Her phone buzzed.
It buzzed again.
Two more buzzes.
She rolled over in bed, picked it up, looked at it. Facebook. She sighed and put it down.
She looked at the alarm clock. Pale blue numbers.
"Hello, father."
"Hello, daughter." Her alarm clock responded.
She sighed and sat up.
She tucked her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, holding the sheet tight to herself.
"Why are people bothering me? It's Saturday right? Can't a college girl get some sleep?!"
"Unlikely." Her alarm clock commented.
"Hush."
Her phone buzzed again.
"You also."
"Daughter, you're a hero."
"No."
"But you are." Her father emerged from the alarm clock. "Have you not seen the video?"
"Video?"
He held his hands vertical in front of him like a shield and a video began to play. It showed a purse snatcher running across a street. The street melted enough to engulf his shoes then sealed around his feet. It panned out and showed her walking to him, "purse please." She took the purse back and returned it to it's owner, then asked the woman to call the police. The camera followed her as she walked away then zoomed back in in the criminal stuck in the street.
She groaned.
"You're a hero."
"Not."
Her father shrugged. "Coffee?"
She nodded.
His had moved through the coffee pot and he looked back at her with a mischievous grin. "All this power, but no ability to affect the physical world."
She laughed and got up, slipping her feet into her slippers. She yawned, stretched and walked to the cabinet. She took down instant coffee, a mug, a spoon. She added water to the mug, a spoonful of coffee then waggled her fingers at the mug. It was suddenly boiling.
"Nice trick." Her dad said.
She looked over at him.
"So have you thought of a super hero name?"
"No."
He waited.
"I'm not a super hero, I'm a grad student studying geothermal energy patterns."
He waited.
She looked at her mug. "Super heroes don't drink coffee."
"The Flash."
"More likely espresso."
"Quicksilver."
"Adderall."
"Speedy."
She shook her head, "He's the Arrow's side kick, also not all that fast."
"Hmmm."
"No, we're done here." She walked to the balcony with her coffee and watched the cars for a minute, blowing on her coffee absentmindedly. She took a sip and frowned, it was cold. Her hands warmed and so did her coffee. Took a sip. "Better."
"We need to discuss super hero names!"
"No."
"You have to protect your identify if you're going to continue to be heroic."
"Also no."
"What about 'Fire Starter'?"
"Like the book? No."
"How about 'Flame Princess'?"
"Nine."
"'Volcana'?"
"Nyet."
"'Niña en fuego'?"
"'Girl on fire'? No, that was the Hunger Games chick. Lenny Kravitz made her dress look like it was on fire."
"'Heat'?"
She looked at him cross. "Fine whatever."
"You need a costume!"
"Still no." She got up, walked across the room to her closet. "Show me the video of me walking away again."
He complied.
"I like that look, red pants, black t-shirt."