Solange and Amanda quietly walked out to the street and turned to walk the few blocks to the church. There were already a lot of cars on the road, but nothing like there would be in another hour or so. There is no such thing as an empty street in Los Angeles.

The church was a huge white structure with a red tile roof and Moorish stained glass windows. When they arrived at the church, they saw cars in the parking lot and a group of Hispanic men entering the church to attend early Mass before work. Solange and Amanda entered with them, but then Solange pulled Amanda to the side aisle of the church and walked her down to the altar. There was a door on the side of the altar where the priest would enter and Solange brazenly walked through the door into the sacristy behind the altar.

A priest walked up to them and said, "What are you doing back here?"

Solange looked at him and said, "We need sanctuary."

"Are you in the country illegally?" replied the priest.

"No. It is a long story and we don't have time to tell it all but we are witnesses in the trial of the terrorists who tried to blow up New York City last October. And they are following us and trying to kill us," replied Amanda.

The priest just looked at them. He was speechless.

"I know you need to lead Mass, please do that so no one will think anything is wrong, but before you start please take us to Sister Ignatius. I grew up being taught by nuns and if anyone can help us, it will be a nun," replied Solange.

"Sister Ignatius is here for Mass, but she is already seated in the congregation. I will figure out some way to get her back here without attracting too much attention," replied the priest. "I'm Father Ambrose."

"I'm Solange and this is Amanda. Thank you Father Ambrose," said Solange.

Father Ambrose left through the side door they had just used to enter the sacristy.

Solange and Amanda sat on a bench next to an old baptismal fount and waited.

A minute later, Sister Ignatius walked into the sacristy.

"Oh, hello, it's you. Father Ambrose told me that there were two young ladies who needed some help and what do I find but the young ladies who helped me at the grocery store. Now Solange and Amanda, please don't tell me you are both pregnant," said Sister Ignatius.

"No, of course not," replied Amanda. "But we are in a lot of trouble and need your help."

"Yes we do," said Solange. "We need sanctuary. We are not here for pilot season..."

"Well, I didn't think so..." replied Sister Ignatius.

"My name is Solange Montplasir and this is Amanda Wolinski. We are staying in Lafayette Loomis's house with Amanda's brother Peter, my cousin Thibodeaux Botrain, and Michael Trudeau who is our friend and bodyguard."

Amanda let out a little sigh of relief hearing someone introduce her by her real name. Maybe their problems would soon be over.

"Okay. So since you are not pregnant and thank our Lord for that blessing, why don't you tell me why you need sanctuary," replied Sister Michael.

And so they did. They talked and talked and after they had told Sister Michael everything, she thought for a few moments and said, "Okay. We have a few rooms in the convent where you can stay while your friend Cyrus figures out how to get you out of Los Angeles. Why don't you go back to get the others and move in right now. And while you are out getting everyone, I will try to figure out how I can help you some more."

Amanda and Solange thanked Sister Michael profusely and then left by a side door so they could avoid going through the sanctuary.

"I will leave this door unlocked. Go get your friends," said Sister Michael giving them a little shove out the door.

Amanda and Solange walked back out to the street and headed back towards their home. When they were about a block away, they saw a BMW that had not been there when they had walked to the church. Amanda looked but there was no one inside. "I don't like this. I haven't seen any other BMW's in this neighborhood and I don't know why anyone would leave a nice car like this on the street."

"I got it. We'll be careful," replied Solange.

Amanda and Solange crossed the street and started walking toward the house, using the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. The sun was up now so they were in plain sight but they tried to stay behind cars and trees as much as they could.

When they reached the house, their fears were confirmed. There was no plastic cat in the front window and the front door was partially open.

Amanda grabbed Solange's hand and ran away, back down the street. Solange pulled her to a stop. "We have to help them,"

"Let's go to the tunnel. My gun is in the bar in the attic," said Amanda.

"Your gun? But don't you think we should call the police?" said Solange.

"Solange, the reason we are in all of this trouble is that we don't know who to trust, but I know I can trust you and I trust everyone in that house," said Amanda.

"Me too," said Solange as they turned the corner and ran to the alley in the back of the house.

Solange quickly dug the key out from under the trash and opened the door and closed it behind them. They quickly pulled up the trap door and climbed down into the dark tunnel. They did not dare turn on a light in the storeroom. So they traveled by touch through the dark until they found the stairway. Once on the stairway, they slowly climbed up bypassing the kitchen where they could hear Michael arguing with someone as the screaming and gunfire recordings screeched in the background.

