Super

BONUS CH - Annie's Christmas Adventure

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL AND DOES TECHNICALLY TAKE PLACE AT THE END OF THE SUPER STORY; HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR SEQUELS :)  (it may however contain minor spoilers if you haven't yet finished the book)

MERRY CHRISTMAS! HOPE YOU ENJOY <3

I smiled sadly as I crumpled the last of the wrapping paper into a ball and tossed it into the garbage bag. Standing up, I brushed myself off and lugged the garbage bag full of wrapping paper to the kitchen, doing my best to smoosh it into the trashcan before returning to the living room and admiring my haul.

Two new Rick Riordan books, as well as a few by some of my other favorite authors including Cassandra Clare, Marissa Meyer, Kathy Reichs, Michael Grant, Patrick Ness... A lot of books, I grinned to myself. I had gotten a LOT of books.

Mom and dad had ducked out to the annual Christmas ball, hosted by the city. The event was mandatory for my father, of course. As for my mother, well she always did love a good party. I cringed at the memory of last year: my mom walking in the door, arm slung over my dad's shoulders, drunkenly screaming the words to Bohemian Rhapsody. 

Let me tell you, my mom squinting at my friend Ashton and singing, "I SEE A LITTLE SILHOUETTO OF A MAN!" (very off-key, might I add) was not a pretty sight.

By the time my parents got home, I was expected to have dinner on the table. An entire Christmas dinner for family and friends prepared by myself within the next five or six hours. This should be fun, I sighed.

"You look like you could use some help," a familiar voice drawled from the door way. Rolling my eyes, I turned to see the familiar spandex-clad, black-haired, blue-eyed boy. 

"That would be nice actually," I said by way of acknowledgement, trying to suppress the butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

"Tell you what," the Invisible Hand mused, "you help me with a little problem and I'll help you make dinner."

"That sounds like a deal I can't refuse," I grinned. "What's the problem?"

"Um," IH blushed, suddenly finding his feet to be very interesting. "We need to steal something."

I blanched. "STEAL something? Have you forgotten I don't do that sort of thing?"

"No, not like that–"

"I don't think there are many other ways to look at stealing," I deadpanned.

"Maybe," he shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. 

Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "do I want to know?"

"It's already been stolen," IH defended. "We'd only be stealing it back." 

I rolled my eyes. "Only?" 

"Will you just hear me out?"

"Fine, you have five minutes."

"There's this book," IH began. "It's supposed to be the Bible on superpowers."

"I don't think you can joke about the Bible on Christmas," I said in a lowered voice, eyes darting around. IH just glared at me. 

"Like I was saying," he said pointedly. "It's all about superpowers: why they work the way they do, what determines how powerful we are, why there are limitations..." 

"But nobody knows definitively how superpowers work," I countered, furrowing my brows. "That's why people like Uncle Clyde study them."

"This book does," IH grinned. "Allegedly, anyway."