First things first: Lacey owed Maddie an apology. When she arose on the chilly morning of Thanksgiving, she immediately sought out her cousin. Not finding her downstairs, she instead opened her bedroom door. Maddie was doing squats.

“So this is the secret behind the cutest butt in Pennsylvania?” Lacey quipped. Maddie chuckled, and the girls hugged.

“Sorry I made you clean up last night,” Lacey said. “Lily’s right - I really am turning into a bitch.”

“That’s the cheerleader in you,” Maddie joked. “Now let’s go watch the parade!”

Long, long ago, when humans were just beginning to form into tribes and learning to hunt and live together, there was a land far, soooo far to the west across the Unending Sea, where there lived a people who espoused peace and the well-being of all peoples.

Their land was called Leroqand and the Leroqandi people were known for their mediation during disputes of all kinds.