I know, I know, I'm supposed to continue the other stories. But I've gotten into the mood for this one since I started a new course at school. I am still continuing the other stories, honest. I have a computer once more too, so I'll be able to write ! ... well, not that much since I have to study hard, but still. This here is more of an introduction about the character. There won't be romance, just a strong Nakama bond, so don't expect anything like that to happen. I keep the romance for Shikyo ;)

Please take note that some words are in french. I learned pastry in french, so I have the terms in that language. I kept the japanese names when it comes to the original stuff, as I usually do. If there is anythng wrong (hoping not the entire thing), please do tell me. I am open minded and comments help progress! Hope you'll like the character enough so it makes you want to read some more !

There are moments where you wish you had spoken up and other moments you wish you'd just keep what you thought for yourself. Regrets are what mostly make us think back about the things we've done and those we wanted to do. It happened to everyone at least once to have a slight regret. It's not really a bad thing, sometimes it actually helps us feel better for it makes us think back and notice that, actually, what we did might have been the right thing after all. What happened back there… I think I won't regret a thing. I made a choice and I think it was better this way. A life for another…I suppose that makes sense…

''Hey, little girl! Watch where you're going !''

''I'm sorry, sir''

Great, another day where everyone wants to jump at my throat. Well, it's not like I do it on purpose. Right, I better introduce myself if I am to talk to you like this. My name is Abbie! I on't really know if I have another name or something like that. Besides, it doesn't change much about the fact that I look...well, peculiar. I'm quite funny sized, with my black hair reaching my tights when they aren't attached in breeds and looking messy, which means only when I'm alone at home, I have to wear glasses for my eyes aren't going straight, although they are the color of the sky, and my style is quite relax with jeans, a hoodie that seems to be too big for me sometimes and running shoes, except in winter when I have to wear my black platform boots and long coat. Oh ! And a hat ! I love warm hats in winter, although I don't wear it inside, which explains why my hair gets messy. So, in other words, I look like the perfect target for people who are in a bad mood or simply love to intimidate. I just say sorry and leave in cases like these, but it really gets on my nerves for there always seems to be someone…like every twenty minutes? I study better when I walk outside with a book in my hands. I see people arrive in advance like this, but some just go in my path in purpose, which results in me getting insulted right after always getting knocked to the ground with what normally would have been a shoulder if I had the right side, which goes a little lower to the middle of the upper arm. I get to the side of the way, taking my black back pack from my shoulder with a long sigh. So, it is winter time. I'm trying to study for the upcoming exam. I'm not in a big shot course, I'm in cooking and pastry classes, but I take it at heart. I did study in languages before, and some other things here and there. In any case, when I learn something, I do my best to it. I store the recipe book in the bag, lifting my large sand colored winter hat from my eyes.

"I better get back now. If I try to walk around some more, I'll bump into someone again"

I let a sigh escape my lips as I close my eyes for a moment.

"I wish I was born someone else, sometimes. I wonder if it would have been any better. Maybe I'd be less pathetic than I am right now"

I continue walking, my coat floating a little around me, and I start day dreaming a little.

"Well, at least I can still work hard at finding my path. When I'm done with the pastry and cooking course, I'll be able to make others smile just like I wanted to when I was a kid. *chuckle* It's funny how a child's game can create such great dreams. I'll do it…"

I lift a fist to the air, a wide smile on my lips as I look up to it.

"Just you wait, world! I'll show you that you can't decide my fate! I'll make this little dream grow big!"

