PANIC ROOM • KENJI KON

BONUS CHAPTER 2.3

"To Love So Many People At Once"

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The sizzling of frozen veggies against hot oil was music against Eva's ears. When she was in the kitchen, she worked like a well oiled machine. Stir those, chop these— cooking was simple. Cooking was easy for her. It was therapeutic to stand over a pot of food knowing you were about to brighten people's days with good food. It was what got her into culinary school in the first place. But in culinary school, Eva lost her love for the craft. Everything turned into grades, and she was brutally reminded that cooking would only ever be a hobby for her.

Still, she was happy she had a chance in culinary school. It was fun at times, but not her cup of tea.

Jacqueline was sitting at the island counter facing Eva's back as Eva stirred the veggies around the pan. The mother had been talking about some old memory with her husband, but had fallen silent. She sipped her wine slowly, clearly lost in thought.

Eva picked up the bowl that held the cooked chicken and slowly dumped it into the pan with the vegetables before turning down the heat slightly. The kitchen smelled delicious, her stir fry being one of her old comfort foods from after they escaped Isla Nublar.

Eva's phone started chirping, alerting both the women in the kitchen. Eva stepped away and picked up her phone, switching it open as she turned off the alarm. She opened Skype silently, her thumbs working to type in the link her and her friends always used for Weekly Check In.

"I trust you not to burn down my kitchen?" Jacqueline asked as her chair slid back against the wood.

"Oh, you don't have to go," Eva said quickly. "I can turn off the fire and take the call outside—?"

Jacqueline waved her off as she left the room.

Eva frowned, then joined the call. On one side was Darius and Kenji up in Darius's room, and on the other was Yasmina and Sammy— somewhere dark where the only light was coming off one of their phones.

"Eva!" Sammy greeted.

"Sammy, Yaz! How's Texas treating you?"

Yaz gasped, "I love it! Getting to hang out with Sammy and her family has been great—" she pushed herself into Sammy's side, grinning happily. "Plus, some of the colleges I've toured here have amazing sports psychology programs!"

"And in our down time—" Sammy cut in, "—I've been teachin' her how to lasso."

Yaz scoffed playfully. "I'm really getting the hang of it."

Sammy went wide eyed and shook her head, glancing to Yaz to make sure she didn't see her.

Eva propped her phone up on a jar and went back to stirring her food, which smelled absolutely amazing.

The front door opened with a squeak, and Eva could hear Jacqueline and Brand conversing.

The two rectangles on Eva's phone split into four squares with the third one showing Bumpy breathing onto Ben's laptop, and the fourth black. Now they were just waiting on Brooklynn to join the call.

"Bumpy! Get out of the— oh, hey guys!" Ben greeted as he pushed Bumpy's snout down away from his computer. His hair was much longer, and small wisps of hair decorated his chin. He wore a bright red shirt smudged with red. Eva saw him every week during check in, but she had yet to see him in person since their secret island (Mantah Corp Island).