Smoke and Mirrors

by TheGingerAvenger

Sabrina left the family business after too many lies. Years later she's sucked back in when her sister claims their grandmother has gone missing. With the aid of a fairy with suspicious motives, their search leads them into a mess of secrets and lies. But the deeper into this world she goes, the less sure she is on who she can trust. Especially when the monsters start fighting back

2. Chapter 2

A/N: So I forgot to mention in the last chapter that I'm going to try sticking to a once every other week update schedule. That way I hopefully won't burn through the chapter's I've already have written, and it'll be a much more consistent update schedule than if I updated once a week. If you're curious about when the next chapter is coming, just check out my profile where I post updates and stuff.

And for those of you who are curious about when everyone's favorite fairy is going to show up, Puck is going to appear in the fourth chapter. Though he's mentioned in the third.

Thanks for all your comments! They really made my week! This chapter is more dialog, not much on the side of action, but hopefully you'll like it anyway.

Guest: Yes, I have seen Supernatural. It's one of my favorite shows- though I haven't seen any of the past two new seasons. Funny fact, I actually toyed with the idea of writing a Supernatural style AU story for the Sisters Grimm before deciding to go in a completely different direction with this story. Thanks!

DelusionalApple: Thank you!

. . .

The day after their parents went missing, Sabrina gave up. She stopped wanting things, stopped wanting to think, stopped wanting to feel, stopped wanting to be. Allowed herself and her sister to be carted from one solemn faced official to another. Allowed the answers to their questions fall mechanically from her numb lips.

No, she didn't know if her parents had been planning on going somewhere that night.

No, she didn't know of anyone being angry at her parents.

No, she didn't leave the door unlocked.

No, she couldn't see the intruder's face.

No, they didn't have any other family to go to.

Her entire body was buzzing, an odd tingling sensation that seemed to force out any other kind of emotion. All sound was muffled, every image blurred, every thought fuzzy. The stubborn pounding of her heart, the pumping of her blood, felt foreign and far off. Even the sour-faced care-worker getting her name wrong repeatedly didn't have an effect on her. She was separated from what was around her by a thick layer of fog, and she had no desire or strength to break through.

Their first foster parent was a skinny man with blue eyes that seemed prepared to jump off his face at the quickest available moment. His movements were stiff and jerky, more like a man made out of metal than one made out of bones and tissue. He had an odd love of ferrets and would treat them like they were his own children. Gracing them with their own seat at the dining table, giving them the comfiest comforters, dotting over them with a worry that was palpable whenever one so much as sneezed.

Not twenty-four hours after they entered the home, one of the ferrets bit Daphne. Clamped down hard on the little girl's arm and refused to release its grip until she slammed it into the wall. Their foster father wasn't pleased.

It was then, with him screaming at the crying girl, with his bulging eyes just begging to be knocked out, with the tears streaming down Daphne's face and the blood down her arm, that Sabrina felt the buzzing sensation begin to fade. The tingling numbness was swiftly overtaken by a burning anger that raged throughout every inch of her body.

She kicked the man's shins so hard she was surprised she didn't break anything, and she grabbed Daphne's hand and they ran.

They didn't make it on their own for long. It was merely a day until they were taken back to the orphanage and a sputtering and embarrassed Ms. Smirt. But the buzzing and fog didn't return.

Sabrina spent that night with Daphne in her cot; her arms wrapped tightly around her little sister- the only thing keeping her tethered to the world- and gently stoked the fire burning inside of her. They would make it. She stared up at the ceiling and repeated thoe words around and around in her head like a mantra, clinging to them as tightly as she clung to Daphne. They would make it. They would make it through whatever life decided to throw their way, and they would make it through it all together.

. . .

It's her nightstand, one of the few pieces of furniture she keeps in her room, that was crushed underneath Daphne's weight when the younger girl was thrown back by the force of the door. The picture of Bradley that was given the prized spot is broken as well, fractures spread across the glass like an intricate spider web. Sabrina frowns down at the ruined picture and runs her finger across the cracked surface, feeling all the edges and cracks beneath her skin. She keeps her eyes glued to the picture and not at her sister standing in the doorway with a bag of ice in her hand and another pressed against her cheek.

