Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Wayne Legacy: Outtakes

By BetterInTexas

Outtake 05: The Little Genius

Thomas, Martha & Kara (age 4)

Timeline: Origins, between chapters 3 & 4

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Martha sat up in bed suddenly, not even sure what she had heard. Something had woken her, and it was most likely from the monitor in Kara’s room. Even though her little girl was weeks away from turning five, Martha still kept a monitor in her room, listening out for her daughter having sniffles at night or developing a cough while she slept.

She listened closely but was having trouble hearing clearly over Thomas’s snoring, so she elbowed her husband who was sleeping on his stomach. The elbow had no effect on him waking but he did roll over and stop the obnoxious sound she had become accustomed to a long time ago.

She heard what must have woken her. It was the slightest sound, but the monitor was very sensitive and even in her sleep, Martha was finely attuned to her baby girl’s noises.

There was movement in the room. No loud footsteps but quieter ones of barefoot, tiny feet on wooden floors, then the shaking of a box and wooden objects being scattered.

Martha slid out of bed, gathered a robe and made her way into the hall.

Diana was exiting her bedroom as well. Her oldest daughter had finally convinced Thomas to build a door between her little sister’s room and her own but that was scheduled for next week. Until then, Diana would have to enter like everyone else.

“Mom?”

“I know.” She assured her oldest daughter. “I will handle it. Go back to sleep. You have school in a few hours.”

Diana looked troubled.

“She is restless. It’s been happening more often. She can’t stay asleep. Something is on her mind.” Diana whispered.

Martha patted her on the back, not even questioning Diana’s impressions. Diana always knew what Kara was feeling from the first time their eyes met when Kara was only a few days old. The baby had been enclosed in an incubator, fighting for her life, but her vitals always improved when Diana was with her. Martha knew it was one more of the uncanny, yet special abilities Diana had been born with.

Martha kissed her on the forehead and guided her back to her room, then hastily made her way to Kara. She opened the door slowly, not wanting to startle the young one in case she was sleepwalking or only half-awake.

Kara was not in her bed, but she could hear her four-year-old little angel mumbling on the other side of it. Quietly, she walked slowly around and saw her daughter sitting on the floor with wooden blocks of varying shapes and sizes in front of her.

Kara had built quite an impressive tower already. Rather than just placing the blocks on top of each other, she was using the strangest form, something a highly accomplished architect might design.

“Kara, sweetie, what are you doing?” Martha asked softly.

Kara looked up at her mother and smiled brightly. “Mommy! Did you come to play with me?”

“Kara, it’s nighttime. You are supposed to be sleeping. Do you want me to sleep with you?”

Kara shook her head. “It won’t leave me alone. Do you see? I have to build it.”

“What are you building?”

“A prettier Wayne Tower of my own. I can’t go see where Daddy works like Diana does, so I want my own. I saw this one in my head while I sleeped. Isn’t it pretty? You can come visit me in it, Mommy.”

Martha sighed. It was becoming more and more apparent that Kara was highly intelligent. She had a grasp of reading and writing that surpassed a ten-year-old’s before she was three. From the time she could walk, she had an uncanny knack for figuring out how things worked. They had even found her under a car a couple of weeks ago and when they retrieved her, she gave them a childlike but very accurate description of how the car worked.

She had always slept well though. The energy she displayed during the day, along with the medication she took to stay alive and outside an isolation bubble, ensured she was worn out by the end of the day. After her teeth were brushed and her bubble bath, she was quickly asleep.

Her waking up in the middle of the night was a recent development. It occurred randomly at distant intervals but was becoming more common.

“This can wait till morning, angel.” Martha said soothingly.

Kara shook her head fiercely. “I have to build it now. I can’t go sleep until I build it. It has to leave my head, or it won’t leave me alone.”

Recognizing Kara was about to become worked up if she forced the issue, Martha decided she would stay up with her and hope she tired quickly. If Kara became agitated, she would be up the rest of the night.

“Can I help you?” the worried mother asked. “Maybe if we get some sleep and leave it right here, the two of us can work on it after breakfast. The sun will be out soon.”

