Poof!

You giggled in delight as flour flew up into the air, covering the counters and your small hands all at the same time. As you continued to smack the counter tops, you mother flitted about the kitchen, gathering the many ingredients for baking. The entire time she watched you, filling the air with the sound of her soothing laughter.

"That's for baking dearie, I wouldn't suggest playing in it so much." She wiped away at your face with her apron, the same one she'd gotten from her mother.

"What're we bakin'?" You asked, excited to make something with her.

"Your favorite." She hummed, pulling down a couple large bowls from the cabinets.

You frowned. "You don't make it the same as Nana did!"

She laughed again. "That's the point."

"I like how Nana makes it!"

"She's not around to make it anymore dear."

You vaguely remember the funeral held for your grandmother. It had come and gone a little over a year ago, definitely a stretch for your seven year old mind to think about.

"Why can't we make it like she did?" You asked, puzzled.

Your mother pulled you down from the step stool you stood on and crouched down in front of you, reaching eye level. She smiled at you. It was the bright one you adored. The fine lines of aging wrinkled up in a delightful way, her eyes shone in a way that let you know you were her world, lips pulled over almost perfect teeth. She always had a hint of a stain on them from too much coffee but that was part of her charm.

"Remember Nana telling you how this recipe is special?"

You nodded.

"Are you ready to learn what makes it special? I can teach you today."

You gasped with renewed excitement. "Yes!"

"I thought you'd like that idea." She ruffled your hair, leaving the lingering scent of cinnamon and apples to hang heavy in the air around you.

She always smelled like a warm apple pie.

----

You woke from the dream, or memory technically, and you could swear you could still smell the cinnamon surrounding you. An alarm blared away beside you and you reached over to shut it up, smacking the clock until you managed to hit the right button.

"Moooommmmm." You groaned as you stretched in bed. "I hope you aren't looking down and calling me a sell out."

You felt like a kid on their first day of school. You were both excited and very nervous and in all honesty, the analogy wasn't very far off. It was your first day going to work at your dream job, the one you'd spent years busting your ass in college to get the required degree to even be considered for the job. The interview process was grueling but everything had paid off. You'd been accepted and though it was an entry level position, you were sure you'd be able to work your way up the ranks and make a real career out of it.

After stumbling out of bed and throwing on some clothes, you ate a quick breakfast and headed out. The first challenge with the job was it was a bit of a drive, an hour one way to be exact, so you had to leave early to make it on time. You didn't mind the drive but your car was old, went through a lot of gas, and had a habit of making a lot of questionable noises that occasionally turned into problems. It stressed you out on a regular basis but you didn't have another way to get to work. Besides, you were sure if you could keep it running long enough, you'd be able to save up for repairs.

It started up just fine and got on the road without any issues and you thanked whatever deity there was. The car was a little Saturn and would have been considered reliable if it was fixed. You dreamed of the day you could do just that.

The drive took you from your small apartment in the suburbs to the busy nearby city. You'd allowed enough time for traffic and were more than happy to get to work a little early. You grew up being told first impressions were everything and being early always looked good.  

When you stepped out of your car, a fresh wave of nerves hit you. The building you stood in front of was huge and the main spot of operations for your new employer. Charlotte's Sweets, the biggest sweets producer in the world. 

They had factories everywhere but this location in particular was special, and not just because it was their main building. Getting a spot here was extremely difficult and they only took the most promising of applicants and somehow, you managed to fit the bill. This was where they created all the newest recipes and hand crafted their most expensive, and supposedly, best treats. That was something you were hoping to learn if it was true or not while working here, their best products were always far out of your budget. At least now you'd get to help create them.

You took a deep breath to mentally prepare yourself and headed towards the front doors. At your last interview when you were officially hired, you were told to go in and let the front desk know you were new. They apparently hired a few others along with you and you were all supposed to go through training together, starting today.

When you walked in, you were immediately met with the subtle scent of baked goods and the sight of a grand, candy themed reception area. Everywhere you looked was bright colors and fun designs. It was almost comical to see an older, gruff looking man sitting behind the front desk, scowling to himself. You felt like there should have been some unwritten rule that no one could be unhappy in a Charlotte's Sweets building. The Charlotte family practically sold happiness.

You walked up to him and he shifted his attention to you, looking at you like you were a complete nuisance.

"What?" He growled.

"Hi." You did your best to stay polite despite his rude attitude. "I'm new and I'm supposed to start working here today. I was just curious where–"

"Name."

"What?"

"Your name kid." He huffed.

"Oh, it's (Y/n), (L/n) (Y/n)."

He spun his chair around and rummaged through one of the many shelving units behind the counter. When he faced you again, he handed over a badge hanging off of a simple black cord.

"That's yours. Head to the third floor, second room on your left. You're early so it'll be a bit before you get started."

"Thanks." You accepted the badge and held it firmly between your hands as you headed for the nearest elevator.

