The night was dark, the kind of dark that would almost make you feel like you were trapped in a black void you couldn't get out of. A comforting warmness came with it, one that wrapped around you like a blanket.

The otherwise peaceful night, however, was disturbed by the sounds of a police chase. The perpetrator they were after was in front of them, looking from the mirror of her seat back at them, a calm look on her face.

Laura Cortez had just been exposed as a corrupt mob boss. The police had what they needed to put her away. She couldn't let that happen. She worked too hard for everything she had.

The driver of the car, Drew, sped the vehicle up even faster. It would be over his dead body that Laura got arrested. He was her bodyguard and the most loyal person to her. The two of them had a sibling-like relationship being very close to each other. Like Drew did for her, Laura always made sure he was taken care of. She knew he wouldn't let her down.

And she would be proven right as she noticed that the cops were no longer following them after Drew had made a couple of turns after entering the woods.

Laura smirked at her bodyguard. "We lost them. I knew I could count on you, Drew."

Drew nodded his head. "Like always. So what's the-" he stopped mid-sentence when they were stopping. The car had run out of gas. "Fuck!"

"No need to panic," Laura told him. "We already lost the cops. I'll just call someone to come pick us up."

She takes out her phone and gets out of the car. Drew gets out as well to have a look around. It's only a few seconds before he notices something in the darkness.

It looked to be a silhouette of some kind. His eyes followed it as it moved around. He narrowed his eyes and took out his gun.

"Alright, come out!" Drew demanded.

"Hm?" Laura asked, turning her head to her bodyguard. "What's going on?"

"There's someone over there," Drew said, keeping his gun pointed where he last saw the silhouette.

Laura looked at where the gun was pointing. She didn't see anything. She took a flashlight out of the car and shined it there. She still didn't see anything.

"Are you sure you saw something?" Laura asked.

"I'm not kidding, Laura," Drew said. "There was someone there."

Part of Laura thought that maybe Drew might just be seeing things but she trusted her bodyguard.

She held the flashlight around but still nothing appeared. That didn't mean nothing hadn't been there.

"Alright, fire a couple of warning shots," Laura said. "I doubt it's any of the cops and that any of them will hear since we lost them."

Drew nodded and fired his gun a couple of times in different directions before shooting a third time in the air.

"I'm gonna go get a closer look," Drew said.

Laura nods as she tosses Drew the flashlight. He walks closer to where he last saw the silhouette. There still seemed to be nothing there. He then shined it to the side and something jumped at him.

He got out of the way just in time, seeing a woman in front of him. Her hair was blonde, and the zipper jacket she wore black, complete with blue pants and white shoes. The most notable thing about her, however, was the gas mask she wore.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?!" Drew asked, pointing his gun at the woman.

"Don't you know, Drew?" Laura asked, now off her phone and looking at the woman. "They call her the Breath."

The woman stood there looking at them, breathing through her mask. "You two need to stop. Turn yourselves in. It's over."

"You're outta your mind if you think that's gonna happen," Drew said.

Laura knew what was about to happen. "Drew, wait-"

Drew fired shots at the masked woman. The woman avoided each of them, soon grabbing his arm, and kicking him with a jump sending him back. Drew was wide out for a second. This moment of shock turned into anger as he growled and charged at the woman. She swung a fist at her but she dodged every punch he threw. He swung another, but this time she caught it and punched him with her other hand.

She punched him a couple more times until he was able to catch her with a punch to the stomach. He picked her up, lifting her over his hand before throwing her. The woman caught her and saw Drew running at her again. She jumped over him and elbowed him from behind. Drew went down.

He growled once again before he turned to a kick in the face. The woman put a hand on his shoulder and looked at him for a moment before giving him one last punch that knocked him down.

Laura pointed her own gun at the woman. "I'm very impressed, Polly. I expect nothing less."

Polly stayed silent as she looked at her.

"I've already made this clear but I heard about you," Laura continued. "You're the woman everyone's afraid of. The one who they see walking back and start whispering about. The one who hides her horrible face under the mask she wears."

