"Ali Anwar's cat is missing,"
Nora paused her search from beneath the shelf, resting her arm that had been failing to locate the can of dog food she'd dropped almost four minutes ago.

"Huh?" She remained on the ground, once more swiping her arm and undoubtedly collecting the dust that coated the floor as she grunted her frustration. "Sorry, give me a second, Jerry; I just need to get this...."

She pushed herself off the floor, ignoring his sigh as she scooted closer to the shelf, using her leg, which was much longer than her arms, to kick the can. "It's...right...there," She spoke tensely, before finally feeling the metal against her bare ankle, "got it!" Using force, she swooped her leg, and the dog food skittered through to the other side, permitting Nora to exhale in relief. It was only when she heard her employer's throat-clearing did she remember he was waiting for her and pivoted to find the elder man frowning and his arms crossed.

"So," Nora asked, "What did you say... a cat is missing?" She asked, waiting for further explanation as the beefy, sweaty man tucked his hands into his pockets and raised a crooked brow.

"I was hoping you'd be able to explain...." He expressed as she pursed her lips and picked up the can, placing it on the table as she leaned against the stool. "Ali Anwar's cat is missing," Jerry repeated.

"I erm, I don't...." Nora's mind was utterly blank, and it was doing nothing to appease the terrifying expression donning Jerry's face. "Who is Ali Anwar?" She added, and the redness in his cheeks bloomed.

Nora could imagine the smoke wanting to force itself from his ears. With his hanging double chins, thinning grey hair, and the too-tight shirt he wore, Nora forced herself to bite her lips, praying her giggle wouldn't escape. She was supposed to be serious.

"Ali Anwar is a loyal customer who has dropped his cat off every Friday, at 4 pm for the last eight months. According to the log, that is your late evening shift, and you were the one to have admitted the feline to our hotel,"

"Was it a ginger tabby?" She guessed, and the booming voice announcing that she was wrong only fuelled her humour.
Once more, Nora had to remind herself to maintain her poker face as Jerry crossed and then uncrossed his arms, shuffling his posture to maintain dominance.

"It was a Ragdoll!" He fumed. Nora's memory remained blank, and her emotionless expression told the manager all he needed to know. "You're fired," he decided, "effective immediately, I want your apron and lanyard...."

"I'm what?" Nora questioned, her jaw lowering in shock. She'd only had the job for six months; firing her for what could have only been a mistake was indeed against company policy.

"Fired," Jerry repeated, "now don't force me to ask you to leave again; get out of my shop!"

Nora scoffed as she unravelled the apron around her hips and threw it against the table in the act of defiance. Her lanyard made a clattering sound as it landed beside the cloth, and for a moment, she glared before forcing herself out of the small room.

Fired! How could he fire her?

Her question was quickly answered. Nora wasn't exactly enthusiastic about her job as a salesperson for the local pet shop. For one, the animal food had an awful smell that often lingered despite her nightly bathing ritual, and secondly, she wasn't particularly fond of animals. The only reason she'd taken the job in the first place was that she had been looking, and well, it was easy to lie and state that pets were the reason she lived and the sole source of her joy.

The reality was far from the truth, and Nora had killed almost every goldfish she'd ever had. It wasn't intentional, of course, but the low survival rate was indeed an indication that she and pets didn't go well together. As she'd mentally appeased, the only reason she'd stuck around so long was that she needed the money. It wasn't easy up-keeping her lifestyle, and someone needed to pay for her daily hot chocolates, ready-salted packets of crisps, and love of the weird and wonderful.

With an exaggerated sigh, Nora collected her belongings and moved through the aisles, taking a final glance at the stand displaying the key rings she had assembled almost two weeks ago. Jerry had been on her back and an utter nightmare, dictating which animal needed to go next to which, and it had infuriated her. Nora had ended up working overtime just to meet his expectations, only to return and see he had rearranged everything anyway, and it looked terrible. Where was the logic in putting birds next to the turtles? They obviously belonged with the fish!

Stepping closer, she felt the cold metal of the green turtle between her fingers and allowed her annoyance to soften as she slipped the decoration into her pocket.
'Take that, Jerry!' She thought, releasing a small giggle as she stepped out of the door and into the warmth.

The beginning of spring had finally arrived, and the sun's rays were melting the last of the frost. The streets of Milton Keynes were bustling with vendors and cars and business people, all following their self-imposed routine, and there, sat on the step of the pet shop was a elderly man, holding his face in his hands.