Sabrina's shoulders lift in a sigh as she places the picture on her bed. "Was there any reason why you tried to beat the crap out of me?" She asks, glancing over her shoulder at her sister.

Daphne shrugs, a sheepish grin spreading across her face and causing the cut on her lips to bleed again, a line of scarlet against her dark skin. "I didn't realize it was you and you came at me a lot harder than most civilians and I kinda panicked." Her grin widens into something more genuine and teasing as she tosses Sabrina the other bag of ice. "But you have to admit, I did give you a run for your money."

Sabrina catches the bag and rolls her eyes. "All you did was show me that you need to train more for hand-to-hand combat. You still fight like you're glued to one spot." A sigh escapes her lips as she presses the bag against her shoulder, a soothing chill calming the throbbing pain.

Daphne laughs, and Sabrina realizes with a jolt just how much she missed hearing that sound. "And you still favor your right hand. Besides, my strong suit isn't beating people to a pulp. And at least this way you know you haven't completely lost your edge."

Sabrina glances at her broken bedside table and then at her door, hanging on one hinge, before her gaze moves back to Daphne. "Thank you ever so much," she says, her voice dry. "You do know they have these newfangled devices called cell phones that you could have used to call me instead of sneaking into my apartment like a creep."

"I couldn't risk calling you on a phone. You never know who might be listening in." The tone of her voice carries the lightness of someone desperately trying to joke, her eyes flickering briefly down and to the side before she abruptly turns around on her heels and heads into the living room. "Aren't you going to ask me why I'm here?" She calls over her shoulder.

"I figure you'll tell me whether I ask or not," Sabrina answers. She slips past Daphne as the younger girl sits in one of the chairs by the bar, and heads into the kitchen, trying to smother the alarm ringing in her head. Agents only ditch their phones if they're being targeted or followed, and since Daphne's just a trainee for the public relations area, that shouldn't be happening to her. There's also the fact that Daphne chose to "sneak" in through Sabrina's now broken window, instead of waiting for Sabrina to come home or risking a neighbor seeing her picking the lock. Something must be wrong. Her eyes do a quick once over of her sister as she passes. As far as she can tell, she didn't do much harm to the younger girl. Daphne'll probably have a few bruises and sore spots in the morning- something that sends guilt twisting her stomach- but nothing that will kill her. Sabrina turns around and opens one of the cabinets, trying to busy herself with grabbing two of the only clean mugs she had. "Want some coffee?"

"No."

Sabrina's hands hesitate before grabbing the mugs, the ceramic cool against her palms. She knows she's been away from Daphne for a while and that a lot might have changed, but there have only been a few occasions when the other girl's voice sounded that subdued. And none of those instances were pleasant.

She places the mugs on the counter a little harder than she means too, the clink as they meet the hard surface cutting through the air, and Sabrina twists around to stare at Daphne, eyes narrowed. The girl looks healthy. Fit. Well-fed. But there's a shadow of worry lingering around her. She chews on her bottom lip, her eyes focusing on everything but Sabrina, and she appears to be bouncing in one spot, her fingers tapping out an erratic beat on the bar.

"Daphne?" Sabrina can already feel the surge of panic rising inside of her, her mind forming all the possible scenarios where things could have gone horribly, horribly wrong. She presses the palms of her hands against the edge of the counter, trying to ground herself. "What is it?"

Daphne's eyes stare firmly at the top of the counter before they finally flicker up to meet Sabrina's gaze. Her throat works for a second before she manages to croak out, "Granny's gone missing."

Sabrina's stomach drops unpleasantly and her breath hitches in her throat, a short, choked sound, as her mind comes to a screeching halt. She quickly turns back to the mugs and forces herself to go through the familiar motions of fixing coffee, trying to squash the worry before it can turn into full blown panic. Granny may be older, she may be part of the small family Sabrina has left, but she's been taking care of herself for years, surely she'd be okay. Sabrina takes a deep, steadying breath and tries to make her voice sound casual. "Are you sure she isn't out on a mission the agency is just trying to keep under-wraps?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Indignation laces Daphne's voice, whether because Sabrina was too good at sounding unconcerned or because she asked such an obvious question is unknown. "She told me before she left that she was going to check up on a possible incident."

