Empêchement

No pressure

"It's usually because something bad is going to happen." Cinders words echoed in my head.

I was laying on my bed and had been for about two hours.

What does that mean? Does it mean something bad is going to happen to me? Maybe to someone I love? How did Cinder even know this anyway? If Cinder had to go to authorities to see if I can go, does that mean that those authorities knew too?

I was going to drive myself crazy with these thoughts, and it became apparent that Cinder wasn't going to tell me what was going on the moment she walked away after she had said that.

Thanks, Cinder. I thought sarcastically.

The second generation had gotten back about an hour ago. The intercom went off, and Nathan asked us to return to the gym. I elected to ignore him, so now I was late, and all the good jobs had probably been taken. Hopefully, Season held onto something for me.

I really need to get up. I thought. I'd been partially glowering about Cinders comment and partially avoiding anyone in the second generation by staying in, but I needed to go find a job for my time in France. Taking a deep breath, I got up and shuffled down the halls, keeping my eyes glued to the floor in front of me. I was surprised that no one tried to talk to me. They probably interrogated Andrew a while ago.

I pushed the door to the gym open.

"It's about time you got yer lazy arse in here!" Nathan yelled. I noticed that his accent got thicker when he was angry.

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again." I attempted to reassure him.

"I call shenanigans! You've always been a slacker, and you're not 'bout ta stop!"

Call it what you want, I thought, it doesn't make you any less of a jerk. I approached the table that was set up against the wall furthest from the door.

"Are these all the jobs that are left?" I asked the second-generation boy who stood behind the table.

He nodded at me his floppy hair bouncing as he did. He was kind of cute. "I'd suggest this one for you." He lifted up a piece of old paper.

Female tailor WANTED

I squinted at it. "Not much of a clothes person, to be honest." I said dismissing the page to look for my own "Thanks, though." I added

I found one that looked interesting when he shoved another page in my face. "This one is for a baker. You know, cakes and stuff. Don't girls enjoy baking?"

I clenched my jaw. "Did you know that baking used to be an all men's profession, a long time ago?" I asked.

"What?" He asked me. "No way."

I nodded, "There really is. Kneading dough all day gave a person muscle. Men were afraid that women would become too strong, so the men did it instead." I don't know how much of that was complete crap, but it seemed logical.

The boy in front of me seemed less cocky now as he stared at the page he had just tried to hand to me.

Satisfied, I lifted up the parchment that I had thought was interesting earlier. "This is a second secretary for d'Etoiles in his business," I mumbled to myself. "Why hasn't anyone taken this yet?"

I looked around the table again. A few bakers of popular bread and pastry shops, a tailor and a scullery maid. Nothing else looked better, so I decided that I'd take it.

"Nathan, I found one," I said handing him the paper.

"Eh?" he squinted at it. "Fine. At least you were quick 'bout it. Sabrina has yet to pay a visit. Go get her will ya?"