Althena

13. Crystal Balls Bakery

A couple of months later, Chris and Conner come to the realization that I can drive now. I don't know why nobody thought of it before. Conner helps me get into the driving class and the 2 of them make sure I don't miss any of it. It's weird being back in a classroom. But I do well. I get perfect scores on nearly everything. Then it comes to the driving part.

Chris and I fall onto my couch and stretch. We're exhausted after a day of shopping and boy viewing. "Order a pizza."

I put my feet on the table. "I don't have any money."

"How do you not have money? We just got paid."

"I only make a dollar an hour. I work for the tips basically."

"You what?" He is staring at me and very serious.

"I work 30 hours a week and she gives me $30. I keep my tips though. But I spent them today."

"No. That's not right."

"What's wrong with it? It's ok. I keep my tips."

"Everyone keeps their tips. That's your money. No job will take your tips."

"I still don't understand the problem."

"You should be making like $7 or $8 an hour. $1 is... She's... I'm calling Conner." I only hear one side of the conversation. "DAMN THIEF... $1 AN HOUR... NO I AM f*****g FOR REAL..." He looks at me. "How did you decide on $1?"

"She asked me what I wanted. I told her $1 and my tips. It's under the table. I was 15 when I started."

"Did you hear that? Yes. No. Yes. It's bullshit, Conner. I know. Fine. Order us a pizza. We're hungry." Then he smiles at me. "He's getting us a pizza."

"Yay. Food. How are things going with Jake?"

"Sexy hair man is not going to make the cut. He's got a wondering eye. I don't like it."

"Understandable. He does have sexy hair though."

"Yea, he does have that."

Conner brings in a pizza. He's on the phone. We dig into it and ignore him.

After 10 minutes he gets off the phone. "You don't work at the coffee place anymore."

"I need my job. It's how I make money. The $500 a month isn't enough for everything I want."

"You can get a new job or you can start something here. I know you've been fiddling with some stuff. We'll figure it out. We have your uncle's credit card too. We'll use that if we need to."

"But I like my job."

"Sell coffee here."

"It's not the same."

"You don't work there anymore. She was taking advantage of you. You didn't know because you were so young. If it went on for a month, that would have been fine. She could have seen if you stayed and fixed it. But she didn't. It's been nearly a year and a half. She is a thief at this point."

"Fine."

Chris looks at him. "Do you still work there?"

"Hell no. Not after that."

"I guess we're all jobless."

I shrug my shoulders. "At least we're not homeless this time."

Conner nods. "Mike is sending over your papers so you can get your temporary ID card. You'll be able to get your hours driving with that. You can get a real job with it if you want. Or you can do something here."

"Make those crystal balls." Conner sits up. "I bet we can fill them with the color changing smoke. They'll look like witchy crystal balls."

"We can try it with the smoke. I'm pretty good with the ball part. I kind of want to make bread though."

"That's not a bad idea." Conner gets a paper. "Bakery. You could have bread, noodles, rolls."

"Crystal balls." Chris points at the list.

He nods. "Coffee."

I rub my face. "This is going to be one random ass store."

"It'll be a store though. That's all that matters. We'll help you with it."

"Well, you're going to have to volunteer your time. I have no money to pay you."

Chris cracks up laughing. "We'll work for tips."

A couple of days later, the back wall in the backroom is full of ovens. The rest of the backroom has tables everywhere. Weird cooking instruments sit randomly. In the front of the store, the counter is still there. But 1 wall is coolers. The other is shelves and coolers. Cookie boxes are on one side of the counter. The front of the counter is shelves. And there's a humungus coffee pot behind the counter. Tables and chairs are set up for customers.

I scratch my head in the middle of it. "What the hell?"

Conner sits at the table with me. "I had an idea."

"I noticed."

"Well, it's your idea. But, you can make sandwiches and cookies. Think light lunch things."

"Ok."

"We'll have the coffee maker here. So, people can have lunch or stop for coffee. Other than that, you can make bread and noodles. The rolls you were talking about. Nobody will be cooking or handling food in front of the customers. It's not a restaurant. More of a grab and go."

Chris smiles. "Or a grab and sit and eat. With crystal balls. This shelf is made for them. And the smoke works perfectly. It's a crystal ball full of smoke. They are $100 each. I know people will pay that."