Sabrina turns around as the coffee begins to brew, the familiar and bitter scent slowly filling the apartment. She leans back against the counter and crosses her arms over her chest, lips pulling down at the corners in a small frown. "And how long ago was this?"

"About a week. She stopped calling in around the fifth day, and you know she always tries to call once a day when she goes off on her own."

Sabrina tilts her head to the side as she stares at Daphne, trying to squash the worry crawling up her throat. "And did the agency assign any backup for her?"

The cracked surface of the bar suddenly becomes very interesting to Daphne. "Not exactly," she mumbles to it.

Sabrina's frown deepens and a small crease appears between her eyebrows. "So, she went by herself?" It wouldn't be entirely unlikely. Though Granny's been assigned to deal more with paperwork and handing out assignments to more "able-bodied" agents, the old woman does enjoy sneaking off and doing hands on work despite her age.

She can just barely make out Daphne's wince. "No."

Sabrina stares at Daphne through narrowed eyes before turning around and filling the mugs with coffee as she steels herself for the inevitable reaction her question will cause. She stares down into the cup, the heat from the liquid drifting up and warming her face. "And Mr. Canis went with her?" She tries to make her voice sound nonchalant, to throw the words out into the air as if they don't really mean anything.

The screeching sound of the chair sliding across the floor slices through the room and Sabrina can practically feel Daphne's glare burning into her back. "Are you serious?"

Sabrina turns around and struggles to meet Daphne's glare with a calm look. "Yes, I'm serious."

"Yes, he was with her but that doesn't mean anything," Daphne growls through gritted teeth. Her body tenses, her shoulders cutting a straight line, and her brown eyes narrow into thin slits.

Sabrina sighs. "Daphne, he's-"

"Mt. Canis would never hurt Granny."

Irritation sparks inside Sabrina, turning her words sharp. "At least not intentionally."

Daphne laughs, a short, bitter sound, as her lips twist upwards in a mock smile. "You haven't changed at all."

"And neither have you," Sabrina snaps.

A heavy silence fills the air between them, stretching out for a few seconds where they don't quite look at each other. Sabrina lifts a hand and pinches the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut tight. When had their relationship gotten so messed up that they start fighting in a few minutes when it's been two years since they've seen each other?

She lets her hand drop to her side, a small sigh brushing past her lips. "Where was she headed?" Her voice sounds too quiet, too soft to break the tension that still lingers.

"To a small country town a little way down south." Daphne sits back down in the chair but still doesn't quite look at her. "The agency reported an entire farm there had been crushed. She wanted to check it out."

"What was the agency's analysis of the situation?"

"They said there wasn't any indication of supernatural activity, but Granny thought otherwise." Daphne's shoulders lift in a helpless shrug as if saying you know how Granny can get.

"Did she have any theories?" Despite everything, Sabrina can't help but feel a spark of curiosity even though it feels like a betrayal to all the hard work she's put in the past two years.

There's a long pause before Daphne lifts her head to meet Sabrina's stare. "She thought. . ." She hesitates, eyes flickering away as if she's having a mental battle over whether to tell Sabrina or not. Her shoulders lift in a deep breath. ". . .itmighthavebeengiants."

Sabrina frowns, taking a moment to decipher the mumble. And then trying to decipher it again. Surely she didn't just hear what she thought she heard? "What?"

Daphne takes another deep breath, releasing it in a long sigh as she leans her head back to stare up at the ceiling. "She thought it might have been giants."

Sabrina's brows knit together in confusion. "But I thought the agency exterminated the giants ages ago."

Daphne lowers her head and shrugs. "Apparently not." She leans forward in her seat a little, spitting out the words quickly in desperation. "Look, Sabrina, I know you didn't want to do any of this, but Granny hasn't called and neither has Mr. Canis and nobody can reach her cell phone and I'm worried and I could really use some backup."

