“You know the more you pace around in the lab the more you’re going to find a way to weasel your way out of this right?”

I look over at Angela, my partner and best friend, no matter what the headlines say I refuse to acknowledge her as my, “sidekick”.

“Huh?”

“You know what I’m talking about,” she turned her chair over to me and continued, “telling Ruth your secret identity was your idea and you told me to remind you of that. You said-“

“-I know I know!” I interrupt but she wasn’t finished.

“Ruth may be nine years old but she’s a smart girl Trish, telling her this may give you both some closure.” Angie pointed out.

“It’s just…what if this does more harm then good Angie? What if by telling her-“

“It’s not like the vipers don’t know about her, at the very least she’ll know why she constantly has to be moved around from family member to family member. She’ll at least know why they killed her dad.”

“It’s not that.” I suck in a breath and let it out, the words are heavy and try to claw their way deeper into my throat, as if admiting my fears allowed would just make them even more real, “what if she hates me even more?”

“She doesn’t hate you.” Angela assures for the hundredth time.

“You don’t know that!” I say as fresh tears form in my eyes, “how would you feel if your mother left you after your father was killed? How would you feel if you constantly have to move from family member to family member your whole life all because some bad men are after you and you have no idea why? How do you think Ruth must feel? I only get to see her when I fly through the city or worse when I have to rescue her from the vipers. She must be so mad at me.”

I don’t even notice I’m crying until Angie wraps me in a hug.

“Look Trish I wanna say this is all in your head, that you’re overthinking things like you always do but,” she pulls back to look at me, her grey eyes shimmering with so much warmth despite their cool color, “But I don’t know that, just like you don’t really know that. I get this might be scary but it’s worth a shot isn’t it? Giving that little girl an answer rather then leaving her in the dark?”

“Yeah,” I nod, my voice coming out a bit hoarse, “you’re right.”

“But?”

“Lady Resistance is the one thing I know makes her feel safe, what if by revealing to her that I’m her…it breaks that bubble of security?” I ask.

It takes Angie a while to speak again but when she does all that comes out is a simple, “I don’t know.”

The decision was all mine.

***

I gently knock on the window, the cool glass welcoming my warming skin, my powers always made my body heat up like a battery whenever I use them. Angelia or I never could find out why.

The sound of the window sliding open brought me back to the present.

“Lady Resistance!” Ruth gasps in delight.

“Hey little spitfire.” I greet with that exact tone of delight in my own voice.

“What are you doing here?” She asks moving aside to let me fly into the small bedroom.

“Well I wanted to tell you something.” I say, my words seemingly lost in the many sentences that wanted to come oot.

“What’s that?”

“Well-“

“-Oh! Oh hold that thought! I gotta show you something!” She exclaimed running over to her desk and picking up a book, “I went to the bookstore today and they had a new book on law and justice.”

She excitedly shows me the book cover that displayed a court room with the tittle displayed proudly on the top. I couldn’t help but arch a brow with a bemused smile,

“Your grandparents let you get this?”

“Well I had to tell them it was for a school project so they’d let me get it because they said it’s, ‘to hard for me to read because it uses big words’ but I can manage. And if I don’t know what something means I can just search it up right?”

“Yeah well I don’t think it’s that simple hon,” I chuckle, “it’s not so much that the words are to big for you. It’s just that there are some things kids…shouldn’t know about just yet.”

“Like what?” She asked with a gentle tilt of her head.

“It’s just…heavy stuff that kids shouldn’t have to carry.”

“Why?”

“It wouldn’t be fair.” I prayed she wouldn’t ask why again. I adored her curiosity but there were something’s better left unsaid.

To my relief and slight surprise she didn’t ask but there was no way I was gonna give her an opertoniry to, “here why don’t we do this,” I suggest resting a hand on her shoulder, “why don’t you highlight any word you don’t know or are unsure of and you ask your grandparents what it means or,” I give a small smile as I say next, “me.”

“But I can’t use the alarm just to call you for my studying.” She giggled.

“Well I’ll visit you more.”

Her smile faltered and her eyes shown with so much worry, “you don’t have to do that for me Lady Resistance, I know you have better things to do.”

“It’s not a problem hon,” I try to assure but she interrupts me.

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to be around me because the bad men are after me, you’re a superhero not my mom I shouldn’t be your responsibility when you already have so much on your plate.”

_“Not my mom” _

Those words seemed to echo in my head over and over bringing the pain in my chest to an agozoning ordeal.

The room went quiet after that, the only noise being the sound of the wind and the crickets outside. I took a deep breath and sat on the edge of her bed.

“Do you think you’d remember what your mom looks like?” I ask softly.

“My memories of her are fuzzy but I think I can remember a bit, she looks a little bit like me but prettier.” Ruth takes a seat next to me but she doesn’t look at me.

“Do you have any memories of her?” I ask.

I can see a small smile appear on her lips as she says, “I remember one time, her, my dad and me went to the park on my birthday, we had ice cream and played pirates all day, the big toy was our ships.”

“That is a good one.” I nod remembering that day myself.

“Do you think she blames me for his death?”

My neck snaps over to her in shock, “what? Ruth no! She doesn’t-she wouldn’t! It wasn’t your fault. Never your fault!” I stammer

“Then why’d she have to go?” She asks nearly above a whisper.

“Because she thought it’d be the only way to keep you safe, she thought you’d be better off without her.”

“Well it didn’t work!” She cried, “bad men are still after me, I have to move around from home to home and I’m scared!”

I don’t say anything, I’m not sure I even know what to say. Instead I do what I know best and open up my arms in an offer of a hug.

She doesn’t even hesitate to throw herself into my arms as my hands stroke her short hair, “I’m so sorry.” I say trying to memorize what her small form feels like in my arms, because what I’m about to do next may or may not drive her away from me forever.

With an arm still holding my daughter I get ready to remove my mask and tell her everything, spill my heart out and tell her what I should’ve told her so long ago and beg for her forgiveness but one small sentence stops it all.

“It’s okay mom,” Ruth says softly, “I’m not mad anymore.”

My finger freezes before I can click my eye mask off. I look down at her in surprise and she only gives me a teary smile before raising her own little finger above mine and pressing it down as if helping me finish my task.

The pixelated fragments of my mask disappear but neither of us speak or move.

There is so much k wanna say to her, “_I’m so sorry, I’ve missed you, I want to be a part of your life, what can I do to fix this?_”, but words don’t come out. Nothing except a small choked, “how did you-“ but I can’t even finish that.

“It’s pretty obvious when you put two and two together after questioning everything.” She chuckles through tears.

Of course she’d figure it out, my smart little spitfire.

“I’m so sorry my love,” I say holding her close and to my surprise and delight, she nuzzled closer holding me back.

“It’s okay mommy,” she says, “you’re still my hero.”