Audrey was an ordinary college student studying business, working a part-time cashier job to pay her way through school. She found most days at the Stuff-Mart to be mind-numbingly monotonous. Counting out change and bagging groceries held no excitement for the creative girl.

As she scanned endless items and dealt with grumpy customers, she passed the time by making up funny stories about the people who came through her checkout line. 

There was Melissa, the frazzled office manager digging frantically through her purse for coupons, which Audrey imagined was locked in a passionate love triangle with her handsome childhood friend and equally handsome boss. 

"Oh Melissa, who will you choose? Your soulmate from elementary school or the rich CEO who makes your heart flutter?" Audrey narrated dramatically in her head as she scanned Melissa's oatmeal and yogurt.

Then there was Timmy, the pimply-faced teen buying the latest manga comic books. As soon as he exited the store, Audrey pictured him getting hit by a truck, his comics flying everywhere while he lay stunned on the pavement, sending his soul to another world. 

"Noooo, not before you finished the last volume!" Audrey thought, shaking her head sadly. It was horrible yet hilarious to her. She had to stifle a laugh at the absurd scenario of Timmy being violently isekai'd. 

Creating these wild scenarios made Audrey's boring job a bit more entertaining. Some stories were thrilling, some sad, others downright absurd.

Like the time she imagined Clara, the kindly grandmother shopping for knitting supplies, was actually an undercover agent on an international espionage mission. Her knitting needles were secret listening devices in disguise! 

Audrey had to stifle a laugh picturing Clara racing down a highway in a sleek sports car, yarn flying wildly behind her. 

Though the customers remained oblivious as they went about their days, Audrey's imagination transformed them into the heroes, villains, and victims of epic tales. It not only passed the time but gave her a new appreciation for the people on the other side of the register. 

***

Audrey flopped onto her couch and flipped on her phone after a long day working the register at Stuff-Mart. She needed some mindless entertainment to unwind. 

As she channel surfed, Audrey landed on BNN - the BuTube News Network in her country of the United States of Morrey. It was wall-to-wall coverage of celebrity CEOs and their companies' latest products.

"Stove Jobs just announced the new iTab 7 featuring Spacial Recognition!" the anchor gushed. Audrey rolled her eyes. Of course, they'd hype every minor tech tweak.

She kept flipping until a segment on Mark Zuckerplay came on, touting some new Pixstagram filter. 

"Ugh, enough about these famous CEOs!" Audrey groaned. "Their companies basically run this whole country already."

One CEO did catch Audrey's eye though - the mysterious Ava, CEO of Victorian Entertainment. She'd dominated the industry unexpectedly fast.

"Good evening Morrey! Tonight we have an exclusive interview with the fabulous Ava Victorian, CEO of Victorian Entertainment."

Ugh, thought Audrey, rolling her eyes. It was another story about the country's obsession, Ava Victorian. 

"No one gets powerful that fast without crushing a few minions!" Audrey joked to herself. "I bet Ava's evil lair has a shark tank and everything." 

To Audrey, Ava just seemed like a villain. But the public admired her as a model self-made woman. 

In her head, Audrey imagined Ava secretly running an underground crime syndicate, bribing politicians, and sabotaging competitors. She fantasized about elaborate schemes of Ava exploiting workers and hoarding profits.

"Oh Ava, please share how you built your empire!" the reporter gushed. Audrey pretended to gag.

"Well you see, integrity and ethics are the cornerstones of my business," Ava responded politely. 

Audrey snorted. "Yeah right, lady."

It was Audrey's hobby to caricature the famous CEOs of Morrey as satirical supervillains. After all, wasn't unrestrained capitalism sort of evil in its own way?

Audrey pictured frumpy Mark Zuckerplay uploading his consciousness into a robot body to achieve immortality. And Drama queen Stove Jobs rose from his grave to hunt down anyone who dared buy Bondroid phones. 

Her silly fantasies brought some entertainment to the nonstop capitalist propaganda on the news. As a lowly cashier, she felt invisible in Morrey's dog-eat-dog culture. But in her imagination, she could poke fun at the revered elite. 

The capitalist battle felt less intimidating if she could envision these titans of industry getting tangled in their expensive capes. Audrey's imagination empowered her and kept her spirits up, even as she lived paycheck to paycheck. 

***

Audrey was curled up on the couch, watching Ava Victorian videos on BuTube late into the night. "Ugh, this lady is such a villain," Audrey muttered before eventually dozing off.

When Audrey awoke, she was shocked to find herself in a medieval stone prison! She was sitting in a fancy velvet chair, completely out of place with the surroundings.

"What in the capitalism is happening?!" Audrey exclaimed in her head. 

Audrey heard a muffled whimpering and turned to see a man chained to the wall, eyes and mouth covered. She nearly fell out of her chair in surprise.

"Okay, going to freak out here!" Her mind raced. This had to be some weird prank or kidnapping situation. 

The man kept whimpering pitifully. "Alright Audrey, get it together," she told herself. "Assess the situation, don't totally panic."

Audrey heard the metal door open. In walked a handsome man in a tailored suit, wearing an elegant monocle. 

'Whoa, he's dazzling!' Audrey thought, unable to take her eyes off him. The man bowed deeply. "Lady Ava, I have come to inform you that we have successfully captured the Humanitarian minister." He motioned to the gagged prisoner.

Audrey's eyes widened. 'It's Ava's assistant I always see on BuTube! Which means I really am in her body?' 

Her imaginative mind quickly pieced it together. 'This must be a dream where I get to be the villainous Ava. Like my fanfics!' 

Audrey composed herself and gave an evil laugh. "Well done capturing this foolish minister," she crowed, mimicking her fantasy of Ava's mannerisms. "Ensure he is properly dealt with. Now take me to my room, you there!" She had no idea his real name nor where her room was.

The assistant bowed again respectfully. "Of course, right away my lady."

As they left the cell, Audrey marveled to herself. 'Wow, I can't believe I'm literally living inside my Ava Victorian fanfic! This is crazy. Being evil is kind of fun, I have to admit!'

She giggled manically in her head, feeling giddy. 'Since this is clearly a dream, I should just embrace it fully! Time to stop being regular old Audrey. I'm the villainous Ava now!'

With her imagination in overdrive, Audrey decided to indulge her fantasies. She would spend this marvelous dream doing all the dastardly things she imagined Ava doing. She cackled under her breath. 'Watch out Morrey! Ava's going to have some wicked fun before I wake up!'