Kara didn’t answer, instead continuing to place blocks with amazing skill and dexterity.

“The dumb man is wrong.” Kara told her absently, still focused on building.

Marth raised an eyebrow, having no idea what the little blonde meant. “Dumb man?”

“The one who wrote the big book in the library about space and numbers and… stuff.”

“What book?”

“The Egant… uhh, the Egalant Universe I think. Even his name is dumb. His name is a color, but he spelled it wrong. He put an ‘E’ on the end.”

Martha had no idea what book or writer Kara was ranting about but made a note to herself to make sure Kara only read the books in the children’s section set aside for her.

“What is he wrong about, baby?”

“His ideas of super big… super mass… supermassive black holes are wrong. I need to talk to him. He is wrong. He needs to change his book before everybody makes fun of him for being dumb.

“Do you think other kids would make fun of me if I got to play with them? Am I dumb? Is that why no kids can play with me? If I am sick, does that make me dumb? Is the big book man sick? Is that why he is dumb?” Kara asked, big blue eyes looking up at her mother now, a sad look on her tiny face.

“It’s impolite to say that about someone, even if they have written an incorrect book.” Martha told her even as she felt a tear slip out of her eye. “Of course, you are not dumb, angel. You are the smartest person I have ever known in my life. You just have to be careful not to be around sick people and other kids are sick a lot. Dr. Eliza is working hard and so are you. The two of you will figure out a way that you can be around other kids someday. It’s going to happen. I believe it in my heart. We just have to be careful until that day comes.

“Is your tower almost done?”

Kara giggled. “Nope. Eighty-six more floors. I’m going to need more blocks. Can I have more blocks, Mommy?”

Kara suddenly yawned and leaned back against her mother. Martha wrapped her arms around her, and Kara eventually dozed off, going from wide awake and focused to exhausted in mere seconds.

Martha knew Kara was still fighting sleep, so she picked her little girl up gently and lay her under the covers, then lay down beside her. She held her daughter close and the two eventually fell into a deep sleep. By the time they had both woke, Thomas, Diana and Bruce had left for the day.

Kara walked over to her impressive block tower and kicked it, sending it in all directions.

“Why did you do that, sweetie?” Martha asked, a bit concerned since all Kara wanted the night before was to finish it.

Kara’s tiny shoulders dropped. “Cuz it’s not real. I want to see Daddy’s. I want to go inside. I want to go to Daddy’s office like Diana and Bruce get to.”

Martha walked to the window and saw no rain clouds. She had planned on letting Kara play outside if the weather report was correct. It looked to be a sunny day in Gotham. Weighing things out, she came to a decision.

“How about we eat breakfast, then get dressed for the day? I can paint your fingernails any color you want.”

Kara shrugged, looking at the blocks scattered across the floor sadly.

Martha’s heart broke at Kara’s expression, even though she knew her next words should change it for the better. “After that, if you promise to wear a mask without complaining… and not touch anything unless I say it is okay, we can go to Daddy’s office.”

Kara turned wide-eyed to her mother, a huge smile on her face. “Really? Really, really?”

Martha nodded and offered her hand. The two left to prepare for the day, Kara skipping alongside her mother, her mood greatly improved.

By eleven a.m., an overly excited Kara was buckled into her car seat in the back of a luxury BMW with Martha next to her and Alfred upfront at the wheel. There was also a personal security guard up front next to Alfred and an SUV following them with several more guards.

Martha never liked the idea of guards when it was just her and Thomas but now that the kids were leaving manor grounds more often, Thomas insisted on it. It had not been an issue until the year before when he invested heavily into security for the manor, the Tower and for the family whenever they were in the city.

Martha tried to keep Kara’s attention, feeding her bits of bananas for her snack, but Kara would not take her face away from the car window, looking outside at the world around her.

Kara had left Wayne Manor grounds before, though it was not often and only when necessary or safe. Recently, she had been able to go to a couple of Bruce and Diana’s athletic events because her white blood cell counts were strong, and the weather was perfect.

Her little blonde angel treated every one of these outings as a life changing event. She watched the countryside, the tall buildings in the city, other cars in traffic, people walking along, with the same wonder a mountain climber might have reaching a peak. While it was wonderful to see joy on her face, it broke her heart that Kara could be so impressed by such little things because she was so isolated.

