“I guess I don’t have another choice.” He deflated, letting his arms hang and hissing at the sudden movement. It seemed like the pain in his shoulder wasn’t completely gone. Dominic checked his watch and mumbled something to himself. “I have to leave now to make it in time.”
“Okay.” Allie nodded.
“There’s a flour delivery coming in about twenty minutes. It’s already paid for. If you’re busy when it gets here, tell John to leave it on a table.”
“Got it.”
Dominic looked her over, as if reconsidering his plans, but he ended up picking up the car keys and heading out of the bakery.
Allie spent some time wiping tables and rearranging the goods in the display case. She noticed one too many lemon-flavored macarons lying on the tray in the kitchen and popped one into her mouth. A few customers came and went, all of them pinning her with hostile looks in exchange for their orders. But she smiled and served them, understanding that their prejudice was based on what Mia had mentioned.
She liked Mia. The Archivist had been the only person to treat her with kindness. Allie didn’t dare hope to make friends, but she would like to spend more time with Mia while she was in Sycamore Falls. Could she ask her to have tea or coffee together?
Hm.
After twenty minutes on the dot, a middle-aged man with thick, round glasses and a red puffer jacket entered the bakerywith a box in his arms. Allie had three customers in line then, so she followed her boss’s orders.
“Hello! Please leave the box on the table there.” She pointed to the one closest to the window. The man nodded and did just that, then bid her goodbye and walked out.
See? She got this. She could cover for her boss for a couple of hours whenever he needed. Her pride inflated to the size of a hot air balloon.
When the last customer left, Allie wiped her hands on her apron and went around the counter to pick up the box and take it to the storage room.
The box moved.
Allie stopped in her tracks, gluing her eyes to the package to check if she had hallucinations. She really should spend her nights sleeping rather than overthinking magic practice.
The box moved again.
Right then, the bell at the door rang, and a young man with bright brown eyes and a clean shave came in, a box in his hands.
“Hi there,” he said in a chirpy voice. “I’m John, I’m looking for Dominic.”
“The…flour delivery?” Allie asked, feeling her heart climb into her throat. The boy nodded. “I’ll take that, thanks.” He placed the package in Allie’s hands and left quietly.
Allie dropped it on the nearest table and turned to the moving box. It shook again, and a chittering sound came from it. She hurried to it and opened the lid without checking the label, thinking there wassomethingin there looking for air.
A creature jumped on her, claws and wings digging into her sweater.
“Whoa, whoa.” She grasped the thing with both hands around its belly and brought it to eye level.
A purple baby dragon stared back at her with wide, curious eyes.
“Hello.” She hadn’t seen one in so many years, since the time her mom took her to see street performers in a bigger village close to Pearls Fields. The dragon fluttered its tiny wings in response, not fighting to get away from Allie’s grip.
“Let’s see who you are.” Allie wanted to put the baby dragon back inside the box to check the label, but as soon as she set it down, it flew up and perched on her shoulder. The dragon was the size of a cantaloupe, so it couldn’t have been older than ten years.
Allie fumbled with the box and found a paper inside. She took it out to read it and noticed the dragon leaned forward, as if wanting to read it too. The document had just a few details about its…contents.
Name: -
Age: 7 years
Type: Male
Breed: Tree dragon
Color: Purple