"Backup?" That's what she was now? Backup? Daphne only deigns to talk to her when she's needed? When it's useful? Sabrina glares down at the liquid in her mug. A petty part of her wants to tell her sister no, to tell her to leave and find someone else, to get back to her for ignoring all of Sabrina's texts and calls. The other part of her knows she could never do that to her sister. Besides, this isn't just about her and Daphne. This is about Granny Relda.

But . . . there's something off about Daphne's story. Something that the girl isn't telling her. Sabrina lifts her head and narrows her eyes at her sister. "But why come to me?" She asks. "Why not ask one of the other agents? Someone who's still active in the agency?"

From the way Daphne winces, Sabrina knows the girl was hoping Sabrina wouldn't ask that. "I can't ask them . . ." Daphne hesitates. "I can't ask them because no one at the agency knows Granny took this case."

"What?" Not clearing a mission or investigation with the agency was frowned upon, and often times could lead to the agency investigating an agent's work for possible treason, and wiping of the agents memories. For her grandmother to risk that, to risk being imprisoned or losing her memories, she must have thought something about this case was important.

Daphne seems to take her silence as a sign that she's isn't going to help, because she leans forward, her brown eyes desperate. "For some reason Granny wanted to keep this under-wraps, I don't know, maybe she thought the original report was wrong and that something supernatural had happened – I don't know. All I know is that I can't go to anyone else in the agency and ask them to help find her when she went behind all their backs."

"So, no one knows about this case?" Sabrina says slowly. "No one at all?"

"The only person, other than me and Mr. Canis, that knew is the Hare."

It takes Sabrina just a second to put a face to the ridiculous name. She groans and rolls her eyes. "Daphne, you need to stop giving people weird code names."

"He says he likes it. Besides, you would call him that too if you had to listen to all the stories about his bunnies." She waves her hand through the air vaguely, brushing away that particular subject. "Anyway, he's gathering some info about what she was doing in that town and is going to contact us once we get to the motel she was staying at. Well, us if you want to come."

She can feel it, that thin haze of normalcy that she's been desperately clinging to for two whole years, slipping through her fingers. Sabrina hesitates for just a second before saying, "I'll have to be back by the end of the weekend. Wednesday at the latest. And if we haven't found Granny by then, we have to let the agency know."

Daphne frowns at her. "Why do you have to be back then?"

Sabrina raises an eyebrow, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "I have work and school and I've already used my grandmother getting abducted by a giant as an excuse once this semester so I doubt they'll believe me a second time."

Daphne snorts and then smiles, one of the big smiles Sabrina hasn't seen in a long time. "But you're going to help?"

Sabrina sighs, wondering if she will end up regretting this one day. "Yes."

Daphne's grin widens enough to threaten splitting her face in two. "Awesomesauce."

. . .

"You've reached the phone of Bradley James. I'm not available at the moment, but leave your name and number and I'll call you back as soon as possible."

The shrill beep echoes in Sabrina's ears as she takes a deep breath. "Hey, Bradley, it's Sabrina." Her voice sounds so fakely sweet and happy that she almost stops. "I'm not going to be able to make it to brunch tomorrow. Some . . .family business has turned up and I'm gonna be gone for a few days taking care of that- it's nothing serious or bad so don't worry, it's just . . .I'll see you soon."

She hangs up before she can say anything else and glares down at her cell phone, barely holding back a groan. She hates leaving messages. It takes a great deal of strength to stop herself from calling again and leaving a new one. She sighs and sticks the phone in her pocket, looking over to where Daphne is unabashedly snooping around her apartment.

"So, you live here with two other people?" Daphne asks, picking up a picture of Sabrina, one of her roommates, and a bunch of her roommate's friends. It was one of the few times her roommate managed to convince her to go to a party. It ended up being one of the most awkward and uncomfortable nights of her life.