The car pulled up to Wayne Tower and into the underground parking garage.

“Let me put your mask on for you, sweetie.”

“Mommy, please no.”

“Kara… we agreed.”

“I feel so good though. Please? I like this dress and Diana said I looked cool in it. If I wear a mask, I won’t look cool. I won’t touch anything… I stay by you. Okay?” Kara implored.

Martha looked at a smirking Alfred.

“The mask would lessen the cool factor.” Alfred admitted.

Martha rolled her eyes. Eliza had told her Kara’s immune system was functioning normal for the moment. There was no reason she had to wear the mask other than it made Martha feel more secure.

“Fine, but don’t get used to getting your way, princess. I’m still the mommy.”

“I know.” Kara said with a big grin, as if that was something that was never in doubt.

“If you are the mommy, why does she seem to be setting the rules?” Alfred whispered, greatly amused.

Martha elbowed him and grabbed onto Kara’s hand. When the elevator opened they were in the lobby just outside Thomas’s office. Marie Butler, Thomas’s long-time secretary, smiled brightly at seeing Kara for the first time in the Tower.

“I’ll be at the tea shoppe a block from here then I’m going to explore the area. I don’t get out enough. Text me when you are ready to leave.” Alfred told her and took the elevator back down.

Lucius Fox walked out of his office next to Thomas’s. Lucius was the Vice President, head of Research and Development and a longtime family friend.

“Is that a princess, I see?” He asked cheerfully.

Kara smiled brightly at the man. “Lucius!”

Lucius knelt down next to her, keeping his distance.

“Kara! It is you. I almost didn’t recognize you. You are prettier than the last time I saw you.”

Kara giggled. “You saw me last week.”

“And I bet you are going to be even prettier next week.” He told her, meaning every word. “Thomas is on a conference call for about ten more minutes. Why don’t you lovely ladies sit in my office, and I can tell you how important I am and how Thomas couldn’t get by without me.”

Martha laughed and followed him in. “You don’t have to tell me that, Lucius. Thomas tells me every day. How… Kara?”

Kara had forgotten her promise to her mother and let go of her hand, running straight for the huge window. She put her hands and face on the glass, her eyes wide.

“Whoa! Is this what Gotham looks like?” The excited girl asked. “This is higher than my room! The people are so small!”

Martha knelt down next to her and rubbed her back. “This is the highest building in Gotham. You can see all of Gotham City from here. On the other side, there is a boardroom that has an ocean view. I’ll take you there before we leave.”

Kara said nothing, her eyes locked on the scenery while her face remained pressed to the glass.

She finally stepped back. “That is so cool!”

Kara walked around Lucius’s office as if it were hers. The man stood in the corner with his arms crossed and a huge smile on his face.

Kara looked up at a white board Lucius had been working on. She cocked her small head to the side and stared intently at the writing before her eyes widened yet again.

“Whoa! That’s a big laser.” She exclaimed excitedly.

Lucius was floored at that statement, unable to believe the words out of the youngster’s mouth. He walked next to the board to stand beside her. “How do you know it’s a laser?”

Kara pointed to the equations. “I’m good at math. Mommy calls it ‘rithmatic. It’s easier to draw things out using math than pictures, I think. I’m not so good at coloring anyway… I hate stayin’ in the lines. I like math symbols. I goggled math symbols I didn’t know.”

“Goggled? Oh, you mean googled.” Lucius understood.

“That’s what I said. Why do you need such a big laser? Are you trying to melt someone? That would be cool to watch. It could be like Star Wars. Bing, boom, bing!”

Lucius shook his head, wondering if she had taken a lucky guess or saw this equation for what it was at an instant glance.

Deciding to test that question and see how she would respond, he said, “It’s actually a very tiny laser. Dr. Eliza has a team of people working on a machine to help sick people and it will use this very gentle laser, if I can get it right.”

Kara shook her head. “Nah. It’s a big laser. This won’t help sick people. Diana lets me read things on the ’puter if I ask, like where lasers come from. I want a blaster like Han Solo so I found out some things.”

