of texts from an anonymous tip but is the info valid or are they about to head straight into danger?

We'll be closing in five minutes, don't forget to leave your draft on my desk before you head out." Mylo said through the intercom. I sighed. I'm not going to have any time to finish reading this!

"I'll see you tomorrow," Layla told me. "Good luck finding that draft!"

"You too and thank you!" I replied, with a smile as I watched Layla leave. I picked up the query letter and reluctantly headed to Mylo's office. I'm so screwed. I pick up the query letter and head into Mylo's office.

"I was wondering when you would show up." Mylo said as he looked up from his desk. "So, what's the story for tonight?"

"Well, you see..."

"Laila, you spent the whole goddamn day looking through manuscripts, how the hell do you not have a story for me?"

"Well, you see... here's the thing. I know I was supposed to do that, but I do have a promising story for you." I informed him.

"Let's hear it." He said, as he put his pen down and looked up at me expectantly.

"So, there's this story and it's a rom-com in a university setting. It's about a lawyer and a journalist major who's forced together on a case that's been resurfaced due to a popular podcast.  The thing is, one of them receives a series of texts by an anonymous tip. Is the info valid or are they about to head straight into danger?" I said.

"Is it finished?" Mylo asked.

"I'll read it and find out." I replied. "But, since it's a good one ... can this b the story I work on?"

"Finish reading it tonight and write about why I should let you represent it by Friday." Mylo replied. "That's your assignment."

"I will, I promise. Thank you!" I told him. "And, don't worry, I won't be late tomorrow." I replied.

"Good, because if you're late again--" Mylo's voice trailed off.

"I know and I'm sorry."  I apologized, sincerely.

"Don't tell me that-- show me. Show me that it's a story worth more than your job. Then we'll talk. Have a good evening, Asma, and don't be late."