The sun was just creeping over the horizon when a unkempt woman awoke from her sleep. Her memory still hazy, she tried recalling last night. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was rushing to finish her article; unfortunately, she ended up falling asleep on her keyboard again. The woman rubbed her eyes. After she could see again, her hand drifted to her cheek. Square impressions had checkered it like a quilt. (She swore she had felt the letter 'B' somewhere.) Still trying to wake up, her eyes strayed to the computer screen. Her article, still open and now filled with about fifty-two pages of spaces, was about how a rabbit had turned five. That was when she remembered how much her job sucked.
Harmony Hyde was a hard-hitting, no-nonsense journalist. Previously employed in a big-time publication in the City of Ridgeback, she was used to the "big stories": articles like government conspiracies, scandals, embezzlement and murder. Something about finding people's darkest secrets attracted her to them. It was the thrill of making a difference through something so small. However, it was that high-octane thrill that got her fired from her last job. Other major publications wouldn't even touch her now that she was labeled a "dangerous thrill-seeker" and that was Harmony's cue to leave town. Now, she lived in Bane – a small town on the outskirts of Labyrinth – and worked for the Bane Inquirer, a joke of a paper. The most controversial thing that this paper had printed was about when she got hired.
After grooming her article, Harmony cleaned off her keyboard and stood up, stretching out like a cat. The sun licked at her face and listened to the room. It was always deathly quiet in the office at five A.M and, while it drove Harmony mad from time to time, today it seemed tolerable. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a compact mirror. She lifted it to eye level.
Snff.
Harmony froze.
No one else was supposed to be in here. Her ear perked up and she moved towards the restroom, the origin of the sound. As she got closer to the door, she heard a small sobbing echoing in the room. She slowly opened the door and saw her boss's purse on the floor.
"Felicia?" Harmony asked a stall. "Is that you?"
The sobbing stopped for a second. "Harmony?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"What-what are you doing here?" She asked, sniffling.
"I pulled an all-nighter. Had to finish an article about a rabbit."
"...I see. Are..." Harmony began. "Are you okay?"
Silence. Then, in a quiet tone, Felicia said:
"I just found out that my husband is a Celestial."
Harmony raised an eyebrow. "What's the problem with th-" She held her tongue for a moment as the reason came to light. "You wanted a child."
More sobbing.
"I mean," Felicia said throught the tears. "Magnus is a great guy; I'd do anything for him but-but if I can't have a child with him, what's the point of this marriage...? He doesn't even have the correct cells to do it artificially!"
Harmony held her tongue.