Announcementcontent warning: brief mention of injury / deathDespite all of Erin's and my concerns about how people would react to her magical rejuvenation, things actually went pretty well when we returned to work on Monday.

  Jason seemed startled when he first discovered our boss now looked young enough to be his daughter. And for that matter I wasn't entirely used to it yet myself. Having my mentor and surrogate mother-figure suddenly become more like a younger sister in terms of age required a bit of a mental shift, as far as I was concerned.

  Our coworker didn't make a fuss though, he didn't demand answers or even question it all that much. In fact other than some positive comments and complements he just seemed to accept Erin's new appearance and left it at that. I was a little surprised by his non-reaction, but it was one less thing to worry about which was nice.

  With that out of the way things at the agency quickly settled back down to business as usual. Miss Rhodes was still our boss, and she continued doting on me as much as ever. Although to be fair she was almost as generous and understanding with Jason too. In fact Erin was pretty much the perfect boss, she was always happy to encourage us to take time off whenever we needed it, and continued treating us to lunch at least once a week.

  So things hadn't really changed that much at work after all. Away from the office though, it seemed like Erin was interested in seeing our friendship grow even closer. She actually suggested another double-date the following week, so Jenna and I joined Erin and Sherry after work on the st Friday of September for a nice casual dinner at a BBQ pce on Main Street. Then the four of us caught a new movie together at the local cinema, and finished the evening with a nightcap at a nearby bar.

  It was a fun night, and it was nice to see Erin and Sherry enjoying themselves. The two of them definitely seemed to be taking full advantage of their renewed youth, and in Sherry's case she was obviously making the most of her restored health too.

  Then in early October they invited Jenna and I to join them for Thanksgiving, which was a pleasant surprise. And since we didn't have any other pns for the holiday we decided to take them up on it.

  Rather than a big formal turkey dinner we made it a much more rexed affair, and all four of us pitched in to prepare the food. As a result it turned out to be more like a little pot-luck, since we all had different ideas on what to make and serve. It was a lot of fun though, and Jenna and I both had a good time. Same with Erin and Sherry, they certainly seemed to enjoy having us over for the day.

  Of course life wasn't all double-dates and holiday get-togethers. My girlfriend remained focused on her college programs, she seemed very committed to her art and photography courses. And she was just as serious about learning how to fit in like a normal student. That included spending plenty of time with her friends Ashley and Ember, and from the sound of it they were doing a good job helping Jenna get more comfortable and confident being around regur humans.

  Meanwhile work kept me busy too. Things weren't overly hectic, but I had a steady stream of listings and clients to take care of. And while Erin pretty much let me set my own hours, there was always the occasional customer who's schedule required me to work te. Which is why I found myself meeting a client at their home at five o'clock on a Friday afternoon.

  About a month had passed since Jenna and I helped Erin and Sherry, and fortunately there was no double-date pnned for that night. In fact Jenna and I didn't have any pns at all for the evening. On the other hand I did take a moment to text my girlfriend, so she'd know I was working te. Otherwise she'd have been worried sick about me, she still hadn't quite gotten over my car accident back in August.

  "So what do you think Miss Lawrence?" Dr. Scherer asked as I tucked my phone away. "Should we just sell the pce? Or try and go the rental route instead?"

  I looked up and gave him and his wife a sympathetic smile, "Unfortunately it's not my pce to give you that kind of advice."

  As far as I could tell there was nothing the least bit supernatural about either of them, although I was hardly an expert. They seemed completely mundane though, a well-off middle-aged couple who needed to make some big decisions and were looking for a little hand-holding.

  "I can certainly help you with whichever option you choose though," I continued. "Whether you want to sell or decide rent it out, Rhodes Real Estate is here for you. And if you do go the rental route, I can put you in touch with some local people who handle rental property admin and maintenance."

  Finally I told him and his wife, "One thing I can say right away is the figure you mentioned is much too low. For a property like this I'd say you should be asking at least a third more. Honestly, I could see a pce like this going even higher than that."

  Mrs. Scherer's eyebrows crept up and she asked, "Are you sure? That seems like an awful lot. It's only a three bedroom home after all, and it's not that new either."

  I smiled, "Positive. The house is cosy and it looks like it's in good shape. The biggest draw though is the lot and the location. You've got a decent sized property, the front and back yards are both in great shape with lots of mature trees. Best of all you're backing onto the Isnd Lake conservation area. That's going to be a huge draw for anyone who enjoys nature."

  I hadn't forgot the lessons I learned when we sold the Kovalenko pce, and while this property wasn't as big it still had a lot of things going for it. For one thing it was much closer to town, all the shops and amenities were only a few minutes away by car. It had good access to schools too, so it could attract a well-off family looking to get out of the city.

  "So you think we should sell then?" Dr. Scherer asked.

  "I didn't say that," I corrected him. "I'm just saying that if you decide to sell, you should be asking the right price for it. You'll want to know what it's worth regardless, since I'm sure that would py a part in how much you charge for rent, if that's the route you end up taking."

  David Scherer was a medical specialist working out of the local hospital, but he'd just accepted a senior position at some health centre in New Engnd. He and his wife agreed to go for two years, but they weren't sure yet if they were prepared to make that a permanent move. Which is why they were torn about whether or not to hang on to their current home.

  If things didn't work out in the States then they wanted the option of coming back here, and in that case it'd be nice not to have to start looking for a new property in the area. I could tell both Dr. Scherer and his wife Irene also had some nostalgia for the pce, since they'd raised their daughter here.

