Secrets of The Alchemist

Chapter 2

Selene

The phone in my hand buzzed loudly, letting me know that Alistar was still upset about the argument we had and probably wanted to know where I was. But I couldn’t care less, I just wanted some peace and quiet, some time to clear my head. I exited the bookstore Alistar runs, as I tucked away my phone into my back pocket. The store was a visibly old building that had books messily stacked everywhere, it’s the only exit we have to our apartment that's on top of the store. The bookstore looked more like a storage room, with books scattered everywhere and stacked up messily. Which I suppose didn’t really matter, but I still nag him about the mess at times.

As I stepped out of the shop, my view of the street was limited because of the lack of light in the area, but I knew the exact place I wanted to go. My legs instinctively carried me over to my favorite bakery, it was only a few minutes away from my place and without a doubt, sold some of the best pastries anyone could ever have, and what was even better, was that they didn’t close until midnight. I stood in front of the tiny bakery, its bright yellow exterior nullified due to the darkness of the night, however the sign above the store in cursive lettering saying “Abbott’s Bakery” shone brightly, casting down its light onto the front of the establishment.

    I didn’t stay standing for much longer, my hand quickly grabbed onto the silver door handle that was placed on the white colored door, and opened it. The bell rang throughout the bake shop, loudly contrasting the quietness of the neighborhood. As I walked in, I looked to see a familiar face looking up from the counter to meet mine, her round, blue eyes turning soft as she recognized me.

    “Selene! What a pleasure to see you again, where’s your father dear?” She began grabbing one of the last blueberry scones that were in the display that was laid out on the counter, which was what I ordered almost every time I visited.

    “Hi Mrs. Abbott, I’m on my own tonight, just wanted to clear my head.” I say as I approached the marble counter she stood behind. 

    Mrs.Abbott was a sweet older lady who had opened this bakery with her husband. I've been buying from them since I was a kid, she had always treated me as though I was her own child, which I guess also stemmed from the fact that she never had any of her own. 

I smiled at her as she handed me my scone and began working at the register, my hand reached for my back pocket to grab my wallet, only to realize my phone was the only object occupying it. I sighed as I tried searching for it in the pockets of my hoodie, hoping that it would be there.

    “Forgot your wallet again dear?” Mrs.Abbott asked. “It’s alright if you did, you know I’m willing to make this free of charge!” She winked.

    “Mrs. Abbott, you know I couldn’t do that, I have to pay you.” I quickly put my hand out in front of me and began to concentrate.

    “Transportari” The incantation effortlessly leaving my lips as I felt the leathery material appear in my hand. I hand over the amount of money needed to pay for the scone.

    “You know, you shouldn’t use alchemy for every little inconvenience Selene.” She said as she shook her head, but I could spot a small smile on her face.

    “Alright Mrs.Abbott” I rolled my eyes lightheartedly. “I’ll see you later.” I took a bite out of my delicacy, making me feel better, as I walked out of the small bakery and into the dark streets of the neighborhood. Not wanting to go back home at that moment, I decided to take a detour to Mini Street Park, which was where Alistar used to take me when I was a child. My memories of the place are very fond, and I hadn’t gone in awhile, so I went to the nearest bus stop that sat just around the corner, hoping a bus would come pick me up quickly.