Marla's Sweet Treats

CONTESTANTS AND STAFF ONLY

Compared to the crowded hallway, the subway and downtown Paris, it seemed quiet in the "Contestant and Staff" room. There were about a dozen people wearing white aprons, the contestants, I assumed, and about thirty people in blue shirts with the word STAFF printed on the back.

One of them, a woman with straight, caramel hair, walked up to me.

"I'm sorry ma'am but this room is only for the contestants and staff. I will have to ask you to leave, please."

"Oh, um, my name is Louise Davis. I am one of the contestants." I replied.

"I apologize. One second please, I'll just check in and I will be right back."

I could tell that she didn't believe me, so I waited patiently, whilst looking around the room. There was another door on the other end that lead to the kitchen, in which I was going to compete. Through the glass door, I could see cameras and big microphones. The other contestants were scattered around the room. Some were looking at the ingredients, while others were nervously fidgeting or walking up and down. I was tempted to do the same, but I held myself back. I noticed a man who was standing right by the door. Unlike the others, he did not seem nervous. His face was angular and his expression cold. His dark brown spiky hair stood up from his head. Although I had never even seen him before, I gasped, and knew who it was: Magnus LeDeux. He looked up across the room and stared at me. He must have heard me gasp. I looked away, right when the staff member was returning, and apologetic fake smile glued to her face.

"Alright Ms. Davis, thanks for your patience. Please follow me so that you can get your apron and needed ingredients, as well as instructions. Did you bring an ingredient of your choice?"

"I did" I replied, leaving out the detail of what it was. I had a feeling she wasn't going to find it as thrilling as I or the Thompsons did. I followed her to the end of the room, where I was greeted with a white apron- the one that I saw the other contestants wearing.

"We only have a few rules and instructions, Ms. Davis. Number one, you can bake anything you want. Presentation is 50%, and taste is obviously the other 50%. Now, you have 2 hours and 30 minutes, there will be around 250 audience members and it will be on TV tomorrow afternoon, if you or your family and friends wish to watch it. If you steal or use the ingredients of the other contestants, hinder them in any way, or insult them, we will have to disqualify you, and you will no longer be able to participate. We will start in three hours, so until then, you will be able to go orient yourself, and look for the locations of any ingredients you will need. You could also use this time to memorize your recipe, if you have not done this. Cookbooks may not be brought into the competitions. During this period of time, you will only have access to this room and the kitchen but not the hallway and the remainder of the building. We wish you luck."

Trying to process all of this information, I walked back to my spot at the door myself that I had never baked such a complicated recipe in only 2 hours. Adding the lightning would be complicated enough.

3 1/3 oz all-purpose flour (3/4 cup)2 oz (2/3 cup)1/2 tsp salt1/2 tsp baking powder4 oz unsalted butter7 3/4 oz granulated sugar (1 cup +2 tbsp)2 eggs large, at room temperature2 tsp9 oz finely chopped1 3/4 cups heavy cream divided usePinch salt2 tsp2 tbsp water1 1/2 cups raspberries fresh9 oz white chocolate finely chopped1 1/2 cups heavy cream divided usePinch salt2 tsp2 tbsp waterPink food coloring (optional)9 oz white chocolate finely chopped1 1/2 cups heavy cream divided use4 tbsp honeyPinch salt2 tsp powdered gelatin unflavored2 tbsp water2 tsp (can substitute vanilla extract)4 oz finely chopped4 oz heavy cream1 pint raspberries freshChocolate curls or other decorationsA LIGHTING BOLT

After about half an hour I had memorized it completely, and headed over to the kitchen to find some of the ingredients. I was lucky to find all of them quickly and they even had raspberries. During this time, I tried to ignore Magnus as much as I could. Knowing that I was in the same room as the thief made me uncomfortable and so did his dangerously spiky hair.