I would like to say I was surprised when I got home from work and found Emma on the couch face down. She was wearing only a tank top; Her underpants were hanging off the coffee table. A spilled bottle of vodka on the floor. I leaned down and shook her gently.

"Mom?"

I shook her again with more urgency. She was still unresponsive. I gently rolled her over and laid her on the floor. She was blue. Tears were already forming on my cheeks. I looked inside her chest and her heart was not beating. She was cold to the touch. I sat there on my knees beside Emma's dead body for a long time. I looked down at her bruised arms and cheeks. Her last client this morning had not been gentle. I scanned the immediate area. I saw her phone. It was on the floor. It was shattered like someone had stomped on it. I saw a needle in her arm. I saw a wallet that was kicked under the table, scuff marks on the floor. Someone had been in a hurry and did not want her making calls.

"Mom, why did you let him do this to you?"

I knew the answer she was so messed up on painkillers and alcohol she was basically a zombie. I could reach for the wallet. I could open it. I could find them, and I could catch him. I could also fly her to the Fortress of Solitude, and I could gather DNA. I could use that to find him. I could but I would not. My powers would only bring pain to Sarah and Martha they were all that mattered now. All this power and I could not protect the people I loved. I pulled my phone out of my hoodie pocket and dialed 911.

"This is 911 emergency, please tell me what is wrong?"

I took another deep breath the tears were still dropping down my cheeks.

"My mother is dead. I think she was murdered."

"Are you sure? What's your name hon? Where are you located?"

"My name is Amber Morris, I am at the Kent Farm. Yes. I am sure."

"Do you think you are in danger?"

"No, I am not in danger. I'm sorry I need to go and call someone, so my sisters don't come home and see this."

"Okay Amber, I'll have the Sheriff there right away."

"Thank you."

I hung up the phone. I stared at it for a few minutes. I had no one I could call. Heather and Edna were dead, Henry was dead. Jacob and April were in New York. I had no one. I did have someone who could get here. I reached into my purse and pulled out my tablet and tapped the JL icon.

"Mother?"

"Yes, Amber Kal-El?"

"I need Diana."

"Link established."

Diana's face appeared on the screen. She immediately looked concerned.

"What is the matter Amber?"

Hearing her voice brought raw emotions I was feeling to the surface and they hit me like a tidal wave. I began to drown in them.

"It's my mother, she's dead…my sisters…"

I began to sob and felt like throwing up.

"Shh, Amber. I understand. I will be there very quickly."

I tried to say thank you, but my voice failed me. The connection ended. I could hear the soft noise of Mother trying to talk to me, but I couldn't make out the words because my brain wasn't processing my senses at all. My brain was just overwhelmed. I just kneeled and stared at Emma's remains. I didn't even notice the sirens, or the door being opened. Or the rush of footsteps as the armed deputies and sheriff rushed in, I felt strong steady hands on my arms, and I was gently escorted out of the house and placed on our porch swing. The sheriff was trying to talk to me, but I was having trouble processing it all. I felt his hands on my cheeks and he forced me to look at him and the world crystalized into reality for me.

"Amber, talk to me!"

I blinked at him. It felt like the first time I'd blinked in hours.

"Yes Sheriff?"

"Thank god. I thought you were going into shock."

He spoke into his radio

"Cancel that ambulance she's talking to me. What happened Amber?"

"I…I came home from work and she was lying face down on the couch. I rolled her over when she wouldn't wake up and noticed the needle. I knew she was dead. Her eyes… I saw a wallet under the table and her phone was stomped on. I think she was trying to reach for it. She didn't have the bruises this morning."

"Did you hear anything that might indicate what might have happened?"

"I…I.. need to call the schools I have to warn them…I can't pick them up."

I looked at my phone and called Martha's school first. The sheriff opened his mouth but then he closed it after looking inside at my mother's body. He nodded.

"Smallville Public School."

"This is Amber Morris. M..there is a family emergency and I have had to ask my friend Diana Prince to pick up Martha today."

