Rena felt a hand grab her amidst all the chaos.
When her eyes opened, the person she saw surprised her more than anything she'd experienced.
"S- Sandra?!" Disbelief was written clear as day on her face.
"The one and only." Sandra smiled warmly, though Rena could sense the massive change in her aura and appearance.
Her hair appeared slightly darker, not to mention her all-black attire.
Rena instinctively reached out, wrapping her arms around Sandra.
As much as she had a lot to ask, solace had washed over.
Sandra pulled away and gave a momentous look.
"Don't celebrate just yet bestie. We're still in Hell, remember?"
Rena frowned. The last thing she wanted was to be back in Zeniss' presence.
"So... How do we leave?"
"It's all up to you hun." Sandra flashed.
"Meaning...?"
"Only demons can migrate in between Earth and Hell," Sandra explained.
"And you kinda are. I mean you're a vessel, Valum lurks in you."
Rena stared, speechless. She wasn't used to hearing Sandra speak like that. She'd known her as the carefree and unfazed type. She felt a distant but sharp pain in her head, as a million questions raced in her mind all at once.
"But I can't control the darkne-"
"You can now." Sandra cut her off.
"Thanks to that." She pointed at the glowing bracelet on her arm.
"Just think of where you want to go, and visualize only it." Sandra's eyes skimmed the area sharply.
"And hurry."
Rena bit her lip nervously, not quite believing Sandra's words.
Eventually, she closed her eyes and thought of the house. The house where all her friends and family were probably waiting for her.
Unexpectedly, she felt her world begin to fluctuate.
Her eyes opened and a sigh of relief escaped her lips, a relieved smile shining on her face.
It had actually worked!
She'd appeared next to the fireplace, where she'd last been with Darien.
At the thought of him, Rena hastily left the room, failing to notice that Sandra had also materialized inside the room.
Her breathing revved as she speed-walked through the corridors.
She practically raced down the stairs on hearing Angel's distant but worried voice.
"I... Can sense h-" Angel cut herself short when she turned and saw Rena.
The two met in a wistful embrace.
"Oh, thank the heavens." Angel sighed in relief, amiably stroking Rena's hair.
Rena relaxed in her arms, tears looming in her tightly shut eyes. Right then, she realized that Angel had been more of a family to her than her real mother ever was.
The moment Rena pulled away, Diamond instantly received her in a tight hug.
"Don't scare us like that again!"
"Sorry," Rena replied, not knowing what else to say.
"Where's everyone else?" She glanced around.
"Well, your father and Darien stepped out, and Eve and Grace are out in the garden." Diamond explained.
"Come, I'll take you to them." She took her hand.
"And I'll prepare us dinner," Angel added before walking off.
Diamond and Rena found the two girls seated on the grass, playing fetch with a cute little white puppy.
"Hey mom, aunt Irene." Eve's cheerful, but distracted voice called out.
Grace also looked up and smiled.
"Hey, sis-"
Her words were cut short by Rena, who knelt and embraced her. Although a bit skeptical, Grace hugged her back.
"Is something the matter?" She asked after Rena pulled back.
Eve's attention also shifted as she looked up at Rena curiously.
It seemed as though the two hadn't realized she'd been missing.
"Everything's alright dearies. Irene just needs a bit of rest." Diamond smiled assuredly.
"Look aunt, uncle Xander brought us a puppy! Isn't he the cutest little thing?" Eve remarked, petting the animal lovingly.
"He said his name is Blizzard. I think he and Spike are really good friends."
"Who?" Grace suddenly inquired.
"Uh... Uncle Xander's other cute puppy." Eve answered calmly.
The two girls soon got distracted by Blizzard, and Diamond discreetly took Rena to a secluded part of the garden. The two friends sat close together on a wooden bench.
"They didn't seem to know of my sudden disappearance," Rena said, gazing expectantly at her friend.
"Well, we told them you flew out of the country for a work emergency." Diamond explained.
Rena nodded understandingly.
"Thank you. They are just kids after all. They shouldn't be involved in all this."
"Careful now, Gracie better not hear you calling her a kid." Diamond warned playfully.
Rena beamed knowingly, then instantly turned serious again.
"How long had I been gone?" Rena wondered.
Diamond remained calm, her expression saddening.
"About a week..."
Rena couldn't believe her ears.
"A week?!"
"Yeah... I heard time works differently there." Diamond smiled knowingly.
Rena's eyes slightly widened. Diamond seemed to know a lot more than she was letting on. "So... You also know?"
Rena questioned, and received a small subtle nod from her friend.
"But how?"
"Xander kind of told me..." Diamond said, watching Rena's expression instantly alter.
"I, uh, heard what happened-"
"I'd rather not speak of it." Rena cut her off, tears stinging the corners of her eyes.
"I understand." Diamond reached out, holding Rena's hand in hers. Deciding to change the subject, Diamond glanced at the bracelet on her left arm. She recalled the first time Xander had shown it to her, saying he wasn't sure if it was ready for use yet. Diamond smiled, glad that he'd finally put it to good use.
"So... What is that?" Diamond inquired.
Rena sighed.
"Xander." She really couldn't avoid speaking of him with the glowing reminder on her arm...
She looked away from the bracelet, her gaze changing.
"But as of now, my main concern is Sandra." She remarked.
Her gut screamed that something anomalous was going on with Sandra.
"So you already know then?" Diamond looked inquiringly at her.
Rena frowned confusedly, half-heartedly knowing the answer, but deciding to go along with it.
"Know what?"
Diamond looked away, clearly reticent to answer.
"That she's..."
"That she's what Daya?" Rena pressed, her heart racing.
"A demon."
A voice spoke, and Sandra appeared in front of them.
...
