Edited by: Kuro and Lille
“I’m sorry but you aren’t what I’m looking for in an editor.”
“Your editing style is like… if a middle schooler wanted to edit a research paper.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, but you’ve said ‘radical’ 5 times in a context that I just don’t understand, so I don’t think you are fit to be my editor.”
The longer he went through the interviews, the worse the quality of the editors. It’s like the company had given up! Where did they even find these people? In what hole? He would be working with the editor. If the editor was not to his liking, why would he complete his deadlines? He thought maybe one of the editors would be his future lover, aka God System, but none of them were him, so he was getting irritated.
Many editors left with sullen moods as they were shot down by Calvin. It was a little frustrating but he needed someone who was capable and motivated, most of these people looked like they hated their jobs as editors.
Calvin was going to be typing up stories really fast, so he needed someone who could keep up with his momentum. Though he may have to grab a few more editors to be safe.
Then a young-looking woman walked in. She had curly dark brown hair and light brown eyes. She had a cute smile, but her face was considered a bit average in the eyes of society. To Calvin, she was cute. She wore light makeup to not seem too gaudy. She wore professional office attire and had her hair up in a messy style bun. It looked good on her. She could probably pass for an 18-year-old, but looking at her resume, he knew she was 27.
Her name was Lucy Diaz and she was the female protagonist of this world.
'System, wasn't she in the company that James moved into?'
[Answering Host, she hasn't moved yet. If she is unsuccessful in finding an author in a few more days, she will quit her job at the company you are at and move over to that other company.]
'Why hasn't she been able to become an editor for any authors?'
[As a female protagonist, she brings a lot of trouble. There are times when she is late because she is helping someone, and she gets caught up in drama even though she wasn't originally a part of it. She's also...]
'Also what?'
[A person who has crippling anxiety like the original Calvin. She's nice and has a good personality though. She is also very book smart.]
Calvin lifted his eyebrow as he looked through her resume and talked to System 225. Her resume was good. She was overqualified as an editor and had a multitude of certifications and training. She had two bachelor’s degrees in Literature and Biology with a minor in chemistry. All in all, she was a successful woman with a bright career on her shoulders. If she were to become a medical doctor, he wouldn't be surprised. Why did she become an editor?
"Your resume looks really good, but I have a question for you," Calvin said as he finally looked up and saw her.
She was super nervous and looked like she had already given up on being an editor for Calvin.
Calvin felt like he was bullying her just looking at her face. It was definitely that dang protagonist halo in effect.
He sighed. "I didn't mean it in a rude way. I noticed that you have a degree not only in literature, but you also have a degree in biology as well as a minor in chemistry. Why did you become an editor when you could've become a medical professional? You obviously have those qualifications."
"I... Even though I do well in academics, I have no confidence in my practical skills." She bit her lip a little and looked down at her hands. They were shaking.
"They told me that with my personality and anxiety, I would never be able to hold a scalpel. I could never save a person's life with my hands shaking like this. I don't work well under pressure either. Even though I love to help people... I don't..."
"It's okay, I understand."
She was startled and looked up at him. Trying to figure out his next move, but she couldn’t read his emotions. He looked very calm as though he had already made up his mind.
"As my new editor, I hope that you will gain confidence in yourself, in your work, and most importantly in your beliefs. It's never too late to achieve your dreams. If one day you find yourself wanting to save the lives of people in your own way, know that you have my full support."
No one had ever said words of encouragement to her. She always had people looking down at her, because of her sex, because of her family background, because of her ability. No one saw her as someone intelligent or empowered, they saw her as a threat or someone inferior. Expectations for her were always set too low but also too high. She was always seen as someone who should get bad grades, but if she were to get good grades, they weren't good enough. She felt she wasn't good enough either way.
"I, are you sure you want me as an editor?"
"Of course, why do you think I said that? Let's get the contract set up. You can report back to the company once you are done signing the papers. Be here tomorrow and I will show you what needs to be done and how to get it done each day."
"Yes! Thank you so much!"
After she signed the papers, she excused herself out of Calvin's apartment. Basically signed about not stealing content, not changing the author's intended voice, so on and so forth. Her work hours depended on the company and if Calvin needed her. Her salary was given to her by the company and stuff like that. She would have to finalize everything at the company herself.
When she left, System 225 couldn’t help but ask Calvin something that bothered him. [Host, why did you choose her as your editor?]
