The One Without Words

The scent of floral juices hung in the air, a constant reminder of your current reality. You stood in Greta's Flores, the colorful shop feeling miles away from the city's dull gray. Talia, your stepsister, had just put up a giant 'Help Wanted' sign, a desperate measure you thought was unnecessary.

She insisted you needed help managing the shop, a job you felt you'd been handling just fine since getting back. Back from where, you didn't need her to specify. Juvie. The word hung between you, unspoken but ever-present, another label added to your growing list.

You scoffed, turning back to the mundane task of filling pots, the thorny stems a familiar discomfort against your skin. Business would slow soon; the sign was a waste of time and hope. Little did you know, that sign, and the person it would bring, were about to change everything.