The Goldice Legacy

A Bustling Morning

I stood on the curb waiting for the city bus to the therapist appointment I knew I was late for. After dropping me off at the dusty street corner my grandmother had driven off to run her monday errands. I was in the busier part of town, all I can hear are the beeps and revs of cars. There was no way for me to contact my Grandmother, because I, the smartest person in the world, forgot to charge my phone. It wasn't really my fault. My Grandmother pushed the fact of therapy on me pretty quickly.
She said, "Jasper, you are an exceptional girl, I'm not letting small hiccups ruin everything."
My problem was a minor one. Just a few night terrors now and then ya know? Just enough to make a fourteen year old feel unsafe in her own mind. The therapist was supposed to mark it as either stress or PTSD but from what? My grandmother never really trusted people who could figure out more about you than you could. Nevertheless she made an appointment with the best, and only therapist in Clarkston. (That would technically make him the worst, too)
But it probably wouldn't help if I was late to the appointment. I look down the dusty street once more and start to head to nearest building to look for a phone.
It was the middle of summer and in Clarkston there isn't much but heat waves, dust, and bad food. I was dying from the heat, even in my skirt and sandals. I only had enough money to buy a ticket to the office and back. So unless there was a payphone around this corner I was stranded until Grandmother came to pick me up in three hours.
I walked until a large gray block of a building came into view. The side i could see was covered in vines climbing the sides in intricate patterns, almost like it was on purpose. As I got closer I heard music coming from the inside. I was just wondering whether it would be rude to just barge in much ask for a phone before i realized how much of a idiotic choice that was. I knew so much better than to walk into a building that i knew nothing about, and there were so many stores and houses down the street that seemed much safer. I headed that way instead. Walking towards the storefronts i could see there were a lot of people standing outside a particular building.
I knew the building to be the office of a botanist by the name of Goldice who was not widely liked in Clarkston. He and his wife were known to give very...different sights of things. His wife, being an astrologist and all, was already looked down upon because she used stars and other celestial bodies to "tell the future." My Grandmother taught me better than to rely on anything to help me through life other than myself (which completely goes against the whole "therapist" thing). So naturally I was with the majority on this one, the Goldices were crazy.
The crowd outside seemed to be trying to get inside the store. The sign out front said closed. Instead of paying attention to what I should've been doing (looking for a phone) I watched the mob, from a distance of course, because who could resist the pull of chaos. I could see that there were signs that looked to be just hung.
"We have elixirs that possess powers you cannot understand"
There were about six adults and two children standing in front of the store. They were all yelling at this girl that looked semi-familiar. She had dark elbow length hair that hung in twisted knots and ringlets. Her brown eyes were shadowed by her bangs and horn-rimmed glasses. She was small and pixie-like with her frail looking arms, yet she was holding off a crowd of six thirty year-olds.
As I slowly stepped forward I saw why I recognized her. She was the little sister of Marice Chance, a pretty well known girl in my school. Marice wasn't exactly a mean-girl per say, but she was very serious about who she hung out with. She would push anyone away to stay on top. That included her sister. The only thing I knew of her sister was that she was in at least two of my classes, and she was extremely boring. She never tried to stand out at all.
I was pretty lost in thought, but I was still walking. As soon as I zoned back in I realized i had been staring at whatever-her-name-is. The adults were now resorting to trying to talk to her.
"Um... Can I help you?"
Even her voice was average. No wonder I never took any interest in her.
"I was just... Why are you standing in front of the Goldice's place?"
At that she crossed her arms in a stance that made her look exactly like her sister.
"I doubt you have any reason to judge a stranger who you haven't seen in your life."
She was now pressing her back against the door, arms still crossed and not even slightly acknowledging anything outside of her range of sight.
"Your Marice's little sister, and you should probably see that you have no business holding adults away from a public store."
A now the people have started to realize that this girl isn't gonna budge. When the last of them left she glared my way and walked into the store. Now, I am usually a very patient person, until it comes to ignorance and complete stupidity I will always be the justice.
I followed her into the store and immediately tons of different smells hit me. All were herbal. Mint, Lemon thyme, Rosemary. It just proved my insanity, lately I have been having horrible headaches, and my mind has been making me feel that everything was just the slightest bit overwhelming.
I look through the store's and it many isles and I see her behind the counter, taking things from the shelf.
"Hey!" I run towards counter and reach over and hold her arms down, "You probably shouldn't steal from a store that you were just seen holding people out of! Actually, you shouldn't steal from stores at all."
She broke from my hold and turned to face me.
" Can't you read! The sign says closed!"
" I'm not the one stealing from a freaking botanist!"
"I work here!"
At that moment i chose to finally take in the situation. She was wearing a green and white uniform that said "The Goldice Botanist". And she had a cloth in one hand and some kind of bottle in the other.
"Oh," Yeah that was a great reply, just making things more awkward, don't mind me.
She sent a worried look towards the stairs behind her.
" You need to leave. Now."
I turned and started walking out the door, my face burning as if it were on fire. But then i realized why I had been walking towards the stores in the first place. I turned and walked back to the counter. Every step I took marked more frustration building in her.
"Do you have a phone I can use," I took a look at her nametag, "Angelica."
She seemed to have lost every bit of patience she had left.
"Yes, And it's An-hel-ica. Hell, as in the gates of hell will open beneath you if you don't hurry."
She, Angelica, pushed an old cord phone to me from across the counter. All the while staying collected as if I hadn't just pinned her down in a store and screamed at her.
On the call with Grandma she pointed out three times that I should've checked the time of the busses, I should've charged my phone, I should've worn more "acceptable clothing." i have no idea what that had to do with me being late but for some reason it made sense when she said it.
"Where are you calling me from anyways?" she said with an annoyed tint in her voice.
I tried to come up with some kind of excuse of why I chose the place she hated most, other than the fact that I'm just extensively stubborn.
"Um... I was walking through town, and uh... The Goldice's was the one place that was open," I looked to my left where Angelica was. She didn't seem too happy.
"More like the one place that wasn't open," She whispered under her breath.
I took a look at a clock on the wall, trying to see how much time I had been outside for.
"Do you hear me? Jasper Canterwall!" Grandma's scolding and heated voice rang in my ear, "I'm comin to pick you up right away. Don't say anything to the Goldice's except 'Thank You'"
I heard the phone bang on the receiver and I flinched, and hung up the phone. Taking one last, smirking look at me, Angelica took the phone and went up the stairs behind the counter.