Catching a whiff of smoke, Maddie bolted from her spot and sprinted toward the suites, already having a pretty good guess where the fire was coming from. And sure enough, her suspicions were quickly confirmed: thick, black smoke was billowing out of Joyce's window.

Without wasting a single second, Maddie burst into the room, only to find the kitchen ablaze and her friend shrieking in pure terror.

"Joyce, what the hell! What did you do this time?!" Maddie screamed, yanking a fire extinguisher off the wall in the hallway.

"I-I don’t know..! I just... I just wanted to make pancakes...!" Joyce whimpered back, desperately trying to swat the burning stove with a towel.

"Move!" Maddie ordered. She aimed the nozzle at the source of the flames and blasted it with foam, completely plastering not just the fire, but the walls, the furniture, and even Joyce herself. A few seconds later, the fire was dead, and the extinguisher was totally tapped out.

"Good lord, Joyce... How do you even manage to start a fire here?"

"I... I don’t know... I just..." Unable to hold it in anymore, Joyce collapsed onto the floor and burst into tears.

"While I was making pancakes, some hot oil splashed on me... I freaked out and jerked, accidentally knocking over the bottle of oil with my elbow, thereby spilling it all over the stove... And that's how it all went up in flames..."

She mumbled the words barely above a whisper, choking on her sobs. Her entire body was shaking uncontrollably from the sheer terror and stress of it all.

"Okay, I get it. I’m sorry I yelled." Seeing her friend so miserable, Maddie crouched down next to her and pulled her into a tight hug, pressing Joyce's head against her chest.

"Shh, it's okay... Everything's gonna be fine. I’ll pay the hotel for the damages and get you a new suite, 'kay? Don't even worry about it. For now... let's just go for a walk. Get you some fresh air. Sound good?"

After a few loud sniffles, Joyce lifted her head and gave a tiny, barely noticeable nod.

"Uh-huh..."