The Line We Cross || Kacchako

Flashback 1

June 2

On her first day at Honeydukes, Uraraka was already having the worst day of her life. She had woken up with an extreme headache and with a runny nose. When she got to the store early in the morning, she had the pleasure to meet the very unfriendly owner telling her she was already late. She had made sure to leave her house at least fifteen minutes early but apparently she was not early enough. She counted the money is the cash register and put on the terrible uniform and opened the store. Her coworkers were very nice to her and helped her a lot for her first day but she could still feel the piercing eyes of the owner behind her back whenever she was making a mistake.

When came time to take her break half an hour after noon, she went back home to make herself a sandwich and take some medicine for her slight cold. She didn't like to be sick on her first day but she didn't have a choice. However, when she came back after her quick lunch, she wished she had stayed at home. The moment she stepped into the store, she was met by an angry owner telling her she shouldn't stayed in case the other workers needed her help. Uraraka had never worked retail before so everything was foreign to her. She had worked in the shop where her mum worked but she had never interacted with customers before. She stayed silent with tears in her eyes while the owner screamed at her in front of the customers and an handful of the employees. She walked back behind the counter with her head down holding back her tears and smiled like nothing had happened. Some of her coworkers reassured her that he was never like that and it must've been the stress which reassured her. It was not a day to be remembered.

Once her shift was over, she went back home to take a quick shower before having to go to her other job. She made an effort not to cry in the shower to have to deal with red and puffy eyes. As she was about to make herself a quick cup of tea, she looked at the clock and realized she only had five minutes before her shift was starting. Before even taking the time to grab anything of values before her shift, she flooed to the shop and ran through the door like a tornado was chasing her.

'Good grace, what kind of dark wizard is chasing you, dear?' asked an older woman looking at Uraraka like the end of the world was happening.

By the looks of the older woman, Uraraka could only assume it was Madama Malkin. The woman standing behind the counter was wearing a very elegant but simple lavender robe and her hair was greying in a very natural way that Uraraka only hoped she would as well eventually. Before Uraraka even had the time to come up with an excuse, she bowed in front of the woman very aggressively.

'I apologize for my tardiness, I promise on my own head that it will never happen again.' she said a bit too loud that she could feel all colours rise to her face. 

Too embarrassed to look up, she stayed bent in half until her heard the other women giggle. Uraraka straighten up like a lighting bolt only to witness Madame Malkin laugh with such grace that it almost looked fake.

Is she making fun of me? asked Uraraka to herself and she felt very conscious of herself in front of the other woman.

'You don't have to be so dense in front of me, darling. I'm not going to bite you.' Madam Malkin reply walking around the counter to meet Uraraka. 'And you are still early to your shift. Go make yourself a cup of tea in my office.' she continued placing a delicate hand on Uraraka's back.

Uraraka didn't know if this was real or an hallucination created by the medicine she had taken earlier. The two walked to a small office space with a very overflowing desk, and a counter and old fashion stove in the other corner of the room. Madam Malkin accioed the tea bags to Uraraka before looking the girl closer.

'You look very pale. Are you sick, child?' asked the woman placing on a hand on her forehead. 'You're quite hot. You should sit down while I make the tea for you.' she directed Uraraka to a single chair next to her desk before summoning the kettle on the stove and heating the water. Uraraka seemed to be in a trance. The kindness of he woman was very soothing and unfamiliar compare to what she had endured in the previous hours.

'How do you take your tea, dear?' she asked Uraraka which seemed to have forgotten how to talk.

'Eum... One milk and two sugar, please.' she replied and Madam Malkin smiled. 'What's so funny?'

'No reason in particular.' she continued to smile kindly and gave Uraraka her tea. 'I'll be arranging the clothes on the displays if you need me.' she continued before leaving Uraraka by herself in her office.

Uraraka stared at her cup of tea before looking back at the door the woman had just left from. She took a sip and felt her eyes rolled in the back of her head from pleasure. 

Either that woman was trying to poison Uraraka or she had truly made the best tea Uraraka had ever tasted in her life. By the taste of it, Uraraka didn't even care because she couldn't stop drinking the damn thing.

-

An hour into her shift, Uraraka had never felt this confident in her job. She followed Madam Malkin around the store and was drinking her every words about the register, the bills, the back room and other miscellaneous tips to work around the store. By the time Madam Malkin was introducing the orders in he back and how to order clothes for customers, Uraraka already felt like she would enjoy working here. Madam Malkin was a very kind and attentive women which soothed Uraraka's worries and anxiety.

'I'll leave you at the register for now. I'll be in my office if you need me.' finished Madam Malkin before walking to her office, leaving the door slightly open. 

Uraraka turned her back to Madame Malkin's office and took a deep breathe. So far, all she could think of this woman was she was the reincarnation of God. With the day she had had, nothing could compare to the comfort and support that woman had given her in the little time she had spent with her. The store was fairly empty and Uraraka served about two customers before she was finally by herself. She still had four hours to her shift and she was already bored. She swept the floor and cleaned the shelves behind the counter before finally realizing that she truly had nothing to do anymore. It was perhaps a good thing compared to the stress she had endured at Honeydukes. She took a mental note to ask Madame Malkin if she could bring a book for her next shift. 

She decided to walk around the store and look at the clothes on the displays and the shelves. The clothes were of very good quality and the prices were fairly higher than what Uraraka could afford. She liked to run her fingers on the soft materials and look at all the prices. 

Curious, she looked around to find the most expensive piece of clothing in the store and found a beautiful golden dress hidden in the corner of the store. Uraraka felt incredibly embarrassed just by looking at the price tag. This item alone could've help her family to stay afloat for at least two months. She wanted to put it back on the rack by fear of ruining the dress but couldn't seem to let go of it. The dress was so elegant and luxurious, Uraraka could only dream of wearing it. The dress seemed a bit too tight for her larger hips and dipped a bit too low in the front and on the back but the dress was still beautiful.

She looked to her left and noticed a large mirror on the wall. She placed the dress in front of her figure and smiled. Under the light of the sun, the dress was sparkling like a big diamond. She imaged herself wearing expensive hearings, flawless makeup and maybe her hair pinned up with some curly strands falling like all the big movie stars on the television. The mental image was enough to make herself smile even more. She only wished that could maybe happen to her one day. 

She finally came back to reality when she heard the front door bell ring. She quickly placed back the dress on the rack and ran behind the counter, the smile still on her lips. Uraraka looked up and finally noticed a beautiful blonde woman on the front carpet. The woman looked oddly familiar.

'Hello.' said Uraraka shyly with her hands behind her back.

The woman looked at Uraraka and smiled as well. As soon as Uraraka looked at the woman, Uraraka couldn't look away from the woman's deek red pupils looking straight at her.

What an unusual eye colour, Uraraka thought before everything clicked in her mind.

Cutting the chapter in half because its becoming waaaay too long lmao. And hey, i'm back from exam week and i am DYING. but i'm glad to be back :) don't forget to drop a like thank you!