Homecoming

737 words

Illora had traveled the multiverse since Dahlia kidnapped her and attempted to wipe her of everything that made her who she was. Dahlia had failed. But over the course of the years, Illora had forgotten who she had begun as. She was her own woman, not a girl on the cusp of womanhood. Not once in the several decades had she attempted to return to the earth alternate her parents still waited on for rescue by the factors.

Illora knew where the factors were now. She had found them by default. Their original base had been destroyed, they had believed Illora’s parents had died. It was a keystone cops kind of farce that had kept Illora from being raised in Refuge safe from all the trials and tribulations she had faced.

Illora focused her mind on her mother and father. She remembered everything about them from the smell of her mother’s hair to her father’s angry scowl when she hacked a computer database. Illora laughed. There had been so many computer databases. Illora focused her thoughts and reached out to that which was the ultimate expression of who her parents were. Then she pulled herself to it through space and time to them.

The familiar yet nearly forgotten walls of her parents’ home materialized around Illora. She heard the soft pop of displaced air as her body suddenly took up the space where it had been. Her parents were in a tight embrace on the couch and Illora could hear her mother weeping. Time being a fluid one must negotiate when teleporting, Illora wondered how long had she been missing for them?

Her parents leaped from the couch and turned to face her. Their expressions went from desolate rage to hopeful recognition, “Illora?”

“Hi, dad,” Illora waved limply.

“Where, when have you been?” Illora’s mother asked.

“A little bit of everywhere-when. I found the factors. You were right Sanctuary was destroyed, but they all moved to a new home, Refuge. According to what I’ve heard there are a lot more of them than there used to be. They didn’t come for you because they thought you were dead. They couldn’t find this parallel universe and with all of the turmoil they just assumed it had been destroyed,” Illoa smiled at her parents.

“You were out past your curfew young lady!” Her father growled matter of factly, “We have been worried sick for hours. We were just debating calling the Joint Terran Galactic Task Force!”

Illora sighed, “Dad, I’m thirty, let go. I got back here as quickly as I could.”

“Thirty? Then you are really late for your curfew! Did you even spend any time at the prom?” Her mother asked.

“Yeah mom, I went. I saw. I danced. I left. I ordered a dozen junkburgers and I ate a picnic snack. That is when five dark operatives jumped me and took me off and tried to brainwash me! After that, I was a little busy learning how to use my abilities, and staying off the dark radar,” Illora stated.

“You could have stopped by and let us know you were okay!” Illora’s mother stated.

“Honey, she has only been gone eighteen hours! Give her a minute here or there on getting right back to us. You don’t know how difficult it is to teleport…” Illora’s father argued.

Illora chuckled, “Mom, I’m here. Stop worrying.”

“But you were taken captive by the dark…” Her mother whined, “Anything could have happened to you!”

“But it didn’t, and I am here! Now, I have heard that Refuge is the new home base of the factors and I have a line on finding it. Do you want me to track it down so we can go home?” Illora asked.

“Yes, I can’t wait to see my sister. It’s been ages,” Her father said, “I wonder if Annette has missed me.”

“Dad, I am sure she has, now can I have a hug before I go looking for her?” Illora asked. Her parents embraced her and she felt her mother’s tears on her neck. They had only ever tried to protect her. “Mom, Dad, I know it is a big scary multiverse, but I am a big girl now. I’ve fought bad guys and protected the innocent. Heck, I’m a superhero. People have written comic books about me. I’ll be back as quickly as I can. So, while I’m gone, pack.”