A/N: This whole story is being majorly edited.

Key Square: (chess terminology)

An important square.

In pawn endings, a square whose occupation by one side's king guarantees the achievement of a certain goal, such as the promotion of a pawn or the win of a pawn.

It had been a slow day, as it usually was for Richard, 22 year old shop assistant at Hobbycraft, London. In hindsight he didn't even know why he accepted the job, the pay was mediocre at best and he didn't even have the slightest interest in art. Sure, he needed the money for college fees but surely he could have gotten a job somewhere else.

He had taken to amusing himself by profiling each customer that came through the door, usually with extraordinary stories that ended in some sort of crime. They were all wildly unbelievable, ranging from undercover MI5 agents to homicidal four year-olds. He couldn't help it, what else was an aspiring crime novelist to do?

He heard the infrequent yet distinctive sound of footsteps, most likely approaching his till. Sitting up straight, he plastered a cheesy smile on his face and focused his attention on the approaching female.

She was tall, thin and gorgeous. There was a small smile on her lips, almost unconsciously. She was carrying a large pile of materials, ranging from wool, fabrics and markers to small wooden figurines and carving chisels. Richard immediately stood to help her carry the load, telling himself that it was because she was a customer, not just a beautiful woman.

"Hi, I'm Rick, let me help you with that," he smiled charmingly and carried the items to the checkout. Quickly sitting back into his chair he began to scan them through.

"I'm Persephone. I know, unusual name, my family has a thing for them." She chuckled lightly.

"Queen of the Underworld eh?" Rick began bagging Persephone's purchases, seeing he wasn't going to get a response. "So, what are all these supplies for?"

Her response was instantaneous. Her face froze, her smile disappeared and her body stiffened. Her eyes turned from a light sapphire to a piercing shade that was almost more white than blue. Rick felt himself tense in response and his heart sped up. Gone was the friendly stranger, leaving a terrifyingly dangerous monster.

"What I do with the things I buy has nothing to do with you." It was a command, not open for discussion. Rick finished packing her bags and handed them over in silence. She handed him a shiny gold credit card which he swiftly scanned before handing it back to her. Picking up her belongings she turned and had left the store before Rick had even noticed.

"Have a nice day," he whispered sarcastically to himself, slumping down in his chair and breathing deeply to calm his racing pulse.