[center][h2]Some Years Later...[/h2]

[color=a187be]“CHARLIE!”[/color]

Over the city streets of Watervale, a young girl soared over the streets, blasting past confused pedestrians and soaring over cars. The girl looked, for the most part, like your average pre-teen girl. She was wearing a navy-blue, fur-lined jacket with jeans and a pair of Uggs. Her hair was wavy and caramel brown in color, and fell just past her shoulder blades in length. She had chocolate brown eyes and beige-colored skin, and a pink Starbright backpack slung over her back. The girl looked just like your average teenage girl, outside of the fact, of course, that she was flying. She eventually rose up a bit higher into the air, allowing some breeze to ripple through her hair, as she looked across the vicinity, her eyes narrowed. 

[color=a187be]“Charlie! Where the hell are you, you stupid-...there you are!”[/color]

The girl rapidly descended towards the Earth, feet landing down unsteadily on the sidewalk. She ran off the sidewalk onto the grassy area of what appeared to be a public park of some sort. Standing nearby were two young men. The younger of the two kids- around the same age as the girl- looked very similar to her as well, with similarly-colored skin and brunette hair, though his hair was swept messily out of his face to show a pair of bright green eyes. He was wearing a King Kong vs Godzilla sweatshirt, jeans, and basketball sneakers. The other young one was clearly a bit older, probably around 16 or so. He had fair skin and scarlet-colored hair that was currently styled into a mullet. He was wearing a letterman jacket with a large “H” symbol patched onto the chest. Most concerningly, both of these youths were holding what appeared to be electronic cigarettes.

[color=a187be]“Charlie!”[/color] the girl very nearly screeched, running over and lifting her hand. As if by magic, the vape pens flew out of the hands of both boys, flying directly into the girl’s hands. She promptly threw the e-cigs to the ground and stomped on them, the crackling sound of the device breaking resonating through the grassy area. The girl’s attention then re-focused on the two boys, with special attention towards the younger one. [color=a187be]“Smoking?! Seriously? Mom said that we could go try out our powers. Not smoke!”[/color]

Charlie shook his head, an annoyed look on his face. [color=8882be]“You’re such a loser, Jenna. I was just trying them, anyway. And second, I [i]was[/i] testing my powers!” [/color] Charlie waved his hand, and an indigo-colored portal opened next to him, swirling mischievously with a slight glow. [color=8882be]"How do you think I got here, you dork?"[/color]

Jenna looked like she was about to sock Charlie in the jaw, but luckily the older teen stepped in, grabbing both of them by the head and pulling them apart. [color=f7941d]"Cut it out, OK? You guys [i]both[/i] are dorks. You still go to [i]school,[/i]"[/color] the teen said, making a face at the mere mention of the prospect of higher education. [color=f7941d]"Anyway, Jen, your brother was with me the whole time, so he was perfectly safe. No need to worry about it. Why don't you fly home and do math or something?"[/color] 

Jenna glowered at the two of them. [color=a187be]“He was smoking. And smoking is bad!”[/color] the girl said angrily. [color=a187be]“How do [i]you[/i] even have a vape pen, Danny? You're not 21 either, last I checked.”[/color]

[color=f7941d]"I have my ways,"[/color] Danny said mysteriously, waving his hand through the air and leaving a trail of sparks. [color=f7941d]"Anyway, that shit is perfectly safe. I asked and everything."[/color] He yawned. [color=f7941d]"Aren't you two nerds supposed to be at your nerd hero school or something?"[/color]

[color=8882be]"Day off,"[/color] Charlie explained. [color=8882be]"And Mom and Dad are at some sort of HERO meeting or whatever, so they said we could go practice our powers and stuff, so long as we were safe. I was gonna try and throw some sort of cool party, but everybody else is stuck in regular school. Except you."[/color]

[color=f7941d]"Ah, gotcha. Makes sense,"[/color] Danny said with a nod. [color=f7941d]"Well, anyway, nice talkin' to ya, you twerp. Can you open a portal back home? Aunty Eliza and Aunty Patricia are also at that meeting, and I'm supposed to be babysitting the kids. Gotta make sure they didn't burn the place down."[/color]

As Charlie snickered and opened up a larger, indigo portal, Jenna gaped. [color=a187be]"Ohmygod, I am [i]soooooo[/i] telling!"[/color] she said as she snatched her phone, beginning to type up a message. [color=a187be]"If they find our, you are so screwed, it's not even funny. You're gonna be- HEY!"[/color] Before she could even finish typing the message, Danny had snatched the phone straight out of Jenna's hands and chucked it, sending the device whirling across the park and into a bush. Danny winked as he stepped halfway into the portal. [color=f7941d]"Nothing personal, kiddo, just don’t want to get Aunty Patti mad. You know how she is."[/color] And with that, Danny vanished into the portal, with Jenna angrily staring at the empty space where the portal once appeared in his wake. 

[color=a187be]“Why’d you let him leave?”[/color] Jenna asked her brother angrily. [color=a187be]“I was gonna crush him.”[/color]

[color=8882be]"Yeah, sure, you’re gonna beat up the guy that’s 3 years older than you, more than a foot taller than you, and is also a professional hero. Good luck with that one,"[/color] Charlie fired back sarcastically. 

