Sheriff Thorn jumped out of the passenger side of the patrol car before it stopped. He had his shotgun ready and was not relaxing at the sight of all his deputies on the scene. Ravela watched stoically from the side. She had never felt more invisible than at this moment.

 

A deputy flagged down and guided Sheriff Thorn toward an ambulance. She watched as the sheriff handed his shotgun off to the deputy beside him and climbed into the back of the ambulance in a hurry.

 

Ravela watched the deputy receive an order from inside the ambulance as he hurried off. Ravela watched as deputies jumped in their cruisers and swarmed out.

 

As most of the sheriff’s men left, new cruisers arrived. Police cruisers arrived, and some black limousines behind them with emergency lights stuck to the top. Men in similar suits as the detectives spread out and began questioning the people at the scene.

 

Ravela’s eyes locked with an Asian man in his late fifties. The salt and pepper hair that turned white leading to the ears spoke volumes about a career led with purpose and discipline. The man slowly walked. His face carried a grim expression. Like he had seen much grief in his life. His short yet pointy chin beard, paired with his bushy eyebrows, completed the man perfectly.

 

He directed men to other people without stopping to move or anyone holding him to clarify his orders. Ravela judged him as meticulous, precise, and with a command over his staff that demanded respect and recognition from anyone seeing it too.

 

When he arrived in front of Ravela, he took out a small ring block and a pen.

“Good morning, Mr. …?” He began the conversation.

Ravela cleared her throat. She had stood around looking on far longer than she had realized. “Good morning. My name is Ramiel Roice. Please, by all means, call me Ramiel.”

 

“Mr. Roice…no, Ramiel. I am Inspector Gaan. What happened here?”

 

Ravela’s brows furrowed as she recounted what happened. Up until the point of her confrontation with the meathead.

 

“When the guy saw me, he lifted the entire bed, and I discharged the submachine gun I took from the other guy. Luckily he stumbled backward and somehow rammed himself out of the window.” Ravela ended her story of the attack.

 

Inspector Gaan kept writing for a while. Scribbling down everything he heard, observed, or wanted to question. After a few more moments, his pen suddenly hovered over the paper without darting back down. Ravela watched bemused as the man’s eyes narrowed as if to will himself to write down something else. The moment passed, and the inspector slid the pen between the rings holding his note block together.

 

“Right, thank you for your recollection of events. So, my detectives are alive thanks to you. I will get back to you on that, but for now, I thank you.” Inspector Gaan said before walking away to reconvene with his colleagues.

Sheriff Thorn jumped back out of the ambulance and closed the doors. It took off the moment he gave the signal. Ravela watched as Sheriff Thorn scanned the scene surrounding him until he spotted her.

 

Ravela felt awkward just standing there but endured it patiently. Sheriff Thorn came closer, and Ravela could see that he was searching for the right words to start the conversation.

 

“Sheriff-” Ravela began her greeting but was cut off by Sheriff Thorn throwing his arms around her and giving her a mighty hug.

“If I had known months ago that you’d end up saving my boy, I would have done much more to help you out.” The sheriff said, and Ravela could feel that he was struggling to keep his emotions in check.

 

When he let go of her, he did so with a deep sigh and pulled out a tissue, dipping it over his eyes and cleaning his nose. Clearing his throat, he spoke up again. “Well, detective Thorn told me what happened and that you helped them out of a rough spot. A blessed occasion that you were there. Usually, you are in the library around this time, are you not?”

 

Ravela nodded. “Yeah, fate would have different plans for me on this day. I didn’t run today and went and talked to Namon instead. I came back, just in time to spot the man on the bike passing by the place, and warned the detectives. Detective Thorn came back moments before the attack. He must have hurried over as fast as he possibly could.”

 

Sheriff Thorn listened to her story and nodded along. “Yes, a thing of fate indeed. He told me he rushed over the moment he got the call. Detective Gell called us too, but we were too late. If you had not been there to step in, I am certain the law would have lost a lot of good men today.” He sighed deeply, looking up at the hole in Ma Stone’s house. “I have no idea how to explain this to Ma Stone.”

 

Ravela looked up at the gaping crater she had produced. “Well, if you get some handymen here, she might not faint at the sight of,” Ravela gestured at the hole again. “all of this.” 

 

Ravela received a supportive pat on the shoulder from sheriff Thorn as the man turned to get someone to at least prepare a fix for the hole.

 

Inspector Gaan and his men moved the witness and were about to leave. At this time Ravela spotted Ma Stone and Laena coming back from the Safe House.

 

Ma Stone stopped dead in her tracks when she saw all the police outside of her home. The old woman hurried around the corner and once the house was in full view, hole and all, her jaw dropped.

