[Kitsumi]

Although they were pretty much doing the same thing as before, they were acting with renewed vigor now. At first, all four children worked together piling up the snow. Once there was enough there for a tunnel to be dug, then Trixie and Kaleb would start on that portion of the secret entrance.

[Kitsumi]

But before they could get that far, Luke's mother had opened the back door and called out to them. "Hey kids, it's about lunch time. Why don't you take a little break, and come inside. You can get warm, fill your bellies, and then go back outside to keep playing with renewed energy."

[Kitsumi]

The kids had been so focused on their work, that they hadn't noticed how much time was passing. Now that they realized what time it was, each of them realized how hungry they were. They were also cold, and starting to feel a little tired from the effort of moving so much snow.

[Kitsumi]

Since it was his house, Luke took the lead. Just like before, they stripped off their outer winter clothing and placed all of it in front of the fire to dry it and keep it warm. Then they each took a seat at the table, with Kaleb and Trixie sitting by each other and Luke and Adam sitting across from them.

[Kitsumi]

"I made bagel bites," Luke's mom said. "And I cut up some fruit and veggies for all of you."

A happy cheer went up from the kids. Bagel bites was a popular food choice for them, and they were much more interested in it than they were in the fruit or vegetables.

[Kitsumi]

The woman prepared a plate for each child, setting them down on the table for the kids. "Here you go!" she said. "Does anyone want ranch dressing for the vegetables?"

"Yes, please," Trixie said, politely. "And could I get a glass of water too, please."

The woman nodded. "Of course. I'll get drinks for everyone."

[Kitsumi]

The food on the plates was arranged nicely, probably a little too nicely for the kids, who barely paid any mind to the care that had put into their meal. The fruit had been cut into shapes with a cookie cutter, and the vegetables were served with dressing on the side to make it more tempting.

[Kitsumi]

Despite all of the care that had gone into their meal, the kids were mostly only interested in one thing.

"I love bagel bites, they're my favorite!" Adam exclaimed. "Luke, your mom is the best! My mom never buys bagel bites."

"Yup, I know," Luke smiled happily. "My mom's super cool, huh?"

[Kitsumi]

As she was filling cups with water in the kitchen, Luke's mother heard the children talking about her in the dining room. She couldn't help but smile, taking pride in the fact that she was considered a 'cool mom'. It didn't really matter what Luke's friends thought, but it warmed her heart that her son was proud of her.

[Kitsumi]

"Here you go!" Somehow, Luke's mother managed to balance all four cups of water at a time. She set one in front of each child. "There you go! The gingerbread cookies should be done soon, too, but they'll still need to cool. Are you kids going to be going back outside?"

[Kitsumi]

"Yup," Luke said, answering for his friends.

"We're building a fort!" Adam added excitedly. "It's gonna be really big, and have a secret- ow!" HIs sentence was cut off as Luke elbowed him in the side.

"Hey, it's called 'secret' for a reason!" the other boy reminded. "We're not supposed to tell!"

[Kitsumi]

The woman chuckled, trying to hide it behind her hand. "Well," she said, once she had regained her composure. "As long as you kids aren't getting into any trouble, I'm more than happy to let you keep your secrets. You are keeping out of trouble, aren't you?" Her focus was mainly on her son.

[Kitsumi]

"Of course we are, mom!" Luke rolled his eyes dramatically. "Don't you know by now that I'm one of the good kids?"

His mother laughed, ruffling his hair. "Oh, that's right. I've got the best son in the world... no offense to you boys, of course." She smiled at Adam and Kaleb.

[Kitsumi]

The other two boys weren't offended that Luke's mom thought he was the best son. They knew that it was only right for her to think so. Besides, Luke was a good kid, and his mother had every right to be proud of her son. She was the one raising him, after all.

[Kitsumi]

The kids didn't talk much throughout lunch. They were too busy shoveling bagel bites into their mouths. Luke and Adam were eating especially fast, practically inhaling their food. Trixie and Kaleb both ate more slowly, both of them too polite to eat quite as enthusiastically as their friends currently were doing.