A Family Matter
Noah Jagers-Seville woke up at exactly 7:10 am, just like every morning. He looked over at his still-sleeping wife Annabeth and smiled, just like every morning. But this morning was special. Today was his daughter Brittany Ann's first day of 3rd grade. Her older brother Conner was in the 4th grade. Noah was proud of his daughter, but also a bit worried. Brittany Ann was born with Cerebral Palsy. While she was not mentally retarded as most people with CP are, her legs were completely immobile just below her kneecaps. As Noah walked into his daughter's room to wake her up, he couldn't help but smile. His 9-year-old daughter was peacefully sleeping, her soft orange hair reflecting the morning sunlight. He gently shook her awake. "C'mon, Britt. Rise n' shine, sweetheart." He whispered . Brittany opened her ice-blue eyes. "Morning, daddy. Is today the day?" She asked. "Yes, baby. Your first day of school. Conner's gonna show you around and you'll have a fun day." He said, picking her up and setting her in her wheelchair that was adorned with lots of Green Lantern stickers. Noah smiled when he saw them. It seemed like yesterday he protected the Universe. But he gave it up to raise his family. He still wore the ring as a souvenir but he hadn't used it in 11 years.
As Brittany found her place at the table, Noah started to make eggs, bacon, and potato pancakes, just the way his mother used to make. That's when Conner walked in. Conner, a 10-year-old chipmunk with blond hair and green eyes hidden behind spectacles, smiled at his sister. "Ready for 3rd Grade, sis?" He asked. Brittany nodded. "I can't wait to make friends and learn. I hope the teacher's nice." She said. "Well, you won't have to worry about that, kiddo. The 3rd grade teacher at Thomas Edison Elementary is Aunt Jeanette." Conner said. "Awesome! Aunt Jeanette's so smart!" Brittany said. "But in class, you have to call her Mrs. Seville." Noah reminded his daughter.
An hour later, the kids were getting out of the car and approaching the school. "Have fun and learn, kids! I'll be back at 3!" Noah called. The kids waved as Conner showed Brittany around the school. When he got home, Annabeth was about to leave for her job as the Irish History Professor at UCLA. "Kids safe at school?" She asked. "Yeah. Brittany was so excited. Conner showed her around, bless the lad's heart." Noah said. Annabeth kissed Noah's cheek. "He takes after you, ya know." She said, getting in her car. As she drove away, Noah heaved a sigh. "Is that a blessing or a curse?" He asked.
At about noon, Noah was sitting in front of the TV, eating a bowl of Lactose-Free strawberry ice cream when the phone rang. "Dammit, I just it comfortable." He grumbled. He walked over and picked up the phone. "Seville Residence. Noah speaking." He said. "Hey, Noah, it's Alvin." The voice on the other end said. "Hold up, Al. You callin' as my brother or as my kids' principal?" Noah asked his older brother. Alvin Seville, a sort of rebel in his youth, went on to be the principal of the school he terrorized as a kid. He took the job very seriously. "As a principal, I'm afraid, little bro. Conner's in here after... Well , get over here and we'll talk." Alvin said. Then he hung up.
Noah practically raced to the school, parked, then walked into the principal's office, sitting next to his son. He looked down and noticed Conner's left eye was black and his glasses were shattered. "Conner, tell your father what happened." Alvin said. "And you'd better not lie to me, Simon Conner Seville Jr." Noah said. Conner winced as he heard the rare use of his full name. "At lunch, as I my friends and I walked past the playground, I saw kids hassling Brittany. I ran over to defend her. The main bully, some jerk named Fred Sears actually pulled Brittany off of her wheelchair and threw her to the ground. I got really pissed so I started to wail on him. That's how I got this." He said, pointing to his black eye. "Brittany was taken to the Nurse's office by her friends. She's in her class right now. But you might want to talk to her later. She seemed pretty shaken up." Alvin said.
Noah grew angry, angrier than he'd been in 11 years. Some... brat hurt his little girl and punched his son. That's when, for the first time in 11 years, his power ring sparked to life. Alvin was surprised to see the green flame of willpower appear in his brother's eyes after 11 years, but he smiled. "I can see you're mad, bro. I don't blame you. In fact," Alvin pressed the button on the intercom. "Fred Sears, to the principal's office." He said. " Is that a smart move, Al? At the rate my anger's rising, that kid'll be mincemeat when he gets here." Noah said through clenched teeth. Then the door opened and Fred walked in. Seeing Conner, he smirked, ready to make up a lie. But then Noah stood up and faced Fred. The color drained out of Fred's face. "You...you...you're Noah Seville, the Green Lantern." He stuttered. "He's also my dad, Sears."Conner said,smiling. Fred fell to the ground, groveling. "Oh, Green Lantern, I had no idea! If I had known they were your kids, I'd've never..." Before he could finish, Noah picked him up by his collar and slammed him against the wall. "Listen close you little scum, if you EVER even go near my children, if you ever mouth off to my sister-in-law, or heaven forbid I catch you even looking at my kids when walking down my street, I'm gonna stick my ring where the sun don't shine!" He threatened. Then he dropped Fred and left.
Later, Noah walked up to Brittany's room to talk to her. He knocked on her door. "Come in." Came Brittany's voice from the other side. Noah opened the door. Brittany was sitting on her bed, reading a book. "Hey, sweetheart. I heard about what happened at school. You okay?" Noah asked. "Dad, I'm not stupid. Conner told me what you did. Thanks, by the way." She said. Noah could see Brittany was trying hard not to cry. She was more bothered that she was letting on. He sat on her bed and set her on his lap. "Brittany, tell me what's wrong. I'm you father. It's my job to make you feel batter." He said.
Brittany burst into tears. Noah wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Let it out, baby. Daddy's here." He said. "Why, Dad? Why am I crippled? Why did God curse me like this?" Brittany sobbed. Noah, a devout Catholic, looked at his daughter in shock. "Brittany Ann, why would you say such a thing? God made you this way not to spite you, but to teach you! Sure, he took away your mobility, but think of the gifts he gave you. You sing like an angel, you're smarter than I was at your age, and you know everything there is to know about the History of Ireland! Why do you think your mother comes to you when she needs help checking her students' homework?" He asked. Brittany thought about what her dad said. "Yeah, I guess your right, Dad." She said. "Look Brit, it doesn't matter that you're disabled to me, your mother, your brother, or to the rest of the family. We love you very much. God made you this way for a reason. It's your mission to find out that reason." Noah said. Brittany smiled and hugged Noah. "Thanks, Dad. I love you." She said. Noah smiled and hugged Brittany back. "Love you too, my Irish Rose." He said.