you will be someone's best thing, but until then
be the best for yourself

"Mother requests you go with me to the market to pick up some groceries on the way home," Stephanie Michaels walked into the small back room of the boutique. She leaned against the wooden door frame, watching as the back of her sister's head tilted slightly to the right as if she were studying something.

"Maybe a little more to the left," The other girl - Rhiannon Michaels - muttered to herself as she removed the little pin holding the pink flower to the hat she'd been working on. She bit her lip as she carefully pinned it more toward the left side, moving her head back to examine her work.

Stephanie sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You can ignore me all you want, Rhiannon, you still have to come with me to the market."

"I'm not ignoring you, Stephanie. I'm working." Rhiannon told the older girl. She didn't react as Stephanie groaned, stomping her foot on the wooden floor.

"Working on what, exactly? That ugly hat?" Stephanie then snorted, rolling her eyes.

Rhiannon stopped what she was doing, dropping the hat altogether. She slid around in the desk chair she'd been sitting in for the past hour and a half, resting her hands on her knees. "Okay, Stephanie. You have my full attention."

"I don't need your full attention," Stephanie cringed. "A respectful response would have been more than enough."

"One must be respectful to earn respect in return," Rhiannon mumbled.

"Not when I'm your older sister." Stephanie rolled her eyes, "We're leaving work in fifteen minutes. Better clean up."

The older Michaels' sister didn't bother to wait for a response. Instead, she just smugly smirked at Rhiannon before turning and making her way out of the tiny back room, the only sound being her heels echoing off through the halls.

Rhiannon made a face, one that mocked her sister. Any time that Stephanie spoke to Rhiannon, it was with a tone full of malice and jealousy. She knew this, so she always learned to take everything said to her with a grain of salt. It shouldn't be like that - and Rhiannon knew that - siblings were supposed to be close. They were supposed to be best friends, ones who could go to each other for everything.

But all because of how other people decided to treat Rhiannon, caused Stephanie to despise her.

Turning back to the desk, she sighed in disgust at the look of the ugly hat. If there was one thing Stephanie was right about, it was the fact that the hat was ugly. It looked better bland, one someone would buy simply to just to wear during the rain.

She took the pink flower off of the hat, gently setting it to the side with the rest of the random accessories laying around her desk. It was a little unorganized, and although she had the urge to fix it - she knew Stephanie would complain the entire way home if she were to spend extra time cleaning up.

Instead, she just stood from her spot and pushed the chair in. She'd be back the next day - as she came back every day - and would organize it then (after messing it up more of course). She pulled the leather jacket from the back of the chair, pulling it over her shoulders.

It was quite chilly out, getting to the colder months. Rhiannon didn't mind this as much considering sweaters and long-sleeved clothes were her favorite articles of clothing. Plus it seemed fitting, with the way the town spoke nowadays.

Constant chatter of the creatures everyone once thought were mythical erupted through the streets. It was like people talked of them as if they were still just that - fairytale creatures. But they weren't, and everyone should have known this by now.

Creatures and humans alike had lived together in harmony until more recent times. Rhiannon had learned all about Megara Cyrena in school. About how she'd been living in the shadows, struggling day by day until she just couldn't take it anymore. She took the power, and instead of using her power to rule the world - as some who had been as hurt as she was would have - she decided to use her magic for the greater good and become the ruler of a land, merging everyone together just as most people wanted.

But now, things were different. After Megara died without leaving any legacy behind, people began to cause wars over who was going to rule next. People who wanted to continue what Megara had started, and those who wanted to bring back the way King Solomon had ruled the lands.

Despite the numerous leaders over time, the name of the land hadn't changed. It had been broken up with a neighboring land, one called Havenland, whereas the Land of Cyrena stayed just that - the Land of Cyrena. No matter who ruled and what they agreed with, the name just never seemed to change.

It was just as Rhiannon suspected the moment her and Stephanie stepped out of the boutique. She heard the murmurs and gossip as she locked the building up, putting the necklace holding the giant key around her neck.

She listened and observed as she followed her sister along the pathways leading down the town square, stopping at each market shop Stephanie thought was necessary.

"I heard the creatures are dying out,"

"That's not possible, you know they're only getting stronger. There are almost more of them than us. What if they take over?"

