Inferno sat sprawled on the lounge, book in hand, while June worked in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Over the past hour, the phone rang several times and June politely answered and took down details by those who left them. With Inferno in her presence, June wanted to appear professional in the way she did her job. Not that she was never professional; there were only a few times she’d hung up on callers.
In all, June’s ability to manage callers had improved. Many left their name, number, and message when asked and were never heard from again. She didn’t think about what might have become of them. Her wishful thinking hoped they had found help in whatever matter they were trying to fix.
Her calm nature helped to deal with most calls, and once June found the ability to not take it personally, the guilt did not rise as often as it had in the beginning. Although, there was still the odd caller who upset her, June constantly gave silent pep talks to help her cope. For the most part they worked.
While preparing the sauce for their meal, the mobile phone rang again and June placed down the ladle and moved over to the table. She picked up the pen, paused over the diary, and answered the mobile. The desperation of the woman’s voice on the other end of the line immediately crushed June.
It was always the calls from women that tore at June’s heart. Women, who were unwittingly trapped in wrongdoing and trying to get themselves or their children out. Those calls always hurt the hardest. The pleading in this woman’s voice as she begged to speak to Inferno, caused a swell of pity around June’s heart.
June looked over at Inferno, who appeared lost in the book she read.
“If you could leave your name, number and message…” The woman interrupted.
“I’ve called before and left my details. No one returns my call. Please you have to help me?”
June looked back down at the diary; already seven names with numbers and messages recorded that day.
“I’m sorry. I’m not in any position to help you. If you would like to leave your name…”
June was not able to continue, as the woman became irate, abusing June. June understood her despair. The woman only wanted to make better the situation she was in. But June couldn’t help her, even if she was in a position to do so, she wouldn’t. Not when there were other means rather than calling a super villain.
Without listening to the abuse any longer, June hung up, placing the mobile phone beside the diary. She returned to the stove, picked up the ladle and absentmindedly stirred the sauce.
Not more than a minute later the phone rang again. June let out a sigh, placed the ladle down, and moved over to the table. This time she sat down in front of the diary and answered the mobile phone.
“Your call is important. Please leave your name, number and message.”
June expected the irate woman to be calling back or another desperate voice, but she was shocked when the voice of a child begged for her help. Never before had she dealt with a child and she didn’t know how to handle it. June listened as the child asked for Inferno, pleading for her help. He told June they were not able to ask anyone else and June’s defences fell.
The mobile came dislodged from her hand as Inferno removed it and only then did June realise she was crying. She stared down at the diary and the blurred pages.
“Dinner is going to burn,” Inferno told her.
June wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and stood. At the stove, she distracted herself with finishing dinner but her imagination would not come away from the images of a child crying and pleading for help. When the mobile phone rang again, June automatically turned to answer it. She saw Inferno flicking through the pages of the diary as the shrill of the mobile phone echoed around them. It was the first time June had seen Inferno look at the entries in some time. The last time Inferno had looked it had been briefly over June’s shoulder, without so much as reading the entries. The mobile phone continued to ring and Inferno placed her finger on the glass screen. She made no attempt to answer it; rather she stared at the mobile phone until it fell silent.
June slowly turned away, when she noticed from the corner of her eye, the mobile phone smouldering. She turned back to stare as Inferno picked up the mobile phone, the device now floppy in her hand. Small threads of fire weaved from her fingers around the device before it slowly became liquid and Inferno moulded it into a ball of molten fragments of glass, plastic and metal.
With wide eyes, June watched Inferno toss it into the sink. Smoke filtered up from within and a rank smell filled the kitchen. Inferno ran cold water over the lump of black metallic plastic before tossing it in the bin.
“How long before dinner will be ready?” Inferno asked.
June blinked, looked back at the stove, and replied, “Ten minutes.”
Inferno made her way to the lounge chair and went back to reading her book.
June watched for a moment longer before going back to preparing dinner. It wasn’t until the table was set and dinner served, June asked, “What will happen now, if they can’t call you?”
“I’m not the only Special they can call.”
“But it reassures them to know they can ring you.”
Inferno ignored June, as she began to eat. It didn’t bother June the disposed of the mobile phone. In fact, she was elated she would not have to deal with the callers. But she couldn’t help but think the people on the other end of the phone needed to know they could call someone, even if it was a super villain.
“There is an international operation in the coming weeks to deter people like me praying on helpless victims of crime. That number was not going to be available for much longer.”
“And the other mobile phones?” June asked.
“Don’t answer them for the time being. Turn them off until I tell you it’s safe to use again. When this operation dies down, I’ll replace the other mobile phone.
When June thought she would no longer need to deal with those types of calls, she realised the situation was only short term. At least she would be getting a short reprieve, if anything.
“So, if there is an international operation to combat this type of thing. How do you know about it?”
Inferno gave June a fierce look and June returned to her meal. It didn’t matter how Inferno knew. June didn’t need to know.
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