Twenty years ago, St. Elm Hospital, Santa Monica, California:
Agata and Ghalen Jefferson look at their first grandchild through the glass window in the nursery. Their second oldest daughter and her husband had just had their first child.

“She looks so much like her mother, Ghalen.” Agata looks at her granddaughter with a huge smile on her face.

“I know, wait until Brenda has her child.” Ghalen couldn’t believe both his girls were pregnant at the same time as each other.

Agata spots a lone child all by himself. She couldn’t read the card attached to his crib. She looks around and spots a nurse she knows “hey Britney, why is that little boy all by himself?”

Britney walks over and stands next to Agata “his mother died giving birth to him and we haven’t been able to find any relatives, to take him. So, he’s going to end up going to a foster family. He’s lucky he is a baby because most foster families want a newborn.”

“What race is he?” Ghalen spotted the little boy, that his wife and Britney were talking about.

“He’s Filipino and was born a week early.” Britney felt sorry for the little guy.

Agata kept staring at the little fellow and her heart went out to him. Most of her and Ghalen’s kids were grown and were leaving home. The only one still at home was Harry and he was planning on joining the military as she and her husband did at his age.

Agata looks at her husband “let's adopt him.”

“You know, it might be difficult for us, being African American.” Ghalen knew social services normally try to place newborns with their kind.

“I don’t care. We both have successful businesses and are in good standing in our community.” Agata so wanted to adopt that little boy.

“I think I can help increase your chances. I know the social worker handling his case. She’s a good friend of mine.” Britney knew her girlfriend
Laura didn’t care about placing kids with their own culture. She tried to find parents who wanted to give their love and such to a child.

“Any help you can give will be grateful, Britney.” Agata wanted that little boy.

“I’ll see what I can do for you two.” Britney knew Agata and Ghalen would make good parents to that little boy.

Six Years Later:
“Agata, your son looks so cute dressed in that Princess outfit.” Betty looks over at the table Danilo was sitting at and was coloring.

Agata stops what she was doing and looked at Danilo. He was dressed as Bella from Beauty and the Beast.

“He does look cute. He is very picky about what he wears.” Agata has noticed that Danilo wanted to dress more and more like his female cousins.

He already liked playing with baby dolls and having tea parties. He was nothing like his older brothers and wasn’t interested in anything that was for boys unless it was electronics. He loved electronics and learning how things work from his father.

Betty looks at Agata “does it bother you and Ghalen that Danilo prefers girl things, instead of boy things?”

“We are a little concerned, but if it makes Danilo happy. Then we are happy as well. We don’t care if Danilo prefers to dress and act like a girl.”
Agata and Ghalen had talked about it and they were going to let Danilo be who he was meant to be.

Two Weeks Later, Darlene’s Acrobatics, Gymnastics, and Cheerleading:
Officer Jefferson had been dispatched to Darlene’s because of a complaint from some woman accusing another woman of kidnapping a child. When he pulled up to the gym, he spotted his little brother and older sister facing off with an outraged white woman with black hair. The woman’s young daughter was standing away from her.

Diana felt embarrassed with the way her mother was acting towards Danilo’s sister. She knew they were related because she has ridden home with them. She also has met Danilo’s mother as well.

Brenda looks at the white woman accusing her of kidnapping her little brother. Saying that he couldn’t be related to her, because she was black, and he was Asian. Which, Danilo wasn’t, he was Filipino. She was ready to smack the woman, but she was controlling her anger. She spots a police car pulling up and notices it was her younger brother. A smile appears on her face as she watches as he walks over to them.

Danilo was standing behind his older sister still dressed in his leotard and tights. He was scared for his sister and himself. The woman arguing with his sister was scary.

He spotted his older brother Alcides getting out of his police car. He relaxes as he watches him walk towards them. He could tell his brother was confused about what was going on.

Alcides walks up to his sister and the white woman standing in front of her. He looks at them “what seems to be the problem, here?”

Virginia looks at the police officer that just spoke. He was fairly tall and well built. He was also African American as well.

“This woman is trying to kidnap that young Asian girl.” Virginia points towards Danilo, who was standing behind Brenda.

