Cooking For Love

It was almost four o'clock in the morning. Spice was mumbling in her sleep. She had a dream.

The little girl smiled as she looked up at the teenage boy holding her hand. "When I grow up, I want to become a famous chef just like Mommy," the little girl said. The boy smiled at the little girl as he pinched her nose and said, "And you will be one someday, mon chou. Someday."

Spice smiled at both of them as the scene changed. Her eyes suddenly widened, and her smile faded at what she saw. She could see how the big man punched the young man who was with the little girl earlier. She turned to her side and gasped as she saw another man holding the little girl captive.

"Frère!" the little girl cried as she struggled against the man holding her.

"Let her go, please!" the boy pleaded as he coughed blood.

The man holding the little girl mumbled something as he suddenly punched the little girl's stomach, making her lose consciousness, and without any warning, he grinned at the boy as he threw the girl off the cliff.

"Nooooo!"

Spice got up and rolled over on her bed as she caught her breath. "What was that?" she asked herself as she tried to take a deep breath and calm down. Spice looked at the digital clock beside her bed. It was two o'clock in the morning. She got up and went to her balcony to breathe fresh, cold air.

"That dream again. Why does it always come back?" She gazed up at the starry skies and touched her cinnamon-cut pendant necklace. Lightly shaking her head, Spice went back to her bed and tried to put herself back to sleep.

*****

Spice woke up, startled, as her alarm clock started to snooze. "Uhmm," she mumbled as she turned it off. It was Saturday, and she was feeling lazy. As she was about to doze off again, she heard a loud thumping of footsteps approaching her room.

"Good morning, sœur!" The little girl shouted at her as she climbed up on her bed. Spice pretended not to hear her and continued to sleep.

"Sœur, good morning!" the greeted her again.

Still pretending not to hear her, Spice covered her head with a pillow. In addition, because she still did not pay attention to it, the girl suddenly hit her, making it hard for her to breathe.

"I said GOOD MORNING!" and the child slapped her once with the pillow.

"Hmmph! Oof! Get o-off me, y-you little monster!" She laughed at her complaint as she tried to get rid of her.

"Hmph! Why are you still pretending to sleep, ha?" Once again, the pillow hit her.

"Ugh, I can't breathe, Naia. You're too heavy," she teased.

"Ahhhhhh!" Naia, her six-year-old sibling, shouted impatiently as she got off her.

Spice chuckled as she saw Naia pouting at her. "Good morning, Naia. It's Saturday. Why are you up so early?"

"You forgot?" her sister said dramatically.

"Forgot what?" She asked back.

"You promised me yesterday that we'll be baking a cake today!" Naia answered as she frowned.

"Oh? Did I?" she asked innocently.

"Spice!" Naia blushed as she pouted at her big sister.

"I'm just messing with you, little monster. Of course, I remember," Spice said as she pinched Naia's nose. "I'll take a shower, okay? Then we'll do the baking later."

"Yiiiiiii!" Naia shouted happily as she jumped off her bed and ran outside her room. "Breakfast is also ready! Mom and Dad are waiting!"

"I'll be down in a minute!" Spice shouted as she went into her bathroom to shower.

*****

On her way downstairs, Spice can loudly hear how her parents laughed as they listened to Naia's talkativeness. Not noticing her approach, Spice paused for a while at the entry of their breakfast nook to watch them. She smiled as she saw them having fun. Now and then, she can not help but feel weirded out by her family. She looked completely different from them. Looking at her sister from a different angle, their resemblance was too distinct.

Naia looked exactly like their mother, a younger version of Mrs. Niamh Goldstein-LeBlanc. They both had short brown hair, soft brown eyes, a snub nose, and a fair complexion. Their mom was a pastry chef and owned her cafe, Dulce Patisserie, and cafe. When it comes to their father's looks, Stefan Manchest-LeBlanc, a well-known executive chef at a 5-star hotel and restaurant named Hotel Paradis, had jet-black hair with matching gray eyes and a Roman nose. Compared to her mom and sister, she was light-skinned with a turned-up nose. To make things odder, her hair was as white as snow with a hint of silver, and her eyes were green, emerald green, to be exact.

