Tyran’s Thirst
By: Erika Lindsen
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the author, except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in reviews.
Publisher’s Note:
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and
events are the work of the author’s imagination.
Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is
coincidental.
Erika Lindsen ©2012
Dedication
This goes out to the one who read my stories first, and is
always there to slap the bad ideas out of me.
CHAPTER 1
It was like walking the plank. Holding my breath, I turned
the knob leading into the office. Nervous shakes flooded my body
until I was hit with the putrid smell of Lacy’s dollar store perfume.
I wrinkled my nose, hoping the odor wouldn’t assault my senses
too much. The office was a nasty color of white with sections
peeling away like a sunburn. Her desk was a garage sale special
with stuck on faux wood stickers.
Lacy turned, putting her newspaper aside as I clicked the
door shut. Her red lipstick was smeared from the lunch still sitting
in front of her. She had a half smoked cigarette in her ashtray that
was as equally covered in red. I tried to smile, but something about
her appearance made me uneasy.
She picked at a piece of chicken between her teeth.“I’m
sorry, but we’ve decided to go in another direction for manager.”
I stared at my boss, mouth hanging open. When I could
regainmy composure, I asked, “Why not me?”
“It’s none of your concern. We just felt another would be
better suited for the position of dairy manager.”
“But…but…”
Picking up her paper again, she flicked the edges at me and
said, “Good-day,Kathryn.”
“But, Lacy. Who is better than me? I stock the milk before
it’s even close to being low. I check the expiration dates on all
products and discard them at least two days before the date, and I
make sure the newbies are on time and dressed fifteen minutes
before their shifts.”
She huffed, obviously irritated with my arguments. Lacy
picked up her cigarette and took a drag, staring at me from the
corner of her eyes.
“Lacy?”
“Yes?”
“I feel like I deserve a fair chance and reconsi“
“I said good-day, Kathryn. Now please leave before we
find someone else for your regular position.”
I nodded and walked out the door. As I cleared it, Mike was
celebrating, clapping his hands and smugly telling everyone how
much he deserved it. Looking down at me, Mike smirked, knowing
I had been turned down. I wanted to tell him where to go. He was
an awful choice. The other employees had no respect for him and
we’d had a number of customer complaints about milk and cheese
being past due. Mike always brushed it off as everyone else’s fault.
I couldn’t figure out what made Lacy a bigger bi
tch; her
attitude, or the fact that she hired a lactose intolerant slacker to
head the dairy department. Whatever the reason, she was, indeed, a
true bitch.
Walking back to my post, I slammed into a rude customer
whose cart was moving fast. Must be one hell of a sale somewhere. I hated working at Food City ever since I got the job right out high
school.
High school. A time when your biggest problem was
whether or not to date the class president or jock. I opted for
neither. Well, that’s not true. They chose to ignore me. Lacy
ignored me. Maybe it’s my black-rimmed glasses that are too big,
or my waist line that could use some work. I had been dieting. Just
thinking about it caused me to pull up my size sixteen stretch
pants. My red shirt was falling out of them, so I re-tucked.
Why did Lacy choose Mike? Thinking about it, the answer
was simple: I was a mess. My short, spikey dark blonde
By: Erika Lindsen
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the author, except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in reviews.
Publisher’s Note:
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and
events are the work of the author’s imagination.
Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is
coincidental.
Erika Lindsen ©2012
Dedication
This goes out to the one who read my stories first, and is
always there to slap the bad ideas out of me.
CHAPTER 1
It was like walking the plank. Holding my breath, I turned
the knob leading into the office. Nervous shakes flooded my body
until I was hit with the putrid smell of Lacy’s dollar store perfume.
I wrinkled my nose, hoping the odor wouldn’t assault my senses
too much. The office was a nasty color of white with sections
peeling away like a sunburn. Her desk was a garage sale special
with stuck on faux wood stickers.
Lacy turned, putting her newspaper aside as I clicked the
door shut. Her red lipstick was smeared from the lunch still sitting
in front of her. She had a half smoked cigarette in her ashtray that
was as equally covered in red. I tried to smile, but something about
her appearance made me uneasy.
She picked at a piece of chicken between her teeth.“I’m
sorry, but we’ve decided to go in another direction for manager.”
I stared at my boss, mouth hanging open. When I could
regainmy composure, I asked, “Why not me?”
“It’s none of your concern. We just felt another would be
better suited for the position of dairy manager.”
“But…but…”
Picking up her paper again, she flicked the edges at me and
said, “Good-day,Kathryn.”
“But, Lacy. Who is better than me? I stock the milk before
it’s even close to being low. I check the expiration dates on all
products and discard them at least two days before the date, and I
make sure the newbies are on time and dressed fifteen minutes
before their shifts.”
She huffed, obviously irritated with my arguments. Lacy
picked up her cigarette and took a drag, staring at me from the
corner of her eyes.
“Lacy?”
“Yes?”
“I feel like I deserve a fair chance and reconsi“
“I said good-day, Kathryn. Now please leave before we
find someone else for your regular position.”
I nodded and walked out the door. As I cleared it, Mike was
celebrating, clapping his hands and smugly telling everyone how
much he deserved it. Looking down at me, Mike smirked, knowing
I had been turned down. I wanted to tell him where to go. He was
an awful choice. The other employees had no respect for him and
we’d had a number of customer complaints about milk and cheese
being past due. Mike always brushed it off as everyone else’s fault.
I couldn’t figure out what made Lacy a bigger bi
tch; her
attitude, or the fact that she hired a lactose intolerant slacker to
head the dairy department. Whatever the reason, she was, indeed, a
true bitch.
Walking back to my post, I slammed into a rude customer
whose cart was moving fast. Must be one hell of a sale somewhere. I hated working at Food City ever since I got the job right out high
school.
High school. A time when your biggest problem was
whether or not to date the class president or jock. I opted for
neither. Well, that’s not true. They chose to ignore me. Lacy
ignored me. Maybe it’s my black-rimmed glasses that are too big,
or my waist line that could use some work. I had been dieting. Just
thinking about it caused me to pull up my size sixteen stretch
pants. My red shirt was falling out of them, so I re-tucked.
Why did Lacy choose Mike? Thinking about it, the answer
was simple: I was a mess. My short, spikey dark blonde
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