“What makes you say she is kidnapping that young boy?” Alcides knows Danilo has been mistaken a few times as a girl, because of the way he looked.

“Because she’s black and he’s Asian. There’s no way they could be related to each other.” The woman looks at Brenda and Danilo.

“She’s my sister, you stupid woman.” Danilo had grabbed Brenda’s hand.

A smirk appears on Alcides's face. He was proud of his little brother.

“Ma’am, I happen to know for a fact that this young woman is this child’s sister. I also know for a fact that he isn’t a girl, but a boy, and on top of that. He isn’t Asian, but Filipino.”

“And how do you know that officer?” The woman looks at Officer Jefferson.

“Because they are members of my family. The woman you are accusing of kidnapping is my older sister and the young boy behind her, is my little brother. Now, why don’t you and your daughter go ahead and leave, and I’ll classify this matter as a misunderstanding.”

The woman looked confused. She couldn’t believe that all three of them were related.

“Come on Diana, let's head home.” The woman turns and walks away from Officer Jefferson and his older sister.

They watch as the woman and young girl get into a car and drive off. Danilo was glad the matter was over. He looks up at his older brother “thank you, Alcides.”

“You’re welcome, Dani.”

“God! What is it with people nowadays? Haven’t they heard families can be from different cultures?” Brenda shakes her head.

“Stupid is as Stupid does.” Danilo quotes Forest Gump.

“That is so right, little brother.” Alcides ruffles Danilo’s hair.

“Hey!” Danilo tries to flatten his hair.

“We need to speak to mom about getting you a haircut.” Brenda looks at Danilo.

“I don’t want a haircut. I like my hair long. I want to grow it down to my butt, like some of the girls in my class.” Danilo looks at his brother and sister.

Brenda and Alcides look at each other. They wonder if Danilo should have been born a girl or if he was like their gay cousin William. They figure they should talk to their parents about this.

“Let’s go home, so you can change out of your leotard.”

“I like wearing it. It makes me look like a girl.” Danilo follows his sister to her car.

Officer Jefferson just shakes his head and walks back to his patrol car. He calls in to let dispatch know the matter has been handled. He wasn’t looking forward to filling out the paperwork.

Halloween of that year:
Danilo looks at his reflection in the mirror in his bedroom. His mother had gotten him the pink power ranger costume to wear to the party his friend Billy’s parents were throwing for all her friends. Billy was dressing as the red ranger.

“Dani, come on or you’re going to be late,” Shanice yells up the stairs to her cousin.

“Alright, I’m coming.” Danilo leaves her bedroom and head downstairs.

Just as she reaches the bottom step, there is a flash of light. Danilo stands still as the spots in her eyes disappear.

“Mom!” Danilo looks towards his mother.

“Sorry sweetie, but you looked so nice.” Agata looks at Danilo with a proud look on her face.

Since her oldest daughter and next oldest son told her and Ghalen what Danilo said several months ago about wanting to wear his hair like the girls in his class. Also, how he liked wearing the leotard. They decided to take Danilo to a counselor to see how serious he was about what he said. It finally came out that he felt like a girl and wanted to live his life like one.

They decided to go ahead and let Danilo dress and go to school as a girl. They had to meet with his teacher and the school principal and explained things to them. So, Danilo was becoming a girl.

Thirteen Years Old:
Sara climbs up the rope ladder leading to the platform that was at least twenty-five feet off the ground. There was a cable spanning a distance of fifty feet leading to another platform directly across the one Sara was climbing up. Also spanning the fifty feet between the two platforms was a safety net.

“You be careful up there, Sara.” Agata watches as her youngest climbs up the rope ladder.

“I will, mom.” Sara finally arrives at the platform.

She looks down towards everyone below her. She has been practicing this for weeks on the trick. Sara starts her trick on the highwire. She wants to see what the reaction is from her parents and friends, but she dares not to break her concentration as she nears the end of the trick.
The cable she is on is set on fire. She could feel the heat from the flames, as she manages to escape before the flames reach her.

She drops onto the safety net and flips out of the net, onto her feet before everyone.

“Tada!” Sara raises her arms into the air.

