A/N - I am still deciding the story title. This one is just a replacement.
“Cherry Pies! Cherry Pies for sale!” I shout.
It is a hot day for everyone; even the people from the city of fire were surprised their orchards could be this hot.
“Is this normal?” A male teenager asked wiping the back of his hand on his head, or as orchard workers and merchants liked to call them ‘Scorches’. It wasn’t hard to nit-pick who was from what city or orchard it was just instinct by now. People from the city of fire have light coloured hair and tanned skin, their eye color was different depending on their origins. The men would walk around without a shirt on or a tank top, they normally add styles like a matching headband to go with their baggy shorts. The women would normally have revealing shirts that showcased their stomachs and shoulders with short-shorts. Almost all of the scorches had short hair styles.
“It’s only my fourth time here.” I confess. I quickly rub my hands on my gypsy pants that my father gave to me to remove the sweat before I pushed my pie cart closer to the scorch. He looks at me and raises an eyebrow. Bam, he noticed.
“If this is your fourth time than shouldn’t you be more familiar with the orchards?” He quizzed me. He had strawberry blonde hair- not a common natural hair colour even in the city of fire- and light blue eyes. Of course he was one of the more modest teens and had physique that suggested he was either a labour worker like most scorches or an apprentice to a mage, the most likely one would be a labour worker in the city due to the fact he was unfamiliar with the orchards. His messy bed hair was… odd compared to most scorches but not unmitigated, it goes down to the middle of his neck and is pushed back by a headband sporting the famous design in the city of fire, the flame.
I lower the heat temperature for my pies. “The last three times was when I was five and my father owned this cart.” I say running my hand along the edge of the blue steel. I resist the craving to pull my pants, it wasn’t professional, this whole situation as it is makes me feel uncomfortable in my grey and white uniform; it’s bland compared to his red attire. Nevertheless I was the only one who stood out compared to his vivid colour. The surrounding mob visiting the fire cities capitol orchards is a rainbow forced into a crowd showing off their own cities colour, everyone is so patriotic.
I brought my gaze back to the scorch; he managed to distract me again. His face is more redder then his headband as he shuffles his feet. He notices my fixed look and quickly looks away repeating this process and straightens his back while talking fast, “There’s no reason for you to tell me of your-uh, sad past. I don’t want to bring any sad memories. I can guess by myself how hard it is having no parents because I never had any, well, I know I had to have some but they weren’t there. Oh no, it’s no reason to look so shocked, I’m fine. “He looks at his feet and mumbles, “I hope your father is proud in fairms watching over you and proud that you started working at 18-”
“I’m sixteen.” I correct him, and even if he was dead he wouldn’t be in your heaven.
He nods and the side of his face, I notice a ring on his right hand, it was as strange as the color of his hair. The ring had flames yes, but it also had a different cities emblem, the city of-
“Aren’t you a bit too young to travel without parents?” I flinch and answer yes before thinking of what he asked. He takes in a sharp breath, “Crap, I’m sorry. I forgot you don’t have parents, it wasn’t that I was being ignorant I was just curious. Ah crap I shouldn’t have started with the small talk, I’m sorry I am such a phoenix a-”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” I say waving my hands in front me; you’re more honest than anything. “Both of my parents are alive, the family business was handed down to me.”
