"Thank you very much today too, Sara."
Sara stood up from where she had been crouching by the rose bushes. Her neighbor, a pregnant woman named Elise, walked towards her with a tray of lemonade and a plate of strawberry cream sandwiches. "Please do take a break," Elise said with a warm smile. "You've been working on my garden ever since you came here this morning. I made these sandwiches for you, so feel free to have your full on them."
"Ah-! Um... ah... thank you, Madam!" Sara muttered, flattered by the woman's kindness.
Oh no, I did it again.
Elise set the tray down on the table on the patio before returning back to the house. Sara lingered by the bushes, cautious if Elise would come out again before turning around to the flowers. She noticed a few of the red roses were curling up as their petals withered. Sara inhaled a deep breath before touching the roses and closing her eyes, willing with all her might for them to recover their original beautiful deep red bloom.
Sara opened her eyes and her face lit up with relief.
Every rose began to open up and their darkened petals warmed up in a vivid scarlet color. Sara reached over and carefully removed their guard petals, allowing the roses to bloom freely. With a satisfied smile, Sara finally stood up and removed her gloves and apron before planting herself on the patio chairs and ate the snacks Elise had brought for her.
It was late August. The sun was merciless as always, and even the humid weather didn't make things easier. Even so, Sara didn't mind. She was getting her pay today, and that was the only thing that mattered right now.
If I still can't get over my shyness, should I find a different job after this?
It had been two months since her grandmother had slipped on the hardwood kitchen floor at their house where Sara had been mopping. Sara could still remember the incident like it was yesterday, how her usually lively and nagging grandmother suddenly slipped and hit her hip hard on the floor.
Sara bit into her sandwich and her thoughts whirled inside her mind. Negative and terrifying thoughts flooded her.
She remembered the pearly white hospital walls and the marble floors, how everything was silent yet excruciatingly loud. She remembered the doctor reassuring her that her grandmother would be all right and that they will help her find an alternative way to pay for the medical fees.
Will Grandma be okay?
What if I can't get enough money to pay the medical bills?
How much will the hospital sue Grandma?
"You have flowers in your hair!"
Sara nearly shrieked, startled by the sudden voice that pulled her from her thoughts. She turned around to see Elise's son, a 5-year-old boy named Jimmy. He had a mop of red hair and a pair of green eyes just like his other mom. He stared at her with awe, his emerald eyes twinkling like he's found a rare toy to play with. Sara quickly looked at her hair and gasped. A few pink camellias had appeared in her sky blue hair, blooming as they tangled messily.
"Ah, well, this is..." Sara quickly set her sandwich down and took the flowers out of her hair, scrambling through her thoughts to find an excuse. "This is a form of hair decoration! I-It's really trendy these days!" Jimmy frowned, puzzled. "But those aren't roses. Mommy only grows roses. Where did you get those flowers?"
"Uh... w-well," Sara's voice died down as she struggled to think. Her cheeks cooked in embarrassment. Of course he would wonder where these unknown flowers came from, especially when Sara had arrived at this house with nothing but her backpack, which was still sitting inside the house. But the last thing Sara wanted was for Jimmy to freak out on her.
"I-It's a magic trick!" Sara blurted.
"A what?"
Sara showed Jimmy her hands, and a small bundle of irises appeared. Jimmy's eyes immediately grew wide and his face lit up with amazement. Sara handed him the flowers with a flustered smile, trying to convince him it was just a trick. "See? Magic."
"That's so cool!" Jimmy beamed giddily and accepted the flowers.
"Eh? Cool..?"
"Yeah!" Jimmy waved the irises around playfully. "Sara's magic is super amazing!" Something prickled in Sara's chest, but it wasn't a bad feeling. It was the kind of prickly sensation that was warm and comforting, something so kind and gentle, and it filled Sara with joy. "I see," Sara smiled bashfully. "T-Thank you very much."
Elise walked into the patio with a sealed envelope of Sara's pay. "I'm so sorry Jimmy's bothering you during your break time," Elise sighed as she watched her son run around the yard with a bundle of different flowers. "N-No, it's alright, Madam. I-I enjoyed his company," Sara said. Elise's wife popped out of the door and smiled at Sara. "Thank you for today as well! I hope to see you again next week Sara." Sara smiled bashfully and then stood up from her seat before walking out. The couple stood out their front door waving goodbye to see her off. Sara held the envelope close to her chest, walking to her bike with a happy grin on her face. It was her very first paycheck from her very first job. After two months of job-searching, Sara had finally gotten her first pay.
The late afternoon sun hung above the horizon, making the sky glow a brilliant mango color. The port town Sara lived in was right by the vast and sparkly ocean. It seemed to shimmer a deep blue color, with just the tiniest hint of gold. The view was breathtaking and magical, and Sara stared at the ocean with awe as she rode her bike past the beach.