Lucius nodded. “Yes, I do have a mistake in the equation I discovered before you arrived. Okay… show me how you would make it a smaller laser.”

“Lucius…”

Lucius smiled at Martha. “Give her a chance.”

Kara turned to Martha and raised her arms, her signal to be picked up. Martha did so and held her against her hip as they stood near the whiteboard.

“Brackets and a W show your peak power. The bottom shows the power output. So, you replace the eighty with eighty to the tenth power. Take the eighty to a power of ten and you come up with 1.19-kilowatt pulse power. That’s a big laser.” Kara told him slowly, making sure she pronounced her words correctly so he would understand.

Lucius looked at Kara intently now, keeping his face straight, not giving any astonishment away. Thomas had told him of Kara’s penchant for puzzles and taking apart machines, but he had no idea she was already this far along in advanced mathematics. It shouldn’t have been possible.

“That is very good, Kara. Now take eighty to eight hundred and a negative tenth. What do we have?” He asked, wanting to see how far this little girl’s knowledge went and becoming very excited. He suspected smart didn’t begin to describe her.

“You have a very thin laser. It would be a stimulated emission, right?” She replied still speaking slowly, her blue eyes twinkling in delight. “I love lasers. I’m going to make a laser gun one day, like Han Solo’s.”

Martha smiled at Lucius, pleased he was playing along with her baby girl’s math discussion. When she saw the look in his eyes, she shivered.

He wasn’t paying along.

How in the hell did her not quite five-year-old daughter, know and understand these complex equations?

“I didn’t realize you were so good at math, princess.” Martha commented as calmly as she could, but her tone of voice gave away her concern.

“Can I get down and look out the window?” Kara asked, not bothering to address the comment.

Martha set her on the floor and watched Kara race to the window again.

“Lucius, was she making that up?”

“Nope.” Lucius answered. “Thomas said she was smart. I think he may have underestimated her. She just broke down advanced quantum physics equations, found a mistake I had just noticed before you arrived, and corrected it, based on information she learned from the internet.”

Martha shook her head, her mind numb at what he was implying.

“She also read some book she called dumb by a man with a color for a last name that he misspelled. Something in our library about black holes or some nonsense. Apparently, the author was all wrong.” Martha told him.

Lucius’s eyes were wide once more as he looked from Martha to Kara and back again as Martha contemplated her daughter’s high intelligence. She knew Kara liked to play with machines but had no idea she was that good at math.

Martha’s and Lucius’s musings were cut short when Kara turned from the window to the door and saw Thomas. She squealed, sprinting to him and jumping as he bent down and caught her, lifting her high above his head.

“Why don’t you ever do that to me anymore, darling?” Martha asked her husband, shaking off her uneasiness.

“I wasn’t sure you would like it. Now that you are asking for it, I am sure it can be arranged.” Thomas told her with a wink.

“Flying is fun! Fly me to your office, Daddy. Bye, Lucius!” Kara waved at Lucius as her daddy carried her out the door.

Martha followed Thomas to his office as Kara stayed in his arms above his head. Laying her body out as if she were flying free.

Thomas made plane noises until he landed her on top of his desk. Kara stood proudly on top, taking the big office in.

“Wow! This is where you work? It’s cool!” She excitedly exclaimed.

“I’m glad you like it, princess.” Thomas told her, happy to finally be able to share this with her. “I have a picture of you and Diana on my desk from when you were brought home to us. See how tiny you were? You have come a long way.”

Thomas handed a pink framed photo to Kara, one Martha knew well. It showed Diana gently holding Kara in her arms on the day they brought her home. Martha had taken the photo herself. Bruce had been afraid to hold Kara because of her small size while Diana had no fear despite her increased strength. That framed photo, along with a family portrait taken two years ago, were constants on his desk.

Martha looked at the family photo, wondering if she should dye her hair blonde again as she had for that picture. She had done it so Kara wouldn’t feel out of place in the portrait but it became too much to keep up with, constantly needing to be redone. Her wise, older daughter pointed out that Kara’s hair didn’t make her out of place… it made her stand out as she should, so Martha went back to her original color.

