Everything was still. No cars were roaring outside. Not a peep from the birds could be heard. Every breathing creature had been seemingly still at rest, leaving Ava feeling like she was the only one awake. She sat on top of the roof of her new apartment and watched the sunrise. She gripped her fingers tigther against her steaming cup of hot chocolate and made sure her blanket was securely wrapped around her. 

The sky was dark but a break could be seen out into the distance. As the minutes passed by, a collection of reds, oranges, yellows, purles and blues splattered across the morning canvas. Her breath caught in her throat as she glanced out into the city sky. The light of the rising sun reflected off each window across the vast sea of skyscrapers and building windowsils. It looked like a moving snapshot of a painting. She couldn't believe the sight that was before her. She was breathless. She was at ease.

An early morning sunrise was what she needed to take away the anxiety that was built up inside of her. Last night had been one of the hardest nights to fall asleep. A mixture of nerves, excitement, and past hauntings battled inside keeping her restless throughout the night. Ava was lucky enough to get at least five hours of sleep. She laid beneath the Egyptian cotton sheets, tossing and turning, but to her dismay, she was left wide awake. It was the perfect excuse to catch the early morning sunrise - something she had always wanted to do. For once in her life, she was thankful for a restless night. The outcome had been surely worth it. 

After a few more minutes of complete solitude and quiet, her alarm began to beep. Seven AM; one more hour until the start of her summer. The nerves that she thought she concured began to wave through her once again. She stood up from her spot on the roof and made her way down to her apartment. Luckily, it was only two flights down from the roof making it the perfect escape from the world. 

Her morning routine seemed to have taken her an extra long time this morning. She blamed it on the nerves that had ruptured within her as well as the rat nest that laid ontop of her head. After a few minutes of intense combing and a few added curls, her hair finally became presentable. Her new closet was massive. It was definitely comparable to the size of her bedroom back home. Her clothing supply seemed pathetic to the size of space that it had. She made a mental note to go shopping later that day.

She pulled out a neutral pallate for her first day outfit. Sticking to a simple black pencil skirt and a light grey top. The internship package that she had recieved had not been specific on the general work dress code. It was always safer to dress a bit more up for the office. She would have a better idea from the on.

After a few more coats of her lip gloss, she hurried outside her door. It was five more minutes until eight and she wanted to make sure she was not late. The weather outside had increased significantlly over the past hour she was inside. She prayed a silent thank you to the gods above for wearing a light cardigan. One thing that her mother had always told her growing up was that sweat lines are not cute. At exactly eight a dark black car with tinted windows pulls up in front of her. Charles walks out and greets Ava with the warmest smiles. "Good morning Ms. Hastings. I do hope you slept well!" 

"As well as one can sleep the night before a big first day!" She responded with an equally warm smile. 

"Very well then," Charles steps off of the side walk and opens the back door for Ava. She returns the gesture with a small nod and a quiet thank you and slips inside the car. The interior was plush and clearly cost more than her rent. The early morning traffic was decent giving Ava a few minutes to spare. 

"Alright, Ms. Hastings. If you walk up these steps you will see a little blonde lady. That's Emma. She will give you the directions to upstairs where you will meet with Mrs. Jennings and Robert Thompson."

"Who is Robert Thompson again?"

"The big boss. He's the main editor of the paper." 

"Right!" With one last thank you, Ava stepped out of the car and took a deep breath before walking up the steps leading to the main entrance. 

Just as Charles had said, a petite blonde was sat at a large desk with the words L.A. Times written in large letters across. "Good morning!" Her voice was lower, a complete contrast to her bubbly smile. "How may I help you?"

Ava timidly walked up to Emma. "Hello, my name is Ava Hastings. I'm the new intern." 

"Oh! I didn't realize we were having two interns this summer." 

Two interns? Ava thought to herself. She didn't realize either. 

"Alright Ava! My name is Emma. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask! If you go through those elevators right there click the twenty-nineth floor. That is where the main offices are and where you will be meeting Mrs. Jennings and Mr. Thompson." She handed Ava a package similar to the one she had at home and a security card. 

"Thank you." With one last deep breath, she made her way up to the twenty-nineth floor where she will be spending the majority of her time at for the next four months. 

