One-Shots

The New Apprentice

The bell above the door of a cafe jingled as it was swept opened. In stepped an short old lady hunched over wearing a bonnet and a teenager wearing a simple blue dress with an apron. A man looked up from the counter he stood behind at the sound. He looked to be in his twenties with rich brown hair swept to the side from his face.

"Hello Richard." The old lady greeted.

"Hello Eda and who is this?" His eyes twinkled with curiosity.

The teenager fidgeted uncomfortably at his gaze. She looked down at the old lady to help ignore him.

"Oh, this is Amy. I've taken her under my wing as my apprentice." Eda explained.

Richard's eyebrows went up slightly at the new information. Wondering why a girl of her age was here instead of school when it was spring still. His mouth parted to question the matter more before quickly shutting it knowing it not to be his place to ask.

"What would you two ladies like to have?" He said instead.

"Oh you flatter me Richard." Eda chuckled. "We will have some of your finest Apple pie with ice cream.

She gazed at the girl for approval and she simply nodded. She then gestured at the girl to follow her. As they passed Richard the girl never looked up once to gaze at this stranger's face, but had her head down the entire time.

Richard watched the girl walk in uncertainly until they sat. Then remembering his job he quickly went to work.

At the table Eda stared worriedly at the girl across from her knowing of her past.

"Amy." She said softly. "Why don't you try talking to him. He won't bite."

The girl flinched at the words. She turned her gaze up slightly to see the worried face of her mentor. As much as she hated the thought, she still gave a nod so small you wouldn't have noticed unless you were watching her closely. Relief washed over the old lady's face and gave a small smile at the girl knowing how much courage that took.

Richard soon came over to their table holding two steaming plates of Apple pie with vanilla ice cream on the side that was already starting to melt.

"Here you go you two." He placed each plate in front of them. "Enjoy."

He smiled at the two of them.

"Thank you." Amy whispered.

Richard flinched slightly at those words. They were small yet beautiful. They sounded so clear, but there was some hidden darkness buried within them.

"You're welcome." Richard replied.

The bell above the door jingled and he turned his attention towards it.

"Hey Fitz." His voice had lost all it's formality. "What do you want?"

The boy that walked in was a teenager with a band aid on his cheek and spiky, untameable red hair. His eyes shined with mischief.

"Hey Richard. So, um, I would like some pizza, a smoothie, and a salad. Oh yeah! And some apple pie." He listed off.

"Can you pay for all that?" Richard asked.

"Just put it on my tab." Fitz grinned.

Richard shock his head and sighed at the boy.

Fitz then noticed something behind Richard and his face perked up.

"Hey! It's Amy!" Fitz greeted.

The girl's body flinched at the sudden direction of conversation towards her. Richard looked surprised that Fitz could have possibly gotten the girl to speak to him.

"Have you been practicing what I've taught you?" He questioned.

The girl nodded and Fitz's smile grew bigger. Eda sat with a pleasant smile on her due to the fact that the girl was actually communicating with him.

"We should definitely hang out again soon now that you've started to improve your skills." Fitz decided.

Richard was at a lost from the conversation and felt slightly hurt. Him who have gotten many girls to fall for him could barley get a response from this girl. Yet here was Fitz talking to her like they were old friends.

"So how was school today Fitz?" Richard interrupted.

"Same old, same old." He shrugged. "Can't wait to graduate so I can work on the farm full time."

Fitz turned his attention back to Amy.

"If you ever want to see some animals you can come visit us anytime. We have a lot more than Eda." Fitz invited.

The aura around the girl suddenly changed. She slowly turned her head around to Fitz and looked up at him with hopeful eyes. They were eyes of a child and were a memorizing blue. They captivated the two boys.

"R-r-really?" She stuttered.

Her brown hair framed her face perfectly and she looked beautiful in that moment.

"Y-yeah!' Fitz blushed.

He scratched the back of his head unsure on how to handle the change in her personality. Richard stood frozen in his place at the dramatic change in her.

Amy smiled a radiate smile and turned excitedly back towards Eda. The old lady was pleased with this change in her.

"When you have a break you can go visit. Though right now you better eat your ice cream before it melts." Eda directed.

The teenager suddenly remembered the food in front of her and quickly grabbed the fork in front of her. She ate quickly trying to beat the melting of her ice cream.

Richard smiled at the girl. She was just like a child to him.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting my food?" Fitz reminded.

Richard's eyes widened slightly before quickly heading to the kitchen. Fitz walked over the the pair's table and sat down in between them. Amy payed no mind to his presence and continued to enjoy the food she was given.