Rose Bud

Volume 2 Chapter 2: Shiek's Decision

"If you keep at this, you'll become an excellent chief here in Paris." Mr. Agard says to Shiek. "If you keep at this then I'm sure you'll become a successful cook."

"Thank Mr. Agard. That means a lot coming from you." Shiek stirs the soup. "I think this is going to be my best pot yet."

"I'm looking forward to trying it." Mr. Agard then walks away to examine all the other cooks. Mr. Agard teaches people how to cook professionally for their future businesses.

"Is that my phone?" Shiek feels a buzz in his pocket. "I can't answer it now. Maybe I will later." He continues to stir it. Later on after he finished it Mr. Agard comes back to taste it.

"This is the best soup I've ever tasted." He praises him. "I got this job opening for you that I'm sure that you would like."

"Really?" Shiek looks happy. "What is it?"

"There's this restaurant that are looking for some talent like yours. They're in desperate need in a cook. If you're interested I will recommend you to them?"

"Yes, please. I would love to take it."

"That's good. That's what I like to hear. I'll give you more information tomorrow after I talk to them again tonight." Mr. Agard then walks away.

"I can't believe my five years in Paris is finally paying off." Shiek mumbles to himself as he walks down the sidewalk after his sessions. "That's right, I got a phone call earlier." He pulls out his phone and looks at it. "My sister and her family died?" he becomes shocked from the news. "When did this happen? And it says Rose is still alive and is need of a home. I don't know if I can do it." He then shoves the phone back into his pocket and the memory ends.

Shiek watches Rose eat her breakfast with Rona and Jessie like he's been for the past few days. "Look at her eat." He thinks to himself. "I'm so glad that I decided to take her in, even though she's not living with me. It brings so many memories from when I was her age."

"Good bye Uncle Shiek." Rose says as she leaves.

"Thank you for the meal." Jessie and Rona say as they walk out with Rose.

"Oh, goodbye!" Shiek quickly realizes them leaving. "Did they eat fast or was I day dreaming that long? Oh never mind. I hope they have a fun day at school today."

"I can't believe today's going to be my second day at school." Rose feels excited. "I wonder how today is going to turn out?" They walk through the front gates of the school.

"Rose!" She sees a girl wave her hand towards them. She runs to them and says, "Did you finally change your mind on joining the track team?"

"Who's that?" Rona asks. "I don't think I've ever seen her here before.

"I think her name's Sora, and she's been bugging me since Friday to join the track team. She saw me run against, what was her name? I can't remember it."

"It's Tina!" she runs from the school up to them. "You need to learn the name of your rival, so ingrain into your head right now! It's TINA!" She then runs back to the school.

"How did she hear me from over here?" Rose mumbles.

"I really think you should join." Sora says when approaching them. "You were born to run, I can tell. The track team is the place for you. I'm sure you'll meet some cute boys there, maybe, Timmy."

"Timmy?" Rona's face turns a little red. "Do you mean Timmy Smith?"

"Yes, he's the captain of the boys' team. You're welcome to join our team too if you want."

"Well, uh no." Rona backs away a little with her face even more red. Rose looks at her immediately and realizes that Rona has a small crush on Timmy. She smiles and looks back at Sora.

"I'm sorry Sora." Rose smiles. "The answer is still no, but…" she wraps her arm around Sora's neck. "You're welcome to bring Timmy and sit with us at lunch."

"What?" Rona's face turns even redder.

"That sounds like fun." Sora smiles. "Well, we can talk more about you joining the track team then." She waves goodbye as she leaves.

"She seems like a nice girl." Jessie says. "I can sense that her aura is pure, just like yours Rose."

"My aura? What is that?"

"Never mind. If we don't hurry we'll be late for school." Jessie begins rolling her wheelchair to school with Rose and Rona following her.

