Chosen | on hold

Chosen | 20

My stomach grumbled as I passed the dining hall. I knew all the girls were in there probably chugging down expensive tea and shoveling mouthfuls of whatever the chef made for lunch into their stomachs. Tom would be in there and he'd fine a way to make me spit up water with his weird facial expressions.

But like this morning, I headed towards the kitchen with the intention of making my own meal. It wasn't like I was missing much. I could always see June and the rest of the girls in the Women's Room later in the evening. I couldn't really talk to June or Rose anyway with where I was sitting. And Tom...well I always miraculously ran into him anyway.

I pushed open the doors of the kitchen and was instantly hit with the smell of tomato sauce. Spaghetti. I could feel my mouth salivate. I guess the one thing I would miss was the spaghetti and meatballs for lunch.

I could see the pasta boiling in large silver tubs. Steam crept out of the water and filled the air, making the room a few degrees warmer than anywhere else I had been so far. But I didn't mind too much. I enjoyed the energy in the room.

There were the servers who danced around looking for plates to bring out to my hungry competitors. Certain individuals were in charge of plating the food, an art I hadn't known of until I had witnessed it while making my breakfast. Men and women clad in white uniforms stirred around pasta sauce and mixed special spices together. And then there was the head chef.

"Ah, back again I see," Chef Sanders smiled from the center of it all.

He was a man of average height with bright red hair that peeked out from underneath his ginormous chef's hat. Like the rest of his peers, he wore the standard uniform which consisted of a white button up and black pants, but he still stood out. He was the youngest man in the room, yet he held the most power. His brilliant green eyes demanded recognition and honor.

"I told you, you're stuck with me for the week," I smirked, walking to the edge of the room.

In my short time of being in the kitchen, I had come to respect every person for the position they played. They executed everything perfectly and I did not want to get in the way. One wrong move and something disastrous could happen.

"Alright, well what are we making for lunch today Lady Berkshire?" he asked whilst barking out orders to his coworkers.

"I've told you about a million times, I have to make it or it doesn't count." I blew a piece of hair out of my face and could feel myself starting to sweat. How Chef Sanders spent all his time in here amazed me.

He sighed before shaking his head. "At least let me help pull stuff out for you. It took you two hours to find bread this morning."

I could feel my face heat up and it wasn't because of the temperature of the room. "Fine. But I HAVE to make it."

"And you HAVE to be the most stubborn woman on the planet."

I rolled my eyes at his joke and followed him over to one of the large preparation tables. A cutting board was already set out along with numerous utensils. I bit my lip for a second before a lightbulb flashed.

"Chef Sanders, get me some cheese, butter, and bread!" I demanded.

I watched as he walked off to different cabinets, grabbing what I had listed. It only took him seconds while it probably would have taken me hours to find the right materials.

Once everything was placed in front of me I started the task of making my momma's famous grilled cheese. Deep down inside, I knew it wouldn't be as good as the one's that she made for me when I was little, but making it would allow me to feel like I was still with her.