𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐑, COLBY MADDEN

2x09: Family Secrets.

"Amy!"

"Oh, God! Hartley!"

Y/N jumped, spinning around, her hands flying up instinctively. "I told you not to sneak up on me like that! If my sonic scream slips out, you'll be going to fifth period without a face!"

Hartley just laughed, completely unbothered. "Relax! I didn't even touch you. I'm too busy being excited."

Amy peeked over Y/N's shoulder, still recovering from the jump. "Yeah, Hartley, a little warning next time would be nice."

"Pfft, warnings are boring!" Hartley grinned. "You'll want to hear this. I've been digging into my ancestry project in the library, and guess what I found out?"

Y/N narrowed her eyes. "Oh, let me guess... the art teacher lives behind the magazine rack?" She smirked, teasing.

"No!" Hartley waved a finger. "Even better. My great-great-great-great-grandmother was royalty!"

Amy's eyes widened. "Wait... what? Royalty? That explains a lot. No wonder Celia never leaves home without a war hammer." She laughed nervously.

"What about your villain ancestors?" Y/N asked. "Any, uh, evil princes or a distant duchess of death?"

Hartley shrugged, pretending to think hard. "Hmm... no idea. The only villains I know are on my mom's side. And most of them are back in Centropolis running a crooked plumbing business." She winked. "Which isn't much different from a regular plumbing business, really."

Amy tilted her head. "And your dad's side? His genius had to come from somewhere, right?"

Hartley smirked, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Mmm... yeah. According to him, all of his relatives plummeted to their demise trying to escape a bank heist in a homemade hot air balloon." She paused, letting the image sink in. "So... no. Genius well did not run too deep."

Y/N blinked, trying not to laugh. "Okay... but still, don't you want to know more about them?"

Hartley leaned back, folding her arms. "Well, I do have lots of questions. Like, 'How dumb can you be to try and escape a bank heist in a homemade hot air balloon?' But my dad doesn't like to talk about his family."

Amy frowned. "Right... because that would take time away from him talking about himself."

Hartley laughed, the sound ringing through the room. "Exactly! But now that you mention it, I guess I am a little curious. Maybe I'll ask him again. Who knows? I might find a few surprises like I did."

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "Surprises?"

"Not only did I come from royalty," Hartley said, leaning forward conspiratorially, "my great-great-great-uncle invented the turtleneck!"

Amy groaned dramatically, putting a hand on her forehead. "Yeah... I don't think anything is gonna surprise me as much as that."

Y/N chuckled, shaking her head. "Okay, you've officially made history class sound way more entertaining than it actually is."

Hartley grinned. "That's my superpower. Scaring people a little... and then dropping knowledge bombs."

Amy laughed, shaking her head. "You're ridiculous, Hartley. But... I kind of like it."

Y/N nudged her friend playfully. "Yeah, just... maybe next time, a tiny warning would be nice before the heart attacks."

Hartley mock-saluted. "Noted. Royalty knows no fear. But I'll keep my distance... for now." "So... we agree? Wholeheartedly!" Vic said, leaning back in his chair, a small smirk tugging at his lips.