But when?
She started on her cakes but had no time to worry about what they looked like. EJ quickly iced the cakes with the chocolate icing on the table and began almost throwing decorations onto themâsprinkles,snakes, chocolate stars, anything.
Madame Ombre returned to the kitchen and began pacing the workstations. She glanced at EJâs cakes and frowned. She then looked at EJ and frowned again.
Somehow I donât think I am going to win, thought EJ, but she wasnât worried, she had her mind on a much bigger prize.
Madame Ombre returned to her office and picked up her phone. EJ switched on the choc charm receiver. The transmitter was still in Madame Ombreâs office.
âYes, rubbish disposal? Make sure you take the rabbits when you clean tonight. I will leave them in the corridor. What to do with them? I do not know what to do with them. I am a baker not a rabbit farmer. I needed them to model for Easter bunnies and now I donât need them anymore. Take them away! Au revoir.â
EJ could hear Madame Ombre slam her phone down. How could she simply throw out the rabbits? They were live animals, not rubbish. EJ couldnât letthat happen and started to think of a rescue plan as she placed the cakes on the tiered display plates. Then she felt her phone vibrate. Pretending to look for something in the cupboard, she checked her phone. It was a message from SHINE.
Just as Madame Ombre opened the door of her office to leave, the phone rang again. She shut the door and turned towards the phone. EJ knew that Emma Sekacâs time in the Junior Choc Chef finals was up. She ran.
As fast as she could, EJ ran back to the storeroom and opened the door with her skeleton key. The door opened and she rushed over to the safe. Next to the safe was the package she had seen Madame Ombre take out of the kitchen. It was empty. I bet she has put whatever was in there in the safe, thought EJ. I need to open this safe.
She had little time as she knew Madame Ombre would be looking for her. The safe had a keypad, a simple letterânumber pad like a phone, on which toenter a code to open it. But there were thousands of possible combinations.
Think, EJ, think, she said to herself. And then she remembered that she and CC had watched Madame Ombre keying a code on cupcake-cam.
Thatâs it! thought EJ to herself. I can watch it again on playback. Maybe Iâll be able to see the code she keyed in?
She took out the cupcake-cam and pressed rewind. When she found the right footage, she pressed slow motion playback. At the same time she zoomed in on Madame Ombreâs fingers as she keyed in the code.
Aarrghh, thought EJ, I canât see it, itâs too blurry. She pressed back, and played it again. She still couldnât see what Madame Ombre had keyed but she could see that she keyed in eight numbers. Eight numbers, but which ones? EJ didnât have a lot of time for guesses: Madame Ombre would find her any minute.
Just then EJâs phone vibrated. It was a text from Isi.
Isi, you are a genius, thought EJ. Madame Ombre keyed in letters, not numbers. âChocolateâ is what she keyed inâwhat else would Madame Ombre have as a code?
EJ began to key in the letters but nothing happened.
Dumb! C-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e. Thatâs nine letters and the code is eight so that canât be it.
Then EJ heard footsteps, hurried footsteps that were getting louder. She heard Madame Ombre shouting in French.
French, EJ thought, thatâs it! Wouldnât Madame Ombre do her code in French? What is chocolate in French? What had Madame Ombre said when she greeted them? Was it chocolat? But how did you spell that in French?
EJ quickly opened the translator app on her phone and keyed in chocolate. She smiled as she saw the answer.
Chocolat. No âeâ and that makes it eight letters. Yes! Or should that be Oui!
EJ keyed in C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T and tried the handle. The safe door opened. EJ reached in
She started on her cakes but had no time to worry about what they looked like. EJ quickly iced the cakes with the chocolate icing on the table and began almost throwing decorations onto themâsprinkles,snakes, chocolate stars, anything.
Madame Ombre returned to the kitchen and began pacing the workstations. She glanced at EJâs cakes and frowned. She then looked at EJ and frowned again.
Somehow I donât think I am going to win, thought EJ, but she wasnât worried, she had her mind on a much bigger prize.
Madame Ombre returned to her office and picked up her phone. EJ switched on the choc charm receiver. The transmitter was still in Madame Ombreâs office.
âYes, rubbish disposal? Make sure you take the rabbits when you clean tonight. I will leave them in the corridor. What to do with them? I do not know what to do with them. I am a baker not a rabbit farmer. I needed them to model for Easter bunnies and now I donât need them anymore. Take them away! Au revoir.â
EJ could hear Madame Ombre slam her phone down. How could she simply throw out the rabbits? They were live animals, not rubbish. EJ couldnât letthat happen and started to think of a rescue plan as she placed the cakes on the tiered display plates. Then she felt her phone vibrate. Pretending to look for something in the cupboard, she checked her phone. It was a message from SHINE.
Just as Madame Ombre opened the door of her office to leave, the phone rang again. She shut the door and turned towards the phone. EJ knew that Emma Sekacâs time in the Junior Choc Chef finals was up. She ran.
As fast as she could, EJ ran back to the storeroom and opened the door with her skeleton key. The door opened and she rushed over to the safe. Next to the safe was the package she had seen Madame Ombre take out of the kitchen. It was empty. I bet she has put whatever was in there in the safe, thought EJ. I need to open this safe.
She had little time as she knew Madame Ombre would be looking for her. The safe had a keypad, a simple letterânumber pad like a phone, on which toenter a code to open it. But there were thousands of possible combinations.
Think, EJ, think, she said to herself. And then she remembered that she and CC had watched Madame Ombre keying a code on cupcake-cam.
Thatâs it! thought EJ to herself. I can watch it again on playback. Maybe Iâll be able to see the code she keyed in?
She took out the cupcake-cam and pressed rewind. When she found the right footage, she pressed slow motion playback. At the same time she zoomed in on Madame Ombreâs fingers as she keyed in the code.
Aarrghh, thought EJ, I canât see it, itâs too blurry. She pressed back, and played it again. She still couldnât see what Madame Ombre had keyed but she could see that she keyed in eight numbers. Eight numbers, but which ones? EJ didnât have a lot of time for guesses: Madame Ombre would find her any minute.
Just then EJâs phone vibrated. It was a text from Isi.
Isi, you are a genius, thought EJ. Madame Ombre keyed in letters, not numbers. âChocolateâ is what she keyed inâwhat else would Madame Ombre have as a code?
EJ began to key in the letters but nothing happened.
Dumb! C-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e. Thatâs nine letters and the code is eight so that canât be it.
Then EJ heard footsteps, hurried footsteps that were getting louder. She heard Madame Ombre shouting in French.
French, EJ thought, thatâs it! Wouldnât Madame Ombre do her code in French? What is chocolate in French? What had Madame Ombre said when she greeted them? Was it chocolat? But how did you spell that in French?
EJ quickly opened the translator app on her phone and keyed in chocolate. She smiled as she saw the answer.
Chocolat. No âeâ and that makes it eight letters. Yes! Or should that be Oui!
EJ keyed in C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T and tried the handle. The safe door opened. EJ reached in
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