Sara watches as everyone starts clapping, whooping, and hollering. She is grabbed by her parents and hugged.

“Don’t you ever do that again? You scared me and your father.” Agata looks into her daughter’s eyes.

“Sorry mom, but I can’t promise anything.” There was mischief in her eyes as she looks into her mothers.

“What am I going to do with you?” As Agata hugs Sara again.

“What you always do mom.” Sara returns her mother’s hug.

St. Joseph High School, Several Weeks Later:
Billy and Sara were walking towards their hallway lockers, when Elliot, the school bully stops at his locker. Sara stops and stops her friend Billy “Billy you have to watch this.”

Billy was surprised when her friend Sara stops her. She looks towards Elliot like Sara was doing.

“What did you do now?” Billy knew Sara liked playing pranks on the mean students in their high school.

“What do you mean what did I do now? I’m innocent.” Sara had a cheshire smile on her face.

“Yeah right.” Billy knew her friend better than that.

Elliot opens his locker door and just as it opens all the way. Glitter explodes outwards towards him, showering him in rainbow color glitter. All the kids around him start laughing at him and pointing.

“I can’t believe you wasted perfectly good glitter on Elliot.” Billy had a smile on her face as she tried not to laugh.

“He shouldn’t have picked on Bobby yesterday.” Sara had seen Elliot threatening Bobby because he wouldn’t give him his lunch money.

The two of them smirk as they head towards their math class. Both of them were the top math students in the school and was in the math club. They take their seats and start copying the assignment their teacher had put up on the blackboard.

Billy had five AP classes, compare to Sara, who only had three AP classes. Both girls had AP math classes together. They also had an AP English class and Sara had an AP language class. She could speak five different languages fluently. Her normal speech had a Cajun accent to it because her mother was from New Orleans. Her father was from Georgia and he still had a heavy Southern accent.

Sara was talking to Billy in her Cajun dialect when their teacher enters. It wasn’t their normal teacher, but a substitute teacher. She looks at Billy as the teacher came in and sat down at his desk. He was a big man and looked like he lost a few fistfights.

Williams heard someone in his class speaking in a Cajun accent. He looks out towards the students and notices two young girls were talking in Cajun. He didn’t understand what they were saying, but he knew he didn’t like it. He noticed one girl was Filipino and had long silver-colored highlighted hair, while the other girl had long dark red hair and freckles that went across her nose and under her eyes.

“You need to speak English in my classroom, young ladies.”

Sara looks at their new teacher and responds in Cajun French about not understanding what he was saying. She asks him to please repeat himself, but slowly so she could understand him.

Billy tries not to smile, as she watches Sara have some fun with their math teacher. She notices that he didn’t understand a single word Sara said to him.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t understand you. If you’re going to stay in this class, you need to speak English, young lady.” Mr. Williams looks directly towards Sara.

Sara looks towards Billy and asks her in Cajun French what their teacher just said. She knew, but she just wanted to have some fun.

“He said if you’re going to remain in this class. You need to speak English.” Billy had responded to Sara in Cajun French.

Sara just gives the new teacher a dirty look as she turns and pays attention to him. The rest of the class goes by without any problems, but she does ask questions in Cajun French much to the annoyance of her teacher. She always looks at Billy when he answered her. The rest of the class knew Sara spoke perfect English.

By the end of class, Sara noticed Mr. Williams was happy to see her leave. As Sara is walking past his desk “I speak perfect English, Mr. Williams. Maybe you should be more understanding towards other cultures.”

At Age Sixteen:
Ghalen grips the dash as Sara backs the car out of the driveway. She hits the trash can as she turns the car to face in the opposite direction.
“Sara, use your mirrors and stop riding the brakes.” Ghalen looks at his daughter as he tries to teach her how to drive.

“Okay, dad.” Sara shifts to drive and press the gas pedal.

Ghalen never had this much trouble teaching his other children how to drive. He watches Sara as they head down the street. He makes sure she uses her mirrors and could see out of the side of her eyes as they drove.

For the next hour, they drive around the neighborhood. He has to remind Sara to relax and enjoy herself. He could tell she was nervous.

