The Meanings of Lost

Chapter 28

Diana:

The church bells sound nine in the morning. It had shown overnight, leaving us drenched in centimetres of wet snow. Ambrosine has taken it upon herself to turn what little there is into a snowman and send a photograph to her cousins.

I sit on the porch, watching her and her father waste most of the snow, using it as ammunition instead of a building tool. My phone rings, somehow still working in this weather.

"Hello?" I say quietly into the receiver.

"Diana!" Says the voice on the other side. "It's Bruce."

"Oh hi. Why are you calling?"

"I was trying to context Steve  but I think his phone must be off."

"Who?" I ask, trying to place a face to the name.

"Steve. What do you mean 'who'?" His voice trembles. "Are you in trouble? If someone has some sort of Wonder Woman killer to your head, say pineapple."

"Nothing like that. I just mean who is Steve? Maybe you're confusing him with someone. Do you mean Ivan?"

"YOUR BACK FROM THE DEAD BOYFRIEND!" I jump up from my seat with a slight shriek as his volume pains my hypersensitive hearing. "Diana you are scaring me." He says, calmer, but there is still a tremor as he speaks. I look back over at Ambrosine and her father, who has not seemed to notice.

"I don't have a boyfriend. You know that the Amazons swear off men."

"I'm sure if there were men in Themiscyra that would not be the case because you fell in love with Steve Trevor." My eyes roll. Stupid male. Confusing me with someone else, it seems.

"Don't laugh at me. What about the whole test, Ambrosine being your child?"

"That's not possible." Why won't he listen to reason? "I just applied to be a costs parent. That's not the same thing as biologically having a child."

"You only did that because Ambrosine is your biological child. Diana, you came sobbing to me about it. All the way to America. I had Alfred hack the system for you!"

"That's a lie. The only time I've been to America this year was when you kidnapped me."

"I was saving your life. And you we r  only in that situation because you beloved Ambrosine to be in danger. Because you love her fiercely."

"Sadly I am a woman and tend to have motherly instincts." I lament. "Seriously. I was saving everyone. Not just her. Grow up. You're just sour because I don't want to go on a date with you."

"I never asked. I'm just a worried friend. Who has a legitimate right to be? Oh! What about when we first met, Lex Luthor had stolen a photograph from you. Of you and him."

"He was going to start Armageddon. And that photo could have blown my cover."

"We both know those are lies. Why would you cave about the end of the world? You've been training for doomsday for centuries. And there's no way anyone would have made the connection from the photograph. You could have just claimed the woman in the picture to be a relative and got off scot-free."

"You guessed it." I remind him.

"Because of circumstances. No ordinary person would make that connection, especially since Wonder Woman had been scarce and in hiding." A snowball comes whizzing a bit too close to my face.

"Sorry!" Ambrosine shouts, before letting out a shriek of joy as her dad gets her.

"Come on Diana." Ivan beckons. "This is a once in a lifetime thing. Don't waste it with work."

I smile at them. "Goodbye, Mr. Wayne," I say. I hear his faint protest as I press the red button and end the call.

I look back over at them. Why would Bruce think us related? Is it possible that I have given him that impression and overstepped my bounds? I must have, staying the night. Maybe I do feel motherly towards the little girl, but it matters not. She deserves a nice life, one my presence won't secure. 

I stand up. "Sorry, it's rather important," I say as I turn and walk away, soon breaking into a run. 

"Don't you need a ride?" Ivan calls after me, puzzled. 

"It's a serious matter. Thanks for supper and the hospitality!" I call back, waving. My legs try to carry me faster as I'm out of their sight so that my mind can't decide to go back, but the motion starts to seep from my body. The sunlight fades and the air turn to ash. Planes roar overhead. My ears ring and I suddenly feel as if I've been hit by a train or caught in an explosion. Maybe both, as my muscles ache all over. 

There's something too familiar about it all, but as the light from the day fades away, I can't quite grasp what it is as sirens ring faintly, the only noise I can hear over the ringing of my own two ears.