Shouting this out of nowhere actually made me feel better and I toddled along the usual path, grinning like an idiot and feeling like whatever I'd do would work out from now on today. I walked forward, not bumping into that tall guy with the long coat and fluffy hat that was walking on the opposite side. I was able to get back to the school easily. I do the path every morning, diner and evening so it is getting usual to me. I enter the double glass doors, keeping it open to a lady as I was getting in, and walked in the long hallway to turn to the right, passing the door leading to the staircase spiraling down to the basement and to the lockers' room. I look up at the numbers, little habit of mine, and stop in front of one with the number "634". People in this school call it the unlucky locker. Why? First, there isn't any number 13. It was removed because the director is superstitious. Second, because counters the numbers together makes 13. And last, apparently those with this locker get bad luck. I don't really see what they mean by that. I've always been clumsy and slightly lunatic, so yeah I drop some things and sometime forget stuff inside for the weekend. At least it never is something that smells heavily and my stuff never smelled afterwards. Okay, okay, it did happen that sometimes the locker wouldn't open or my keys get stuck…or they end up inside the locker when I was sure they were in one of my pockets. But I count that as being lunatic and clumsy, not putting that on the bad luck crap. I mean, it's not like almost receiving a pâtissier's tool box on top of my head or getting locked up inside the cold room really counts…those are accidents…right? Anyway, that's not important. I take off my coat, revealing a gray hoodie and a pair of jeans, and store everything I don't need in the locker, which means a lot of recipe and story books…and writing books that doesn't include notes for the course. I love to write, so I keep those with me when I have the right to. But, since I'm going in an exam, that is forbidden. I have the right to keep the recipes for the "pâte à chou", custard and marzipan and the plan I have drawn during the last class. Yeah, I am doing a "pièce montée" for the exam. That's actually the last test of the course. I am done with the cooking exams, getting all success, and the moment I will be done with this exam, I'll be a full-fledged pâtissière as well as a cook. I practiced at home to do the profiteroles and also at modeling the marzipan, so I'm confident about this. My papers in plastic so they'd be safe from anything that culd fall on them, I take my uniform and steel cap shoes from the locker, making sure I was putting the keys in my right front pocket, and close the locker to go change. When I come back with everything, I stop straight in front of the locker. It was open, the lock on the ground like it had been cut. I pick it up, surprised. This is the first time my lock has been destroyed that way. Il look at all my stuff quickly, but nothing seems to be missing. I do notice some of my books have been moved, mostly my writing books.

"What happened here? No one tried to open my locker before. And if they did, why isn't there anything missing?…wait…"

Looking a little more, there is one book missing. The one I had drew some of my favorite characters and some creations in it. I take everything out of the locker, looking a little crazy for those passing behind me at that moment. When everything was out, I stopped, discouraged and sad. I really loved those drawings. I had reproduced some of the supernovas well, too. Okay, I just did what I could see from the newspaper pictures and the wanted posters, but I was still proud of what it looked like at the end. I sigh and put everything in my back pack. As I was doing so, someone stops next to me.

-Miss Abbie? Is everything alright?

I lift my eyes, noticing the not so tall pastry teacher. A crown of gray hair, no beard, some little glasses on his nose, he had a calm and smiling expression most of the time, except for now as he looked a little worried at seeing me putting my locker upside-down. I laugh a little, uneasy.

'Yes and no. Someone opened my locker while I was changing and stole one of my books. Not the recipes, just a normal writing book, but…well, anyway, I can't close my locker anymore for the lock was cut."

He seems to think, his chef hat following the movement of his head.

"Do you want to store your things in the teachers' room during the exam? There's always someone, so it won't be a problem if you finish sooner."

I look up at him, clearly reassured to hear that.

"Is it really okay? I'll do that, then! Thanks, teacher!"

The moment everything was in the bag, I brought it with me to bring it to the teachers' room. I don't know who did this, but to think they'd steal the only book I had drawn inside it…Which makes me feel a little uneasy, too. With what I've drawn in there, maybe I could get in trouble with supernovas. That would be frightening. I shake my head a little as I head for the lab.

