Page 37 of Heaven Leigh’s Little Halloween

She started to work on her plan that night to make sure she was ready. On the days leading up to Halloween, she spent all her spare evening time in the kitchen, and then finally on the twenty-ninth she was ready to go.

The last pan, carefully covered and hidden on the bottom shelf of a pantry cooler, was finished. There was a final step, but it would require some stealth and cunning. And maybe a little assistance from a friend.

She’d been so nervous about how to phrase things without lying, but Angel had given her the perfect opportunity and against all odds he’d agreed. There was some guilt. Obviously, she’d misled him, even if she’d been careful not to actually lie.

It was meant to be a surprise, and that was the reason she didn’t want him in the kitchen with her. If he’d been there, there would have been no way to pull this prank off without him catching on. But in the end, he’d agreed, and he even wrote her a note giving her permission to spend the evenings in the kitchen.

That first night she’d waited until the after dinner clean-up was done and the kitchen was dark and silent, before she slipped in and began setting up. Anyone who did see her would just find her quietly working at the chocolate table in the back. The kitchen staff had gotten used to her being there, so the one time someone did pop in, to get something they’d left, they simply waved on their way back out.

It was almost shocking how easy it all was.

There were several parts to the prank. The first one would be using her realistic cake baking skills, and that part could be done in advance. It took the first two nights and a lot of fine detail work to get everything how she wanted it, but it made her realize how much she missed doing that kind of creative art.

The pangs of grief were still there, but they were more muted. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to bake without thinking about Barbara, but it didn’t feel like knives in her chest now. And the work was soothing. She drifted, listening to music with her ear buds in, as she made each little cake look exactly how it needed to.

She had to chill them afterwards, hardening the outside shell so they could be piled into a serving pan as a last step. The next move was going to be a lot easier… and a lot harder in some ways.

“Hey, Angel?”

“Yes, chiquita?” He looked up from the Halloween display he was putting the final touches to. She couldn’t wait to see the entire thing set out together, but each piece had come out amazing.

“Why don’t I make cake pops for dessert tomorrow? I was thinking since you’ve been busy with your display, it’s something I could do. And I don’t think anyone is really expecting a big dessert on the night before the Halloween event, so cake pops would be perfect.”

“You know the Littles aren’t getting dessert right now, right?”

She nodded. “I know, but everyone loves cake pops. Even mean old Doms and Bigs.”

He tilted his head considering. “You know, that’s not a bad idea. Just simple cake pops? Maybe with Halloween colors on the shell?”

“Yep! I was thinking round and orange, with Jack-O’-Lantern faces. I can work on it today and tomorrow, while you finish with that. Actually, I can do double batches and save the rest for the party. That way the Littles will get some then,” she added.

“That’s a fantastic idea, Heaven.” With the enthusiasm in his voice, it was clear he loved the idea. But then he frowned, giving her an examining look that made her insides twist. “Are you sure you’re up for it? If it’s going to upset you…”

A wave of relief swept through her. “No, no, I promise it’s okay, Angel. I’ve started to remember how much I love baking and being creative. I want to do this.” Every word was true, just not exactly for the reasons he might assume.

He relaxed and nodded. “Good then. Go ahead and get started. I’ll be happy to help if you get behind.”

And phase two was on its way. The morning’s work was very similar to what she’d done the night before. Which made sense, because she was making the exact same round cake balls she’d been making in the evening. It was only the outsides that differed.

These cakes were much simpler. They didn’t need the modeling chocolate, or the hand molding. They just needed to be chilled on sticks and then dipped into chocolates of different colors. As promised, they all looked like adorable little pumpkins when she was done.

Row after row of them were set to dry in slotted stands. It allowed the chocolate to drip downward, and kept the pop nice and round, while she painted the faces on. She had fun with that part.

Despite her feelings about Halloween, she did like making the scary little faces. It was possible Angel had been right that participating in the holiday might be good for her. It was almost too bad she’d probably be banned from the party because of the prank.

She giggled, thinking about how she’d have to pretend to be sad over that. Of course, it probably wouldn’t be the only punishment, but she had a feeling the rest would be harder to deal with. It was well worth the price though.

Dozens of cake pops went into the cooler after Angel approved them. He’d been busy with his own work, and didn’t notice she’d only made one batch, instead of two. But he had nothing but praise for the desserts he saw, and that had her insides fluttering happily.

That night she was back in the kitchen alone, to put the final touches on everything. The huge kitchen fridge was packed with Brussels sprouts, not surprisingly since they’d been served with dinner every night. She took a full bag and brought them to the pantry to scrub. The outer leaves had to be peeled away and then she impaled each one on a cake pop stick.

They were dipped into the orange chocolate and set up in the cake stand, just like the actual cake had been. Time was tight. They were needed for dinner the next day, which meant this was her last session and everything had to be done.

The faces took the most time, and she had to rotate batches, letting the freshly dipped ones chill and harden, while she painted the ones that were ready. It was a rush job, and they didn’t look as cute as the real ones, but it didn’t matter.

As soon as she was done, she went into overdrive, cleaning up the mess and leaving everything spotless. She got back to the dorm just in time to make curfew. Sleep was hard though. She was too full of excitement and nervousness and her mind wouldn’t shut down.

It was her first prank, and she literally didn’t know how anyone was going to act when they realized what she had done. No one even knew she was doing it. She hadn’t told any of the other Littles because she didn’t want them to get blamed for it.

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