Lightning without Thunder

Five of Wands

I wake up when my alarm lights up. It takes me a moment to realise I am not back at the bank, being caught by a flashlight, but in bed. I turn my alarm off and sit up.

I pick up my phone and check my Twitter profile. Looking at my video of the bank robbery makes my chest tingle. I have over a million views, thousands of comments, likes, and retweets. I eagerly scroll down to read the top comments.

"This is so sad. Now this poor CEO has to spend his yacht money on a new server instead." Followed by a large amount of laughing emoji's.

I feel a warmth radiating throughout my chest. I shiver in anticipation of the next comment.

"The hero we need but don't deserve" with two bat emojis.

I don't understand what the bat emojis mean, but I squeal at the compliment. I feel my skin tingling as I scroll to the next comment.

"Why are the other comments praising her? She didn't solve anything, and the bank will just forward the cost of the new server to their customers. You are all a bunch of sheep."

I freeze, and the phone slips out of my hands. The excitement I felt a moment ago vanishes, and I feel as if I have been hit by a truck.

"He is right." I whisper. "I didn't change anything."

I pick up the phone again and scroll through a couple of other comments. Most of them are nice, but I can't shake that one comment. He is right; I don't deserve the praise. I changed nothing.

I contemplate if I should delete the video or not when suddenly the door opens in the corner of my eye. The police officer who drove me home yesterday and my mom both walk into my bedroom.

"Mom!" I yell while grabbing the edge of my blanket and pulling it up to my neck. "I am in my pyjamas. Why are you letting a stranger into my bedroom?"

Mom rolls her eyes. "I did knock first. You didn't respond."

My jaw drops. "How is that supposed to help? I am deaf!"

Mom rolls her eyes again. "You should have thought of that before you stabbed out your own eardrums with a screwdriver. And besides, it is not like you listened to me before you were deaf."

I grab the first thing I can find, my long sleeved shirt that is lying on top of the blanket, and throw it at Mom with all my might.

She dodges out of the way, and I hit the officer instead. He sighs and steps forward. "Marissa, you are under arrest for suspicion of arson and grand larceny. Not to mention assault and battery of a police officer on duty." He sighs. "Please come with me to the station."

"Wait." I gesture at my pyjamas. "Can I at least get dressed first?"

The officer nods. "We will be waiting right by this door. But don't take too long."

He steps out and closes the door.

I jump out of bed, as I have no time to lose. I grab my hoodie off the floor and frantically put it on. Next, I grab my white scarf and put my phone in my hoodie's pocket.

I slowly slide the metal box behind the radiator upward, trying not to make any noise. This is hard to judge, as I can't hear it myself. A little voice in the back of my mind is telling me the metal is possibly scraping loudly against the radiator. I look over my shoulder at the door, terrified that Mom and the officer will open it and storm in. They can't take the box. They cannot take it from me. It is the only important thing I haven't lost yet.

I open the box and take out the can containing the ashes. I quickly put it in the free pocket of my hoodie. I rattle the box a bit and take out the ring. It is a beautiful platinum ring, laid with diamonds. I put the ring on my finger.