She looked. The arch at the college rolled past. The sciences building came into view. The car stopped, she thanked the driver and noticed he had replaced his burned out cigarette with a fresh one. He didn't acknowledge her, just went on rambling about the talk radio subject du jour. 

She smiled to herself and created a thin layer of ice to the door, skating along. It melted almost instantly as her chucks slid  across it. Her hand touched the door and she heard a noise. She looked to her left and saw her office mate hurrying along, a bundle of papers in hand. 

Sylvia reached her, leaned for a second to catch her breath. She waited. Sylvia, formerly Sylvester, was also a TA in the science classes. They shared and office. She was impressed at Sylvester's transformation over the last 2 years of sharing an office space. Sylvia certainly appeared happier.

"We did it!" Sylvia held out the latest issue of the Journal of Thermodynamics. 

She and Sylvia had been working on a research project about using thermodynamic principles to help curb the aging process. They had found the holding cells at a cooler state slowed the aging process, though when exposed to heat they began aging normally again. They had not yet been able to convince Professor V to let them take the principles into the lab with mice yet. 

Professor V's concern was that it would not be seen as a positive as the cells needed to stay reasonably cold, colder than the average mouse would prefer, as well as the average human. The concern too applied that they may have to make a cold chamber, something outside of the school's yearly budget. 

She smiled at Sylvia. "That's really great. Guess maybe professor V will keep us around."

Sylvia laughed. "Right, well, he'll be around at least. You know all that pressure to keep publishing. Guess we'll look at the next phase. Did you get those papers graded?"

Oh the papers. Crud. She changed the subject. "How was dinner with your family yesterday?"

Sylvia's parents were not yet aware of their daughter's transition. She shook her head. "I deepened my voice a little and pulled out that old suit they got me. I guess on the upside they always called me Syl. That wig though, yuck!" Sylvia's hair was not too long, but was curly and dark. Her parents expected her to have a shorter hair cut so she wore a wig to hide her curls and longer hair. "They asked if I had a girlfriend yet, ha!"

She giggled with Sylvia. 

"Oh speaking of," Sylvia continued. "my brother is having a thing, could you do me a huge favor and put in an appearance as arm candy?" 

She looked at Sylvia. This was not the first or second or fifth time it had come up. They weren't really friends. More like colleagues. She nodded, fortunately Sylvia's family knew she was "saving herself" for marriage so there was no grand expectation of public displays of affection. 

She gave it a thought, is this what heroes did? She laughed, pouring a cup of coffee for herself. No, not heroes. Friends. This is what friends did. She poured a cup of coffee for Sylvia and walked it over to her desk. She set the cup down. "I would be honored, Syl." 

She was greeted by a toothy grin. "I prefer my coffee cold." Sylvia laughed. 

She looked hard at her father. He seemed to be effortlessly pedaling the bike. She thought about talking to him, then realized it may be something driver would pick up on. 

Her father looked over, "You have a question, daughter?" 

She nodded, then thought it at him. "What if you're not really here, what if all of this has been a dream?"

He rubbed his chin thinking about it. "The last 18 years?"

"Yes" she thought back.

"People need things to be real, they need to believe in something beyond themselves." 

She waited.

"But to answer your question, yes, I exist in the sense that you can see me, in theory anyone I was connected with in the mortal realm with as long as they wanted to see me."

"Mother could see you?"

He laughed, pushing hard on the brakes of his bike, the back wheel rising in the air. She gasped, looked back, then noticed he had returned to his previous position. 

"Wouldn't that be something... No, she has her beliefs too firmly cemented. Plus she doesn't need me." He paused looking down, "she never did."

She looked at him, he looked incredibly sad. Then the sadness blew off his face like a theatre mask being whisked away. 

"But we each have people who need us, your mother needed you, you have her a sense of humanity, showed her the life wasn't just about the law and trials and judiciary committees."

She thought about it. "Is that why she thinks I need a sidekick? That it will, what, give me a sense of purpose?"

He shrugged. "We all need a sense of purpose, daughter." He tipped his hat, the bike faded, he faded, the top had remained another moment before it too faded.

Purpose. She thought about the word. Her mother had purpose. The driver had purpose. She thought hard about her own purpose. For the longest time her purpose had been to study and understand her abilities, to learn about thermodynamics. Would this shift her purpose? Could she hold onto both? 

Her head bumped the ceiling of the car and she looked around having been deep in thought. She landed back on the seat. She glared at the driver, he was ignoring her completely, his cigarette mostly gone, his window open blew some cool air around the car as he flicked the last of ash out the window. She thought about saying something, maybe watch for those potholes. She turned around looking out the window expecting a curb, a crater, a speed bump, maybe even a stunt ramp painted up like the American flag begging for Evel Knievel to rise up and take a jump off it. Nothing.

Meet The Quick!

Ingrid smiled and the orb disappeared. Linka had headed off down the hall, Ingrid waved and chased after her mother.

She looked at her mother who had returned to the couch with Samuel, cuddling on her lap. She stroked his velvet ear and smiled at her.

