Page 21 - StickyPinesBlackHoleLake

He slapped Lucy on the back, hard enough her glasses slid down her nose. “Long time no see, kidushka.” He pulled his trousers up over his belly and grabbed a steaming pierogi from the plate, juggling it from one hand to another before tossing it back. “Too hot,” he winced.
Anna shooed him away and put the plate on the table for Lucy and Tex. “It is good to see you, Lucy dear. Where have you been hiding?”
Tex set his fake teeth on the floral tablecloth and dug into the food.
“Ummm...” Lucy reached for a pierogi.
What was there to say? I’ve spent the last month
trying to track down the members of a mysterious
race of cryptozoological shapeshifters known
as the Pretenders. They live hidden amongst the
unsuspecting populace of Sticky Pines and are
susceptible to the effects of Mr Fisher’s sinister
pine sweetener Nucralose. In order to protect them
I can’t reveal the Truth to anyone: not Tex, not
my parents, not even Milo Fisher, who hates me
because he doesn’t understand why I had to lie
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