Her friends sometimes even teased her that maybe she was adopted because she looked different from her family. She even asked her parents long ago why she looked completely different from them. Her parents would tell her that it was the play of genetics. She might have inherited the features of their old ancestors. That is why she looked a bit different from them. Spice's train of thought was cut off immediately as she heard Naia's voice calling her.

"Spice!"

Both of their parents immediately beamed at her as they saw her walk towards them. Spice smiled at her parents. "Morning, Mom, and Dad!" she greeted as she reached for her toast.

"Good morning, mon chou," her dad said warmly.

"Good morning, dear. How was your sleep?" her mom asked as she poured some coffee into Stefan's mug. Spice paused to spread butter on her toast as she remembered her dream last night. "It was fine," she lied as she smiled at her parents and continued eating breakfast.

Her dad stared at her knowingly as if he knew she was lying. He was about to say something when Niamh held his hand and mouthed, "Don't."

"Well, that's good," her dad answered flimsily as he drank his coffee.

*****

"A sprinkle of powdered sugar on top is done!" Spice muttered happily as she finished decorating her lava cake.

"A sprinkle of powdered sugar on top is done!" Spice muttered happily as she finished decorating her lava cake

"Whoa! It looks so yummy already!" said Naia as she stared at the cake.

Smilingly, Spice carried her younger sister to sit at the island counter for her to see the cake.

"Are you ready to taste it?" she asked.

"Yes!" Naia answered excitedly.

"Okay, let's eat!" she said as she gave her younger sister a spoon.

"Ooooh! Yummy!" Naia giggled as she continued to eat the cake.

She smiled at her sister as she also ate the cake. Both were heartily eating the cake when a voice called them from outside the kitchen.

"Spice! Naia! Where are you?"

"In here!" Spice answered.

Her mom entered the kitchen and beamed sweetly at them. "Baking again? What is it this time?"

"Mommy! Spice baked a lava cake, and it's so yummy!" Naia said as she had another spoonful bite of the cake.

"You just want another cake, eh?" she teased her sister.

"Hmmph! Mommy, look! She's teasing me again!"

"Hahaha, just kidding," she replied to the younger sister as she patted her head.

"Hey, you two are so naughty. Anyway, help me with these groceries so I can cook for dinner," was their Mommy's kind command.

"Okay, Mom!" both of them answered.

"What are we having for dinner, Mom?" Spice curiously asked.

"Well, what do you have in mind?"

"Can I be the one to cook?" Spice asked excitedly. Niamh nodded at her as a sign of approval.

"Cool! Thanks, Mom!"

****

A few minutes later, Spice was already busy doing the thing she loved most, cooking. Ever since she can remember, cooking has always been her passion. Other people might only see her as an ordinary girl who knew how to cook, but Spice had a unique gift. A gift that many chefs would like to have. She had a strong sense of smell and taste. She can quickly identify an ingredient by smelling it. Her taste buds were so exquisite that she could identify different tastes. Once she smells or tastes a food, she can easily recreate it and improve its taste, making it more scrumptious. From the savviest cuisine to the sweetest dessert, Spice can easily create it without having a hard time.

Spice placed the chicken breast in the oven when her mom approached her. "You sure you don't need any help?"

"I'm sure, Mom. I'm almost done anyway." She smiled as she reached for the ramekins in the cupboard for her panna cotta. Niamh smiled and looked at her daughter lovingly.

"Hey, I'm home!" Her dad called out to them, "And I smell something delicious!"

"That's dinner!" Spice excitedly informed her dad. "I'm doing a new recipe, and for sure, it'll be ten stars again for you," she jokingly boasted at her dad, knowing he was a top-star chef. She and her father had become accustomed to rating her cooked food if it was to her father's taste.

"Hmm, we'll see about that later, mon chou," her dad smugly told her. Niamh only laughed at her husband and daughter as they competed with each other.

