[center][h1][color=0054a6][b]B L U E    D E V I L[/b][/color][/h1][hr][/center]
	[sup][color=black]5:01 p.m. PST | July 22[/color][sup][color=black]nd[/color][/sup] [color=black]| Los Angeles, California[/color][/sup]


Time seemed to move at a crawl for the young Mary Cassidy. For quite possibly the hundredth time in as many minutes she glanced at the clock adorning the kitchen wall. The minute hand had barely moved since the last time she checked and another long sigh escaped her lips. Mary loved her older brother, she thought the world of Daniel, but even she had her limits before disappointment took over. 

The first hour he was late she thought nothing of it. She may be a few years short of being able to drive herself, but she was well aware of what traffic could be like in the Los Angeles area. The second hour she thought maybe something had come up, or perhaps she had misremembered the time they made plans for. By the time the third hour came around and he was still out, she had tried to call him. Twice. Both times it went straight to voicemail. Now, with the afternoon gone and Daniel nearly four hours late, she was stuck between feeling dejected that he had abandoned their day together and worried that perhaps something was wrong. 

Shuffling over to the living room, the pre-teen found her mother on the sofa watching the evening news and joined her. Veronica Cassidy immediately noticed the mood Mary practically exuded and ushered her daughter into a comforting hug. 

"What's wrong, baby?" Asked Veronica.

"Danny said he'd spend the afternoon playing games with me and hanging out, but he's still not here." 

"You know how he is, I'm sure he was at some arcade or something and lost track of time. Did you try to call him?"

Mary nodded, "of course, but he wouldn't answer. And it's been hours." She looked up into her mother's face, the bright blue eyes glistening slightly. "You don't think he got into an accident, do you?"

"Oh, honey, no, I'm sure Daniel's fine." Veronica offered her daughter a sympathetic smile. "I'll tell you what, let me finish the news and then I'll make dinner and you and I can play some games. How's that?"

The look on the young girl's face gave away that she wasn't happy with this consolation prize, but nevertheless, she agreed. "Okay, mom." 

Both turned their eyes to the screen that took up half the length of the wall, the younger nestled against the elder's shoulder. Two figures sat at a desk discussing the various local headlines of today, the ticker at the bottom scrolling by with lesser stories. One of the anchors, a handsome, middle-aged man began addressing a recent event not far from the Cassidy home. 

"In what authorities are calling a 'suspicious' house fire, we have potentially another of these superhuman sightings." A video graphic popped up beside the anchor's head, shaky cellphone footage having captured a blazing two-story house. Thick smoke obscured details, but it was clear the flames had almost entirely consumed the structure. A blonde woman could be seen off to the side, surrounded by several men holding her back, desperately trying to scramble her way to the house. Though the video was muted as the newscaster spoke, the woman's panicked screams were obvious. 

"The fire was first noticed just before one this afternoon by neighbors. The homeowner had stepped away on errands, however, her two daughters were home at the time." The footage switched to an aerial view which only seemed to make the blaze look fiercer. 

"How awful," Veronica said softly, clutching Mary just a little tighter. "That poor woman, what she must have been feeling..."

"Both girls were seemingly trapped in the house, unable to make their way to safety, and rescue crews were believed to have been too far out to arrive in time. Then, something extraordinary happened. This footage," the graphic switched again, this time going fullscreen as it showed the same aerial view, though several minutes later. "was captured by our own news helicopter, and reveals an individual running into the burning building."

The raging fire remained the focus of the video for several more seconds before a blurry figure partially obscured from this angle by the billowing smoke rushed into view. The host continued to describe the scene and provide details for the audience, but Mary's attention was entirely enthralled by the drama unfolding on the screen. Moments passed as the news chopper circled around the engulfed building. Then, from a second-floor window on the side, a large object came launching through and crashed onto the lawn below. The camera panned low to catch what appeared to be a charred dresser burst open on impact, colorful clothing spilling forth. The view jerked back up towards the hole in the wall, but the new opening had given the smoke formerly contained within a new escape, and it left the house too obscured from this angle to see what had sent the furniture flying.

The news anchor's commentary had ended and now the video switched to a different perspective. The vertically filmed footage, angle, and watermarked Twitter handle made clear this was another recording from a bystander. This time, however, the audio was playing. Beginning just moments before, the amateur videographer panned from the front of the house to the crowd gathered, stopping to focus on a woman in tears. The mother, just as before, in a state of wailing despair as she struggled against the arms preventing her from running into the blaze herself.

Then, glass shattering as the footage wildly spun around trying to capture the source; the same crashing dresser erupting from the house. A collective gasp and several screams from the crowd merged with censored expletives as the person holding the phone took off down the street, trying to find a better angle on the scene. Seconds after halting and refocusing on the opening, the video caught a shape through the smoke. A figure stepped up to the shattered window and the cameraman let loose a curse as details were revealed. 

A blue, humanoid face peaked through the smoke and glanced down at the yard below. Large, thick horns emerged from the bald forehead and curled back. Even through the smoking inferno, the glowing red eyes were clear. Those same eyes flicked up to stare at the one holding the phone, then back towards the crowd. Fearful screams and confused shouts could be heard, and the phone nearly dropped as the owner turned and ran. Only seconds later the footage turned back as the fleeing bystander took refuge behind a car, but the demonic looking figure had disappeared. There was brief chatter as everyone tried to make sense of what they had seen, the film showing that some had the sense to turn and run. The mother's screams could no longer be heard. 

Then, again from the broken wall, something burst forth with incredible speed. It lurched forward and over the lawn and as soon as it cleared the pillar of smoke rising from the flames the now all-too-clear visage of that mysterious figure could be seen. In the open light, the devilish features were even more evident, and the mother's cries renewed, piercing through the chaos.

"My babies!" The woman could be heard shouting. 

From within the grasp of the creature were two girls, not much older than Mary, it seemed. Their faces and hair marred by soot and tears, and painful, severe coughs overtaking them.   

No one made a move towards the figure, but the mother could still be heard pleading for her children. From the distance, sirens began to signal the arrival of emergency responders. Everyone else was silent, though, either from fear, shock, or uncertainty.

The tense moment was broken, however, as the tall, monstrous being knelt down and slowly lowered the girls to their feet. Then, before anyone could react, it stood up and with surprising speed sprinted in the opposite direction. The mother could be seen entering from out of frame in a dash to wrap both her daughters up in a hug before the video abruptly ended. 

"It's unknown what or who this was," the host began again, "and police have yet to make a statement on whether or not this individual is a person of interest in the fire. What is clear, however, is that this is yet another sign of changing times as superpowered beings are on the rise. We'll keep you updated on—" 

Veronica turned the television off and reached for her phone. With such an event having occurred so close by and around the time Daniel should have been arriving, she found herself now sharing her daughter's concern for his safety. 

As Mary watched her mother dialing, a single thought prevailed in her mind: 

[i]Where are you, Danny?[/i]