13-year-old Dalia Harrison sat nervously behind a table in a grey room. Across from her was a window, through which could be seen an older woman walking a small pekingese dog. The dog dashed up to the window and panted. Dalia gave a weak smile and waved at the pekingese. The door to the room opened – a police officer with a scar on his face stepped in, carrying two cups of tea. He placed a cup in front of Dalia and sat down across from her, blocking her view of the window.

“Apologies for the wait, Miss Harrison,” said the officer. “I'm... sorry for leaving you alone…”

“No, it's... it's fine.” replied Dalia.

“So... there's no rush. But... whenever you're ready, we would like to know which officer did this.”

“It... it was two officers, actually,” said Dalia, flatly. “One stood there and watched while the other... violated and killed my mother.”

The investigator nodded.

“I see. Did you get a good look at the officers' faces?”

“I... yes. I saw them through the window when they showed up at the door. When they started attacking my mother, I ran and hid in the closet, where I was able to... see the whole thing.”

“So, would you be able to point them out of a lineup-”

“But, there's one more thing,” said Dalia. “It's... kind of strange, but... I need you to listen to me.”

The officer looked down at Dalia with confusion and concern. “Um... sure?”

“When the... attacking officer was done with my mother,” said Dalia. “A... spectral figure appeared. These spectral figures... most people can't see them, but I can. There are certain people who can summon these figures. My mother could summon one that looked like a turtle. But this figure... was shaped like a large person. A demon, with bloody armor. And it... tore my mother in half with a single punch.”

The officer stared at her.

“You... don't believe me, do you?”

“Miss Harrison,” sighed the scarred investigator. “Would you consider yourself to be a dog person or a cat person?”

“Uh... dog person, I guess?” replied Dalia. “What... why do you ask?”

“Hm. Interesting. Personally, I prefer cats,” said the officer. “They're quiet. They're unconcerned with the people around them. They run and hide when they're in over their heads. Dogs – they poke their noses into other peoples' business. They're too confrontational. And they're always yapping people’s ears off. Do you understand, Dalia?”

A muffled scream rang out through the room. The officer stood up, walking around the table. Through the window, a cloud of red mist obscured a humanoid stand. The stand held up the pekingese from earlier – its front half was missing. The dog’s owner was stunned, blood splattered across her body. Dalia jumped as a scarred hand gently caressed her face. The investigator was standing behind her.

“…Miss Harrison?” said the officer. “Is everything ok? What are you looking at?”

“I... nothing,” stuttered Dalia. “I can't... see anything.”

The officer stroked Dalia’s hair. “Good girl. Let's keep it that way, ok?”

The investigator took his empty tea cup, and stepped out of the room. Dalia curled into a ball, beginning to whimper.

A taxi sped down a French highway. Frida Dynamo was at the wheel, expertly weaving around slower vehicles. Dalia was panting, curled into a ball in the passenger’s seat.

“Sorry 'bout that idiot,” grumbled Frida. “Honestly, I don't know why he's so obsessed with me. I haven't hacked into THAT many government servers.”

Dalia's ears suddenly perked up. She crawled up the back of her seat and looked out of the window. Louis X Villeneos rode through rows of cars, dust kicking up around his stolen motorbike. A stand’s head poked out of the headlight, and a pair of checkered arms flapped in the wind.

“Ahhh... Fridy~a?” said Dalia. “The peacock guy is here. He's chasing us on a me~owtercycle…”

“Ah, crap,” groaned Frida. “All right, hold on tight.”

The taxi sped up, swerving around a few nearby cars. Louis scowled. Midnight Runner’s left arm aimed its anchor forward and clicked internally.

“He's about to shoot!” shouted Dalia.

The anchor fired. Frida’s eyes opened at the sight of the anchor in the rearview mirror. The taxi swerved, and the anchor hooked into a van instead. The van screeched to a stop, and the road underneath cracked. The taxi sped away.

“Hold on…” said Frida, peering over at Dalia, “How did you know his stand was about to shoot? Can... can you see stands?”

“N... ny~o! I... I can't see them~eow at all!”

Louis revved up the motorcycle engines. The exhaust pipe sputtered. The fuel gauge was empty.

“Figures,” said Louis with an eye roll. “I have been going quite fast for a while…”

Plastic tubes grew out of the handlebars of the bike. Louis slapped them away.

“Not yet, Midnight Runner,” growled Louis. “We still have some fuel to use!”

A woman in a leather jacket jumped out of the weighted van. She waved over to Louis, and walked up to the motorbike.

“Hey!” called out the leather woman. “You there, can you help? I think my van has a flat…”

Midnight Runner's face opened vertically, revealing the grinding gears inside. It grabbed the woman with its right arm, and pulled her in. Blood sprayed around the crowded highway. The anchor retracted, and Louis revved the bike.

Frida’s taxi sped down the road, blatantly breaking the legal limit. Midnight Runner slammed its hands into the ground, launching the motorbike over the nearby cars. Frida glanced in the mirror and scowled.

“Damn it!” barked Frida. “How the hell is that bike moving so fast?!”

Dalia was curled in a fetal position in front of the passenger side seat, under the glove compartment.

“Mow…”

Frida peered over to Dalia. Miss Robot grabbed the steering wheel, and Frida reached over to her passenger.

“Hey, Dalia. Don't worry, it's all going to be ok…”

“I... I kny~ow. Sorry, I... I know I'm a ce~oward. It's just... whenever something scary happens, I just want to run and hide…”

Frida sighed.

“You're not a coward, Dalia. Trust me, this sort of shit is scary for anyone. The fact that you've continued to live on despite being scared proves that you're truly brave!”

Suddenly, Frida sat up. The road ahead was closed.

“Shit! Miss Robot!”

Frida grabbed the wheel. Miss Robot's leg phased through the car door, digging into the road. The car spun around, and a cloud of dust kicked up. Suddenly, the anchor latched into the hood of the car. The wheels squealed as the car's weight increased. Frida’s eyes darted around in a panic, unable to see through the dust.

“He's- he's on my side!” blurted Dalia.

Frida turned to Dalia and jumped just as her door was ripped off by Midnight Runner's right hand. Frida drop-kicked out of the door. She landed legs-first in Midnight Runner's mouth.

“Success!” announced Louis, the dust clearing. “Finally, my long nightmare is over! Frida Dynamo is in my grasp!”

There was a crunching sound. Louis looked down. Frida's legs were made out of metal – slowly being crushed by Midnight Runner's grinding mouth.

“Smart move, Dynamo,” taunted Louis. “But you're only delaying the inevitable!”

Dalia crawled backward, hyperventilating.

“I... I don't understand,” thought Dalia. “I know there's a stand there! I know it's eating Frida's legs! But... no matter how hard I try, I can't see it! I... I really don't want to see it! But I need to help Frida!”

Miss Robot threw a hook at Louis’s head. Midnight Runner's hand caught hers with a loud clang. Dalia's eyes opened wide.

“I... I get it now!” thought Dalia. “I can't see stands... but... but I can hear them! I can still be useful!”

What appeared to be a yellow balloon began to inflate out of Dalia's left ear. Dalia stared straight ahead, shocked. The balloon continued to grow, and shaped itself into the form of a submarine. Dalia's new stand popped out of her ear, and floated in front of her.