Sheriff Thorn hurriedly ran her way, trying to calm her down and explain the situation. Ravela’s attention switched over to Laena who just looked shocked. The entirety of the day seemed to just have crashed over her.

 

While sheriff Thorn was busy calming down Ma Stone together with Laena, Ravela observed the return of the deputies with a man in the back of a cruiser.

 

The returning deputies came over to Ravela. “Is that the man you saw driving past the house before the attack?” One of the deputies asked.

 

Ravela looked in the back of the cruiser. The tattoos and face were identical. “Yes, that is the man I saw before the attack.”

 

“Thanks, Ramiel. That’s all we need. Enough heroics for today. Good work. Jamil and Lindon will drive this man back to the station.” The oldest of the deputies said while patting Ravela on the back. She now for the first time noticed that sheriff Thorn wasn’t the only one smiling at her and having a completely different attitude toward her.

 

Ravela felt recognized for the good she did for the first time in years. It was a peculiar feeling, not at all how she thought she would react. The feeling of being part of the community and belonging. The yearning to be part of a team. It washed over her so vigorously that she became disorientated.

 

While the deputies went about their business again, Ravela found her way over to the bench by the lake. She walked almost as if in a trance. The confusion had rattled her former calm state of mind.

 

The prospect of the deputies or sheriff Thorn going through her things and finding loads of money would put her straight on their investigation list. The only thing speaking for her innocence would be testimony from the detectives and the fact that she had helped them. Her foot began to jump up and down, a nervous tick.

 

She began thinking through the situation. Her room was locked and she got lucky that nobody had been thrown through her door. The odds of one of the deputies trying one of her rings would have driven her mad. She concluded that a locked door not directly related to the fights would not be in the focus of the sheriff's office, especially since the one renting it was the “man” of the hour.

 

Ravela watched over the lake by herself and saw the town folk stream to the scene. Safora and Laena met up close to Ma Stone and she saw the rumor mill run through the crowd.

 

Somebody sat down beside her. She hadn’t noticed the person's approach. Ravela looked over at Keeper Namon who studied her with a neutral expression.

“So, how did your sermon go, Namon?” Ravela opened the conversation.

 

Keeper Namon shrugged. “I dare say it was one of my more inspiring sermons. Even though my sermons are not easily beat, it seems you had an even more vivid experience still.”

 

Ravela scoffed at the shameless praise Namon had for himself. “Is that true? It seems I have to come to hear one of those sermons sometime. They must be impressive indeed.”

 

The man laughed hearty laughter. “Will you? I would be happy to save you a seat, Ravela.”

 

Ravela looked back at the man nodding to himself with a sly smile.

“So, you probably already heard a version of what happened.”

 

“I have, and you did well saving the detectives. Benoles went to school in the same class as my brother and me. Thank you for saving his life.”

 

Ravela mustered a genuine smile. “Please, it is my pleasure.”

 

Keeper Namon got up from the bench dusting off his robe a bit and straightened it out. “Alright, that said. I think I have some work to do. Ma Stone needs her many friends, now.”

 

“Yes, go help your flok, keeper. And tell Ma Stone that I am willing to pay for the repairs if the good inspector forgets to offer. Since it is technically my fault that her house has a hole in it.”

 

She watched the shoulders of Keeper Namon shake and heard his remarkably good-natured laugh, as he walked away. Ravela smiled a warm smile. Her eyes followed the man through the crowd. She felt like she had found a good friend.

 

Her eyes wandered back to the small waves breaking on the lakeside. 

She took deep breaths and leaned back. Today was going to be a long day—a grin formed on her face. ‘I saved four people today. Four lives.’

 

The morning sun on her face felt just the tiniest bit warmer. Her eyes closed as she bathed in the light.

 

Ravela sat there for a while before she heard somebody approach. She opened her eyes and turned her head. Markus walked up beside her.

 

She pulled a face like she had bitten a sour apple. It was bad timing and not the time to talk. Ravela glimpsed toward the crowd. ‘At least I won’t have to take on the entire gang.’ “Markus, do you feel this is the right time, or day to talk with me of all people?”

 

Markus walked the rest of the way to the bench. “I know it might not look like the best time, but I feel we should talk sooner rather than later.”

 

“Hmm.” Ravela hummed her response. “Then sit down. I will hear you out.”

 

Markus sat down beside her. “I hoped you would tell me your thoughts first. If you don’t mind.”

 

Ravela gave him the side-eye. “Okay.” Ravela closed her eyes.

 

“Tell me, Markus. You love your little game of ball, don’t you?”

 

Markus was taken aback she could hear it in his response. “Y-Yes, I do love my little game of ball, that’s right.”

 

Ravela nodded without opening her eyes. “I suppose people rely on your lead a lot. What does fair play mean to you?”