Moments later, Spice was done with her creations and called for her family. "Dinner is ready!" Her family immediately attended the dinner table. "For tonight's dinner, I've cooked baked chicken Parmesan with four cheese sauces. And for dessert, vanilla panna cotta with strawberry sauce."

Amazed by her daughter's skills, Stefan proudly looked at her daughter as they all started eating. He took a bite of Spice's version of chicken parmesan and knowing her daughter's abilities, it tasted amazing. The chicken was perfectly cooked, and it was tender and juicy. The four-cheese sauce also greatly complimented the taste of the chicken and its herbs.

"Well?" Spice asked him about what she cooked.

"Perfect as always, mon chou. You inherited from me," Stefan praised her daughter.

"Ahem!" Niamh jokingly coughed, "It's not just your talent that our daughter inherited," as she laughed simultaneously.

"Uhm, I'm gonna be like Spice someday!" Naia said as she took a mouthful bite of her chicken. They all laughed and continued eating.

*****

After having their dinner and helping her mom with the dishes, Spice immediately went to her room to see the latest update of her food blog. She was busy updating her food blog when her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey! It's Blaire."

Blaire Fils-Aime is one of her best friends, along with Kaelin Acord and Caramelle Belle-Isle. "Hey, what's up?" she greeted as she continued to update her blog site.

"Want to hang out tomorrow? I and the others are bored."

"Hmm, I don't know. I might do something tomorrow," she answered, unsure.

Blaire suddenly had an idea of getting Spice to say yes. "Hey, remember that eating contest I told you about?" Blaire asked her excitedly.

Spice's eyes suddenly lit up when she heard. "Ah, yeah! The dessert-eating contest and Dulce Brielle?"

Dulce Brielle was a well-known top-star patisserie cafe in their city owned by the famous and ever-wealthy Fournier family. It was one of her favorite dessert cafes, well, aside from her mom's, of course.

Hehehe, she thought to herself. "Why?"

"Up for some fun?"

"Game on!"

*****

The next day, Spice hurried downstairs. "Mom, I'm going!" She shouted as she was wearing her sneakers and immediately ran outside. A few blocks later, she saw three familiar girls waving at her. "Hi!" she greeted.

"And she's late again," Kaelin complained to her. Aside from her culinary talent, Spice was also a great latecomer.

Spice smiled apologetically at them. "I'm sorry! I'm here already, okay?"

"Oh, where's your hundred bucks?" Blaire said to Kaelin and Caramelle. "You lose again."

"Are you betting on me again?" She could not believe what she had heard from her friends.

"Hehehe, I'm sorry, Spice. It's just that we're bored," Caramelle explained to her.

"So annoying," she said as she pouted at them. "Come on!" At once, she dragged the three towards Dulce Brielle.

Entering the inside of the cafe never ceased to amaze them. The restaurant was very friendly and elegant. It offers different varieties of desserts from all over the world. Spice inhaled for a second, and every smell hit her, from the fragrant aroma of a vanilla bean and a cinnamon stick to the most robust smell of coffee beans inside the cafe. Everything there just smelled so amazing. Dulce Brielle was like heaven for all dessert lovers in the world.

"Omooo! Look at all these desserts," Caramelle said joyfully. "I can't wait for the contest."

A few minutes later, a pink-haired woman went up the stage and smiled at them. "Good morning, everyone!" she cheerfully greeted as she looked at everyone's faces in the room. Everyone looked at the stage to see who it was.

The girl smiled warmly at them and continued, "I am Fainne Guimont, and welcome to the annual dessert-eating competition here at Dulce Brielle." Everyone inside the shop applauded. "Before we officially start our competition, here are some announcements. The Marguerite Fournier School of Culinary Arts will sponsor this year's grand prize!"

"Oh, what's the prize for this year?"

"From MFSCA? Wonder what it is."

"It'll be priceless, for sure," whispered people while amazed and curious as to the grand prize for the said competition.

Marguerite Fournier School of Culinary Arts was one of the most prominent and prestigious schools in their country. It has six campuses in the USA, Australia, Germany, Japan, and the Philippines, and the main campus is in Paris, France. The Fournier family founded MFSCA. It was named after Marguerite Lois Auclair-Fournier, the wife of Aedach Beaudrie-Fournier, the man behind the Fournier Empire, one of the wealthiest and most powerful clans in France.