"Okay, thank you Ms. Morris."

I dialed the high school.

"Smallville High, Go go Ravens!"

Tonight, was homecoming. Sarah had refused to go…

"Hello, Smallville High, how can I help you?"

I blinked and remembered I was on the phone

"I'm sorry, this is Amber Morris, there has been a family emergency and I am not able to pick Sarah up at school today, my friend Diana Prince will be coming instead."

"Oh no, is everything alright with you?"

"No, no its not. Sorry. Thank you."

I hung up and looked back up at the sheriff.

"Now Amber, you don't have to stay here you can go get the girls. I know you have a photographic memory I can get a statement later tonight or tomorrow."

"We should do it now Sheriff, that way they cannot cite the delay as an issue if you find someone to prosecute."

"Are you sure the girls are going to be alright with this Diana Prince? I never heard that name said round these parts."

"I am sure, Sheriff."

He nodded.

"Please tell me everything you remember from this morning before you left for work."

"Everything?"

"Yes please."

I closed my eyes and brought myself back to that morning. I stepped into the memory. Martha was pulling on her jogging pants…

"What would you like for breakfast hon?"

Martha almost fell when she looked at me but caught herself on chair.

"Eggs please. Like you always make them. With the super-secret ingredient!"

"Do you know what the super-secret ingredient is?"

"Pepper!"

I shook my head.

"Salt!"

I shook my head again.

"Chili!"

I shook my head again.

"Aww what is it Amber? Tell me! Tell me!

"It is love, silly."

"Oh ya."

Martha hugged me tightly. I heard the wheels of Sarah's chair creaking along the old hardwood. She was scowling. I kept mixing the eggs. I glanced back at her she was dressed in jeans and t-shirt. The shirt was, well offensive and she knew damn well it was banned at the school.

"Change your shirt, Sarah."

"Screw them. I'm making a statement."

"No, you're being an idiot. Go change your shirt."

"No, I'm not going to, how about you make me?"

I looked down and Martha who was holding her hands over her ears.

"Martha dear, please run and get Sarah a better shirt. That one is not for school."

Martha ran off down the hall.

"If you wear that again you'll get suspended then you won't be able to go to the Homecoming dance tonight."

"Why would I want to go to a stupid dance? So, I can get pity dances from sweaty boys who think I'm easy because I'm a cripple?"

"Sarah. Just because you are in a wheelchair does not mean you have to give up at life."

"That's easy for you to say sis, you can walk."

I closed my eyes. I was trying not to yell at her. It would upset Martha and wake Mom up.

"Sarah. I know it is hard. I know you want everything the way it was. But that is not how life works. You need to start somewhere, make it Homecoming dance. You can use one of my old dresses. They're beautiful and just the right size."

Martha showed up with a pink blouse. She handed it to Sarah.

"This will look pretty right Sarah?"

"Sure whatever."

Sarah grabbed the blouse and changed right and threw her shirt on the ground.

The shirt, the shirt is gone. I took myself back to the memory.

I poured the eggs into the already heated frying pan and scrambled them quickly. Martha was on her tip toes watching me cook them. I ruffled her hair and put them on a plate. I put out two pieces of bread for her. Sarah was eating cereal. I noticed the scars on her wrists. They reminded me of April. I turned away because that was a very painful memory.

"What?"

"Sorry, Sarah, what's going on?"

"You gave me a look and then turned your back."

"Can't stand looking at the crippled girl huh? Take you back to when you were one?"

I closed my eyes again and took a deep breath. That kid she can get on your nerves in a hurry. She looks for ways to provoke you. I tried to hold it back, but I turned and looked at her and I am sorry to say I yelled.

"Do you want to know the truth Sarah?"

"Yes, tell me how crippled and pathetic I am!"

"No, it was the scars. I found my best friend a pool of her own blood when I was twelve and barely out of a coma. I fell in the blood because I couldn't stand on my own. I lay there for five minutes watching her dying. That is why I turned away because it's a picture I can't get out my mind and I saw your face this time instead of hers. That's why I turned away. Because I didn't want to see you like that."

