When I got to the shop, the first thing I noticed was that it was too crowded.
When Peter and I had come here for the first time, when he had introduced the first shopkeeper whom I believed to be higher than the other one, it had been in the evening. There hadn’t been many people buying and selling in the big store then. Yet I had thought them many, I had thought I would be able to cope, having made the calculations in my head.
I scoffed at myself now, at my mundane brain.
Would I survive here? I found myself asking myself, taking in the bustling and shuffling of plenty feet.
I sharply turned toward the caller, relief tampering my nerves when I saw that it had been the first shopkeeper who was jovial, who Peter had introduced me to. Mr. Francis.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Francis." I greeted, when I got to him.
"Good afternoon, Dora. How was school today?" He asked with a small smile on his face.
Was he ever not smiling?
Just throw a container of milk on the floor, and check that out. My mind taunted me. The imagery it presented made me smile, before answering Francis’ question. "Quite fine."
I sighed when the smile reshaped itself to a smirk. Of course, he knew what had transpired in school yesterday. This community was really communal. I thought, waiting for him to tell me where I would be assigned to today.
"You know I am happy that somebody finally put the Professor in his place."
I didn’t need the specification to know who he was talking about. Well, he should wait just a little and he would hear about the little confrontation today.
"And there is the princess...you know I never knew she was that cruel. I have always thought of her as some calm, intuitive girl. Never pictured her as a bully."
Well, I didn’t blame him. Rachel had the same comely facial feature as her mother. I actually hoped for her sake that her hair would turn white in the next opportunity, because with the reveal of her real character, there would be a lot of people with a hidden vendetta for her. Probably why her mother was intent on colonizing Diana to her side.
"Well, that’s by the way. Head over there. You will meet her brother who came here during the morning classes to work. I am not sure what had happened in school, but he has refused to talk. I know that he might not be your favorite person at the moment considering he never stood up for Levina, or cautioned his sister, but he still is the only one that I can trust, who can teach you the ropes fast enough. No other person here is that patient and efficient enough."
I nodded slowly, before muttering a halfhearted thank you to Francis. He had assigned me to Raul? What the hell is that? I looked at the position where the man had pointed to. Raul was stacking boxes. I would be stacking boxes? Does Francis think that my body was as strong as my mouth?
I shook my head. There was no choice here really. I needed the money. And if it entailed working with my enemy, then so be it. I can be civil. I can ignore him just like I had done in class.
If I should want to give myself airs, I would think that he had left because of that ignorance. Was he such a baby? I wondered, already taking the route that would lead me to the staircase.
Behind Raul now, I wondered if I should say a greeting, or just tap him and tell him what Francis had said. After a second contemplation, I chose a greeting.
"Afternoon Raul. Mr. Francis mentioned that you show me the ropes here. He wasn’t specific about which kind of ropes."
Raul swerved at the first sound of my voice, and right now he was looking at me as if he couldn’t believe that I was right in front of him.
"Hey...when did you start, today?"
I piqued my eyebrows at the lame question. Of course I was starting today. Or was he trying to overcome the jitters? He must have understood my gaze, for he apologized, and then scratched his head.
"Raul, just act like we aren’t friends. Act like you do when you see Sinclair."
I’m not sure if that was the right request but it would be the only way he would teach me the ropes fast, and we can get rid of each other’s presence as quickly as possible. For him to see me as a mere working staff, whom he hadn’t given, wouldn’t have given a second glance if not for the store. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel{f}ire.net
"Are you sure that is what you want?" Raul asked, his tone retaining a cold quality that had reminded me of when he had tried standing up for me back in the pack’s eatery when Adam had humiliated himself in front of his subordinates.
"Yes, that’s what I want. So, teach me the ropes so that we can get the hell out of each other’s presence."
There was a wavering in his eyes, which told me that he wanted to ask if this was all necessary, but I glared at him, and he righted his gaze. I have seen that before, right in the pack.
"Okay then, Dora. Come with me this way. I don’t have all the time to waste on a newbie. If you don’t catch up fast, I would have to leave you to the dogs. That’s if you aren’t already one."
I laughed then, a sound cracking through the crowd and the workers, cracking through the busy state of the shop. I laughed, and bent, clutching my stomach when I beheld his expression, that spoke of steel. But I found it funny. Probably because I was sure that his words were a stark opposite of what was in thoughts. This would be fun.
"Do I look like a clown, commoner..."
"Sheesh, you don’t want the people around hearing that now? Do you, now?" I asked, knowing that he had forgotten to put the mind shield, because his entire attention was in putting forward the notion that he could be steel whenever and to whomever he wanted.
"Your sister is already in the mud; I doubt you would want that for yourself." I completed, holding back a smile when he scoffed out aloud after a slight bankruptcy of his steeliness before swiveling.