My Sister Became God - Chapter 7

The family has to deal with Dina being a celebrity now that the world knows about her powers.

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Pushing aside the curtain to be allowed a glance on the street, Lidi saw hundreds of people chanting things in honor of her daughter.

"Girl of Wonders! Girl of Wonders! Girl of Wonders!"

Lidi shook her head in disapproval she stepped away from the window.

It seemed like the mayor had sent the entire police department to their doorstep with crush barriers to prevent all these people from entering their home.
Most of these people have come here to thank Dina, or to venerate her even for her services or the wonders she performed.

Unfortunately, greed was a more prevalent sentiment among this crowd than sincere gratitude. Rather than to shower Dina under cups of appreciation, they sought only to get something from nothing.

With her ultimate power, Dina could fulfill all of one's desires, no matter how large or small. Whether it was a vision-impaired individual who wished to see, or someone suffering from a terminal illness looking for a miracle, or just a more commonplace request such as increased success in business or being born with blue eyes rather than grey. Dina Locksely could make it come true.

Lidi's daughter had worked hard in the past few days to earn her place in the world as a kind-hearted benefactor. Driven by her need to prove her mother wrong and show that she wouldn't let these newfound abilities corrupt her, Dina assured everyone that she would never use them for selfish means and only do good with them.

Dina vowed also not to use her powers to make her life easier; like creating a beverage out of thin air when she's parched instead of getting off the couch and going to the refrigerator. Or cancelling school when she has had enough.

As Lidi strutted towards the living room, drinks in hand, she remembered the talk she had with her daughter last night.

“Tolerance, Dina, to bear something unpleasant is a trait that’s not very strong developed with you, Dina. Throughout life, you've always chosen the easy way out," Lidi, Dina’s mother said. “Now imagine you with all your godlike powers, able do anything with nothing more than a whiff of your thoughts, do you possibly believe that you’ll be able restrain yourself from not using them when faced with hardship in everyday life like normal humans do? To be honest, I don’t think even I could do that. And I’ve known hardship all my life.”

Dina glared as she crossed her arms, the material of her sweater tightening around her biceps. She leaned back in the plush couch and hissed, “So you think this whole endeavour is doomed to fail?"

“Why try it in the first place, honey?” Lidi replied, with pity in her voice.

“Because you said–“

Dina stuttered to a halt when her mother put up a hand. “I know what I said, dear.” she said, patting Dina's arm gently. “And the only thing I want to give back to you is that I rather see you live in honesty than to see you forcing yourself to live in a lie while struggling to make that fit.”

“And what lie is that?”

“The one that says you’re a humble person! Face it, Dina, you’re quite egocentric!”

“I’m not a tyrant!”

“You don’t hear me say that. The moral spectrum has many shades and you’re not maxing out to the black side, but you’re most definitely don't fit in the white shade either.”

Dina made a dismissive noise. “Neither was Mary Magdalene at the start.”

“Are you comparing yourself with a saint?”

Dina waved off the suggestion. “That wouldn’t be a fair comparison, would it? After all, I have powers and she had not.”

Lidi settled onto the couch next to her daughter and took a sip of her freshly brewed tea. She watched as Dina reluctantly dragged her gaze away from the television, fingers scrolling over the tiny screen of her phone. “How long before you need to go to school, dear?” she asked.

Dina's eyes flickered up and she answered with a loud yawn while stretching her arms, “About eight minutes or so.”

Craddling the cup of tea between her hands Lidi asked, “And you’re going out the old-fashioned way?”

Dina ran a hand through her hair, sniggering, as she never took her eyes off the sitcom that was playing onscreen. “I’m going out the old fashioned way,” she repeated her mother's words.

“And I know what you’re going to say!” Dina quickly added, her head swiveling toward her mother's direction. “That I wont be able to brave that storm at our doorstep as the regular Dina. And I knew you were about to say that not because of my powers but because I know you too well, mom.”
Lidi turned her gaze away from her daughter’s piercing glare and made it land on a vaze, confessing with that simple gesture that what her daughter just said was right. And even that gesture was not necessary anymore, Dina could read her head like an open book if she wanted to.

“Time to go,” Dina shut off the TV and sprung up from the couch. She snatched her backpack and strode towards the entrance of the house.