“I don’t understand how you can be so nervous driving but can climb extreme heights without a safety harness or walk tight ropes hundreds of feet off the ground without a safety net.” Ghalen knew Sara loved doing dangerous stunts and tricks.

“I have more control over those things, dad. Driving requires a different type of skill sets I haven’t developed yet.” Sara manages to drive them home without having any accidents.

The next few weeks, she goes out driving with her father. Her mother didn’t trust her enough yet. So, the only time she could practice her driving was with her father and older brother. Her older sisters wouldn’t let her drive their cars.

One day, while she and her father were coming back from picking up a bunch of electronics. There was a police chase going on behind them. Sara spotted the car the police were chasing coming towards them.

Ghalen heard the sirens behind them and saw the cars coming towards them. He watches as they got closer to the “Sara, pull over and let them pass us.”

Sara does the opposite of what her father said. Instead of pulling over to get out of their way. She slams on the brakes and the car that the police were chasing, slams right into the rear end of their car. The airbags deploy as the impact sets them off.

She is knocked unconscious from the impact. The next time she wakes up, she is in a hospital room. Her head was wrapped up and her mother was sitting next to her bed.

“What happened? Where’s dad?” Sara looks at her mother with a confused look on her face.

Agata looks at her daughter “you’re in the hospital sweetie and your father just went to get some coffee.”

Agata had gotten a call from her son and was informed that her husband and Sara were in the hospital. Her husband had suffered some minor injuries from the accident, but Sara had taken the brunt of the impact. The other car had hit right behind the driver side corner of their car. He spun their car completely around. Sara had hit her head on the front windshield. The airbag took the brunt of the impact, but Sara had been knocked out.

“Is daddy mad at me, mom?” Sara shouldn’t have done what she did.

“Yes and no, sweetie. Your father is upset that you didn’t do what he said. But at the same time, he is proud of you. The person who had hit
you had killed a female police officer.” Agata had been informed by her son that the woman had two little children.

Ghalen comes walking back into Sara’s hospital room and spots her awake. He walks over and sits in the other chair next to her bed “how are you feeling sweet pea?”

“Like someone hit me with a hammer.” Sara could feel the huge bump on her head.

A grin appears on Ghalen’s face. He knew Sara had a gash as well that had been closed with twelve stitches.

“I’m sorry daddy, for not doing what you told me.” Sara was watching her father.

“That’s water under the bridge sweetie. All that matters now, are you getting better.” Ghalen couldn’t stay mad at his daughter, not after seeing blood coming from her head.

“I promise to do better, daddy.” Tears were leaking from Sara’s eyes.

“I know you will sweetie.” Ghalen hugs his youngest.

Agata also hugs Sara as well. The three of them stay like that for a little while. Afterward, the nurse comes in to check on Sara. She spends three days in the hospital.

Her older sister comes and checks her out on the third day. Billy was with her. She had spent a whole day with her on the second day. They worked on the schoolwork she had missed, and Billy caught her up on the latest gossip going around school about her accident.

After a few weeks out of the hospital, she is taken to a driving school. She was still a little skittish about getting back behind the wheel of a car. However, she summoned up the courage she needed to get back behind the wheel.

Her brother signed her up for an offensive driving course. He figured if Sara was going to be doing what she did, she needs to learn how to do it safely.

Prom night, two years later:
Sara looks at the prom dress her sister had helped her buy. Billy had asked her to be her prom date. None of the males at school bother to ask her out for prom. They were either too scared of her or thought she was too much of a nerd.

She was known at school as a class clown, but she was also known to punish people who bullied or took advantage of other students as well. It didn’t matter if the person was a student or a teacher. She would make sure they pay for their actions.

Her older sister Brenda knocks on her bedroom door, before walking in. She stops to look at Sara “that dress looks nice on you, Sara.”

“Thanks. I couldn’t have afforded it without your help, sis.” Sara turns around to look at her older sister.

“Dad would have given you the extra cash to buy it, Sara. You’re the baby of the family.” Brenda and the rest of her siblings had been a little upset that their parents were going to adopt a newborn.

