Sinister

Chapter-6

You're joking, right?" I said, incredulous. "There's no way Mom just said that. Cooking at home? I must be dreaming."

"Of course," Mom replied with a hint of sarcasm. "Do you think I'm lying?"

"Well, you do lie most of the time, that's why," I retorted, giving her a playful smirk.

"Keep that up and we're having pizza for dinner," Mom said, clearly annoyed.

"Hurray, Mom's finally cooking," I said awkwardly, exchanging a glance with Brad.

"What are you going to make?" Brad asked, trailing Mom into the kitchen like an eager puppy.

"Anything I can manage," she replied. "What do you want?"

"Chocolate donuts!" Brad exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.

"I'm sorry, honey, I'm not making that. Brooke, don't just stand there, come help me."

The kitchen had never felt this alive before. The sound of dishes clinking and spoons clattering was like music to my ears. "Mom, when was the last time you cooked?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't remember," she replied, stirring the pot thoughtfully. "But you do know I won a cooking competition when I was in seventh grade, right? I told you before."

I shrugged. "Never heard that."

"I did," she continued with a nostalgic smile. "But that was a long time ago."

I wasn't sure if Mom was telling the truth about winning a cooking competition. Her cooking wasn't that good, but she did seem to handle the knife skilfully.

"Mom, what are we making?"

"Let's see... Brad, don't touch that!"

I grabbed Brad's arm and dragged him out of the kitchen.

"Now stay here and don't enter the kitchen until it's time to eat."

Mom took out some meat from the freezer along with peas and added them to a pot of boiling water. "Brooke, pass me the pepper."I held the pepper, trying to pass it to her, but she quickly snatched it from my hand. She then started cracking eggs and making a batter.

"Do we really need to bake a cake?"

"That's for Brad. I've wanted to bake a cake for him for a long time." She whipped up some cream and set it aside before checking the meat on the stove. The aroma filled the kitchen, making my mouth water. When was the last time I smelled something this delicious coming from our own kitchen? I forgot all about the events of the day-the voice above my room, Mrs. Rose, and Robbie. How nice would it be if our house always felt like this? And if Dad were still alive...I snapped back to reality when I heard Mom's low moan. I rushed to her side. Her finger was covered in blood. "Mom, what happened?"

"It's nothing, just a small cut. Pass me the first aid."

I quickly grabbed the first aid box from above the fridge, took out some ointment, and rubbed it on her finger before bandaging it.

"Mom, take a break. I'll cook," I said. Mom smirked.

"You can't even cook. It's just a small cut, and dinner is almost ready. We just have to wait for the meat to become tender."

Dinner was finally ready. It had been a long time since the three of us sat together at the table. The kitchen light and the living room lights were off, and Mom had already gone to bed since she had to work early the next morning. I was in Brad's room, and we were playing Tank Wars.