"Yes, mother?"

Her mother continued to smile. "Just thinking maybe you need a side kick, you could teach her all of those important and valuable skills I taught you. Plus she shares your love of science. Is she going to be in any of the classes you're teaching?" 

She shrugged. "Do I need a sidekick? I feel like I can barely make sense of myself at time." She noticed her mother's look; the raised eyebrow. "I'll look into it."

Her mother smiled, Samuel woofed quietly. She shook her head at both of them. 

Her mother looked over her shoulder as she turned toward the door. "Sidekicks are better to have than capes."

She laughed aloud, her hand on the doorknob. "Thank you, mother. Don't work them too hard!" 

She emerged into the outside and noted the sun was gone behind a cloud and a faint shower was falling. She looked at her phone and summoned a cab. 

A moment later a black town car pulled up. She looked at it, seemed innocent enough. She got in, gave the driver the address at the college. He was listening to talk radio and talking back to it, an unlit cigarette bouncing up and down in his lips. 

She watched the cigarette. It bounced about. It didn't seem to follow a rhythm and continued to move even with he wasn't talking to the radio. She smirked. 

She reached up between the seat and snapped her fingers, a blue flame flared up from her thumb. The driver looked at it from the corner of his eye, leaned his head over and lit his cigarette. 

The flame vanished and she withdrew her hand. She watched him puff on the cigarette in between voicing his opinion at the radio. His window buzzed down.

She leaned back, a slight chuckle escaped her lips. She glanced out the window. A man dressed in a top hat riding a big wheeled bicycle fast enough to keep pace with the car. The cyclist tipped his hat to her and grinned. It was her father. She grinned back. 

"The university?" The driver asked. She was still watching her father travel along on the bike.

She nodded, then realized he may not have heard her nod. "Yes, thank you. Sciences building please." 

The door rattled, she looked at her mother. Her mother glanced at the clock. 

"Oh" her mother exclaimed, "it's Linka!" 

She paused, "Linka?"

Her mother nodded and gestured as Linka entered. Linka was her mother's maid, but next to her stood a younger woman. She stared at the pair, she vaguely remembered Linka. 

Linka gave her a broad smile and a bigger hug, like a Russia beat engulfing her in his warm arms. She laughed and hugged Linka back.

Linka gestured, "my daughter, she is going to university next semester, but needs to save for tuition, I offer her to work with me." 

Linka's daughter curtsied then laughed at herself. "I'm Ingrid, though you can call me The Quick!"

She looked at Ingrid. Her father appeared at her shoulder as a parrot, albeit a translucent one that was only blue. "She's an orb carrier, like you." He whispered in her ear, "spare a cracker?" She waved him off her shoulder and he disappeared in an unnoticed puff. 

"A pleasure, Quick. What are you planning to study?" 

Ingrid smiled and looked bashful, "I'm interested in science, especially physics and space and time." She laughed at herself. "Mother says that won't land me a husband though."

"Do you want a husband?" 

"No, I'm more into learning. They would just slow me down."

"Which would be bad being named The Quick," she smiled at Ingrid. "Does that mean you're fleet footed?"

Ingrid nodded. "The fastest!"

"Do you drink a lot of coffee?"

"Nope," Ingrid held up her hand, an orb, bright yellow like looking into the moon day sun appeared in her hand.

She smiled at Ingrid. "Very cool, where did you get it?"

Ingrid laughed "Gumball machine." 

Her father appeared as a tri-corner hat on Ingrid's head. "That's unusual," the hat said.

She began to wonder if her mother had cleaned house as an adult. Childhood had been adventurous. Her father would take her to the park or out to play somewhere when he was alive. Although they had to change clothes and get cleaned off before going inside. When her father came back, often it was the nanny he trailed after when she went on an outing.
She smiled, recalling the first time she had a food fight with her father, picking up handfuls of spaghetti and hurling them at each other. Her mother looked like she was the one who would be having the heart attack.
She heard her mother tutting at Samuel. Then a "Samuel, no!" She watched the little black Scottie dog scurry through the living room and around the corner, tearing through the dining room. A loud crash. Then more scampering footfalls as Samuel darted back outside to his gardening.
Her mother came in, sighing. She sat down, refilled her wine glass.
"Bit of a rascal that one." Her mother chuckled.
She laughed. Samuel was good for her mother, they off set the other very well. "What if a cape could help me fly?"
Her mother looked puzzled.
"You said no capes, but what if the cape helped me fly."
Her mother still looked puzzled. She took a sip of wine and her eyes glowed slightly. "Like when you were a little girl and you put on the towel or bed sheet and ran around yelling about flying?"
"Yes, but using thermodynamic  principles. Like with hot air balloons."
Her mother nodded. "What about propulsion?"
She smiled. "I love you, mom."
Her mother smiled back, "Thank you, sweetie."
They both turned when they heard the back door rattle and in burst Samuel running like something was chasing him. A shadow passed across the window and disappeared.
"What was that?" Her mother asked.
She looked down, Samuel was huddled behind her legs trembling. "Whatever it was, Samuel is terrified of it."
"Super villains?"
She shook her head. "Haven't heard of anything. It would stand to reason though. Sort of need that balance right, the yin to my yang."
"Anyone stepped forward?"
She shook her head.
"What do you think he or she will be able to do?"
She laughed. "Let's not speculate."
"Are you worries it could be someone ruthless like a Joker or Magento?"
"Catching up on your super villains?"
Her mother smiled. "A mom has to learn these things with a daughter who's a superhero."
"Not a superhero."
"Oh?" Her mother seemed slightly saddened by this.

