Lipstick, Cake, Guns, and a Candle

The next day, everyone slept in as late as possible, so they could stay awake late into the night the following day.

Except me. I couldn't sleep for very long, as the anxiety of the upcoming battle scared the hell out of me. During the night, my nightmares struck again, but I was able to identify and end most of them without waking up screaming. I finally gave up and decided get ready. Dexter was still asleep, so I quietly got dressed and went into the kitchen, silently fixing a small breakfast.

A little after five, I threw on my jacket, stuffed a piece of paper in my pocket, slung a backpack over my shoulder, stuck a sack into the backpack, and ran outside, the cold air causing my breath to come out in puffs as I jogged towards town. It was still dark, but I could still make out vague shapes and figures, and pretty much had the route to town memorized, anyway. As I ran, I kept my mind completely blank, not allowing myself any thoughts that only involved me. I couldn't afford another breakdown.

When I arrived at the town, it was silent, and devoid of awake life. I felt awful, but I broke into Ms. Simmons house. I was experienced in turning off alarms and breaking in, and needed certain items from the woman, who was known for her late night parties.

I went through her dresses, shoes, purses, and makeup, taking all that I needed, no matter how big. I'd return it all, except the lip and eye makeup (that would be gross), and I was going to need it more than her, anyway. Gathering it all in the backpack, I left the house, resetting the alarm as I left. Then, with my bag slung over my shoulder, I hurried to Mr. Lippmann's house. Mr. Lippmann was a nerdy bachelor known for his smarts, computer gadgets, kooky science experiments, and social awkwardness. His house alarm was fairly more difficult than Ms. Simmons's, but Alex had showed me quite a bit in cracking Yaga's codes, so compared to hers, Mr. Lippmann's were a piece of cake.

As he slept, snoring loudly, I rushed down to his basement, where he kept all of his electronics and experiments. I pulled the piece of paper out of my pocket, and examined the list on it. Wandering around the room, I pulled out the sack in the backpack and began gathering the items on the list and throwing them into the burlap sack. Long-range walkie-talkies with codes for private channels, ear buds, and an assortment of other weird devices that I didn't even remotely know. Luckily, Alex had drawn little pictures so my brain could understand.

When all the required items had been bagged, I held the bulky bag best I could and left the house, heading back home. The trip back was much slower, as I was weighed down by the makeup and weaponry, but I eventually reached the cabin. By then, my watch read 6:25 AM, and the sun had just begun to peek over the horizon. I quietly opened the door and dumped my loot on the counter, only to be scared silly as I turned around to find Damien sitting on the couch, staring at me strangely.

"Damien?" I asked carefully, and he looked confused.

"I-I wanted...." he stuttered, then groaned with frustration, hitting his temples. "Everything is so confusing...for a second,I have something, then forget it the next. I just want to know...."

"Know what?" I ask wearily, sitting down.

"Do.....do you..." he hesitates. "Do you still love me?" My breath catches.

"Yes." I reply softly. "Do you still love me?"

"You're the only reason I'm still here." he answers slowly, then abruptly turns and staggers away, back to his bedroom. I wring my hands, feeling like I'd just finished fighting Charlotte herself in hand to hand combat.

I had to keep going.

I rose again, forcing myself to empty the sack onto the kitchen table for Alex's inspection when he awoke. I kept the backpack closed, because I wouldn't need it until tonight.

Tonight seemed so far, so distant, and yet it was only a total of eleven, maybe twelve hours away. Life seemed to be in slow motion, denying the fact that in a mere twelve hours, I was going to take on probably the most powerful and definitely the most corrupted woman on Earth.

I shuddered, and finished arranging the weaponry. By that time, it was 7:02. Everybody else was still fast asleep, able to chase away their troubles with simply falling asleep.

I sat on the couch, flipping through a couple of comic books Dexter had conned out of an older boy in the town. Suddenly, Kate comes in, still in her pajamas and yawning widely.

"You aren't supposed to be up!" she complains loudly, and I raise an eyebrow.

"Why not?" I questioned. I was about to ask her the same question, but realized it was already 10:43.

"I was going to make you breakfast in bed and a cake!"

"Whatever for?"

"It's your eighteenth birthday, of course!!" Kate squeals, and I almost laugh at the irony. It's my eighteenth birthday, the age where I become a pre-adult, and I was off to seduce a man so he'd sneak me into his workplace.

Some birthday.

"You already had breakfast, huh?" Kate checked, and I nodded. "Oh, well. I can still make a birthday cake!" Her ever present optimism was infectious, and I smiled as she started bustling around, gathering the ingredients, working around the guns assembled on the table.

As Kate used the electric mixer, clattered pots and pans around, and hummed as she cooked, the noise began waking people, and they stumbled into the kitchen one by one. When Alex emerged from his room, he immediately began inspecting the guns.

"Perfect." he congratulates me. "You went to Ms. Simmons for, uh...." He stops, awkwardly averting his gaze.

"Yeah, I did." I assured him, holding up the backpack. He nods his approval, sticks some bread in the toaster, then sits at the table with the others to wait for the toast. Kate continues her loud baking methods, and within a half hour, all of us were in the kitchen, each (save Kate and myself) enjoying a breakfast. Damien wouldn't meet my eyes, but kept staring at the backpack with a mix of emotions: anger, apprehension, sorrow, and fear. Sadie and Dexter finished their food and began helping Kate with the cake, while Jeremy and Peter played Texas Hold 'Em with Pop Tarts as money. I tried to help with the cake, which only resulted in Kate coming after me with the electric mixer, screaming, "Don't look! It's a surprise!!" Granted, the mixer was unplugged, but it was still pretty terrifying. I ended up joining the game of poker, which I lost.

The smell of homemade confetti cake (my favorite) diffused throughout the room, making my mouth water. While the cake baked, Sadie and Kate showed Dexter how to make perfect frosting. A lot of the frosting "accidentally" got stuck to his already sticky fingers, which he would then lick, and be poked and prodded back to the sink to wash his hands again and again.

When the cake was finally done baking, cooled, and frosted, Kate and Sadie transferred it to a big platter, setting it down on the table.

"We only have one candle, but we can still sing." Sadie assured me, while Kate herded everyone to gather around the presented cake. Kate jammed the candle in the frosting and lit it with the lighter. Next, with Dexter leading, their voices sang a loud version of "Happy Birthday".

"Make a wish!" Kate crows when the raucous tune ends. Everything becomes silent, and I look around at the smiling faces, savoring the few moments they had left before all hell broke loose tonight. As I searched my mind for a wish, inspiration struck.

I smiled, and blew out the candle.

Author's Note

CAKE!!!!

Reviews

[CrimsonBlaze]

Yummy :> Lol HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADRI, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADRI, HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYYY ADDRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. HAPPPPPYYYYYY BIIIIIIRRTHHDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY.....ADRI! Burst of applause to our eighteen year old girl!!