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"You're back, Roguefort?" Gouda asked once the Cookie shut the door.

"Yeah," Roguefort answered, trying to keep calm facing the literal murderer of his friend's father, "it was fine."

"Great news, another one of them down," a female voice shouted from the corridor.

Roguefort hid a disgusted look from his face. His sister thought that someone, who was the mother, a wife, a friend to other Cookies, dying was good news?

Were his family's thoughts that twisted?

They were a family of criminals after all though...

"We have to start training. The Nuts won't let their guard down."

Cheddar Cookie emerged from his room just as Roguefort put down his bag, giving a glance at Gouda who was sitting on the couch.

"Start what training?" Roguefort asked in his most innocent voice possible.

Unsurprisingly, his question didn't fool his parents...and sister.

"You must've had heard the news even from inside the camp. The Nuts are our enemy! We can't just leave all the work to Mozza. We have to train you to be skilled, able to parkour and vanish yourself in a minute..."

"But I don't want to harm anyone! I don't want to-"

Cheddar Cookie grabbed Roguefort Cookie by the collar of his shirt, staring into his eyes.

"Roguefort. You have to defy the law. This is what you were born into, and you will not leave. Do you understand?"

Gouda Cookie felt the tension in the room that could be cut with a knife and she immediately knew she had to calm it down.

"Now, now, calm down-"

"Gouda. Your son just denied what he was born into! Calm down?!" Cheddar furiously exclaimed.

What have I gotten myself into? Roguefort asked himself. I probably shouldn't have denied Cheddar's request...

"I'm not saying he's going to deny it."

Gouda walked over to the couch to where the father and son were standing, where it was as if beams were shooting from one eye to another.

Gouda looked Roguefort in the eye, and she had a...mischievous twinkle in her eye?

"You said you didn't want to harm anyone, did you?"

"Yeah...?"

"Then don't. There's always a loop in every system."

~~

"Get some sleep, I'll take care of it."

Almond was back home, the house eerily silent thanks to the Crumble of Pecan; his father was always one to talk and fill the house with laughter and joy. He'd never seen his mother so full of despair as if the passing of Pecan had also mentally Crumbled her as well. It was heartbreaking for him to be unable to do anything while his mother cried in her sleep.

And to think he couldn't be with her during the last two days...

With a sigh, he sat down on the dinner table, which was scattered with files, papers and notes. His mother, with persuasion from Almond, had reluctantly gone to her room to catch up on sleep.

On the car ride back home, she had told him all he needed. The funeral was going to be on one day, and all their relatives had told her which days they were free. They had to hold it within a week thanks to Cookie tradition, and all close relatives had to be present.

Staring at all the papers and notes, Almond decided to sort them all out.

Some relatives had taken their whole week off from work to mourn; others had lower-paying jobs that would only allow them to take two days off from work.

While sifting through all the schedules, he saw a wax seal on one of the envelopes: Addressed to Almond.

Almond's eyes widened in shock; it was his father's handwriting.

Without a second thought, the Cookie carefully opened the letter, making sure not to damage it too badly, the sound of tearing paper filling the room. In the envelope was a handwritten letter.

Dear Almond,

There is almost no time left as I am writing this letter. After so many years, I fear that Gouda is after me again. Remember the scar on my eye? It was from Gouda, the Cheese. You must know now that the Cheeses are our enemy. No, not just this family's, the whole Main City's.  A long time ago, I was in a fight with Gouda Cookie. I tried to solve the rivalry but she wouldn't listen.

The truth...I will not write it here, for fear that this letter may fall in the wrong hands. It is all in the ancient book that Gouda was trying to take from me. The rivalry between our families stemmed from just two young Cookies, almost like you and Roguefort. I knew that the son of the Cheeses would be attending the camp. You've befriended him, have you not? I have my ways of knowing.

I believe in you two to solve this rivalry. Gouda will come for me, probably alongside her daughter Mozzarella, maybe just before you return from camp, or even earlier. The book is in Buttercream Choco's mansion. Go there, and find the truth, and perhaps all this will end in peace.

When you read this letter, perhaps I am fighting Gouda, or I may have finished her off, or she may have finished me off. The future is uncertain, but if I have Crumbled already, tell Cashew not to cry so much; she cries a lot whenever something bad happens. It is inevitable and I knew she was going to come after me again.

One last thing. Cherish your bond with Roguefort. It's not every day you get to meet a friend like him.

Stay healthy and don't lose hope.

Love,
Pecan Cookie

Almond blankly stared at the paper for a few seconds before questions flooded his mind like water spilling from a broken dam.

His father knew that he and Roguefort were friends?

His father sent him to the camp despite the danger that Roguefort might have known who he was?

He knew that he would get in a fight and possibly Crumble?

Why did he not tell Cashew?

Questions flooded Almond's mind. However, they could never be answered. Swiping his phone from the table, he called Roguefort, hoping that the Cookie was okay.

Before Roguefort picked up, a message was sent.

"I have to talk in code, the walls have ears here."

Then, he picked up.

"Hello?" Roguefort asked in an almost monotone voice.

"Holy Millenial Tree, you're fine. I was scared."

"Yeah, I'm back home, why?"

Almond was confused before he realised that Roguefort was 'talking in code'.

"Great. Will you be able to come to Buttercream Choco's?"

"Hold on, let me ask my parents."

Roguefort put down the phone and was about to ask Cheddar, who had mysteriously appeared right next to him. Roguefort was about to question it but he figured Cheddar had just sneaked in.

The walls really had ears here, huh.

"What did you want to ask me?"

"Oh. My friends from camp wanted to meet up. We're going to Buttercream Choco's house to play games. Can I go as well?"

"Buttercream Choco's...? As in the richest family in the Main City...'s?"

An uncomfortable silence filled Roguefort's room before Cheddar spoke.

"You can go...but bring me something from that house. Steal it. It's your first mission, I suppose."

"Dad! I'm going there to play games, I can't just-"

"Do you understand?!" Cheddar shouted in a booming voice, slightly scaring Roguefort.

"Y-Yes, Dad."

Little did the father and son know that on the other side of the phone, Almond had heard everything.

~~

[Originally published May 17 2020]

Surprise! They can go, but Roguefort has to steal something from Buttercream Choco.

Road to being Phantom Bleu, am I right?

How will that turn out?

Idk, wait for that chapter I guess. XD

Leave your guesses here in an inline comment if you want?

aNyWaYS

in case you haven't figured it out already, "Crumble" is the Cookie version of yeeting- I mean dying.

Also, Pecan Cookie somehow knew that Almond and Roguefort were friends!

:0

How did that happen? Did someone in the camp tell him that? Or was he hiding in the shadows all along?

Drop your predictions here again!

I hope you enjoyed this tea-filled chapter, hints were dropped, and oh wow this book is gaining some views 0-0

Thank you all for reading!!!

Follow me if you want and I'll see you next week in a new chapter~!



Next chapter:

"Alright then, you needn't have that distract you from training. After all, a persona is not easy to create."

~~

"Mom, please stop crying..."

~~

"Buttercream, you cannot let them know what's inside the book."

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net