Chapter 29 Faye
FAYE
When Luisa and Faye arrived at the old castle just on the wooded edge of Ravenstown village, they were greeted at the grand brass gates by a woman, around the same age as them, with a high slicked-back ponytail and enchanting grey eyes.
She was casually dressed for staff, but the gold H pin on her T-shirt sat above a name tag. Faye quickly rolled down the window.
“Hi! Welcome to Heavensfield Castle. My name is Wynne Heavensfield. Are you here for the competition?” the woman asked, glancing at her clipboard.
“I’m Faye Parker, and Luisa is my assistant,” Faye said.
“Perfect, you’re the last competitor to arrive.
” Wynne crossed them off her list. Faye worried about being late, but that was the point; it had given her less time to worry or obsess about tomorrow.
“There’s a small car park to the right at the end of the gravel drive – you’ll see where the others have parked.
Careful not to go too far or you’ll end up in the woods.
” Wynne clicked her fingers, and the gates screeched loudly, struggling to open.
“I think your gate needs some oil.” Luisa winced; it sounded like nails grating down a chalkboard.
“Sorry about that! We’re looking for a new groundskeeper, but it’s been hard to find someone who’ll work for room and board,” Wynne apologised as they finished creaking.
“You should reach out to Foxford if you’re struggling to find someone. I’m sure someone would love to work on such a beautiful historic site,” Faye said, though she had heard rumours from Benedict about the castle being haunted and ‘magically mischievous’, whatever that meant.
“Really?” Wynne’s eye lit up. “I didn’t think anyone would be willing to move from one sanctuary to another, but I suppose there’s no harm in trying to reach out to the Foxford coven. I didn’t want to disturb them with such a trivial matter.”
“Lucy wouldn’t be bothered at all,” Luisa agreed.
“Lucy?” Wynne frowned in confusion. “You call the High Priestess, Lucinda Hawthorne, Lucy?”
“She’s a friend,” Luisa muttered awkwardly. It was easy to forget who their friend was.
Wynne looked like she was about to fangirl, but she quickly shut her mouth.
“Thank you, I’ll be sure to send a letter.
Anyway, I’ll stop prattling on. We’ve been so quiet here recently, struggling to fill the guest rooms. No one tells you how hard it is to keep a castle going.
Sorry – prattling again. I’m sure you can tell I’m a little starved for conversation. ”
“Don’t worry, it delays having to go inside and meeting the other competitors,” Faye said, smiling. Wynne’s vibrant personality was infectious.
“I’m sure you’ll do great. This is our first time hosting a big event like this, so we’re just as nervous,” Wynne said, unclipping some bits from her clipboard.
“Now, here are your badges and your room keys. You’re on the second floor of the west wing.
” She double-checked her clipboard. “Please leave your personal belongings by the reception desk, and I’ll have someone bring your bags to your room, since you’re running a little late. ”
“Sorry we kept you waiting out here. There was a bit of a traffic jam trying to get through the village,” Faye said. They’d got stuck behind a tractor transporting a giant pumpkin that had to be some magical mishap.
“Don’t worry about it – I’m practically married to the reception desk, so it’s nice to get out.
Everyone’s at the drinks reception in the tea rooms, so you’ve got time before dinner to set up.
When you enter the castle, signs will guide you to the ballroom, where you’ve been assigned a kitchenette.
Everything you should need has been provided by the organisers, but if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. ”
As Faye went to roll up the window, Wynne cleared her throat.
“Before you head up, we do have one rule here at the castle.”
“I’m intrigued,” Luisa chuckled.
“Stay away from the lake.”
“Why?”
Wynne shrugged. “It’s just a generational rule, and no one has broken it.”
“No going near the lake, got it. Do you want a lift back up to the castle?” Faye offered.
“No need.” Wynne winked and clicked her fingers, disappearing.
“They must not be as strict with teleporting laws in Ravenstown,” Luisa said as Faye drove up to the castle.
In the ballroom, beneath a grand chandelier missing more than a few bulbs, twelve mini kitchens were set up with everything each contestant could need.
No expense had been spared. Faye and Luisa unpacked and set up their ingredients and equipment for the next day, filling the small fridge under the chopping station with what needed to be kept cool and fresh, since the large ballroom was quite warm.
Getting lost somewhere between the library and the private study, which didn’t seem like a place open to guests, they were nearly late for the orientation dinner.
When they finally reached the dining room where the other contestants were, Executive Chef Shelly Sweetchild stood at the head table, wearing a bright yellow pantsuit, already mid-address.
Keeping her head down as they were escorted by a waiter to their table, Faye didn’t get a good look at the other contestants.
“Congratulations to the twelve of you on making it this far, and we wish you luck during tomorrow’s contest. If you require any ingredients, the hotel will supply them as needed.
Just let our event coordinators know, and whatever you require will be left on your benches before we start the second round,” the chef continued.
Faye was accustomed to seeing her on TV or in cookbooks, but it felt odd to see her in person, and it was hard to pay attention when the sight of the buffet spread made her stomach rumble.
“She must be the guest judge for the competition. The sign in the ballroom said they’re going to be live-streaming the competition, so it makes sense that they would want a famous face and name to increase the views,” Luisa whispered.
“Great, as if I wasn’t nervous enough.” Faye hadn’t realised it was going to be streamed on the internet. She recalled what Dr Ocean said about having fun, and decided to revel in the fact that she had made it here.
“Dinner is on us tonight, so please enjoy the buffet, and we’ll see you all tomorrow!”
Shelly Sweetchild’s final words were met with a round of applause.