"Yeah," Sabrina says, walking towards her closet. She pulls out just what she needs; three sets of dark colored clothes as well as an extra set, just in case the others get covered in dirt or blood or both or some unidentifiable substance, and places them on the bed. Daphne stands in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe by the time Sabrina's located a small suitcase. The younger girl stares at the small pile of clothes with a frown on her face, but the moment she notices Sabrina staring at her, the frown is replaced with a grin.

"Are they normally out this late?"

"Yep. Sometimes they're not even back for a couple of days." Sabrina focuses on stuffing the clothes into the suitcase and tries to ignore how awkward the conversation feels. It's like she's talking to someone she just met and not having a conversation with her little sister. "They like to socialize a lot," she adds when the silence stretches on too long.

"And you don't?" Daphne snorts. "I thought that's why you wanted to go to college? To socialize, make friends, be normal and all that."

Sabrina bristles at Daphne's tone, stopping her packing as her hand tightens around a shirt. "That's only part of the reason why." She struggles to keep the anger out of her tone, but from the tense sound of her words and the way Daphne's shoulders tighten, she isn't sure she's succeeding. "I wanted to learn things, do something with my life-"

"What? Saving people wasn't good enough for you?" Daphne retorts.

Sabrina shoves a shirt into the suitcase with more force than necessary. "There are other ways of saving people than sneaking around and killing things, Daphne." She brushes past her sister and heads into the bathroom, using the time it takes to pack up any other essentials to try and calm the anger coursing through her. Her shoulders lift in a sigh as she stares down at her shaking hands before pressing them against the cool surface of the sink.

She can remember with vivid clarity the last time she parted with her sister, when she finally decided she had enough of the supposed "family business", when she was finished with all the lies and the killing. When she decided she just wasn't fit for this kind of life. Or realized that maybe she was a little too fit for this life.

Daphne hadn't seemed to like that idea.

Words like you're being selfish, stupid, cowardly, had sprung from the younger girl's scowling lips, her eyes sparking with a kind of pained anger Sabrina had never seen on her sister's face before. But Sabrina had been angry too, is still angry. Angry at being forced into a life she never asked for, for being lied to and used, and for being expected to be A-Okay with it. And then being treated like an enemy when she finally admitted that she wasn't.

She tried to contact Daphne throughout the two years, though the younger girl mainly ignored all of her texts and calls. The few times they did talk started off well, traveled into frosty territory quickly, and ended with them screaming at each other.

Sabrina sighs again and glances at herself in the mirror, a mirthless smirk curling her lips. With the way things are going, they better find Granny soon or they're going to end up killing each other.

She turns her head to stare out of the small bathroom window, studying the wonderful view of the building next door. It's still dark outside. She'll probably be on her way a little after the sun rises. A tinge of guilt stabs her chest at the thought of Bradley and how excited he seemed about going out for brunch. She shoves the guilt back and grabs her toothbrush, her lips pressing into a thin line. He'll understand. Besides, her grandmother's more important than brunch.

When she steps back into the living room, Daphne has returned to smiling, though not as wide as her normal ones, holding the picture of Bradley in her hand. "Who's this?"

"That's Bradley," Sabrina says, and then adds as if an afterthought. "My boyfriend."

Daphne's eyebrows shoot upwards and her mouth stretches into a wider grin that's actually genuine even if it's teasing. "You have a boyfriend?"

Sabrina glares at her as she throws the last bits into the bag and zips up the suitcase. "There's no need to sound so surprised."

Daphne laughs. "I can't help it!" She grins back down at the picture. "I never knew Miss Stiff knew how to flirt with people."

Sabrina rolls her eyes, flinging the suitcase over her shoulder. "Not everyone has your masterful skills of flirtation," she says sarcastically.

Daphne winks at her before holding out the picture to Sabrina. Sabrina can't help but feel this is somehow Daphne's way of offering a truce. "He's cute. Wanna take the pic with you?"

Sabrina takes the picture from her sister and frowns down at it. Bradley grins up at her from behind cracked glass. After a moment, she turns and places it on the bed. "Nah, I'll be back for it when the weekend's over." She nods her head towards the door of the apartment. "Why don't you wait for me outside, I just need to grab a few more things."

Daphne nods her head. "Aye, aye, Captain!"

