"That will be 22$, would you like to pay by cash or card?" Hannah questioned, arranging the items into a bag.
"...Card will do"
The man in front of me swiped his card into the system and left with his things.
It's now 4 a.m which means Hannah's shift finish in about 2 more hours. The store is quite empty during this time, so Hannah feels delighted to know that she does not need to deall with a frenzy of customers coming through.
"....Good morning people of Durkan! How is everyone feeling this morning? I hope all of you are asleep right now because why else would you be awake?......" A man from the radio announced.
The radio station piqued Hannah's interest momentarily. She knew it'd be best to focus on her job or else she'd have an earful from her manager.
The radio played in the background as she stocked the shelves.
"......Yeah, a new.........out, people are really......I think it rhymes?......Um........Awake.......Next is our.......by Kent..."
Hannah could hear a few words from the radio as she was now back in the storage room gathering more things that needed to be stocked up.
"Jacob should be around the corner by now..."
The time was now 5.48 a.m . Jacob had arrived, heading straight for the staff room to get started with his shift.
Hannah doesn't really converse much with any of her co-workers. Even when Jacob tried having small talk with her, all she could do was just nod and give him a curt answer.
Either ways Jacob still kept trying to get to know her better.
"Morning Hannah! Seems like you've done most of the work already" Jacob said as he walked closer to her.
"Yes"
Jacob kept attempting on having small talks with Hannah. However, Hannah's attention was glued on to the ticking of the clock that was about to reach 6 a.m.
"My shift has ended, I shall get going" Hannah walked past Jacob and grabbed her phone.
"...Alright"
Walking into the staff's room, Hannah opened her locker and changed into her usual clothing. Out of the corner of her eye, a certain flyer had caught her attention.
It was regarding a parade that was going to be held soon later that day.
"...Seems like it's gonna be a hectic day today"
Before heading out, a pendant was resting on Hannah's palm. The pendant had a unique design and had the shape off an owl.
'Granpa always had a thing for owls. When I asked him about it all he said was that they looked adorable and I can't deny they are adorable but something about owls keeps tugging at my heart. An unfamiliar sensation...is this admiration or fear?'
"I should get going"
A final glance from Jacob, Hannah made her way to her motorcycle. It was from a brand named Kawumi. It had a nice dark red colour to it and had silver highlights as well.
Hannah started her bike and plugged in her earphones. The song 'Ride' began playing in the background.
The ride was peaceful to say the least. Other than the fact that Hannah was held in about 2 to 3 traffic lights, everything else is great!
Glancing around, you can see the people preparing for the parade. There were people in scary looking costumes as well, it kind of looks like Halloween.
Hannah picked up the pace and accelerated her bike straight back home. Hannah parked her bike in a designated spot and headed dowards her apartment.
The apartment wasn't anything too fancy, it was just right for her. The view was amazing and there weren't much people who lived there.
Upon entering the main entrance Hannah was greeted by the security guard, Mr. Klein. He is a man in his thirties and had always looked after Hannah as she reminded him of a younger sister he neved had.
"Delighted to see you again, little bug" Mr. Klein greeted Hannah, causing her to scrunch her face.
"Please, never call me that ever again" To which Mr. Klein burst out laughing.
"You know I can't do that. Here, Madeleine wanted you to have this. Says that they were your favourites"
Mr. Klein handed Hannah a box. It had a label on it that says 'Chowa-chowa' which is basically chewable chocolates that has different flavours in it's centre.
'These chocolates are hard to get nowdays. They must have gone through a lot of trouble by getting these'
"Please send my thanks to Madeleine. It's been so long since I last ate these, it brings back memories"
"Don't worry about it. Now then you must be tired from working all night, go ahead and get that sleep you need" Mr. Klein smiles as he waved goodbye to Hannah, resuming his work as more residents came in.
*DING*
An elevator opened up and Hannah got in. She pressed the floor number 5 as she listened to the elevator's background music.
Once she reached her floor, she got out and head straight towards her room. It was situated at the far corner of the hallway, giving her more privacy.
Entering her home, she placed the box onto kitchen counter and went to have a shower.
'A hot shower after a hard day at work is the best.'
Hannah dried her hair and laid down on her bed for a bit before finally dozing off.
About a few hours in, Hannah was forced awake by the sudden deafening sound. She got out of bed and looked outside from her balcony only to witness the parade going on.
"...I should have bought earplugs before"
Despite the parade going on, Hannah tried to get back to sleep but miserably failed. The noise was too loud to ignore.
"Of all the days, why must it be today"
Hannah went around her house finding for something that would help cancel out the noise possibly. The only thing she managed to come across was a pair of earmuffs.
'...It could work'
Putting on the earmuffs, the noise did reduce a little bit compared to before. Although it was a little uncomfortable, it does the trick.
With that, Hannah had fallen asleep once again.