The Daily Sentinel newsroom was a chaotic symphony of ringing phones, clattering keyboards, and the sharp hiss of the radiator trying to combat the autumn chill. Mara sat at her cluttered desk, massaging her temples in small, tight circles. The glaring blue light of her computer monitor was giving her a migraine, but the mid-semester layout deadline didn't care about her headache.
"You look like you haven't slept in three days, Mara," Sofia observed, leaning against the edge of the cubicle partition. Sofia held a steaming mug of her signature spiced chai, the fragrant scent briefly cutting through the smell of old paper and printer toner. "You need to take a break before you actually collapse."
"I'll sleep when the sports section is finalized and off to the printers," Mara replied, her v
