CALM WAS THE LAST THING I could have been at this moment and unperturbed was right before it.

I made my way toward the herb shop, wondering about how this day was going to go and how I had managed to be on time for this when I was usually late for everything else. Even though I knew I was quite excited for this job, I was a little nervous with it being my first day. I had no idea how anything worked in this shop and I was eager to find out. I wanted to know what the older woman was going to tell and show me. I did not even know her name. How did I not know the name of the woman who hired me? I would definitely find out today. It would become my goal. I did not want to walk into the shop and act like I knew how to do everything...because that would be a lie. A big lie, to be exact.

As soon as I opened the door, a little bell jingled from above. I glanced at it and wondered when it had been put there. It sure as hell was not there yesterday evening when I arrived for the first time. I shrugged it off and stepped inside, letting the door shut behind me. The place was quiet like it was yesterday and I did not expect it be this way. Of course, the shop was small and it seemed to not get many customers, but I thought there would be someone out on the floor to greet me when I arrived.

The bell was no longer on the desk and I frowned. Where was it? I checked both sides of the desk but the bell seemed to have disappeared overnight. I cleared my throat and shoved my hands into the back pockets of my jeans.

"Hello?" I called out. "Is anyone here? It's Sydney!"

I expected for someone to come rushing out to meet me but no one did. The place was still silent. What was with this place? The same thing happened yesterday. Did they not know customers could just leave if no one was out here? Did they even think about the chances of getting robbed?

I sighed and tilted my head to the side. I worked here now and that meant I was allowed to step into the way back of the shop. My feet cautiously carried me to the back and I hoped I would not get into any trouble for doing this. My lips remained sealed and they felt as if they were glued shut. If I found someone back there, would I be able to speak to them? My heart was pounding and I could feel the palms of my hands begin to sweat.

I found myself walking into what looked like a small kitchen. The shop looked extremely small from the outside but now that I was actually walking around, it was much bigger than my eyes let on. A man was sitting at the small table in the room and his back was facing me. His dark hair was pinned up into a neat bun and every strand of his hair was perfectly in place. He did not seem to hear me enter and I cleared my throat, trying to get his attention. I immediately recognized the tattoos on his arms and knew him as Harry. He did not turn around when I cleared my throat and I tried it again.

My feet carried me to the other side of the table and I noticed he was listening to the music on his small iPod. Whatever he was listening to seemed to have his full attention. Still, he had not acknowledged my presence and this upset me. I waved my hand and he looked at it for a few seconds before looking back down at his little device. I sat down on the seat in front of him and watched him. He clearly saw me standing there, but he did not say a single word to me. I believed we were the only ones here. If so, how did Harry get in? Did every employee have a key? When was I going to get one, if that was true?

He was a very interesting man to watch. Even though he knew I was watching him, he acted as if he did not know at all. My eyebrows furrowed together as I watched him and I wanted to call him out for acting this way. The sight of him ignoring me made me want to interrupt whatever song he was listening to. I decided against it, though, because it was my first day here and I needed to be on everyone's good side, including Harry's.

His lips moved but no sound came out. I began to wonder if he was mouthing the lyrics to the song he was listening to. I placed my elbows on the table and put my chin on the palms of my hands, not taking my eyes away from the man before me. His eyes were stuck to his iPod but the screen was black. He was only staring at a black screen. I wondered if maybe he—

"Take a picture. It'll last longer."

"Huh?" I was caught off guard.

I watched him turn the volume of his music down and he shook his head at me, "I'm sure you have manners. Staring is rude. Stare at the wall if you need something to stare at. Did your mother forget to teach you that?"

"I...um..."

He turned the volume back up and looked away from me again. I swallowed hard and decided to wait for someone else to arrive in the main part of the shop. I got up from the seat and sighed. Just as I turned to leave, though, something caught my eye. I looked at the kitchen counter and found the bell that was not on the desk when I first arrived. I glanced back at Harry and frowned. Did he move it? He did not like it when I used the bell yesterday and he probably thought I was going to use it today. I was; however, it was no longer on the desk for me or anyone to use. When I was one hundred percent sure he was no longer looking at me, I grabbed the bell and left Harry alone in the kitchen to listen to his music alone.

