Lia did a mad dash, grabbing the remaining items on the table. She was glad that the ingredients she needed had some left. That would work. She could make this work. She was not as good as both of her mothers but she got her knack for mixing stuff from them so hopefully, that would help her.

She could hear the frantic chopping beside her. As well as the sizzles from the pans and the different savory aroma wafting in the air. Lia tried to ignore them all. But every time her eyes would shift to her side, checking the nearby tables if they were close to completing their dishes. Her body moved in such a fast-paced she never thought she could as if trying to make up for the lost seconds at the start of the competition.

Lia boiled the meat while she prepared the vegetables which did not take that much work. She only needed to cut them in half then pour all of them on the pot once the soup was done.

All she could do was wait as she dropped the spices and let everything boil together. She let herself look around. Everyone was serious and the dishes looked foreign and grand. She watched her pot as it made a gurgling sound. It looked so…drab compared to the others.

She shrugged. At least she was having fun. Cooking was fun. She hoped the organizers would let her take home her dish so she could let Tamara taste it. She wanted to share ‘her’ home with her new mother.

She watched the others do their plating as she placed the potato and corn on the pot. Estimating the time she had, Lia thought she had another good thirty minutes before the host would tell them to start the presentation.

The girl on her left finished first with her stir-fried noodles, topped with different seafood. She kept on glancing towards the judges’ tables and Lia would not have to guess who she was staring at.

Soon almost half of the contestants have finished with their dishes. Lia took it as her cue to put the last ingredients, cabbage and pechay. That would be enough to cook them while also maintaining their crunchiness.

The host clapped his hands to get their attention. “You have ten minutes to finish up your dishes. After that, please bring your food in front and present it to the judges.”

Lia waited until the last minutes before she scooped the contents and poured them on a bowl. She tasted it one last time and smiled. It really tasted like home. If she was back in her original world, she would have called over her mother and present the soup with pride. ‘I did it mom!’ she would say. Her mom, like every doting mother, would praise her and maybe say that it was the best one she ever tasted.

The host called the girl on her left to present being the first person to finish her dish. She took her plate and placed it in front of the judges who gathered around it instantly.

“Tell us about your dish,” Eldric said, causing the girl to blush and stutter as she explained her food.

The judges tasted the food, asked more questions, and nodded their heads at her answers. The host called in the next contestants and they repeated the questioning and tasting again.

The closer she got to being called, the more nervous she got. She kept reminding herself that she did not need to be on the edge, but she still did. She rehearsed what she had to say in her head to distract herself.

At long last, she was called.

Her cold fingers held the bowl firmly and sent a silent prayer that she would not stumble and make a fool out of herself. She placed down her bowl with a slight rattle.

“What do we have here?” the female council asked.