Knight of the Black Rose by Nissa Gordon

good thing or not that he had bumped into her, considering what had happened last time they had all been together.
     
    "You alright? I haven't seen you for a while," Lucy said and blushed slightly as though she remembered what had happened the last time that she had seen him. "Err...isn't Troy and Alex here as well?"
     
    "No, they've already come and got their things," Will told her trying to hide his disappointment that they hadn’t been able to all come up here together.
     
    "Yes of course, we've had to wait until Charles could get some time off as well, as he wanted to come with the kids," Joyce told him. "So where is your dad then?"
     
    Will couldn't look at either of them, he knew that they would understand because her father worked just as long hours and had a dangerous job also, but it was different because Lucy had her brothers and sister, and she also still had her mum; he sometimes felt as though he was all alone.
     
    "He was called away on urgent business, you know how it is?" Anne answered for him.
     
    "Really?" Joyce said surprised. "Charles never said that anything was going on,"
     
    Will looked up at this, if there had been something going on then Lucy's dad would have heard about it because they worked together.
     
    "Dad's over in the Firmasca shop with Jake and Craig, checking the new broomstick out," Lucy told him.
     
    "That's where we're heading after here," Joyce told them.
     
    "We'll wait if you want to come over with us?" Lucy asked him, wondering if he was alright.
     
    "Err...no...thanks I mean...but I need to finish getting my things for school," Will told her; he was confused to why his dad would get called away on the last minute and not hers as well, seeing that they practically worked together.
     
    "Isn't that nice, the two of you are friends, and you’re going to the same school," The woman behind the counter said smiling. "At least you'll know someone when you start there."
     
    "Oh, did they get in as well?" Lucy asked him smiling.
     
    "Yeah, course," Will answered thinking it was a strange question, but also knew that she was probably only teasing.
     
    "Your dad came around that day when the letters arrived," Joyce said scowling disapprovingly as she remembered the day. "Lucy ended up breaking her arm when she was out with them,"
     
    "What?" Anne said surprised.
     
    "You went out with them?" Will asked just as surprised, as he had never been allowed to go with his dad on any of their missions because he had been told that it's far too dangerous, but they let her go, why?
     
    "It was an accident...and we had a healer on hand so it was fixed in a matter of minutes..." Lucy said blushing, not wanting everyone to know that she had broken her arm.
     
    "Yes well, I don't like you going out with them...but no, no one listens to me," Joyce said annoyed.
     
    "I know how you feel," Anne agreed.
     
    "Excuse me..." the second woman said from behind the counter. "But that will be 14 Silronze’s please,"
     
    "Oh yes, sorry about that," Joyce said quickly fishing her purse out of her bag to pay.
     
    "So...err...I'll see you at school then..." Lucy said smiling slightly, but it didn't seem to help Will's mood.
     
    The other woman stepped forward seeming to feel that it was alright now to lead them through to the back, Anne followed her through as Will lingered.
     
    "Yeah...sure..." Will said before he followed Anne through to the back, not looking back at Lucy who seemed generally sorry for upsetting him, he had known her since she was little and knew that she didn't say anything on purpose to upset others.
     
    "It won't take long to measure you up love," the woman told him, as she directed him to stand in the centre of the room on a slightly raised stool.
     
    She pulled out her tape measure from her pocket and then threw it at Will, it didn't hit him nor did it fall to the ground, it actually started to take all of his measurements as she pulled out a notepad and pen, it to began