Ember
I’m feeling pretty great and nervous. It was my first day of work in the kitchens of Moonlight, and I am determined to learn as much as I can. I went from being a leader, to having to learn again, but I am determined to rise up in the ranks to become top chef. I plan on looking into a school here in Miami so that I can finish my degree. Leaving the culinary school in Tallahassee was difficult, but it was to keep myself safe here.
I put on my outfit that I received from Jax. We were going to be riding together to go to work today. He said it was so we wouldn’t have to burn the same gas to go the same distance. I was pretty happy with this arrangement. My outfit was an all white short sleeve chef coat and white pants to match. Red buttons ran down the chef’s coat. I had my hair in a back ponytail with a hair net over it. It was a requirement for those with long hair to keep it pulled back with a hair net to keep it in place.
I looked perfect. Jax’s outfit was a black button-down collar shirt tucked into black slacks, with his black shoes. He had a name tag pinned to his right side and wore a red belt. I loved how everything was color coded, so you can tell who is who. The chefs wore all white. The servers wore all black, and the hosts/greeters wore white shirts tucked into black pants. The cleaners wore all gray. Jax and I arrived about 30 minutes earlier than normal, which was fine with me.
It would give me a feel of the kitchen before anyone had arrived for work. I walked through the big kitchen, marveling at everything that was in place perfectly, from the knives to the plates. There were so many stove stops and grills. There were about four huge refrigerators and freezers. In the middle of the kitchen was a huge prep table with many cutting knives on the side.
” I can see you like your set up”, a voice said to me. I smelled honey and citrus in the air and turned around. It was Carter and Seth. Carter was dressed in all white, like me, but you could tell he was the top chef here from his Chef’s hat, indicating he led the kitchen. Seth was in his usual suit. Both of them still looked like a dream come true. It was Carter that spoke.
” I do. Everything is so beautiful and organized here.” I told him, smiling at him. I looked at Seth, who was looking at me with an expression I could not place.
” We do things by books here. Carter will teach you your responsibilities here. One screw up. Or one fuck up, and you are gone. Do you understand”, Seth said to me, narrowing his eyes. I nodded my head.
” Verbal answer”, he said to me. I didn’t like his tone. It was almost as if I were annoying him just by breathing somehow.
” Yes, Mr. Lightwood. I understand”, I told him, looking him in the eye. For a brief second, he almost looked surprised I would be so direct, but he just nodded and left the kitchen. What a hard ass, I thought to myself, but I followed his every step until he was gone. He moved so fluently. Like a predator stalking its prey.
“Ahem”, Carter said, breaking my concentration. He smiled at me knowingly, realizing I had just been caught gawking at Seth. Blushing, I followed him as he showed me around the kitchen. I was a quick learner and about the time my co-workers were arriving, I knew where every single thing in the kitchen was.
” Today, you can start off easily. Just stick to prepping the food and observe how everything works here. If I need hands on with cooking, I will let you know,” he said to me. I nodded. As my co-workers came in, he called for everyone to meet in the middle of the restaurant.
” Everyone, we have a new member joining us today. Her name is Ember. Treat her with respect as I treat you with respect. All eyes were on him and then me, then back to him. They were all quiet for a brief moment as they all looked at him. It was strange, but I felt like he was talking to them somehow. I couldn’t prove it though. They suddenly broke apart and went to their stations. I recognized Jax and he gave me a wink before going to his station. I also recognized Jules, the greeter who brought me to the interview room. I smiled at her, but she just narrowed her eyes at me and went to her station. Well, that was rude, bitch. A girl walked up to me, dressed in the same outfit as me. She stuck out her hand.
” Hi Ember. My name is Ivy, nice to meet you”, she said, hanging her hand out to me. I shook it.
” Nice to meet you, Ivy”, I told her, smiling.
” Good luck today Ember”, Jax called to me before his eyes set on Ivy, who just looked at him and blushed. He winked at her and went along his way. Ivy is a real beauty. She was black, with pretty brown locks with purple tips on the ends. It was braided in a crown pinned around her head. Her eyes were a beautiful honey color. She looked really young. I was wondering what the age limit was here.
