Page 3 of Brutal King

I laughed with her. It was true, my parents raised me to be respectful and to have social graces. That is the sign of a good upbringing in an Asian household.

A staff member I’d never seen before came in with our breakfasts and set the dishes on the table.

“Thank you,” we both said.

“Look at that quiche,” Mom said as she cut into it with her fork. “Perfect crust. Look at those eggs.” She took a bite. “And the way this girl seasons. Dana does have a way with seasoning.”

“Well,” I said. “You do have a flair for hiring great chefs. Remember when we opened our first restaurant in New Mexico. You found that great woman... what was her name...?”

“Carmen,” Mom said with a nod. “Yes. She did turn out to be quite the prize. Everyone from Santa Fe to Las Cruces was talking about her.”

I chuckled and spooned fresh fruit into my mouth. “So now we have restaurants from Sante Fe to Las Cruces and from Silver City to Ruidoso.”

“Everything to your liking, Mrs. Mona?” Dana said as she came to the table.

“Oh, Dana,” Mom said, putting an affection hand to the woman’s forearm. “It doesn’t get more perfect than that. It is sublime. If you brought me another piece, I dare say, I might just eat it all as well.”

Dana nodded. “It pleases me to hear that.” She looked at me.

“I thought these were peaches,” I said, holding up the spoon with a big orange chunk on it. “But this is mango, isn’t it. Lovely. Really nice with the bananas, pineapple, and coconut.”

“I was hoping to add papaya, but they were all out.”

“It’s perfect as it is. I seriously doubt that I’ll eat this good at the institute.”

“Oh,” Dana said with a chuckle. “I’m sure you exaggerate greatly, Miss Katrina. I hear that the food at the institute is always good. After all, it is the most exclusive culinary academy in the world. How can you go wrong with an academy that was founded by that great celebrity chef.”

“Yes... Chef Errol King.”

“That’s the one,” Dana chimed as she turned on her heel and headed out.

“Errol King?” Mom said after Dana left. “Didn’t you know a young King? Yes... yes... that boy you met at camp one summer. What was that lovely boy’s name?”

“Kobe King,” I said remembering that boy’s face. So adorable. So innocent. So charming with his sweet smile, big blue eyes, and jet-black hair that swept across his face all the time. I could feel the heat of a blush come to my cheeks at the thought of him and hoped Mom wouldn’t notice. Kobe, my first crush. “Yeah. That was a long time ago; a really long time ago back in middle grade.”

“As I remember, you had somewhat of a crush on him,” Mom went on.

“I did not,” I quickly replied. “I mean, he was cute and all... but... we were friends... only friends.”

“Either way, dear. The important thing is that you know someone from the academy. I mean, to know the son of the founder is bound to be helpful.”

“I doubt it.”

“Why would you say that?”

I shrugged remembering Kobe’s criticism of his father. “Mr. Errol King isn’t one to let his boys off easy. If anything, he expects even more of them than anyone else. Kobe often complained about how strict his father was, always coming down hard on them, always putting on the pressure.”

“Well, it’s all irrelevant now, anyhow, right?” Mom said. “I mean, you’re no longer close to Kobe King, are you?”

I nodded, but truth was, after what we experienced that summer at camp, I doubted we would ever be strangers again.

Chapter 1

The drive out to the institute was calm and easy, but as my mother, our driver Max and I pulled up to the gates of that all prestigious IICA Academy, that calm, easy feeling was replaced with excitement.

A new life was about to begin.

The place was big, really big. The main administration building was imposing as were the surroundings that made up the campus.

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