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."