Nora could have pressed and asked what was wrong with him, but for all she knew, the man could have been a loon. So instead, she walked around the figure and down the street to the cafe her brother owned.

Leo was currently wiping down the table and was completely unaware of her appearance when she had arrived. It was the perfect opportunity, and she jogged the small distance before pouncing in his back, forcing him to release a breath, and encouraging her giggle. "Hey, Leo,"

"Nora?" He questioned before looking over his shoulder, his smile widening as she nodded, pressing a kiss to his cheek before releasing him from her grasp.

"It's me," she sang as he chuckled, drying his hands with the rag before leaning on the back of the chair.

"Always arriving with an entrance," the older sibling commented as she bobbed her head. Leo was almost five years older than Nora and was easily her favourite person on the planet.

"Of course, consistency is key!" She beamed, shrugging out of her coat and placing it on the table that she now leaned against.

"So, and don't get me wrong, I love seeing you, but what are you doing here? Are you cancelling our plans tonight?"" His breaths were still heavy from his scare, and she grinned, her brown eyes bright with humour as he added, "why are you covered in dust?" It was only when she lowered her gaze did she realise that her black jeans were covered in white marks and handprints, and she wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"I was on the floor trying to retrieve a can, and then I got fired," She answered with a shrug, moving behind the counter to collect her needed ingredients after washing her hands.

"Fired?" Leo repeated, "but...but you only just got that job?"

"I'll get another," she raised her shoulders again, opening the lid of her hot chocolate and inhaling deeply. "Want a hot chocolate?"

"No, I'm alright," he smiled, though the expression didn't quite meet his eyes. For a moment, Nora wondered why he looked so defeated but decided not to press and instead steamed the milk to create her favourite drink.

"So, what are your plans?" Leo asked as she moved back to where he was stood, to sit at the table, "did you want to stay here for the rest of the day or..."

"Na," she shook her head as she swallowed and lowered her mug. "I think I might pop into town, do a bit of shopping...."

His expression was incredulous, but Nora was used to that. Instead, she drank deeply, ignoring the scald on her tongue as she exhaled loudly, savouring the chocolate she loved.

"Alright...will you be okay with this month's rent?" Leo asked, and she raised her eyes, providing reassurance with her nod. "Are you sure? Because, well, I wasn't going to ask you like this, but I was thinking...."Nora stopped concentrating on the hot drink before her as she met Leo's blue eyes. "Do you want to move in...with me?"

Silence answered his question as she absorbed what he had suggested.

"It's just, well Nora, this is the third job in 18 months, and Jeanie and I were thinking-"

"You and Jeanie don't need to think anything at all," She interrupted, tucking a long lock of unnatural red hair behind her ear. As much as she loved her sister-in-law, living with her would be an entirely different matter. Plus with her niece or nephew on the way, Nora wasn't stupid to accept an offer when she was likely going to be kicked out the second she moved in, but that was beside the point. She didn't need to move, anywhere.
"I'm doing completely fine by myself...I'm happy," She confirmed.

"But Nora-" She resisted pressing her still dusty hands against his mouth to stop him from saying the words she desperately didn't want to hear, and instead slid her chair backwards, indicating her departure. "You can't live on top of that chicken place for the rest of your life," He expressed as she placed her coat upon her shoulders. "You could do so much better,"

"I like the chicken shop." She rebutted, "Mr Bilal gives me free food whenever I want," The narrowing of her brother's eyes caused her to quickly button the coat she had left open to hide the extra weight she'd gained promptly from her evening meals. It wasn't something she was embarrassed about; in fact, Nora loved her fuller figure and had wholly embraced her curves; she just didn't want her 30-year-old brother to pass his judgement.

"Can you just think about it?" He finally mirrored her movement, and she sighed, offering a small smile as she placed her bag on her shoulder.

"I'll think about it," she agreed, "but for now, let's just stick to our monthly movie night,"

"I'll take that!" He nodded, finally offering a genuine smile, the only likeness the siblings shared as she scooted her chair back into its place.

"I'll see you later, then. There's this lamp in TK Maxx I've had my eye on for a while, and it would be perfect for my telly nook."

"Alright," He nodded as she swallowed the final dregs of her hot chocolate. As much as she wanted to leave, it wasn't the hot chocolate's fault; it didn't need to be wasted, and in Nora's mind, that was a worse crime than the petty theft she had committed. "I'll bring the pizza," Leo added, successfully interrupting her thoughts as she prompted:

"With..." She hinted in reminder and returned her brother's grin when he answered correctly. Pizza wasn't pizza without pineapple, mushrooms, and gherkins, and it was a tradition; that was how the pair spent the first Tuesday of every month for almost 5 years.