Polly still didn't say anything. She just continued to look at the woman with the gun pointed at her, as if she waiting for her to continue.

Laura went on "Most people may be afraid of you but I'm not. Where they see horror, I see potential. Potential to do great things for the world around you. Just like I always have."

"You killed people," Polly spoke up.

"Bad people," Laura said. "Some of them very, very bad people."

She started walking closer to Polly, causing the masked woman to get into a stance, preparing to fight.

"I don't want to fight, Polly," Laura said. "I want to join forces. Combine both our determinations to create a better future. Wouldn't that be nice, chica? A better future helped created by the girl everyone's so afraid of?"

"I do want to create a better future," Polly wasted no time in responding. This made Laura smile. "But I won't do it by killing others."

"What if you didn't have to do the killing?" Laura asked. "I have plenty of people for that."

"The answer is still no," Polly said, walking closer. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," Laura's smile faded and she shot at Polly. The masked woman avoided the shot.

Laura didn't stop firing. She wasn't going to unless Polly was hit or she ran out of bullets.

Polly ran around as the bullets kept coming out at her. After flipping out of the way of one, she took her chance to jump back into the darkness.

"I'm afraid the dark won't save you, Polly," Laura said, aiming her gun in all directions. "You seriously don't think I've been doing some studying on you? You're only delaying your demise."

When she didn't get a response, Laura's eyes moved as she started walking around. She knew Polly was around somewhere. She fired a couple of shots at one point but nothing happened. She wouldn't see Polly again until she jumped down on her from a tree.

This caused Laura's gun to fall out of her hand.

Polly held Laura down as the mob boss struggled against her. "I could've ended this sooner with my own gun but I wanted to try a different approach. Please stay down."

"You think this is the end even if you do take me in?" Laura asked. "You'll pay for this. I'll make sure you-"

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She didn't get to finish her sentence as Polly gave her a punch that knocked her out. The blonde stood up as she looked at the down woman. She heard police sirens and took the chance to leave.

The police cars that had been chasing Laura and Drew stopped when they saw the scene. Two cops got out of one car.

One of them was an African-American man. He walked over to Laura and looked down at her, a smile coming to his face.

"Well I'll be," he said, "She managed to find and stop them before we did."

"You talking about the freak, Henry?" His partner, a man with black hair, gave him an unimpressed look. "We would've had this done sooner without her getting involved."

Henry turned to his partner, giving him an annoyed look. "If I remember correctly Malcolm, you're the one who lost them in the first place. If it hadn't been for Polly we might not have caught them tonight."

Malcolm snarled. He was sick of hearing his partner talking about the freak she was some hero. Sure, they got away for a bit but they would've found them and had them in a cell right now if it wasn't for her.

The cops went and got the two criminals and loaded them into the back of cars.

Unknown to them, someone was watching. Someone who had been there the entire time from Laura and Drew's car stopping to the end of the fight. The figure had seen what Laura had said to Polly and couldn't believe it. Yet there Polly was wearing a mask and for the reasons Laura said. As those events ran through their head, the figure knew one thing. They had to meet Polly in person.

NNN

Sometime after stopping Laura, Polly had crawled into her bedroom through the window. It was finally over. Laura Cortez was finally stopped and she was going to jail. Her and Henry were able to get all the evidence they needed together and now it was really over.

Polly walked to the mirror in her room and took off her mask. Her ocean-blue eyes faced her through her reflection.

She smiled, proud of what she was able to do tonight. The smile soon faded however, as her attention went elsewhere.

Her hand touched the upper right side of her face. The horrible burn she got on her face all those years ago was also there in the mirror. The things Laura said about people being scared of her raced through Polly's mind. She sighed, feeling horrible. She wished there was something she could do. Something she could do to show people that they didn't have to be afraid. She just wanted to help people. Make them feel safe. Allow them to go about their days smiling and happy. When they saw her they felt the opposite of that. They felt fear and hatred.

The blonde looked down sadly, her eyes closing.

"Polly!" A voice called from outside the room. "Are you there?"

