Revlis and his mother were poor for the longest time. His father was a traveler who took a job to a red-portal planet and never returned. They ended up living in a shipping container that was converted into a tiny home. It wasn't much but it kept them from the elements.
His father left behind all his ability books up to level 6, but his mother ended up having to sell them to buy food even though she held down two jobs. They had lived in a shelter on an orange portal planet. Even though there were no taxes, they still had to purchase the things they needed.
A month before school started, his mother re-married. They had moved into his home, and he was now being provided with an allowance from his step-father. Greg was not his father but at least he seemed like a nice person and really loved his mother.
Behind their home, Greg had set up some things to help Revlis improve with his ability. As he stood in the game looking at this opponent's attacks, he was reminded of those targets now.
The person standing opposite him was holding a sword in her hand. While he didn't have magnetism, he could try the crumple skill he used before in the assessment or he could…
He reached out his hand and bent a finger down. The tip of her sword bent at a 90-degree angle. This skill had a maximum range. He wasn't sure if he was quite inside but decided to try it. The girl was scared and angry at the same time.
She threw the sword and then an ice spear. He brought up a metal shield to block the ice, and it shattered against the hard metal. He then rushed in to fight the now unarmed girl, ice or not. That didn't worry him. After seeing her attacks, he knew he had this one.
Just as he was getting ready to bash her in the head with his shield, she threw an ice spear into his stomach. The game registered a victor, but it wasn't him.
On Sunday morning, Minx went to the library and purchased 50 credits worth of supplies she would need for selling food such as disposable wrappers, baskets for produce, jars for jam, and mini pie plates. The first thing she did the next day in Agricultural Club was ask her teacher what she needed to do to get a stall in the market.
He chuckled, "See me after class. The rest are not ready for that yet."
She nodded with a bright smile, took her seat and stayed through the boring parts. The practicals were to plant and grow a carnivorous plant. Each student was given a seed. Two students would each have the same plant, 5 different plants in total. At the end of the month, they would all write a paper on what they learned about carnivorous plants.
Minx was excited about this assignment. She had never looked into carnivorous plants before. This might be interesting. She planted her seed in accordance with the teacher's instructions. She watered it then placed her hand over the pot and whispered to it asking it to wake up and grow. Grow. It. Did. Her plant was 3 feet tall. "Um, I think I need a bigger pot…"
Her teacher looked at her rather sharply then chuckled. "I guess you do!"
They decided to just place hers outside near her tree, on the apple orchard side, so it could grow as big as it wanted to.
Once class ended, she went up to her teacher and asked again.
"Okay, there is a process to this and first we need to see if there is a stall you would like to use and if it's available. Follow me, please."
With that, they were heading to the market.
As they walked, "Have you put much thought into what you want to sell?"
She nodded, "Produce, for one but also, pies, tarts and jams. I can sell sandwiches as well with fresh-baked bread."
"What about the overhead?"
"I already have that covered. I have not spent my allotted funds in weeks to ensure I'd be okay. I bought some things yesterday and I'll be making jams during the week and making sure I have enough wheat to make flour for the baked goods."
He teacher stopped and looked at her, "You are growing your own wheat for baked goods?"
She nodded and giggled at his expression.
"That's a lot of work, young lady."
"Yes, but I've been working my way up to running experiments on the food I grow in comparison to the food others grow. I think mine is better but there is only one way to find out. We feel more energized and healthier after eating my meals."
It was his turn to nod, "Okay. Let's find you a stall. Have you priced how much you can sell it for?"
Minx replied, "I was planning to sell it for the going rate. The customer doesn't need to know how fast I grow food."
He smirked, "You are a shrewd woman. I like it. Here are the stalls. You need one with produce boxes and if you will be cooking, you need a cooking area in it as well."
"I just need produce boxes on 3 sides. The cooking I have covered. And it's sure to cause quite the stir." She had a huge grin on her face, bubbling with excitement.
