A Dream Come True by Cindy Jefferies Page B

situation in her usual efficient way, and Carlotta was taking a call.
    It seemed wrong that office life was carrying on while she was so devastated, but she had to pull herself together. The article could be salvaged, and she would be sure to print it out so it couldn’t get sabotaged again – and it would be plain to Francesca that Ellie could deliver the sort of writing that was wanted. She’d be out of here at the end of the week and whoever had been horrible enough to alter her article wasn’t worth worrying about. Even so, she couldn’t help wondering who it had been.
    Ellie decided that she wouldn’t be surprised if it was Piano’s idea of a joke. She pretended she was so superior, but Ellie was sure she’d been just as jealous as Carlotta about the interview with the Lowthers. Then another thought struck Ellie. Francesca had said she’d get Piano to tidy the article up once Ellie had done her best with it. Maybe Piano hadn’t meant the alterations as a joke at all. Maybe she’d done it so she could write it instead of Ellie! If there was one thing Ellie knew about journalism it was that the more high-profile articles you got published, the better your chances of making a name for yourself. Maybe Piano had decided it would be a waste for a mere student to get her name on the piece, and that she could make better use of the prestige.
    That thought made Ellie get on with restoring her article as quickly as she could. She was determined to make it perfect, so that Piano wouldn’t have the slightest excuse to take it over. She didn’t go down to have a cup of tea with Sophie that afternoon. She didn’t have time. She needed to stay where she was and get it sorted. As soon as she had finished, she read the piece over one last time and then printed it out. She took it over to Francesca, who was back at her desk again.
    Ellie waited anxiously while Francesca quickly read what she had written. “Much better,” said Francesca, looking pleased. “When you’re not sniping, you can write really well.” Ellie was tempted to protest her innocence again, but decided against it. The most important thing was that the Deputy Editor liked her work. Hopefully Angel would too, and the article would appear. It was far more exciting thinking of that, rather than brooding on someone’s spitefulness.
    Her mum was still out when Ellie got in after work. She made herself a drink and took it up to her bedroom. Hannah was online, so she settled down for a good long chat.
    Hi! Good day?
    Brilliant! replied Hannah. More chicks hatched. They’re so sweet. How was your day?
    Interesting! wrote Ellie. Someone ruined my article.
    No way!!!! Tell all.
    Ellie’s fingers flew over her keyboard. She told Hannah what had happened, who she suspected, and how hard she had worked to get it right again.
    Good for you , Hannah wrote approvingly. Anything else exciting?
    Just some water that turned up after it had been cancelled .
    Ha! Your office sounds a shambles! wrote Hannah . They need you in charge.
    Ellie paused before she replied. She wanted to defend the magazine. The Editorial Department wasn’t a shambles. Angel and Francesca set very high standards and they achieved them too. Piano and Carlotta could be spiteful, but that didn’t seem to affect their work. The water company messing up was just a nuisance. That sort of thing could happen to anyone. Then she remembered Angel’s and Francesca’s reactions to Sapphire missing the important fashion shoot. That wasn’t just a nuisance. It was a really big deal. They had obviously been shocked as well as angry.
    Not a shambles, she wrote, just bad luck, but it’s stressful enough meeting tight deadlines without stuff going wrong.
    Hannah had to go for her dinner, so they signed off and Ellie put her computer to sleep. She sat with her chin in her hands, staring at the blank screen. It probably was