The girl sat quietly at the bench, shuffling a deck of cards. Her fingers were incredibly nimble, moving in and out of each other like thread. She split the deck into two and the cards made a quiet buzzing sound as she ran her thumbs along the edge of each deck, weaving them together and knocking them on the table till they were a strait whole deck. Satisfied with the outcome, the girl began to lay a row of cards, face down on the table. She repeated this movement several times until she had four rows face down. Then she put one last row, face up. Pushing the remaining cards aside, the girl began to move the cards around, placing a queen on a king and a jack on top of that.

    It was a particularly warm day and a breeze was something never heard of. Sitting across the park at another table, surrounded by several other girls so fluffed and fuzzed they looked like peacocks, was Gwen Frazer. Her auburn hair was done up in tight curls piled on top of her head and her chestnut eyes were hard to see behind the thick layer of eyeliner and mascara. She stared long and hard at the girl playing cards, waiting for the moment when she would look up and then quickly look away. But Gwen was surprised to find it never happened. The girl simply continued to play with the cards.

    "What's the matter, Gwen?" one of the peacock's asked.

    Gwen tightened her glossy lips and lifted her chin, lengthening her swan-like neck.

    "Come girls. We have something to take care of," she said, her voice almost as glittery as her clothing.

    Gwen stood up to her full height of 5.9, accentuated by five inch stilettos, and strutted across the park sidewalk to the other table, her heels making soft clicking sounds on the pavement. She stopped abruptly at the edge of the table, the peacocks bumping into each other, and peered down at the girl playing cards who still did not look up.

     "Hello," Gwen smiled, putting on her act.

     "Do you see that catering van coming down the street?" the girl said, still playing with the cards.

     Gwen was more than a little nonplussed by the strange reply and even more so by the voice that carried it.  She quickly darted her eyes towards the approaching catering van and then back to the girl, who she never really got a good look at.

     "Look at me," Gwen ordered, loosing the act.

     The girl continued her game without so much as a tip of the head.

     "What's the magic word?" she said quietly.

     Gwen stood up strait and slammed her fist down on the row of cards, sending them flying in every direction. The girl leaned back calmly and sighed, placing both hands on the table and standing up. Gwen managed to hold back a gasp when she stepped forward, standing only an inch shorter than Gwen herself. And she was barefoot.

     Too late Miss Popular noticed the broad shoulders and strong stance of the stranger. The calm green eyes and crooked smile seemed to wrap a cloak of foreboding around Gwen, a feeling that she tried so very hard to hide.

     "The van. Do you know who's in it?" the girl said with the same unflustered voice.

     Gwen hardened her features and put one hand on her hip, remembering that she was still a Frazer and no one could take that place of honor away from her.

      "That's Laura Goode's catering van. I suppose she's in it, along with her crude helper."

      The girl stared long and hard at Gwen with a look of such utter disgust that it made her feel as though she were covered in dirt. Then, with a sort of huff, the girl turned and left, her stride long and assertive. Gwen narrowed her eyes and watched until she disappeared behind a building.

      "Who was that?" one of the peacock's asked.

      "I'm not sure," Gwen answered quietly. "Find out...I'm going to go and see who is in that van."

      "YOU LOST SABRINA?" Bethany shouted, dropping the bag.

      "HOW COULD YOU LOSE HER?"

      "I DIDN'T LOSE HER. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I WAS SUPPOSE TO WATCH HER!" Fran answered, feeling herself start to panic.

      "Um..." Liam tried to speak through all the commotion.

      "Oh man, Mom's gonna kill me," Fran said.

      "Come on, don't be silly. She can't be that far," Bethany told her, collecting herself again.

      "Um..."

      "Are you sure she isn't in the van?" Bethany asked.

      "I'm sure."

      Liam gave up trying to communicate and put the bags down, walking over to the side of the house where Sabrina was happily stuffing flower petals in her mouth. He picked her up and made her spit out the petals before carrying the toddler back to the distressed siblings.

      "Bethany I told you -" Fran began, but stopped when she saw Sabrina.

      Bethany turned to see what had caught her eye and sighed with relief, thanking Liam profusely and taking Sabrina into the mansion.

      Freddie just laughed and continued to grab several bags, starting up the stairs.

      "That happens at least twenty times a day," he explained, disappearing into the house.

      Liam quickly did as he was told and carried the luggage in, Laura dismissing him shortly after. He tipped his hat to Bethany and jogged out the door closing it quickly behind him.

      Liam took a deep breath of the hot morning air and pushed his cap back, enjoying the soft singing of the birds and fresh sent of roses. He loved being outside. He never understood why Laura Goode would sometimes spend the whole day cooped up in her office when she could have been enjoying the sunshine in the shade of her beautiful garden. It was really all beyond him.

     Sighing, Liam thrust his hands into his pockets and began to whistle, walking down the brick path that led all the way across the open ground, through the Ponderosa wood, and out into a small clearing where a cabin stood, two stories high, counting the attic. It was a nice little place with a large enough porch and for him and his mother it was just right. Although when the rest of his siblings were living there it was much harder to get a bit of time to yourself. Liam would always steal away into the woods when he wanted to be alone, which was quite often, but now that he was the only one at home all the duties fell to him and there was very rarely any time for that.