Martha had her hands on her ears, and she was crying.

"Sorry for trying to make the world a better place by saving some oxygen for you!"

I was full on waving the spatula I had in my hand at her by now.

"Some girls don't have the choice to go to homecoming because they died when they were six from cancer. Some girls went to every school dance even though they were blind and were in so much pain every moment of every day her mother contemplated ending her life to stop it. She had hands so twisted she could barely read brail. Woes you, you're in a wheelchair. You can see, you can talk, you lift that spoon without so much pain you want to scream but You can't because You've been screaming in pain your entire life. You want to die, that girl wanted to live. She celebrated every new year because she had been alive for another year. And here you are bitching because you're alive, and you have everything except your legs. Grow up Sarah. I'm not going to take part in your pity party."

Sarah opened her mouth. I could see tears dripping down her face. She threw her bowl at me. I caught it but the milk and cereal went all over the floor. Mom came down the stairs. She was wearing a tank top and underwear. She looked angry.

"Did she have any bruises? Any injuries?"

"No, she looked like…herself her druggie self."

"Please continue."

She yelled at me.

"You can't go running off god knows where then come back and start playing big sister."

"Fuck you mom! If you hadn't been drinking and driving, she'd still be walking, and Johnathan would be, here wouldn't he?"

She stumbled at the bottom of the stairs.

"You're drunk. Its 7 am."

"I was sleeping it off until you lot started yelling."

She grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled her. Sarah fell out of her wheelchair.

"You need to shut your mouth Sarah."

I helped Sarah get back into her wheelchair.

"And look at this little crotch goblin, holding her hands over her ears like it will make a difference."

She grabbed Martha's hand and Martha started screaming. I pulled Martha away from her and stood between mom and the girls.

"Shouldn't you get washed up for your next john?"

She slapped me very hard. I took it. I didn't want to hurt her.

"Watch your mouth, they put food on the table."

"No, they buy your drugs and booze! I put food on the table with a real job."

"You're all high and mighty, at least I have some dignity I get paid up front, not with some promise of marriage. How'd that work out for you?"

She shoved me but she wasn't strong enough to move me.

"Sarah, please take your sister to the car, I will be right out."

Sarah wheeled away with Martha on her lap, glancing back at us.

"That's right Sarah run away!"

I grabbed my mother's shoulders and forced her to look at me.

"Look at me, not them. You can't bully them anymore. I'm here. You want to hit someone, you want to abuse someone abuse me. You blame me for everything don't you?"

She punched me in the face, but I barely felt it. She slapped me again.

"You are to blame, you drank, you drove, you took the drugs, you started being a prostitute, you started abusing the girls. You killed Jonathan. You lost the house. You crashed Grandma's pickup truck. YOU did it. You turned away Grandpa when he wanted to get Sarah back surgery so she could walk again. You, you, you, you! You did all of this!"

She slapped me again.

"You will never touch my sisters again, never, you will never hug them, you will never kiss them, you will never beat them again. You don't deserve us. I'm taking them. And you can try and stop me, or you can sign the damn papers, but I swear to god if you get in my way, I will tell everyone about the abuse. You will be arrested; You will be thrown in jail and they will throw away the key. I'm not going to let you kill them like you killed Jonathan, and that family. You are going to die alone. And we are going to move on with our lives. We are not going to get dragged down with you."

"You can't do that they're my flesh and blood, you're just some orphan girl."

"I can and I will, it is just a matter of how much jail time you end up with!"

"How dare you, I took you in when nobody else would. I treated you like a daughter!"

She slapped my face again.

"You still do!"

She started to cry and shake. Her hands went to her mouth and she reached out to touch me, and I flinched away.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I don't know what I was thinking."

She reached out to touch me again and I pushed her hand away.

"I'll be back for our things and for you to sign the guardianship papers"

I picked up my purse and walked towards the door.

"Amber don't leave, please... don't leave me alone like this."

I turned and glanced down at my Fitnow.

