Ultra Girl; Origin Story

Chapter 6: Truth

"What...?" I said, in barely a whisper. How? How did she know?

"It's all over the news!" Porsha said in a huff. "What were you thinking!?"

"I uh... I... don't know...." I muttered, not really paying much attention to the conversation anymore. Then I realized what she had actually said. "Wait What?! It's all over the news!?"

"Yes!" She answered exasperatedly. "Weren't you listening?! Are you okay? You didn't get hurt did you?"

"Oh no..." I groaned, rubbing my face.

"What's wrong?!" Porsha began to sound panicked.

"Nothing, I'm fine. It's just..." I groaned again.

"I can't believe this is happening!" I screamed in my head.

"Sireana?" Mom's voice came from down the hall. From the living room, where the TV is.

"I-I gotta go..." I said. "...B-Bye..."

Before Porsha even had the chance to say it back, I hung up, shakily setting down the phone. This is exactly what I didn't want to happen... I didn't want to be on the news... Did someone I hadn't seen before take a video? But when did they start? How much had they caught? Or was it just a series of pictures? This isn't good at all...

"Sireana?" Mom called again.

"C-Coming!" I said, and made my way down the hall, dragging my feet.

I found mom standing by the couch with her back to me. She was facing the TV that had been turned on. As I thought it would be, it was on the news. There was a video playing, the caption under it reading 'Girl Saves Child and Dog From Fire'. I was right in thinking that it was someone from the crowd. The camera focus was bad and was shaking, but they caught more than I thought they would.

It was on a loop, over and over again, it showed from when I ran into the fire to when I walked over to the ambulance; though it only caught me in the corner of the screen for that, I was circled in yellow in that corner.

Mom turned to me and I slowly looked at her. Reading her face was like trying to read an ancient language, I couldn't tell what she was thinking at all. And to be honest, it kind of scared me.

"Do you have anything you want to tell me?" She asked. She was a lot calmer now than before. 

"About what?" I questioned cautiously. Maybe if I say it wasn't me, she would believe me? After all, the camera footage was poor quality, they didn't catch my face at all. Thank goodness. But then how did Porsha still know it was me?

"There's no need to play dumb Sireana." She said, motioning to the TV. "I would recognize that backpack anywhere, and the clothes are the same as what you were wearing this morning. It also explains why you were covered in ash."

"W-Well,... uh, you see-!" Before I could think up an excuse, mom pulled me into a bear hug that nearly crushed my lungs. I couldn't have asked her to loosen her grip even if I tried.

"I'm so glad that you're safe." She said, her voice shaking.

My mouth moved several times forming the words, but nothing came out to voice them. Finally, I was able to gather enough air to say something.

"Mom..." I said in a whispering gasp. "I can't breathe....!" Mom let go of me and I gulped in the cool air. Before mom or I could say anything, the phone in the kitchen rang. She held my cheeks in her hands for a moment, then she went to answer the phone; leaving me alone to watch the scene on the TV again and again. Finally, one of the news castors came on and commented on the mysterious hero's bravery and said that whoever she may be, that the mother was grateful to her and will never forget what the hero did for their family.

I got a strange feeling as those words began to embed themselves into my mind, but I didn't have the chance to think about it due to mom calling me to the kitchen.

"That was your father." She said as I walked in, her back turned to me. "He's on his way home. Dinner's almost ready, could you help me set the table?"

By the time dinner was on the table, dad was home and was getting changed out of his work clothes.

It wasn't long after that we were all sitting down, in the most uncomfortable silence, in the world. I kept glancing from my food to my parents and I noticed, my dad was continuously giving me weird looks.

"So," Dad said slowly. "I saw something very interesting at work today."

"What was that?" Mom asked.

"I was on my way out of work when I went into the break room and happened to look at the TV. There was breaking news broadcasting on it."

My heart dropped. I nearly choked on the sip of milk I had just taken.

"I couldn't believe what was happening when I saw the new video they were given, of the little girl and dog being saved. Then I notice something very fascinating about it."

I hate it when he does this. Please, just end my suffering.

"The girl was carrying the same bag that you have Sireana."

Is that how everyone's recognizing me?! I'm not the only one that has that bag! I need to take out my spare backpack from my closet. I don't want more people to realize what happened who haven't already.

"I wouldn't have thought much about it if it wasn't for the fact that the person did look a lot like you, though I couldn't see her face. Even the clothes were the same."

Those clothes must be destroyed! UGH! Why? Just get to your point! Please!

"Is there something you need to tell me?"

Finally!

I nodded and told him what had happened and why I did it.

"I'm just glad you made it home safe," Dad said, sitting back in his chair. "But how to punish you is the only question now."

"What?" I said in surprise.

"While I'm glad that you were able to save them and yourself with everything turning out well, it could have easily have been much worse. Especially since you're still meant to be recovering. You made your mother worry and you could have died. I'm not saying you can't help people, but you need to know when it is okay and isn't. Bullying, you have the ability to stop that, but putting out a fire and charging into a burning building is a whole nother story." Dad said, with a look on his face that said I wasn't going to get out of this. "It was recluse and dangerous. It turned out to be the right thing to do but next time you need to leave it to the authorities."

"So... What's it going to be...?" I said, sinking into my chair.

"Well," Dad said looking at mom. "Because everything turned out okay, I'd say... No movies for a week and no friends over for a month, not even to help them with homework. You will also have to come straight home after school during that time. Does that sound like a rational punishment to you?" He turned to face mom.

After looking between me and dad for a minute in thought, she agreed. Though she might have preferred something a bit harsher, or maybe not, it's hard to tell with her sometimes.

Normally, Friday nights would be movie nights in the living room, but because of today, I couldn't join my parents in watching it. So, I sent myself to my room to do my homework for the rest of the night.