"I'll see you later; love you," She added, and he repeated with a wave, ignoring the customers waiting for him by the counter, as she felt his gaze follow her out of the cafe.

Despite her disappearing act, however, the topic Leo had brought up hadn't entirely left her mind. The excitement from the new dinosaur lamp that now weighed on her shoulder had done little to ease the guilt that she felt, and with a small sigh, she made her way to the fountain to take a seat, crisps in hand.

She'd moved out of her family home almost three years ago, and so far, the relocation hadn't worked in her favour. Even more so frustratingly, however, was that it wasn't Nora's failure at independence that caused her upset, but her mother's pressure. Leaving home hadn't been a decision that had gone well in the Torres household, but the two women were stubborn, ensuring Nora had left with minor approval.

Three years later, her mother's belief that she would fail hadn't wavered, and now even Leo, and his wife shared those views.

Still, if she didn't get a new job in two weeks, she wouldn't be able to cover her following rent, and goodness knows how many chances Mr Bilal had offered her; Leo's offer...or her mother's may be her only choices. And it certainly didn't help that the thought of moving back home hadn't been a foreign thought to her. She would have welcomed the idea if her mother's 'I told you so' didn't taunt her each time she raised her phone.

At almost twenty-five years of age, Nora had expected to have her life together, and being single, living on top of a kebab shop certainly didn't match the views her younger self considered as a success. It had also been 18 months since she'd held a somewhat stable job, and that would just be the cherry on top of a long list of the mistakes she'd made.

At least Nora knew, however, that her short time away had given her a break in the life she once had. She'd definitely gained some independence, and though that had translated to showering at 3 am without the fear of waking others or being able to dance around her home without intrusion, they had been thrills she'd certainly enjoyed.

A small smile pulled at her lips as she leaned back, listening to the sounds of the fountain, as she munched on the last of the crumbs in her packet. The water smelt chlorinated and failed to hide the odour of the drains, but she expertly blocked her nose as she watched the water sprout from the floor. Children giggled as they ran through the puddles, dodging the jets, and for a moment, she grinned, sharing their moment as she imagined it would be fun to join in.

Without any reason to go anywhere else, however, her mind was quickly made up as she stood and placed her bags on the floor. Stepping forward, her feet now bare, she moved to hover her hand against a jet, anticipating the feeling of cold aqua against her fingertips. Her excitement was quickly drowned when a nearby child smacked an adjacent water jet, sending the cold water her way, causing her face and clothes to dampen on impact.

Standing upright did little to alert the girl to her anger, and she sent the spray once more. A single step was the wrong move, and just as Nora committed the act, the fountain she had waited for gushed, drenching her completely.

"You have got to be kidding me!" She squealed, jumping backwards, just as another jet went off. Her parents quickly chorused the little girl's laughter, and Nora glared, wiping the water away from her brow as she walked back to her belongings.

She quickly forced her wet feet into her socks, despising the feeling as she slipped on her shoes, and made her way back to her apartment, a few streets away.
The small one-bedroom flat sat on top of a halal chicken shop, and the mouthwatering scent caused her mouth to salivate as she entered the store.
Her landlord, Mr Bilal, owned both the shop and her home, and Nora could only hope his surprise at her appearance would induce some sympathy, preferably in the form of some free chicken.

"My God, what happened to you?" He asked as she offered a sheepish smile.

"There was a freak storm, Mr Bilal" she lied, inventing a tale as she dripped towards the counter. "It was on the other side of the town, and a hurricane took me to Oz; I've been gone for days!" she exaggerated as he chuckled, shaking his head as amusement glinted in his beady eyes.

"You and your stories, Miss Nora," he chuckled as she grinned. "I hope your trip to Oz hasn't affected your ability to pay rent?" He asked, and her expression dimmed.

"And I thought we were having a moment there, Mr Bilal," she pouted, "And erm, about the rent...."

"What?" He asked slowly, his Bangladeshi accent thickening as he narrowed his brow, his countenance now severe.

"I'll have it in full by next Friday!" She gushed as he slowly nodded, not entirely convinced, but Nora couldn't deny she was at fault. When it came to paying bills, punctuality had never been her strong suit.

"It better be," he warned kindly, and she nodded, leaning over the counter to steal a packet of chips; one of the cooks had plated.

"It will," she sang, walking away as she chewed, only to be stopped in her tracks when a new voice called her name.