"And for our special events today, let's all welcome the CEO of the Fournier Empire and the head director of MFSCA, Mr. Persimmon Louis Grant-Fournier!" Then, a tall, handsome-looking man with sharp emerald-green eyes walked up the stage. Spice stared at him with fascination as her head suddenly throbbed.

Blaire noticed Spice's sudden pallor. "Hey, are you okay?"

This question worried her. Spice smiled weakly at her. "Yeah, maybe I'm just hungry. It's taking a while to start," she joked.

"Crazy! You're starving?!"

"OMG! He's handsome!" Kaelin said to them with trepidation.

"I heard he's still single until now!" Caramelle added as her eyes were fixed on the young man speaking on the stage.

"Slut," Spice teased them.

"Well, it's true. However, he is so pitiful, isn't he? His parents and sister died at such a young age," Blaire said.

"Huh? He's orphaned?" Spice asked Blaire.

"You do not know?" her three friends asked simultaneously.

She looked at them blankly and shook her head gently. "Well, more like I don't know him."

"Oh my, Spice! Persimmon is the sole heir to the Fournier Empire. Except for his uncle, who is still alive," Kaelin told her.

"That's right. His parents, including his younger sister, died because of the fire in their mansion," Blaire said.

"And he was the only one who survived," seconded Caramelle as she lowered her voice, "but some people said it was not true that his family died in the fire."

Spice looked at Persimmon again; this time, she caught him staring at her. Then suddenly, Persimmon smiled warmly at Spice as if acknowledging her, which made her blush.

"OMG! Did you see that? He smiled at us!" Caramelle exclaimed.

"Chill, Melle. He smiled at Spice," Blaire interrupted.

"Duh! Who's the slut now?" Caramelle and Kaelin hung up at the same time. Spice laughed at them as she turned her gaze away from the man. "But why does he look so familiar?"

*****

(Flashback)

Seven-year-old Spice was crying again in the playground because the children fought with her again.

"Freak! Get out of here!"

A child shouted at her as it pushed her away. "You don't fit in here!"

Spice was sobbing in the corner of the playground, away from the children playing.

"Why are you crying, mon chou?" A man with emerald-green eyes asked as he sat beside her.

Spice suddenly looked up at the man and continued to cry. "I'm a freak," she replied.

"Why do you say so?" the man asked again.

"I can smell everything, which makes me a freak," she replied sadly.

"Hmm, want to guess what this is?" the man said as he offered something to her.

Spice accepted the wrap as inhaled its scent, "Cinnamon," she mumbled as she began to unwrap it.

"Correct. You see, mon chou? You are not a freak. You have a rare ability, mon chou, and they don't. That's why they don't understand you. From now on, you must be proud of yourself and never let anyone make you feel inferior," he said as he wiped her tears away.

Spice smiled warmly at him, understanding what he had just said to her. "Okay," she answered as she happily ate the cinnamon tart.

(End of flashback)

*****

"Please, everyone, have fun and enjoy the competition," Persimmon concluded in his welcome speech. He scanned everyone inside, and he was suddenly stunned as he saw a green-eyed girl staring at him. Amused, he gave the girl a warm smile that suddenly turned the woman's cheeks red.

"Wise?" Fainne called out to him, "Something the matter?"

He looked at it and then shook his head. "Nah just saw something interesting," he replied as he returned the microphone to Fainne. "Tell the emcee to prep them up. We're about to start."

*****

"Hello? Earth to Spice?" Blair waved her hand at Spice to get her attention.

"Oh, why?" she asked.

"Ha! Aren't you listening? I said it's going to start, so let's line up there," she replied while dragging her to the registration booth.

"Okay, everyone! Before we start, here are the guidelines for today's event. This year, our contest will be a little bit different from last year. The mechanics of the game is simple. Do you see the different varieties of desserts on the table? That's all the featured food for our game but with a twist. All the players involved will be blindfolded as they eat those desserts, and they must name what dessert they ate," the emcee explained.

