Abby

The buzzer goes off, and the contestants place down their dishes, stepping

back from their stations. The room is alive with murmurs, excitement from the

crowd as their eyes scan the three dishes on the stage. The judges step down

from their booth, their gazes inscrutable.

My hands tremble, still hovering over the tiramisu’s uneven surface— it’s a

mocking reminder of the chaos just moments before, but I could fix it, at least a

little. Maybe no one would even notice.

My dish is not even close to perfect, far from the image I had in my head, and

every fiber of my being screams to adjust the messy dusting of pistachios just a

Enter title…

little bit, just so I can make it look a tiny bit more presentable.

But before my fingers can act, I catch Logan’s cold glare, halting me, his

disapproval crystal clear. I quickly pull my hands away, feeling my face turn what

I can only imagine is the deepest shade of red ever.

We all stand back, the stage now eerily quiet. The judges begin to make their

rounds, and I can hear them before I see them.

“Delicious,” Logan says, slowly chewing a bite of none other than Daniel’s

delicious. You’ve outdone yourself,

Daniel says with a nod. His eyes flicker over to

twinge of something bubbling inside of me,

out. Did Daniel switch my spices? I wouldn’t put

judges approach Bryan next. I can’t quite make out what they say this

they like his

a subtle “Oh my

it’s just me left; me, with

if they love

Vanessa’s voice is sweet, almost

out of my pit of

offer a tense smile,

of the

her eyes closing for

shifts ever so

blood run cold. It’s not a grimace,

either.

any spices out of the ordinary, Abby?” she

color drain from my face.

quivering.

is low and confused as she beckons Logan over with a

of her head.

me a look as he approaches. I brace myself, recalling

spices, the unsettling suspicion of sabotage, the way

added the ‘nutmeg’

want to curse out loud; I should

running out of

takes a spoonful. His eyes, a stormy gray

he tastes the

flatly, putting the spoon down with a

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