REVIEWS: Soccergurl and Princessmoi - As long as I'm getting reviews from you two I know all is well. Glad you liked. I hope you enjoy now as we move off in new directions. Please let me know what you think and I promise - ALL will be revealed in time.
XXIV. REVELATIONS
Violet woke up on Saturday morning in an unusual way. The sun was shining brightly through her window. 'Wow it's almost eleven,' she thought after looking at her alarm clock. She was finally refreshed having taken in a lot of rest after pulling the type of days she had recently. She got up and dressed; her next feeling was one of hunger. The night before she'd gone to bed without dinner since her mother assumed she'd eaten at Kari's. 'Maybe that wasn't the best thing to tell her,' she thought as she fixed her hair. Violet stared at her reflection in the mirror; she couldn't help but think of all she'd done recently. She was able to rationalize the fighting without her parents' knowledge or permission but the stories she told them she couldn't. It had started with bending the truth but developed into outright lies. It wasn't good; it was a flat out sin. The young girl put her hair back in a band but frowned at herself over the thoughts. Now ready, she pushed the idea from her mind and proceeded to the kitchen.
'That's unusual,' Violet thought to herself as she passed an empty living room. 'Dash should be watching his cartoons right now. Oh well.' She shrugged it off. As she walked into the kitchen she saw her whole family waiting. Everybody stopped when she entered and no one looked happy except for Jack-Jack who seemed quite out of place giggling in his high chair. It was obvious they'd been arguing but what made her lose her hungry feeling was that no one was talking to her. She walked slowly in and sat in her usual place. Bob instantly got up and dropped the morning paper that he'd been reading right in front of her.
Then she realized what had happened. Right there on the front page 'Invision Pictured' read the headline with a picture of her and Dash fighting those bad guys the previous morning. The subtext read 'The Dash Fights Again: Boy Seems OK After Incident.' "I thought we talked about this," Helen said sternly. "It's bad enough that you've been doing this behind our backs and against our wishes but lying like you have and then asking you little brother to do the same. Vi I don't know how we'll ever be able to trust you again." Violet just sat there and listened.
"Why didn't you talk to me yesterday," Bob said. "Did you think you could just be Invision forever and we'd never find out? You could've been hurt. Didn't you think of that?"
Helen continued, "we've already talked to your brother about his lie yesterday and he knows he's in trouble too. We haven't decided what we're going to do yet but it won't be light. Now, I'll get you breakfast but you're spending the rest of the day in your room. No phone, music, TV, anything. Do you understand?" Violet just nodded.
Helen returned to fixing breakfast while Bob stared out the window deep in thought. Violet just glared at the paper in front of her and Dash finished his cereal slowly. Violet drifted into a deep depression. 'Why did I lie? Of all the stupid things I could have done.' She was terribly disturbed by her own actions and her conscience was imposing upon her a punishment far worse than any her parents could dream up. Suddenly, the whole party was interrupted by the doorbell.
Bob and Helen walked to the door with Dash trailing at a distance. Violet merely sat in the kitchen not caring who it was. Bob opened the door to reveal a haggard Rick Dicker standing on the lawn. He held up a copy of the morning news and proceeded to enter the house with his agents close behind. "Bob didn't we talk about this; I said clearly no children," he said. "I'm sure Congress is outraged; it'll be a wonder if they don't shut us down. We need to talk – alone," he said staring at Dash.
"Go to your room, now!" his mother said. Dash left hurriedly.
The three began to talk but what about was inaudible to Violet who had started to pick at the food that her mother had set out. She was completely oblivious to her surroundings. As the pattern continued Jack-Jack suddenly dropped the orange that he'd been sucking on. Entirely unable to reach it he started for Violet's attention. "Vi-vi-vi-vi-vi," he called. Violet didn't even realize he was talking let alone saying her name. After getting no reaction he started to cry but Violet was still unfazed, deep in thought over what she'd done.
Helen could here Jack-Jack from the living room. "Vi, take care of your brother!" she yelled.
Violet heard that but it made her feel even worse reminding her how useless she had felt. Nothing moved her until she caught site of the flickering light bouncing off the paper. She looked up and gasped to see her baby brother burst into flame. "MOM, DAD!" she yelled.
Helen recognized the panic instantly and was doubly shocked when the smoke detector went off less than a second later. Everyone darted for the kitchen and saw the blazing baby with Violet helplessly watching not knowing what to do. Helen's maternal instincts kicked in as she ran for the fire extinguisher but Bob just stood their knowing full well what was going on. "He's a fire starter!" Bob exclaimed to Rick who was standing beside him.
Before Helen could get back to him he the fire had stopped but was instantly replaced by a dark blue form similar to Jack-Jack's but much more slender. This form was gelatinous and it slid slowly down the highchair piling itself on top of the fallen fruit. There he resumed his shape and went back to normal. He picked up the orange and laughed as he waddled over to his father who picked him up in his arms. "Looks like he's more than a fire starter," Rick said.
"Cool," Dash whispered.
"What was that!" Helen asked franticly running to get to her child.
"I think that was his little secret," Bob replied.
"But what was it? I've never seen that class of powers before," she said.
"I don't even know what it is Rick said."
"How are we going to deal with a kid that burns the house down on a daily basis?" Dash added looking at the thoroughly scorched high chair.
"Well first I'm having a sprinkler system installed like at our old house," Bob laughed.
Helen laughed at him and bent down to Dash's level, "the same way we dealt with a five year old who disappeared into thin air and sixty mile per hour toddler – patience," she said.
"In the mean time," Rick interrupted, "I believe it's imperative we find out what's going on."
"Right," Bob said, "but how?"
"What about Dr. Angel?" Dash suggested.
"Who?" asked Rick.
"Dash, what are you talking about?" his mother asked.
Dash explained. "Well, when he gave me that check up he did that thing that took away my powers."
"-And gave them to himself. Of course, Dr. Angelo," Helen said.
"Right," Rick said, "his bio-interface is exactly what we need and he's an expert on the use of super powers. In fact, he has an advanced degree in super studies. He's practically an expert on all things super. I didn't know he went by another name."
"Wait, what are you talking about," Bob asked.
"Come on; I'll explain in the car," Helen said. The group headed for their cars but Helen turned back when she saw Violet still in the kitchen. She went up and hugged her. "You know you can come too," Helen told her. Violet just nodded as her eyes watered. "Oh honey, it's ok. We still love you; we always will, but there are just some things you have to take responsibility for." She nodded again. "Now come on, you don't want to miss your brother's big day." Violet managed a smile but buried her head in her mom's side as they walked to the car.
"I love you mom," she said through a tear, "and I'm so sorry."
