The Bee's Knees

Chapter 28

 Sweet Surprise almost never closed. They'd stayed open after Anna's dad fell off a ladder and broke his collarbone, after both her mom's old lizards died on the same day, and even after a thunderstorm had knocked out the power in half of Lafayette. Yet, today was a special occasion.

After she spent weeks taste testing recipes with her friends, Anna's family closed the bakery for the entire day just so they could come to the Craving Channel's studio and support her.

"This apron looks so lovely on you," her grandma said, giving the strings one last tug to make sure it was secure.

"Could you do a little twirl for me?" her dad said, holding out his phone and snapping a bunch of pictures. Skippy stood on his shoulder, his bushy tail flicking to and fro as he chittered with excitement.

"Not as pretty as my Sweet Surprise uniform." Anna and her bees turned in a slow circle so her dad could get a good shot of the turquoise apron depicting the Sliced logo, a knife cutting a thick slice of chocolate cake. "Wish I could wear that instead. It'll feel so weird to bake without it."

"I'm sure you'll do great, Cupcake." Her grandpa gave her a gap-toothed smile. "I can hardly wait to hear all about it!"

Only one member of her family hadn't said a word. Anna's mom pressed her lips into a firm line as her eyes scanned the staff scrambling throughout the studio.

Anna's heart sank. She'd worked so hard, yet her mom still looked like she didn't want her to be here. "I promise this won't be a waste of time."

"I know it won't be." Her mom's voice cracked as she wiped her eyes. "Sorry, I'm just so proud of you it's hard not to cry."

"We're all very proud of you," her grandpa said. Everyone gathered together in a great big group hug. Bertrand wrapped his paws around Anna's shoulders, engulfing her in his soft fur.

"I couldn't have made it here without you," Anna said. Her eyes prickled with unshed tears. They all had so much faith in her. She had to win not just for Sweet Surprise's sake but for her family's.

"Attention, Sliced contestants," called out one of the cameramen, "please proceed to Stage 2 so we can begin taping!"

"Coming!" Anna's voice came out as an excited squeak. She gave each of her family members a quick hug before entering the sound stage.

The Sliced kitchen was even cooler than it looked on TV. In addition to the usual appliances like stoves and ovens, it boasted all sorts of equipment like ice cream machines, deep fryers, and a blast chiller. A fully stocked pantry with everything from baking essentials like flour and sugar to exotic ingredients like passion fruit and horned melons beckoned from the back, and knives gleamed with the promise of perfect sharpness.

The judges' table overlooked the whole kitchen. Philip's duck quacked with excitement as he waved at the contestants, and Jessica's toucan preened its feathers while she put the finishing touches on her makeup. As exciting as it was to be in the same room as them, Anna couldn't take her eyes off of the ever-scowling Ivan and his vulture. The scavenger looked even bigger than the last time she'd seen it, with its massive wings so wide they could easily engulf Anna in their inky darkness.

"It's a lot, ain't it?" Reese smiled softly as Anna just about jumped out of her skin, earning a poorly concealed laugh from one of the cameramen.

"I thought I was a nervous mess at the audition, but this takes the cake." Anna struggled to keep her bees clustered on her apron instead of zipping around like black and yellow bolts of anxiety. If she was going to make it through this without embarrassing herself on TV, the last thing she needed was her companions blocking the cameras.

"I'm just glad you made it." Connor's rooster scratched at his feet as his lips curled into a smirk. "Wouldn't be fun if I only beat you 'cause you didn't show up. I'd rather do it in person."

"Who says you're gonna win?" Anna tightened her apron's strings and crossed her arms. She'd show him and everybody else what she and Sweet Surprise were made of.

Connor shrugged. "I've gotta if I want Grandpa to be proud of me." His smirk faltered. "He doesn't like losers."

"Pretty darn impressive any of us made it this far," Reese said. "He ought to be real proud of you!"

"Yeah, the judges wouldn't have let us through if they thought we were losers." Anna flashed both of them a smile. "May the best baker win!"

"May the best baker win!"

Hurried footsteps announced the arrival of the fourth and final contestant. "Sorry I'm late," Norman said. "Chuck was being stubborn and didn't want to let me brush his teeth."

His beaver slapped the floor with its tail. Whatever had been done to his teeth, they still looked as yellow as corn kernels.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Jessica said, applying the last of her mascara with a flourish. "He's not the only one who needs to look nice for the cameras."

"Even though you had all morning to prepare," Ivan grumbled.

"Now that you're all here, we can finally get to the fun part!" Philip pranced over to the kids with so much energy Anna silently wondered if he'd already helped himself to more than a few chocolate bars. "Let's get y'all acquainted with the kitchen."

Philip gave them a tour of everything from the pantry to the room off to the side where they'd be filmed reacting to how everything went after everyone was finished baking. After a frantic detour involving his duck, a baguette, and half of the camera crew, Philip led the contestants to their stations. "That about covers everything. Give us a sec to hook up your mics, then we'll get started!"

Already?!? Anna gulped as one of the production staff attached a tiny microphone to her shirt collar and set the basket she'd use to gather ingredients from the pantry at her feet. Her skin itched under the cameras' unblinking stares.

"Don't worry about the cameras," Jessica said as she and Philip took their spots at the judges' table. "Once you get cooking, you'll forget they're there."

There was no time to wonder if she'd lied to make them stop glancing at the staff filming their every move. The instant Ivan strode to the center of the kitchen, all eyes and cameras focused on him. After the camera crew did a quick countdown, he began the introductory speech for their episode. "Tonight, four talented young bakers from Lafayette, Louisiana compete for ten thousand dollars and the coveted title of Sliced Champion."

As Ivan introduced the contestants and their companions to the audience, Anna struggled to keep her bees from drowning him out with their buzzing. Any second now, Ivan would announce the episode's theme. He'd challenged everyone to make their best gingerbread houses for last year's Christmas special, pies for Pi Day, and, on one especially stressful occasion, cakes for his birthday. What would he make them bake this time?

Ivan's steely gaze raked across the contestants. "On Sliced, we showcase the crème de la crème of each state. Instead of working with a specific type of dessert or certain ingredients, today you'll have an hour and a half to bake something inspired by your companions. Put your heart into it. Make it unique. Show us what Louisiana's animals— and you—have to offer. Your time starts... now!"

All four kids grabbed their baskets and rushed into the pantry. This was just like Mr. Woods's companion showcase last semester, Anna thought as she shoved a bag of flour into her basket. She'd made cookies for that, and they'd been a huge hit! All she had to do was use honey—

Except that would be exactly what the judges would expect from anyone with bees. It wouldn't be creative enough for Ivan, and it definitely wouldn't show exactly how much she and her bees could do.

But if she wasn't going to use honey, what would she make?