"Sir Dan, this is the one I told you about. Her name is Amber," Hayley introduced to the manager of the convenience store. He was a man in his early 30"s, his looks weren"t outstanding, it could be termed as normal. But he has this gentle look in him.
Amber was standing by the door, standing straight and looking around her. The convenience store weren"t that big but it was not small either. There are five pairs of shelves facing each other, five drink refrigerator lining up on one side. There are also three drink dispensers, one for different juice, one for sodas and another for hot drinks.
There"s also a cooler for breads and rice meals, there"s also two freezers for the ice creams. The ventilation was also good and the brightness makes people feel at ease. On one side there are five tables with two bench chairs on each.
As she was doing her observations, Dan was staring at her, "If this girl aren"t looking around I would have thought that they brought a human sized doll."
He then whispered to Hayley, "Hey are you sure she can do the work here? She looked like a young heiress or something."
Hayley smiled, indeed Amber after she recovered from her paleness and all, had changed drastically. She was able to gain back her weight that she seemed to have lost. Both Hayley and Alissa also asked her if she is ready for such work, Amber ensured them that she"ll learn diligently and would do her best not to embara.s.s them.
"She was very much willing to learn and we have seen her dedication back at home. Teach her once and she would be able to do it on her own. She also has no qualms in any work you give her," Hayley replied in a whisper as well.
Amber who heard them whispering looked back at the three of them before smiling and bowing politely, "I may be new in this things but I promise not to let you down for allowing me to work here."
Dan was taken a back by her politeness, he could only reply flastered, "No, no, no. If you can do it withotu much mistakes then that would be fine. I suppose Hayley and Alissa have already told you the basics?"
She stood up straight once again, "Yes they have informed me of everything. The pay shall be given every week, we also have our days off every weekend. But since school will be starting soon, we can only work from five in the afternoon to nine in the evening on weekdays. And the 7 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon for the weekends."
"Yes, that would be it. I just hope you"re studies won"t be affected."
In reality Dan was once helped by Elloise when the hotel was still doing fine. He was on the verge of losing the store. This store was inherited by him from his father who inherited it from his grandfather. He didn"t want to lose it but because the city is booming and more and more compet.i.tors popped up, he started going down.
Elloise who was a frequent to his store when she was just starting helped him off to get back up to his feet. The money he had borrowed from her were long been payed but the kindness was something he always wanted to repay.
But since it was just a small business he couldn"t help them in anyway, so he could only offer a part time job for the children while not disrupting their studies. And Hayley and Alissa had been working here for a year now.
Only a part time for they were just fifteen years old back then, plus they were still studying. He was just glad that even though it was small he was still able to help them.
"Anyway since it is your first day, why not observe them for now? You can start doing more work by tomorrow," he then smiled and said.
"I understand, thank you very much."
The day pa.s.sed as the two helped Amber get acquainted with the work, though they were amazed at how fast she memorizes everything. The placement of the goods, the way to handle the counter and the inventory of the goods.
Of course, it wasn"t only once that people would stare at her when she ws not moving and be startled when she look back at them.
"I"ve heard about it from mother, when she was young she had so many experiences regarding buying the doll in a department store. She only escaped that kind of predicament when her features started changing when she became 20 years old. *sigh* Do I have to wait for another four years to escape this? People should know that it is rude to stare," Amber couldn"t help but to complain in her mind.
Others say she was lucky to have such facial features, they didn"t know how difficult it is to speak to others with this look. Someone would even be frightened by it, imagine sitting beside a doll then suddenly that dolls speaks to you?
"Maybe I should just wear a mask? No, people would even be more curious about it."
She was currently on the break room, "I"m just glad it is nearing impossible for people who knew me to come here. The others from the past, didn"t know this face eiether so even if we pa.s.s through each other they would just think that I look familiar."
Her thoughts wondered as she look at her reflection in the mirror.
"I wonder if it would be them? Would they recognize this face? It"s already been eight years after all. Despite that I must say, just a change in color and my looks have changed drastically. I even became whiter. *sigh* A blessing for this day or not?"
"I"m glad that she seems much better but is this a trait of hers? Talking to herself?" Alissa whispered to Hayley.
The two of them entered the break room just to see Amber sighing and looking at the mirror, then her facial features would change from time to time.
"Maybe there really was just so many things in her mind and that is how she cope up?" Hayley asked in reply.
Amber felt someone staring at her when she returned to reality, looking at the side she saw Alissa and Hayley smiling uncertainly at her.
"Not good, my habbit just came naturally, they must think I am weird or maybe crazy," she thought before standing up and smiled at them as well.
"S- Sorry about that. I just had the habbit of organizing my thoughts once I am not doing anything," she sheepishly said.
"No, we"re just glad that you look much better now," Hayley replied as they sat down with her.
Amber was stunned at first before she smiled with a tinge of sadness, "You guys really are kind."
"There, there, your being down once again. We only knew each other for a few days but since you have helped us first then surely we would help you as well," Hayley instantly said as she smack Amber in the shoulder.
"Hayley!!" Alissa was shocked by what her cousin just did.
"Ah oops sorry, my habbit as well. That is why my mother always scold me."
"No, it is fine. I feel much at ease for you to just be natural with me. That way our relations.h.i.+p would become better, don"t you think so?" Amber rreplied with a smile.
Alissa and Hayley smiled back before Hayley spoke up once again, "Then I"ll act more natural until our friends.h.i.+p becomes deeper."
She stretched out her hand asking for a handshake. Amber accepted it and she and Alissa did the same. The three girls had a good time chatting with each other before they returned to work.
That night in her room, she was looking at the dress she was wearing when she just arrived, it was already washed by her and was already dry. She hanged it up in her closet that allowed her to see it the moment she opens it.
There are four closets all in all in the room but that one was empty except for that dress. The dress itself were already in tatters, the hem have tears on it. There are also holes.
~Happy 16th birthday, once we are done with the bubsiness promise, you will have a much more peaceful life. And in commemoration to that here"s our gift for you.~
That was a few days prior their death. A tear dropped from her eyes, the kindness that the Coleman family is showing her, overwhelms her completely that she just keeps missing her parents. She stood there just watching the last gift she received from her parents.
"Peaceful life? I guess I"ll never have that now, mother, father. I am sure that after I get back at them, the sin I have done would be too much that heaven will surely not accept me once I die."