My shrimp

Chapter 7 [Marcella]

I woke up today.

Ok, i wake up everyday, buttttt.... You get the idea.

As usual, I got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast.

Our chef, Nicholas Pierre, made an excellent breakfast. Pancakes.

That's right. Pancakes for my pancake. And my lil solider.

I sat down at the table with my boys. Pancake was eating pancakes with a ton of maple syrup, Sugar was eating...... is that bacon with sugar and cream? 

Ok, teenage, I guess.

I grabbed a plate and a few pancakes. I reached for the syrup, but it was empty.

"Hey! Who emptied all the syrup?" I asked.

"Hehehehehehe." Pancake giggled next to me. I melted. Why is he so cute?

"Did you eat all the syrup?" I asked, with a tone of mock seriousness.

He giggled a bit more and replied "yes."

"Hmmmmm....." i said.

"Well, since you ate all the syrup, I'm going to eat you."

"What?????" I could hear the pout.

"Hey Marco!" I said, looking at my other side, at my lil soldier.

His head perked up.

"What?" He asked, in a totally oblivious tone.

"How would you like a roasted Enzo with paprika and garlic?"

Enzo's eyes were the size of meatballs. "You're gonna cook me!!"

"Yes. I am. With garlic and paprika. I may also add some salt."

"Im gonna eat you first."

"Sure you are."

He pouted and crossed his little arms.

I was busy admiring him, while Rouge, my right hand man, came in and signaled me to come on.

I stood up and kissed both boys on the forehead. 

"Bye!" I yelled.

"Bye mama!" Enzo yelled back.

"Bye mama bear." Marco said, not in his usual tone.

Did something happen?

I shrugged it off and left.

"Do you want to come with me to the company?" He asked.

"No. I should be somewhere else."

I instructed him to go on without me and hopped in my car.

I drove to pretty paradise.

But it wasn't open.

I got out the car, pulled a random kid who was going down the street and interrogated him.

"Why's this cafe closed?" I asked.

"Oh. Y-es. The owner fractured his led by dropping a hammer on it. Can you believe it?"

His look changed to fear. Probably because of my gaze.

"T-the owner is in the community hospital. Please don't maim me."

I let go of his arm and got back in my car.

I drove to the hospital.

I entered the building and walked up to the front desk.

I'm looking for a Stygian. The owner of "Pretty Paradise", y'know, the cafe down the street?

The reception lady looked at me with pointed eyes. 

"Are you his family?" She asked, observing me. 

Why's she looking at me like that? Like, I know that I'm really sexy but in a hospital? Seriously? I'm surprised she isn't dead yet.

"I'm his friend." I said.

"Friends are not allowed to visit unless a pre scheduled appointment is booked."

The lion, the witch, the audacity of this bitch.

I slowly got my gun out. I pointed it at her.

"Stay quiet. I'm not afraid to kill."

I said.

She started going through some ancient register and looked at me a few seconds later.

"S-s-sty-Stygian Aureus, room 35."

That's how we do it.

I went down to room 35 to find hyperactive shrimp on the bed, looking lifeless. I immediately felt the urge to kill anyone who made him like that.

"Hey, shrimp." I called out, coming it and closing the door.

"That random annoying customer?" He asked.

"Yes, that random annoying customer with a weird order."

"Marcy?"

I immediately felt a pang of jealousy through me. Who the quack is Marcy?

"I'm not Marcy. I'm Marcella, I came to your cafe yesterday."

He sat up. Why did I have this weird urge to help him up?

"I kinda nicknamed you Marcy. Because your name is longer than me."

I smiled. Not the sadistic one, not the sarcastic one. A genuine one.

"What happened?" I asked.

He described everything to me in blurry detail. 

"So, your leg is broken, huh?" I asked. I know i had a cocky smirk on my face.

"Yes." He pouted. 

Why is he so adorable?

"I'm gonna have to live with some family for a while." He said after a long silence.

"That means, you won't run the cafe?" 

Panic surged through my veins. 

How would I survive without my latte?

"Well," he continued, "I value my health more than my money, so you're going to have to find your order somewhere else."

"Where are you going to go?"

"Pennsylvania."

Pennsylvania? That's around, uh, 300 kilometres!

"Oh." No other words came out of my mouth.

"Well then, I guess I better get going." I stood up and turned around to leave.

I didn't want to leave.

"Wait!" He squeaked.

"What?" I asked, turning back around.

"Can you call me a shrimp again?" It was a silent voice. 

I came closer to him. Really close.

"Take care, shrimp."