"What if they do? They're living their lives the way we are."

"Until they decide it's too boring. King Solomon was the greatest ruler of all time - he saw what most don't. Someone is going to slip up and the wars that will erupt will be much worse than any war that's happened within the previous years. We're all going to be slaves to those monsters."

It had been a whole conversation between two males, both of them being in their mid-twenties. Rhiannon rolled her eyes at the praise of King Solomon. She didn't understand why there was such a big feud between humans and creatures, considering it seemed all of them wanted the same thing: to live. They just wanted to experience the same things as humans did, it's not like most of them asked to be born the way they were.

"No way!" The sound of Stephanie's voice was heard, breaking Rhiannon out of her thoughts. She glanced over at her sister to see the girl staring at a group of people nearby. They were standing at the candy pop-up shop that came to town every once in a while, one that went town-to-town to expand its customers.

Rhiannon didn't say anything but took notice of the way her sister looked. She knew not to bother Stephanie, because Stephanie would just say something smart in response or ignore her - and it was something she'd learned fairly quickly with the girl. Instead of paying much attention, she just looked at the apples in front of her.

"It's Josh Freeman!" Stephanie then exclaimed, slapping her sister on the arm.

"Josh who?" Rhiannon couldn't help but ask. She paid the shop clerk for the few apples she'd chosen, smiling at the boy as he carefully bagged her items. The boy's face grew red, as it did any time Rhiannon bought anything from his shop.

Stephanie rolled her eyes, almost disappointed that Rhiannon didn't know who he was talking about. Then, as if realization hit her features, she smirked at her younger sister. "Of course you wouldn't know who the Josh Freeman is. He's only the most eligible bachelor of Cyrena."

Rhiannon's face scrunched up as she looked from her sister back to the boy she'd been gawking at, blinking a few times. "Well, I doubt that."

Stephanie scofffed, "You have no idea what you're talking about Rhiannon. Sad you got blessed with some beauty no brains. Probably because I took it all." She flipped her long hair over her shoulder. "I'm going to go chat with him."

"I don't think that's a very good-"

The rest of Rhiannon's sentence was cut off by Stephanie shoving all of the shopping bags in her arms. The older Michaels sibling sauntered off in the direction where Josh stood with his friends, chewing on a piece of bubble gum.

"Great talk," Rhiannon sarcastically spoke, adjusting the bags in her hands.

She watched as Stephanie walked up to Josh, a bright and confident smile on her features. By the look on Josh's face, Rhiannon could tell the boy had no interest in her sister. He just listened as she talked to him about whatever it was she planned to woo him over, and it was only when his eyes moved behind her sister and right at her that her suspicions of it not going well were confirmed.

The boy's expression changed from confusion to almost happy, his eyes widening as he saw Rhiannon observing the two. Stephanie noticed this quickly, and turned to see what he was looking at. Her eyes then connected with Rhiannon's narrowing as she connected the dots.

Rhiannon rolled her eyes. She was tired of waiting, and knew the conversation wasn't going to cause anything but a fight between her and Stephanie. Instead of waiting to see it play out badly, she just turned and made her way into the nearest shop.

She watched out of the shop window as Stephanie continued to try to talk to Josh, despite the way he'd shown disinterest in her. She didn't seem to care, only taking Rhiannon's absence as more of an opportunity.

"Well, hello there pretty lady!" A chirpy voice called out from behind Rhiannon, and she quickly turned to see who the voice belonged to.

Her eyes finally landed on a boy - one she briefly chatted with when she came through the town square. His name was Logan Ebener, someone who had worked at the shop for quite a while.

"What can I help you get today?" He asked after a few moments of silence. A lop-sided smile rested on his face as he leaned across the counter, his head in his hand as he admired Rhiannon.

Despite not knowing each other well, it almost felt as if they were becoming friends due to her frequent visits. Not to mention with both of them having more of an outgoing personality - they meshed well.

"Nothing today," Rhiannon honestly spoke. She stepped away from the shop door and toward the counter, dropping the bags in her hands to the floor in front of the counter. "Just waiting on Stephanie. Again."

"Per usual," Logan responded. "You sure you don't want to buy something though? We got all kinds of goodies in."

