The Truth Hurts

Chapter 21

The heat radiating from the oven as I take out the cake, hits my face and arms. The sensation makes me perspire more than I already am in this stuffed, humid kitchen. Besides that, this baking thing wasn't as hard and stressful as I thought it would be. Turns out not a lot of people want to eat desert after their heavy meal. Well I mean, it is a buffet and here, the main courses are more popular than the deserts.

I set the chocolate cake down to cool and headed to the fridge to get a plump red cherry and my pre-made frosting. Once I set the things on the side and grabbed the frosting tool, I catch a glimpse of Daniel. He rolls up his sleeve half way and I get a perfect view of the bracelet. Seeing it, made my day so much better. I wonder if he gets happy when he sees the bracelet on me.

"Elise is my cake ready?" The head chef yells at me.

His yelling caught the attention of almost everyone in the kitchen, including Daniel's. Daniel looks up and right at me. I jump, nearly knocking the icing tool off the counter, and quickly look away from Daniel.

"I-I'm sorry chef. Almost done" I stutter.

The chef roles his eyes and goes back into the restaurant. A breath I didn't know I was holding, releases. That couldn't have been more embarrassing! Not only was I caught by Daniel staring, but I was also called out by the head chef! I shake my head my own stupidity.

Once I'm done icing the cake and putting the cherry in the middle, I make my way to the dessert area of the buffet. I remove the tray where the eaten cake was and placed the new cake in its spot.

Today felt dragged out longer than the last three days I've worked here. I baked so many goods that I lost count on how many cakes, cupcakes, brownies, and cookies I've baked. Once I got to the kitchen, I decided I could take a breather for a few minutes. I sat down on the stool and wiped a drop of sweat that was rolling onto my forehead.

There's nothing more I want than getting my recreation time in two days. I could really use the relaxation. Especially at this moment. Unfortunately, my "quick breather" doesn't last as long as I would have liked it too. The head chef comes in with a huge stack of boxes consisting of...what I'm guessing to be spices, condiments, and other things.

"Elise! What do you think you're doing? Do you not do any work while you're here?" Chef yells at me. "Get up right now and help me with these!"

I heave out a big sigh and made my way over to where he was standing. As I drew more closer to the stack of boxes, I saw that it was actually more Tupperware, dishes, and utensils.

"I need you to carry all of these boxes down to the basement" he instructs pointing to the door I assume leads to the basement.

I nod to him, letting him know I got it. He leaves soon after towards his main office. Shrugging my shoulders, I lift up two boxes but they immediately slip out my grasp and onto the floor. The things inside bang together, making me flinch at the loud clashing sound. These boxes are heavier than I thought they would be.

Now carrying one box, I started to make my way into the dark, gloomy basement. The stairwell is poorly lit and the stairs itself has dust all over them. As I draw closer to the bottom of the stair case, the sound of whispering voices hits my eardrums.

Something within me sparks my inner mystery and curious side. I duck behind the wall separating the two people and myself. Before I peek to see who the two people are, I try to eavesdrop onto their conversation. However, their whispering voices are too hushed for me to make out what their saying. I try to listen one more time but all I hear is silence. The whispering stopped.

Without thinking, I peek my head out of my hiding spot. Wh-this doesn't make any sense. My whole body gets paralyzed in one spot. I can't move. My mouth is dropped to the floor and my eyes are as big as saucers. The blood from my body immediately goes cold and I feel myself starting to panic.