Licorice

The Officer and Danielle stare at each other intensely. Danielle's plant creature stands on the ground next to its mistress, eyeing Chris and the rest of the room with its glaring red eyes.

"I'm here for him." Danielle gestures to Chris, who climbs to his feet unsteadily. He tenses when he realizes that the Officer bears an uncanny resemblance to Laura, having practically the same face as the matriarch of this twisted hellhole. Danielle gestures around the room, continuing, "Isn't all of this a bit much, Licorice?"

"I don't think so." Licorice counters defensively. "I was receiving reports of an infiltrator wrecking havoc in the pantry and customer service building. I didn't know what I was going to be up against, so I decided to bring an entire division." 

Licorice looks at Chris with interest, eyebrow raised. "You know this guy took out two peppermint crushers, right?" 

"I was aware." Danielle answers coldly. 

"What's wrong Danny?" Licorice smiles at the young witch's response. "Too many tricks and not enough treats tonight?"

"Don't call me that!" Danielle responds hotly, causing Licorice's smile to grow. Danielle grabs Chris by the arm, causing him to jump at the sudden physical contact. Danielle turns to head back the way they came. "We'll be leaving now..." 

"Oh, no you don't." At Licorice's word, the gummy grizzlies standing in Danielle's and Chris' path growl and move closer. The two teens stop and back away from the monsters. 

"I need you to give me some answers, Danielle." Licorice is not smiling anymore. "Who is the boy and how did he get past mother and escape the confection shop?"

Danielle looks at Chris before turning back to face Licorice with an annoyed expression. "I don't know who he is. It was my fault that he escaped from the shop and mother tasked me with retrieving him. That's it."

"Really? She wants you to bring him all the way back to the shop?" Licorice questions, meeting Danielle's look with a deadly serious one. "I'm surprised that she doesn't want you to just kill him."

Chris tenses at the mention of Danielle killing him. Up until now, he has been masking his confusion at the fact that his would-be murderer is trying to save him, for some reason. He looks at Danielle with wide eyes. Now that Licorice is questioning whether or not he should be left alive at this point, he questions if Danielle will change her mind. Danielle responds by squeezing Chris' arm in a surprising show of support. 

"I remember what mother expected of me the first time I helped her with the shop. She wanted me to experience my first kill." Licorice continues, adjusting the saber at her hip. She directs a look of pity at Danielle. "And I know you well enough that I'm guessing you didn't have the guts to do it. Maybe you even convinced mother to let him escape so that you could 'hunt' him down?"

Licorice effortlessly guesses the series of events that has led up to this point. Chris stares at Danielle with newfound insight, based on Licorice's intuitions. Danielle's annoyed look does not crack, however.

"I don't mind taking care of him for you." Licorice offers, drawing her saber in one smooth motion. The polished metal blade glows with the same enchanted power as the stiletto knife that Laura gave to Danielle. "I can make it quick, so that he doesn't suffer."

"You're wrong, Licorice." Danielle denies firmly, ignoring Licorice's twisted generosity. "He snuck into the pantry and mother tasked me with tracking him down and bringing him back to her. That's it." 

Licorice keeps her blade trained on Chris. Danielle quickly adds, "If you kill him, mother will not be happy."

At the mention of Laura's unhappiness, Licorice finally lowers her sword. "Fine. If you insist." She sheathes the blade. "I have work to get back to anyway, this army isn't going to run itself." 

Licorice turns and struts toward the blown out front of the lobby, calling over her shoulder, "I guess you won't be joining the invasion tonight, then?"

Danielle, who has been carefully watching Licorice leave, asks, "What invasion?"

Licorice looks back at Danielle with the same cat-like smile as earlier. "Why, the invasion of the human world, or course!" She laughs as she disappears through the remains of the revolving door. "Anyway, it was nice seeing you sis!"