Mal followed down the page of the small opened book that lay on the counter top.
"Alright it says we still need one tear" Mal said as she sighed "and I don't cry" she smiled sarcastically at Evie who was standing next to her adding dough the to mixture every couple of minutes. Jay and Carlos sat on the work top behind them with Dude in between them.
"Let's just chop up some onions?" Carlos said grabbing an onion from the shelf that was beside him.
"No!" Mal said annoyed as she looked back at the two boys. "The books says we need one year of human sadness" she said as she went down the page with her finger again.
"A tears a tear?" Jay said running one of his hands through the glossy black hair using his other hand to balance himself.
"That's not true Jay" said Evie, "they both have antibodies and enzymes but emotional tears have more protein based hormones than a reflex tear?" As she finished she pulled a bag of flour closer to the bowl as the other three kids looked on in disbelief. Mal took a small pinch of the flour and added it into the bowl singing "listen to you" in a rhythm. Both girls smiled and giggled at each other.
"Yeah I know that?" Jay said with his arm extended for emphasis. Carlos used his hand to slap across his arm "did not" he said jokingly. Just then as quick as a flash the door opened and in came Lonnie. In a pink top and a white ripped skirt "there you guys are" she said. Mal realised and quickly put a napkin over the spell book she was using.
"Mal, you know all the girls want you to do their hair?" She said as she stood at opposite side of the work top. Mal and Evie just smiled unsure what to reply in such an awkward situation but Lonnie broke the silence again.
"Midnight snack huh?" She said as she glanced down to the bowl that Mal was mixing with a whisk "what ya making?".
Evie and Mal looked at each other and scrunched up their faces as Mal spoke "oh nothing special-" but as Mal was trying to work out a story that was both innocent and believable Lonnie leaned over to the bowl placed a finger into the mixture and took out a dollop on her finger placing it in her mouth. All four kids began shouting that she shouldn't do that but it was too late she had already put it in her mouth. The room was silent for what seemed like a half hour. Lonnie looked at each worried kids one by one as she took the clean finger out of her mouth.
"What? I'm not gonna double dip?" She said finally.
"Feel anything?" Evie said.
"Yeah maybe it might be..missing something" Mal followed up. Lonnie stood in silence for a moment.
Jay jumped of the counter and strode forward to Lonnie placing his hand above his head leaving on the pot holder and he used his other hand to push his long hair behind his ear and smiled.
"Hey there?" Jay said confidently. Lonnie looked at him with a greg look on her face and smiled awkwardly.
"Could use some chips?" She replied finally as she walked off towards a shelf that held the chocolate chips she was looking for.
Evie and Mal both relaxed and took a gasp of air realising that she wasn't affecting by the spell.
Lonnie brought over a small bowl of chocolate chips as she grabbed a small handful and sprinkled them into the bowl. Jay and Evie were looking over Mal's shoulder at them as Lonnie looked at them confusingly.
"Wait, didn't your moms ever make you chocolate chip cookies?" She said putting a chip in her mouth. Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos all looked at Lonnie both confused and longingly, they had never even had chocolate chip cookies on the isle.
"Like when you're feeling sad? There freshly hot out the oven and had a big cold glass of milk, and she just makes you laugh and it puts everything into perspective" Lonnie exclaimed. All the kids were silent with embarrassed faces filled with gloom. Lonnie realised that this wasn't the case for these four villain kids.
"Wow, why are you all looking at me like that?" Lonnie asked anxiously. Mal looked back down to the bowl as she stirred it lazily as she replied "it's just different where we're from". Lonnie looked around nervously at the other kids as she noticed she had hit a soft nerve if the group.
"Yeah...I know... I just thought that...villains still loved their kids?" Lonnie said as she tried to cover herself from before. All the kids looked at the floor and were silent.
"Oh my god, how awful" Lonnie said as she put both her hands over Mal's as a sign of comfort. A tear fell down her cheek. Mal noticed the tear as it fell from her cheek into the bowl that she was leaning over still with her hand over Mal's.
This was Mal's chance, Mal passed the bowl over to Evie so that she could stir the mixture as she took Lonnie's arm.
"Huge bumper I know, but we have to get these in the oven and thank you so much, see you tomorrow, evil dreams!" Mal said brightly as she ushered Lonnie out of the kitchen. Before Lonnie even knew what was going on she was out the door wishing the other kids goodnight and was down the hall.
"Ok boys, baking tray duty. E, oven duty" Mal said as she pointed to the two boy and then to Evie as she picked up the bowl and walked over to the oven followed by the other three kids and the dog.
