Secret Double Life

Annoyance crossed over Gemma’s face as she watched one of her most hated coworkers get the job raise she’s been after for 3 years of working at the fashion studio in New York. The applause was light and whispers were heard as Kim shook the CEO’s hand with a big smile. “Thank you so much, sir,” she said. “Of course. You deserve this raise,” Roger said, smiling widely. With her nose in the air, Kim nodded. “I know.” Gemma rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She refused to show support for this woman whom a lot of people didn’t like. If only Roger knew how Kim really was. She bullied a lot of the employees and targeted Gemma more every day. After gloating, Kim walked over to Gemma with a smirk. “Looks like I beat you again, Gemma. So sad for you.” “It’s… Gemma…” she said as Kim was walking away. “I really dislike that woman.” “You said it,” Taylor, a coworker and close friend of Gemma, agreed, crossing his arms and looking Kim up and down with annoyance. “She’s pure evil. You deserved that raise, not her.” “Taylor is right, G,” Kirsten nodded, watching Kim walking around gloating. “You’re better at fashion and writing about it than she is. I mean, she doesn’t even do anything except boss everyone around and tell you to fetch her coffee.” Gemma rolled her eyes. We can’t really do anything now. Roger chose her and now we have to listen to her without complaining to her face. Sad, I know…” “We should knock her out and ship her to another country,” Taylor said, snapping his fingers. Gemma and Kirsten shared looks and stared at him. He shrugged with a smirk. “Beats feeding her to tigers?” He laughed. “Oh, Deanna,” Kim addressed Gemma from the other side of the room. “Come here a sec, would you, dear?” “Here we go,” Gemma mumbled, but faked a smile and made her way over while her two friends rolled their eyes. “I need you to do me a huge favor. Follow me to my office and I’ll explain,” Kim said, walking toward her new office with a sliding glass door. There was an awkward silence as the two walked into the room and Kim closed the door behind Gemma. Kim had a smile on her face that made Gemma uncomfortable. “So, manager position, huh? Big deal there,” Gemma nervously laughed. Kim took her seat behind the desk and grasped her hands together, making Gemma jump. “I have a very important task for you, Miss Gomez,” Kim smiled from behind her hands. “As an amazing writer here at the Loop, there is someone I have for you to write about. Not only that, but to get the latest scoop on.” Gemma raised an eyebrow. “Kim, we’re a fashion studio, not the press.” “I know, but if we get this story, we’ll be big! The business will grow… maybe.” Kim waved her hand and stared out the window into the city. “Do you want the job or not? It pays well and I’ll even put in a good word for you, Roger.” “Go on…” Gemma said, slightly interested. “I know you probably don’t believe in superheroes and all that junk,” Kim continued. “But there’s word going around about a superhero with strange powers in a town in Iceland.” “You want me to go to Iceland?” Gemma interrupted. “Let me finish,” Kim said, annoyed. “Anyway, in a town in Iceland there’s said to be a superhero named Sportacus. My sources tell me it’s a man named Magnús Scheving who is this superhero.” “Is he?” Gemma raised an eyebrow and leaned forward. Kim shrugged. “That’s where you come in, my dear. I need you to go and befriend Magnús. Make him fall for you or something, whatever works for you, to put his guard down. Maybe if you’re lucky, get into trouble so this Sportacus character can save you.” “If I’m lucky? I would rather not be in danger for a story, Kim,” Gemma said, a little frustrated. “And making someone fall for me for a story, then breaking their heart? That’s low, even for you.” As Gemma stood up, Kim rushed to grab her by the wrist before she could open the door. “Please, Gemma,” Kim said with desperation in her voice. “The company needs this. I’m not supposed to say anything, but we’re going under. No one is working with us and if we get this story, we could shoot right to the top! Besides, I recommended you to Roger for this job.” “Is that so? What did you say exactly?” Gemma asked, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. “Believe it or not, I told him you were a talented writer/fashionista. You would be perfect for this job. And maybe it will be easy for you to get an answer and find things out,” Kim said, leaning on her desk. “Please. Don’t do this for me, do it for the Loop.” Gemma squinted her eyes at Kim, as if trying to look into her soul. Looking past the fact she called her by her name, Kim seemed genuine about this. “I’ll only do it if you cover my travel and hotel expenses,” Gemma caved with a sigh. Kim squealed with delight and awkwardly hugged her. “You got it! Pack your bags Tina, you’re going to Iceland in a couple of days!” “It’s G… never mind,” shaking her head as she walked out the office. “Well, what did the wicked witch want?” Taylor asked, sipping on something in a mug. Gemma explained everything, and Kirsten and Taylor gasped in shock. “I wonder how much of that is actually true. Sounds like bull to me,” Kirsten stated. “Maybe you should look this up. There’s no such thing as superheroes. If there were, I need to find Batman and get his number.” Gemma giggled. “I’ll research it when I get home tonight. It seemed a bit far fetched. But then again, she seemed serious.” “Well, if this Magnús guy is this person and they’re both fake, this could be a good thing for you, G,” Taylor said, waving a pencil in the air. “I just don’t want to make anyone fall in love with me to only break their heart in the end,” Gemma said with a shrug. “Not that anyone would fall for me, anyway.” “Stop it,” Taylor playfully hit Gemma on the arm. “You’re gorgeous, girl.” With a small smile, Gemma returned to her daily tasks. She wondered what awaited her in Iceland.