Now we'll get to see some of that "Perry and Priya wanting their daughter to join OWCA" in action!
…
Quinn's POV
I don't even make it to the end of the day without seeing my parents.
My shift at the corner shop is nearly at its end, and I'm stacking shelves when I see them come in. Priya's wearing the sapphire necklace that Hazel bought her on that mission she went on several years ago. I ignore both of them as best I can but Perry comes right up to me and says, "Hi Quinn."
"I'm at work," I snap.
Perry's POV
Hearing my youngest daughter snap at me like that hurts, but I put those feelings away and say as calmly as I can, "I can see that. Do you have any time to talk?"
Quinn opens a box full of washing up liquid bottles and begins putting them on the shelves. She doesn't reply.
"Commander Carl says it's not too late to begin training. Jolyon and Xanthe did when they were ten, and Sora did when she was twelve."
"I'll bear that in mind." Quinn looks and sounds rather annoyed.
Priya hesitantly asks, "Are you going to consider it?"
Quinn looks at us with a bitter smile on her face. "No, not really."
"Why?" Priya asks. "Why don't you want to join OWCA?"
"Priya, I've said this a hundred times: I'm happy with my normal life!"
I'm not sure how I feel about Quinn calling us by our first names instead of "Mom" and "Dad". "You've got four jobs," I remind my daughter. "Do you really want to be working so hard for the rest of your life?"
"YES!" Quinn raises her voice to just below a shout. "I may have four jobs but I'm not working for every minute of every day, and I have both amazing friends and a boyfriend, plus my own apartment. If I join OWCA, I'll constantly have to go on missions and be in an office 24/7. That's not me, Perry. And joining OWCA means making enemies, and I'm not ready for that. I like my quiet, peaceful, and simple life."
Quinn's POV
I turn to my parents and savagely add, "Now I'd like to ask you a question. Every day for the last two years, you've been trying to convince me to join your organisation and every day I've said no. When are you going to quit it and leave me alone?"
"When we stop caring about you!" Perry snaps. "We want what's best for you, and we both really believe that that is OWCA."
"Argh!" I glare at my parents. "Get the hint, please! I don't want to join OWCA and I never will!"
Priya looks saddened. Perry just says, "I'm not giving up on you."
I angrily throw the empty box back in my trolley and push it aggressively towards the stockroom, leaving my parents behind.
I hate them sometimes! The way Perry said "I'm not giving up on you", as if I'm in a horrible life where I'm working like a slave all day every day with no friends and no money and no luxuries. I have all those things! I live in an apartment that's exactly two floors down from my boyfriend's, who I love a lot, I have lots of free time to myself, I still get to do the thing I love, I get a lot of money from my four jobs, and I have four awesome friends! Not including my boyfriend.
Speaking of my boyfriend…
When I go back into the shop with a new trolley full of things I need to put out on the shelves, I see Knox waiting for me. I automatically smile as I see his face. He's pretending to be looking at the sweets but he's sneaking glances at me.
As it happens, I have a box of chocolate bars to put out, so I start stacking those on the shelf and give Knox a sideways smile.
"Ready for our date?" he asks.
"I'm working tonight, Knox."
"I know. But there's a three hour period between your jobs so I've rented a movie and we're going to go back to my apartment and watch it."
"Aww, Knox…"
"It's your favourite," adds Knox, pulling the DVD out of the bag over his elbow. "Mission Marvel. That's why I'm here. What flavour popcorn do you like?"
I'm still beaming like an idiot when I answer: "Butter or salt. Not sweet."
Knox picks out the largest bag of salt popcorn that we stock. "And sweets?"
"I like jelly beans."
The jelly beans followed the popcorn off the shelf. "And drinks?"
"You can choose whatever drink you like," I giggle.
"Nah. You already support all six of us with the bucketload of money you earn from these jobs so I think you deserve to pick the drinks. Plus, you're cute, and that on its own deserves to pick the drinks."
I blush, something I quickly hide when I realise. "Just pick something healthy yet tasty."
"Vimto still?" suggests Knox, examining the rather limited selection of large drink bottles we have.
"Isn't that basically Ribena?" I chuckle, moving onto the next box of sweets to put out.
Knox takes out a bottle from the refrigerator and squints at the back of the label. "I guess it is. That'll do, then."
"I'm sure anything will do."
As Knox goes past me on the way to the checkout, he kisses me on the cheek, causing me to smile. "I'll wait outside."
"My shift doesn't end for another half an hour," I protest.
"I repeat: I'll wait outside."
"Okay, see you."
Just then, an announcement comes for me to go to the till. I realise that a large queue has formed. I quickly rush to behind the till and realise that Knox is the next in line.
"Art thou following me?" Knox asks dramatically as he dumps the stuff in front of me.
I grin. "I just work here, buddy," I say, making both of us laugh.
After I've finished my shift, Knox is waiting outside, like he promised. We link arms and walk off down the street, neither of us aware that this was the beginning of the end.
…
DUN DUN DUUUUN!
