Chapter 68: Gothic Gathering

My first reaction to Pain's house was shock.

Followed rather quickly by a serious case of the giggles. Alison couldn't help herself. When she heard me go off, she did too.

Not that there was anything wrong with it. Quite the contrary. It's just I expected her place to look something like mine, only way more over the top. Creepsville. With turrets. In bad need of a paint job and a mowing.

Imagine my surprise when Alison pulled up at the quaint, gingerbread house painted a cheery yellow. The mailbox at the end of the driveway even matched. Perfectly. Someone built an exact replica and planted it on the top of a brightly painted post. There was even a sign at the gate, proudly proclaiming "The Hammonds Live Here!" All three of them. And their dog.

It was so charming I continued to laugh.

"I know, right?" Alison rolled her eyes, wiping carefully at the corners to keep her tears of hilarity from smearing her mascara. "And you'll never guess what her real name is."

Honestly, I'd never