"Toby!" You cannot do that!" Mimzy complained as Toby jumped onto the woodchips to avoid her blow.

"Yes I can!" He argued as he ran quickly to another playground set.

"No! You cannot!" Mimzy said back, "The woodchips are lava!"

"But what if I'm a lava monster?" Toby said back with a grin.

"You cannot be a lava monster!" Mimzy said, rolling her eyes, "Lava monsters cannot hold swords!"

"Oh yeah?" Toby challenged.

"Yes!"

"Then come fight me!" He said, hopping down on the woodchips and swinging his wooden stick through the air. Mimzy quickly hopped down to meet him in battle but as soon as her feet touched the floor, Toby laughed in triumph and said, "You died!"

"No I do not!"

"Yes you do. The floor's lava, remember."

Mimzy's face twisted in rage but before she opened her mouth for a comeback Sarah cut in telling her, "Don't actually hurt him Mimzy, I kind of need him back home in one piece."

Whipping their heads around to look at her, Toby said, "I bet I can beat her! You don't have to worry!"

"Is that a challenge?" Mimzy exclaimed and then they clanged their two wooden 'swords' together with more vigor then before.

Shaking her head and smiling, Sarah watch the two newly made friends race each other around the playground, fencing each other and occasionally one would land a blow on the other's arm or leg.

It had been a few weeks since Toby had met the girl and they had become fast friends. Sarah had never known two people to be so similar; though shy at first, Mimzy soon proved to be as commanding as Toby, if not more, and they both greatly loved knights and warriors, often battling each other like they did now or pretended to be wizards and sorcerers making potions and casting spells. There were even times that they would make Sarah play the evil queen or the princess they had to rescue. Not that she cared, it made Sarah happy to see Toby so cheerful and she liked Mimzy a lot. And so, going to the park, which had once been a monthly occurrence, now became almost a daily one.

But Mimzy worried Sarah. Not that she was a bad influence on Toby in any way, but she was strange. She always came to the park by herself, no parent or elder sibling watching over her at all, and she created the elements in their games such as potions, creatures, or spells to be so detailed and the way she described them, they seemed almost like they were real.

Her appearance caused Sarah to be on a bit of an edge as well; Sarah swore she could see glitter surrounding Mimzy like an aura if the sun hit her just right and her hairstyle looked familiar to Sarah as well.

It also wasn't probable; Sarah realized as she sat there, looking at her. How it poofed up and its color made Mimzy seem like she had to constantly care for it and went to salon regularly. Sarah, however, knew that wasn't true because Mimzy didn't at all care about her hair nor how it looked like and what mother brings her seven year old to a salon to get sliver highlights?

Another thing that caused Sarah to be suspicious about Mimzy was the fact that she was very dodgy about her past as well as the present, never giving Sarah straight answers and Toby didn't say much about her either.

The only thing Sarah was hundred percent sure of was that Mimzy was not a normal girl.

"Hey, Sar." Toby panted as he collapsed in a panting mess next to her, "Do you have any water?"

"Yeah." She said, giving him a bottle from her bag and one to Mimzy as well, "And, just as a heads up, we have to get going soon."

"Aw!" Toby whined, "Can't Mimzy come over for dinner?"

"No, my parent's wouldn't allow it." Mimzy told them before taking a gulp of water.

"Now that you mention it, " Sarah began, seeing an opening, "Where are your parents?"

"What do you mean?" She asked swallowing her water and handing it back to Sarah.

"How come you always come to park alone?"

"Sarah!" Toby hissed but Mimzy shrugged it off.

"They're always busy at work." She said bouncing her stick against the sole of her shoe, "They don't have time to watch me at the park."

"They do know you're here though, right?" Sarah asked suspiciously.

Laughing, Mimzy told her yes but her smile didn't exactly meet her eyes. Deciding not to press on it, Sarah let Toby and Mimzy run off and she sat there and watched them continue their game, thoughts swirling around her head.
After a few good byes and promises that they would meet again tomorrow, Sarah and Toby started their way home, leaving Mimzy to swing by herself at the park. As they rounded the corner, losing Mimzy from their sight all-together, Sarah finally asked;

"Do you know anything about Mimzy?"

"Of course! I know a lot about Mimzy!" Toby exclaimed, look at his sister with surprise. "I know that she likes to read, I know that she hates math, I know that-

"That's not what I mean." Sarah laugh, giving his hand a light squeeze, "I mean, do you now where she lives? What her parent's do? Or if she has any siblings?"

"Oh." Toby said, frowning, "Now that you mention it, not really."

"Nothing at all?" Sarah asked desperately.

"Well…. I know that her father, uncles, and almost all of her cousins fence." Toby said uncertainly.

"How do you know that?" Sarah laughed.

"She told me." He answered with a shrug, "She told me that, apparently, in her family, girls aren't allowed to fence so she's glad she has a friend now who'll sword fight with her."

Well, that's a start, Sarah thought with a sigh.

"Why are you asking so many questions about her now?" Toby asked, eying her with suspicion, "Do you not like her?"

"No, I like her plenty. It's just… it makes me uneasy to see her be so different then other children."

"That's a mean thing to say!" Toby remarked angrily.

"No! Not like that!" Sarah said quickly, "I mean, how many kids do you see with silver and black hair? And glitter? I'm just wondering why in her house they're okay with that. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm trying to understand her more."

"Well, Mimzy told me she was born with silver and black hair." Toby said after a moment of silence.

"What?"

"She was born with silver and black hair." Toby repeated.

"Toby, that isn't possible."

"Then why does she have it?"

"That's a great question." Sarah replied, biting her thumbnail nervously.

"Why does this matter to you?" Toby asked.

"Its just… some of her features remind me of someone…" Sarah answered.

And sure enough, they did; her poofy hair, the strange highlights, the way she sometimes talked, the glitter, her thin sharp eyebrows.

"Who?" Toby asked curiously

"I don't know." Sarah answered honestly and felt a bit frustrated.

"Well then, it doesn't matter." Toby said shortly, "She's my friend, so that's that."

"I understand." Sarah said with a little smile and another light squeeze, "I won't ask again, I promise."

But I won't stop searching, she thought, looking over to the woods next to her as she heard an owl hoot. There's something about that girl, and I'm going to figure it out, one way or the other.