Marina
Five years later...
"So yeah, I think that would be fun, nothing too fancy. What do you think, Dad? Dad?" Missy turned to look at her father, who was staring ahead of them as they walked. She tugged on his sleeve. "Dad, are you listening?"
He shook as though snapping from some sort of trance. "Sorry, Kiddo?"
"I was talking about what I wanted to do for my birthday party."
"Oh yes. What was your idea?"
Missy rolled her eyes - clearly he hadn't been listening. "As I was saying, I was thinking just something casual, like a backyard party with a barbeque and games, maybe a fire to roast marshmallows and make s'mores. Something like that. What do you think?"
"Sounds good to me. And you want to invite all the other kids I'm guessing?"
"That's right, I hope they all can make it - hey, is that smoke coming from that building over there?"
Across the street, smoke was indeed billowing out of the top of an apartment building - the telltale signs of a fire.
"Oh my God - call 911!" Marcus shoved his cell phone into Missy's hands and took off across the street.
"Dad, wait! I can help-"
"No, you stay there - call the fire department!"
"Dad!" she shrieked as he dashed off without another word.
By the time he reached the building, the fire alarm was blaring.
"It's coming from upstairs!" shouted someone who came flying out the door. Marcus moved to step inside.
"What are you doing?!" someone else shrieked.
"Don't worry, official Heroics business." He flashed his badge before dashing inside and up the stairs where he found the source of the flames.
A young woman.
She was lying in the middle of the upstairs hall, appearing unconscious. Flames were flickering around her fingertips - by the looks of it, the flames were being emitted from her fingers.
Pyrokinesis.
Still, she couldn't stay here, even if she was the cause of this. None of them could.
But then, the flames rippled and started fading as quickly as they had been growing. There was a low hiss as the flames dissolved into nothing but steam, and the floor beneath the woman that had just been covered in fire was now covered in frost. The room was actually growing quite chilly now.
Sounds of sirens filled the night as Marcus emerged from the building and directed the paramedics upstairs to the woman.
"Dad!" cried Missy, racing over and throwing her arms around him. "I was so worried!"
The building hadn't sustained as much damage as it could have and no one was injured, thankfully. The unconscious woman was loaded into the ambulance, however.
"I'm going to go with her," he decided right then and there.
"Why?" asked Missy.
"She's alone - and she's got powers."
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The woman was taken to the hospital where the doctors determined she wasn't injured, just unconscious. Marcus called Headquarters the moment they reached the hospital. They had to be notified about this. That was part of the job working for the Heroics, and, in his case, being the leader of the Heroics: updating the Headquarters' knowledge of potential new heroes and villains. Powered beings in general.
The young woman had been unconscious when he found her, so chances were she hadn't meant to start the fire. But they couldn't rule anything out - not just yet.
"So she's a super hero?" Missy gasped.
"Well, she's superpowered, so potentially, yes."
"Or she could be a villain."
"True."
"Or neither."
"That's a possibility as well. She may not even have known what she was causing. But we won't know anything until she wakes up."
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When I awoke I had no idea where I was or how I'd gotten there. What was the last thing I could remember?
Oh, right. The burning pain.
Right, that.
Literally burning.
As my eyes adjusted to the harshly bright lights, I saw that I was in what looked to be a hospital room. Well that would explain the heavy smell of disinfectant and blinding lights.
"Oh, excellent." A sudden voice made me jump. A nurse was sitting at my bedside. "You're awake. I'll go get the doctor."
"What happened to me?"
"You were caught in a building fire."
"Oh-" That would explain the burning pain I recalled.
The nurse returns with another woman who I assume is the doctor.
"Can you please tell me your name?" she requests.
"Yeah - Marina Brankova."
"Do you live alone, Miss Brankova? Mrs. Brankova?"
"Miss. And no, I live with my mom."
"Ah, well then we will have to contact her and let her know what has happened-"
"You can't, she's not at home. She's at the hospital too. Intensive care unit. For brain injury."
"I'm sorry. Is there anyone else close to you we can contact?"
"No."
"Well then we'll have to talk to Mr. Moreno."
"Who?" But they leave without answering.
Finally, the door opens again. "You're not doctors," I say, addressing the tree people in dark clothes who enter the room. They looked like secret agents.
"Marina Brankova, you've been released from the hospital by the doctor."
"Oh, cool-" I'm not sure why these official-looking people have to be the ones to tell me, but okay. "Does that mean I can go home now?"
"Not yet. First we'd like you to come with us." One of the agents brandishes a badge baring a gold H.
I knew that symbol, had seen it before.
H for Heroics.
(Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))