"Huh? Naming the food?"

"What?"

"Why did they change the rules?"

"That's right, everyone! As you eat the dessert, you have to say the name of the dessert. You will advance to the final round with more desserts you eat and name correctly. You are automatically out of the competition if you give the dessert the wrong name. So are you guys ready?" The emcee asked everyone.

"Ready!"

"Let the dessert-eating competition begin!"

Spice's eyes suddenly twinkled at what the emcee said to them. "Yay!"

"Damn, knowing what Spice can do, we're already defeated," said Caramelle

"What else?" Blaire and Kaelin answered at the same time.

"Bwahahahaha! How is that? Will you still join?" she arrogantly asked her friends.

"Not anymore! You're the winner. Dead hungry!" was the pissed answer of the three to her. Annoyingly, she just laughed at her friends.

*****

Moments later, only three people were left for the competition's final round. "Go, Spice! You can do that!" cheered her friends.

Her friends yelled at her and said, "Fighting!"

"Finalists, please gather up here on the stage," Fainne called out to the remaining contestants. Spice quickly walked up to the stage along with the two remaining contestants, a woman, and a man.

"Hi!" she greeted the two enthusiastically. The man nodded while the other woman glared at her.

"You won't win," she said to her.

Spice was shocked by what the woman said. Out of her irritation to the girl, she stuck out her tongue and said, "Bleah! You will lose!" simultaneously running up to the stage.

"Welcome to our final round! The rules for this game are simple. First, players, please step forward on your designated tables. As you can see, there are three dishes inside that food cover. That dish will be your final dessert for this round. But first, let us see the featured dessert for our final round!"

Then, a food trolley was brought out onto the stage.

"Ready?" the emcee asked as she lifted the tray's cover slowly. All the audience was staring, wondering what this mystery dessert was. The audience gasped as the emcee entirely raised the lid from the tray.

"Is that a panna cotta?" The audience whispered to each other as they took a closer look at the food. "A chocolate panna cotta?"

"That's right! Our mystery dessert is the panna cotta au chocolate noir. Contestants, please head to your assigned tables. At each table, three kinds of panna cotta au chocolate noir look the same. You will have to taste the original panna cotta here and the three-panna cotta on your table. Afterward, you must select only one of the three Panna cottas on your table, which you think is the same panna cotta presented as the final dish."

"Whoa, that's gonna be so hard."

"They almost look the same."

"Now I'm curious, what could be the grand prize?" the audience murmured as they anticipated the match.

Spice emphatically observed the panna cotta on both tables.

Observing afar from her, Persimmon studied Spice's reaction. "This should be easy," he said to himself.

"Who do you think will win?" Fainne asked him.

"Let's just find out," was his short answer.

"Contestants, you may now taste the panna cotta au chocolate noir."

One by one, the three of them tasted the presented dish. Spice held her spoon and took a scoop of the dessert.

"Hmm? Dark chocolate? However, it is not so bitter, yet not too sweet. The balance of bitterness against sweetness is just right. The cream is silky and light. I wonder. Hmmm." Then she took another spoonful of the food. "Ah, there's mint. Oh, and something else. That's why there seems to be something different in the sweetness."

Spice secretly smiled at what she discovered and returned to her table. When the three returned to their respective tables, they tasted the three-panna cotta presented individually.

"Ugh! This is tough," the man on her left said as he looked and smelled the three-panna cotta closely.

"They look alike and have almost the same taste," said the woman next to him.

Spice started tasting the first panna cotta in front of her. "Hmmm? Okay." Then she tasted the second one. "Oh? It's okay." She immediately followed the last one. "Ah, almost the same, but...." She looked and smelled the three dishes again. A few moments later, the three chose which of the three Panna cottas their answer was.

"Alright! It looks like our three contestants have made their choices! Let us see, first up is contestant no. 1. Hi! What is your name?" the emcee asked.

"Hi, I'm Zab."

.

"Okay, Zab, which panna cotta did you choose?"