You repeated his directions to you in your head over and over again, sure you'd get lost if you didn't. No one else was in the elevator with you thankfully enough. That meant no one would have to see your slight tremble from your nerves. As soon as you hit the third floor, you headed down the only hall and found the correct room. You knocked on the door before entering, finding there were a couple people already inside.

They turned to watch you, one obviously being another new hire, while the other was one of the Charlotte family members. You felt like you were standing in front of a celebrity. It was the eldest of the family, Perospero himself. He was very tall, easily towering over you, and rather lanky. His features were sharp but he didn't seem to be as rough around the edges as the man down in the lobby. Being the oldest of his siblings, he had the signs of aging making an appearance on his face, fine wrinkles and permanent smile lines among others.

"Hi, I'm–"

"New? I thought as much." He leaned back against the wall behind him and glanced at the clipboard in his hand as he pointed to an empty chair with a pen. "Take a seat. What's your name?"

"(L/n) (Y/n)." You did as he asked and spared a look at the man sitting beside you. He was middle aged, definitely had you beat in years.

Perospero nodded. "We'll get started when the rest show up. Until then, fell free to read through this."

He took a small packet of papers from a table set up beside him and handed it over to you before taking his place back up against the wall. He fell quiet and you noticed the man beside you hadn't said a word either. Instead, he had focused on the same packet he held in his hands, eyes glazing over the words. You decided it was best to ignore the tense silence and do the same.

As you thought, the papers were detailing things about the workplace and the different entry level positions. You suddenly realized while you were told you'd be given such a position, you weren't told exactly which one. You opened your mouth to ask about it but Perospero seemed to know what you were going to do.

"I'll answer any questions you have after everyone arrives and I've gone through everything."

He seemed to like being blunt and to the point. But you'd take it all in stride and go along with it. There had to be a reason for it anyway, a big company like this wasn't likely to make such mistakes as forgetting to assign new hires positions.

You focused back on the papers but the more you read, the more confused you were. It seemed more like a general overview of different positions than anything else, and it only got more puzzling from there. Things that were never mentioned in the interviews came up, like having to pay for a rather expensive uniform and follow meticulous rules while in the kitchens. You'd never seen such strict requirements for a job and it was beginning to worry you.

You were so engrossed in the papers that you didn't notice the rest of the new hires had joined until Perospero cleared his throat, earning everyone's attention. When you looked around the room, your heart sank even further. There wasn't a single person in the room close to your age. They all looked like seasoned pastry chefs and cooks, having more than a few years on you. You were the youngest person in the room and here you were getting worried about being in your late twenties.

Before Perospero started, the door opened one last time as one of his many brothers entered, Katakuri. He was easily the most popular of the Charlotte "kids" and had a huge fan base. It even included people who didn't have a love for sweets, the man was able to draw an adoring crowd without even trying.

He stood by his brother and they quietly exchanged a few words before they both turned their attention to your group.

"Wonderful to meet you all." Perospero started. "Please call me Peros and this here is my brother Katakuri. You're all here today because you meet the base requirements to work here."

Nothing new so far but you had a feeling of dread building up, like you knew he was going to say something you weren't going to like.

"Usually we only hire a lucky few people to work here each year but this time we had more acceptable applicants than expected. That being said, there are more of you here than positions available."

You felt like your dreams were being crushed right in front of you.

"Wait, I thought we were already hired." A woman in the back said, sparing no attitude. She was saying what had to be on everyone's mind right now.

"Things have changed between then and now." Katakuri rumbled in a deep voice.

"And with that being said," Peros took back over. "you've all received enough time to at least glance over the information we've given you. If you find what we've listed is not something you'll be able to keep up with, you're free to leave now."

He paused, giving everyone enough time to share glances before two people stood hesitantly and left. As soon as the door closed behind them, he started up again.

"As for the rest of you, we'd like to provide an opportunity for you to prove you're good enough to work here. We'll give you a set amount of time to use our kitchens and supplies to show your skills, the best three applicants will be offered a position here in this building."

They were going to weed you all out and as you looked around the room, you realized how small your chances of getting a spot were. There were easily close to twenty people present, all of them looking like they'd worked in a kitchen longer than you'd been alive. But your mom didn't raise a quitter. Though nervous, you were confident in your skills.

"Any questions?" Katakuri asked.

"Yeah." You spoke up, immediately feeling the many sets of eyes zero in on you. "What's the challenge and when do we start?"

If it wasn't for the scarf covering the bottom half of his face, you would've had an easier time noticing the smirk Katakuri wore. But you could see Peros' smile at least.

"Make whatever you want within the time limit and you start immediately." Peros answered. "If there aren't any other questions that is."

The rooms silence spoke volumes. Every last person here wanted the job bad enough to go toe to toe with everyone else and you were determined to get a spot, one way or another.

(A/n)
I love cook off esque stuff and thought it'd be a fun way to start this book. Also, for reference, readers car will be modeled after my first car which was an old, standard Saturn sc2. Tbh, I miss that car but it fell apart too often. Here's a pic of it for you guys.