Gripp

APRIL April waited in the lobby, eager to get into her boss's office for a meeting. She'd gotten a call that he had something for her, and she would love it. As her leg bounced, she hoped that she would. She was eager to please … and maybe just slightly happy to get away from her family. She was ready to prove she didn't need help, nor did she really want it. She could handle any story thrown at her, and she could do it better than others. She was just hoping it would be a story worthy of proving herself, one that would take some real investigative work. Patting her bag, she drummed her fingers over the leather. Her eyes wandered across the room, trying to find something to take her mind off her nerves. She stilled when she saw a couple outside the window, kissing. It made her heart ache a little. She didn't want to admit she was lonely, for the life path she chose was certainly one that didn't allow her much else. Her job required a lot of her attention, and pissing her parents off and going against everything they said required all the rest. It left little time for herself. It wasn't that she didn't love her life because she did, but there were times when she wished maybe she had someone to go home to. She knew she should’ve been used to this. She'd been doing it since she was little. Her parents always wanted her to go after a job in the government to follow in their footsteps. And ever since they first told her that, she'd been going in another direction. "April." Her boss spoke up, snapping her attention back to reality. She pulled herself up, stepping into his office. "Glad you could get here quickly because we need you to get out just as fast. The story is one you won't want to miss." She seated herself in a chair, feeling her heart race. He hadn’t said much over the phone, just that she would want her hands on this one. He cleared his throat, pulling a file onto his desk. "I have a cover story that needs to be investigated, but it's in Eblax. There is a large spread of people who are dying that have been working in the uranium mines there." She scowled, confused why this was such a must-need investigation. "That's terrible … but you said it was more twisted than that." He slid her a file. "If our intel is right, the workers are almost all children, young children." She opened the file, soaking in all the details she could. "I hope your bags are packed because I'm sending you," he said. She felt thrilled. Sure, this was probably dangerous, but that’s what she liked about the assignment. She wanted to prove she could do this. She knew she could. Once she stepped outside, her phone rang. She scowled, seeing it was her father. She shook her head. Once her father caught wind of this, he was going to lose his absolute s**t. She pulled a hand up, hailing a cab. "Hi, Dad?" April winced at how soft her voice sounded. "Where are you?" "I'm just leaving work." A lump formed in her throat that she had to fight. “Did you need something?” "Your mother and I were just talking, and we’d like you to stop by the house so we can talk to you about a new job." Her jaw clenched almost involuntarily. “I-I’m sorry, but I'm actually flying out tonight." "Where?" She could hear the tone of his voice shift. "To Eblax." April’s voice was nearly a whisper. Her father went silent for a solid minute. "You will do no such thing." A cab pulled up, and she opened the door. "Dad, this is my job. I-I have to." "April Meinham, if you go to Eblax, I'm disowning you. You've been nothing but an ungrateful brat. Get your head out of the clouds for once and see that this is a terrible idea. You could get seriously hurt." She crawled into the car, shut the door, and scowled, a tinge of anger straightening her spine. "I’m sorry, Dad, but you taught me to be a hard worker. That’s what I’m trying to do here. I can’t just back out of a job." “I expect to see you tonight, April,” he growled, and the phone call clicked off. She sighed and stuffed her phone into her purse. For the first time in her life, she was flat-out refusing what her father had told her to do. She leaned forward to give the cab the address, and it wasn’t to her parents’ house. April flew into Eblax, which was a large island on the archipelago that formed the country. She was nervous, wondering what she would discover out in the field. After finding her hotel and getting settled, she went straight to work. She asked the locals everything they knew about the mine, and when she felt she had enough, she headed out. She put on the plainest clothes she had and hid her camera before she found her way to the mine gates. She knew she couldn't get through the main entrance, so she went around and looked until she found a drainage pipe large enough for her to sneak in, snapping some photos before she started to crawl towards the other side. She stopped when she found herself on the other side. Her stomach churned, and tears bit her eyes. Children were working here, walking around with axes and picks. They were covered in soot, and their clothes hung loosely on them. They were malnourished and had pale complexions. When she was handed this story, she didn't expect it to be this bad. It contorted her heart painfully. A little boy caught sight of her and froze. His eyes grew large, and he smiled at her after a moment. A few other boys stopped, seeing her, and they all gathered around her, fascinated. "Who are you?" they asked. "I'm a reporter," she said, wishing she had brought food. "I'm here to see everything that happens in this mine and tell other people about it. I'm here to help, so can you tell me everything you know?" The boys beamed at the idea.