Kara raced jumping from the desktop into her daddy’s arms. He put her on the floor, and she ran across the large reception area, past Marie’s desk and into the conference room, gasping when she saw the ocean stretched out forever.

“I think this summer we may go out on the boat if you are doing well, Bunny.” Thomas told her.

“I’m Kara. No more Bunny.”

“I am sorry, Kara. Would you like to go out on the sailboat? Do you remember the last time we went?”

Kara shook her head.

“You were very young. See if you can find some sailboats all the way down there.”

Thomas stood up and Martha stepped beside him.

“You shouldn’t tell her things like that. We have no idea if that is possible, and I am the one who has to tell her no.” Martha griped quietly.

Thomas let out a defeated sigh. “I’m sorry. I get so excited seeing her outside… I just want to…”

Martha rubbed his back. “I know, dear. I love to see this excitement as well, but it has to be a surprise. Speaking of surprises, is everything arranged?”

Thomas nodded with a huge smile, whispering, “We have the entire zoo on her birthday, just for us.”

“Kara, how would you like to go to the plaza outside and eat at a table?” he said in a louder voice.

“Thomas!” Martha hissed.

“Perfect weather, and I can have the cafeteria prepare a broccoli and kale salad.” He assured her, smiling. Seeing the expression on her face caused the smile to drop immediately. “That was one of those things I should have run by you first, wasn’t it?”

“You are an ass.” Martha whispered. The man pouted and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Please, Mommy?” Kara said, looking up at her earnestly with those beautiful blue eyes.

“Please, Mommy?” Thomas parroted matching Kara’s pouty face.

Martha rolled her eyes but nodded.

Thirty minutes later, the trio had made themselves comfortable at a table under a huge umbrella. One of the chefs from the cafeteria had brought out three salads of spinach, broccoli, and kale. Kara had been eating food of this sort since she began eating solid food. Her entire diet was strictly adhered to.

Martha and Thomas forced themselves to eat this type of food in front of her and pretend they enjoyed it. Often after lunch, and Kara was taking a nap, or after dinner and she had gone to bed, they found themselves in the kitchen, eating food with taste.

“Yum, yum.” Thomas said, chewing the leafy substance that had no sauce or dressing.

“It’s good, isn’t it, Daddy?” Kara asked happily, chewing on a broccoli stick.

Thomas smiled and rubbed his stomach. While Martha smiled at his obvious discomfort, she appreciated him playing along. She knew lunch time was usually spent in one of the eateries surrounding the Tower, where he and Lucius would devour whatever fattening food they had a craving for.

The parents were enjoying this rare moment with their youngest child, when they were interrupted by a young woman.

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to bother you, but are you Martha and Thomas Wayne?” she asked.

Bodyguards who had been in a loose circle around the family, giving enough distance not to be noticed by Kara, began moving in, but Thomas held up his hand.

The girl was perhaps no more than twenty-one-years-old. A slim, blonde in blue jeans and a Gotham Institute of Technology t-shirt. He doubted she was a danger.

“We are.” Martha told her warily.

The blonde moved closer, but Martha raised her hand to stop her, causing the guards to move much closer despite Thomas’s silent order to the contrary.

“I’m sorry, but do not come closer. My daughter picks up illnesses easily. We can never be too careful.” Martha told her.

The blonde raised her hands and stopped about ten feet away. “I apologize. I just wanted to say thanks to both of you. You have helped me in so many ways.”

“Have we met before?” Thomas asked.

The blonde shook her head. “I won the Wayne Foundation Golden Scholarship and am able to attend Gotham IT because of it. The scholarship is so important to me. I wouldn’t be where I am without it.”

Martha was well aware of the scholarship. Lucius had set up the golden scholarship to pay all education expenses to the most impressive physics and engineering student in Gotham City, determined by a test he had designed himself. It was his way of recognizing and keeping an eye on the best and brightest, ready to recruit them when they had finished PhDs.

“You must be very bright. I assure you, no thanks are necessary. If you won it, you earned it.” Martha told her politely.

The girl knelt down and locked eyes with Kara.

