Thank you so much for the review! I'm now ready to move on to the next chapter.

The path leading to the Hughes Residence wasn't very long and the house was soon in sight. Ed knocked on the door and waited for an answer. When none came, he knocked again, harder. Still no one answered. He went to a window and saw no one was inside the house at all. He was about to give up and just go to Central, when he heard someone laughing. At this time, he noticed a small fence with a gate in it. The gate swung open easily and Ed entered the backyard. The first thing he noticed was a large table stretching from one end of the yard to the other. At least twenty different chairs were seated around the table and each chair had a plate, knife, fork, spoon, and glass next to it. On the table were at least a dozen different cakes, each with a different icing and a presumably different flavor. Tea pots and cream jars and jam jars and sugar pots and dishes of butter and pieces of bread, as well as several different snack items were scattered amongst the cakes. Yet even though there was this many different foods, and this many different places set, only three people were sitting at the far end of the table. Ed instantly recognized Hughes and his daughter Elicia, but he couldn't place the third person. Whoever it was, her head was face down on the table and she was wearing a military uniform. Before Ed could say or do anything, Hughes noticed he was standing there and immediately came over to him.

"Excuse me, but do you have an invitation?" He asked.

"An invitation to what?" Ed asked.

"Why, to my darling daughter Elicia's birthday of course!" He yelled, beaming. "She's turning three today!"

"That's great, but I don't think I…" Ed started.

"Nonsense!" Hughes said, grabbing Ed's arm. "Come on over and celebrate with us!"

Ed was helpless to resist Hughes as he dragged him over to the far end of the table. When they got there, Hughes pushed Ed into the nearest chair and sat back down himself. He then cut a piece of one cake and gave it to Ed.

"Uh…Thanks." Ed said, looking at the cake.

"Go ahead and try it! My wife Gracia worked so hard to make it."

Ed really didn't want to eat the cake. After all, eating in this place was kind of dangerous for him. But he didn't need to worry, because Elicia suddenly pointed at a clock on the table and yelled out, "Next party!"

Immediately, Hughes and Elicia jumped up and began moving down the table. The girl with her head down didn't move and neither did Ed. So Hughes came back and dragged them both to a new part of the table. Once they were there, Hughes cut another piece of cake and gave it to Ed.

"You already gave me some cake." Ed said.

"That was at a different party! You have to try this cake! My wife Gracia spent hours making it!" Hughes said again.

"But I just…" Ed tried to say.

"Can I open my presents now Papa?" Elicia asked, bouncing in her seat.

"Of course you can!" Hughes said, reaching under the table. "Here you go! This one's from your mom and I."

Elicia ripped open the gift and gasped in joy at the little toy mouse she had just received.

"Thank you so much!" She said, hugging Hughes.

"What about you Sheska?" Hughes asked looking at the girl with her head down.

Ed looked over at her as she groaned and lifted her head. Sure enough, it was Sheska. But her military outfit, like Ross', had been altered into a miniskirt!

"Mr. Hughes please!" She begged. "I already gave Elicia her present six hours ago!"

"Different party!" Hughes said brightly.

"They're all the same!" She yelled throwing up her hands. "I just came here to deliver this message to you from the Fuhrer! I need to get back to Central!"

"What's your rush? There's still a lot of food left!"

"Next party!" Elicia called out.

Once more, Hughes and Elicia got up and, once more, Hughes dragged Ed and Sheska to a new spot.

"Did you know my daughter can sing?" Hughes said, cutting more cake.

"I think you might have mentioned it once." Ed said, trying to sift through all the compliments Hughes had made about his daughter.

"Why don't you show them Elicia!"

"Okay!" She jumped up on her chair and cleared her throat.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star! How I wonder what you are! Up above the world so high! Like a diamond in the sky! Twinkle, twinkle little star! How I wonder what you are!"

Immediately following her little recital, Hughes clapped like crazy, tears streaming down his face.

"Beautiful! Absolutely wonderful!"

"That's the fifty-eighth time she's sang that song." Sheska whispered to Ed. "I think I'm going to go crazy!"

"Why does he keep repeating things like this?" Ed asked Sheska.

"That's a funny story!" Hughes burst in. "A few weeks ago, I was chatting to the Fuhrer about Elicia and after a few hours he told me I was 'wasting his time'. When time heard about this, he thought I was killing time and so he stopped running for me. So now it's Elicia's third birthday everyday and that's why I have so many places set!"

Ed and Sheska both gave him a blank look.

"But that's impossible!" Ed yelled, standing up. "None of this makes any sense! Are you both crazy?"

Elicia began to cry said, "He yelled at me Papa!"

Hughes stood up slowly and pulled out a pistol. He cocked it slowly and pointed it at Ed

"No one makes my little girl cry!" He said and began firing.

Ed and Sheska both screamed and ran from the hail of lead screaming after them.

"You're insane!" Ed yelled, dodging bullets.

"Just keep running!" Sheska said, nearly tripping.

Ed clapped his hands and placed them on the ground. A wall rose up and cut off the bullets.

"That was close!" Sheska said, collapsing on the ground, out of breath.

"Why are we there anyway?" Ed asked, sitting down next to her.

"I was supposed to deliver a message from the Fuhrer. He wanted to have Mr. Hughes attend this event in Central." Sheska explained.

"My teacher got an invitation like that too." Ed said, thinking hard. "What is this event anyway?"

Sheska shrugged and said, "I don't know. I was just sent to deliver the message."

"One more question." Ed said, as they both stood up. "Why are you wearing a miniskirt?"

Sheska immediately blushed and said, "This is new standard military wear! Please don't make fun of me!"

And with that, she left. Ed sighed and looked around. None of this was making any sense and the more he learned about the events in this place the stranger it seemed.

"I guess I have no choice." He said. "I have to go to Central."

Ending Note: Thank you again for reviewing my story! We're coming to the end of this story soon. Just a few more chapters to go!