Sara and Kate appeared close to the house, but hidden away from sight, behind a couple of trees. They were in a housing town of Las Angeles, cars zooming past them. They stepped out from their hidden post, seeing the house looking normal besides a door that was cracked and the house did look rundown and emptied.

Sara muttered as they sneaked around the propriety of the house, “Why do villains love to stay at rundown places?”

“Fits their style?” amused Kate, seeing the house’s small lawn seemed normal and nothing out of place. Neatly trimmed bushes were decorated around the house, with darkened windows.

Sara saw the neighboring houses were occupied and the girls had to be careful not to be seen, “How are we going to get inside?”

Kate chewed on her lips as she thought about how they could get inside. She sighed, “Can’t break any windows...is there a basement we could peek in and if empty go inside?”

They walked around carefully, seeing no door to the basement, but small windows that looked inside it. Kate and Sara squatted down, examining the basement, seeing it empty, and hearing no noises coming inside the house.

“Do you think we could squeeze our asses through that slit window?” wondered Sara, trying to measure their body length and the window.

“We have to try,” Kate glanced around to see if there was anyone seeing them or sensing any monsters, but none. She said, “We need a car to honk right next to us.” There were high bushes, covering the movement that was next to the road, “So I can break the window without any much noise.”

Sara saw through the glimpses of the bushes, cars passing them. She said, raising her hands, “Be prepared to have some cars honk.”

Kate was unease about what her friend was going to do, but put her elbow near the window, ready to crash it any second, seeing through the bushes what was going to happen next.

Sara flexed her fingers as one car passed them, another car from the opposite direction skidded onto the opposite line, so close to smashing into the passing car. Both of the cars honked noisily in a frightened. frantic honks.

Kate smashed the window and Sara unflexed her fingers, letting the car roll back into their lane with no other cars in their way. Kate saw the scared looks crossing the people’s faces as that near accident took place, “Well done, Sara. You scared me a little for a second.”

They turned their attention back to the basement, seeing if any warlocks came to see the action of the shattering of glass, Kate and Sara was hoping if any warlocks were in there, distracted by the honking of the horns, but there was no doubt, that if someone was in there, they would’ve heard the window breaking.

Kate and Sara waited for some minutes until Kate decided to push the remainder of the sharp, teeth glass from the window and let Sara slip in first, her body flexibly easily getting inside, but clumsily let out a small shriek as she fell down.

Kate put her legs in first and bent her body through the panel, her body a little harder to squeeze through the narrow window, but after wiggling her body a little, she easily dropped to the floor not falling as Sara did.

The friends took a gaze around, seeing the basement was vacant. They took a quick look around, Kate pulling out one of her guns, surveilling the area, “Put the glass back.”

Sara snapped her fingers inattentively as the small broken fragments of glass shoot back up into one piece. She looked in the bathroom but nothing was in there, “Look like no one is living here.”

After being satisfied with their observation, they quietly went upstairs. They paused at the brim of the stairs, to see if they heard anything, but no sounds from television or any talking were taking place. They reached the first flooring, seeing it completely unfurnished, just bare rooms and walls.

“Sara, check upstairs,” Kate ordered, as she continued walking away softly, seeing no shadowy movements besides hers and Sara’s. She would be lying to herself that she was disappointed not to have an exciting mission.

Kate hadn’t been on a real mission...just some errands since...That damn office building collapsed. The mission she horribly did. She entered the kitchen, with no countertops or dishwasher, or even an island. Damn, this house is depressing.

Kate wondered how Michael got these rumors, she certainly didn’t see any warlocks or sense their presence. Kate’s mind wondered if this house would be good for her and Andrew...if she had a normal life. Would’ve she moved her with Andrew and had a family? She could see herself happy here.

Sara shrieked on the second floor. Kate swirled around, the thought vanished, and dashed to the staircase and up the stairs, her feet pounding “Sara!” She reached the second flooring with her heart racing in fear. She went to the room where she heard the screaming and saw Sara breathe harshly, “Sara, what’s wrong?” Her gun was ready to aim at any warlock and to guard her friend.

Sara pointed to a hairy spider, “It jumped from the ceiling!”

Kate stared at the spider that was crawling away hurriedly and pointed the gun down, “Seriously. Did you scream because of a spider? I thought you were going to be killed or some shit.” Kate put her gun back, shaking her head. She lifted up her jeans, shaking her head, “Come on. There’s nothing here. Our time was wasted,” she muttered.

Sara said, “Sorry.” She went by Kate’s side faithfully, Spot anything?”

“No,” sighed Kate, pulling her jacket over her guns.

“Let’s quickly finish these rooms and be out of here,” said Sara.

They gave each room and quick glance, and Kate pounded on the wall going downstairs, to see if she heard any hollow sounds. She didn’t. “Guess we go off to the zoo now.”

Sara pulled out her phone, “I’ll text Dad that we found nothing.” Her fingers already typing away.

