She sat curled up on the couch, knees drawn tightly to her chest beneath a heavy blanket redolent with the faint, comforting scent of cedar and home. Her fingers wrapped around a steaming mug cradling her brother's secret cocoa recipe --- a warmth that seeped deep into her skin like a silent, steadfast promise. The recipe was a guarded mystery; he never revealed its ingredients, not even to her. Over