A PROMISE IN THE DARK

--- Chapter One Gina My name is Gina, and I come from a small, tired town called Grogy—a place no one knows and no one cares to remember. And this... this is the story of my life. Right now, I’m headed to one of the most miserable places in the world. You might have already guessed: my workplace. It’s not your typical job, and not a dream one either. I work at a struggling newspaper company. Not exactly the core of this story—but it’s where everything begins. It was a Monday morning, and in my dream, I woke up early, full of energy, ready to embrace the grind of the week ahead. But reality had other plans. Click! Click! Click! My alarm blared in my ears. I jumped out of bed, my heart in my throat. “Oh no!” I yelled. “I’m late again!” So much for waking up refreshed. Who was I even fooling? It was 6:00 a.m.—already a losing battle. I had to leave the house by 7:00 if I wanted to make it on time. I pushed myself off the bed, tiptoeing around empty bottles and stale pizza crusts littering the floor like the aftermath of a lonely party. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not an alcoholic. But sometimes, in those emotionally drained, miserable nights, I find comfort in a few bottles. Lately, those nights have been frequent. After a quick, lukewarm shower, I walked out of the tiny bathroom, still dripping, hair clinging to my back. My one-room apartment stared back at me—small, cluttered, suffocating. I went straight to my little closet, desperate for something decent to wear. Nothing. Not a single clean outfit. “Seriously?!” I muttered under my breath. “What the actual hell am I supposed to do now?” Already late, I dug through my laundry and pulled out the same wrinkled blouse and jeans I’d worn the previous Friday. My only option. I was so getting fired. By 8:30 a.m., I had managed to sneak into the coffee shop to grab everyone’s orders. Oh, right—I should probably mention what I actually do. I’m the errand girl at the newspaper company. Ta-da! Surprised? Yeah, me too. I never imagined I’d end up here either.