However, after hearing how Sara had lost her mother while giving birth to her and that she had no other relatives to take her. They warmed up to her and treated her as if she had been born from their parents.

At first, it was a major adjustment, because Sara was Filipino, and the family was African American. However, everyone eventually adjusted to the fact that there was a Filipino child in the family.

“I think you’re right, but I wanted to do this on my own.” Sara worked for her father in his shop.

“Well, I think you made the right choice, little sister. Who would had thought that the little Filipino boy mom brought home eighteen years ago, would grow into a gorgeous young woman?” Brenda smiled at Sara’s reflection.

“Thanks, sis.” Sara turns around and hugs her older sister.

Brenda returns the hug. After a few minutes “come on, let's head downstairs so mom can take pictures of you and Billy.”

“Mom and her camera.” Sara knew her mother loved taking pictures.

“Hey, you should have seen her when she first got it.” Brenda smiles as they walk down the stairs.

Billy was dressed in a tuxedo and was holding a corsage. A smile appears on Billy’s face when she sees Sara.

“Wow! Now I am glad you made me wait to see you in that dress.” Billy was impressed by how beautiful Sara looked.

Billy had already decided that she didn’t want to wear a prom dress, but her father’s old tux. She and Sara have been very good friends since elementary school. She wasn’t a typical girl and always broke the typical stereotype of what a girl was supposed to do. She knew Sara wasn’t a genetic girl either. The two of them were so similar in everything they did, that they were like twins.

Billy puts the corsage on Sara’s wrist. They stand still, so Mrs. Jefferson could take pictures of them. Sara felt like she was on cloud nine with her best friend next to her.

Ghalen and Agata look at their little girl and couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked, standing next to Billy. They sometimes wonder if Billy was gay and had a thing for Sara. They knew Sara thought very highly of her friend Billy and her parents.

A horn beep outside the house. Brenda walks over to the front door and opens the door. Parked outside was a stretch limo that Sara and some of her friends had chipped in to rent for the night.

“Well, we better leave.” Sara gives her mother and father a hug.

“Billy, you have Sara back here by midnight.” Ghalen looks at Billy.

“Okay, Mr. Jefferson.” Billy waves goodbye to everyone as they walk out to the limo and get in.

The limo takes them to the prom and drops them off. The driver was going to wait for them. Sara and her friends go inside the school and have their pictures, and such taken together. The band that had been hired played mostly 80’s music, but Sara and the rest of the kids didn’t care.

When the band started playing slow music for couples, Sara drags Billy out onto the dance floor. She wraps her arms around Billy and leans into her “I am going to kiss you.”

“Are you sure, about this, Sara?” Billy seemed a little nervous.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Sara starts kissing Billy out on the dance floor.

Billy returns the kiss as they continued to dance. She enjoys kissing Sara as they danced to the music. A few times, she had to stop kissing Sara, because of the teachers monitoring the dance. Around eleven o’clock, they leave the prom with their friends. As they are heading home, they make out in the back of the limo.

Just as Sara decided to give Billy oral sex like her friends were doing to their dates. The limo is pulled over all of a sudden. Everyone inside is told to get out and bring their wallets and purses with them. Sara activates an app on her cellphone and tucks it into the seam of the seat.

When all the people, including Sara and Billy, are standing outside of the limo. They spot six men wearing black clothing and they had their heads covered as well. They were also carrying semi-automatic rifles.

“What do you want with us?” Sara looks at one of the men.

“We want Billy Evans. Which one of you is Billy Evans?” The men look at all the girls first.

“Wrong car, dumbass. She left the prom early.” Sara steps close to Billy.

“We know she is here. Now, you either turn her over to us or we’ll start shooting you one by one.” The tallest of the six men look at each one of them.

“If I were you, I would be on my merry way, because the police have been notified.” Sara had a smile on her face.

“I don’t think so, little girl. None of your cellphones are working right now.” One of the men holds up a black box.

“Now, give us Billy Evans.” One of the other men comes walking over to Sara and Billy.

Sara acts quickly and punches the guy when he gets close to her and Billy. Her movements were restricted because of her prom dress, but she does manage to get a punch in on the guy. She looks at Billy “RUN!”