It took every bit of Amanda's will to bypass the kitchen door and keep on climbing, but climb they did. Finally they made it into the attic and since no one could see the attic from the street, they turned on a light. Amanda quickly picked up her handgun and checking to see that it was loaded, she put an extra round in her jeans pocket and took off the safety.

Then using sign language, she motioned to Solange to climb down the stairs to Peter's bedroom. Once they were outside the door to Peter's bedroom, they stopped and listened but hearing nothing, they quietly opened the door and walked into the bedroom.

Peter and Thibodeaux's bedroom door was open to the upstairs hallway and they could hear Michael saying, "See I have stopped the recordings and turned on the lights. So why don't we talk."

"I am talking," said one of the men who had kidnapped them in New Orleans. "And here is what I am saying. If you don't tell me where those two girls are, I am going to shoot this boy and then if you don't tell me, I will shoot this other boy until you decide to cooperate. And if you never decide, you will all three be dead."

Amanda's heart was in her throat. She looked at Solange for a long minute and then she mouthed, "I'm going to do it."

Solange mouthed back, "Do what?"

"Free them," said Amanda.

Solange looked at Amanda like she was going to stop her but then she nodded and mouthed, "Do it.. I'll help."

Amanda quietly walked down the hall with Solange behind her. When she got to the top landing of the stairway, she stopped for a moment and stared. The fishing net had fallen and was heaped in a pile by the door. And the relics that Solange had bought at the Santeria shop were lit-they smoked and glowed in the darkened room.

Solange was standing behind Amanda on the stairway landing. Amanda saw Solange move her hands out of the corner of her eye and suddenly a swarm of black birds flew in through the partially open door. The room was quickly filled with black birds-black chirping birds, about two dozen of them and they were flying around the room in a crazed pattern. Amanda took a deep breath and took two steps down the stairway and pointed her gun at the man who despite the distraction of having a dozen birds suddenly appear, still had his gun pointed to Peter's head. There was another man in the room who had a gun pointed at Michael and Thibodeaux. When Thibodeaux saw Amanda he screamed to distract the gunmen and as he did, Solange moved her hands again and started chanting "Jemanja" over and over and an owl appeared from nowhere and attacked the second gunman's head. Michael grabbed a fireplace poker and swung it hitting the second gunman's arm and knocking the gun out of his hand. Michael grabbed the gun as the man fell to the floor with what looked like a broken arm.

The room was a mass of confusion. Birds were everywhere, one of the terrorists was writhing on the floor and Solange's voice rang out chanting "Jemanja, Jemanja" and some verses in a language Amanda did not recognize.

"Okay," said the man with the gun on Peter's head who was warily eyeing the owl as it circled the room and Michael who now had a gun pointed at him and Peter. "We've got you all here now so why don't the two of you put your guns down and I won't shoot this boy."

"How about you put down your gun so I don't shoot you?" replied Amanda.

"Who are you kidding? You are not going to shoot anyone. You are just a little girl. We have a situation here and we need to work it out where all of you decide not to testify. Now how hard is that?" said the man with his gun to Peter's head.

"Well, it's been pretty damn hard so far,' replied Amanda. "Let him go right now," said Amanda.

"How about this? You put down that gun or I will kill him right now," replied the gunman.

Amanda was looking at Peter's face; he was utterly terrified. Her head was swimming; she kept hearing her mother say, "Your brother is your responsibility. When I am not there, you are me, you are me, you are me..."

Amanda pulled the trigger, hitting the gunman on the side his forehead.

The man fell to the floor unconscious but still alive. Peter was standing next to him covered with blood.

Everyone in the room was speechless, staring at Amanda with awe and horror.

Thibodeaux walked towards Peter as though to help him, but Michael said, "Don't touch him. He is covered in blood and if you touch him, you will be too and we need to leave right now."

Michael looked at Amanda, "You saved your brother's life."

"Your mother would be so proud of you," said Solange.

"No she wouldn't," said Amanda.

"Oh yes she will and if she isn't, I will talk to her until she is," replied Thibodeaux.

Michael sprung into action, picking up the gun on the floor next to the man Amanda had shot, all the while pointing his gun at the other man.

"Sit down on this chair," Michael told the terrorist that Amanda did not shoot, the one with the broken arm who was now writhing on the floor as the owl hovered above him.

The man slowly got up off the floor using his good arm. He did not look like he was going to be any trouble for anyone anymore.

Handing a roll of duct tape to Peter and Thibodeaux he said, "Tape this monster to the chair and do a good job of it."

