A W A K E N I N G

Chapter 3

"Here you have Mr. Patrick." I give the change to the old man that just bought some fruit.

"Thank you Iris." He walks slowly with his walking stick and the bag with fruit on the other hand.

"Do you want my help Mr. Patrick?" I ask. The man just shakes his hand and smiles as he continues to walk. I chuckle and shake my head.

"Hey, Mrs. Carter! How's Mr. Carter?" I ask as I pack her bag with some apples that I already know she wants.

"Oh, it's always the same, dear. Stubborn has ever." I laugh at her comment about her husband.

"But a lover nonstop." I wiggle my eyebrows at her making her giggle and shake her head like 70 years old she is. My mother swaps my arm making me wince but chuckle.

"I'm sorry for my daughter Meredith." My mother says.

"Oh it's okay. We need more people like her, dear. To light up the mood in this land." Her face falls and I grimace. She is right and everyone knows it. This land has nothing to be happy about. I think the only time of the year when people are actually a bit happy is when Christmas comes and the King throws a party to celebrate that. No supernatural's aloud. If any supernatural appears at the party the next day the news are that that same monster was killed by the King himself.

"Here." I hand her the bag with the fruit and she gives the money.

"Have a nice day Mrs. Carter." I try and put my best smile at her.

"I will try, dear." She smiles back and walks away.

One good thing about all of this is that the humans are actually leaving in a different part of the city. We are separated from the supernatural out there, which gives us a sensation of relief but not as good as it would feel if they were extinct.

"Iris!" My mother calls.

"Coming!" I go to the back of the truck where she is.

"I need you to go get me more apples and oranges." She gives me a sack. I nod and start walking towards the docs where the containers are.

I unlocked the one that belongs to my mother and get inside. Several types of fruit are spread around and I go for the apples first.

I hear someone clearing their throat and get scared letting the sack with apples fall on the floor and spread the apples around.

"Damn it!" I look to the door and see a man leaned against the door and looking down at me with a smirk.

"Scared you?" He asks the obvious.

"No... I just like to jump around and throw fruit all over the place." I sarcastically remark earning a chuckle from him.

I roll my eyes and after gathering all the fruit again on the sack, I continue to fill it, this time with oranges.

"Need help with that?"

"No." I answer right away.

"Ok." He simply says and continues leaned against the door.

"Do you need anything? If not, get out. You're not allowed to be here."

"I don't need anything..." He answers.

"Then go away. Shhh." I wave my hands for him to get out.

"I'm not a dog for you to treat me like that." He brings a hand to his chest in a dramatic way.

I roll my eyes. "You're not, because I actually like dogs better." I shoot back making him chuckle and I can't contain the smile that creeps on my lips.

"Ouch..." He says and starts walking towards me. I tie the sack on top and grab it, throwing over my shoulder.

"Let me help you with that." He brings is arms up to reach for the sack but I step away.

"No, thanks though." I start walking towards the door.

He follows behind me and when I rest the sack on the floor to lock the door of the container he grabs it and starts walking towards the market.

"Hey!" I shout, locking it quickly and then run to him.

"Just let me help you!" He says between laughs as I try to push it from him.

"I said I didn't need your help."

"And I'm helping anyway... Looks like I won." He cockily remarks. I huff and follow him to the market.

"So... What's your name?" He asks.

"Iris." I shortly say with my arms crossed, still annoyed by him.

"Um..." I hear him which makes me look at him. Now that I see him with the light of the day I can see his dark brown eyes and his black hair. He's wearing tight black jeans like mine and a gray shirt that is tight to his body showing his biceps and how muscular he is.

I shake my head and look away from his beauty when he looks down at me.

"Admiring the view from down there?" He asks and starts laughing when I flip him off.

"That's the spot." I tell him, pointing to my mother's fruit stand. He nods and walks in the direction of it.

My mother frowns when she sees the boy with me. I give her a small smile as we reach the stand.

"Here you have ma'am." He says resting the sack on the counter.

"Thanks...?" She says looking at him and then at me.

"Calum." He reaches his hand to her and gives her the whitest smile I've ever seen.

My mother shakes his hand still a bit taken aback...

"Pleasure...." She finally says.

"Thanks for helping me. You can go now." I try to make him go which makes him chuckle.

"Okay. I'll go. But I'll see you around, Iris." He smiles down at me, and I get distracted by his smile so without thinking I nod my head making his face slip into a grin.

"Bye." He waves his hand and starts walking away. Since my brain it's obviously not linked to my body I wave back at him without noticing.

Only when my mother clears her throat it's when I look to her.

"You know him?" She asks, too serious for a simple question.

"Um...no, Mother."

"I don't feel good about him..." She comments organizing the fruit I just brought to her.

"Why?"

"I don't know honey, I just don't..."

I don't say another word as I help her with the fruit.

To my mind comes the vision of his dark brown eyes looking down to my gray ones. It's something about them that I can't quite put my finger on it.

I would've sworn that I've seen those eyes before... Wish I only knew where...