The two of them sprinted through the house. She was the cop, of course, and he was the mutant bad guy, of course. They were bigger than they once were, taller, stronger, faster, and the house seemed to glow with an inner light. She reached out to tag and catch him, and in that moment lost her footing on the suddenly unfamiliar floor, lurching forward. Her arms took down the nearby vase as she fell and her chin smacked off the wooden floor.

"Lauren!"

She didn't cry (except she did), and their mom came rushing through to tell them off.

"How many times do I have to tell you?"

She never cried.

They never saw her face.