  Their only child was currently attending school in Halifax, so this move would actually bring them closer to her. At least for as long as she remained at Dalhousie University.

  After another second or two I suggested, "Why don't I get you the contact information for that property management firm I mentioned? In the meantime we can continue talking about the other details, and maybe even start putting a listing together? A lot of the process will be the same whether you're selling or renting, so we won't be wasting any time. And that'll speed things along for whenever you make the decision."

  Dr. Scherer asked, "I suppose we can change our minds right up until the end anyways?"

  "That's right," I nodded. "Whatever we do right now, we can always change it ter on if you like. Up until there's a signed offer or rental agreement anyways."

  He and his wife exchanged a look, then he finally agreed. "All right Miss Lawrence. Let's get things started on the assumption that we'll be keeping the property but renting it out for the next two years. If we change our minds and decide to stay in New Engnd then we can put the pce up for sale at that time."

  "Of course," I replied. "I'll forward you that contact information right now, then we can get started on a preliminary listing."

  I tried not to let it show, but I was relieved they'd finally made a decision. It felt like they'd been sitting on the fence for the past half hour, and I was eager to get home to my girlfriend.

  There was still work to be done though, so I didn't actually get out of there until half past six. As soon as I got into my Jeep I sent Jenna a text to let her know I was on my way, then pulled out of the driveway.

  The Scherer's pce wasn't actually that far from home, but I had to contend with Friday evening traffic. I was currently on the wrong side of the highway, and even in te October there'd be a steady stream of people driving up from the city to spend the weekend at their cottages or weekend get-aways.

  Things were fairly quiet on the residential streets east of the highway, so when I got to the lights at the main intersection I was actually the only one waiting cross the highway to get into town. There were a few cars on the eastbound side, but most of them were actually in the turn ne, looking to join the crowd heading north. That was every bit as busy as I'd expected, but the southbound nes were all but empty.

  It was a slow light and I ended up waiting for what felt like four or five minutes before it finally turned green. Then when I tried to set out across the intersection my Jeep shuddered once before the engine completely died.

  "What now?" I sighed as I looked down at the instrument panel. It had been running better than ever since Jenna's magical repairs a couple months earlier, so I really wasn't expecting any car trouble.

  I was just about to try and restart it when a loud terrible crunching noise scared me half to death. I flinched hard then looked up in time to see a southbound tractor-trailer screech to a halt in the middle of the intersection. It had just run the red light and t-boned a solitary eastbound car, which flipped up onto its passenger side as it came to rest a few meters in front of the rger vehicle.

  My heart felt like it was pounding in my chest as I stared in shock at the mangled sedan. The drivers side was crumpled in, there was broken gss everywhere, and a growing pool of gasoline surrounded the back end of the wreck. I was positive the driver couldn't have survived, and anyone else in there had to be badly injured. Then I felt a wave of nausea as another thought dawned on me.

  If my engine hadn't died I'd have been in the intersection. The truck might have hit me rather than the other car. Instead I was safe and healthy, while someone else y dead or dying, trapped inside the twisted wreckage of their vehicle.

  I probably sat there overwhelmed with shock and horror for a half minute before I was able to function again. Then I fumbled for my phone, to try and call 911. My hands were shaking so hard though it actually took me two tries to get the right numbers on the screen. Then when the call finally connected I was barely able to give a coherent report.

  "C-car accident!" I told the woman. "They need an ambunce, at Main and -"

  My voice cut out as something else caught me off guard. A teenage girl appeared out of thin air in the middle of the intersection in front of me. And I knew who she was. Cassandra Underwood, the girl I made my first sale to, the person my girlfriend said was a demonic goddess, just popped into existence a dozen meters away from the front of my car.

  "Ma'am? Are you still there?" the emergency services operator asked.

  "Yeah sorry," I mumbled. "I don't know what..."

  My voice trailed off again, and by that point I could see I wasn't the only person watching wide-eyed and sck-jawed. At least a dozen other witnesses were standing around the intersection, staring in shock as Cassandra strode up to the smashed passenger car. I also realized more than half of those people had their phones out too, recording video or shooting photos of what was happening.

  I continued to watch in amazement as the teen girl pced one hand on the side of the wrecked car and peeled its roof off like it was made of tissue paper. One of the occupants tumbled out of the back seat, and to my surprise she jumped to her feet completely unharmed. The survivor appeared to be a tiny three-tailed foxgirl, but her tall fuzzy ears were folded back while her three floofy tails hung down low between her legs. And she was obviously distraught about the accident.

  From where I was on the east side of the intersection I didn't have a clear view of the people inside the mangled car, and I was grateful for that. I had no idea how the foxgirl was in one piece, but from the way she was crying I knew the other occupants weren't so lucky.

  "Ma'am?" the operator asked again.

  I grimaced, "They need an ambunce! And a firetruck! There's gas leaking all over the road, and..."

  My voice trailed off again when I saw the teenage goddess reach towards the other victims with both hands. Then the inside of the car lit up with golden light, and a moment ter a perfectly healthy middle-aged couple appeared standing next to Cassandra. At that point the little foxgirl practically jumped into the people's arms, crying what looked like tears of relief.

  I had no doubt I and a few dozen other people all just witnessed an actual divine miracle. And probably half of those other witnesses caught the whole thing on camera. Meanwhile I was almost babbling to the 911 operator, "Never mind, we don't need an ambunce after all. Cassandra just healed them. Or maybe she brought them back from the dead? She really is a Goddess! She just appeared out of nowhere and saved those people..."

  PurpleCatGirl