‘Why? She’s much more capable than the others that have come in, but also, I felt a connection with her. I kind of understand what it feels like to not be good enough, but also feel like I’m stuck in a hopeless place.
‘I know that she will thrive when she’s with James, but if James were to leave the industry because of me, she would have no other place to go where she will show her maximum potential. I have no problems taking her in before that happens.’
[And if James doesn’t leave the industry as you have predicted?]
‘Then so be it. Nothing is wrong with taking precautions.’ Though he had an inkling that he was right.
[I understand, Host.] System 225 had thought the Host saw himself in Lucy but they were two different people. Their experiences were different even if they produced similar outcomes. He had thought that the Host wanted to save Lucy to somehow save his old self.
‘I know she’s not me, System 225.’ Somehow, Calvin knew what System 225 was thinking. ‘Saving other people to save me is how I started out, but now, I save people for the sake of saving people, not for me. As for me, I can save myself on a later date, when I somehow pick up all the pieces of myself and try to make myself whole again, maybe I will really think about saving myself...’
[Host, you are also someone who is worth saving.]
‘Even so, we don’t have that luxury right now, do we?’
They didn’t. Calvin, the Host, was going to have to come last in the list of people he wanted to save. He felt it wasn’t necessary to save himself so soon. That was just how he is. He always put someone first and never cared about himself, even when he was broken and bruised, nothing would get him to think about himself.
Only till there was almost nothing left would he realize that he needed to pick himself back up again.
*****
James sat in a dark room in front of a computer monitor. He had his legs up, hugging his right leg, as he had his arms stretched out toward the keyboard. The position looked a little uncomfortable, but he felt like he needed something to hold his body up before he felt the need to slam his face into the desk.
Though it was dark, the light shined on his dark brown hair and eyes. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his eyes were slightly red. His hair was a little shaggy as he was due for a haircut. He had a prickly beard as he had not shaved in a few days.
The man looked like he hadn’t left his room in a week as there were cup noodles piled up next to him, and bottles of water littering the floor.
“I… I have been staring at this computer screen for many hours, but why can’t I think of anything to write!” James was trying to think of something to write for the sequel of the novel he stole from Calvin. He thought that he was quite gifted at writing, but his hard work only amounted to being an editor. He thought he deserved more than that! He wanted to be famous like Calvin where everyone knew his name. He also worked hard, so why wasn’t he doing well?
He was staring at a blank document. There was nothing in the document that was titled “Sequel for MY story” like he had to remind himself that it was “his” story. The original Calvin named the story One Step, One Voice, but James changed it to The Voice Inside.
The story revolved around a young man who, on his way to school, heard a voice calling for him and followed it. After that, he found himself in another world. This voice guides him around in this new world as he tries his best to survive and find a way back to his own world. There was a huge plot twist, making the readers cry and want more. Calvin originally wanted to end it without a sequel, but James promised there would be a sequel, which was why he was in this mess.
One Step, One Voice wasn’t meant to have a sequel.
James had no idea what he was doing anymore. He didn’t know if the decision he made was the best one. It was so frustrating, how did Calvin get through this?
The original Calvin barely got through it but James didn’t realize that. Calvin cried, complained, and almost tried to hit his head against the wall out of frustration. He cried to James, his editor, and only friend, only for James to take his hard work away from him.
“Why did Calvin have to end the story like this? How do you even continue from this point?”
For Calvin, that was the whole point…
James slammed his head against the desk, ignoring the throbbing pain coming from his head that lacked sleep and was suddenly hit. The document had three words.
He woke up.
Of course, the main character woke up! He woke up at the end of the first book. What would the main character do after waking up? What were his goals? His aspirations? What was the plot at this point?
What was the point of stealing a book if he couldn’t even write about it? He could barely write his own stories, nonetheless, write something that someone cried while they wrote it.
He was stupid. He shouldn’t have stolen Calvin’s book. Could he really take it back? Could he really tell the whole world that he was a stealer? That he took someone’s blood, sweat, and tears and made it his own?
Everyone would condemn him for sure.
And Calvin would definitely hate him.
A/N: I'm pretty sure I based the Host's character on a beautiful song. The song is called Two by Sleeping at Last. It's in the album, Atlas: Enneagram. They have all the personality types from an Enneagram written into a song. Definitely check that one out. Let me know which one you are! Pretty sure I'm part 2, 4, and 9 LOL.
One Step, One Voice is another novel I'm slowly working on... Maybe one of y'all can yell at me to actually post my stories haha.