Kate opened the door, wondering if she meant “Dad” in general for both of them, for she expressed that word if it was meant for her also. Kate blurted out, “Do you see your father as my father?”

Sara looked up at her, “Yeah, I guess. We both don’t have any parents and he treats us the same.” She went back down to her phone as Kate peeked through the windows to see if any people were strolling by. Her negative voice nagged at her that Sara was just being nice, so she pushed her thoughts away.

Kate closed the door softly and they quickly went to the sidewalks like any normal humans, “I was certain those rumors would be right.”

Sara put her phone in her skirt pocket, “You lose some, you gain some.”

The friends walked together abreast, content with each other’s company as they headed to the zoo that was about a nine-mile walk, but none of them minded it for it was cool and the right amount of sun kissing their skin comforting.

Sara paid for the tickets with her father’s credit card. They first saw the cheetahs, which were Kate’s favorite animals, watching them bounce and run till their hearts’ were contented. They went over to see the exotic rainforest frogs from the Amazon. They took a bus that toured in seeing flamingos, Asian elephants, and black pandas.

The young girls explored the zoo until it was thirty minutes until closing. They spotted a nice Mexican restaurant, taking their time chatting about Pitch, being Michael’s sidekick, and how much Sara’s romance life sucked.

They went to get boba tea for dessert, laughing as they strolled down the dark alleys to find a secluded spot to open up the portal and go home.

Kate and Sara found a quiet spot behind a spa salon, Sara turned to her friend, “It was nice catching up, you know, talking and just having fun. With Pitch as a bitch, we haven’t had time to be with each other for a while. I miss that.”

Kate hugged Sara unexpectedly, feeling tears emerge as she was starting to think Sara didn’t care about this kind of friendship time, “I missed it too, Sara. We should definitely go to a movie theater when Michael gives us another break.” She grabbed the marble from her leather jacket, flinging it down as it cracked alive into a whirling portal.

Sara grasped Kate’s hand, gazing with pure, amazing love at her best friend, “I’ll stand by you forever, Katerina.”

Kate smiled as warmth happily felt crossed inside of her. She saw Sara’s promise as she spoke those words and felt that bond wrapping around them like an invisible magical force. Although Sara was enough for her, she wanted the same love from her best friend that Michael could give her.

That tiniest jealousy lightened inside her and she pushed that feeling away, flickering that jealously candle out...but not forever.

***

“Sir, can I ask you why you let Sara and Kate through that pointless mission? You knew that there was going to be a slim chance to have warlocks there and you could’ve sent any hero to do that task,” inquired Daniel, politely awaiting the Archangel’s response.

Michael looked up from the book he was reading filled with the knowledge of the assumptions of the sword, “I’ve noticed that they haven’t had a chance to have a close connection for a while. My girls have only been doing some sleepovers and don’t really chat much to each other unless it’s business.”

“Not to undermine your intentions, Sir, but aren’t they close enough?” Daniel wondered, leaning back in his chair. He was looking at ancient sketches of the sword, carefully putting old pages back in their folder.

Michael flipped another of the brass book that was in prime condition, “Daniel, you know I can’t afford them to not be friends. First, Sara and Kate need each other, they both need a best friend, and second...and if...they figure out—we have a secured measure if anything happens.”

“I understand,” mused Daniel.

Michael kept flipping the pages and muttered, “This is useless.” He stood up, letting his chair roll back, looking out of the crystal blue sky fading into nightfall. The Archangel’s glistering eyes shone out to the heavens. Michael couldn’t afford to not take up the extra measures in case the information fell apart, he needed a safe backbone, but he felt everything was secure and nothing will happen.

Expect...Sal.

Michael bit on his finger unconsciously, Sara’s imaginary friend was making him nervous. Sara had told me something frightening that kept repeating in his mind— “Sal.” Sara had fearful whispered, grasping at Michael’s arm firmly, “It was a nightmare and he pretended to be like you and stabbed me.” His daughter had paused to try not to weep, but failed, “Father. I know you think I’m insane, but I’m not, I swear!”

Michael knew his daughter wasn’t insane, even when his mind wanted to conclude that to make everything easier. The bruises showed him that Sal pretending to be like him and hurt her over and over again didn’t settle well within the Archangel’s angelic soul.

It wasn’t like Michael didn’t care, he did care deeply—but there was nothing to do about Sal. He tried every method and kept failing her. Michael just had to keep an eye on Sal. He wasn’t expecting much to happen and will soon disappear, but Sal or whoever...doing this to his daughter, the bruises were too much.

Sal was reminding the Archangel that he was a lot like a demonic possession, which was really bad, but other than disgustingly inflicting pain on his daughter, Sal didn’t seem all that powerful when it came to possessing her. If Michael was right about that, he knew Sara wouldn’t let anyone take hold of her body.

Sara was too powerful for that.

But, as Michael turned to the images of the sword, his heartbeat with a worried rhythm.