FicWad

Lily raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she stepped off the EL and onto the downtown platform. Squinting; she found the exit to the street and hailed a cab. Mumbling an address to the moderately disinterested driver she sat back in her seat and willed her heart to stop racing. She had grown up in Chicago, but rarely went downtown for anything besides window shopping on the magnificent mile and to visit the pier. However, she had recently accepted a dream position as a junior curator for the Art Institute of Chicago. Painting had always been her life, but Lily soon realized that eating canvas was not particularly her dream life and had been working for an arts school to pay the bills. It wasn't a bad job, but it wasn't for her.

A month ago she received offers from both the Art Institute and the Field museum. It was a relief after months of unnerving interviews and portfolio submissions. Looking through the dirty window she couldn't help but feel incredibly grateful. This was her chance to be around fabulous works of art, make money, and still have time to paint. Pushing her crimson hair out of her eyes as the cab lurched to a stop, she looked up at the building in front of her. There on either side of the steps stood the famous green lions greeting swarms of guests. With a deep breath and a flick of money to the driver she stepped out into the bitter cold winter air and her new life.

Upon entering the main office a harried young man rushed up to her. He had dirty blond hair and a charcoal pants suit. He also had a pager, blue tooth, and three different files along with a blackberry.

"Lily?"

"Yes, hello, I'm the new.."

"Junior curator. Yes. I'm Stephen. Now Theresa is running late from a meeting in New York so I'll show you around."

"Than..."

"This is the main office, through there is the conference room. We have gallery meeting Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 8 a.m sharp. Unless you're actually in the I.C.U, be there or don't bother coming back, even as a patron."

"Oh,"

"Every day we have lineup at 9:30 before the museum opens. You'll be told where you'll be placed for the day. You obviously will not be placed today as it is, Stephen looked at one of his dozens of electronics, " ...noon. Once you've been here long enough you'll earn a permanent position. That is assuming you make it here. You and the other junior curators will meet in the smaller conference room for your training and then be released."

Lily didn't bother with a reply. The overly caffienated personal assistant of Theresa Maysfield, head curator, wouldn't have heard her anyways. Instead she attempted to keep up in her pumps and not vomit up her own coffee from nerves. They walked quickly through the large labyrinth of rooms until he stopped abruptly in front of a corner office.

"This is your office, across from you are the two other junior curators."

"Thank you very much," Lily murmured with a minuet amount of indignation in her voice. Stephen glanced over and released a sigh.

"Don't worry, it's not like this everyday," he offered in a halfhearted apology for his coldness. With a thrust of his hand he dropped something in her hand and scurried off, shouting to someone.

"Thanks for the talk," Lily called after while rolling her eyes. She hadn't expected to be stepping into wall street tension when working in a museum.

"He's practically a hippie, isn't he?" A voice joked behind her. Lily wheeled around and faced what she assumed was one her new coworkers. Pale, dark hair, skinny pants and far from her type.

"No worries of office romance," she thought to herself. "Hi, I'm Lily."

"Jake, and this is Sara. We're the other new kids who received an equally charming and friendly welcoming. With Stephen, who needs parasites eating holes in your brain?"
Sara popped from behind Jake. She was adorable to Lily. She was super petite with a blond bob and piercing green eyes along with wicked cowboy boots.

"Nice to meet you."

"Ready for our training?" Jake asked with a cocked eyebrow as he tapped his finger on the top of Sara's head. With a nod, Lily placed the key Stephen had all but thrown at her into her pocket and walked to the conference room with Jake and Sara. It wasn't exactly how she thought her new life was going to start but it was intriguing none the less. With a sigh, Lily took her seat and braced herself as Stephen came breezing in.


Note: This is obviously a prologue. Feel free to leave comments,reviews,ratings, ev's kids!