- 

A dinging sound errupted inside the small elevator. The doors opened revealing a large entrance that had been lined with a sea of cubicles. Along the cubpicles were glass windows revealing separate offices. Ava hesitantly walked up to the first cubicle she saw. A larger woman with vibrant blue hair sat. Ava was taken back by her appearance. She had not been expecting someone with such bright hair to be working at an office such as this. 

"Um, hello?" 

The blue haired woman looked up from her desk and her brows immediately furrowed. "Hi," she spoke hesitantly. "Can I help you?"

"I hope so." Ava smiled, "I'm one of the new interns here and I have no idea where I'm supposed to go." She let out an uneasy laugh hoping to keep her cool. 

"Ah, gotcha. Well newbie I can call Felicia for you." She picked up a red phone that was in the shape of a lip and spoke into it asking for Mrs. Jennings. "She'll be right out. You can sit over there." She pointed to a row of chairs where a young woman also sat. 

Ava walked over slowly and took a seat two seats down from the other woman. Ava turned her head slightly to take a look at who the woman was. She assumed that she was the other intern. To her surprise, the woman was already looking at her. 

"You're interning here?" Her voice was harsh. 

"Um, yes?" 

"Fuck. I thought I was the only one interning here." Ava had been taken back by the womans tone to her. She was not expecting her to be so distraught by her internship. 

"I'm sorry?" 

"Just, don't get in my way okay? I need this to get into Yale." 

"Gotcha." Ava turned her head back so that she was facing the cubicles. What felt like hours later, a short woman walked up to them with a taller, older man following close behind. 

"Hello Ava and Stevie! It's great to see you both here this fine morning." Felicia Jennings was a kind woman. Her silver hair was pinned back into a low bun. She was wearing a grey sweater dress paired with nude Louboutin heels. The man that stood behind her had dark hair and was rather handsome for an older man. He resembled George Clooney circa '96 during his years in ER. His smile was warm. He gave off a laid back persona that matched well with his dark jeans and white button up. He stretched out his hand as we both stood up shaking them both. 

"Good morning ladies. My name is Robert Thompson, but please call me Rob. I am the main editor here at the paper." 

Stevie, the other intern, gave him a big smile and nodded profusely. "It's so great to meet you!" She exclaimed. It seemed as if all of her earlier resentment and frustration had drained away once Jennings and Thompson walked into the room. 

"Thank you for everything," Ava spoke to Felicia as she shook her hand. 

"Don't worry about it kiddo. I'm glad that we could help you out with getting settled. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes, thank you." Ava lied. She didn't want to go into any personal issues on the first day with her boss. That had been the last thing that she needed to do right now.

"Wonderful. Now, follow us and we will show you around."

-

The rest of the morning had gone by smoothly. All of the previous anxiety that Ava had felt previously seemed to slip away once she walked into her office. Even though she had to share it with Stevie, she had her own side.

Ava had been sitting at her new desk looking over past papers over the last five years. They had been given a task to go through them and pick out different changes that could be made to the paper in order to revamp it. As she was reading an article on a woman who auctioned off her virginity so she could go to University, a loud knock came from their office door. Leaning against the door was a curly haired man. 

Harry? Ava's heart began to beat quickly as she looked back up to get a better look at the curly haired guest. 

No, it was not Harry. His hair was indeed curly, but had been swept back into a gentle quiff. He was shorter than Harry, but was dressed in a pair of grey slacks and a black cardigan. He was gorgeous. She was taken back. 

"Can I help you?" Ava squeaked out. 

"Hello darling," He gave her a charming smile. "I'm looking for Stevie. Have you seen her?" 

"Oh, no she stepped out to get a copy of a paper from 2009. She should be back soon." He gave her a big smile and walked over to where she sat. "Are you her boyfriend?" She timidly asked. 

Once the question slipped out of her lips she immediatelly regretted it because he was now laughing at her. "Oh no hunny. I definitely swing for the other team." He winked at her. She felt her cheeks immediately go red. 

"Oh. Okay." She awkwardly laughed unsure of what to do with herself. 

"I'm Jax. I work here." 

"Ava, I intern here."