"Thank you, Logan, but I'll be fine not getting anything today." Rhiannon politely declined, smiling at the boy.

"Oh, please, say my name again it sounds so angelic!" Logan dramatically exclaimed. "You know, you're the most eligible bachelorette in Cyrena right now."

"No, I'm not." Rhiannon denied, beginning to look around at the different products on the shelves. She was used to Logan's small attempts at flirting (or maybe they were big, who knew) but at this point she'd gathered that it's very much his personality. He was like that often, so it was almost normal for the girl to act like he wasn't hitting on her every two seconds.

"Look, lady, I know I may not know much of the-" Logan stopped as he stood up straight. He motioned a finger in a circle as his eyes danced around, "Gossip, perse, of the town, but I hear enough to know that most men are looking at you right now. You're twenty-something, single, and clearly the most beautiful woman in the entire land."

"Maybe so, but that doesn't mean I'm interested." Rhiannon shrugged, looking between some of the fabrics hanging.

"Just because you're not interested doesn't mean dear mummy is," The boy sing-songed, looking at her with a cheeky expression.

"My mom has been trying to marry me off since I was eighteen. It hasn't worked then, and it won't work now." Rhiannon shrugged, "I'll marry when and if I'm ready. That's that."

"If? Does that mean you're possibly looking for a groom at some point?" Logan asked, his eyebrows raising. "Please, put me first on the list."

"Sure, buddy." Rhiannon sarcastically spoke, "I'll do you one better. If I turn thirty-five and don't manage to find someone more than willing to settle down with me, I'll call you first."

"THIRTY-FIVE?!" Logan exclaimed, "That's forever from now! And you know there's more than ten mean at least willing to marry you right now!"

"That's not. Outside beauty fades. Maybe by then I'll begin to age horribly or grow huge warts and find myself a face that only a mother could love." Rhiannon joked, walking back toward the counter. "Or in my case, not even my mother could love."

Logan rolled his eyes playfully, leaning forward again. "I understand how so many men fall in love with you. Think I've fallen already."

"Yeah?" Rhiannon asked, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets. "How many people you say that to?"

"Couple men, couple women. Nothing too much." Logan shrugged, running his hand through his hair.

"And that's just today?" Rhiannon questioned, raising her eyebrows.

"The last hour." Logan smirked at the girl.

"You're too much of a flirt to settle down, and you know it." Rhiannon told the boy as she bent down, picking up all of the bags she'd dropped.

"Some say, but doesn't that make me that much more appealing?" He held his arms out, "You're basically falling at my feet, aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely-"

"Rhiannon Jean!" The sound of Stephanie barging through the shop door cut the blonde off.

The smile that previously rested on Rhiannon's face was nowhere to be seen as she made eye contact with Logan. The boy just pressed his lips into a thin line, reading the room fairly quickly. He didn't say any joke or remark, only showing how intimidating Stephanie Michaels looked.

"It's time to go." Stephanie muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Right. I take it the talk with Josh Freeman didn't go all too well then?" Rhiannon boldly asked, readjusting the bags on her arms.

"Well?" Stephanie asked with a scoff, "How do you think it went, little miss perfect?"

Rhiannon rolled her eyes, releasing a deep breath. She didn't respond despite how much she wanted to, knowing there was no point. When Stephanie was mad, she was mad. There was no talking her out of it and even if there was, Rhiannon would be the last person to be able to do it.

"You think she's perfect too?" Logan couldn't help but ask, not seeming to understand how sarcastic the girl was being.

Rhiannon's mouth twitched upward, but she quickly recovered. Stephanie looked from her sister to Logan. "Kick rocks." She spat, "Let's go, Rhiannon."

"Hey, be nice to him." Rhiannon mumbled, "He doesn't know any better."

"Yeah, exactly." Logan pouted, "I don't know any better."

"God, you're like a dog. I mean it, Rhiannon, let's go." Stephanie rolled her eyes. She didn't let Rhiannon or Logan respond before walking out of the shop, the only sound being the sound of the bell ringing as she opened the door.

Rhiannon glanced from where Stephanie previously stood to Logan, who was already looking at her.

"Same time tomorrow pretty lady?"

++

First chapter is here <3 Hope you enjoyed!