"How's Samuel?" She asked trying not to get bogged down in discussing costumes with her mother.
"He's the same as always. Goes out, messes around in the garden, finds activities to keep him busy."
She nodded. "Is he out there now ?"
"Yes," her mother said.
She nodded again. "Mom, are you happy?"
"Define 'happy', sweetie."
"Typical lawyer answer!" She thought. "Ugh!!" She smiled through it. "Being in a state where you enjoy the day to day activities you're involved with."
Her mother shrugged.
"Maybe I got it from both of them!" She thought.
"Sweetie, I think I'm happy. Samuel is a good companion. I still work a few days a week. We have the vacation homes. In my free time I can keep a perfect home." She ran her fingers over the pristine white coach and massaged the shag carpet with her toes, also white.
"Mom, I'm glad." She smiled. Looking around, she realized how white the living room was. "So Samuel has been a good replacement for dad?"
Her mom laughed. "He's present a lot more often than your father."
She nodded.
"It was always hard with him being gone so much. I had my practice of course, then when we had you, he stayed on the road doing his consultant work. I told him I made enough to support us, but he had this need to travel, to be gone."
"But he always called and sent letters."
Her mother shrugged. "He did okay with that. The letters weren't something he did. I did those so you would know he was thinking about you. He did call though, about once a week. I loved that man a really long time."
Her ears perked up. "I think I hear Samuel, does he need any help coming in?"
Her mother got up. "I'll get the door for him."
She looked down at her phone. An email from a craft store touting 30% off fabric. She got thinking about capes, despite her mother thinking they were unflattering. "Maybe they would have something that would work." She thought. Piecing together an idea for a cape that she could super heat the air beneath it allowing her to float. "Wouldn't it combust? Or melt?" She thought more.
"Samuel, No!" She heard her mother yell. In the next moment, a black Scottie dog came racing into the living room, covered in dirt and mud. He jumped all over the couch and licked her face. She laughed and petted him. "Down, Samuel." She whispered.
"Samuel, no, let's got get you washed up." Her mother came back into the living room. "Fortunately the maid will be in later."

She sat down at the cafe, taking a seat outdoors to enjoy the fall sun. Her phone buzzed, she looked down. "Great, save 20% on my car insurance. Even better news, I don't own one."
The waiter stopped by her table. "Do you teach at the college?" He must have overheard her comment.
"Grad student." She said.
He nodded. "Coffee?"
She nodded.
"Flavor?"
"Coffee flavored."
The waiter looked puzzled. He walked away.
She looked at her phone for a moment, then back up. Thinking to herself, "which is better, being mistaken for someone older or being recognized for a super hero?"
"Definitely older." She mumbled thinking, "Being seen as a super hero would be bad for family."
Her phone rang. She looked at it, sighed. "Mom."
"Hi sweetie, what's new?"
"Life."
"That's nice. Do you have some time this afternoon?"
She sighed quietly.
"I needed to talk to you about something."
"Wonderful. Let me get some coffee and I'll be along."
She could hear her mother brighten over the phone. "Oh, coffee would be delightful, see you soon."
Her coffee arrived. "Can you make it to go and a second one, same way?"
"So no flavor?"
She nodded. The waiter left.
She stared at the bill. She doubled the amount and left a little extra for tip. He came back with the coffee and she hailed a cab.

She drank her coffee on the can ride, thinking "this is how you be a super hero, drink coffee."
The cabbie was disinterested in her, listening to his music rather than engaging in conversation.
The can arrived and she got out, paying the fare and walking to her mother's door. She thought about that for a moment, she never thought of it as her door or her parent's door. She shrugged and entered. "Mom, I brought coffee."
Her mom emerged and kissed her on the cheek taking the coffee and inviting her to the living room.
"So you're a super hero..." Her mom commented, sipping her coffee and looking at her around the cup.
She shrugged.
"The neighbors' daughter's boyfriend's brother says he saw a video of you stopping crime. No, 2 videos."
She shrugged again. She laughed at herself, thinking, "oh no, I'm my father's daughter."
"Have you considered an outfit? We could sew one!" Her mom was excited, apparently.
"I thought you'd be against that, you're always trying to encourage me to be careful."
Her mom nodded. "True, but maybe this is your life's calling! You may be able to help a lot of people."
She nodded, wishing her coffee cup was not empty, pretending to drink from it so she didn't have to talk.
"But no capes!"
She looked hard at her mother. "Why no capes?"
"They aren't flattering, dear."