Billy turns and starts running away from everyone. She doesn’t look back at her friends and schoolmates. She wonders what they wanted with her.

“Come back here, you brat.” One of the other men start running to get Billy.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Sara sweeps his legs out from under him.

When he falls towards the ground, his rifle goes off. The bullet from the rifle ricochet off the road behind Billy and hits her in the lower back. Billy drops to the ground.

“No!” Sara stands up from the guy she was wrestling with and runs towards her friend.

She scoops up a cellphone that had fallen from one of the guys. She runs towards her friend to see if she was alright. When she gets close, she could see Billy laying face first on the road. She hears the three cars take off.

“Billy, please don’t be dead.” She goes to turn Billy over.

“Don’t turn me, Sara. The bullet hit me in the back.” Billy felt the bullet hit her in the lower part of her back.
Sara dials 911

“911, what is your emergency?”

“I need an ambulance immediately 800 blocks of Ingle street. My friend has been shot in the back.” Sara was worried about Billy.

“One is being dispatched as we speak. Can you tell me what happened?”

“My friend was shot by some guys that tried to kidnap her.” Sara knew there was more. She was feeling guilty because it was her fault the gun went off.

The ambulance and paramedics show up. They take over and do what they can for Billy. Sara walks back to the limo and grabs her cellphone. She noticed that the limo driver was talking to the police. She looks upfront of the limo and notices his cellphone.

The phone was locked, but she saw the pattern on the screen and manages to unlock it. She scrolls through the numbers he called and finds the one he dialed that matched the numbers in the phone she had. She takes a picture of it with her phone. She puts his phone back where it had been.

All the parents of her friends show up. When Sara’s parents show up “mom, dad we need to get to the hospital. Billy was shot.”

“Alright, baby.” Agata knew how close they were.

“Tell us what happened, sweetie and why your prom dress is such a mess.” Ghalen noticed how dirty Sara’s prom dress was.

Sara tells her parents what happened from the beginning. She felt responsible for Billy getting hit in the back by the bullet. Agata tries to comfort her baby, as she held her.

Ghalen watches in the rear-view mirror as his wife tries to comfort their daughter. They arrive at the hospital, where they spot Billy’s parents and her little brother. Sara rushes to Mrs. Evans and hugs her. She knew how close Billy and her mother were.

“Any word, Mary about Billy’s condition?” Agata was curious about how Billy was doing.

“Nothing yet. She’s being prep right now for surgery.” Mary was worried about her baby girl.

Billy’s father looks at Sara “what did the men say, when they pulled the limo over?”

“All they wanted was Billy and there were six of them. I tackled one, so Billy could get away. Another one started going after her and sweep his legs out from under him. When he fell, his gun…” Sara breaks down into tears.

Sara felt guilty that her best friend had been injured because of her actions. She holds onto her mother for support.

“Sweetie, there was nothing you could have done differently. You tried saving your best friend.” Agata holds her baby as she cried.

Several hours later, the doctor operating on Billy comes out. He looked tired as he removes his mask. He walks over towards them.

“How is she?” Mary and her husband stood up.

“She’s going to be fine. The bullet had gotten jammed between her vertebrae. We managed to remove the bullet without any problems.”

“Oh, thank god.” Mary was happy her baby would be fine.

“So, Billy will be okay, with no problems?” Sara looks at the doctor for an answer.

“She’ll be fine, with little side effects.” Doctor Kling figures she’ll have some minor damage.

“Oh, thank god. When can I see Billy?” Sara wanted to see her best friend.

“Tomorrow. She is still unconscious and will be for a while.”

“I want to stay with her.” Mary wanted to stay with her baby.

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

Mary looks at Sara ‘I’ll keep you inform, Sara.”

“Okay.”

Agata and Ghalen take Sara home. When they get home, Sara heads up to her bedroom and strips out of her prom dress. She heads towards the bathroom and fills the tub up. She was thinking about how she was going to find the people responsible for hurting her friend.

All she had right now, was the limo driver’s information and the phone from one of the men. She didn’t know anything about tracking the other phones down, but she did know someone from one of her clubs at school that does know.

