Chapter one

Changing tactics

I woke up just as the sun lit the sky. The dull grey morning hanging above resembled the sleep that still clung on to me as I did the morning routine. I found myself truly awake only after ice cold water splashed my face. I looked around the blue tiled bathroom, every inch of it dry and vibrant with the fact that I was the only one awake at this time of the morning.

I went through a mental preparation of my whole day as I strode down the stairs purposefully to make the best breakfast I could for my humongous (and hard to satisfy) family. French toast I thought was the best option right now due to my limited culinary skills and I set about to break eggs and beat them thorough.

It wasn’t exactly as if I loved to waking up in the crack of dawn making French toast, coffee, and frying sausages for a dozen or so people, it’s just that when Miss goody goody  moved in things haven’t exactly been going my way with her being around always sucking up to everyone. I decided to change my tactics of sulking around refusing to eat and cook for every one instead.

“Cooking”, the thought made me wince but I gritted my teeth and poured the eggs into a sauce pan and turned around to get the bread hoping this would be worth the effort. “Morning, what’s cooking” said a cheery voice as my brother Jake strolled into the kitchen. He stopped short when he saw me. I grimaced, he thought I was Miss goody two shoe, since she would be the one who actually woke up to see my brother this early on a holiday. Helena was the perfect sucking up goody two shoe who sucked up to everyone except me who saw through her evil ways, to the rest of the family she was an angle sent to them from heaven. Her other name in my mind was “the b***h”.

”Hey, up for some toast” I said trying to sound cheerfully oblivious, tossing him a half burned piece of bread.  He eyed it warily, half amused, but he seemed willing enough to try it. That was enough for me and I turned my back to concentrate on not burning the other four bread pieces in the pan.

“Pretty good “, he mused and I spun around, surprised, “for you” he finished with a smug smile as he crossed the kitchen and open the fridge.  “Forget him”, I told myself and I went about arranging the table waiting for him to finish a meal of frutty cereal. He finished in record time encouraged by me drilling questions on mums preference of coffee. “Im off for a jog” he stated as he gulped down orange juice and headed for the door unofficially ending our not so helpful conversation. “Good luck with that” Jake called out a second before the front door slammed shut. ”Great” I told, more to myself than my absent brother and proceeded to make coffee that would hopefully be to my parents likings.

I was starting to fry the sausages when Helena came down to start cooking when she saw me frying   I could see her thinly veiled amusement. And I wanted to kick her but instead I pretended I didn’t see her and continued frying. Since I had already made coffee  she poured it for my mom and acted like it was she who made it. This made me angrier still and I gritted my teeth hiding my face from her.

Mum came in just then and Helena sweetly offered her the coffee. “Wow, is that you Jen your actually up” she contemplated half sarcastically in my direction but there also some shock. ”Yah mum” I said sweetly not to be outsmarted by that stupid Helena, “I made you breakfast, and coffee” I added meaning fully at the cup on her hand, since she didn’t seem displeased with it. Then I hurriedly filled her plate before Helena got to it first.

I waited for her to take a few bites and then asked “how was the food”. “Great” she smiled. Thankfully the rest of the French toast didn’t burn up and the table I laid out lokked pretty appetizing. I didn’t want to spoil it so I waited until every one came down one by one before tucking in. I guess they all thought it was Helena until my mom proudly announced that I had made the breakfast.Every one looked at me like I had gone crazy. Quite surprisingly they praised my food and I was surprise to find my self blushing feeling proud of myself. Helena face was fuming in the background refusing to take in my success.

After breakfast Helena came straight up to me and said “stay away from my work”  

“Whats wrong with you” I asked in faked surprise. She answered in such a patronising tone it made every cell in my body boil in rage. “Why don’t you do what you always do, mope about, and sweep the floor and do your other chores when your mommy tells you , oh and dont forget to study hard or you wont get a scholarship” she said in mock horror as if it would be end of the world if I did.

“Listen, you b***h, this is my house and my family, I can cook whenever I want, and its non of your business”. She smiled a sickly sweet smile that made my bones cringe “We’ll see” she said her voice oozing with butter and honey. It made me sick just looking at her.

Now it was official war. She had years of experience and was older than me but I was just as determined to win my family back as she was to steal them from me with her stupid recipes(for disaster) and sickening homely ways so praised and encourage by my old fashioned grandmother who never seem to be pleased by whatever I do at all.

“Damn it”, I cursed myself as I left the house. I sucked in cold air breathing hard. Why did I have to loose my temper. I always got angry at Helana. Just thinking of her made my blood boil and I wasn’t up for wrestling with her to make lunch. Anyway lunch was harder to pull off I need time to think so I made my way to the park across the street. There was a small shop around the corner, it was where my friend Hale worked.