Jenna crossed her arms.[color=a187be]“[i]Yeos meog-eo,[/i] Charlie.”[/color]

[color=8882be]”Woah! [i]Mal josimhaseyo.[/i] Watch your language,”[/color] Charlie said back, running his hand through his messy brown hair. [color=8882be]”Let’s go look for your phone, OK, sis?”[/color]

The two siblings made their way over to the bush that Danny had callously deposited the phone, digging into the bush. Jenna winced as she stuck her hand into some brambles. [color=a187be]“This sucks.”[/color]

[color=8882be]”You know what else sucks? School. Why did Mom and Dad sign us up for that school?.”[/color]

[color=a187be]“You’re just stupid. Mr. Lindell is a great teacher,”[/color] Jenna said defiantly. [color=a187be]“While you’re busy trying to sneak out of class with your portals, [i]I’m[/i] actually gonna be doing big stuff. Mom said she can get me a job at Polamor Inc if I do good in school. She knows the guy that owns it. Rumi. Sir E. Brum. Very famous, you know? And his wife os a robot-...Ouch, a thorn...”[/color] Jenna winced as she slowly pulled her phone from the bush, with Charlie helping to move the brambly parts of the plant away. [color=a187be]“Anyway, point is, you’re dumb.”[/color]

[color=8882be]”You don’t have to call him Mr. Lindell in private, you know.”[/color]

[color=a187be]“It’s a respect thing, Charlie.”[/color]

[color=8882be]”You’re just a teacher’s pet.”[/color]

[color=a187be]“Am not!”[/color]

[color=8882be]”Are too!”[/color]

[color=a187be]“Am not!”[/color]

[color=8882be]”Are to-”[/color]

[color=lightslategray]”Ahem."[/color]

Both the preteens shouted in unison, and Jenna promptly dropped the phone back into the bush as they wheeled around to face the threat, their powers ready to go. However, they quickly dropped their guardian. Standing before them was an elderly, dark-skinned man, wearing a tan linen suit, a matching hat, and a pair of small, round sunglasses. In his hand he clenched a wooden cane. He slowly lifted his cane, before jabbing it directly into the bush, cleaving a hole directly to the core of the bush, and allowing Jenna to easily grab her phone out. The two children respectfully nodded, and Charlie spoke, as Jenna was a bit too starstruck to do so. [color=8882be]”Thank you, Director Powers,”[/color] he said as politely as possible.

[color=lightslategray]”I don’t really get around to too much directing anymore,"[/color] the elderly Director Hugo Powers said wistfully. [color=lightslategray]”That’s up to Director Stewart to manage."[/color] He winced at the idea. [color=lightslategray]”She’s doing a great job,"[/color] he lied through clenched teeth. [color=lightslategray]”Anyway, you two, come here."[/color]
The two obedient children followed the elderly ex-Director has Powers guided them through the park, down towards a large stone obelisk erected in the center of the park. Powers reached up, gently tapping the engraving on the plate. [color=lightslategray]”Not many heroes in this city get one of these,"[/color] the old Director explained. [color=lightslategray]”And your parents are two of the very few to make it on the list."[/color]

[color=a187be]“Woah...Mom and Dad are here!”[/color] Jenna said, as if this was information the elderly Director Emeritus had not just repeated. [color=a187be]“And Uncle Blake and Auntie Angelica...and Auntie Eliza and Auntie Patricia...and Mr. Polamor, and Auntie B and Uncle Will...and Ms. Stewart too! Wow, I didn’t realize they were so famous!”[/color] Jenna said, in awe.

[color=8882be]”Yeah, yeah, but who the hell is Joseph Moore?”[/color] Charlie cut in. [color=8882be]”Feel like I should know who that is. And Pandora? Isn’t that the music company or something? Oh, and who is Christina Lavender? Wait, is that the actress?!”[/color]

The Director chuckled. [color=lightslategray]”That’s neither here nor there,”[/color] he said introspectively. [color=lightslategray]”Maybe one day, if you two are good, you can be added to this list. Jenna and Charles Rees. You have a lot of potential. I’ve never seen anybody master their powers at such a young age."[/color]

The two children nodded eagerly and thanked the Director profusely. It was true- the Rees twins were prodigal at their superpowers, in part because of their very capable lineage. 

[color=lightslategray]”Now hurry along, and keep working hard,"[/color] the retiree said with a nod to the two children, who both ran off across the park as the former Director took a seat in a park bench, looking up at the sky. In the distance, a small whirling torrent of clouds swirled across the sunny spring Castleburg sky, almost like a bird soaring through the sky. The Director shook his head as he saw this, tapping his cane against the ground anxiously. 

[color=lightslategray]”The forces of calamity never really go away...we need more people to fight them,"[/color] Powers said as he looked down at the ground, before taking another look up at the sky. The strange moving cloud had vanished, the Castleburg sky as clear as ever once again. 

[color=lightslategray]”But in Castleburg, there will always be another hero."[/color][/center]