Edit: This is still a work in progress. Grammar might still suck fyi. Please give me feedback :D

Chapter 1

The rain crashed to the earth from the war in the heavens. The droplets hit the surface like bullets and it felt like burning cold shrapnel. A young man in his early twenties ran as fast as he could to the 'Garden of Eden' shop. His feet pounded the street as he made his way through the tempest. He wasn't running fast just because of the hateful weather that rained upon him, but he was bordering on being late.

In the distance, he could see the shop all lit up, distinguished from other shops around it due to the giant neon rose light sitting on top of the building. With a leap and a bound, he flew through the door and made a beeline to the employee room in the back of the store to punch in. He made it by less than a minute. Relieved he hung his soaking jacket on the coat rack. For a minute, he stood there panting cursing himself for ignoring the alarm clock. His sleep had been broken for a while; still he believed that was no excuse.

He made his way to the back of the lounge where all the branded aprons hung. He searched for the one that bore his name tag and slipped it on. Just as he was fashioning the back of the apron on someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Damn Blake you're positively soaking! Did you take a shower with your clothes on?" She joked. The person speaking to him was his boss.

"Ha-ha-ha…" Blake said mockingly while making a sarcastic face. "Real funny Tabitha, I'm not sure if you noticed, but it's raining cats and dogs outside." He said coyly while he went to set his lunch box on the plastic table in the room.

"Oh come on, I'm just trying to have some fun. Work has been slow today, and to be honest, I need to keep myself entertained somehow." She said nudging his arm. He smiled slightly and walked out into the 'store' area where all the flowers were.

The store was a good size and had many flowers, as well as regular plants like small little bushes, pear tree saplings, and Japanese maple trees. The basic shrubbery. He grabbed the watering can and went to give all the plants their daily drink, while Tabitha went behind the counter to fidget with a pen. As he was tending the plants, he realized the store was excessively quiet.

"Hey, Tabitha where is Jack and Sarah?" He questioned as he went to go put the watering can away.

Tabitha shrugged, "I don't know… they both called in sick and since neither of them had been sick in forever I decided to let them have their day off." She said in an almost uninterested way. She grabbed a nail filer from her red hair that was in a bun and began giving herself a manicure.

"I guess that would make sense since the weather is so crappy." He said as he was carrying a heavy bag of topsoil . "Though I don't think that's right unless they are really sick." He said dropping the heavy bag next to a sapling; then he filled the pot where the sapling abided with fresh topsoil.

"See and that's the reason why you are the most trusted employee." Tabitha mentioned as she gestured her nail filer toward him. "Honestly for all the time I've known you, you can't do any wrong, at least in the workplace." She said as she went back to focusing her attention to her nails. "You know, it's ok not being a saint all the time. When I say that I don't mean, 'go rob a bank.' It's ok to take a day off just because the weather sucks. Hell but I am not saying you do it right this second." She said now abandoning the nail file for a makeup stick and handheld mirror. The entire time talking but paying all of her attention to applying purple makeup above her eyelids.

"I know, I know, but it just doesn't sit right with me. I just can't bring myself to do a dishonest act." He sighed as he grabbed the shears and trimmed the branches on the sapling. He realized how dumb that sounded but it was the truth.

"You're way too good, hun." She paused, wiping off some accidental makeup that fell on her cheek. "Ya know back in my day when I was your age I was always getting into trouble. That never landed me with a great crowd." She sighed reflecting on her glory days which were years ago. "Ya know with that attitude, I'm surprised you haven't found yourself a girl yet." She jested still applying peacock purple eyeliner.

In response, he chuckled a bit. "Yeah, ok, sure. Who wants to date a plant nerd? It was only a fluke that Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors got a girlfriend. That's only because the plant ate her first boyfriend."

"Well, since you're making references to Little Shop of Horrors, you should have knowledge of musicals: girls like musicals." She bluntly said while now applying red lipstick.

"Yeah or get a giant alien blood eating plant. Girls dig that apparently." He sarcastically said as he pruned the flowers.

"Well, you got a sense of humor. Girls like that too." She chuckled a bit.

"Oh, stop pushing it. The only reason I don't have girlfriend is because I just haven't found anyone who.. ya know I had a connection with, I haven't found anyone special. Plus I am busy with work and trying to just survive." He shrugged as he pulled a weed from one of the pots.

"Oh, so we have a real gentleman in our midst? Praise to thee!" She taunted in a friendly way. "Anyway, to get off this oh so interesting subject, I have a big job for you." She said flipping through a clothing magazine, her green eyes darting at different pages. At this, he finished grooming the plants and made his way to the front desk where she had been grooming herself.

"That big house on the edge of town, you know that really obscene house that's all dark and hidden in the forested area? Turns out people exist there and are not ghosts, who knew?" she joked.

He couldn't help but smirk at this, "Yeah?"

"Well, whoever lives there has requested our services. They need a gardener to tend to their plants on their property. Apparently, they have some cool plants. Since this job requires a lot of care 24/7, they even offered to supply room and board for whoever accepts the job." She paused flipping a page. "I figured you are the most trusted employee, you have more experience in caring for rare plants, and it's not like you're doing anything major right now you might like the position. It might be a good experience and help take your mind off of things…" She paused grabbing a shoe magazine. "Also they offered to pay well, so you would be paid by them and not by me. If I were you, I'd take the job. Business here is slow, and I wish I could give you more because you deserve it but this business just does not allow it. I'd like to see ya stop struggling for awhile." She said now gazing longingly at a pair of boots in the magazine.

As she was doing so, she wondered how such a boy could fall on unhappy circumstances. He is a regular sized man with straight shiny dark brown hair, beautiful 'soft' hazel eyes, a wonderful complexion, and a good body build (even though he didn't work out all the time.) He was white skinned? but it always seemed like he had a light tan. It looked like he came from Greece or somewhere in the mediterranean. She knew as well as everyone else who met him that he was beautiful to look at. Yet he was blind to it, he only really acknowledged his inner beauty. None was a lie, Tabitha thought. He was kind and generous, he often chatted to most people he met in the store. He was generally a nice man. How? How could someone so good be punished with such unfortunate events? She questioned herself in thought now glancing at a pair of designer sandals in the magazine.

Blake was silent. Tabitha took a breath and spoke again while turning a page in the magazine. "Look surg, you don't have to take it if you don't want to. I could always send Jack or Sarah. Hell, I could get a transfer from another store. It's up to you." She finished, now ripping out a coupon.

He thought for a moment. In one hand, his life can be changed in an instant he doesn't know anyone and it could end up badly. On the other, it might be exciting, and he might be able to earn enough money to go to college. That's what his mom would've wanted.

"I'll do it!" He said vehemently while accidentally flipping some top soil that was stuck to his apron to the floor.

"Great, I'll notify them. Get packing because your job is starting after tomorrow. Also, make sure you're clean while you're there. I don't wanna hear you've been leaving topsoil all over the place."

He blushed a bit seeing the pile of dirt on the floor. He didn't realize dirt was stuck to his apron. He sighed and went to get the mop, but secretly inside he was nearly jumping out of his skin with glee.