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Cackle’s Academy’s favorite sweater-clad headmistress was very well-known for her sweet tooth. So when Ada Cackle reached out to grab a piece of cheesecake from her desk—a welcome distraction from the overwhelmingly tall pile of paperwork and budget expenses she had to go through—she was sorely disappointed to find it empty. She had put it out during the faculty meeting earlier, but she didn’t expect it to be cleared by the end of the day. She sighed sadly and focused back on her work. She was exhausted, but it had to get done.
It only took an hour for her mind and body to protest the late hour and lack of sleep. She would have nodded off right there at her desk had her glasses not jolted her awake, clattering on her desk when her head lolled. If the darkness outside of her office window was anything to go by, it was well past midnight. A quick glance at the clock on her wall confirmed it as well. With a sigh, Ada stood from her desk and decided to walk to the kitchens. Perhaps some tea wouldn’t hurt.
The hallways always felt different at night. Quiet. Empty. She found she didn’t quite like it, if she was being honest. After all, what would Cackle’s be without the girls? She pushed the thought away. That wouldn’t happen. She would protect her school with her life.
Nearing the kitchens, she heard dishes clinking from behind the doors. She furrowed her eyebrows. Who on earth would be in the kitchens at this time of night? Certainly not Miss Tapioca… Hecate was the only other person she could think of that would even be awake at this hour, but surely not…
She pushed open the door and was met with an empty kitchen. However, there were some bowls left out on the counter and a tray of freshly baked cookies in the oven. Ada was beyond confused, but the smell of the chocolate chips coupled with her exhaustion led her to the decision that it was a matter to deal with in the morning. Instead, she knelt down in front of the oven and inspected the cookies. They looked safe and smelled delicious…
Hecate Hardbroom did not have a sweet tooth. Sure, she indulged in cheesecake or sweets every so often when having tea with Ada, but that was the extent of her relationship with sweets. She simply understood that baking was a science. It was precise. It was structured. It was like making potions.
She had been cleaning up when she heard footsteps approaching the door. She had no idea who would be up other than her, but she wasn’t about to wait and see. She transferred out of the kitchens and to her room within seconds. She refused to let a single soul in the academy find out that she’s been baking in secret at night.
She took her hair down and laid down on her bed. That was a close call. Maybe she should get a few hours of sleep before supervision tomorrow.
Ada took the last bite of her cookie, letting out a sigh of content as she looked at the tray that she had taken out of the oven and put on the kitchen counter. After tasting the batch of cookies, she wasn’t even sad about her lack of cheesecake anymore. The cookie was delicious. She set her plate and teacup into the sink and pushed down the curiosity she felt over who had been baking. After all, it was late and she still had so much paperwork to finish in her office.
Hecate transferred into Ada’s office promptly twenty minutes prior to the time of the faculty meeting. Ada was sitting at her desk, sipping a cup of tea. She smiled warmly at her deputy.
“Good morning, Hecate. I trust you had a restful night?” Ada said, setting her cup of tea down. Hecate looked at her with her usual stoic expression, but her shoulders tensed slightly. Surely she wasn’t the one awake last night… right?
“I did, Ada, thank you,” she replied stiffly. “And you?”
“I went to bed rather late after doing the budget expenses. Definitely the most dreaded part of the job,” Ada said with a sigh. She then held out a plate. “Care for a cookie? I found them in the kitchen last night. I know you aren’t much of a sweet tooth, but they’re marvelous, Hecate,” she said, taking one from the plate herself.
Hecate looked down at the plate and froze. “The kitchen, you say?” she said slowly, straightening her posture. “Miss Tapioca’s creation then?”
Ada hummed thoughtfully as she examined the cookie in her hand. “I don’t think so. It was rather odd, actually. I heard shuffling in the kitchens, but when I opened the door no one was there. Just some dirty dishes and this delicious tray of chocolate chip cookies in the oven.” She looked up at her deputy, a hint of curiosity entering her gaze as she noticed how tense she was.
“You wouldn’t know anything about it would you, Hecate? Maybe you saw someone during your rounds?”
There was a flicker of nervousness in her eyes before she cleared her throat. “No, I didn’t see anything. But I shall be on the lookout for a mysterious midnight baker.”
“I trust you will, Hecate. I trust you will.”
Hecate had been spreading the icing over the mini cinnamon rolls when Ada transferred into the kitchens next to her. She dropped the knife, straightening her posture.
“Headmistress,” she greeted formally, looking past Ada. Her lips were in a thin line, eyebrows furrowed.
“Hecate? You’re the mysterious baker who has been making all these sweets for the past week?” Ada said, looking between her deputy and the recently-disposed-of knife.
“I… Well…" Hecate struggled to find something to say before eventually settling on...
"Baking is a precise science, Ada!” Hecate declared, crossing her arms. A flush had already made its way onto her cheeks, painting it a nice cherry red. “It’s simply scientific experimentation meant to expand on my potion making skills through exact science.”
Ada just gave her a look before taking a cinnamon roll from the tray and popping it into her mouth.
“Right. A precise science. Well, then, if your ‘scientific experimentation’ means I get to snack on these all day then by all means, Hecate.”
And with that, Ada transferred back to her office (with the tray of cinnamon rolls) and left Hecate to her midnight baking shenanigans scientific research.