Just as the voice called, a smell made its way into Polly's nose. A smell that Polly loved dearly. It was the smell of her cousin Filbert's mashed potatoes.

A smile came back to her face as she practically ran out of her room and into the kitchen.

Filbert, a man with eyes as blue as Polly's looked up at her as he was setting two plates down on the table. His hair was brown, and he wore a grey t-shirt, and black pants, along with white shoes.

"Glad you could make it to dinner," Filbert joked. "I thought I'd make your favorite tonight after what you pulled off."

Polly sat down at the table and began eating eagerly.

"Slow down, don't you want a soda or something to go with that?" Filbert laughed. "It's not going anywhere."

Polly stopped her eating and just gave Filbert a look that said to not disturb her. After that, she instantly went back to eating.

"Seriously though, it was on the news," Filbert said. "I'm happy you finally caught that creep and her lapdog. It's all thanks to you and Henry that the town doesn't have to worry about her anymore."

Polly smiled at him. "That was the goal."

Filbert smiled back at her, only to frown a few seconds later when a thought came to his head. "Too bad those other cops won't think so."

"Fil-"

"No, Polly!" Filbert interrupted her. "I'm sick and tired of how people treat you! You're the best person I know! You're kind, sweet, caring, and you're always out there risking your life for this town when god knows these people don't deserve it."

Polly took a sip of her drink as she looked down. "I wouldn't say that."

"That's another example of how great you are!" Filbert pointed at her. "You always defend them even though you shouldn't be. I really don't get how you do it."

"I just...do," Polly said with a shrug, a smile coming back to her face. "It's just who I am."

Filbert sighed, not being able to help but smile himself. It frustrated him to no end how Polly was willing to do such much for a town that treated her so badly. Despite his frustrations, however, he wouldn't change a single thing about his cousin. It's part of what made her so great and admirable to him.

"Why don't we change topics?" Polly suggested. "How was work."

At that question, Filbert grinned. "One of our best turnouts in a while! I barely even got the chance to take my break, but it was worth it."

Filbert had always been dedicated to his job. He was one of the top chefs at the restaurant and he put his heart into everything made. He wanted to send the customers home happy. He got along great with his co-workers and his boss was like a uncle to him. He had a dream to open his own restaurant one day.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from the best chef in the world," Polly giggled.

"Oh stop," Filber chuckled as he took another bite of his food.

Polly was about to respond when she heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it." She got up and walked towards the door.

Just when she was about to open it, something slipped underneath the door. It was an envelope.

Polly looked down at it. "Huh?" She picked it up and opened it, reading what was on the paper inside.

"What is it?" Filbert asked, walking up behind her.

Polly looked at him. "It's from someone saying they saw me fighting Laura. They want to meet me at the park tomorrow night."

"What?" Filbert raised an eyebrow, grabbing the note and reading it himself. His eyes narrowed. "I don't like this." He looked back up at her. "Don't go."

"Why not?" Polly asked.

"Doesn't this seem weird to you?" Filbert asked. "For all we know this could be someone who worked for Laura looking to take care of you for putting her away."

"If that's the case I'll be able to handle myself," Polly chuckled. "And that gives me all the more reason to go, to take down another dangerous person."

Filbert sighed knowing he wouldn't be able to stop his cousin and that she had a point.

NNN

The next day had been uneventful. Polly had done some patrolling but there was no crime she could find. It seemed the underworld may have gone quiet after Laura's arrest. At least for now. Polly knew someone would try and take Laura's spot and whoever that person was better be ready because she was coming for them.

The next night came and she arrived at the park just like the note had asked. She looked around and for a bit, there didn't seem to be anyone else there.

That was until she noticed someone sitting on a bench. Their head facing down in a hood as they appeared to be focused on something.

Polly stood where she was for a moment, wondering if this could be the person who had wanted to see her. After a few moments, she decided to walk over to them.

"Um, excuse me?" Polly spoke. "Are you the person who sent me the note?"

The person stopped what they were doing and looked up to face Polly. To her surprise, she would see a pumpkin mask looking back up at her.