"There's one, on the end! It's actually the only one I see that I like," she skipped into the stall. "Yes, this will do. I will need to get my friends in here to help me and will need their help carrying things as well."
"Will they help?"
She laughed, "they have been eating my food all term and will be gaining ability books once we raise enough money so yes. They will help if I ask them to."
Her teacher beamed at her with pride. "In that case, there is a 5 credit per day fee to reserve the stall. Interestingly, you are requesting stall number 1. There is also an advertising aspect to let people know you will be here."
"Okay, where do I pay the fee? And do they take a portion of my profits?"
"Let's head back to class and I will walk you through the process so you can pay the fees on your own in the future. There is a 10% fee as well."
She frowned but of course they would take her hard-earned profits. But then… She was using their stall on their property. It could be forgiven. For now.
"Oh, since the mark of when these are allowed to open, can I do this coming Saturday or do I have to wait for Sunday?"
The teacher wore a thoughtful expression. "Well, a teacher can waive the 3-month thing if the student is worthy so I think we can swing that."
She grinned. This would give her an edge. He showed her how to pay fees and the 10%. She reserved the stall for the entire month plus Saturday. Now she just needed to grow a whole bunch of food during the week and carry it all over on Saturday. This was going to take all morning, but it would be worth it.
Raven helped her with advertising, which was free and by the time Monday closed out, they had launched their campaign. When she brought Logan his sandwich, he had already seen it.
"On Saturday, huh? Do you think people will come out to see you?"
"I'm hoping. I know a lot of people head to town before that to hang out for the day, but I want to give this my all. And if you choose to put the kitchen you built me on the market, it will be free advertising for you."
She smiled brightly. "Do you have such intentions? If anyone asks who made it, am I allowed to tell?"
Logan thought about it for a few minutes. "I had not thought about it, but do you really think it will sell?"
"Well, I don't know how much it cost you to make it. I would say it's worth at least 10,000 credits. If you made it for less than that, sell it."
Logan nodded. "I was just helping you out on that one. I'll contact my parents and see what they say."
Minx smiled as she bid him a good night. She skipped all the way back to her room, her singing carrying into the hallways of the floors she passed.
The rest of the week was spent preparing for the market on Saturday, which opened at noon. Minx knew they were close to the portal outing and prayed they'd make enough for a level 3 water and a level 4 metal ability book. She needed her team to grow with her. It was just something she felt in her bones.
They all agreed to help and on Saturday morning, right after breakfast, they hauled everything out to the stall. At first, it was dead but then a few teachers came by to buy some jams and pies. Next some students requested sandwiches. Before long, others were coming as the word of mouth slowly started to spread.
Minx was using the kitchen to cook while the others manned different sides of the stall. Around 3, Logan showed up and requested a sandwich. Fresh bread had just come out of the oven and the scent wafted through the air as more customers followed their noses.
Minx made his sandwich personally. He asked her for her watch so he could pay her. She did, expecting the price posted. When she looked, he had transferred 10,000 credits to her.
"My parents loved it and asked if I could film you using the kitchen and the different aspects of it. Can I film you cooking?"
She laughed, "Of course!"
Just after all the bread was gone and more had to go in the oven. They were actually near their limit on bread. There were only so many trays and the bread had to rise for a while before baking it.
She had 3 more trays of 4 loaves each and then the bread would need to rise for a bit once she made more. She put a tray in and looked up and there was Vorden. He purchased a few pies and tarts. Then he motioned for a sandwich as well. Minx nodded and made him one herself as well. Then she opened a jar and poured some liquid into a small cup.
She handed both to him and he asked for her watch as well. He paid her 100 credits though he had no explanation for such a high amount. He just winked at her.
By the time 5 rolled around, half her produce was gone, and all her baked goods were as well. Ensuring the camera could see, she hit the clean button and then the button to turn it back into a cube once everything was clean. Logan had long-since returned to his room to work on his inventions.