    Liam walked into the house quietly, taking his hat off and running both hands through the thick mop of dark curls. A soft pattering sound came from the kitchen like someone was making something to eat, but his mother never got up that early. He raised one eyebrow in a questioning look and tiptoed over to the kitchen, poking his head in the door frame.

    A tall girl in plaid with a dirty blonde ponytail was silently mixing some sort of batter, testing a bit that landed on the counter.

    "Thought you might be hungry," she said without looking up.

    Liam slowly walked in, thrusting his hands back in his pockets.

    "I thought you said you were going to leave," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

    The girl gave him a sideways glance and paused her batter-beating.

    "That was before I found out who was coming to town...Why did you want me to leave?"

    Liam sighed and grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl, rubbing it on his shoulder and taking a bite out of it. The fruit was cold and crisp with a nice tart flavor, but it did not taste as good as it usually did. He put it down and, without meaning to be so loud, slammed his fists on the counter. The girl stopped what she was doing and grabbed the apple, slicing it down the middle and taking out the core.

     "You know that if I leave something will go terribly wrong," she said quietly.

     "I know that if you stay even more things will go terribly wrong."

     The girl did not answer but simply continued to slice the apple, grabbing a jar of peanut butter and scooping a bit into a bowl with a spoon. She handed it to Liam who took it sulkily. He was very hungry.

     "Why can't you just let it go? Forget about the whole thing and save yourself the grief," he said, almost in a pleading voice.

     "I can't do that," she answered, taking out a glass pan and pouring the batter into it.

     "Why not? They don't even know you exist!...I doubt they even know what's going on here."

     "That's all the more reason for me to stay...Think of it this way: if you were in my shoes, would you just pack up and leave them stranded here? Hmm? It's my job Liam. I can't quit now."

     "No, I guess not," Liam sighed, taking a bite out of an apple slice. "I just wish I knew more. They're all so young."

     The girl laughed, opening the kitchen oven and putting the pan on the bottom rack, closing the door and turning it on.

     "Bethany isn't much younger than us," she said.

     She opened one of the many cupboards and pulled out a bag of powdered sugar and a bowl, proceeding to pour the sugar into the bowl. She added a dribble of water and grabbed a whisk, stirring it all together while slowly adding more water.

     "How long do you think it will take?" Liam asked.

     The girl shrugged and pushed her bangs away from her eyes, testing the thickness of the icing with the whisk. Still not satisfied she added a little more water, beating it all together.

     "As long as it takes. I just hope Bethany and her siblings aren't as finicky as their Aunt."

     Liam smiled in the same toothless way as before and nodded in agreement, suddenly remembering the incident that morning with the toddler Sabrina.

     "I heard they live on a farm," he said.

     "Well that's one thing in their favor," the girl answered, taste testing the icing.

     A ringing sound came from the hall and Liam rushed over to the phone, answering before it woke Mrs. Finnigan.

     "Hello?.....Yes ma'am.....No ma'am.....Of course ma'am.....One hour.....Right."

     Liam hung up the phone and scratched the back of his neck, sighing. Trouble always seemed to find its way to his door no matter what. He slowly walked back into the kitchen where the girl had begun to wash all the dishes she had used.

     "Who was that?" she asked.

     "Miss Goode, she needs me to go to town and buy some food for tonight's dinner."

     Liam hated going to town, especially in that fancy  red Camero. It always drew everyone's eye and the last thing he needed was everyone noticing him.

     The thought of what was to come still lingered over his head like a dark cloud, weighing down on top of him. Going to town to buy extra food was one sure way of telling everyone that the mansion would not be empty that night. Liam wondered if Laura Goode knew what she was doing, having all of them over at once. On one hand it was quite possible that she knew everything, on the other hand, she could know nothing. Or she did not want to know. That was another possibility. Everyone knew the old man was crazy. Yet here they all were, believing everything he had said. Blakewood had always been a mysterious place, full of superstition and fairy stories, but these stories were different. In fact, they were not even stories. They were more like something you would read in a history book. An event that had already taken place. The way he put it was so believable that many were scared to think otherwise.

      "Well I think I'm going to head out now," the girl said, wiping her hands on a towel.

      Liam snapped out of his daze and looked up, his brain spinning.

      "Wait, wait, wait. You didn't just come here to bake a cake," he said, playing Sherlock Holmes.

      "Oh yeah, you're right...Well it doesn't matter anymore."

      She made a move to leave but Liam stepped in front of her.

      "What is it?" he asked.

      "I just...I just came to ask for your help," she told him, clearing her throat. "I don't think I will be able to do this one alone."

      Liam stood in the doorway and folded his arms, looking at the floor.

      "What about your siblings?" he asked.

      "They're needed elsewhere."

      The silence between them stretched and the girl nodded, walking past Liam to the door.

       "Hey!" he called after her.

       She swung around, a knowing smile playing on the edge of her lips and twinkling in her green eyes.

        "Yes?"

        "I don't know what good it will do, but if you're ever in need of a sawed off shotgun and fella who can use one, just yell. I'll hear ya'."

        The girl grinned and gave him a salute.

        "Thank you.....And the cake should be done in fifteen minutes."

- Alrighty, here is the next chapter. What did you think? I worked so very hard, I almost broke my back writing this chapter! For real! XD Hope you liked it and if you did, please vote and comment. Thank you =D - Anna