After taking her bath and getting dress in her pajamas. She lays down and tries to go straight to sleep. It doesn’t take her long before the events of the evening come crashing down on her.

Sara looks down at Billy as she laid in her hospital bed. She felt so sorry for what happened to her.

“Why the long face, Sara?” Billy was holding Sara’s hand.

“Because it’s my fault the bullet hit you in the back.”

“Stop blaming yourself for that. You didn’t know that it would happen.” Billy hated seeing Sara blaming herself for what happened.

Sara places a kiss on Billy’s lip. She will get the people responsible for hurting her friend.

“I hope you don’t mind me doing that.”

A smile appears on Billy’s face “no, I don’t mind.”

Sara stays for a few more hours before she has to go and see her friend Nick. She mounts her motorcycle and heads to where Nick works, which was an electronics store that sold cellphones and accessories. She was wanted to bring the men that hurt Billy brought to justice.

It takes her about twenty-five minutes to reach the store. She spots his late model Toyota Camry in the parking lot. She parks her motorcycle in the space next to it.

As she walks into the store, she spots Nick talking to a customer about a refurbished Apple iPhone. She stands at the counter and waits until he is finished. Once Nick is finished ring up the customer “hi Nick.”

Nick smiles at Sara “What brings you down here today?” Nick has always liked Sara.

“I need a favor and I’m hoping you can help me out.”

“That depends on the favor. What is the favor you need?” Nick wonders what Sara needed. He knew she was a practical joker and also use tricks to get revenge on people.

Luckily, he has never been on the receiving end of her revenge tricks. He saw her pull one of her revenge tricks against a guy that uses to tease him in their school. The boy was stuck looking like a smurf from the trick she pulled.

“Can you track some cellphone numbers for me and tell me where they currently are?” Sara was hoping Nick could help her.

“Does this have something to do with what happened to you guys last night?” Nick heard about it from a friend of his, who heard about it from
one of the girls that were there.

“Yes, do you think you can help me?”

“Let me see what you got.” Nick holds his hand out towards Sara.

Sara hands the cellphone she found last night to Nick. She hopes he can do something with it.

“There you go.”

Nick looks at the phone. It was one of the cheap ones his store sold. He plugs it into his laptop and starts tapping away. He manages to locate the other numbers. He zooms in on the location.

Sara looks around the shop at the different cellphones and accessories for sale. One cellphone catches her eyes. It was a Pixel 4 XL and it was going for twelve hundred dollars.

“I’ve located them, Sara.” Nick looks over towards Sara.

“Good.” Sara walks over to Nick.

Nick puts his laptop onto the counter and shows the location. Sara knew the location from going on patrols with her brother. She knew it would take her about fifteen minutes to get there from Nick’s store. If she left from her parent’s place, it would take her twenty-five minutes.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Sara?” Nick looks into Sara’s hazel eyes.

“Yes, they tried to kidnap Billy and one of their guns went off and landed in Billy’s back.”

“How is Billy?” Nick was concerned about her.

“She’s doing okay right now. The doctor managed to remove the bullet from between her vertebrate.”

“Ouch! She was lucky the bullet didn’t shatter her spine.”

“I know, so yes, I want revenge for what they did and to find out why they wanted Billy.”

“Isn’t Billy’s father involved in that cartel case going on? Wasn’t it his forensic work that is being used?” Nick kept up with the latest criminal cases.

“I think your right. That would explain why they wanted Billy last night.” Sara forgot about the cases Billy’s father was involved in. He didn’t talk about his work at home.

“Now, I can get revenge for Billy. Can you print that out for me, please?”

“Sure, no problem. Just be careful Sara. I would hate to read about you dying.” Nick presses print and prints a copy out for Sara.

“Not a chance. I’m too squirrely and clever for that to happen.”

“Well, just be careful in case.” Nick grabs the copy he printed out and hand it to Sara.

“Thanks.” Sara folds it up and puts it in her back pocket.

“You’re welcome.” Nick watches as Sara walks out of his father’s store.

Several Hours Later:
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” Sara was dressed in an old Batwoman costume she wore for Halloween last year.

