Present Day, Seven Years Later.
"Thanks for the coffee, Sydney. Yours is always the best"
"Hearing that from you is only going to make me want to put more effort when making coffee, sir, please do come another time" Sydney happily escorted the customer, who just finished his coffee in her shop.
"I always do, see you around later, Syd" The man exchanged pleasantries with her before leaving, while Sydney stood with a smile on her face and watched one of her favorite customers, who never forgets to visit her coffee shop every single morning, after preparing for work leave before heading back inside.
"Today's been a little bit hectic, ma'am. People keep on flooding in here" Ellie, an orphaned girl, Sydney picked up in the streets and took her in as a sister. Who helps out in the coffee shop as a worker complained to her the moment she revealed herself inside the shop.
"You know it's quite good to have a blooming business in this insanely overrated luxurious neighborhood, Ellie. You know how hard many shops around here can make it as ours do every day" Sydney was glad her coffee shop was among the blooming businesses in this domain, unlike Ellie complaining about it.
"And I keep on telling you to call me Sydney or even big sis here at work but you never listen. We are the same, you calling me ma'am makes me feel like an old lady" Sydney didn't like to be addressed as ma'am, especially by Ellie, she feels too young to be called a ma'am.
Ma'am is supposed to be someone whose age has gone down. She's still pretty young and slows down when it comes to aging.
"I only call you ma'am here at work. Besides, you shouldn't worry about feeling like an old lady when you don't even age as fast as I do. I'm so jealous you are older but then, I'm going to die first before you do. Ugh, you are so lucky to be a werewolf" Ellie made known to Sydney, who quickly shushed her.
Despite Ellie saying the word 'werewolf' in a very low manner. Sydney was scared someone could have heard her. This neighborhood is a very quiet, comfortable, and loving place. She doesn't want to be the first one to cause an uncontrollable panic, if anyone apart from Ellie finds out she's a werewolf.
Humans prefer to freak out when they discover werewolf existence is real. They think werewolves are big bad man-eating creatures. They are but not all, but they still tend to keep on being heard as a myth only.
Sydney has been living in this neighborhood in a low-key manner for years up to now and no one knows what she is. Which she is fine with. She doesn't need people to be scared of her or some targeting her as some kind of sport to make fun of.
Ellie knows what she is because they live together. She wasn't able to hide it from her. Even if Sydney didn't let Ellie know what she was, the girl was meant to find out sooner or later since she's quite a sensitive human.
"And you should be glad I haven't had you as my dinner or breakfast yet for constantly breaking the promise. You promised not to use the 'w' word in an open place like this where anyone could have heard you. This conversation is over, now go back to work, Ellie"
Sydney's interest in a conversation with Ellie got turned off and she quickly ordered her to go back to work immediately.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, sorry, I meant Syd" Ellie apologized. "Pardon me" She swiftly left Sydney to help out the other workers in tending to some customers' needs.
"You are forgiven" Sydney whispered, accepting Ellie's apology without her hearing it. She turned to go attend to a customer when her phone suddenly rang in her pocket which she took out to answer.
It was Roman's teacher calling. What could it be now? This is the third time her pup's elementary teacher has called her this week and none of it was good news.
"Uhm..hello, Mrs. Gibbs, did he get in a fight again?" Sydney was quick to ask the moment she picked up the call. She has a feeling Roman must have gotten into a fight again. It's the only possible reason his elementary teacher is calling her when school isn't over, yet.
"Okay, I will be there in a minute" Just like Sydney had thought, it came to pass. Roman got into a fight again, this will now make it the fourth time in a week. She won't be surprised when she is called over to his school one day only to get the news that her pup has finally been expelled.
Roman likes to cause a lot of trouble for others and even for himself.
Ellie saw Sydney rushing towards her and asked. "Are you heading out?"
"Yeah, Roman was involved in a fight again. He broke the boy's arm and nose. I don't know what to do with him anymore" A scowl started to wash over Sydney's pretty face.
"That's my boy. You know it's actually a good thing he's the one that won. Roman's not a bully, trust me, he only hurts those who hurt him first. He's a good kid, Syd. You are the one who goes hard on him when not necessary. And you should hear him out when you get there, please don't scold him immediately" Ellie heard Sydney's story and supported Roman immediately without wanting to hear Sydney speak another word.
She knows the kid quite well and he's a very good one. It's why she takes his side no matter what.
Sydney rolled her eyes and caught her coat, which Ellie threw at her. "Wish me luck. I think I know what to do with him now. I'm definitely going to Roman him alive today" She heaved a deep sigh and started to find her way out of the coffee shop to go bury Roman alive.
****
Sydney was just done having a hot-heated argument with the parents of the kid her pup broke his arm and nose. She was so embarrassed that she had nothing she could say to right the wrong Roman did. All the blame was put on her, she was shouted at and called a bad mom for not raising her kid properly.
The parents of the kids left in anger first after the conversation with the principal of the school ended. While she was stuck in school with Roman's teacher.
"I will teach him better. I promise this will never happen again" Sydney vowed to Roman's teacher the bad behavior of her pup would never repeat itself.
"I hope so, Sydney. I don't know what to do with him anymore. He stresses me out more than the other kids do" Mrs. Gibbs complained to Sydney, who apologized again.
"I'm really sorry for everything he has put you through, Gibbs. I give you my word that this would never happen again" Sydney bit her lower lip in shame. Roman has disgraced the hell out of her. He shouldn't make her start regretting why she didn't get rid of him after birthing him in the first place.
Sydney attempted to leave after ending the apologetic conversation with Roman's teacher but stopped when she was called back without warning. "Uhm, Sydney?
"Yes?"
"This doesn't sound right to ask since I only see you with him, but no one knows or has ever heard about Roman's dad and you have never talked about him. Is he perhaps around?" This question of Mrs. Gibbs made Sydney weak in the knees unexpectedly, however, she was able to manage to pull herself together to say.
"Uhm, actually, I'm a single mom, Gibbs" Sydney flashed her pup's teacher a weak smile.
"Oh… I'm so sorry for that, I shouldn't have asked…" Roman's teacher wasn't that surprised by Sydney's response but pretended she was. She has always suspected this. Her curiosity didn't end there as she went on to ask.
"I hope you don't mind if I ask whether he is dead or something. If he isn't, then I think you should really try to make him bond with Roman. Sometimes, it helps out since Roman is a boy. I think he behaves like this because he isn't around his dad…."
"Roman is doing just fine with me, Gibbs, I will be taking my leave now" Sydney didn't let Mrs. Gibbs finish with her sentence and cut her short, also walking away to go find Roman where she left him and take him home with her immediately.
"Did I say something wrong?..." Mrs. Gibbs murmured under her breath. Starting to wonder if she had said anything wrong to Sydney. She only meant what she said to her in a good way, not in a bad way but Sydney didn't even let her finish and walked away.
Since she has known Roman, it's either Ellie or his mom that comes to take him home back from school. His dad seems not to exist in their lives but it seems like he's alive.
Sydney doesn't look married or divorced. She even looks too young to have a kid, she must be among those unlucky girls who got pregnant in high school and dropped out to raise the baby. At least, she did well by choosing not to get rid of the baby but to raise him.
Mrs. Gibbs thought and couldn't help but feel real pity toward Sydney.