Kingdoms United Academy [DRAFT ONE]

27. Cooking with Crispy

Author's Note: I am now an iPad child. Shoutout to my mom for letting me use her tablet.

The Next Day-

Crispy looked over at Criss. "so ThIs is hOw you search?"

Criss nodded. "Yes. Now you can find recipes online."

Crispy glanced at the boxy library computer, his eyes full of wonder. He was very quiet for a minute, before suddenly speaking again. "i wAnt to take it ApArt. To SeE how it WoRks."

Criss paused. Not even the computer science teacher knew all the facets of how the circuits inside worked.

"You can't just take things apart. You have to pay for any damages here," They sighed.

"i knOw. it waS likE thaT at HomE, too."

Criss turned to leave. They didn't want to stay alone with Crispy longer than they had to.

Criss heard clacking on the keyboard and clicking on the mouse. It was very slow. Crispy was hunting and pecking on the keyboard. Criss turned around and saw that he had opened about five tabs. The first two read "what is an oven" and "how to use an oven".

Criss sighed. "Do you need my help?"

Crispy looked back at Criss, then at the computer. He then stared at his tabs for a moment. "no..."

"You sure?"

Crispy paused for too long.

"You're hopeless. I'll help."

Crispy shook his head. "they're mY truSt cookiEs; i haVe to MaKe thEm! if i cAn't do it myself, thE geSture meAns noThing!"

Criss went quiet. His determination was admirable. They remembered then that the others trusted Crispy much more. Criss was the only one he had to prove himself to. In addition, it was harder for him to poison the cookies if they were watching him.

"I'll help, but you'll still have made them. They'll still be trust cookies," Criss offered.

Crispy considered it for a moment. He nodded cautiously.

Criss didn't smile. They didn't show their true intentions. They would keep quiet and play the good guy.

The two made their way down the library's corridor and turned towards the cooking classroom after Criss printed out the recipe.

Crispy dug around in his pockets and pulled out one right-handed rubber glove. He slipped it on, then flexed his hand gently. His eyes then softened into what was nearly a smile.

"Safety first?" Criss guessed.

Crispy's happy expression went slack. His face was blank. He nodded.

Criss looked at the plagued half of Crispy's face. The "Black Snow", as Madame Talon had called it. Criss wondered for a moment if it was fatal. How long did Crispy have left?

Crispy glanced down at the ingredients list. "fLoUr." He then turned to the ingredients shelf. There was barley, oat, almond, whole wheat, and regular flour. "wHy aRe thEre fiVe differeNt tYpes?"

Criss shrugged and pulled out the regular flour. "Dunno. However, unless they specify which type of something, always assume it's the one labeled as 'regular' or 'baking'."

Criss reached for a measuring cup. "Also, these are measuring cups. You need to choose the best measurement available for however much you need in the recipe."

"i KnoW." Crispy made his way to the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk and a box of eggs.

Criss dropped in four full measures of flour.

Crispy pulled out an egg, shaky, and cracked it on the side of the bowl. He cracked it too hard, and shards of eggshell fell into the bowl. He stared at his hands, clearly holding back tears, as static once again returned to Criss's mind.

Criss dipped their fork in to pull out the shards. "It's okay; since we're mixing the egg anyways, you can pull out the shell with a fork."

Crispy said nothing, but the static faded away slowly.

"There," Criss finally breathed after they'd mixed all the ingredients. "Can you manage to put them in the oven?"

Crispy nodded. "i'll uSe mY leFt haNd."

Criss put the dough in small circles onto the baking sheet. Their heart stopped for a moment as Crispy slowly slid the pan into the oven. They sighed with relief after Crispy shut the oven door with the cookies still intact.

Finally, after fifteen minutes, Crispy pulled the cookies out of the oven. They looked perfect, like the ones that could be found in a bakery. Crispy's eyes sparkled as he looked at what was mostly Criss's handiwork.

After awhile, Criss decided they were cool enough to taste. They took a bite of one cookie and their eye widened.

The flavor of it was mellow and not overpoweringly sweet. The measure of spices was just right, and the cookie was warm on the inside and only slightly crumbly.

Crispy looked at them with growing concern until Criss remembered to let Crispy know they hadn't contracted plague. They couldn't bring themself to smile, knowing that when they tried, it often looked weird, so they simply gave a thumbs up. Crispy's shoulders then relaxed.

"They're good," Criss finally said when they finished the cookie.

"suiTable tRust cooKies?" Crispy asked.

Criss nodded. "And I'll tell everyone that you did all the work."

Crispy shook his head. "doN't lie. i'll just MaKe another BaTch bY mySelF nexT time."

Criss realized at that moment that Crispy had won. He had successfully made them like him. And what was more, they could not process it completely, but they even wanted to be friends with this murderer.

The question became if it was safe to make friends this time, or if Criss would be Crispy's next victim.