I watched as my daughter licked the honey off her spoon. We were making some healthy lemonade. As I dropped her at daycare she asked me what I did when she was at daycare. My face flushed. For a second I suspected that she knew. But how could she? She was a 6 year old girl who loved her dollhouse and her bunny-doll. She knew nothing.All she could see was my caring mom facade. She didn’t know about my other side…

I was going grocery shopping to restock our honey collection. After her dad left there were few things that made us happy, so I had to make sure we always had those. As soon as I pulled into the almost empty parking lot I heard the familiar sirens vibrating my entire body. My heat beat sped up. I parked my car into the nearest lot and jumped out.

Muscle memory took over and my legs started pumping faster than I could ever run on an ordinary day. They almost felt electric. I realized with a sinking feeling that the building I stopped in front of was the high rise of my daughter’s daycare. I dashed inside and started rushing people outdoors. A mixture of kids and adults alike. I felt my fire protection system activate. In a matter of seconds my entire appearance changed. The next few minutes were a blur of fire. As I stepped outside, finally done I tried looking for my daughter in the crowd. Then I heard a wailing scream I’d recognize anywhere.

I rushed back inside and peered inside every room, every hall until I saw her crumpled figure in a ball, trembling. I ran inside and asked her to come with me, trying not to demolish my crumbling facade. Trying to act like a stranger in front of my own daughter. She finally looked up, and I saw her big, blue eyes staring up at me. She then told me in a trembling voice that her mother told her that she couldn’t go anywhere with me because I was a stranger. I felt my heart sinking as I realized I had no choice but to tell her the truth about me. I felt the disguise melting away at my command. She gasped and I took her into my arms.

(5 hours later) “Mommy, why did you never tell me that you are a superhero?” She asked. “I just wanted you to stay away from that stuff, at least until you were old enough to understand it,” I answered. “I do understand!” She proclaimed. “Honey, you are sweet and innocent and I want you to stay that way,” I countered. Once I had resolve no one could make me waver from my decision. “To bed with you,” I instructed. When I went to go tuck her in she was already asleep. I sat down next to her and put my hand in hers. I watched as her tiny hand clutched mine. We all were happy, and that had to be enough for now.