"You have ten minutes to change my mind, I doubt you will."

"I can get clean Amber, I can get clean and we can go someplace new and we can be a family again like we used to be. No drugs. No drinking."

"With what money mom? You sold our house, you sold all the farm equipment. You sold all the livestock. You sold my cars. And it still wasn't enough. The only reason you hadn't lost the farm yet is because the Sheriff is dragging his ass enforcing the city's eviction request. And I paid the bill. We…are…broke. We are so broke I'm barely able to put diesel in the truck and food on the table. We're done. We can't even get to Metropolis. So, mom, what money? Do you have some secret stash somewhere?"

"We can figure it out Amber. Baby we can figure it out together."

Her cellphone rang and she picked up. He was loud enough I could hear him too; He started the conversation. It was Tobias, her drug-dealer-pimp wannabe.

"Hey, I got a special client on the way. Pays well you just have to let him rough you up a bit. That's all. You good for right now?"

"Ya, ya sure, looking forward to it. Hey, could you uh tell him to give me another twenty? Kids are still here."

"Whatever you want, but don't keep him waiting, he's a bit of a stickler for scheduling. Just hold on I'll call him."

She looked at me.

"Just give me two more minutes please Amber, we can talk about this I just need to sort this out."

"No mom. You had your time, but you decided to answer a call from your drug-dealer! You can't stop. Just spread your legs, because your drug-dealer tells you to so you can get your next fix. Its hollow promises again!"

"Just ten more minutes. Please Amber you owe it to me."

I stopped and waited.

She was about to say something then Tobias came back on the line.

"He's about five minutes out. Make sure the kids are gone he's a bit…picky about this being discrete."

"Sure, sure. No problem."

"Amber, look.. you gotta get the girls out of here, we really need this money, maybe we can use it to go away like I said, we can talk tonight, right? You promise?"

"Mom, we'll see."

I went to the old dodge truck, I put Martha in her child seat, and I lifted Sarah in and put the wheelchair in the back. I started it, it complained, it had been frosty last night and the power jack in the barn wasn't working so the block heater wasn't on. I backed up and started pulling out. I saw thirty-two cars only two coming from Metropolis, the rest were heading towards metropolis, only six could have been the visitor.

It would have taken more than five minutes to reach the farm for the rest. They were, a black Ford fiesta, 2025, Silver Escalade, 2025, Honda Pilot, Red, 2003, Black Hyundai Tiberon 2029, Ford Escape, 2029. Tesla Model 7, 2032.Of those only three were male drivers. If you give me the pad, I'll write down the license plates. He offered it to me with the pen and I scribbled al three license plates down.

"That should be enough, I'm sure your work can verify you were there during your working hours?"

They finished up, but they were considering the house an active crime scene, so I wasn't allowed back inside. The sheriff had a deputy bring out some clothes for us. I got back in my truck and headed into Smallville. I parked at the motel and sat in my car staring out the window for a long time. I was still in shock. I was pulled out of my daze by someone knocking on my window. It was Diana.

"Amber. I have your sisters. Can I buy you girls dinner?"

I shook my head.

"No, you've already done more than enough. I appreciate it. It is no trouble."

"I can get them fed. If you could help them into the front office though I'd appreciate it."

I picked up my purse and walked inside and I was surprised to see Amanda Brine. The girl who made grade 7 a nightmare. She looked a bit smug when she saw me. My hair was in a bad bun and I looked like a hot mess after a day of work.

"Looks like all that fancy schooling didn't do you much good did it, Amber."

I sighed and looked down. I was already past the end of my rope. I pulled out my one credit card.

"I need a double room please, Amanda."

She typed something into her computer, and I put my card in and my pin and it came back declined.

"Please try again. I might have messed up my pin."

"Sure, whatever."

She put it through again, by this time Diana was standing behind me with my sisters in tow. I put it through again, declined. Amanda pulled the card reader back.

"Two hundred deposit, sixty a night. Paid up front."

