Karin grabbed an oven mitt and removed the scalding hot lid from a sizzling stockpot on the stove. Draping her hair behind her ear, Karin's nose took a long sniff. It smelled good. The soup smelled ready. Time to grab the roasted garlic bread out of the oven, serve it and call the other family members. At least, that's what Karin always used to do.
Sunday afternoon lunch had always been a moment Karin rejoiced in the past. It was a moment of leisurely leaning back while sharing the week's happenings with loved ones under the enjoyment of Karin's famous creamy-roasted-tomato-basil-soup swirling its aromatic herbs throughout the whole house.
For a few weeks, just like every other meal moment of the day, this moment was now nothing more than a painful reminder to Karin of the downward spiral this family had plunged into lately.
There was hardly any word spoken at the table, no laughter reverberating between the walls, only the clinging and clanging of cutlery and tableware and the rasp of a throat every now and then. The atmosphere was loaded, charged as a cumulus cloud, ready to discharge its load of unpleasantness into the living room like a charging bolt from the sky. And even though Karin hates to admit it, it's all due to her daughter, Violet. Her behavior had gone through tremendous changes these last few weeks. It all started with the sudden fallout she had with Bobby whereby she broke the oaken table Karin inherited from her grandfather after he passed away with just a smack of her slender fist.
Violet has changed a lot. And not only in her actions. Her usual floral garment and inviting smile had gone straight to the rubbish heap in a dark corner of her wardrobe, and in its place came back a dark facial expression of indifference and melancholy you often saw with goth peeps. Violet rarely smiled anymore. And when she did, it sounded awfully insidious with a moody gallow-humor-vibe. Just like that day when Bobby came running into the living room, all distraught with bulged eyes and his helmet in hand. He was in the belief that his brand-new bike had been stolen. Then he looked at Violet.
"That face! Priceless!" Violet's hand smacked her leg as she guffawed like some high school queen bee finally getting her well-anticipated revenge upon her archenemy.
As a prank – and as payback for giving her a dirty look in the bathroom the day before – Violet had placed Bobby's bike on top of the neighborhood's historic water tower. Bobby was compelled to serve his kid sister's every whim for three days before Violet finally decided she harassed him enough and gave him his bike back.
The public opinion about Lovely Violet – the world's most cherished superheroine until a few weeks ago – sank to its lowest when Violet bluntly decimated two top floors of one of Pehronvale's most prominent office towers. Luckily, no person was there the moment Violet's body swooshed through it like a cannonball pounding through a structure of Styrofoam blocks. The damage on the ground from all the falling debris was another story, though. Multiple cars were destroyed, along with a hotdog stand, a defaced bus stop which was due for renewal anyway, and the sunshade of a local jeweler. 5 people were found dead, next to dozens of injured – from which most critical.
Violet's statement about the 'incident'? Nothing less than a necessary measure for it was the quickest way to fly to the other side of the country to catch a crashing plane and save hundreds of people.
The majority of the public did not buy it, though. And neither did Karin – which made her all the sadder.
Since that day, Violet does not bother anymore with saving anyone. Not even when a cry for help came from a neighboring city while a category 5 hurricane swept over its stretching suburbs, causing havoc and destruction that ran into the billions of dollars.
All it took to prevent this disaster was a small effort from Violet's super lungs to purse her lips and blow the storm back onto the ocean where it came from, where it would eventually weaken and break apart once it reached colder water.
Unfortunately for the nearly 2000 people that died during this catastrophe, Violet refrained from taking such an action.
Violet's blunt statement? "I was indulged in watching a Prison Break marathon."
Violet barely came out anymore and when she did, it was because she needed something. Several people claimed to be the witness of Violet taking away bags full of expensive brand clothing and candy from a local warehouse without paying last week. She'd also shrunk down dozens of cars filled with people to the size of dinky toys. The unsuspecting victims started honking at her out of protest when Violet caused a traffic jam as she toppled a traffic light while flying over a busy intersection during rush hour. Violet has not restored them to their original size since. And she seemed insensitive to all the pleas of friends of family of the shrunken victims to do so. Thus far, Pheronvale's police department has refrained from taking judicial actions against Violet for her misdeeds.
"Please, people, let us all not haste with our judgment on the most valuable hero this world has ever known. All the girl needs is proper guidance." Was the chief's statement during a press conference where a journalist asked why Violet was not tried yet.
Everyone knew that the chief was afraid to do so. It was a hotly debated topic if that was a wise thing to do or not – to be frightened of Violet.
To ruffle the feathers of an unstoppable godlike being could lead to catastrophic consequences. Even an idiot understood that.
