Ginger Breadhouse/Diary

## Takes The Cake

In the world of fairytales, everyone is used to stories staying the same. Before my first day at Ever After High, my mom — the candy witch from ***Hansel & Gretel*** — told me the secret ingredient for making it through school: the more evil, the better. But that's not me. I'm so over people following breadcrumbs to out gingerbread cabin in the Dark Forest, only to run away screaming "*WITCH! WITCH!*" Good food should bring people together. That's all I ever wanted to do.

So what if I'm destined to be a villain? I've written a new list ingredients for why I don't see that happening. It's 1 tablespoon of "*scaring children creeps me out*", 1/2 of "*rewriting my story*", and a scoop of sugar to sweeten. It's a daring new flavor profile, but will it pass the taste test?

## Chapter 1

**Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!** The croquet field shook as Madam Baba Yaga's massive chicken-legged office burst through the Enchanted Forest, lurching in every direction. The door flew open, nearly sling-shotting Madam Yaga to the ground bellow. *"STOP!"* she screeched, and the office obeyed. *"Sorry, Ms. Breadhouse. It's scared you're gonna turn in into fried chicken. Well, come in."*

I was in trouble and I knew why. During Midterm Hexams, my assignment was to trap Helga and Gus Crumb - the next Hansel and Gretel - and prepare them for witch stew. Instead, I prepared a 5-course dinner, and thanked them for coming after they ate their fill. It did not go over well.

The office whimpered when I approached it's door. Madam Yaga sat behind her desk, next to scowling Helga and her hysterically sobbing cousin, Gus. Helga pointed an accusing finger at me. "*You vere supposed to poot Gus in der cage!*"

"*All I vanted vas to eat candy!*" Gus gasped between sobs. "*Now vee floonked and it's all your fault!*"

"*Floonked?*" I asked, confused by his accent.

"*Flunked,*" Madam Yaga clarified. "*Failed. A big all F.*"

I stopped breathing. Why didn't I just do what I was told?

Madam Yaga grinned a toothly grin. *"Oh, nobody failed."* I could breathe again. *"These two are actually off the hook. The improper telling of **Hansel & Gretel** is entirely your fault, however. Headmaster Grim wanted to fail you. Even expel you."*

My throat tightened. "*My mom is going to kill me!*"

"*Makes sense. She is a witch*," Baba Yaga shrugged. "*You have one more chance. Only this time, I'll play Gretel* *and the headmaster will play Hansel. I'd suggest no funny business*." What a recipe for disaster.

## Chapter 2

That night, I didn't get a wink of sleep. My eyes ached as I dragged myself to the Castleteria and reflexively mumbled my breakfast order. "*3 little candied bacon cupcakes with Maple Syrup-on a Time ice cream in a Wonderland waffle cone, please.*"

Hagatha grunted, and bounced two 2 scoopfuls of soggy scrambled eggs on top of rubbery sausage patties. "*NEXT!*"

I sat at the table in the farthest corner and began seasoning my breakfast. Seasoning food always helps me take my mind off things. After a few minutes, I all but forgot about the retest.

That is, until I heard familiar hummingbird-like flapping of fairy wings. "*Heeeeeey, Ginger!*" said Faybelle Thorn. The daughter of the Dark Fairy landed in the seat across from me. She didn't wait to be invited to sit. I guess it comes with the territory when you're the future ***Sleeping Beauty*** villain. "*So, between you at Midterms and Raven Queen's 'I'm not gonna be the next Evil Queen' fiasco, it's like nobody wants to be a villain anymore.*" Faybelle's eyes darkened. "*So, seeing how we go way back ... are you a villain or aren't you?*"

I sighed. "*Look, I just want to cook.*"

"*Well, good luck with that,*" Fay wickedly smiled. "*It'd be such a shame if you failed. You might never cook again.*" As she flew away, I don't know what made me madder: how cutting her words were, or how I knew she was right.

## Chapter 3

Just the thought of never cooking again stung like a knife. I've known it was a true calling ever since my Dark Forest cookout.

Growing up in the Dark Forest didn't have all the glamour of a fairytale kingdom, but nothing could beat our cookouts. All the families from nearby hallows and cottages showed up for our famous Candy Witch spreads.

Mom and I spent days preparing all kinds of spellicious food, from steamed wyvern claws to barbequed dragon steaks to 3-magicbean salad. But my favorite was always the desserts. As I mixed cupcake batter, I dreamed of hosting my own cooking show. Then at the cookout, when people ate my food, I savored every "*This is better than last year,*" and "*I must have this recipe.*"

However, I also felt conflicted. Mom and Mrs. Thorn got into a bragging match over whose daughter was better.

"*My Faybelle has already mastered sleeping spells. It's been three weeks and we still haven't been able to wake up the goblin guards,*" Mrs. Thorn beamed.