“Aren’t you just the prettiest girl I have ever seen. What is your name?” the blonde asked.

Kara smiled brightly. “I’m Kara. What’s your name?”

“I’m Emily. It is a pleasure to meet you, Kara. I love your dress. Did you paint those fingernails yourself? I love the color.”

Kara shook her head. “No, I still can’t paint my own nails. I hate coloring in the lines. Mommy does it. I also have trouble tying my shoes. They are always too tight or too loose. I like Velcro better.”

“I hate coloring in the lines to. People like us aren’t meant to color in the lines. We make the lines change for us.”

Martha listened intently, wondering what the hell the girl was talking about. People like us? “That’s a great idea, but fingernails do not change unfortunately and if they did I am afraid my daughter would be covered in nail polish.”

Emily and Martha locked eyes for a moment and for some reason, even unknown to her, Martha moved Kara into her lap and held her closer until Emily broke eye contact.

“I must be going. Thank you for allowing me to meet you. I’ve been job searching and saw you here and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to thank you. Enjoy this wonderful day.”

The blonde walked away but turned back once and smiled. Martha knew that smile was directed at Kara.

“She is a nice lady.” Kara said.

Martha and Thomas locked eyes and she knew he felt it too. Something was wrong with that girl but neither could put their finger on it.

“Yes… maybe.” Thomas said, obviously unsettled. “Let’s finish up lunch. Lucius wants to show you some robots before you go home.”

“Yes!”

The rest of the day went well.

The same could not be said for the next two weeks. Kara was waking up in the middle of the night to build, draw, complete puzzles and, on one occasion, tried to make it to the garage before Diana caught her. It was no longer at random intervals. It was happening every night.

When Martha had emptied her room of puzzles and projects, Kara had woken in the middle of the night, crying and begging for a marker when Martha and Diana found her. Once Kara had a marker in hand, she went directly to her wall and began writing equations.

During the day, she was more and more exhausted, her interrupted sleep showing.

Eliza took blood tests every day to Kara’s chagrin, and while her blood count levels were declining, she was still in a safe zone. The birthday party went forward at Thomas’s insistence. He and Martha desperately wanted Kara to go to the zoo and have something to remember this birthday by.

Martha was nervous but Eliza told her the weather and lack of people should keep her safe enough to enjoy the animals.

Kara did enjoy it. She was fascinated by the elephants, the zebras, and especially the giraffes. She walked right up to the glass enclosure the lion was pacing behind and placed her hands to the glass, meeting its big eyes then began pacing back and forth with it, giggling the entire time.

She was fearless… until they came to the Aussie section. The family remained on the walkway, looking out over the animals. While Thomas tried to name the different animals to Kara, her eyes were locked with those of a particularly large kangaroo. They both stood motionless, neither one moving.

Then, the kangaroo jumped, taking off with a hop and a quick burst of speed in the opposite direction. The jump broke Kara from her daze and she screamed. Martha had never heard her scream that loudly.

Without waiting for her family, she took off running as fast as her little legs would carry her. Martha took off after her but, of course, Diana was faster. For once, Kara didn’t jump into Diana’s arms. Instead, she tried to run around her. When Diana picked her up by the waist, Kara’s little legs were still trying to run in the air.

Martha took Kara from Diana and both tried to calm her down, sandwiching her between them so she would feel safe.

“The bad animal wanted to hurt me!” the little blonde insisted.

“Kara, that animal is called a kangaroo. They don’t hurt people.” Her mother assured her. “They can just jump and move very fast.”

Kara shook her head, placing her hands on Martha’s cheeks. “Bad! Bad! Bad!”

“Kara, I just called the zookeeper, and he is locking up the kangaroos. They won’t get near you, I promise.” Thomas told her as he rushed up to his three girls while Alfred and Bruce hung back.

Kara looked at a worried Diana, twisting to wrap her arms around the older girl’s neck, shifting her weight so Diana was holding her now. “Can you beat up a kangaroo?”

Diana smiled softly at her and nodded, rubbing her little sister’s back comfortingly as trusting blue eyes met brown. “I’ve beaten up bigger animals and I am a lot faster. You have seen how fast I can be. Nothing can beat me. I’ll always protect you.