Karin found that her daughter had become more erratic and disconnected lately. And she too was afraid of Violet at times. Especially since the number of hissy fits is increasing and are becoming more violent these last few days. A new refrigerator was ordered by Karin's husband yesterday when Violet thought it only natural to slam the thing close as hard as possible when the last Coke was taken by someone else. The result? A highly needed renovation on the east wing of the house when the crumbled metallic wad of a refrigerator burst through three walls before coming to a stop in the neighbors' living room across the street. Bobby slept over with a friend for a few days now, turfed out when Violet poked his bedroom door to smithereens with a flick of her index finger after he backtalked her. Oh, and she also miniaturized his game station, making it inoperable for him. Violet quipped to shrink him down too but refrained from it.
The only one left still able to talk sense in Violet's head was her father. But he wasn't here right now. And Karin, as a mother, felt responsible for her daughter's actions.
And so, with great reluctance, Karin plucked all the courage she could muster and walked up the stairs to her daughter's bedroom. She was playing music, booming house music.
The low rhythmic beat blasting from Violet's room became gradually louder.
Karin pushed out a long deep sigh before bringing her hand up to knock on the door.
The door swung open before she could. When the door opened, a punch of house music slammed into Karin's face like a wet towel. Luckily, Violet turned it down a few notches. Something immediately struck Karin when she laid eyes on her daughter. It took a few seconds before she realized what it was. Karin gaped at her daughter standing in the doorway with her fist still poised.
Is she… Is she becoming more beautiful? Karin thought.
"My name, Mom, remember?" Violet looked at her mother, slightly annoyed. "Just utter it at a conversational level while in the kitchen and my super hearing will pick it up. It would have saved you the trip upstairs."
"I know, sweety, I will next time." Karin smiled warmly at her daughter, which cost her significantly more effort than a few weeks ago.
Violet fumbled with her ear and looked not pleased with something. She let out a noise of frustration. "I can't decide which one to choose! Can you take a look, please, mom? Should I wear this one or that one?"
Karin squinted at two earrings dangling from Violet's hands. They were both miniature monuments. The one on the left was the Eiffel Tower, and the other one looked like the sphinx of Giza. They both appeared splendidly real.
"Where have you bought those?" Karin asked.
"This… place. I don't know the name anymore. Just tell me which one I should wear?"
"Okay, uhm, why not both?"
Violet's smile broadened. She was so stuck in her conviction that she needed to choose that she overlooked the obvious – wearing them both. "Thanks, mom! You're the best! I'll definitely be going to wear these tomorrow." Violet smiled while dangling the earrings in front of her sky-blue eyes.
"Tomorrow?" Karin asked.
"Mmm," Violet acknowledged while putting the earrings in a small box on a side table that had a remarkable resemblance with the Tai Mahal. "I've always wanted to visit the Gaza strip."
"The Gaza strip! Why on earth would somebody want to go there? That has been a conflict-stricken region for decades."
"I know," Violet said dryly as she walked up to the mirror, admiring her reflection. She fiddled some with her hair and inspected her tight tush. Violet was pleased with what she saw.
While standing behind her, Karin had a good view of her daughter's pitch dark dyed hair and her likewise hued black leather pants. All she wore was black these days.
"and I'm going to change that," Violet added as she clenched her fist.
"So you're going to interfere?"
"I'm going to bring peace."
"Isn't that the same?"
"How?" Karin added quickly when she noticed some discontent seeping upon Violet's face.
"Simple," Violet turned around, facing her mother. "by granting the land to the Jews as it always should have been."
Granting? Is it your land to give away then? Karin thought but decided wisely to ask another question instead.
"I thought you decided not to ever meddle with world politics?"
"I don't. I'm just a peacekeeper here, Mom. Nothing more. I make sure to keep the peace."
"By picking a side?"
Violet narrowed her eyes darkly as she looked through the mirror at her mother. "Yes, by picking a side, Mom. You've got a problem with that?"
"Well, many people will be, sweety. You can count on that."
Violet shrugged before looking at herself again. "That's their problem then."
"Honey," Karin walked up and placed a sympatric hand on Violet's shoulder. "please, don't put yourself through that. It's going to end in nothing but – "
Karin ceased talking when Violet shook her shoulder loose from her mother's hand. She walked up to her window, staring out. "I've made up my mind, Mom. I'm leaving tomorrow morning. And no one is going to stop me."
Karin swallowed. That's precisely what worries me. No one can stop you. She thought.
With these powers, the world is nothing more than a gameboard to Violet. The pawns have free will to walk and stay where they please, but Violet has the last say.