I pulled out my debit card but then I put it away. I when I went over my recent purchases, I realized I didn't have enough for the deposit.

"Sorry for wasting your time, Amanda."

"Serves you right, sinner."

She was looking at Diana who didn't seem to understand what was being implied. I swear to god I almost reached across the counter so I could drag her over it and punch her in her smug judgmental face. I felt Diana's very strong hand on my shoulder. She was probably the only person on earth that stood at chance at holding me back.

"Amber, I'll take care of this you can pay me back when you sort out the bank issue."

I was embarrassed and angry at the same time and for the first time in years I could feel the heat expanding from my core. I looked down at Martha and Sarah who both looked confused. Martha's innocent face looked up at me. I did not want to tell them about their mom. The fight drained out of me and I relaxed my muscles and I nodded. I took Sarah and Martha aside and waited while Diana dealt with Amanda.

"I would like a double, and a single, for a full month."

Amanda looked between Diana and me.

"I don't want your sin going on in my motel. And it's the only one in town, why don't you go elsewhere. Like Metropolis."

Diana glanced back at me and then to Amanda.

"What are you talking about?"

"You and her shacking up with those girls around no less. Terrible."

Diana nodded, now she understood, she lowered her voice. I could hear her, but the girls couldn't.

"I'm going to be very clear, so there are no misunderstandings between us. That woman, who is a lifelong Catholic, just found her mother dead. She is broke because that dead mother drained her bank accounts to buy drugs. She has lost everything but her sisters. And then she comes here, and you spew this vileness towards her. Now, get me the room keys and provide me with the bill so she can go tell her sisters their mother is dead."

Amanda looked subdued, she processed the bookings and gave Diana the two room keys. She looked like she wanted to say something else but closed her mouth after looking up at the six-foot-tall amazon. Diana pushed Sarah's wheelchair out of the front office. Martha was skipping along beside her.

"I've never stayed in a motel before!"

Sarah kept glancing up at me, but I kept my eyes straight ahead. I looked at Diana.

"I honestly can't afford food tonight. I can't let my pride get in the way of my sisters eating. Just let me put the stuff in our rooms."

I picked up our meager belongings and moved them to our rooms and went back down and Diana started her car up. It was a quiet ride besides Martha talking Sarah's ear off. Sarah was obviously pensive. I didn't want to ruin supper, so I waited to share the news. The restaurant she chose was in the top floor of an expensive hotel. We were seated immediately. They seemed to recognize her. We had a perfect view of the Superman memorial. Martha's face was pressed up against the window.

"He's got a symbol just like your shirt Amber!"

Sarah glanced down at it but then turned and kept looking at me. Eventually she looked at me.

"Does mom know we're in Metropolis? Or are you kidnapping us with her?"

Sarah motioned to Diana. Diana opened her mouth and I held up my hand.

"Mom, mom…mom…"

"Spit it out sis. Mom what?"

"Mom, and I agreed to talk more today, but I told her she wasn't getting near you until she sobered up."

"You can't do that."

"Sarah can we please just…talk about this at the motel tonight when Martha has gone to bed. It's complicated."

"It's not complicated, she's our mom, she needs us."

I closed my eyes, I walked around the table and I crouched beside her wheelchair I whispered to her.

"Sarah, for once in your life shut your mouth and listen to me. I promise I will explain it all tonight after Martha is asleep. If you have ever really saw me as your sister, please just give Martha this one good memory before we have the talk."

Sarah looked at me with a slight bend of her neck. I went back and sat down. Sarah ate quietly. Martha asked Diana a barrage of questions. Each of which Diana answered with a smile. I found out a few things about her: She used to be in the Navy. She worked in Intelligence. She is an art dealer. She is was born on a Greek Island. She has been all around the world. We met through Bruce Wayne. We kept in touch by social media. She doesn't think ladies should share their age. She likes kids and she lives in Washington DC. Considering I saw a picture of her from World War One. I suspect she looks extremely good for her age. It was a nice distraction. I had no idea how I would repay her; Fate would provide me a way. That's for another time.