"Yes, I am," A female voice came from the mask. "I'm glad you came." She stood up. "Would you walk with me?"

"Um sure," Polly replied.

The woman turned and began walking. Polly walked alongside her. Getting a better look, she could see that the woman wore a yellow t-shirt underneath the black jacket she was wearing, she also had blue pants and white shoes.

"Why did you want to see me?" Polly asked after a couple of minutes of walking.

The woman stopped and looked at her. "Can you take off your mask?"

Polly found herself once again surprised. No stranger had ever asked her to take off her mask before. "Um...are you sure?" She asked hesitantly. "People don't really like what's under the mask."

"I'm sure," The woman said in a way as if she had to see it now. "Please."

Polly nodded. She took a deep breath before taking off her mask, revealing the burn on her face to the woman in front of her.

The woman stood there, looking at Polly. "I can't believe it.."

Polly turned away, assuming she had scared the woman. She felt a hand touch her shoulder and turned back around.

"It's okay," The woman said. "I'm not afraid."

The woman then took off her hand, revealing her short brown hair, before removing her own mask.

Polly's eyes went wide. The woman had a burn of her own on the left side of her face.

Before she could say anything, Polly found herself wrapped in a hug by the woman. Despite being surprised at first, it didn't take Polly long to return it.

The two of them hugged each other tightly for a couple of minutes, their eyes closed. Then, the woman released the hug.

"I'm Dolly," She introduced herself. "It's...really nice to meet you, Polly."

"So you heard Laura say my name?" Polly asked.

Dolly nodded. "I heard everything she said to you. I'm so sorry to hear that you've been treated terribly by people too."

"It's nice to meet you too, and it's okay," Polly assured Dolly with a soft smile. "They're just scared."

"No, Polly," Dolly responded. "They have no right to treat you like that."

Polly tried to think of something to say back, she looked down after a bit as she tried to think of words.

"Can I draw you?" Dolly asked.

Polly's eyes went back up to her. "Huh?"

"Can I draw you?" Dolly asked, taking out a pencil and a sketchpad.

"You want to draw me?" Polly asked. She then smiled at the other woman. "Okay."

Dolly started getting to work, looking back up at Polly a couple of times. Excitement built up inside Polly as she waited to see Dolly's finished work.

Soon, Dolly was finished drawing and showed Polly the picture of her that she drew.

Polly stared at the picture in awe. Not only was the picture beautiful, it was also the most beautiful drawing she had ever seen.

The blonde continued looking at the drawing for a bit before finally saying something, "Dolly I-I love it."

"I knew you would," Dolly smiled back. She ripped the page from the sketchpad and handed it to her. "You can have that."

"Really?" Polly asked. "Thanks."

"Of course," Dolly replied. "I drew it for you."

"So you're an artist, huh?" Polly asked.

Dolly nodded. "Art is my favorite thing in the world. I don't know what I would do without it. I've been drawing my whole life."

"Can I see more of your drawings?" Polly asked.

"I would love to show you more," Dolly said. "How about you come to my place and see all kinds of art I did."

"I would love to!" Polly responded enthusiastically.

"Car's this way," Dolly said, beginning to walk again. Polly followed after her.

Dolly led Polly to a very nice black car. Polly was a bit surprised to see Dolly get on the passenger's side, but that was when she noticed that there was a man in the driver's seat. Dolly talked to him and he looked at Polly. He gave her a friendly smile.

Polly smiled back before getting in the backseat. The car then drove off from the park.

NNN

Polly had ended up being driven into the very same woods where she fought Laura. She looked around and wondered where they could be going.

She would soon get her answer when the guy parked the car right in front of a mansion. The guy got out of the car and went to open Dolly's but she told him she's fine.

Polly and Dolly walked out of the car. The blonde looked at the mansion before chuckling.

"Your parents must be really good actors," Polly joked. When she didn't get a response, she turned to see Dolly looking down. "Dolly? What's wrong?"

Dolly turned to look at her. "My parents are dead."