Chapter 6

Tradition

I looked around and saw that the kitchen was empty except for us and Mama Wu. Mama Wu sensed my gaze and turned to me.

"We closed. Everyone went home. We clean up now."

I nodded and used my telekinesis to collect all the dirty dishes through out the kitchen and bring them over to the counter to be cleaned.

Mama Wu smiled gratefully and started to put ingredients away. Seconds later Majenta and Warren came through the kitchen door loaded down with dishes.

"The fronts all cleaned up."

As they set the dishes down Majenta noticed me.

"Oh your still here?"

I nodded. Mama Wu walked over with a smile.

"We have tradition here. Kids clean. I cook treat. You cook treat now."

All of us looked at her in surprise.

"Are you sure?"

Mama Wu nodded vehemently and pushed me towards the middle of the kitchen.

"Make something new for Mama Wu."

I frowned and looked around the kitchen before looking at her. She rose an eyebrow.

I need graham crackers, butter, brown sugar, 1 egg, shredded coconut, chopped walnuts, evaporated milk, vanilla custard powder, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, a saucepan, a mixing bowl, and a 9x9 baking dish.

Mama Wu sighed and looked me in the eye. Once again she forced a memory on me. It was of her showing a different cook were everything in the kitchen was.

I smiled when the memory processed and she returned the smile and left the kitchen. I shrugged and started around the kitchen first getting the dish then moving around pilling everything on it and using my power to keep it from falling.

I had just set everything out on one of the counters when Mama Wu came back holding a box of graham crackers and another glass of medicine.

I smiled gratefully setting down the crackers and drinking the medicine. Mama Wu grinned.

"You teach Mama Wu tonight. Mama Wu teach you make Moon Cake tomorrow."

I smiled at Mama Wu trusting her to learn the recipe simply by watching.

First I Lined the baking dish with whole graham crackers without overlapping them.

Then in a saucepan over medium heat I brought a 1/2 cup butter, brown sugar, and egg. To a boil then Stirred in the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and walnuts.

With that done I took the saucepan from heat and carefully spread the mixture over the whole graham crackers, covering the entire surface of the baking dish.

Then I started on the icing by beating together a 1/2 cup butter, evaporated milk, custard powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla. When I was done I spread the icing evenly on top of the crushed graham cracker filling.

With that done I covered the desert and put it in the refrigerator.

Mama Wu was watching me with her head titled to one side. I returned her gaze questioningly. She just smiled at me as the others walked over finished with the dishes. Kaida smiled at me.

"How much longer tell the foods done Jesse?"

I turned to her and returned the smile.

"About ten minutes."

Warren snorted.

"So you can talk."

Majenta looked confused while Kaida and Mama Wu both glared at him. I just looked at me feet and shrugged. We fell into an awkward silence until the back door in the kitchen that lead out into the alley opened. Layla and Kitty walked in. Kitty didn't look up from were she was messing with her image inducer/watch.

"Hey guys. What's for treat tonight?"

I smiled at her obliviousness to my presence.

"The food of the gods."

Kitty jumped and looked up at me.

"Jess?"

I smirked and crossed my arms over my chest and glared at her.

She frowned at me then her eyes went wide.

"Did you say the food of the gods? You haven't made in almost two years."

I shrugged and leaned back against the counter.

"Dad's allergic to coconuts."

Kitty looked confused for a moment before shrugging it off.

"Whatever. So what are you doing here?"

I smiled at her clueless ness. She probably hadn't known that there were coconuts in the food of the gods. it's a recipe that I made when we were eleven.

I used to make it all the time at the institute for her me and Logan who absolutely loved the stuff. Kitty was the one who named it the food of the gods.

"I work here."

She gave me a sheepish look.

"Oh yeah I had meant to tell you that they had a cooking position open. Sorry Jess."

I shrugged and gave her image inducer a pointed look. She gasped and walked over to me.

"Jess. I don't know why but the watch don't work no more. And it almost went on the fritz when I got a little water on it."

I frowned as I looked at it.

"Mama Wu will you get the food."

Mama Wu complied with a smile as I focused my attention on the image inducer. I pushed a few buttons to check the battery life and saw that it was about to die. She could maybe get an hour out of it.