She removes two homemade flashbangs and tosses them into the building where the guys were. They go off, as she burst through a window, that explodes inward. As she lands, her right foot slips out from under her, because of the broken glass.

She manages to get up off the floor before the six guys could recover. She punches the nearest guy to her. She spins kicks another guy and activates the electrical circuits in the glove, she was wearing, and shocks another one.

Sara falls forward, from being hit from behind. One of the guys had managed to hit her. The guy she punched, grabs her and tosses her onto the floor. He starts punching her. The other guys come over and start punching, kicking, and beating her with whatever they could put their hands on.

Sara tries to protect herself, as the six guys beat and kick her. She cries out in pain, as they hurt her. The suit was absorbing some of the damage, but she was feeling the rest.

The next thing she hears is the growling sound of an animal. One of the men is taken down by that animal. The other five men start falling to the ground, like a shotgun sound.

“Sàil!”

Sara watches as the huge dog that had attacked one of her attackers stops. She watches as a tall, well-built muscular guy kneels next to her. He scoops her up off the floor and stands up with her.

Sara looks at the man “I had them, just where I wanted them.” As a weak smile appears on her face.

“I could see that. If you’re going to be doing this type of work. You’re going to need training.” Jack carries Sara out to a black Ford F350.

“Are you offering?” Sara was hurting all over. She could feel she had several broken bones.

“Let’s see how you are after you’re all healed up.” Jack places Sara into the F350 carefully.

Sara wonders who this guy was. She watches as the biggest fucking dog she has ever seen jumps up onto the front passenger seat. She finally passes out from the pain.

Two Years Later, Several Days before Events in Stand by Your Woman:
“Thanks for the lift, Simon.” Sara exists from the Uber ride she took from her hotel room.

“Any time and thanks for the big tip.” Simon liked how big of a tip he received from Sara.

Sara stands in front of her family’s restaurant. It’s been two years since she has been home, since accepting Mr. Bounty’s offer to work for him. She takes a deep breath and walks into the restaurant. The place was busy, which was a good sign. She had been worried since her older
sister Brenda informed her that her mother was having financial troubles.

She passes some of the waitresses she knew and put her finger to her mouth. She wanted to surprise her mother and sisters. Both her older sisters were working full time with their mother.

She enters the kitchen “what’s a girl got to do to get a good bowl of gumbo around here?” She used her Cajun French speech.

Agata was busy fixing an order when suddenly, she hears Sara's voice. She looks up from what she was doing and spots her baby girl standing a few feet away from her.

“Hi, mom.” Sara walks over to her mother and gives her a big hug.

Tears run down Agata’s cheek as she holds her baby girl. It’s been two years since Sara has been home. She steps back to look at her baby.
She liked how the custom dress suit she was wearing, showed off her figure and the small dangling earrings hung from her ears.

She notices Sara’s skin has gotten a little darker. She also notices that Sara was wearing make-up that highlighted her facial features. She couldn’t believe how grown up her baby was now.

“When did you get in?”

“Just a few hours ago, mom. I flew in from South America.”

“Where are you staying and how long are you in town?”

“I don’t know how long I am staying, yet. I have an assignment I need to complete.”

“What type of assignments do you do sis?” Brenda was curious about what her little sister did.

“It all depends what Mr. Bounty needs me to do. I’ve done body guarding, escort services, courier services, and several other different types of jobs.” Sara looks at her sister.

“Does that include taking people’s lives?” Her other sister Sasha looks at her.

“Nope, that’s not my job. That is done by a different group of people. People that are scary and are very good at what they do. The only time I do something like that is in self-defense. And even then I try very hard not to.”

Sasha just looks at her little sister and wonders if she was telling the truth. She uses to be able to tell, but now she couldn’t.

“Well, I don’t care. I have my baby back. You go out and claim a table and I’ll have some gumbo brought out to you.”

“Thanks, mom. I have missed all of you and you’re cooking.” Sara places a kiss on her mother’s cheek.

“It’s good to have you back home, sweetie.” Agata hugs her daughter one more time, before letting her go and sit down.

Sara walks out of the kitchen and over to her favorite table in the restaurant. The same table she sat at when she was a little boy, wearing princess costumes.