Passed down

Chapter 1

M

"Now! Tell me again, child, what will you be?" My mother sternly quizzed, circling me.

"Quick, careful, and focused..." I replied. For those who might be thinking that my mother seems... stern... you'd be right. Globally-known sushi chef and super villain, Momakase. Of course, no longer is she a supervillain, but there remains touches of her sinister nature. She finally decided that I was advanced enough to get a part-time job doing what we both love- cooking. It's all I have ever grown up with. Well, that and music. I am a violin prodigy for my age, although my mother thinks I should be spending my time studying and cooking. Today I begin my first job at a cafe called "The Lucky Cat". Interesting name. I do hope the owner has high expectations of me. I shall surpass them. 

"Good bye, mother!" I call as I leave through the front door. (Yes, supervillains live In normal houses sometimes) 

"Wait! Do you have your knives?? Double sharpened?? Should I pack you bandages???" She said, running up to me, grabbing my shoulder to stop me.

"Yes, triple sharpened, and do not doubt my skill." I reply to her with a straight face. HER face on the other hand, melts into a look of pride and admiration.

"Oh!!! I shall miss you, child!" She said, hugging me so hard I couldn't breathe. "Good luck!" 

"Hhgphh! Motherrr! Please! Allow me to- *choke* breathe?!" I struggled. She released me, thankfully. 

"Good bye, mother!" I say. I jump into the nearest cable car. I soon arrive at the cafe, where I am immediately greeted by a woman who looked to be in her mid 30's, with brown, short hair, who treated me very kindly, despite my, what some would describe as, "intimidating" appearance.

"Ah! You must be Marinza! I'm Cassandra, most people call me Cass, and this is the lucky cat!" She said, shaking my hand. So much energy, at 9:00 am, mind you! I returned her greeting to the best of my ability. I don't have much experience with socializing.

"Greetings, Cass! Yes, I am Marinza! Your cafe is very lovely!" I said, looking around. I wasn't just saying that out of politeness. It had a very warm, welcoming atmosphere.

"Aw, thank you! Come on come on! I'll show you the kitchen!!" She said, dragging me behind the counter through a doorway. I was slightly surprised to immediately notice how disorganized everything was... seasoning shakers littered across the counters, random whisks and spoons with batter on them, even a small sprinkling of flour was on the floor. Nothing at all like my mother's kitchen. After a tour and demonstration of how the coffee brewing station worked, I was instructed to begin preparing a basic Açaí bowl. This was to ensure that I was in fact capable of advancing to cooking at Cass's level. Wait. Waiiiiiit a moment! C-Cass?! CHEF Cass?!?! T-this is the same chef that my mother lost to in the cooking arena in good luck alley!! I! I can't believe MY BOSS, DEFEATED MY MOTHER, at cooking!! My mother occasionally grumbles about her loss to me. But! Chef Cass! Wow! I-I'm honored!

 Anyway, in her introduction to her business, she mentioned she had a genius nephew she cared for, who was 2 years older than me. Apparently he recently graduated from SFIT with a degree in robotics. She said I may see him occasionally throughout the day. I wondered why someone who graduated college still lives with his care taker. Most likely financial reasons. That, or he is one of those geniuses who doesn't do anything with their skill. I was chopping strawberries, thick as a pencil, just as my mother taught me, when I felt a strange, fuzzy, warm thing move across my lower-leg. I look down, to see a calico cat, purring, rubbing its head on my leg. As you could imagine, I had a pretty sheltered childhood. Because of that, I have never met a cat in person. I was completely unsure of how to handle the situation. I tried to wait until the cat left, but it was persistent... so, I called for my boss. 

"Um... C-CHEF CAAAASSS??" I called. A few moments later she came running, still carrying a tin of muffins.

"Hey! What's up?" 

"Um... I'm terribly sorry to waste your time, but..." I felt very embarrassed asking someone to help me do something most people could with ease.

"I... I am unsure of how to handle a cat..." I said nervously, glancing between her and the cat.

"Oh! You mean mochi! I'm sorry, I should have told you! He is our cat! H-have you never met a cat before?" She said smiling, picking it up.

"No chef...." I said shamefully, staring at the floor. This is humiliating! What kind of person doesn't know how to interact with an animal?! 

"Oh! That's no problem! No need to worry! Here, ya just kneel down, and uh... hm... kind of... act like you're spreading flour on a counter! Just nice and soft... like that!" She said, while slowly  petting it. I looked down at it nervously. "Come on, give it a go!" She said encouragingly. I slowly knelt down to the floor, and did exactly what she did. Spread flour... on counter... oh. I was surprised to realize I actually liked petting the cat! It was still very strange for me, but it was nice. I went home that day learning two things: how to handle a cat, and that my boss is extremely skilled.

Thank you so much for reading! I do hope you will like this new story idea of mine! I am very excited to continue writing these chapters!