It was wrong for me to stare at him the way I did. He was right. Staring was rude and I was being completely impolite back there. I was not doing anything that would get me on his good side. In fact, I was pissing him off. It was my first day and I was already pissing someone off. I was not starting off on the right foot and my heart sank. I needed this job or else I would not be able to pay my bills next month. If someone noticed how I pissed Harry off, they probably would not want to be anywhere near me. I just needed to make it through the first day. After today, everything would be easy...a piece of cake.

I sat the bell back in its proper place and just as I did so, the front door opened. The woman, who hired me, walked into the building and she smiled when she saw me. Her purse fell off of her shoulder and she was quick to put it back where it belonged. Her smile never disappeared and she stopped a few feet away from me. She wore a white blouse with a long, floral skirt. Were we allowed to wear whatever we wanted? Her outfit compared to mine was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Sydney," her rosy cheeks beamed. "My, my, my, you're early."

"I...am?"

"You're not supposed to be here until eleven. I'm glad you're early, darling. You're making me very happy I hired you. Wonderful job. I'm proud and can't wait to see what other surprises you have in store for me."

"But in Harry's text message, he told me to be here at—"

"Is anyone else here?"

"Oh, um, Harry is. He's back in the kitchen."

"Did he show you around?"

"Was he supposed to?"

The woman sighed, "Follow me, dear. I have much to show and tell you."

She walked to the back and I frowned as I followed her. Harry sent me the wrong time? Why on Earth would he do that? He was beginning to make me question a lot of things about him. I was here almost an hour early because of his text message. If I worked at eleven, did I still get off at four? Or would I get off at five o'clock, now? I had so many questions to ask but my lips remained sealed. We walked into the kitchen and Harry was right where I left him. He was still listening to his music but this time, he was bobbing his head back and forth. The woman shook her head and sat her purse down on the table. She yanked one of the earphones out of his ear and he looked at her as if she just shot him in the chest.

"What the hell, Clare?"

The older woman—Clare—rolled her eyes and pointed at me. I suddenly felt as if all eyes were on me and I felt my face getting hot. Clare asked him, "How long was Sydney here before I showed up, Styles?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. Ask her."

"Don't get smart with me, boy," she hissed.

"Almost half an hour."

"And you didn't bother to show her around?"

"She's not my responsibility. I didn't hire her. You did. I told you not to make that stupid sign. I had everything under control here. New people mess things up, Clare. They come in here without an ounce of knowledge of what to do. You set this shop up for disaster by hiring her. And when it crumbles, what are you going to do? I can always find another job but can you?"

"Harry—"

He put his earphone back into his ear and stood up from his chair, walking out of the kitchen. When he walked by me, his shoulder hit mine and I lost my balance. I would have fallen onto the floor if my back did not hit the wall. My jaw dropped and I was in too much shock. Bumping shoulders with me was highly unnecessary and he was acting like a child. Clare pinched the bridge of her nose and slowly shook her head.

"He's mad because you hired me?" I asked without thinking.

"Yes," she pulled a small container out of her purse and sat it in the fridge. I kind of wished she would have lied to me. The truth hurt a bit. "He likes being the only one out there on the floor, helping the customers and what not. I hadn't hired anyone else because he was doing such a wonderful job. But I thought it was time to bring more people in. I could not have just one person working for me. Harry hated the idea but what could I do? We need more hands around here and four just won't do."

I frowned, "He thinks I'm going to mess everything up."

"Sweetheart, I'm not going to put you out onto the floor until you know exactly what to do. For the rest of the week, I'm going to teach you what you need to know and next week, I want to see how much you can go by yourself. It's simple, really. Harry doesn't really understand that but he will. He'll be happy I hired you. Don't worry about him. He's just a little hot headed. Men and their tempers, I suppose."

"Okay," I nodded my head.

"First thing," she grinned, the wrinkles reappearing. "Let us go get your apron, yeah?"

