Sarah’s phone rung. It must be Mom, she thought as she answered it. “Hello?”

“Hello, this is Joe with Secure Homes, are you a homeowner?”

“No.”

The beep of the phone as she hung up satisfied her. Stupid telemarketers. She should have known not to answer before checking the number.

The phone rang again, and, without thinking, she answered. This time it really should be her mother.

“Hello, this is Joe, with Secure Homes, are you a homeowner?”

“No!”

Beep. Why would they call back immediately after having just called her? Ugh, they really are a pain, Sarah thought.

Her phone began to ring again, and this time she checked the caller ID. Same number. Now she was really mad.

“Hello, my name--”

“No, go away! Stop calling me! I’m going to block you!” She nearly hung up, but she was so stinking mad that she wanted to know what the telemarketer had to say for himself. She could hear his breathing on the other end, and after a few seconds his voice returned, hesitant at first. It had lost its fake, cheery tone and felt more familiar.

“Hello, it’s me, Joe, do you want to go on an adventure?”

What? Was she supposed to know who he was? She could just hang up. But why not mess with this guy for a few minutes before she blocked him? “Oh! Joe! Hi!”

“Forgot the password again, huh?”

Curioser and curioser.

“No, no, ummm...hold on...it’s...I’m a homeowner of a modest split level in Seattle.”

Beep. He had hung up on her.

Well, that’s one way to fix the problem, Sarah thought. What a weird conversation.

Meanwhile, Joe sat in his office chair, phone raised to his ear. “Hello, security? I may have just compromised our position to a random stranger attempting to make up passwords...”

“I will destroy Carlos for you. Let’s talk payment.”

Angela flinched and protectively crossed her arms over her chest. She was expecting to have to pay, of course, but even still, the thought of it stung. She had already given up so much. But this time...this time, it could be worth it. “Alright, what do you want?”

“The lock of hair.”

Angela’s eyes widened even as she tried to conceal her shock. It was a few moments before she said, “Let me think about it.”

“A reasonable response.” James sat down on her bed and reclined, somehow managing to maintain his slightly threatening vibe. “While you’re thinking, do you mind if I turn on the TV?”

Angela was almost more shocked at this request at the one before. She stared at him, making no response.

James laughed at her bewilderment. “It’s not like I’m going to curse your television, Angela.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Just because I’m considering a deal with you doesn’t mean that I trust you.”

“Of course you don’t. Letting me watch your TV hardly shows that you do.”

“Why do you care so much?”

“There’s an episode of Doctor Who airing right now and I like that show.”

Angela eyed him, then turned around and walked across the room to her nightstand where she kept the remote. “You’re not very good at letting me think, so please shut up,” she said as she handed it to him.

A dog-eared business card with a single name on it: James Burns.

Angela flipped the card around. There was nothing on the back except for what looked like an ink stain. She turned it over again only to discover that the front now said: James Burns, ghostbuster extrodinaire and a phone number.

"What the f-" Angela muttered. She flipped the card again. Still the blackish blotch on the back. Yet when she flipped it back to the front, it read James Burns, demon hunter (like Supernatural), with the same phone number.

Angela rolled her eyes. She'd seen stranger shit. The problem with this is that she couldn't leave it and pretend like she had never seen it. Someone clearly wanted her to see it; otherwise, it wouldn't have appeared like that. And that someone might be powerful.

It could be Carlos, trying to rope her into something, trying to test her loyalty. That was like him. He'd write that fanfic or make stupid jokes on a business card just to get a rise out of her. And he never trusted her--he was always testing her loyalty...Angela pulled down her sleeve subconsciously, over the place where the Mark was.

And even if this James guy could help her get rid of the demon Carlos, the consequences could be too much. Angela shivered. She hadn't realized the chill that was setting in. This time it wasn't Carlos, only a natural consequence of the time of day. She was still standing in the shadows of the alley and the sun was setting. She couldn't take the risk with the card. If she partnered with a demon hunter, it could very well jeopardize everything that she had worked for. The boarding school. Lola. Everything. She had to face Carlos alone.

Angela strode out of the alley. It was time to go back home and forget about this James guy. His business card was stupid anyway. She dropped it into a nearby dumpster and kept walking.

She didn't even notice when it reappeared in her pocket moments later.