Memoirs of a Witch (In Bloom Book 1.5)

Witches Among Demons Part 1

"Grim, wanna give this a taste?" Ruggie beckoned my familiar towards the stove, "I think it's got enough salt."

Ruggie fed Grim a small spoonful of the garlic and mushroom orzo he made. "That's delicious!" Grim looked at me, "I think you taught him a little too well."

Initially, Ruggie invited me to his dorm for us to exchange recipes. It was not too long before we were joined by some other residents who expressed interest in learning how to cook. Pretty soon, we formed a cooking club in Savanaclaw.

Of course, Grim made sure to never miss out on our activities. He would check in with all of the residents and offer his services as a 'professional taste tester."

As long as we had some sort of meat dish on the menu, there were no complaints. Especially from Leona. Besides getting a warm meal, he thought those who learned how to cook would develop virtues like discipline and self control.

I walked over to two Savanaclaw residents cutting the vegetables and butchering the steak. "How's it going over here, gentlemen?"

One of them, Harrison, replied, "It's going fine except this one won't stop crying," he motioned to his buddy, Archer, beside him.

"It's not my fault," Archer wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, "You try cutting onions without crying!"

I walked over to the freezer and pulled out several onion heads. The guys only looked at me in confusion.

With the knife in my hand, I began to slice the cold onion into quarters. My eyes did not sting and no tears formed. "It's a trick I learned from my nonna. Trust me, it helps," I handed Archer the knife back.

With Mother Nature providing us a warm, sunny day, we thought for it to be the perfect opportunity to have a barbeque. We had different cuts of steak marinating in the fridge since the night before with a mixture of dried herbs. We would also grill a mixture of vegetables and prepare a variety of side dishes. 

"Ms. Cassie!" one of the ghosts from my dorm entered the kitchen.

"Gabriel, what's up?"

"The Headmage is asking for you. He's waiting at your dorm."

All of the residents in the kitchen paused their current tasks and looked in my direction, "Ooooohhh....."

"Guys, I'm not in trouble," I washed my hands and made my way out of the kitchen, "I'll be back in no time, you'll see."

"Cassie! What about dessert?" Harrison called out, "You promised to make tiramisu!"

"I'm still making it, don't worry!"

"Want me to come with you, Cassie?" Grim offered.

"No need. I'll see what the Headmage needs and I'll be right back. For now, Ruggie's in charge."

"What?" Grim pouted, "Why not me?"

Ruggie reminded him, "The last time you were in charge you needed to taste test all of the dishes every minute or two. By lunchtime, there wasn't anything for us to eat."

"Be good, okay?" I pet Grim on the head, "I won't be long."

Grim rolled his eyes, "Fine. Only for you, Cassie."

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Like the ghost said, the Headmage was waiting for me at the lounge of my dorm. However, it was the woman beside that made bolt towards her. 

Her honey eyes which never lost their sparkle. Her smile which revealed a single dimple on the left side of her face. Her coffee hair whose ringlets never went beyond her shoulders and never had a strand loose. Her triple moon tattoo on her right bicep confirmed to me this was no dream.