***
"I'm home!"
Sara stepped into her house and froze in her tracks. Her face flushed sheepishly red, and she quickly clicked the door shut behind her. Her grandmother wasn't home right now. She was all alone in this small house.
"It's been two months already..." Sara said to herself as she walked down the hallway and into the kitchen. She passed by the lilac-painted walls with pictures hanging on them. All the pictures in the house were only Sara and her grandmother. They had no other relatives other than each other.
Sara walked towards the fridge and opened it.
Sara frowned.
There was nothing inside other than a gallon of milk.
"I'm sure there was enough food in the fridge yesterday," Sara sighed. The heavy weight of burden sat on her shoulders as she closed the fridge door shut. She opened her envelope and counted each of the twenty dollars inside.
"I need to save enough for the medical bills, but I still need enough to supply for myself."
Should she start rationing her meals?
Sara shook her head violently before she started to have negative thoughts again. "I need to stay positive!" she said to herself and slapped her cheeks in an attempt to cheer herself up."I'll just buy a few prepackaged meals and come back." Sara didn't have time to overthink things. The best thing she could do is think about what she could do now. She quickly grabbed her house keys and headed out the door. Sara rode down the streets on her bike and only the lights that illuminated the bustling city were only streetlights, headlights from cars, and the twilight of the vast sky. Very few shops such as convenience stores and gas stations were open at this time.
Sara quickly found a convenience store and walked inside, the heat from outside instantly flushed away by the cool air conditioner in the building. After grabbing one of the baskets stacked at the entrance of the store, Sara walked around the store to the fridge aisles with prepacked meals encased inside.
There were containers of macaroni and cheese, chicken salads, and even a variety of curries and soups. I'm not sure if Grandma would approve of me getting my meals like this, but this will do for now, Sara thought and quickly grabbed four of the cheapest items she could find, before walking to the check-out desk to pay for her food.
"Did you find everything okay?" The cashier asked as he scanned her items.
Sara averted his eyes awkwardly and nodded. "Y-Yes, thank you."
After paying for the food, Sara noticed something suspicious at the corner of her eye. A middle-aged woman was hovering over an aisle of cigarettes, glanced around quickly, and shoved five packs into her jacket pocket.
S-She's stealing?!
Sara quickly turned to the cashier. "U-um! That woman..!"
The cashier raised his eyebrow, not understanding Sara's words. "Pardon?"
Just as she opened her mouth to explain, the woman quickly darted out of the store. Sara turned her head to the door and back to the cashier, her mouth agape in disbelief. How did he not see anything?
Why couldn't she say anything?
Sara quickly ran out of the store after the woman, and the cashier called after her in confusion. The thief was sprinting into the empty streets and Sara struggled to keep up with her. "W-Wait! You can't steal!"
Sara pushed herself to run faster, even if her legs screamed in exhaustion. She had to stop this woman from shoplifting.
Frustrated, Sara extended her arm towards the woman in desperation. "Stop!"
Just when she felt like she couldn't chase the thief anymore, a strong gust of wind knocked the woman off her feet and she tumbled onto the pavement.
"It's not very noble of you to shoplift, Madam."
Stepping out of the shadow of a building was a teenage boy with a small ponytail of deep green hair and a pair of cinnamon eyes. He was lean and tall, wearing a plaid hoodie and denim jeans along with a haughty grin on his face.
Did he just... control the wind? Sara thought, stunned.
Astonished, Sara watched the boy walk towards the woman. He looked at Sara and winked. "Fear not, Little Flower; I will take care of this." The woman groaned in pain as the boy pulled him to her feet. "C'mon, Madam. You've gotta return the things you've stolen." The woman shoved the boy away, her eyes bloodshot and furious. "Just mind your own business!"
The boy clicked his tongue disapprovingly and started dragging the woman back towards the convenience store until the woman pulled out a knife from her pocket.
"Look out!" Sara screamed, quickly summoning a bunch of flowers to shield the boy when the woman swung her knife. The boy dodged out of the way and the knife cut through the flowers, almost slicing the boy's cheek open.
"What the heck?!" the woman stepped back in confusion before the boy quickly regained his composure and swung his arm, leading a gust of wind sweeping under the woman's feet and knocking her backward onto the pavement. The woman groaned again before passing out, and the boy blew out a heavy sigh. "I guess I have to carry her now."
Sara watched in disbelief as the boy flicked his wrist and the woman's body floated in the air towards the convenience store. The cashier was already outside, staring in disbelief as well as he watched the groaning woman levitating towards him. The boy glanced at Sara and grinned. "You have special abilities too, right? Let's get along from now on, Little Flower."
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