Amaryllis worked quietly through her shop, checking everything and marking it off on the inventory. She smiled to herself as she looked around her small, but perfect shop. It had been her life's dream, to own her own shop. The day she had received the keys to the building was one of the happiest of her life. It was a small shop, just off the main high street but she got by, happily so. She sat on the chair behind the counter, tapping her fingers quietly as she read her book. It had been a hard road to receiving her shop, no man was willing to let her buy off of them, fearing her incompetent. So, her father had helped her out, backing her as a silent partner.
She played absent-mindedly with her long brown hair, twirling the spiral around her finger again and again. Her head perked up as she heard the bell ding. She smiled and helped the women who had entered her shop, guiding them around the shop, pointing out the various objects and engaging them in small talk. Amaryllis chattered animatedly with them and by the time they'd left, she'd sold a good few items to them. Selling was something that gave her great pleasure. Every single time she sold something, she couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face as they left.
It had been a few minutes after the women had left that she heard the shouting, Amaryllis stood, ready to check the news out when the man burst in. She opened her mouth to scream and he had been on her instant. She listened to him talk, feeling uncomfortable in their close proximity. When he finally let her go she jerked away, placing herself behind her counter, where she felt in control and safe. Well. Slightly safe. She took in a few nervous breaths before she stared at the man, taking in his appearance. She just shook her head, unsure of what to say to him. She feared for her life. She didn't know many innocent law abiding men who burst into strangers shops and begged them not to scream.
Amaryllis nodded slowly and reached beneath the counter, pulling out the knife she kept there. "Who the hell are you and what have you done?" she demanded to know, the arm holding the knife out towards him shaking with fear. She let her eyes dart around the shop, surveying the front windows. Her heart sank when she realised nobody was around. "I demand you get out of my shop" she told him, her voice nervous and shaky. She had no idea why this man was here. He could do anything to her and her body would not be found for hours knowing her luck. She loved her shop but she did not want to die here. "If you come near me I'll scream" she warned.
She took one hand off of the knife to run her hand through her hair. God this was a bad situation to be in. All she wanted to do was own her little shop and now some criminal had broken in and wrecked it all. Oh! What was this going to do for business if the town found out about this. No one would want to shop somewhere where the owner herself would be found with a no good criminal.