"School must be starting." Shiek sits down to relax. "I can't believe she's grown this much since I first met her. Four years it's already been." He looks up at the clock and begins to day dream about his past:

"You've got something in the mail." Miss Beatle says. Miss Beatle happens to be Shiek's love interest while he was in Paris. She likes to come over to his house a lot to help clean. "It looks like it's from one of your relatives." She hands him the letter.

"Let's see." He opens it up and reads:

"Dear Shiek,

I wrote you this letter because I'm currently on my death bed. Everyone else in my family has died, including your sister, except my young daughter, Rose. I need someone to take care of her for us once I pass away. I don't have much time so please give me an answer right away. Dave ~"

"Oh my." Miss Beatle says. "Poor young lady. It must be hard for her to be losing her family like this."

"It is, but I can't do it." He throws the letter on the table. "I'm busy fulfilling a dream here."

"I see." She looks at the letter herself. "Shiek, the date on this is a few years old. It must have gotten mixed up in the mail before getting to us. She must be thirteen years old by now. She's been living by herself for two years? Does she have any other relatives?"

"Not that I know of." Shiek sits down in confusion.

"I think you need to go to her."

"What?"

"I'm not forcing you, but I really think you should. This little girl has no one and she's living by herself I'm assuming. She needs someone there for her and that someone must be you. I'll let you think about it now." She then walks away and Shiek's day dream comes to an end.

"I better stop day dreaming." Shiek stands up. "I need to start cleaning up before some other guests come."

"Chu!" Chu says.

"That's right, you must be hungry." Shiek smiles. "Then I'll make you a little something to eat too."

Rose is peacefully eating her lunch with only Jessie across from her in her wheelchair. Everyone else is still in the lunch line getting their food. "Hey Rose," Genji says as he sits down next to her. Rose immediately begins to blush a little. "I was wondering; would you like to go to the movies with me soon?"

"Well, uh…"

"Hello darling!" Tina interrupts Rose as she sits in between them. "Did you miss me? Since you won't sit by me I thought I would come over here and sit by you."

"Oh…" Genji mumbles. "When will she learn that I don't like her?" he thinks.

"Hi, what is your name again?" Rose asks.

"It's TINA!" she yells. "Why can't you remember my name? We're going to need to change that here soon enough. I'm going to need to show up more frequently."

"Move out of the way!" Rona yells as she pushes Rose and Tina over so she can distance them from Genji. She then sits down next to him. "How many times have I told you that you're never going to get my brother?"

"Rona, Rona, Rona…" Tina waves her finger from side to side. "You may have separated us from each other now, but destiny will only make us closer and soon we'll get married with lots of children." She then begins to day dream.

"Ch… Children?" Genji mumbles and feels embarrassed at the thought. "Can we please start talking about something else?"

"Like that would ever happen." Rona smirks at Tina. "You see, whether I like it or not Genji's already got a girlfriend."

"I what!?" Genji spits out his drink.

"What!?" Tina, Jessie and Rose all spit out their drinks as well.

"Genji, this is all news to me." Jessie said. "Who is it that you're dating?"

"Well, I uh. I guess this is news to me as well. Rona, what are you talking about that I'm dating someone? I'm doing no such thing."

"You see, you're making things up." Tina smiles. "He's still not taken."

"You're wrong. He's uh," she looks at Rose. "He's dating Rose."

"I am?" Genji begins to look confused.

"Hold on. I'm not dating anyone!" Rose yells. "I'm staying single and there's no one that's going to change that."

"No you aren't!" Rona yells. "You two have a date this weekend and you're not invited Tina." Rona smirks at her. "I would rather lose my brother to this stupid blond than to this annoying brat." She thinks.

"We'll just see how long this relationship will last." Tina begins plotting against them.

"What is with that face?" Rose looks at her.

"Are we interrupting anything here?" Sora asks as she and Timmy stand by the table. "I hope we won't cause any trouble what so ever." Rona looks up and she begins to feel embarrassed for seeing Timmy.

"Not at all." Rose says. "We were just talking about a bunch of crap that doesn't even matter. Go ahead and sit down."

"I see." Jessie smiles to herself as she notices what Rose is trying to do.

