The kitchen was a mess, but smelled heavenly. Castille was standing next to the island in her family's kitchen, her blue long sleeve with penguins on it covered in a mixture of flour, sugar and something else she didn't know. In her hands there was a large mixing bowl with most of the contents mixed. She was adding an egg, and reading from a book propped up on the jar they put their dogs' treats in. The dog the cookies belonged to was busy getting under Castille's feet, lapping at spilled egg or getting flour all over her nose and fluffy tan and white fur. Castille made a feeble attempt to shoo her away with her foot, an attempt that Chibi resolutely ignored.

The chocolate chip cookies that were baking gave off a warm smell of home that made her smile. The finished cookies lay in various stages of completion. Some sat done with sprinkles and frosting, little snowmen and santa clauses baked and ready to eat. Some lay on plates awaiting sugary drops and sweet frosting. And some sat on racks around the kitchen cooling, steaming and squishy to the touch.

There was a loud DING and Castille placed the bowl of mix on the counter, twirling in her bright green socks to grab the oven mitts. She pulled out the cookies, poking one with a toothpick and placing them on top of the oven to put another tray in. Today, she was her own cookie factory.

Sugar, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Jelly Bars....

She sighed, setting the timer to 15 minutes. That's 15 minutes to relax. She dusted off her long sleeve and walked to a stool by her table. Leaning on her elbows with her head in her hands, she stared outside at the growing dark, and clouds thinned a little, showing the white outline of an orb. Castille stared at it, and her heart bounced a little faster. Ever since she got the snowglobe, something about the moon just seemed to....pull her. Like there was something on the moon that she needed to find, or see or something. The snowglobe she was thinking about was, in fact, sitting on the table, away from the chaos that was Castille's baking adventure, but close enough for her to see out of the corner of her eye. That globe seemed to stay with her for longer and longer periods of times, and she took to carrying it around her house now. Something about it being nearby gave her comfort, kept her from feeling sadness that creeped in when she wasn't hearing the song it played....

Her mind wandered, and the dream she had a few nights ago came back slowly, and she felt like she was there again, with that long haired woman staring back at her. She reached out in her mind, trying to see her face once again...but she eluded Castille. It was frustrating! She tried again, and thought she got a little closer....

DING!

Castille shook herself awake, realizing the dinging was coming from the oven. She leapt from the stool, heart pounding as she ran to the oven, throwing it open. Luckily, her cookies were fine. She sighed with relief, taking that group out and scooting the now cooled cookies from the last batch to the other side of the oven. She grabbed the bowl of mix, stirred it a couple times and began dropping spoonfuls onto a third tray. Now's not the time to think about that....

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