I shake my head and laugh. "Crystal Balls Bakery."

"Oh that's perfect."

"I know."

"I'll make a sticker that says that. We can put it on everything." Chris runs out the back.

"You boys got excited about this."

"We're not working. We're bored."

"Yea, me too. Let's go get some ingredients. Moonlit pay for everything?"

"You know they did."

We buy every ingredient I could ever need. Except a few key pieces. I call Millie and have her send me some stuff.

Then I spend 2 days cooking. Loaves of bread come out of my ovens. They are perfect. Noodles dry on the tables. I make huge batches of 4 different kinds of cookies. So many homemade rolls. The place smells amazing. Then I get some chocolate from Millie. I make a few chocolate cakes with it.

Chris cuts them up and packages them by the piece. He says they make more money that way. Most of the stuff is made for families. People can take it home and eat it. Then Conner shows up with vegetables out of his garden. I make some sauce and cut some bread. Sandwiches come together quickly.

Chris puts the crystal balls on the rack. The smoke inside them is swirling around. It's always all different colors. I love them. I don't know if they'll sell. But they are amazing. I take one and put it on the counter by the cash register.

Mike comes in through the back carrying a box. I jump up and down. "YOU CAME."

"Of course I did. I wanted to be your first customer."

"She'll open tomorrow. What you got?"

"I got her papers. Then mom sent the recipe and all the ingredients for the cottage cheese salad she likes." He hands me the recipe. "She said as long as you keep it cold, it'll be fine for 3 days. So use the cooler."

"I need to try that." Chris reads it over my shoulder. "I love cottage cheese."

"I'll make it now." I run to the back with the box. I can hear them talking.

"The place looks good. And it smells even better. I could smell the bread outside."

"Yea, people have been trying to get in all day."

"The place looks good. You should open."

"Probably could. WOMAN."

"WHAT CONNER?"

He pokes his head back. Me and Chris are elbow deep in ingredients. "I'm going to make coffee and open the door. We'll see what happens."

"Yell if I get a customer. I want to see."

"Ok."

I get half the vegetables diced and sneak out. Conner and Mike are eating sandwiches at a little table for 2. They've each got a coffee. I can't help but laugh.

Then a lady comes in. She smiles at me. It's not just a lady. It's the old lady from woodland. I am positive. It's the same lady. The one who knew it was my birthday.

"How?" I stare at her.

Conner and Mike stare at her too. She walks over to the shelf with the crystal balls. The smoke turns green in all of them. "No. No. Not that one. Nope. There it is." She grabs one and hands me $100. "Thank you."

"My pleasure. Come back any time."

She walks out.

We keep staring at the door.

Chris breaks us out of the trance. "I told you they would sell."

I look at the money. "Yea, I guess you did. Let's hope the food sells or you 3 are going to be eating a lot of bread."

They laugh and I go back to making the salad. We get it done and Chris packages most of it. Then we eat the rest. I sneak back to the front and the boys are behind the counter now. A few of the tables have people eating at them.

Mike smiles at me. "I was still the first customer. I paid for our stuff."

"Aww. You didn't have to. You can always eat here for free."

Conner nods. "That's how she pays me."

Chris comes out with a bowl of salad. "It's a good trade."

A lady walks in and the smoke in the crystal balls turns blue. I can't help but stare at them. It's like they have a mind of their own. After a 20 minute conversation with herself, she buys one and leaves.

"They must react to new aura's or magicians. They're always swirling different colors for Thena. For me, they turn purple."

Mike picks one up and it turns orange. "Maybe you're right. It is different." He hands it to me and it goes back to the colors swirling.

Conner stares at the wall of them. "I wonder... Since you're the one who made them, I bet they default to your color. They'll always go back to that."

I shrug my shoulders. "Interesting anyway. I wonder if I can figure out something for breakfast tomorrow."

"Do you have time for that?"

"I should. I can be open from breakfast to lunch. After that the tutor comes and I have my driving stuff. If you boys want to open, you can. But I'll be busy after lunch."

"Remember, no hot food. Then it becomes a restaurant."

"Ok. I could do muffins."

"That's perfect. Put the muffins in the cookie boxes."

I run to the back to start the muffins.