The Lion Tamer

Chapter 2

The alarm rang at 8 o'clock, waking the girls from the peaceful slumber they had been in. Kyra had never had a sleep as good as that. She was reluctant to get out of bed, but she knew she needed to get ready and hopefully she would have a job at the diner by noon. They were supposed to meet Erza for the interview at 11 and Kyra wanted to make a good impression. She quickly got up and went to the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth. Kyra knew it wouldn't take her near as long to get ready as Lucy would need so she decided to do a quick workout before the day began. She normally got up earlier to workout, but she had felt like sleeping in a little. She did her morning routine of a warm-up then core and leg exercises. Then she got a quick shower.

Once she was finished in the bathroom, she dressed and did her hair and makeup. It had been a while since she last wore makeup and decided to go with an easy and natural look. She had never liked the feeling of foundation coating her skin, so she applied some simple eyeliner and mascara. To finish it off she placed some chapstick on her lips.

Once she was ready, she observed herself in the mirror. Her brown hair was naturally wavy and her hazel eyes seemed brighter and fiercer than ever. The outfit Lucy had laid out for her last night, was a simple black skirt and white blouse. To go with it, Kyra picked out some black flats and her signature black leather jacket. She loved her jacket; it was her favorite possession. Just looking at the jacket made her remember the night she had received it.

When she was just 18, she was standing outside in the middle of winter with no jacket all. Then suddenly a boy that looked around her age stopped and asked if she had a jacket. She had told him no and that she didn't have the money to buy one either, so the boy removed his jacket and gave it to her. The leather jacket was big, but it was warm and smelled like him.

She immediately tried to give it back. She may steal to make a living, but she only stole what she needed and what she was told to steal. Her one boundary was clothing. She had never and would never steal another person's clothing. It felt wrong, even to her. The boy refused and simply said that she needed it more and left without another word. She tried to look for him for the next couple of days so she could thank him, but with the dim street lights, she didn't get a good look at his face. He didn't even tell her his name. She never saw that boy again.

Snapping back to reality, Kyra checked over her outfit one last time before leaving her room to go to the kitchen. As she waited for Lucy, she made some omelets and hash browns. After a few moments Lucy joined her and the two girls ate in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Once they were both finished eating, they cleaned and put everything away. By this time, it was a quarter till 11 and they decided to leave and head towards the diner.

"Kyra, are you excited for your first day at work? I know I was really nervous my first day, but I know you will be fine." Lucy reassured her, with a soft and warm smile. She could tell Kyra was at least a little nervous. They may not have known each other for long, but they already knew each other well enough to pick up on body language. Lucy had noticed that when Kyra was nervous or thinking hard on something, she would bite her lip or play with her hands. She did it unconsciously, but if she noticed, she immediately stopped.

Kyra looked at her friend and replied, "I want this job, but I also want to tell Erza my story. It's not fair for her to hire me with the record I have. I'd rather her hear it from me and know exactly who she's letting into her diner instead of hearing it from one of the gang members when they finally show up." Lucy seemed think on this. She wondered how Erza would react. Will she be understanding and take pity on the girl? Will she turn her away? Lucy didn't know, but she had faith that Erza would be understanding and give Kyra a chance. "I don't think you have anything to be worried about honey. Erza is a kind woman, she will understand."

A few moments later the pair walked through the doors of the diner. It smelled like heaven. Even though she just ate, Kyra's mouth started to water. Whoever the cook was, they were doing an amazing job. Lucy lead Kyra into the back office to wait for Erza while she got to work waiting on the tables out front. Kyra was so lucky to have met such a kind hearted woman. She owed her big time. She just hoped Erza would give her a chance to pay Lucy back.

Kyra didn't have to wait long before the red headed woman walked into the office and sat down behind the wooden desk. The woman was wearing a blue skirt and a white button up blouse and black combat boots. She was young, maybe 25, just a few years older than Kyra. She looked serious and Kyra could feel her muscles tense with nervousness. Erza then held out her hand to shake and said, "So you must be Kyra. Lucy has told me a little about your situation and how you would like to get a job here at my diner." Kyra swallowed down her nerves and replied with a smooth voice, "Yes, I would very much like to be a service to you here, and I know I can do a good job too. I have experience with dealing with people and I know how to cook to. I have never worked in a diner before, but I would like a chance to try." She seemed confident and Erza liked that. "I will give you a chance and we can call it a trial period. For the next two weeks you will be trained by and on the same shift as Lucy. I want you to start today. Can you do that?"

Now that Erza had offered the job, Kyra knew now was the time to tell her. "I can start right now, but I would like to tell you a little more about my situation. I would feel horrible if I kept it a secret and you would find out later on down the road from someone else." With that Kyra retold her line just like she had done with Lucy. At times, Erza looked shocked and apprehensive, others, she looked close to tears. When Kyra was finished with her life story, Erza said, "I understand you have made mistakes due to your circumstances and if Lucy trust you enough to be her new roommate, then I trust you enough to work at my diner. I used to be into similar trouble like that when I was a teenager as well, though not as deep as all that, I would still love to have you be part of our team. Though I must warn you, if I ever found out you relapsed into your old thieving habits, I will fire you right away. I can't have that associated with the diner."

Kyra's face lit up with joy and she released a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I promise you I will be on my best behavior. I've left that life behind and now I just want to make a better one for myself. I will make you proud." Erza looked at the girl and smiled. "I know you will. Now go out front and tell Lucy to get you an apron and show you where everything is. Your training starts now."

Kyra quickly thanked her again, then went to Lucy to tell her the good news. The blond was ecstatic, she jumped up and down and smiled brightly. "Yay, I'm so happy! You know tomorrow is the opening act of the circus.... We should go to celebrate you new life her in Fairview. Plus, you might get the chance to see the hot mysterious guy again." Kyra really wanted to go, but she didn't want to see the guy again. She made a big enough fool of herself the last time, and she didn't want to make it worse. But Lucy seemed so excited about it. Kyra could feel herself giving in and eventually said, "Sounds like a great idea. We will go tomorrow after our shift."

After Kyra agreed to Lucy's plan, the two got started on Kyra's training. It was a fairly simple job and Kyra was happy to help. Though sometimes an annoying customer would try to talk to her and her face went back to its neutral expression that it was used to. She didn't have the best people skills, but she was learning. After so many years on the streets, a person gets good at reading people. Kyra put her skills to work and satisfied every customer, she was a natural. Lucy was proud to see her new friend learn so quickly and was soon able to let her do everything herself.

This went on till 8 o'clock. The girls' shift finally ended and they headed back to their apartment. Kyra was so happy to actually have a real, respectable, job. She thanked Lucy multiple times for the opportunity and for everything. It's hard for her think she only just met this girl yesterday, and she had already changed her life for the better. Lucy was such a kind hearted person, allowing a stranger, a thief at that, into her home and trusting herself with them. Kyra was determined to make sure she didn't take that trust for granted.