"Thanks for the ride Anne, I would invite you in but I don't know my parents are going to take this." Benedicta stepped out of the car in front of her old house. The sky was cloudy overhead as Benedicta lifted the top of her hoodie down.

"Urban always told me that if I keep eating like a rabbit, I'll turn into one. I guess he was right. Benedicta wondered what her older brother's reaction would be if he knew she was a magical girl. It felt kind of strange to be human again after almost a year. She figured it would be best to visit her parents before her extended family showed up for Christmas. It would be difficult enough for her to deal with them.

"Well, here goes nothing. Hopefully Mom and Dad don't call the cops..." Benedicta cringed a bit as she unlocked the front door. Almost instantly she was tackled by a large golden figure. She was stunned for a moment and nearly fell over before realizing who it was.

"Yoke! I guess you smelt me coming, have you been a good boy while I was gone?" The girl patted the dog on the head as he jumped up and down. The loud barking from Yoke quickly got her parents' attention and they were clearly startled as they entered the living room. Finally, after an awkward moment of silence Benedicta's mother spoke up.

"Benedicta Cornell, do you know how much trouble you're in right now? The police have been over here constantly. You better have a good explanation for what's good on!" Her mother paused a second before giving Yoke a gesture to move aside and reached out to hug Benedicta. "Where were you? We were worried sick about you!" She embraced her mother back before responding.

"It's rather difficult to explain and I'm not sure if you would believe me even if I did," Benedicta wasn't sure where to start with what happened.

"Well, can you at least explain why you got your hands on Sybil mother's ID and bought enough alcohol to buy a round for your entire high school? The last time I checked, I'm pretty sure Sybil and you couldn't stand each other but she said this was all your idea when we spoke with Carol and her," Benedicta's father added.

"We're not going to call the police, but it would be best for you to explain to them what's going on before things get any worse. Don't worry, we'll get you the help you need to get through this," Benedicta's mother did the best she could to reassure her.

"You actually believe Sybil over me? She's a sociopath! Why would I help her throw a party? Besides her family own the cops! There's no way I would get a fair trial. Why do you think she's not in jail right now? Maybe, I should just leave. I wanted you to know I was safe, but if I stay I'm putting you in danger as well. The police aren't the only ones after me." Benedicta sighed as she started to think that coming here was a mistake.

"Where do you plan on going? There's nowhere safer for you than here! We'll protect you!" Benedicta's mother held her even tighter.

"You can't. There are much more dangerous things out there than cops, one of my friends lost her family to them." She did her best to try and free herself from her mother's embrace. "I'll stay for a bit but it's safer for us all us if I don't live here anymore." Benedicta tried to compromise with her.

"Can we just have a normal Christmas for a few days before everyone else shows up? That's all I want, you don't have to get me any presents or anything." She knew it would be impossible to go back to her old life but at least she could pretend for a bit.

"If that's what will make you happy Benedicta, but I want you to promise that you'll tell us about everything that happened while you were gone," her mother still sounded quite worried.

"I will Mom, someday but not now."