"Don't think about this kind of thing, you'll only stress up and it won't help you succeed at the exam. Take it easy for now and pass the last test. You'll fret about everything afterwards"

I went to my work table, looking at what was on it to be certain I wasn't missing anything. All the utensils were there. The ingredients were on the sides of the room, so I would have to go measure and bring everything to my table afterwards. A confident smile appears on my lips. I'll do this. When the teacher started the time, I started going right and left, not making a single unnecessary movement, to bring everything I needed back to the table. I needed to focus, but also be aware of my surroundings. If I bumped into someone here, it could lead to a mess and I would feel bad about destroying someone else's work.

"The pate à chou is done…I'll prepare the filling while it bakes"

Maybe it's a little strange, but saying steps out loud helps me keep things in order. When I was done with preparing the profiteroles, it was time to do the montage. I had passed half of the time allowed, which means fourty five minutes, to do the pièce montée already. Since decorating and placing was a strong point of mine, it wasn't a problem. I'll be done in avance. Hum, seems like I'm missing some chocolate coffee beans for the flowers.

"Better go get some"

The pièce was up anyway. When the decorations and the crème will be in place, I'll be done with this exam. I leave my work table to go to the sides. Where was it…ah! Found it! I take the box and take some beans with a large spoon, putting them in a small bowl. As I was putting the box back, the sound of a plate and little cakes falling to the ground resounds. I heard the gasps of my classmates and I froze. Please…please tell me it isn't…I turn around slowly and my gaze widens. It was…One of my classmates, half-long brown hair and blue-gray eyes, was standing next to my table, his eyes wide open as he was looking at the profiteroles scattered on the floor. My expression serious, I walked towards my table with the chocolate coffee beans. He looks at me, a cookie pan in hand filled with sugar pieces, clearly not knowing what to say.

"Abbie, I'm sorry, I…"

I don't look at him. I put the bowl on the table and kneel next to the mess.

"Oh! Let me do that! I'm the one who made it fall, so…"

"Don't touch it"

"Come on, I got to help ya at least"

As he kneels to help me, I send him a cold glare.

"I said don't touch it!"

He freezes on the spot, surprised and a little scared by my reactions.

"Get back to your work instead of wasting time. You'll contaminate your hands with food that fell to the ground if you do that. I don't need your help"

He backs up quite quickly to his work table with the sugar as I clean the mess. I was angry, sad, and to make things worse, I don't have enough time to make another big recipe. I'll have to make something quickly. I know… a wedding cake! It counts as a pièce montée! I can do the cake recipe quickly and I have what I need for the decorations already. I'll just have to prepare more cream to make the cakes stick together. No time to waste. I hurry to get my ingredients and get the preparation done. It takes around thirty five minutes to get this done. I have ten minutes left to put everything together. Luckily cleaning the instruments and the table doesn't count in the time. Hurrying up to put the cream, I place the cakes one by one, making three heights and a little top piece to make a larger decoration on it. I can do this!

"Put the cream to hold the flowers on the third circle of cake, place the flowers and make a bean hold in the middle of each flower with a slight touch of cream. Make the ribbons on the larger cake. Make bows on the middle piece and add some little details to create the sweet scenery. Use what is left of the marzipan to model a rose, make it hold on the top with cream and stick the coffee beans left on the top piece and connect all of them with cream to create a pattern…"

I take a step back, observing the result, completely out of breath. A smile brightens my face. It was done, it was pretty and I had respected the allowed time for the pièce montée.

"Time is up, everyone! Step away from your creations! I will now pass and take pictures of your work and notes to deliberate whether you passed or not!"

I was smiling like an idiot. I was proud of what I had done. Of course it wasn't what I had planned at first, but I was able to get back on my feet after an accident like that. When the teacher is done studying mine, I am told to put it on the large counter on the sides. It would be sold to whoever would want it. As I am now free of my movements, I take out a sheet of paper from my protected sheets and start drawing quickly what I had done. The moment I am done, I store everything back and leave the room. It was done. I had made the last exam. Judging by the teacher's expression, which rarely changed when he was evaluating something normally, I had passed with flawless colours. It was time to get back home proudly…