“This vegan beetroot burger is so freaking good,” Luisa said, tucking in once they returned to their table with a selection of food.
Faye had grabbed a few slices of pizza, an assortment of roasted veg and some crispy potatoes.
Her stomach kept twisting, but she was determined to eat; everything smelled so good that she wasn’t going to give in to her nervous tummy.
“You’re the late entry, right? Faye Parker?
We didn’t see you at auditions.” Lin Huerra, a chef Faye recognised from social media who specialised in chocolate sculpting and sugar art, approached the table with another contestant – Maxwell Russo, who had green hair and more facial piercings than Faye could count without gawking.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I couldn’t find anything about you online. Where did you train?” Lin asked, exuding a confidence that bordered on arrogance. Then again, given her acclaim in the pastry world, she had earned her place amongst the best.
“I didn’t – I’m self-taught mostly. I run a café in Foxford; it’s a small town about two hours from here.”
“Right.” Lin’s smile felt mocking. “You must be very talented to receive an invitation.”
“She is,” Luisa said defensively. “I’m Luisa, Faye’s assistant. I must have missed your name.”
Lin huffed. “Lin Huerra. I received the first invitation.”
“Does it matter who was invited first or last?” Faye asked. No one had informed her about any rankings associated with the invitation.
Lin folded her arms. “Well, it does when the last person who received an invitation didn’t even audition.”
“Who told you that she didn’t audition?” Luisa protested.
“Our auditions were posted on the competition’s social media page, but only your name was listed without a video. Do you know one of the judges?” Lin asked accusingly.
Faye didn’t put her baking online; she barely had time to sleep and run the café, let alone record, edit and post her trials and errors for the world to see. Besides, the world already knew enough of her story. Broadcasting it felt like another invasion.
“No, but I did audition. A judge sampled my work from my café and sent me an invitation.”
Another contestant, whose nametag read Timothy Corder, spoke up from the nearest table. “You didn’t apply?”
Clearly, she had been a topic of conversation before her arrival.
“Does it really matter if my audition wasn’t recorded?” Faye said, feeling like dinner was turning into an interrogation.
“We all did it – why make an exception for you?” Timothy asked.
Chefs and their egos. Clearly, they assumed Faye thought she was too good to audition.
They waited for her to respond, but she didn’t owe them anything.
Luisa opened her mouth to bark at them, but Faye rested a hand on hers.
She didn’t want to get into a fight and risk being disqualified.
She got the feeling that was exactly what they wanted.
“Are you going to keep grilling her, or are we going to the bar? I need to unwind before winning tomorrow,” Bethany DeLuca chimed in, breaking the tension as she fidgeted with her nametag.
Faye noticed that Bethany’s hand was badly scarred.
Scars weren’t rare for those who worked with flames and knives all day, every day.
“In your dreams, DeLuca. You’ve lost three years in a row,” Lin mocked, but there was a humour in her voice that hadn’t been there before. Faye hadn’t considered that the competitors might already know each other.
“Your ex isn’t the head judge now, Ms Huerra. Who knows whether you’ll win again?” Bethany said, and the other contestants raised their eyebrows in response.
“That’s a terrible thing to say. I won fair and square; who I was dating had nothing to do with it,” Lin snapped.
“Didn’t you just accuse Ms Parker of using connections?” Bethany asked, motioning to Faye and Luisa.
Lin gaped, and she turned away from the table with her green-haired friend in tow.
“Thank you,” Faye said.
Bethany shrugged. “I don’t want them to psych you out before tomorrow. When I win, I want it to be fair and square.” She sipped her glass of wine and let them be.
“That’s not how I expected introductions to go,” Luisa said, finishing her dessert.
Faye put down her fork and placed her napkin on the table. Her dessert tasted a little more bitter than before. “At least we don’t have to be around them for long. It might be better to just keep our distance. I don’t want them going to the judges and telling them they disagree with my being here.”
Looking at the other contestants socialising by the bar, she decided she wasn’t in the mood to stay where they weren’t wanted. They took the bottle of wine from the table with them.
“Don’t listen to those snobs. You have every right to be here,” Luisa said as they headed up the winding stairs and out of earshot.
“I didn’t have to compete in round one because Peter and Rosie helped me secure my spot. I entered late, and they think I’ve cheated.”
“But you didn’t. They sampled your work the same way they did everyone else’s,” Luisa retorted, taking out the big brass key to their room.
“We know that, but we don’t have to explain anything to them. They can think whatever they want about me. We all have an equal chance of winning and losing tomorrow. If they’re going to act like I’ve cheated them out of something, then let them.”
“How about we raid the overpriced minibar?” Luisa suggested, grinning as she opened the door.
“Sounds like a plan,” Faye said, eyeing the oversized tub in their room. The only upside of knowing she was going to die was that she no longer felt the need to count her pennies.
Luisa nudged her playfully. “They won’t be all high and mighty when you whip all their butts tomorrow.”
“Thank you for sticking up for me back there. I really wasn’t expecting to be confronted,” Faye said, wishing she had done a little more research.
If she had known about the publicised auditions, she could have sent something in, so it wouldn’t seem so suspicious.
Not that it mattered now; by this time tomorrow, she wouldn’t have to see any of them again.
Still, she didn’t include Bethany on her grudge list. She figured her interruption had been less about going to the bar and more about calming the group before the judges at the head table noticed.
“A bodyguard and kitchen assistant – a two-for-one deal.” Luisa cracked her neck before emptying the minibar contents onto the bed.
Faye took the bottle of wine and some expensive chocolates and – while Luisa settled in with some old sitcom, since the castle only had basic channels – had a lovely bath.