 

“In the game, it is all about fair play.  I can live with a loss if the other team did it fair and square.” He replied.

“Fair and square. Is that how you ended up going along with Laena’s plan?”

 

“I was wrong to not stop them. I am sorry.”

 

“You see, when you have the kinds of powers I can grant, sorry doesn’t cut it. You won’t be able to do your sport. You have to be beyond insult. Can’t rush to help your sister in an enraged state. The things you can not do are numerous. The standard to which you’ll be held will be higher and your life will have changed.”

 

Markus nodded and looked back at the crowd. “I see that these powers are a burden.”

 

“A responsibility, but they’re also freedom. Your sister can fly. Do you realize what a grand liberty she gained? Free from the earthly tether, she could go anywhere she wanted. In your blood slumbers the same potential. What would you do with so vast freedoms? Would you choose right over wrong? Will you say no to those with your same privileges if they sought to abuse them?”

 

Markus didn’t answer immediately. Ravela opened one eye to look at the young man. His eyes wandered over the lake, he now looked thoughtful and thought of his answer.

 

Ravela decided to push on. “Consider that you can’t use your powers to reverse the fortune of your family either. You can’t take a guilty man out of jail. Well, you can, but you wouldn’t give them freedom. No, you would condemn yourself and them in the eyes of society. Every action you take must be weighed wisely. I caution you now because later you will hear these words from a friend differently. You can’t use your powers in bouts of jealousy or pettiness. Can you be that man, Markus?”

 

“I don’t dream of a life in sport, you know? I want to be a lawyer.”

Ravela turned her head both eyes open now. “A lawyer? That is a noble calling.” Ravela paused and looked out over the lake. “To sum up our situation. Safora got it in her head that she wants her big brother to undergo the same change she and her friend underwent. Her friend Laena is on her side too, and they’ve gone to frankly criminal lengths to go along with this. I really could use a big brother who puts his foot down and tells them ‘No’, right about now.”

 

“I know you’re angry with them, but be more understanding all their life whenever there was trouble I was there to help them out. The thought of me being just a normal guy who can’t protect them anymore must be scary. I don’t know whether I want to be like them yet. I just want  both of them to feel a bit safer.” Markus added in.

 

Ravela looked up at the leaves of the big tree throwing its big branches out far from its stem. “Let’s do this then. From now on, it is your choice. If you come to me, I will try to change you. The door is open whenever you feel ready. You know of the risks. You are almost a man. It is about time that you take the lead and the responsibility in your own life. Tell your sister and Laena that you will come to me when you think the time is right and only if you think it is. If you don’t become a professional athlete, that is.”

 

Markus laughed. “Don’t worry. I am not going to university to play ball.”

 

Ravela watched the young man skeptically as he walked away.

 

The next few hours went by slowly. Agonizingly slow, for Ravela’s taste. The crowd dispersed over the entire day. Nobody left without making a show of support for Ma Stone.

 

The gaping hole in the house got a makeshift filling. Once, all the evidence from the house was collected. The crime scene was declared resolved, and Ma Stone and Laena said goodbye to the town folk that had stayed till the end. Laena hugged Safora before following her grandmother into their now vandalized house. The handymen had fixed them a temporary door that looked hilariously out of place.

Ravela got up and slowly walked toward the house. The only people left outside were two deputies who got stationed there for the night. Passing by their car, Ravela gave them a nod.

 

Once inside the house, Ravela passed by the dining room. Where Ma Stone and Laena were sitting at a small makeshift table, the old woman looked troubled, and Ravela couldn’t help but worry about her.

 

“Miss Stone, good evening. I am deeply sorry about all this. I won’t trouble you for long. I would like to offer you to pay for the repairs of the house should the police not be promptly forthcoming.”

 

Ma Stone looked up at Ravela. “Oh, good evening, Ramiel. Yes, Keeper Namon already gave me your kind offer. Don’t worry, deary, the good Inspector already said the department would pay for all the repairs. But thank you, Ramiel.”

 

Ravela nodded and decided to go up to her room and go to bed for today. Her stomach grumbled a bit on her way up, but she ignored it. One day without dinner won’t kill her. She had suffered worse periods of hunger.

 

The moment her head rested on the pillow the entire scenario replayed in her head over and over. If she had not acted four men would have died.

 

Ma Stone might have suffered a heart attack if she had come back to a horrific crime scene.

 

It felt like more than pure chance. Ravela lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling wondering if somebody was watching her every step. The thought made sleep, not an easy task. The fear of being ported to a different world just when she settled in grasped her heart.

 

She pulled her knees up to her stomach and slung her arms around her legs. The shivering wouldn’t stop. The overwhelming feeling of being helpless threatened to devour her.

 

Ravela closed her eyes, and sleep claimed her worries after what felt like an eternity.