Lampposts, Demonic Siblings and a Broken Toaster. Can It Get Any Worse?

Beth Demetri put down the receiver, barely able to contain her gleeful expression. She turned to her three brothers standing behind her, all expressing their nervousness; Jacob, the eldest, was busy flicking his lighter, and the twins Connor and Lewis were occupying themselves with a card game.

When she exited the phone box, all three brothers perked their heads up and looked at her expectantly. “Well?” Jacob inquired, “Did she agree?”

“How could she not?” Beth grinned broadly, flashing her pointed teeth. “Relax guys, Crystal didn't put up a fight like we first thought. Our plan is going perfectly.”

Raindrops starting to tumble out of the sky, but Beth and her brothers didn't bother to put up their hoods or take an umbrella; the cold was welcome to them. “So now what?” one of the twins asked Jacob, “We've got Crystal organizing a Study Group – are we just going to observe Magenta from there?”

Drops dripped from his hair, into his eyes.“Of course not.” Jacob stuffed his leather clad hands into his trench coat pocket, copying the middle aged man far ahead of them. “We plant a spy into her circle of friends to observe her from there.”

The four turned into a sharp corner, and glided down a dark, dank alleyway teeming with rats. The brick walls were greased with gooey slime, which resembled a sickly green sludge. “So who's doing the dirty work?” Lewis grumbled. “Can I get to do something this time? I never get to do anything!”

“Of course you're doing something,” Jacob and Beth chuckled together. “At the end, you'll see.” Jacob paused to let Beth go in front of him. As she slid between the metal frame of the window, a small fork of lighting flew out from the window and sparked Connor's hand into flames.

“OW!” He wedged the inflamed hand between his knees, and the fire quickly burned out. “She always does that!” He stretched out the hand, examining the injury. Everyone was already used to the sight of his flesh singed before, so as usual they didn't pay attention when he got burned, or when it healed up. Connor was used to such assaults, and any pain he still felt was considerably numbed.

While Connor was tending to his injured hand, Lewis and Jacob had already slipped through the window before him. With a big sigh, Connor ducked as he bent down to fit between the slim frames. As he hit the portal, glowing blue ripples began to flow out of he air like water. Lightning crackled round the outside, and the Demetri siblings were no longer on Earth, for they entered through a portal that led to a different world.