She sat her purse to the side and walked out of the kitchen with me trailing right behind her. I ran my fingers along the wall and hummed quietly. The atmosphere seemed calmer with Clare here. I did not even think the proper words existed to describe how the atmosphere was earlier when it was just Harry and I. Clare stopped in front of a closet and she opened it, pulling out a green apron. She tossed it to me and I held it out in front of me, examining it closely. Seeing the apron out in front of me made my lips curl up into a bright smile. It made all of this feel much more realistic.

I pulled the apron over my head and let it fall on top of my outfit. I managed to tie it in the back and I ran my fingers over the fabric, my smile still there. Clare chuckled and closed the closet door back. The apron stopped a little above my knees and the green color stood out against the black shirt I was wearing. Was that why Harry wore a black shirt with his apron? The green color stuck out like a sore thumb.

"You'll get your name tag in a couple of weeks." Clare informed me. "I have to make sure you'll stick around. It would break my heart to pay for your name tag and you leave us so soon. You do plan on sticking around, I hope?"

"Yes, ma'am," my eyes never left the apron.

"Wonderful," she chirped. "Follow me."

She turned around on her heels and I followed her back to the main part of the shop. Harry was standing to the side and there was a box at his feet. He was still listening to his music but only one of his earphones was in. I assumed he was listening out for customers. He pulled a couple of bottles out of the box and sat them neatly on the shelves. I was too far away to see what was in the bottles but I was not very curious.

"You see what Harry is doing?" Clare asked and I nodded. "By next week, you'll be doing that and so much more."

"Cool," was the only thing I said. I was too astonished to say much at all.

"Tomorrow, I'll explain the type of herbs we sell and how we have everything organized in the store. Today, I just want you to step off to the side and watch. You can talk to the customers but if they ask for help, hand them off to Harry or to myself. You'll be able to help them out next week, hopefully. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Her words made me a little sad. I did not want to just stand to the side and watch. I understood why I had to do so but I did want actually want to do it. I wanted to help out as much as I could. I did not want to be the outcast. I had no choice but to listen to her, though. She was my boss and I did not want to get fired.

"The restrooms are in the back where the kitchen is. It's not a public restroom for the customers. If they ask if we have a restroom, the answer is no. None of them are allowed in the back, are we clear on that?" I nodded. "Words, please, sweetheart."

"Crystal clear."

"Wonderful," she clapped her hands. "You're allowed to bring your lunch everyday and store it in the fridge until it is time for you to eat. If you had looked when we were back in the kitchen, you would have noticed the microwave. If you use the microwave, make sure you cover your food with a paper towel. We don't need your food all over the microwave. Also, you are allowed to go out for lunch but you only have a hour lunch break. I would spend it wisely if I were you."

I noticed the fast food restaurants on my way here yesterday and this morning. If I did not bring a lunch—like today—I could just go buy a quick lunch and eat it in the car. I highly doubted that I would ever eat my food in the kitchen with Harry and Clare. Right now, my car was the best option. I did not have to worry about pissing anyone off.

"Everyday," Clare continued and she started walking again. I had to jog to keep up with her at first. "You will need to clock in and clock out. It's really easy. There is a clipboard by the back door and you simply write your name and the time you arrived. Once you get ready to leave, just write the time you're leaving and that's it. If you don't clock in, you won't get counted for those hours. Same goes with if you don't clock out. I won't know how long you stayed and we can't risk overpaying. Do it right or go home, I guess. Hmm, let's see. What am I missing?"

She ran a hand down her face as she was deep in thought, trying to figure out what she had forgotten to tell me. I leaned against the wall and stared at my strand of hair that was dancing in front of my eye. It swayed back and forth and this entertained my eyes for quite some time. I was tempted to just grab the strand of hair and pull it out but I was not in the mood for feeling the slight pain from my scalp.

Clare exclaimed, "Oh, yes! I remember now. There will be times where you have to stay here after hours and lock up. Yesterday, when you were here, I'm sure you heard me tell Harry to reorganize everything before locking up. I usually lock up but for some reason I can't, I'll give the job to either you or Harry. I'll give you the key and you just lock the door on your way out. You'll give the key back to me the next morning and that's that. This job is really simple once you get the hang of things."

"Thank you for hiring me," I smiled. "I know you didn't have to and I'm truly grateful."

"It honestly wasn't an issue," she placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Welcome to the trio, Sydney."