Once she's sure her sister has left the apartment, Sabrina turns to the ruined bedside table. She stares at the broken furniture before quickly moving the pieces of wood aside until she finds it: the gun she kept taped to the bottom of the table. She reaches out for it but hesitates the moment before her fingers can touch the cold surface. She pulls back just an inch and then presses her lips into a thin line, shoving all doubt and worry out of her mind, and grabs the gun. It feels familiar in her hand, like an extension of herself that she's gone without for too long. And for some reason that familiarity makes her feel like a failure. She shoves the feeling away, checks to make sure the safety is still on and still armed, before reaching behind her and tucking it into the back of her waistband.

It's not as comfortable as when she usually has it strapped to her side or to her leg, and she's going to have to be cautious not to let it poke out whenever she bends over, but it'll have to do. And she can already feel some of the tension and worry draining away in the face of the comfort having a weapon nearby gives her.

"Are you ready yet?" Daphne yells from the hallway. Her shout causes the yappy dog in the apartment next door to begin barking shrilly. Sabrina can practically envision Daphne's wince as the girl shouts, "Sorry!"

Sabrina grabs her bag and glances one last time at the picture of Bradley on her bed. She takes a deep breath that does nothing to settle her nerves, and slings the bag over her shoulder. "Yeah, I'm ready to go."

Daphne chats the entire way down, a non-stop flow of animated conversation, her hand flinging out every now and then to emphasize a point. The sudden shift from angry to chatty rubs wrong against Sabrina. Normally, when Daphne's angry, she stays angry for as long as possible, utilizing the 'cold shoulder' tactic to its full extent. But now she seems a little too friendly; telling Sabrina funny- or at least, funny in Daphne's mind- jokes, flinging an arm around Sabrina's shoulders, asking if she can help carry Sabrina's suitcase. And it bothers Sabrina, though she can't quite tell why.

Daphne holds the door open as they walk outside the apartment building and bounds forward a few steps, flinging her arms out and saying, "Ta-da!"

Sabrina stops in her tracks, taking in the sight in front of her, and groans. "You have got to be kidding me. How is that thing still working?"

Stuck crookedly between a shiny bright red bug and a black van, her grandmother's ancient jalopy could not have looked more out of place. The vehicle looks as old, dirty, and rusty as Sabrina remembers it the last time she saw it. The car seems to sag towards the cement as if begging the ground to swallow it.

Daphne grins at her as she races towards the car, moving to open one of the back doors. "That's not even the best part!" She flings the back door open with a shout of "ELVIS!"

Sabrina has just enough time to drop her suitcase and hold her arms up before the gray blur of Great Dane slams into her, knocking her back a few steps. In the next few moments, she's completely covered in smelly dog saliva and gray hair.

"You bought Elvis with you?" Sabrina can't help but laugh as she bends over and pets Elvis, the dog's tail wagging hard enough to shake his whole body.

"Of course!" Daphne moves over to pet Elvis too, going so far as to give him a big kiss on the top of the head. "There's no better tracker than Elvis."

The Great Dane sits back on his haunches, bursting with pride at Daphne's praise.

Sabrina chuckles and gives the dog one more pat on the head before eyeing the car dubiously. She remembers the days when they went on one of Granny's "training sessions", days spent being cramped in that tiny car with Daphne, Granny, Mr. Canis, and a giant Great Dane taking up most of the backseat, forcing the two girls to be squashed against the side of the car. She wasn't looking forward to traveling in it even if it would only be for a weekend.

"Why didn't Granny take the car with her?" Sabrina can't remember Granny ever parting with her beloved death-trap of a vehicle. She always seemed overly possessive of it, even in the face of the agency's tech crew arguing with her over how dangerous the car's prehistoric technology could be.

"She didn't want the Agency tracking the car, just in case someone got suspicious," Daphne says, patting Elvis on top of his head.

"And you don't think someone's going to track us and get suspicious?"

"I took care of that." Daphne smiles at Sabrina's raised eyebrow. "Do you remember Sam in the security department?"

