Elise twirled into the kitchens, looking for something to kill time with. She'd been studying for only about half-an-hour and was already sick of it. So, why not bake a cake? Cheesecake!

"Hi everyone," she beamed.

Finding some cottage cheese in the fridge, Elise weighed it carefully, the way her mother had taught her and put it into a bowl. Picking up a lemon, she grated the rind before cutting it cleanly in half. Squeezing the juice out, she picked up her recipe, charming it to hover over her workstation.

Finding a ziplock bag, Elise dropped some graham crackers in before rolling them over with a rolling pin. Way neater and faster than bashing them. Folding in the butter, Elise rolled the grainy mixture into a ball and set it in the tin, pressing it to the sides.

Going through all the steps, Elise worked almost mechanically. She was used to cooking. She'd done it all the time. But the thing was, when she tried to dissolve the single teaspoon of gelatin, it just sat. Like a lump of unresolved gelatin.

Staring at the double bowl in disbelief, Elise shook her head. What was wrong with her gelatin?