Marina and Ella hadn't had the most comfortable childhood in the world, but hey, it was something. After the death of their birth parents, the two girls had been taken in by a catholic orphanage, where they'd been raised with the help of the kindest nuns (though that wasn't saying much), Adelina. Adelina was kind enough to the two sisters, despite her fiery temper, and acted as a big sister to both of them. She was the one who secretly gave them chocolates from the kitchens and smuggled science fiction novels into the "dorms" so that they could remain happy.
Perhaps for the best, Adelina's temper got the best of her. Long story short, the insanely religious (and highly corrupted) nun exiled her from the orphanage because she was "corrupting their children with words of treason," by teaching science to Marina and Ella. Adelina called her out on that bullshit, adopted the girls, and left.
They had a new life together.
At first it was hard for them to get along. After all, Adelina had no job, and Marina and Ella couldn't do much to help her find the most essential necessities. But, they got by. Adelina became a barista at a local coffee shop, making drinks and taking orders; while Marina looked after Ella, worked as a tutor, and attended school with her. They were able to afford a reasonable, however, slightly cramped, apartment in the outskirts of their town with what Adelina and Marina made. Despite her life-long struggles, Marina became one of the smartest people in her graduating 8th grade class, and began taking extra courses online to learn more. Not long after that, Marina's tutoring sessions became popular among many of the students, allowing her and the family to splurge a little bit upon occasion. They were happy.
But happy things can't last forever. Things went badly for a bit. The owner of the little coffee shop that Adelina worked at passed away due to a stroke. Their income stopped, and Adelina even considered returning to the orphanage to beg for mercy. She had no other choice.
But bad things can't last forever. After all, Marina was a sharp kid. She tutored as much as she could during this period (even letting Ella help out a bit by working in the library), and saved enough to do one thing- to reopen the coffee shop. This is when Adelina realized that the girls really were her family (though not by blood). With joyous smiles on their faces, the three of them walked into their new shop to begin.
After cleaning up the place a bit and getting some supplies, their business had begun. Since Ella had just turned 14, and Marina, 16, they were deemed ready to join in by Adelina, especially after what they had just done. There weren't really a lot of other places to go to get drinks and pastries in their town, so it really wasn't that bad. People began to hear of this "miracle café" and decided to give it a chance. No one was really disappointed by Adelina's tasty danishes, nor Ella's perfectly made hot-cocoas. Marina managed the registers and handed out drinks with a smile day after day while attending her High School classes. It was a perfect life that was about to get so much better.
Perhaps a year or so after "Sugar & Spice Café" opened, Marina had a whole summer open to do absolutely nothing. She'd graduated from her High School with the best of marks and still managed to help out whenever she could at the shop. With her college applications finished, and an acceptance letter to the local school, L. Rien College, she was content.
Usually, her summer days began the same way; she'd wake up Ella at the crack of dawn to open up the coffee shop (and let Adelina sleep in), then she'd fetch the pastries that the three of them had baked all night. No one really showed up 'till 6:30, when Maggie, the local newspaper's intern, came in to grab a bunch of coffees for the staff. Then, Adelina would eventually wake up, and Marina would escort Ella to art camp. Basically, from the time she woke up (around 4:00) to the time she went to bed at 6:00, Marina had identical days. Nothing really changed. Maggie always babbled about book recommendations, Devdan always ordered his extra-large black coffee, and silent people trickled through the shop the whole day.
It was nice, but some change could be advised for. Then, she met the new kid in town.
One of these early mornings, Marina rushed down from her and Ella's bedroom in a chaotic hurry to get her sorry butt into the kitchen.
Dammit, she thought to herself, cursing her sleep patterns inwardly, Look at the time! Marina glanced up at the wall clock to see that it was already 5:57 in the morning. She jolted out of her temporary stupor as the storefront bell rang with a gentle *bing!* Marina practically leapt out of her bed and tore down the stairs, still wearing her nightdress and cat-patterned socks. Ah. It must be that damned UPS man or something… Why, in the name of hell, is he here at this hour? As she turned the corner to enter the coffee shop's foyé, Marina stopped dead. No, it wasn't the mailman who stood in the shop; it was a boy.
