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“Yes,” I said, thinking that I didn’t exactly have a choice, considering that my replacement was already sitting next to me and was apparently ready to start performing my old job.
Plus, it would be nice to make more money. Even though my passion was in styling, I enjoyed working here at Suspicious Activity, and I might like being Seth’s assistant even more than I had liked being a receptionist.
“Wonderful,” Seth beamed. “Kindly show Claudia around the desk and take lunch down to The Sanctuary. Here’s a list of what everybody wants.”
At first, I took the sheet without question, just happy not to have been fired. I’d never been afraid of working harder, coming from a blue-collar family. The fact that it came with a pay raise, and at least a slight increase in prestige, was just a bonus. Even if I wasn’t quite sure how I would get such a large lunch order on my bike.
It turned out that I was able to get into the deli before the rush, and the order didn’t hold anyone up. The lunch run went surprisingly well then, with the servers providing containers that fit into my saddlebags just right. I made a note to come back, for future reference.
Lunch secured, I started up my bike and headed for The Sanctuary.
Now that the dizzying confusion I’d felt in Seth’s office had cleared my head, I felt excited to be the personal assistant of the record company’s owner, rather than just a lowly receptionist.
And it was only then that I realized I was being given access to the most sacred place of all—The Sanctuary!
It was the recording studio. And I was headed there instead of being stuck behind the receptionist desk. I had no idea what kinds of things went on there since it was very hush hush, but I couldn’t help but hope that my good luck would continue.
Chapter Two – Stig
The sea rolled in across the sands, providing a steady rhythm like the heartbeat of the earth. The occasional shriek of a seagull was the only sound to break the otherwise perfect calm.
I couldn’t see it, but I knew the sky was perfect and clear. Natural warmth was on my skin as I sat in full view of nature, becoming one with the earth and the sky.
But just then my alarm went off, pulling me out of my mediation session and back to earth. A tiny hammer was doing its work on the equally diminutive brass bells, resulting in an ungodly din that was as terrible as it was effective.
This was unfortunate, but necessary, as spending too long in the inner realm was potentially dangerous, at least in terms of coming back. I kept my visits to half an hour max. The rest of my day was dedicated to the flesh realm.
As if proving the point, my stomach growled, protesting how long it had been empty. I was on a warrior diet, which only allowed for a single meal a day. Two at most. However I wanted to get to a thousand calories would do— but that was my allotment for the day.
To that end my choice was made, the kitchen coming slowly into view. The condo was the biggest space I’d ever lived in, because I hadn’t been used to all the financial success that came with being in a band that was making it big.
Having people hear my music was a good enough reward for me, but everyone had insisted I needed a bigger place. Finding my way around it was a persistent challenge.
Then again, it had two floors and a library. My sister joked that she wouldn’t venture past the living room without a map and a compass. She was still in Norway in the small apartment we’d been raised in, and was only going by the photos I’d sent, but her point still stood.
Once my food source was rediscovered, I soon had a high protein breakfast on the sizzle. I had nothing against wheat in principle. The calories to energy ratio was just too low to make it worthwhile, in my opinion.
Keeping my mind calm as I ate, I ran through the bass lines for the songs on the recording list for today, only hoping that Varg didn’t decide to move things around again. Still, I knew he didn’t do that to be a dick but instead in a genuine attempt to make the best album possible.
For all the emphasis put on debuts, ours going off with flying colors, it was the follow up album that was the real challenge, as it made all the difference between a one or two hit wonder and a band with a long career.
The Pixies never had a “hit,” per se. Their label was tiny, and recording was difficult. But there are several songs of theirs that are deeply loved, and that people are still listening to decades later.