"*Well, Ginger not only memorized the family cookbook, she created a few new wicked treats, too,*" Mom cackled. "*Care for seconds? She baked it herself.*"

Over at the kid's table, Faybelle and I rolled our eyes and laughed at them. But it happened again next year, and the year after that. Eventually, Faybelle took her mother's pride to heart. She saw me as a competition, not as a friend.

Fortunately, there were other kids at from the Dark Forest, like a quiet girl from Hood Hallow named Cerise, who's now one of my best friends forever after at school.

## Chapter 4

Over the next several days, I baked enough desserts to feed a giant. But at the end of each day I always seemed to be a few treats short. Someone must have been snacking behind my back. So on the 4th day, I cooked hextra-sticky buns. They were warm, cinnamony, gooey, and had a spell that made the person who ate them stick into place.

As soon as the first batch was set to cool, I heard, "*Hey, leggo!*"

"*Gotcha!*" I spun around. "*Cerise?*"

Cerise was stuck to the pastry. "*Sorry, it just smelled so good. I didn't think you'd miss one or two.*"

"*Or three or four or ten,*" I laughed, and reached into the cooler for an un-freezer pop. Cerise devoured the pop and slowly unfroze.

It was comforting to talk about the retest to one of my oldest friends. Cerise shook her head. "*I think it's lame. You should be allowed to do whatever you want,*" she said, sneaking a chocolate doughnut. "*Say, these are great. What kind of spell's in these?*"

I tasted one. "*They're just regular doughnuts. People just can't get enough.*" Can't get enough ... "*That's it!*" I tightened my apron.

## Chapter 5

Though the Charmitorium stage lights were hot, I was cool as ever-chill mint for my retest. Maybe it was because I was prepared. Or maybe it was because Headmaster Grimm was dressed in Gus's lederhosen.

"*You look ridiculous, Milton,*" said Madam Baba Yaga.

"*At least I dressed for the part!*" the headmaster shook his finger. "*You could have at least put your hair in pig tails!*"

"*I'll give you a pig tail if you don't get your finger out of my face,*" Madam's fists crackled with magical energy.

"*Er, yes, well ... oh, there's my cue!*" Headmaster Grimm skipped onstage. "*Gre-TeLL! Ees a BrEEdKroomb-uh,*" he said in a horrible Gus impression.

Madam Yaga rubbed her temples as she walked on stage, and in one monotone breath said, "*Look a house made of candy gee I hope a witch doesn't live here.*"

I played my part as well as it was written. I trapped "Hansel" in a cage, and shackled "Gretel" to the wall. Then it was time to put my plan into action. "*You must eat, boy!*" I slid a tray piled high with doughnuts to Headmaster Grimm.

"*Alas, the evil Candy Witch gives me no choice!*" ~~Playing~~ Overplaying the part, Headmaster Grimm bit into his first doughnut. "*It's ... it's quite good actually,*" he said, slipping out of character. "*Is this porridge cream pie? Simply delicious! And this wonderberry jam ... I must have the recipe. And this one here!*" Before too long, Headmaster Grimm devoured the entire tray. I slid him another. And another.

Suddenly, a loud **RUMBLE** shook the entire cage. "*Excuse me. Heh.*" Headmaster Grimm doubled over, grabbing his stomach. "*Oh no! Little headmaster's room break!*" he busted out of his cell and ran off faster than the Gingerbread Man.

An hour later, the headmaster still had not returned. I unlocked Baba Yaga's shackles so she could check on him. She soon returned, and faced the crowd. "*The End,*" she said. I tried to hide my smile as the curtain closed.

## Chapter 6

**Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!** Madam Yaga's chicken-legged office once again lurched in every direction. "*It still thinks I'm going to turn it into fried chicken?*" I asked.

"*Now it's afraid you're going to feed it doughnuts," she said. "That was some trick you pulled. What kind of sorcery did you use? Some kind of ever-eating spell?*" her one eyeball widened.

"*No sorcery,*" I said.

"*Then I suppose you intended for the headmaster to get sick?*" Her other eyeball widened.

"*No! I just wanted to make him doughnuts!*" I took a deep breath. "*I ... I don't want to be a villain. I hoped that if Headmaster Grimm loved what I baked, he just might let me tell a new story. One where food unites people. But he ate too much. It was an accident.*" I sighed. "*I guess I'll pack my things.*"

"*Why would you do that?*" asked Baba Yaga. "*You completed your assignment, even though our 'Hansel' could not finish the story. You passed your Midterm Hexams.*"

Relieved, I walked back to my dorm. Just as I opened the door, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Faybelle forced a smile. "*Congrats on barely passing. I'm sure your mom will be thrilled.*"

I wanted to tell Fay how hurt I was when she stopped being friends with me. But then I thought of my true friends like Cerise, and unhexpectedly, I felt bad for Faybelle. So instead I smiled and just said, "*I'm sure she will be too.*"

That night, in the Throne Economics room, I hosted my first Mirrorcast. "*Welcome to **Spells Kitchen**, where the secret ingredient to happiness is good food. On today's episode, we're making doughnuts.*"