“No kiss?” Lidi asked, her voice laced with disappointment.

Dina looked over her shoulder, a wave of guilt washing over her face. “Sorry, mom. Of course!” She walked up to her mother, wrapping her in an embrace.

Lidi’s lips found Dina’s ears and she whispered, “I’m glad you’ve turned my hair back to the old fashioned chestnut hue again.”
“You mean chestnut hue without gray hairs.” Dina said with a mischievous smirk. “I did you a favor, mom.” She winked.
“I did not have any gray hairs!” Lidi said firmly, though she couldn't suppress the smile that tugged at her lips.

Dina caressed her mother’s cheek. “Of course you hadn’t.” She smiled. “Just like you never had a Lamborgini and your own restaurant.”

Lidi grabbed Dina’s arm before she was able to walk off. Desperation shone in her eyes as she pleaded with her daughter. “You’re aren’t going to take away my restaurant, are you dear? I can live life with riding around with a clunker of a Suzuki Swift instead of a Lamborghini, but please don’t make me lick the heels of that shitstain again.”

“Hey, anything to make you happy, mom.” Dina blew a kiss and made her way towards the frontdoor, where a chorus of muffled shouts and chanting bounced against the door as if they were trying to barge their way in.

Dina slowly pushed open the creaky wooden door, and was immediately met with a cacophony of clangs and cries slamming in her face. She winced as the sound assaulted her, and felt an almost overwhelming urge to use her spowers to teleport herself away from the chaos. But she steeled her resolve, reminding herself that using her powers for personal gain was something she had promised herself not to do.

Summoning all her courage, she steadied herself with a deep breath and released it slowly. Stepping forward with purpose, she found herself face-to-face with a wall of police officers flanked by metal barriers. The sergeant, who had been berating a heckler, turned to see what was going on when he felt a tap on his shoulder from one of his subordinates. He approached Dina with an amiable smile, asking if she needed any assistance.

Dina nodded appreciatively. On cue, officers sprung to action, guiding two barricades out of the way so Dina could pass. Other police officers used their bodies to form a path for her.

Dina attempted to tune out the roaring voices that intensified in tenfold when she made her entrance.

On one side, people were shouting words of admiration, calling her 'Girl of Wonders.' But Dina was aware of other shouts too, as they branded her 'Demon' and 'Daughter of Lucifer.'

Dina's heart skipped a beat as she watched two officers rush up to an imposing figure and tackle him to the ground. She heard a loud thud and people screaming, “Gun! He's got a gun!”Everything around her moved in slow motion as they wrestled the man to the pavement and secured his arms behind

The police was quick in disarming them. Dina realized that this man was out there to take her life. She heard him screaming things like he ruined his business by curing all those people. He wouldn't have achieved anything even if he managed to fire a bullet at Dina's face. Although she hadn't tried it yet, she intuitively knew that she was invincible to something as minuscule as a bullet meant for killing ordinary human beings. Dina stood above those things now.

Dina had been making her way through the crowd, struggling to keep a steady rhythm and focus on her destination. Suddenly, a middle-aged man jumped in front of her. His eyes shone with reverence as he knelt down at her feet and bowed, his hands trembling. Before she could react, a few police officers rushed up and dragged him away.

“We are this to you! We are this to you!” he shouted, struggling futilely against the clutch of hands that had entrapped him. Just then, something came sailing through the air towards her, thrown by that same man. Dina's reflexes kicked in and she caught whatever had been thrown with ease. Taking a closer look, she was surprised to see it was a marble or something very similar. She held it up to the light to get a better view.

It was indeed some kind of marble, but instead of seeing a mixture of undefined colors and shapes you often saw on the inside of a marble she saw something that reminded her of something she had seen earlier on Discovery Channel.
Pinched between her index finger and thumb, Dina recognized a microscopic spiral shaped galaxy. Was this man trying to imply that she stood above all and should embrace it?

The notion that all of reality rested in the palm of her hand appealed to Dina. She never thought about it in this way and her potential seemed to expand infinitely with this idea

Before now, she had never fathomed the possibility that she could end reality as easily as a little girl could pop a soap bubble with the pinch of her finger. A silly smile made its way onto her face as she grasped the magnitude of what this meant: she really was God!