New York City was magical, some said, energetic in a way unrelated to the megawatts lighting up the skyline in a panoramic glitter. This electric feeling would beat in the hearts of ten million souls a day.

Sometimes.

At seven a.m. on a Monday in September, this magic was harder to find. Summer was over, grey skies loomed, but early-morning workers had to clock in anyway. They trudged through the streets with the collective disillusionment of being ghosted by a Sunday night, and their eyeballs revealed a need for caffeine that outweighed any earthly pleasures.

The rare individual with a brightened expression always stood out amongst these temporary zombies, and today that individual was Sheera Oden. She didn't have flashy headphones like the typical teen, but bopped along anyway to some tune in her head, mouthing the words as her jet-black hair flowed behind her.

As she turned a corner in the increasingly gentrified Hell's Kitchen, she bumped into a towering well-dressed man. A moment later she felt the 'smush' of a sandwich pressing against the sleeve of her old plaid shirt.

"Sorry!" she said instinctively.

A groan escaped from the man's thin-lipped mouth, and as they pulled apart he studied his now destroyed 'egg 'n cheese 'n hot sauce croissanwich' with a sneer. The sneer lasted long enough to travel over to Sheera. "Are you blind?!" he spat.

She was tempted to suggest that a croissant was best enjoyed plain, but he stormed off and left her to deal with the greasy remnants. She pulled a napkin out of her canvas bag and dabbed it onto her sleeve, absorbing as much of the hot sauce as she could until a damp spot remained. She sniffed the sleeve and shook her head. "Mass-produced hot sauce packet with cartoon pepper logo..."

She glanced up ahead at the convenience store, a crusty old shack that was sandwiched between two shiny condo developments. She skipped across the street and made her way inside.

"Morning Roy!" she exclaimed with a grin.

The middle-aged man behind the counter nodded his head. "How about a large today? It's Monday, you know." He turned towards the pathetic excuse for a coffee machine behind him.

Sheera pulled out her wallet and went straight for the zippered coin pouch. This store was one of the only places left in New York where you could still get a seventy-five-cent coffee, and as she scrounged for her last three quarters it was exactly what she'd be having. "Small is fine," she said smiling.

He filled the paper cup and handed it to her. "Probably a good idea," he said. "You already seem a bit too amped."

She handed him the money and set off for the day. "Only amped on life Roy, only amped on life!"

***

Sheera sipped her coffee as she stood outside the quaint little bakery with the sign that said 'Dee-lightful Donuts.' Artisanal hipster establishments in Manhattan were in no way fading out, but the only difference now was that they were sprawling north out of Chelsea and into the streets of Hell's Kitchen.

Sheera was only a hired hand at this particular shop, but she'd loved her last year of rolling out dough and stirring simple syrup and arranging strange toppings like candied ham cubes or caramelized basil leaf. The delicate care that went into each concoction reminded her of rainy childhood afternoons, when she and her mother would flip through gorgeous pastry books they'd taken out from the library. It might have seemed like a torturous practice for a family that could only afford a box of Twinkies and only when it was on sale, but Sheera's mother had always been intent on showing her the beautiful things that could exist. This beauty was reflected through countless books on travel, art and other cultures, so pastry cookbooks were a natural transition.

The bakery's namesake Dee now shuffled up to the door, her tattooed arms balancing two over-stuffed brown paper bags. "Sorry I'm late! A-gain."

Sheera set her coffee on the ledge and took one of the bags. "What'd you snag today?"

Dee seemed suddenly smug as she unlocked the door to the bakery. "Juiciest raspberries for the 'fruits de bois bomb,' fresh-off-the-farm chives for the 'baked potato crueller,' and...the entire supply of dragon fruit just to screw with Lorna." She snickered to herself as they entered the shop. "I don't even know what we'll use them for!"

"Dee!" Sheera followed her inside and shook her head. "First of all, buying random ingredients isn't good for our inventory management." She popped outside to grab the coffee from the ledge and immediately popped back in. "Second of all," she added, "two donut shops within a five-block radius can thrive without the cutthroat moves!" Dee rolled her eyes. "And finally..." Sheera summed up, "based on the flavor profile of dragon fruit I learned about from a cookbook...it could work really well cooked down to a sauce; maybe even well enough to use as a filling that could pair with a crème Anglaise drizzle."

Dee rushed over and pulled Sheera into a hug. "My good luck charm strikes again!" A second later she released her and gestured to the kitchen. "Get cracking then, that crème isn't gonna Anglaise itself."

***

By early afternoon the 'dragon fruit Dee-lights' were flying off the rack, a sales boost that punctuated another great day for Sheera. More donuts for more people wasn't a particularly noble cause, but for every person that walked out of 'Dee-lightful Donuts' smiling, Sheera considered it a win.

With the store now in its usual afternoon lull, Sheera set to work wiping down the display case. She'd only made it halfway through when the door chime alerted her to a customer.

She raised her head to smile but was caught off guard by a woman who commanded no less than every ounce of the attention in the shop.

"Good afternoon..." Sheera uttered, struck by the woman's fashion game. The fifty-something bespectacled customer had a streak of white hair that wrapped around her head in an otherwise charcoal grey bun...a bun that had an emerald green feather sticking out of the top. The feather accessory was a startling contrast to the pinstriped power suit that seemed to suggest an executive position, though that theory didn't really hold any weight against the sparkly purple scarf draped around her shoulders. Or the aforementioned feather.

