Chapter 130. Sweet Crisis 

The morning dawns with a soft, gentle grace, like a promise of new beginnings. If only it were.

Lara walks to the small garden at the back of the house admiring the clear blue sky. She breathes in fresh air, filling her senses with the sweet scent of the blooming flowers in the garden. Then, the sun appears, kissing her milky skin as if it had been waiting for this moment for eternity. But while enchanted in this moment, a sudden crash draws her attention to the house.

“Zayn?” She hollers, since he is always the instigator of mischief, while the other is always the executioner. She mutters soft prayers to the heavens that the sound isn’t from something harmful.

“Mom!” A boyish voice echoes back faintly.

“Dwayne, the heavens help you today if that sound was from you!”

Walking into a smoke-filled kitchen, her senses spike! A burning pungent smell invades her nostrils, but through the haze she sees Chris  Chris struggling to ward off the smoke, as t