27. Spitball

Noodles again, Mentor grunted as he heaped hot forkfuls into two bowls. At this rate, the damned thing would be growing on their heads.

Mrs Rosenthal usually made enough food to last the weekend on Fridays and stuck them in the freezer. For days when he didn't have the time or pizzazz to cook. Like today.

But he had opened the freezer this morning and found it full of all of a suspicious-looking half-pineapple pizza and a pasta take-out. Mrs Rosenthal must have forgotten because why else wouldn't she have stocked the freezer?

After setting the table, he went back upstairs to wake Queen up. She had slept like a baby all the way back to the house last night and hadn't even stirred when he brought her up to bed. He, on the other hand, hadn't been so lucky.

Flipping on the bedroom light seemed to work, though. She blinked into the light like a startled deer and then started to yawn.

"Good morning, Daddy," she said in a sleepy voice. The girl made no move to sit up though.

He manoeuvred a