None of this really mattered in the context of donut transactions, so Sheera composed herself and smiled. "May I help you?"

"If you have freshly baked donuts then yes," replied the woman. Her part British, part something-or-other accent suggested a life of travel, and it instantly reminded Sheera of her mother.

"You're in luck," said Sheera. "Whatever you're craving, we've got it."

The woman studied the display case looking utterly confused. "My oh my...the world is changing."

"Beg your pardon?"

"To be honest I've never even had a donut."

Sheera's eyes bulged. "You've never had a donut?!"

The woman raised her hands in surrender. "Will they kick me out of America for that?"

Suddenly the woman's accent made more sense. "At this point who knows what'll get you kicked out," Sheera muttered. She was about to roll her eyes for added effect but caught herself in the act. "No politics at Dee-Lightful Donuts!" she discreetly mouthed to herself.

The woman cleared her throat. "At the risk of being removed from the country will you help me choose a donut?"

The mere mention of donut-assistance lit Sheera's face like the Rockefeller tree. She immediately sprung into action. "A first-timer can never go wrong with classic glaze," she said excitedly. "Or there's always the lemon meringue pie and donut mash-up if you're looking for something tart...or maybe you're into chocolate?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Only if it's dark."

Sheera grinned. "I know right? It's really difficult for me to keep my bias for dark chocolate under wraps."

"I can imagine," the woman empathized. "Saccharin sweet milk chocolate is like tea served with profiteroles instead of shortbread; simply wrong."

Sheera mulled over the analogy. "That seems accurate." She lowered her head and studied the contents of the display case. "Oh no," she said frowning. "The only dark chocolate donut we have is spiced with cayenne pepper." She shook her head. "I wouldn't recommend that to a first timer."

"What about..." The woman waved her bejeweled hand and Sheera found herself mesmerized by a shimmering scarlet moonstone. "This one." She pointed to the dragon fruit and crème Anglaise donut.

"The daily special?" said Sheera. Despite the day's success she seemed uncertain, as if somehow her reputation was suddenly on the line. "I mean it is quite delicious, but are you sure you don't want something more basic?" She shook her head. "I mean classic? Or how about a sample?"

The woman pulled a pocketbook out of her overstuffed shoulder bag. "If we sampled everything before taking any chances, then all of life's adventures would become obsolete."

Sheera furrowed her brow as she absorbed the philosophical truth-bomb. The only response she could manage was "Damn..."

"Here you are then," said the woman, placing a five-dollar bill on the counter.

Sheera took the money and smiled. "Thanks; and remember, you can still come back for a refund if you're unsatisfied!"

"Come back?" The woman frowned. "You mean I'm not permitted to enjoy this treat at your establishment?"

Sheera glanced around at the tiny shop with its counter and display case and little else. "People generally take their donuts to go..."

"But I won't be able to wait until I return to my residence, and I certainly don't plan on eating it in the street."

"I hear ya, street-eating can lead to unfortunate accidents." She sniffed her hot-sauce laced sleeve and sneered.

"Would you find me a chair then dear?" said the woman.

Sheera glanced behind her at the cramped kitchen. "Hold on a second." She disappeared into the back and returned with a folding chair.

"What about a table?" the woman added. "I prefer to eat with utensils."

Sheera suddenly felt like she was being tested, but she found it more invigorating than annoying. "A table can be arranged!" She retreated into the kitchen again, returning a moment later with two milk crates stacked on top of each other. "Will this do?"

The woman settled into her personal dining area and smiled. "This will do just fine." With a fork and knife she carefully pierced the donut.

Sheera stood back but watched intently as her first sit-in customer took the inaugural donut bite.

The woman closed her eyes and seemed confused for a second. Sheera quietly gasped. A moment later the woman's confusion transformed into a broad smile. "A masterpiece!" she exclaimed. "Truly!"

Sheera found herself beaming with pride, the proudest low-paid donut employee on the island of Manhattan. "Well thanks for making my day!" she said earnestly, before returning to her task of cleaning the display case.

As the woman continued to eat, she studied Sheera in great detail, her eyes glowing in a strange and impossible luminescent silver.

When Sheera raised her head she caught a split-second glimpse of the silver stare, but immediately convinced herself she'd imagined it. It had been a long day, after all.

Once the woman finished her treat she rose to leave and waved in Sheera's direction. "Thank you so much for sharing this brand new flavor! You should certainly keep it on the permanent menu."

Sheera waved back and instinctively grinned until she fully processed the woman's words. "But...I didn't tell you I invented it today..."

"And thank you for helping out a novice!" the woman added. "Perhaps one day I can return the favor."

Before Sheera could process this additional confusing comment the woman was gone. "Return the favor?" She scratched her head. "Did I just get hit on?"

There was no real way to know for sure and no real time to figure it out, as Dee burst in a moment later slurping murky green liquid from a clear plastic cup.

"Any customers?" she said as she strode into the back.

"Just one," said Sheera, as the strange encounter played back in her head. When it came to customers she'd seen all types, but something about this woman left a lasting impression. Sheera chalked it up to the quirkiness and the clothes, completely unaware that this simple encounter would set off a chain of events that would alter her life forever...

[I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and if you're curious for more read on! :) ]