My life as a Superhero

Chapter one

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅

- Love Muffin pt. 1 -

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅

"But, why would he want us here after midnight on a Thursday?" Henry muses aloud, his voice a mix of confusion and concern. I step out from the dimly lit hallway that leads to my bedroom, still tired while processing the strange call I just received from my dad. It was unlike any call I'd ever gotten from him - full of cryptic messages and an urgency that raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

As I rub my tired eyes, the reality of the situation weights on me like a thick fog. I walk out from behind the imposing metal gears that separate the man cave from the hallway, their cold industrial sheen contrasting sharply with the warmth of the living space. The ambiance of the room is uneasy, I spot Henry and Charlotte, who have both halted their pacing to look at me.

"I don't know," Charlotte starts, her brows furrowing as she throws her arms up in the air. She glances at Henry, and I can see the tension in her shoulders as they both stop moving, the echo of their footsteps fading into silence. "But if it's because he had a bad dream again, I am not going to sing him a lullaby this time." Her voice is a mix of playful defiance and genuine concern.

With a sigh, I sink down onto the U-shaped couch in the middle of the room, the cushions embracing me like a long-lost friend listening to Henry chanting about the possibility of this being an actual emergency this time. But that peace is soon interrupted by a loud screaming coming from the elevator.

Jasper...

The elevator doors swing open, revealing Jasper sprawled unceremoniously on the floor of the elevator, a casualty of the abrupt descent. He scrambles to his feet, shaking off the impact as he strides into the room, his presence a mix of energy and absurdity in his American flag-patterned pajamas. We stare at him in disbelief, an awkward silence enveloping us until he brightly proclaims, "I'm here!" as if that should explain everything.

"What are you wearing?" I question, my voice tinged with confusion, while Henry and Charlotte stand wide-eyed, still processing the surreal scene before us. "That's an emergency," Henry remarks dryly, moving to lean against the back of the couch, taking his place beside me. He studies the boy in front of him, who has somehow managed to appear both ridiculous and endearing with the curlers adorning his tousled hair.

"Are you..." I begin, searching for the right words amidst the bizarre circumstances.

"Why would..." Charlotte continues, her brow furrowing further in disbelief.

"Curlers?" we both exclaim in unison, our voices overlapping in a chorus of bewilderment.

"What, you guys thought my hair was naturally curly?" Jasper asks us with an air of innocence and unmistakable oblivion as if it were the most obvious thing in the whole world. Just before I could say anything the alarm to the tubes goes off with one of the tubes going down making us all turn our attention to the tubes.

"Heyyy." My dad then says as he comes down the tube, looking more disheveled than I've ever seen him. In that moment, doubts surge in my mind - Is he on drugs or something? "Hello friends, and daughter." My dad smiles weirdly as Henry walks over to stand by Jasper and Charlotte again. "Welcome. Welcome!" he enthusiastically exclaims, striding toward the three of them and enveloping them in a loose hug.

"Uhhh, Dad, are you okay...?" I ask hesitantly, slowly pushing myself off the couch, making my way over to join the others, standing beside Jasper as a familiar anxiety churns within me.