A Very Stormy Holiday

Chapter 1

"P'Rain, P'Rain!" Rain looks up and smiles as Lys races into the bakery, pigtails flying out behind her.

"Lys," he says, trying to sound like a firm older brother but failing miserably, "slow down and don't shout. You haven't even said hello to Sky."

Lys stops and gives Sky a polite wai, "hello, P'Sky, nice to see you."

"Hello, Lys, I brought you a gift." He hands her a manga.

Her eyes grow wide. "Is this the new One Piece?" she asks excitedly.

"Just got them in today," he says.

She gives a happy squeal and gives him a hug.

Rain shakes his head at the two of them, "Congratulations, you have managed to turn my little sister into a complete nerd."

Sky rolls his eyes and says, "You wish you were as cool as us." Lys nods at this.

Rain turns to Lys, "Oh, what did you want to tell me?"

She pulls off her backpack and rummages around in it for a minute. She pulls out a crumpled piece of paper and hands it to him.

Rain sees it's a flier for a famous bakery chain called, "Tasty Treats." At the bottom it says, "coming to your town this November".

Rain feels his blood run cold. Their town is small. Why would such a big chain open here? It's not fair. He knows he won't possibly be able to compete with them.

He can't let Lys know he is worried. "Thank you Eerie, go do your homework then you can read your manga." He ruffles her hair.

She pouts and says, "Don't call me that." She takes her bookbag and new manga to the back of the shop where Rain has made her a little study corner.

Once she is out of earshot Rain shows the flier to Sky. "This is bad."

Sky frowns but says, "maybe it will be okay, people love your homemade treats. They are much better than anything a big chain can make."

"Maybe but look, they are opening in November. November through New Years is my busiest season. I count on it to put back money for Lys's education. You know how people are when anything new opens. Especially in a small town. Even if they prefer my bakery, they will flood the new business at first." Rain says.

Sky wants to say something comforting, but it is an undeniable fact that people get excited by anything new.

Sky has it a little better, even if people here don't understand the greatness of manga and western comic books, he has an inheritance from his uncle that is enough to support him and run his little shop at a loss.

With a little sister to support Rain doesn't have that privilege.

"I need to get back," Sky says, pumping his fist in the air. "Fighting."

Rain laughs at this; meeting Sky has been the best part about moving to this small town. Rain never had a best friend when he lived in Bangkok, but Sky is like a brother to both him and Lys now.

Rain sighs and wipes down the already clean counter trying to distract himself.

Phayu looks around the small town and scowls. Why Pai thinks it's such a good idea to open a branch of Tasty Treats in such an out of the way place is a complete mystery. This town is in the middle of nowhere. He had only passed an electronics factory and a high school on the way into town. When he asked Pai about it, he just got some vague answer that Pai had passed through the small town on his way to his vacation home last summer and had found it charming.