“Now, how about we go eat birthday cake and open presents?”

Martha let out a breath, relieved Diana had calmed Kara and grateful that they had never tried to hide Diana’s abilities from her, instead just stressing her entire life that it was their secret. Diana was a legendary figure in Kara’s mind, a superhero who could not be stopped and that gave her a special feeling of safety when she was with her sister that neither she, nor Thomas, could provide.

When they walked out of the Zoo, Kara was happy once again, talking animatedly about her favorite animals and not bringing up the kangaroos.

Martha thought she heard the click of a camera and when she turned to look, she saw a flash of blonde hair racing behind a giant tree trunk. When she told Thomas to look, whoever was there was gone. Since no one had approached them, she let it go.

Five days later, Martha took her exhausted daughter to a psychiatrist and found out her baby girl was a literal genius. It explained a lot. Kara’s obsession with machines and math, her quick understanding of physics, chemistry and her inability to calm her mind so she could sleep at night all made sense now.

This unwelcome news broke her heart.

Kara had such difficulty just wanting to be a normal girl. Now they learned she was on an intelligence level far above the rest of humanity. How could she ever interact normally with other children if her health improved to the point she could play with others?

She was already isolated. It could be that one day, she would be in a situation where she was expected to interact with children who were struggling with long division while she wanted to talk about why Brian Greene’s theories were incorrect.

It upset her later that night to see Kara’s fear at taking that first sedative, Diana needing to convince her. Her baby girl thought she would never wake up. Martha had wanted to dissolve it in a glass of water, but after discussing it with Thomas, they both agreed they should be honest with her.

Martha had sat by the bed all night, her thoughts in turmoil, watching her two daughters sleeping comfortably. Thankfully, Kara did not wake up the entire night, waking up the next morning in Diana’s arms.

Later that morning, Kara had begged her mommy to take her to the garage where she could look at the cars. When they reached the garage, Kara just sat on the concrete floor, with her legs curled under her.

“Mommy, what is wrong with me?” the little girl asked forlornly.

Martha sat behind her and pulled Kara into her lap, wrapping the little girl in her arms and holding her close.

“Kara, there is nothing wrong with you.” Martha assured her and hesitated, wanting to get this right and knowing she only had one shot. “You are special, like Diana is special.”

Kara’s eyes widened. “I can lift the front of a car and break a rock with my fist?!”

Martha chuckled. “No, you are a different kind of special. You are smart.”

Kara sighed. “You always tell me that.”

“I know but I didn’t realize how smart. You are smarter than everybody. You are smarter than most grown-ups. You are smart like Lucius. People like you are called geniuses. You, my angel, are a genius.”

“A jeanus?” Kara repeated, her nose scrunched up in obvious confusion.

“Genius.” Martha enunciated the word slowly.

Kara’s expression took on something akin to awe as she seemed to begin to understand. “Can I make robots and lasers like Lucius?”

Martha smiled fondly at her child’s amazement. “Kara, you can probably make anything you want with the right knowledge and tools. Lucius is going to start working with you a few times a week. He is going to give you projects and puzzles to solve. He is going to teach you a lot. But you have to understand, not everybody is like you. Other kids aren’t like you.”

“They aren’t?”

Martha shook her head. “You may never meet kids your own age who are as smart as you, who you can relate to. Just remember, that isn’t your fault or theirs.”

“I never meet other kids.” Kara grumbled.

Martha squeezed her tightly. “I pray that someday, you can, Kara. I believe it in my heart. You need to believe it too. Can you do that for Mommy?”

“Yes, Mommy.”

“Good. Now what do you want to do today?”

“I want to take apart the engine in the red car.”

Martha sighed, then had an idea. “I think it is too heavy for us. You know what we can do? Let’s take apart a laptop computer and figure out how it works then you can put it back together.”

“Really?!”

Martha smiled, glad that excited her. Perhaps she wouldn’t be as bad at raising a genius as she feared. She could do this. Kara would become so amazing, she would make history as she grew and Martha would be there beside her, watching her, guiding her little genius, every step of the way.