She inspected the house. It was probably full of hairs and fingerprints and all sorts of evidence, but she couldn’t think of a way to wipe it clear that didn’t devolve into arson. “Come on, everyone, we’re heading out.”

The moment she was on the back porch, Emily started to shake and shiver. That had been a lot. “You okay, Boss?” Teddy asked. She’d returned to being a plain girl and was currently fixing her mask back on.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Emily said. She began walking after taking a quick head count.

That was it. They’d gotten the files, they had the information, and, if anyone asked, she could say they’d been doing their Heroic duty. It was . . . not perfect, but it was something. She didn’t know if it would hold up to inspection, but maybe it would win her some time and an excuse.

Quest Complete!

Fighting Good

Join the battle against the forces of good.

Reward: +3 Skill Upgrade points per Hero incapacitated!

Emily glared at the prompt. Typical. Though she admitted to herself that the added points might come in handy.

They reached the fence at the back, and Emily helped her sisters up and over, then she hopped up and climbed over herself with just a bit of sweating and cursing her weak arms on the way up. Once her feet hit the ground on the other side, she tugged her phone out of a pocket and texted Melaton.

Emily didn’t exactly trust Melaton, but the woman was a decent contact. She gave her the address and said that she’d captured someone she thought might be a Villain and left them in that house.

Melaton’s reply was fast, but Emily ignored it in favor of tucking her phone away. “Okay, now we go home,” she said. “Or . . . well, I suppose we stop to get changed first.”

“All right,” Teddy said. “Come on, I remember where home’s at. Bears have a natural sense of direction for that kind of thing.”

“No, they don’t,” Athena said.

“How would you know? You’re just an owl.”

“Owls are best. They can fly.”

“Yeah, but they don’t migrate, do they?” Teddy asked.

Athena sniffed. “We don’t need to migrate. We’re too cool to be scared off by something like a bit of cold or whatever. Unlike bears that need to hide away.”

“It’s not hiding, it’s hibernating.”

“Same difference,” Athena said.

“Raccoons eat trash,” Trinity added to the conversation.

Her sisters both stared at her.

“What?”

Emily held back a laugh. At least she had three good distractions to keep her thoughts from straying too far into the dark and depressing. “I think we can put all that aside for now. All three of you are great . . . part-animals.”

“Hell yeah,” Teddy said. “Hear that? I’m the best.”

“That is not what she said!” Athena shot back.