Eluding Facades

Chapter 6

"What in the world is this abomination?!" Nate abruptly yelped as he hurriedly spat out the spoonful of cereal into the tissue he had scrambled to rip off from its dispenser, all but throwing it up.

"Coco pops," Gail dryly supplied, reproachful of his little stunt that involved disposing his choice of breakfast." Or as you called it earlier "breakfast of champions"."

After a few invitations and considerations, Gail had eventually slipped into a normal routine of having breakfast with the others in the kitchen downstairs rather than fixing herself a quick and, not to mention, bland meal in her modest kitchenette. Apparently, they had a pattern of assigning schedules of who should prepare a certain meal on a specific day. As of currently, Saphron was the one entrusted with cooking that morning to which the redhead had put together a repast of some sausages, beans, and toast.

Nate, however, opted for a bowl of coco pops and milk that had been freshly delivered the day before. In all honesty, Gail had thought milk delivery had died out because most people would usually just shop for a carton of milk in supermarkets. But of course, the sight of four milk bottles in a wire metal carrier had proven her wrong. She somehow found it endearing how oddly vintage the whole picture seemed to be.

"More like breakfast for eight-year olds," Saphron muttered, albeit in a clear-cut manner that Gail couldn't quit make out if it had been deliberately done so. The mug she was sipping from partially covers the lower half of her face making it difficult to gouge out more of her expression. From her perch in the kitchen island, the elegantly scrawled signature of 'Voronin' stared back at her from its display on Saphron's white ceramic mug. No wonder the others had taken to calling the redhead's favorite cup as her "signature" mug.

Nate picked up the bottle of milk sitting next to the coffee condiments set and eyed it warily before giving it a light shake, never keeping his eyes off the white liquid inside. Then, he took a whiff of it and narrowed his eyes.

"Leigh," He scowled, forming a crease between his brows." She switched my milk with white barbecue sauce."

The addressed girl wasn't even present in the room that morning. As she was taking her sweet time relishing in the hot water at the first level bathroom.

"What is it this time?" Trent asked, clearly holding back a sigh.

"Nate ate the apple pie ice cream Leigh had bought for herself," Olivia disclosed, giving the bespectacled man a chastising look.

"I said I was sorry," Nate sputtered.

"And she said 'a sorry won't bring back her apple pie ice cream'," Olivia added deliberately.

"And," Saphron chimed in, meeting their gazes with a well-seasoned neutral expression," She declared war on Nate."

"A prank war," Trent figured," again."

"What is with Leigh and anything that has apple pie in it?" Gail blurted out. Anyone with eyes could see how much the woman was engrossed with the baked dish. Also, it hadn't escaped her attention how vigilant Knox can be with his bite-sized mini apple pie snacks with the possibility of Leigh showing up breathing down his neck.

"It's merely one of the things Leigh loves," Trent smiled, brows raised towards his hairline.

"Using merely for that is really another form of underestimating her fixation," Saphron pointed out.

"Even being in a town nicknamed 'Apple Town' I think Leigh is getting a little carried away," Olivia said, instantly earning blank looks from the others.

"A little?" Gail echoed with an arched brow.

All of a sudden, Leigh decided to make an appearance in a manner that would draw everyone's attention to her.