A Thieve's Family

Chapter 2

Today was a really stressful, very bad, no good day. We were working a rush hour scenario at the culinary school today and one of my fellow students nearly fucked up a sauce and ruined the dish. We managed to pull it off, but it was really close. Also why was the sugar so close next to the salt? What are we? Amateurs? And my little heist was found out. But dear Marilyn didn't think some random civilian could have pulled that off. No no. Instead she went off at the other families! I nearly laughed out loud, when I saw these headlines. Oh Marilyn, you make this all so easy for me. But now everyone is worried a fight might break out, which would be bad, because with their armies of "soldiers" and their artillery, the families could burn this whole city to the ground. I just hope they don't find out it was me, but instead point fingers at each other, until I die.

Ugh working rush hour and all this drama has me sore and tired, I'm going to go home shower, get some leftovers from the fridge and go over to Agnes'. Maybe she made cookies? Agnes' cookies are the best in the world, but whenever I ask for the recipe she just says, that it wouldn't be special anymore if I could just make them every day. And I suppose she's right, but still, you know? Once at home I shower and get out of my chef's uniform and into my usual jeans and shirt with a dark blue fleece jacket instead of the hoodie jacket from yesterday. I take out the plastic box with leftover chicken and rice, warm it up in the microwave and fill a bottle with water. Ok ready to go. I put everything in my book bag, alongside the books I borrowed yesterday and make my way to the library. Everyone on the streets seems more tense than normally due to the accusations thrown around by the families. People are starting to get nervous and are waiting for a fight to break out. Oh well. A little tension and aggression was to be expected. The people leading the families are businesspeople after all and those people do not mess around.

I safely arrive at the library and make my way over to Agnes. "Hey Agnes. How are you on this totally fine and definitely not stressful day?" the irony is dripping from every word I speak. "Noelle! Oh good, you're safe. The families are at it again, I'm worried this time they will really start a fight. Please promise me you will try to be as safe as possible." Wow. She sounds really worried. That makes me nervous. "Yes, of course. How would I stand out anyway?" "It's not that you would stand out, it's just that you might at the wrong place at the wrong time. So please. Promise me." "Ok. I will try to be as safe as possible. This has you really shaken up, hasn't it?" Agnes looks at me, worry clouding her eyes. "Yes, maybe a little bit. But anyway how was your day at school?" she seems to shake off her distress, but I know better. This is going to be on her mind for a while. I decide to try and get her mind off of a possible war between families. "Well, we had a rush-hour scenario today and this one guy, Michael I think, nearly put sugar into a savoury sauce, but I could stop him just in time, before he put in the sugar. I mean, yeah we sometimes put in sugar to cut the acidity of, say a tomato sauce or to balance it out, when we put in a bit too much lemon or lime juice, but he was about put it into a brown sauce and they already have enough sugar in them." Agnes laughs at how riled up I sound. "Well, it sounds like you had quite the day. I'll make some cookies for you tomorrow." Yeeeeeesss. Please, it has been so long since I saw my love." Agnes laughs again "Well then I have to make them again."

Suddenly Agnes looks at me weirdly serious: "Noelle. I think you should try and make some friends." What? "Now I know, that it is not your thing or something like that, but I just don't want you to be alone all your life. At least try to learn your co-students' names? Please?" "... Ok. Agnes ... I ... understand where you're coming from, but you're right, friends aren't exactly my 'thing'." As soon as I say that, she looks at me dejectedly. Oh, come on. "But ... I suppose I could try." Agnes looks up, hope filling her eyes. "I suppose, that's all I can ask for."

I nod at that and leave for my usual spot between the book shelves by the cook books. Claiming the table, by putting my stuff there and spreading it out a bit, I start pulling out random books of the shelves and flip them open to equally random recipes. My notebook is already open and I start writing down the recipes in my own words, one of the first things you learn at culinary school, to help you understand the recipe better. After 15 to 20 minutes, I am halfway through a recipe for French Onion Soup, when another person enters my section.

The thing is, normally no one else comes to this part of the library, everyone just looks up the recipes online, so this newcomer is weird. I look up from my work for just a moment. Male body type, about my age, jeans, wine red hoodie, white sneakers, black backpack, relaxed stature with their head in the neck looking around curiously, like ... like they've never seen a library before. This person is definitely not a threat. Good. I can just mind my own business or -. I remember Agnes' words. I could, but -. Damnit Agnes.

"Um. Can I help you?" The person around surprised. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there. Uh ... I don't know? Maybe. I mean I've never really been to a public library before." "Ok. Well, what are you looking for?" They look at me surprised, like they didn't expect me to actually try and help them. Believe me buddy, I didn't expect it either. "What am I looking for? Well anything and everything I suppose." "Oh, then you can start here with the cook books, if you'd like." "Huh. I think I would like that." Come on Noelle, you can do this. "I'm Noelle by the way. She/Her pronouns."

The stranger looks at me, surprised and then a bit wary. "Can ... can I trust you Noelle?" Trust me? "With what?" "With my name. Can you promise me not to tell anyone about this?" Uh that's weird. And suspicious. You're trying to make a friend Noelle, trust is a part of that, ... I think. "Uh, sure? Ok, I can do that." They look ... relieved almost and pull back their hood.

"Hi, my name is Micah Leoran. He/Him pronouns and I hope we can still be friends." And he puts his hand forward for a handshake.