“Are these feathers from the flamingo you’re keeping?” I gave a stern look to Miss Martha and Louis while my fingers tightly gripped the pink feathers. My mind attempted to remain calm, but anger rose inside my body. “Please, tell me now.” My voice said through almost gritted teeth, which took myself aback. This anger ...

We all jumped the minute we heard the honk, and our coffee spilled over the floor and sofa. I noticed that Miss Martha and Louis didn’t budge an inch and looked annoyed towards the kitchen door. “What the he…eck, was that?” I exclaimed. In a wise journalist maneuver, I caught myself about to say the ...

“These were the most wonderful birds I had ever seen,” Miss Martha explained while she gave us coffee. “I had once thought of them as eccentric lawn ornaments of middle-aged women, ironic to say after you looked at my front lawn, but now they were in front of me. They waded in the pool and ...

As expected, Miss Martha’s living room had pink décor, though it was subtler than I had thought. The cream-colored walls were lined with photos and paintings of birds. They ranged from common backyard birds and city dwellers like pigeons and cardinals, to exotic species such as toucans, macaw parrots, and flamingos. Some of those photos ...

I continued to date Louis every weekend for over three months; we had dates in restaurants, parks, beaches, movie theaters, etc. Louis grew closer to me; he even bought a beautiful pink necklace for our twentieth date. I enjoyed our time together, but the reminder of Miss Billings’ assignment had kept me on edge. I ...

Please understand, I had desperate ambitions to be a journalist by then. It seemed like a worthy sacrifice. Most of the working staff were already cutthroats, so it looked natural from my fatigued view. Now Mackenzie Billings, though unscrupulous, still had the foresight to ensure every dubious interview and story had some truth. I manipulated ...

“One of the photographers for the newspaper was Louis; he started his internship not long after I arrived. He’s a shy person and preferred to be behind a camera instead of in front of one. “With him assigned to another journalist; we only saw each other on occasional lunch breaks. After Miss Billings became the ...

I turned the key to my front door as the familiar click echoed in the quiet morning. With only the occasional hoot from the nocturnal predator, the atmosphere was eerie. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed movement beside the big sign announcing the neighborhood watch. However, the closest thing to security in ...

“Even though Mackenzie Billings had created a toxic company. She’s smart enough to keep those factors in the dark through non-disclosure agreements, bribes, and threats. Because of this, the newspaper and Billings gained a positive reception from the unaware public. As for her employees and interns who made the foolish decision to stay, we strived ...

  “When the founder and former CEO Martin Porter died at ninety-four years of age. The newspaper immediately decided to promote Mackenzie Billings as CEO and editor-in-chief. No one argued with the decision, as she was a popular employee. I became her proud and eager right-hand woman, to the envy of the other interns. “With ...