Meredith the Warrior-Queen

Meredith was late. Everywhere she went she was always behind. She always was rushing from one place to another and today she was running especially behind.
She was supposed to be attending the party of all parties. She looked at her watch. Ten pm.
She was going to do much networking!
Her friend Laramie Kreltch, whom everyone just called "Kreltch," was holding it for some of the upper-level players in Hollywood.
Meredith wanted to be an actress, and she knew she'd make it. She was talented. Kreltch said so, and she told Meredith that she knew a thing or two about success.
Kreltch had told Meredith that everyone who was worth knowing would be at her party.
But Meredith was late!
As she ran through the streets of Hollywood, not being able to afford a cab, she had thoughts about what everyone would think when she walked in to the party that was already underway.
Some people thought being "fashionably late" was a good thing, but Meredith had been raised to always be on time to show that you cared about meeting the other person.
At least she looked lovely. She was wearing the only lovely dress that she had. It was black, just long enough to be elegant and it tapered just right to her figure. She loved her lovely dress so!
Dammit!
She looked down at her shoes. Her left heel was broken off.
She started cursing. It wasn't a nice habit, her mother had told her, but it seemed as if everyone in Hollywood swore.
She was cursing at her broken heel so loudly, a man she passed looked at her and muttered about not having any change.
She didn't want his change and she let him know it very cursingly.
Well, she would just have to lean on one leg all night so people wouldn't notice.
Now she was running, with every other step pushing her higher because of the remaining heel on her right shoe.
She felt like crying. She couldn't even afford to eat. If this party didn't help her to get her break she had no idea what she would do. She was so stressed! Maybe she should have taken that stupid man's change.
Meredith the warrior-queen, Meredith the warrior-queen, Meredith the warrior-queen.
She repeated her own private title to herself over and over again.
She would overcome this. She was meant to be a star. She could feel it deep down in her bone-guts.
As she ran, she pictured armour over her dress. and big spiky boots instead of her half-broken pair of shoes. She had a wonderful imagination and she had a wonderful memory. She could remember every event that had happened to her on every important night of her life.
Sometimes to cope with a bad day, she would just relive another day in her life. Thanks to her imagination, whatever she couldn't remember, she made up. It also helped her stay in character for acting. She could clearly picture the imaginary scene around her, so that it was almost real.
Sometimes, her brain would even start reliving another day for her, without her even trying.
She thought it was a good way of dealing with stress, like the stress of being constantly late.
"Blast!" she said, "I'm running behind."
She was just a few blocks away now, and getting nearer.
For just an instant, she looked down and saw that her dress was tattered and faded, worn well beyond it's years.
Then she closed her eyes, and took a deep breath to calm herself.
When she opened her eyes, her dress was new again, and shoes were fine. She looked at her watch. Ten pm.
She smiled and started running. She couldn't wait to start trading phone numbers with the biggies in Hollywood.
Meredith the warrior-queen. Meredith the warrior-queen.