Spy School: Old Becomes New

Chapter 10

May 13th, 2029

0900 hours

Hale Residence

Ben's POV

I was in the kitchen making pancakes. I had already made the batter and started adding blueberries and chocolate chips. I heard Emma behind me sitting at the table and mumbling on about the math problems she was doing.

I poured the batter into the frying pan and started to make the pancakes. 

Emma had gotten up bright and early at 7 in the morning, but I told Erica I would take care of her. Least I could do with what I was about to bring to the table with her.

I flipped over the first set to cook the other side. Pancake making was a delicate art, in which you had to perfectly flip your pancakes in order to get the perfect balance between uncooked and charred.

While also making a stylish flip. I flipped the next one in the air, going super high and flipping over 3 times. It landed straight in the middle of the pan.

I heard cheering behind me and I saw Emma looking on. I smiled at her and looked back at what I was cooking. I had finished the first set, which were smaller. I put them on a plate but didn't bring them to Emma yet. I didn't want her to burn herself. I used the time to put a little bit of whipped cream, chopped strawberries, blueberries, and maple syrup on. I went back and started to finish the rest off. 

I had made 5 each for me and Erica, but that really meant 8 for me since I knew Erica would not eat all 5. It was a stretch to get her to eat more than 2.

After awhile, I was finished. I brought all the pancakes over and gave the little one's to Emma. She started to dig in with her knife and fork. Luckily, I knew she could handle them herself, as she had tried to hold her baby doll at knifepoint yesterday while coercing them to give up the code to the toy bin. 

I started to eat mine as well. They were very good. I had become an ok enough successor in the Hale family, as the cook. Of course, I would never reach the levels of Catherine, but I doubt anyone could do that.

I heard the stairs creak and I knew Erica was coming down. I had already set out her plate and utensils, with the toppings there as well. Erica joined the table across from me. 

Apart from her lying to me and keeping secrets, I was proud of how much Erica had grown in the relationship. She had become more friendly with other people and had started to branch out in what she was eating. I was surprised about how little of the Ice Queen was left.

She seemed to like the pancakes too, which was a plus. I watched as she ate them, only 2, as I had guessed. I looked over at Emma who had a huge smile, with whipped cream all across her face. There was even a chocolate chip there too.

"Let's go get you cleaned up," I said to Emma. I brought her to the bathroom and she got onto her stool and started washing her face off. After she was done, she washed her hands and dried herself before coming back out. 

"Come play house," she said, pulling my hand towards the stairs.

"I will in a second, Em," I said. She looked at me with an unhappy face and proceeded to stomp up the stairs towards her room.

I went and sat down at the table with Erica, who was in the middle of eating her second pancake. 

I had been about to finish my fifth one before washing off Emma, so I quickly finished it and put my dishes and Emma's in the dishwasher.

There was an uncomfortable silence as Erica was finishing off her last pancake. She seemed to be taking forever.

After what seemed like a very long time, she finally finished.