Sabrina frowns, tilting her head to the side as she tries to recall a face to the name. "Vaguely. He was the one who had the crush on you, right?"

Daphne nods her head and a sneaky, proud smile tugs at the corner of her lips. "I may have managed to persuade him to turn off our tracking device for a few days."

"Oh, you managed to persuade him, huh?" Which means that she used her powers of flirtation, fluttery eyelashes set to stun, to convince him. The poor boy didn't stand a chance.

Daphne laughs. "I told you flirting can have its uses."

A sudden thought hits her and she looks worriedly from the car to Daphne. "It's not . . . still armed, is it?"

Daphne grins excitedly, going so far as to rub her hands together. "Ooooh yeah. Still has all the regular tricks up its sleeves."

Sabrina groans. "Great." Due to Granny's refusal to update her husband's car, they're stuck with unreliable missiles and dysfunctional gadgets. Which will only serve to make this trip even more stressful.

Daphne catches her gaze and her grin just broadens as she heads to the back of the car, using the keys to open the trunk.

Sabrina is taking a step towards the car when it hits her. The jalopy is here. So is Daphne. Daphne, who's only sixteen. Daphne, who's never passed her driving lessons. Daphne, driving the same car Granny refused to get updated with the new auto-pilot extension the agency put in all the other cars.

"You drove here?" Her voice rises to a squeak.

Daphne looks at her in surprise before shrugging as if a sixteen-year-old driving from who knows where to New York isn't that big of a deal. "Yep," she says, popping the p.

"But you never passed a driving lesson."

Daphne looks affronted. "Granny gave me private lessons as part of my training."

"Oh, that's even worse." Sabrina moans into her hands. Her grandmother is only good at driving when they're trying to get away from some big and nasty. "It's a miracle you managed to get this far without an accident." She pauses and narrows her eyes at her sister. "Nothing did happen, right?"

"Well, there may have been an incident with a cow and an old lady, but nothing big." Daphne waves her hand vaguely in the air. "But I drive just fine. You'll see."

A mock laugh bursts past Sabrina's lips as she grabs Daphne's shoulder before the girl can head towards the driver's side of the car. "No, I don't think so. I kinda want to live through this weekend, so I'm gonna drive."

"But you don't know where to go," Daphne argues.

"You can tell me." Sabrina holds out her hand, palm up, and raises an eyebrow at her sister. "Keys. Now."

With a scowl, Daphne reluctantly hands over the keys and heads to the passenger side of the car. "Fine. But I can drive. I made it all the way here just fine."

"I'm sure the cow and old lady would beg to differ." Sabrina snorts, walking around to the other side of the car. She slips into the driver's seat, carefully making sure to avoid any of the oddly placed buttons that could detonate a bomb, secures her seatbelt, and sticks the keys into the ignition. She takes a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for the racket to come, and turns the key.

The engine purrs. There's not a single pop, crack, bang, or the other familiar noises that can only be described as blood curdling screams. She frowns down at the steering wheel before turning her attention to Daphne. The girl is messing with the cassette tapes, trying to pick one out to listen to. "What happened?"

Daphne glances up, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Sabrina gestures to the entire car. "What happened to all the noise? All the bangs and rattles and . . noise?"

Daphne quickly turns her attention back to the cassette tapes, a light blush staining her cheeks. "Mr. Canis found a mechanic to fix the car a while back." She mumbles the words so fast Sabrina can hardly understand her.

Sabrina frowns at her sister before shaking her head. "Must have been one good mechanic," she mutters dubiously. "Now, are you going to tell me where we're going?"

Daphne nods her head and slips a tape into the player. A few seconds pass before an all too familiar song fills the car.

Sabrina leans her head back against the seat and groans as Daphne turns to face her, the theme for Mission Impossible fueling the younger girl's sense of theatrics. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it-"

"No," Sabrina says, quickly pressing the button to eject the tape. "None of that nonsense."

Daphne lets out a heavy sigh as Sabrina pulls out onto the road and reaches forward to pull a map out of the glove compartment. But even out of the corner of her eye, Sabrina can see the small smile on the younger girl's face.