She rubbed her fingers together, staring disdainfully at the brown streaks glaring back at her. They might have been hardly noticeable but to the young witch, who was forced to look at her own fingers daily. In her hazel eyes, she spied hardly a napkin in sight, spurring them to roll crudely at the state of her misfortune. In that case, Millie decided, she was going to take another piece of the fudge.

Now the chocolate stains were more obvious, prompting the youngest of the Potts relatives to take a step back from the desserts table. She took hold of her cocoa with both hands, curling her fingers as close to the scalding hot cup as she dared to hide them from view.

"Mildred?" Her mother's voice drifted across the kitchen, stopping the young witch in her tracks. If she continued to turn away, her dirty fingers would be discovered for certain. Her mother's voice came wafting along, settling lighter than expected, "Did you try some of the fudge?"

Millie struggled not to show the relief on her face and shoulders. "Yes mum."

"And do you have anything to say to your cousin for making it?" The young witch perked up, grateful for the easy task that would send her from prying eyes. She paused a moment too long, leaving her mother to clarify. "Dahlia?"

"I'll go find her." She gave her mum a reassuring smile, and a quick nod, stepping as lightly and quickly as she could from the kitchen's grasp. Her grin broadened at making her escape so easily, and as Millie passed from views of her other relatives —and some invited guests— she sucked the fudgy evidence of sloppiness from her fingers. Sugar only lightened the young witch's steps, making her only a little sad there was not enough hallway left to skip for the remainder.

Her shoes tamped down on the floors outside of the small sitting room, stopping short before she could intrude. The young witch felt her mouth droop, and her cheeks burned with the sudden realization that she was violating her cousin's private moment. With a whirl of her skirts, Millie spun to head the other way, slipping through the kitchen again without drawing the ire of her mother or any other aunts. Breathless with her second escape for the day, the young witch bit her lip to keep the brimming news from spilling out of her.

The young witch wended her way to the couch by the fire, thinking she could slip in with her cousin's chatter to forget her own. Millie managed to catch the last of Zinnia's words, and raised her cup full of hot cocoa in salute to its divinity. "It really is!"

Millie had nearly forgotten about it all this time, with the near-miss from her mother and the sight she'd caught outside the small parlor. The drink was still hot, but wouldn't scald her lips any longer. She had to restrain herself from drinking more at once, but then the urge to share came rushing back to her. The young witch tried to busy herself by finding a seat on the couch, offering a polite smile to Sisse Thompsett as well. She only really knew her cousin's friend by sight. "Merry Christmas, Miss Thompsett, Zin-Zin."

Even sitting couldn't stem the tide of her excitement, despite how much the young witch tried at it. Her hot cocoa was nearly drained, and she had shifted in her seat a dozen times. Millie wrestled with her desire to share her burden over preserving the privacy of her cousin's moment. Her eyes glanced up to Zinnia before turning away, certain that her cousin could read the secret straight from her eyes if she let her.

Millie couldn't possibly let this one slip from her tongue.

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