Peter was still in shock from having the man hold a gun to this head and then getting covered in blood when Amanda shot that man, but he grabbed the tape and helped Thibodeaux tape up the other man.

Amanda was still standing at the top of the stairs with her gun aimed at the room where all the birds had suddenly disappeared, flying out the door as quickly as they had arrived.

Michael looked at Amanda and said, "Put your safety on and put the gun down. Solange, bring her down the stairs and then you two get some peas out of the freezer and duct tape them to that man's head."

Amanda put the safety on her gun and Solange carefully walked Amanda down the stairs and gently pushed her into a chair. Solange then did what Michael told her to do-she taped up the man's head wound and then taped a package of frozen peas on top of the wound.

"Peas. How did you know to use peas?" asked Thibodeaux but then seeing the look Michael was giving him, he decided that his question was not very important.

Amanda was still sitting in the chair. She was in shock.

Michael looked at Amanda in the chair and Solange, who was kneeling on the floor, duct taping the peas to the unconscious man's head.

"What's with the birds? Are you Cinderella? And who is Jemanja? Are we supposed to think that owl's name is Jemanja?" he asked Solange.

"There were a lot of birds out this morning, they just came inside," replied Solange.

"So that's going to be your story?" asked Michael Solange nodded.

Michael turned to Amanda who was sitting quietly, still staring at the man she shot. Michael asked, "How did you get that shot? You were shooting from above, not straight on like you did for target practice or up the way you shoot for skeet."

"Down is where the rattlesnakes are," Amanda sobbed.

Suddenly they heard sirens. Michael said, "We've got to get out of here now. I am not going to let us be arrested by some local yokel cops."

"Quick, up the stairs and then down through the tunnel. Peter grab a shirt and pants as we go through your room. You are covered in blood," said Solange.

"Yeah, I need clothes and the computer and my cell phone," replied Peter.

Solange grabbed Amanda's hand and they ran up the stairs. Peter quickly ran through his room and grabbed some clothes, the computer, and his cell phone. Then they all went up the hidden stairway into the attic. Peter quickly changed in the attic and Amanda and Michael stashed their guns and then grabbing a flashlight, they all crept down the stairway to the tunnel. As they passed the kitchen they heard the first cop enter the front door, but they kept on moving quickly down through the tunnel and then out through the storage room into the alley.

Once they were in the alley, Solange gestured for them to follow her and they quickly walked out to the street and headed for the church.

"Where are we going?" asked Michael.

"To the Catholic Church down the street. I asked for sanctuary," replied Solange.

"You what?" asked Michael.

"Amanda and I met a Sister at the grocery store and we went there this morning and asked her for sanctuary." Solange looked at the confused look on Michael's face. "We can hide in the church."

"OK. Let's go," replied Michael.

The group kept moving, walking quickly but not too quickly so they would not look that different from any of the other students making their way to the University for an early morning class.

Soon they were at the Church and Solange took them to the side door which was still open and they were back in the sanctum where Sister Ignatius was waiting for them. After brief introductions to Michael, Thibodeaux, and Peter, Sister Ignatius asked, "What happened?" You look like someone died."

"A man had a gun to my brother's head and was threatening to kill him so I shot him. I don't think he is dead, but I shot him and I have never shot anyone before and I never wanted to shoot anyone and I did, I did," said Amanda bursting into tears.

Solange, Michael, Thibodaux, and Peter all rushed to Amanda and tried to wrap their arms around her all at once which obviously did not work out very well.

Amanda looked at Peter with a tear stained face, "I'm sorry I scared you. I had to shoot him. Mom told me to look after you and make sure nothing happened to you."

"Hey, I'm just glad that you are a really good shot," replied Peter.

"Hey, you're right. It's lucky for you that Amanda could shoot an apple off your head," replied Thibodeaux.

No one laughed.

"I am so sorry that happened, but did it occur to you that you could have killed your brother instead?" asked Sister Ignatius.

"No," replied Amanda.

"Well, it should have," replied Sister Ignatius.

"Actually, there was not much danger of that happening," replied Thibodeaux.

"Well I want to spend some time with you talking about what happened but now we need to move," said Sister Ignatius.

"What? Move where?" asked Michael. "We just got here."

"While you were gone, I called a former student of mine who is a producer at the local television station. I told her your story..." said Sister Ignatius.

"You did not?" asked Amanda who was coming out of her stupor. "We told you our story in confidence. I knew we shouldn't tell anyone else about our problems."