Kacie Janacek dreams of having superpowers like her two fathers, the legendary superhero Almighty Orion and the evil henchman Onyx Spark.
After the media captures a photo of Orion saving Kacie from the clutches of a fight, she slowly becomes famous...
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I woke up with my phone's notifications more overloaded than they'd ever been since I'd first gotten it.
It exploded throughout Sunday, and then all the way into Monday. I could probably have scrolled through my recents for hours. My legs were unbearably numb, and I knew from when Priya visited briefly in the evening, that the circulation had been temporarily cut off.
Apparently, my chest had bruised, too. My breaths came in thinner, and I could hardly touch it. I didn't normally sleep on my back, but I had no other alternative.
My body creaked like an old set of stairs as I tugged myself free from bed. Peach had chosen to sleep on the floor; I was glad she didn't touch my ribs, and bent down to scratch her on the neck before getting dressed.
I harboured a newfound appreciation for my dads—I had barely gotten hurt, and the last thing I wanted was to pick myself up and go to school.
"Is that you, Kacie?" Riley's voice called from below. I tried to determine his mood from the sound of his voice, hoping I wouldn't have to sit through a few horrible minutes of being yelled at.
"Yeah, who else would it be?"
I reached the final step and looked out to the living room, Peach not far behind me as she hopped down the stairs, waiting for her breakfast.
Riley sat in front of the TV, which had been recently moved back to its original position by Kieran. A bowl full of fresh fruit sat in his lap as he watched the newsreel, totally enraptured, as though he was seeing the footage for the first time, even though I knew it couldn't possibly be.
I stood there, watching myself. The footage, clearly taken from the street, showed me wearing the getup I had put on before Vivian and I visited the bakery. I almost didn't recognize that person—Starlight, they were calling me now—as I punched Phantom right in the throat.
Riley turned away from the TV, facing me. His next words were very carefully chosen as he remarked, "Come over here and give me a high five."
A grin spread over my face. "You're not mad?"
Kieran entered from the kitchen, also smiling. "Mad? Of course we're not mad, we couldn't be more proud."
"Really?" I was smiling wider now. "You're proud of me for punching Phantom in public?"
"He deserved it," said Kieran with a laugh. He held up his hand as Riley had done, and I hit it with as much playful strength as I could muster. "Our little super-heroine."
