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[color=#baa7cc]
Location: Al’s Chicken Joint 
Time: Afternoon (2-3 pm) [/color]
[hr]

Skylar’s movements were mechanical and routine. 

Fingers curled about the frying basket’s handle, gently his wrist lifted it up then gave it a few good shakes. The fries inside gave a rustle at his gesture before he dumped them. Each little cut potato piece landed within a cardboard holder, neatly thanks to the metal funnel. He set that aside as he salted the fries. He paused long enough to gave a shout back they were ready to serve. Already he was moving onto deep frying another batch. He pulled out the frozen bag, sliced it open then poured a quarter of the bag in. He submerged the frozen fries under the piping hot oil as he finished up by wiping his hand on his apron. Finally, he reached for the timer and gave it a sharp click to set it, placing it on the counter next to the fry station. 

He stepped away from the blistering heat and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. Considering taking his break now, someone interrupted his thoughts by calling his name. 

“Skylar! Over here. Baby, can I talk to you?”

Instinctively he jerked around to find a borderline emaciated woman waving her arms in the air for him. She stood at the back of the growing line, smiling when he looked her way and increasing her antics. Ripely Reed appeared to be in her late thirties, her disheveled black hair graced with lighter red highlights. She had more striking blue eyes than him.  

Skylar’s heart dropped into his stomach as he commented to Tom Skitters on his way toward the service counter,[color=#baa7cc] “I’m going on break, can you cover the fry station?”[/color]  

“Uh… sure. You owe me though,” the middle-aged man agreed, shifting his large frame over. 

Skylar ignored Tom’s furtive glances over at the woman still trying to get attention. He just mentally groaned in his mind on his route past the counter, his right arm reached to tug his mother alongside him. They came to a stop at the second exit in the restaurant when Skylar turned to face her. Her expression twisted into confusion over his behavior causing her to reach up her hand, tenderly stroking his cheek. 

“Sweetheart, why are you upset with me? What do I do wrong?” She cooed softly, her words forced. 

Skylar let her touch him, but he didn’t feel it was sincere. In fact, he knew it wasn’t. She came here wanting something because the addiction worked her like a puppet on a string. It drove her into seeking out ways to feed her fixes, either by playing a doting mother or pleading victim. Both churned his stomach inside out. To confirm his suspicions, he spotted a few puncture marks had new bruises.  

He sighed then gently pulled her hand down from his face. His eyes took a moment to glance around and see if his manager was lurking, ready to reprimand him for slacking off. Callie Whetstone only stood at five foot and three inches, but her small frame and hazel eyes gave her impression of a lion when angered. Her long, wavy blond hair was tied into a neat ponytail. Like Skylar, she appeared to be fairly early in her twenties and filled with ambition for her life. How she wound up working at Al’s Chicken Joint baffled him.    

A faint feminine shout erupted over the ding of the kitchens. It sounded like Callie was chewing out the new guy for his incompetence in his training. Relieved she was distracted, he returned to the problem at hand: his mother. 

[color=#baa7cc] “I asked you to never to come to my workplace. How did you know my shift?”[/color] Skylar asked quietly. 

Ripley paused. Her arm recoiled and fell back to her side, shoving into the clean but stained hoodie pockets. She melted into confusion over her child’s behavior. 

“Sweetheart, I wanted to surprise you. I thought you would be happy to see me…,” She began, only to be interrupted by him. 

[color=#baa7cc] “Have you eaten today?”[/color] He knew the answer as she bowed her head, avoiding his gaze. 

“Well, you see… I haven’t gone grocery shopping because money’s been a little tight, you see. I was hoping,” she put her arms on Skylar’s chest as she continued, “could you give me a little cash to get by until payday? Please, baby. You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.” 

She bit her lip and hung on his next statement. He could easily see the silent plead for the cash to feed her addiction, the parasite squirming and wiggling underneath the vision of his mother. It was a common image in his nightmares. Not that he had them anymore since he learned to control the space in his head. 

Skylar just stood there. Silent and stone-like, staring at her shuffling figure. He inhaled then exhaled, mentally choosing his words carefully. 

[color=#baa7cc] “After I’m off work, we can order something to go. I’ll start making meals you can pick up before I leave for work.”[/color] 

“Skylar, honey, I need more than just… food,” she quickly added. 

[color=#baa7cc] “We’ll head to the convenient store afterward then.”[/color] 

His mother appeared to protest only to deflate. They both knew why she was here, and she failed to convince him otherwise. He might’ve loved her, but he was done playing her little games. 

Their conversation was interrupted when someone again called his name. This time the feminine voice held more authority and anger than his mother’s, drawing Skylar to look over his mom’s shoulder. Callie Whetstone’s figure frowned from as her long legs whipped around the counter, making a beeline toward him. Skylar quickly leaned over to kiss his mother’s greasy forehead then bid her a quiet goodbye. 

Swiftly he met his manager halfway, bracing for the thunder to come down. 

“Skylar, why are you taking your break now? You’re not even clocked out and you know business is steady right now,” Callie demanded, her voice low enough she didn’t disturb the customers. 

[color=#baa7cc] “I’m sorry, I had to deal with family issues.”[/color] 

“And you chose now to do that?” She belittled him, then gestured for him to follow her to the back. 

He walked in her wake without another word. His hand adjusted the visor decorated with the restaurant’s logo, a chicken’s outline in a bucket. When they reached a location where the cameras couldn’t watch them, Callie whirled on her right foot and began her assault. 

“Skylar, how long have you been working here?” 

[color=#baa7cc] “Nearly two years now.”[/color] 

“Good, you should know the ropes and I shouldn’t have to tell you what you did wrong,” Callie stated firmly, “Now go clock out, you’re done for the day.” 

[color=#baa7cc] “Wait, you just got upset at me for taking a break and you’re sending me home?”[/color] 

Bewilderment crossed over his features at this new turn of events. 

“Yes, you heard me. Consider this a lesson for being inconsiderate of others and don’t bother coming until around 10 tomorrow. Tom will be covering your day shift.” 

With that, Callie twisted about to return to the front leaving Skylar standing there in fuming silence. He shrugged it off, for now, moving toward the makeshift employee closet and retrieve his things. His grimoire fell out of his military jacket, one he got from his father, causing him to pause to pick it up. The sight of it gave him an idea for making Callie pay later. However, he needed to deal with his mother’s situation before he ever got to that. He quickly shoved it into the same pocket as his wallet then finished zipping up for the cold weather. 

With a small meal bucket under his arm, Skylar shoved the glass door open and walked into the daylight. The chill of autumn hit him directly causing his breathing to still in his throat. His arm tightly clutching the bucket to his side on reflex. He quietly thanked the weather for being mild today then he used his eyes to quickly locate his mother and spotted her lurking nearby. She gripped her hoodie tightly about her. She finally turned to spot him with her lips curled into a warm smile. He let the warmth of her image melt away his pain for the moment. 

He stepped closer to her, [color=#baa7cc] “Let’s sit over by the street bench while we eat. Then we’ll go get your essentials before heading to the apartment to clean up.”[/color]