” How old are you, Ivy?” I asked her, as we headed to the kitchens.
” Seventeen. I’ll be eighteen next week. I can’t wait”, she said. I smiled at her. She was just starting her life. Not that I was much older. I was only twenty-two. I will be turning twenty-three in a few weeks. As we walked in the kitchen, it was busy. There were eight people prepping. Six cooks were on the stove tops. I saw an available stove top next to Carter and I knew that is where I would be working. The waitresses and waiters were in the drinking area that contained a bar for alcoholic drinks. One of the see-through refrigerators contained chilled bottles of very expensive wines. There were also many non-alcoholic drinks available as well.
” You will be shadowing me today”, Ivy said. I already knew basic prep, but Ivy seemed so happy to show me, so I pretended to learn. A few times I caught Carter watching me, and I had to do my best to pretend I didn’t see him, though I’m sure the blush in my cheeks gave it away.
” Whoa, why are you so flushed?” Ivy asked as we diced veggies.
” Nerves probably.”, I said, helping to cut up the fresh meat that had been delivered. We talked with our faces down so nothing would get on the food.
” No need to be nervous. I know our bosses seem like hard asses, but they are actually pretty nice to us”, she said. I looked at Carter, who seemed to be smirking. He was listening somehow. Was this kitchen wired? As the day sped along, the kitchen was busier than ever. Carter was giving orders, keeping everything in line, and made it look effortless. I could see one of the cooks was struggling though and ended up passing out from the smoke from the pan. Ivy said he was a prep guy, and never worked on a stove top. He was put on the stove top until I started working.
This was inconvenient for the kitchen though, because with one less cook, the orders were way too frequent. I could see why he needed to hire another chef. Carter was trying to do the jobs of two cooks on both stoves and I couldn’t just sit there and watch this unfold while doing something as easy as prep. I jumped to the stove that the man passed out on and started handling his orders. Carter gave me a look as I did.
” Don’t fight me about this. You need help”, I said to him, giving him a look. I could see people looking at him to see his reaction. He looked around, as if calculating, but I didn’t give him time. I had already started on the orders and was knocking them out of the way. I could see looks of surprise as I balanced my orders and sent them out in a timely manner. I was used to the chaotic nature a kitchen produced and I worked well under pressure. I kept looking at the huge mirror on the wall in front of the kitchen.
I felt as if I were being watched, but I ignored the feeling. By the end of the day, things were back to normal, and the orders were slowed down. The guy who fainted was back, and was back to his prep. There was no way I trusted him over a stovetop. Some people cannot handle the heat and there was nothing wrong with that. As people were leaving, Ivy came to me.
” Carter has requested to speak with you in his office”, she said before smiling and leaving. Jax approached me, smiling. He turned around, watching Ivy walk past him. So he liked her too hunh.
” I heard you disobeyed the boss today”, he said, and my eyes widened. Fuck, I was about to get fired.
“It wasn’t like I challenged him or anything. He needed help.”, I told Jax. Jax shrugged.
“Go see what he wants. I’ll be in the car.”, he said, before taking off. Every step I took to the boss’s office made me nervous. Was I really about to get fired on my first day? As I approached closer, I could hear Carter and Seth arguing.
” Every second she spends not knowing the truth, is just more danger that she is in”, Carter said in an annoyed tone. I held my breath. Who were they talking about?
” Lamonte gave her to a human family to raise her and keep her hidden. He didn’t want her to know the truth then, and I won’t be the one to tell her now”, Seth said back to him. I heard Carter’s frustrated sigh.
” And what happens if Ryder finds her? Ember has no idea what the fuck he is, what the fuck we are, or even who the fuck she is. This is bound to end badly”, Carter said. They were talking about me. How did they even know Ryder? What do they mean, what he is? What are they? What am I? I let out the breath I was holding, and their voices went silent. I raised my hand to knock but the door was already open before I could finish. It was Seth, and he looked pissed.
” Snooping hunh. Add that to your fake fucking resume”, he sneered at me. My eyes widened. This was much worse than I thought. Much, much worse.