"Should I do it?" Shiek sits down on the couch thinking about the letter he had received. We are back in his flash back. "Should I take her in? I have always enjoyed Rose. She did become my favorite niece during the times I came to visit them. I don't know what I should do since I got a new life started in this country finally."

"She's been living by herself for two years?" Shiek thinks about what Miss Beatle had said to him. The memory ends.

"So when do you plan on asking her to marry you, boss?" Raleigh asks Andrew. They're both sitting on the couch watching T.V. "If you truly like her I thought you would have done it by now."

"Patients are a virtue. I've been keeping a close eye on her for the last few days and I haven't seen a good enough opening to approach her."

"I see. You truly are planning everything out carefully. It's going to be cool to have a female in the group, going around and stealing with us."

"You fool!" Andrew gets angry. "There's no way in hell that she would go around doing that with us. No, she's going to stay here to clean, cook and be my bitch. That's all she'll be good for."

"Oh." Raleigh sighs. "I guess that's good too."

"Are you sure you didn't make up your mind yet on joining the track team?" Sora asks as Rose, Rona, Jessie and Genji all begin to leave the front gate of the school.

"I told you already, that I'm not joining." Rose yells.

"Don't forget what I told you before." Timmy says. "She's very persistent so there's no use in trying to fight it. Also, remember you have all the way to spring until track season even begins. It's only in the middle of September right now."

"Great." Rose grumbles as she walks away. "I have six more months left of her nagging me."

"When we get back," Jessie begins. "We need to start our homework first, and then we can do some more training."

"Homework?" Rose sighs. "I forgot how much I hated homework back when I use to be in school. This is a drag."

"Well," Rona says. "I can help tutor you since you're a stupid blond that could use some help, unless you're too stupid that you're beyond help."

"What was that rag mop? You're calling me a stupid blond again!?"

"Will you quit calling me a rag mop!? My hair isn't anything like a mop!"

"I'll quit calling you a rag mop as soon as you stop calling me a stupid blond! How about that!?"

"I'm only telling you the truth!" Rose and Rona's for heads collide and a bolt of lightning flashes through each other's eyes as they grind their teeth from side to side.

"They fight an awful lot." Genji says.

"It's their way of being friends." Jessie giggles. "They may not seem like they like each other much, but their bond towards each other is growing stronger and stronger within each passing day. I just hope Rose's curse doesn't strike her first."

"Oh right, that curse that you kept mentioning to me. Who do you think will be the first of the three of us to get strike with it first?

"It's hard to say. Mother Nature can be a cruel person. We won't ever tell who's going to be struck first and when and how it's going to happen. Thanks to my psychic powers though, I'm sure I'll be able to help her overcome every obstacle that she'll have to endure."

"Mr. Agard." Shiek says the following morning back in his flash back.

"Oh, why it isn't Shiek. I talked to them and they will be delighted to have you work for them. The pay is great too."

"It's about that. I can't take it."

"What?" Mr. Agard feels stunned. "I thought this is what you wanted? You worked five long years to get to this point. Why are you turning it away?"

"It's because something major has happened. I need to go to my original home so that I can take care of my little niece who has become an orphan. I'm the only person left for her to take care of her."

"I see." Mr. Agard sighs. "Well, then I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you Mr. Agard. I'll open up a restaurant there too and I can continue my work with my niece."

"That sounds great. I hope you'll become a successful chief there."

Later on, Shiek stares at the plane at the airport before he goes on. "Please take care." Miss Beatle says. She runs up and gives a hug goodbye. "I wish I could go with you, but I have to stay here."

"Don't worry. I understand." Their faces begin to tear up.

"Just remember one thing though, send me a postcard with you and Rose on it. I would really like to see what she looks like."

"I will." Shiek picks up his luggage and aboard the plane. "Bye." He waves goodbye. As the plane takes off he sees Miss Beatle standing in the distance, looking up at the plane as he flies away. "I'll miss you." he whispers.