Well, he wasn't really a boy. Perhaps a few inches taller than Marina herself, with tanned, copper-toned skin, and medium-length, dark hair, the guy looked up at her as she stood behind the store counter, staring at him. Whoah. Not what I expected, she thought to herself, as his eyes met hers in a kind, yet slightly alarmed smile.
"Heya. Sorry to wake you up. I take it you're not open yet?" The charming boy asked, grinning cheekily as Marina still stood, frozen.
"N-no it's fine," Marina stuttered, finally, grabbing an apron off of its respective hook, "We're open." He shrugged indignantly.
"Ah, if you have some in stock, could I get a cinnamon coffee cake?" The boy requested, frowning slightly at Marina's questionable attire. Marina took the hint and took a look at her reflection on the coffee machine. Oh god, she thought, I'm still in my blue nightdress, and my hair looks like it just got thrown into a tornado. GREAT. Abashed, Marina scampered off to the kitchen to grab the kid a coffee cake before the whole town knew about her disaster of a hairdo.
When she reentered the main room, the boy was still there, leaning against the counter, eyes closed and apparently resting. He's kinda cute like that, she thought to herself. She slowly inched towards the sleeping boy and tapped him on the shoulder. He was startled awake instantly.
"Whatcha?" Marina backed off immediately as the boy opened one green eye to see her.
"Sorry, ah, sir…" Marina said, smiling shyly as she twirled a strand of her messy hair around her finger.
"Ahhhh, call me Joseph," the boy, well, Joseph, replied, yawning as his gaze settled on his coffee cake. "Thanks for the cake!" He smiled graciously at Marina.
"It's the least I could do," she paused briefly, "why are you up so early? Someone your age isn't typically up 'till 12:00 in the afternoon."
"I just had work at the animal hospital,," Joseph sighed, "I love it there, but I'm an intern during the graveyard shift, and I'm freaking tired." He yawned again and ran his fingers through his already messy hair.
"Sounds nice. The animals must be lucky to have someone with so much devotion to them on their side."
"That's very kind of you. Thanks." He bit into the coffee cake, accidentally sending bits of cinnamon and bread-crumbs tumbling to the ground. "So sorry for the mess I'm making," Joseph said, sheepishly.
"No problem," Marina replied, "You've had a long night. Sit down," she gestured at the comfy couch across the room, "and let me get you something to wash that down with."
"I'm fine, it's alrig-"
"I insist." Marina pointed at the couch and gently pushed him in the direction of it. Shrugging, he plopped down on its squishy cushions and continued to nibble on the food. Marina turned to make a cup of hot chocolate.
When she was done brewing the steaming-hot drink, she quickly poured it into a mug and then carried the concoction to the couch, where Joseph sat, still eating the coffee cake.
"Thank you so much for your kindness," Joseph said, as Marina placed the mug in his hands. Removing the apron that was tied around her waist, Marina plopped down on the other side of the large couch, burying her face in her hands, trying to warm herself up.
"HOw come I haven't seen you 'round before?" She inquired, lifting her feet up to place them on the table, which was in front of them. "Usually, it's just the same 'ol folks that show up." Joseph sipped his drink carefully as he pondered her question.
"It's a long story," Joseph smiled sadly, "but I suppose you have all morning, don't you, M-marina?" He glanced at her name-tag before completing that sentence. She shrugged and gave him one of her sparkling smiles.
"I suppose I do," she replied.
Even when Maggie wandered into the café at 6:30, the two teenagers were still chatting. And this is how it began; the coffee girl and the animal boy, who became the best of friends over a cup of marshmallow-hot-cocoa and Marina's cat-patterned socks.