Next to her was a round table, on which sat a small plate of cookies. Miranda looked at them suspiciously, half afraid that they were poisoned and half longing to eat all of them. After a moment�s deliberation, she took one and bit off a miniscule piece, reasoning that a bite that small wouldn�t kill her.
�Well, eat up!� cried the old woman. Miranda jumped, startle; she had forgotten the woman was still there.
�W-What?� said Miranda, holding the cookie halfway to her mouth and staring stupidly.
�They�re delicious,� said the woman, and then puffing up a little bit, added, �I made them myself.�
Miranda didn�t want to offend the old woman, so she took a large bite out of the cookie. It was, indeed, delicious. She flashed an awkward smile to the old woman and chewed for a long time, swallowed slowly, and took another bite.
�Good, aren�t they?� said a deep, unfamiliar voice. Miranda jumped once more and spun around. A tall, handsome young man looked down at her with a curious grin on his face.
�Wuffayoo,� said Miranda, her mouth full of cookie. She blushed slightly at her own bad manners, but the man didn�t seem to mind. In fact, he was beaming.
�Name�s Bruce,� he said, stepping forward and taking her hand. She smiled uncomfortable and wondered if he wanted her to shake it. He leaned down and lightly kissed her hand with reverence. Miranda felt even more uncomfortable now and wished he would let go.
�Mandi! Mandi! MANDI!�
Miranda Vane opened her eyes with a start. Her 8-year-old brother, Shawn, was standing over her, his head cocked to one side.
�You were talking in your sleep,� he said simply, staring at her intently.
�Was I?� said Miranda, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. �What did I say?�
�I dunno,� replied Shawn. �I couldn�t understand it, it was kinda mumbling� can I have a hug?�
Miranda sighed. �Lemme get out of bed first, okay?� she said irritably.
Now it was Shawn�s turn to sigh. �Fine,� he said, crossing his arms. �Be that way.�
Miranda stretched out as far as she could on her bed, accidentally-on-purpose pushing Shawn with her arm. She pushed off her covers and slid out of bed.
�Arrgh! I�m melting, Shawn, I�m melting! Saaave me!� she cried, trying to look agonized.
Shawn laughed. �Want to have breakfast?� he asked, helping her up off the floor.
�What do you want?� asked Miranda, walking with him to the kitchen.