"Batteries almost dead. You got an hour, hour and a half tops."

Kitty frowned and absentmindedly took the food from Mama Wu and started cutting it into even squares.

"Me and Layla come here after work every day and we all walk home together. Apparently Layla and Majenta had been doing it sense Layla started working at the flower shop at the beginning of the summer. That's why I'd usually got home so late. Thanks for covering for me by the way."

Once again I just shrugged she sighed before turning to face everyone. She frowned at me obviously annoyed by my silence.

"Jess. This is Layla. Layla this is my adopted sister and best friend Jesse."

Layla smiled at me putting her hand out.

"It's nice to meet you Jesse."

I glanced down at her hand and back at her face before slowly taking it.

"likewise."

Everyone who had been previously watching my and Kitty's interaction with confusion now seemed to understand it. Layla however had a curious look on her face.

"Are you always this quite and soft spoken?"

Kitty snorted.

"Your lucky she's even talking."

Next thing Kitty knew she was slapped across the back of the head with a floating spatula. Kitty glared at me as she plucked it out of the air then used it to put the squares of food on a paper towel.

"Well it is the truth. You barely ever talk Jess. I swear you haven't said more then two paragraphs to your parents sense I moved in."

Once again I just shrugged. Though this time it was mainly to aggravate her. It worked because she let out a huff and stomped her foot pouting as she glared at me. I just returned it with a sweet innocent smile that I perfected back at the institute. That was enough to make her giggle and roll her eyes.

"Your hopeless."

I struck a mock thinking pose, complete with hand on chin. After a minute I shrugged and nodded. She laughed out right and finally addressed the others.

"Help yourselves. And answer me. And this is an honest to god I want an answer question. How many words did she say to each of you?"

Majenta shrugged as she picked up one of the squares.

"I don't know maybe a few sentences. I wasn't really paying that much attention.-"

She took a bite and her eyes went wide.

"Hey this is pretty good."

The others looked at her in surprise. Apparently it was rare for her to give praise. Kaida exaggeratedly hurried to take a bite and nodded vehemently in agreement once she did. Layla was more refined as she took a small bite before swallowing it and grinning.

"This is delicious. Did you make it Jesse?"

I nodded blushing at the praise. Mama Wu took a bite and nodded in approval. Now everyone was watching Warren waiting for him to try it.

He rolled his eyes at their imploring gazes and took a bite. We watched him wanting to know what he thought but he just shrugged.

I frowned and had to resist the temptation to look into his mind to find out what he thought. I bite my lip and shook my head at my thoughts looking down at my feet in shame. I felt Mama Wu enter my mind.

I think of my telepathy and empathy as an invasion of privacy. I don't like to use either of them except when I use telepathy to talk to Kitty. And I almost went into his mind just to find out what he was thinking. I almost invaded his privacy in the worst of ways.

Everyone has time of weakness. I am proud of you. You are amazing to fight temptation so well. You will be great hero.

I turned and smiled at Mama Wu who simply held out a piece of the gods food to me. I took it from her and relaxed against the counter simply watching and listening the rest of the night.

On occasion the others would try to include me but I would shrug or shake my head. Once Layla and Kitty were done they cleaned the dishes that were dirtied when I made the food. Warren had heated the water back up and Kitty washed while Layla dried. I smiled as I watched the others joke and play around. Even Warren was laughing.

Mama Wu came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder whispering in my ear.

"Your powers strong. You stronger."

I glanced at her in confusion but she simply smiled and headed upstairs to the small apartment that acted as her home. She called a good night to everyone and the others all answered in perfect sync.

"Good-Night Mama Wu."

After the dishes were done everyone said their good-byes to Warren and Kaida, mine were simply a nod to Warren and a nod and smile to Kaida. Once the good-byes were finished Kitty, Layla, Majenta and I headed down the street.

The others talked and joked the hole way while I remained silent. We dropped Layla off, then Majenta turned down another street about a block later. Kitty and I kept going straight for about two more blocks before reaching our house in companionable silence.

I could tell that she had something on her mind but I decided to leave it alone until she came to me to speak her mind. We exchanged a quick good night before going to our separate rooms.