"I choose the second panna cotta," he answered confidently.

"Zab chooses panna cotta no. 2! Okay, how about you? What is your name?" The emcee asked the woman next to Zab.

"Iliana" was her short answer.

"Okay, Ilaiana, which panna cotta did you choose?" the emcee asked again.

"I also choose the second panna cotta," Iliana answered.

"Oh! Interesting. Zab and Iliana chose the same panna cotta, ladies, and gents. What does contestant number Three choose? Hi, what's your name?" the emcee asked Spice.

"Hi! I'm Spice," she greeted everyone enthusiastically.

"Yahoo! She's our friend!" her crazy friends shouted.

"Go, Spice!" She laughed and waved at her three friends.

"What a unique name. Okay, Spice, which panna cotta is your answer?"

"I choose the first panna cotta," she answered confidently.

"Oh! Spice's answer is different, ladies and gents. Which of the three panna cotta is the correct answer?" The emcee excitedly asked the audience. "Well, without further ado, let us reveal the correct answer! Drum roll, please!"

Everyone seemed to stop breathing as they anticipated which of the three had the correct answer.

"The panna cotta that looks and tastes the same as the featured panna cotta au chocolate noir is panna cotta number 1! Alright, we have our winner! Congratulations to Spice for winning this year's Dulce Brielle Dessert-Eating Competition!"

"What?" she heard her opponent Iliana say. "That's impossible! How?!"

"Alright!" Spice and her friends shouted at the same time. On the other hand, her friends went to the stage.

"You go, girl!" said Caramelle and Kaelin.

"Awesome! Her nose and tongue are abnormal," Blair teased her.

"Crazy!" she answered the three, and they all laughed.

While enjoying their victory, Spice was unaware of who approached her.

"Ahem."

The four immediately turned around. It was Persimmon and Fainne.

"Congratulations." Persimmon warmly smiled at her as he extended his hand towards her.

"Oh my! Thank you!" she happily accepted his hand to shake hands.

"You did well, and Spice told the truth. I was impressed," said Fainne, staring at her intently.

"The three panna cotta were almost the same, except only a person with a great sense of taste and smell can surely point out the difference between the three panna cotta," Persimmon further said to them.

"Oh, Spice is an alien," Kaelin replied.

"Yes, I don't know where her nose and tongue came from. She can remember the smell and taste of everything," Blaire added

"Her sense of taste and smell is abnormal. Especially when it comes to food," said Caramelle.

Embarrassed, Spice glared and fought with her three friends, making Persimmon and Fainne smile. "I'm sorry about what my friends are saying. That's not true. I hope you believe me," Spice answered awkwardly.

"I see." Persimmon suppressed his smile. "But anyway, you have such good friends. Your prize will be delivered tomorrow to your house. We'll see each other again soon, Spice," he said as they bid goodbye at them. His three friends screamed in shock when Persimmon and Fainne left.

"Hey, who's going to be a slut now? You're Mr. CEO's type!" Blaire teased her.

"Of course not, crazy! You see that he already has Ms. Fainne, oh!" she replied.

"Well, she's so pretty!" Kaelin said dreamily.

"Whatever. Now what? Where to?" she asked the three.

"Karaoke?" Caramelle replied.

"Game!"

Fainne gazed back at Spice as she walked away with her friends. "Wise? She has green eyes like yours," she stated curiously.

Persimmon looked at her intently. " Don't let me hope, Fainne," he answered bitterly as he walked away.

*****

The next day, Spice woke up early. As she walked downstairs, her mom called her attention, "Spice? Dear, a letter has arrived for you." Her mom handed her a dark blue envelope with a sealed sun-shaped emblem on the front.

"Huh?" Curious, she took the envelope and opened it.

To Miss Cinnamon Spice LeBlanc,

As a result, you are granted a full scholarship at Marguerite Fournier School of Culinary Arts for winning the grand prize at this year's Dulce Brielle Dessert-Eating Competition

Enclosed in this letter are the instructions for your transfer to MFSCA. We hope to see you soon. Have a good day.