The incident was still on the news the next day. From a medical point of view, Victor Dawson had died of a heart attack. What confused the medical examiners, however, was that the victim had been perfectly healthy, with no history of heart problems. It was as though the heart attack had been... provoked. Some drugs could do that, but it wasn't clear if there was any in his system. Not to mention that according to Kendall, Mr Dawson was adamant that his son never took drugs. Katie didn't remember Victor. She'd been too small when they'd met, but she could only imagine how awful it had to be for his parents. A loss of a child is always heartbreaking, but in Victor's case, it felt almost worst, because he had been an only child. If Katie died - not that she wanted to, of course - she at least had a little comfort in the knowledge that Gideon and Hazel would still be there. The Dawsons weren't as fortunate. Katie sighed, sprawled on her bed, lost in thought. Just then, her phone rang.

"Hey, Lucy."

"How did you know it was me?"

"You put "Simply the best" as your ringtone on my phone!" Katie laughed.

"Oh... right," Lucy grinned. "What are you doing right now?"

"Thinking about Victor Dawson," she said.

"Oh, yeah... I heard about that. Awful, isn't it?"

"Yeah... and get this, he was a warlock too."

Katie could almost see Lucy's eyes widen.

"Seriously? Was he from your clan, did you know him?"

"No, he wasn't, but yes, I met him when I was a kid. I don't remember him, though."

There was a pause.

"You know what we need, right now?" Lucy asked.

Katie smiled before she could stop herself.

"What?"

"A shopping spree. Shopping always cheers me up."

Katie chuckled.

"Okay. Meet you at the Angel in half an hour?"

"Sounds like a plan," Lucy answered. "See you there."

Katie put her phone down and sat up. Lucy was right. Brooding wouldn't help anyone. She needed a change of scenery. She quickly brushed her hair, pulled on her shoes and went downstairs. She was just reaching for her coat when her mother peered out of the kitchen where she was cleaning.

"Katie? Where are you going?"

There was definitely a hint of panic in her voice.

"I'm just going to join Lucy at the Angel Central, why?"

"... I don't think that's a good idea, I'd really rather you stayed home..."

Katie sighed.

"Mum..."

"They haven't caught the man who killed Victor," Helaena said. "I don't like the idea of you being out alone."

"I'll be at the shopping centre with Lucy!" Katie protested."I'll be fine."

"But-"

"Mum, I know you just want to protect me, like you always have." she said. "But I can't live locked up in a cage, no matter how comfortable."

"She's right, Helaena, the child should be allowed to have fun," Isadora said.

Helaena looked at her, struggling to find a solution that satisfied them both.

"... Okay. How about this: you can go, but you text me every hour. Deal?"

Katie wasn't thrilled, but she supposed it was a fair bargain.

"Deal." she finally said.

Finally, Katie reached the Angel Center. Her mother had insisted on checking her phone was on and functional, which had gotten her late. Lucy was already waiting for her at their usual meeting point next to the angel wings sculpture, her long hair blowing in the wind, looking stunning in her tight leather jacket and skinny jeans. Katie had always loved that sculpture. At night, it would light up, which she'd always liked watching as a child, imagining it was a real angel watching over them. She waved at Lucy as she walked towards her. It was lucky that the crowd wasn't quite thick enough that she couldn't see the foot of the statue, which happened frequently in the summertime.

"About time," Lucy teased. "I was about to send the shopping brigade. What happened?"

"The overprotective mum syndrome happened," Katie explained, heaving a sigh and rolling her eyes. "I swear, she makes me feel like a four-year old. I bet if she could put a tracking device on my phone or even in me, she would."

Lucy chuckled, her brown eyes twinkling with amusement.

"It's better to care too much than not care at all, isn't it?" she said reasonably.

"Yes, I know," Katie conceded, smiling slightly. "I'd just like a happy medium."

"Come on, let's go spend some money!"

Katie couldn't help laughing at that, and let Lucy lead her away through the crowd. It was hard to keep up with Lucy, who had a tendency to want to try a hundred things at a time while having the attention span of a three year old in a toy store. Eventually, she settled on three dresses instead of four, and only two pairs of shoes. Katie, on the other hand, only bought a couple of books. After a couple of hours, they began setting out. As they walked along, passing clothes shops, bookstores, travel agencies, restaurants and bars, Lucy slid her arm around Katie's and asked:

"So, what's the scoop?"

"What scoop?" Katie asked, not following.

"With you and Luke, of course," Lucy replied, grinning. "So, spill."

As she often did when Luke was the topic of discussion, Katie found her face turning a bright red.

"There is no scoop."

"Oh, come on, Rebecca said she saw you sitting together the other day, when I left early."

"Oh... that... well... there's nothing to tell, we just sat together, nothing more."

"Okay, fine, but what did you talk about?"

"Uh... just random things, like how many siblings we have, what music we like..."

"Excellent!" Lucy exclaimed happily.

"Is it me or are you trying to hook me up with Luke?" Katie teased.

"Of course I am! In all the time I've known you, you've never had any other friends. So now that's starting to change, I don't want it to go to waste."

"Did it never occur to you, oh Great Lucy Benson, that I was actually okay with that?" Katie inquired, grinning.

"Of course, but that's because you don't know any better!"

"Says the one who's never even had a stable relationship," Katie countered playfully.

"That, honey, is by choice," Lucy retorted evenly. "To me, there are too many different kinds of candy to stay stuck with only one of them. But a romance would be good for you."

Katie didn't answer at once, unsure what to say. Just then, her eyes fell on a couple laughing together, before the man drew the woman close and kissed her. And try as she might to avoid it, she couldn't help picturing herself and Luke in the same position. She could almost see herself laughing and wrapping her arms around him while his held her waist...

"Hello! Earth to Katie!"

Katie snapped back to reality.

"Sorry, what?"

"You're ringing," Lucy told her.

"What?"

Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Your phone," she clarified.

"Oh!" Katie said. "Thanks."

She pulled it out and picked up.

"Hello?"

"Katie, it's me."

"Hey Dad, is something wrong?"

"... I think you should come home."

"What? Why?"

"... Jessica Lawson's run away from the institution she was being treated in."