HEARTLESS AU-- In real time --

Chapter 1

Goal: 3,000+ words

In the Pinkerton Estate, in the emptiness of the large kitchen only one person was bustling around in the morning light. Making adjustments to ingredients, measuring and leveling sugar,  pouring heavy cream and cutting butter. After some time of perfecting and mixing and waiting- it was time! Catherine was just pulling out a tray from the industrial oven with 5 lemon tarts perfectly baked and glistening. The inside filling wobbled with the sudden movement but the crisp beautifully baked and buttery crust held it in.

Cath held the tray so carefully, almost as if it was alive and would be destroyed at the slightest movement. She set the tray down with ease on the large island tabletop and walked backwards, not willing to take her eyes off the tarts, to close the oven so it would not get to hot in the kitchen. Once that was done Cath set on arranging sugared lemon peels on the tarts to look like delicate flowers resting on the tarts. Stepping back from her work, Cath squealed with delight.

She had spent hours on the tarts. Waking up at 5 in the morning to be sure she had the time. Making the crust from scratch, kneading the dough and getting it into their shape's, along with crimping the edges. Then moving onto the filling, squeezing lemons, making the zest and mixing and mixing and more mixing till the yellow was as bright as buttercups. 

And now looking at her final products she was gripped with a sense pride and confidence in her desserts. Well, almost final products. She still had to dust them with powdered sugar. It was so tantalizingly hard to resist the urge to do it now! Decorating the desserts was one of Cath's favorite parts of  baking. Alas if she did it now the sugar would become very unappetizing puddle of goo as it melted on the still hot desserts. Still incredibly proud of herself Catherine pulled out her Phone to take a picture of her desserts for her portfolio.

"You, my dazzling creations will be the envy of all the others." Talking to her pastries was a funny habit of hers and she wasn't embarrassed by that fact. Getting the perfect angles on her tarts to take pictures of them distracted her enough for her to miss a little something come, more like someone sneak, into the kitchen...

"And what would those lovely things be, m'lady Catherine." A sickly sweet voice came from over Cath's shoulder. She spun around to face the intruder, hands on her hips.

"Cheshire!! What in the heck are you doing here? You know your not aloud in here you silly girl!!" The 11 maybe 12 year old girl sitting on the table top behind Cath was a long friend of hers. She had mid-length black hair with purple and blue streaks. Usually wearing a striped sweater and loose capri jeans with black and white van sneakers. She seemed to have a multitude of striped sweaters in many different colors. "Cheshire" was the name the girl said when anyone asked. It wasn't her real one but that's what everyone called her. But she seemed to be a petty theft girl, this was not confirmed but with the way she got in and out of her highly guarded house with ease it seemed likely to Catherine. They had first met 2 years ago when Cheshire has snuck into the kitchen while Cath had been sulking on some matter. Cheshire had seemed like a lost kitten so she had fed her and Cheshire had kept coming back again and again, and she usually talked to her like she was a lady of the court. But when it was needed Cheshire could disappear in less than a second.

"What do you mean? I am only wondering if you have one to spare. Or if you would notice if one went missing suddenly." Cheshire had this voice that was drawling like Severus Snape's voice but enchanting in a way. It would make someone be terrified if they did not know Cheshire, but mostly Cheshire's voice was very upbeat, but she was rather pessimistic and had a very  grumpy personality.

"Well Cheshire, these are not for you and I will notice if you take one." I stepped protectively in front of the tarts.

"Now if you would leave my tarts alone Cheshire- I need to upload these photos." Cath had finished her photos and they looked AMAZING. As she got on her phone again and opened up Instagram to her profile, which she only used to display her pastries and the occasional selfie. Once that job was finished off Cath put her phone away and began to clean up, leaving out only the powdered sugar and sugar crystal along with a sifter.