The kitchen in the Walha’s household smelled of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger. The kitchen counter was a little bit of a mess. There was some flour, spices and sugar on it. Renee just finished mixing the batter and was pouring the batter in the cake pan. As she was handing the pan to her dad, the first-time baker could not be prouder of herself. Renee was going to be able to say she made the cake when she gave it to Luke.

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Interlude part II
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Mortar Mage let one of his gadgets take the lead as he and his allies entered the temple to fend off invaders. Dozens of fighters came at them with barely any sign of life or willpower in their eyes.

As he fought, Mortar saw Dexios use contraptions of his own that were designed to contain their foes. Most of the actual fighting was left to Mortar and Toyenna.

Chapter Four – Mommy’s Home

We get an insight into the serial killer's past and what made him what he is. Penelope and Bradley's relationship deepens.

In this chapter, Myra discovers an old letter that gives her a new and dismaying view of her family's past. Should she try to understand the true nature of her heritage, or make herself forget about it? Either way, things may never be the same again. But the surprising discovery gives her an excuse to go to the Christmas party, come what may....

Author's Note: We are halfway through the story. I'm sure many of you have questions, but here is the interlude that tells Warren/Mortar's tale from a few years prior.

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Interlude part I
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A traveling bard sat in one of the few relatively safe corners of the universe. Various beings drank and gambled away their troubles. Some knew the universe could end at any moment, some truly didn’t care.

He stroked against his string instrument, and chimed away:

CHAPTER 21 - The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'

Not What We Expected by Tiffany B. Quinn We were home in Wisconsin in time to go out on the town for a celebratory dinner. Being in the role of a twelve-year-old, I had to settle for a Pepsi for the toast to our new beginning. The fact that Sandra couldn’t indulge in alcohol either, due to her pregnancy, made me feel a little better. I officially took up permanent residence in my princess suite that night. It would take some time for it to feel like home.

Chapter 18