Liam O'Donnell - South Boston
Sixteen year old Liam O'Donnell hurried out of his apartment, his mother and father hurrying along in front of him. He had just brushed his shaggy, jet black hair, and his blue eyes were now focusing on his fingernails. "C'mon son, if you don't hurry we're going to be late." Derrick O'Donnell said as he and his wife, Carol, lead the way around the building to the car. "I really don't want to be the last ones their this year."
Liam moaned. "Dad, why do I have to go? I'm sixteen! You've let me stay home when you guys go to New York! Why do you insist on bringing me to these lame get-togethers you guys have when they're only a little while away?"
"Because," Carol said, opening the passenger seat door, "it's important for you to get to know these kids. Besides, you told me you liked going to these things."
"I did until the last one. But now, everyone else wishes they were somewhere else, except for me and Jules. Have you ever tried talking to Jules alone? She's the biggest gossip monger I've ever seen!"
Derrick laughed. "C'mon Liam, she can't be that bad…"
Julie Boleyn - Beacon Hill, Boston
"OMG, NO WAY!" Jules yelled into her cell phone as she sat merrily on her bed, her phone bill rising by the minute, and her brown ponytail flowing with every bounce of excitement she gave. Only fourteen, she was quite the gossip hound. "HE DID NOT! Oh WOW!"
Timothy and Tabitha Boleyn knocked loudly on her door. "JULES! How many times do we have to say it. No talking on your cell phone while your IN THE HOUSE!" Timothy yelled.
"But Daddy," Julie said, still not opening the door. "This is a private conversation, and you the ones who won't let me have my own phone!"
"Cuz if we did, she'd never leave that room," Timothy whispered, causing his wife to giggle. "Honey c'mon, we have to get ready to go, anyways. Don't you remember what tonight is?"
"Oh, yeah!" Julie said, hanging up her phone with a quick farewell. "Cool, I can't wait to see the others, especially Liam…"
"Well, I'm sure they're just as excited to see you too, honey."
Laura Mavericks - North End, Boston
"I'M NOT GOING!"
Laura stood defiantly in front of her parents, her arms crossed. She had shoulder length, dark brown hair and a pair of torn jeans on, and a Nirvana T-shirt. Heavily into rock, Laura was a very independent person who highly disliked the government, especially since the Superhero Registration Act. Therefore, being forced to attend a meeting she was in every way old enough to skip frustrated her beyond belief. "I'm sixteen years old, God Dammit, and I absolutely refuse to be dragged along like a baby. Besides, most of those guys are so stuck up, Liam and Johnny are the only relatively normal people their."
Gregory and Jane Mavericks stared at their daughters pleading blue eyes. "We go through this argument every year, Laura, and it's always the same answer. It's important to spend time with these kids. Besides, you can talk about your problems with these kids without judgment.
"You think I have problems?" she said, offended.
"No offense, Dear," Jane added, "but I know you have problems if you think Johnny is normal."
Johnny Cain - En route from Mission Hill, Boston
"YOU PUT WOOD GLUE ON THE TOLIET SEATS?!"
Jackson and Denise Cain sat in the front of their car, scolding their son. He ran a hand nervously through his spiky blonde hair, his emerald eyes staring at his own shoes. "Only the ones in the locker rooms. And with all the strain they used to get unstuck, they might be a step closer to getting those sticks out of their a-"
"JONATHAN!"
"TALK LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF YOUR MOTHER AGAIN, AND I SWEAR I'LL TURN THIS CAR AROUND!"
"Good!" Johnny said defiantly.
"And I'll leave you at Ms. Sherman's."
Johnny gulped. "Point taken."
"Now," his father said slowly, trying not to yell. "You need to start maturing, Johnny. These pranks are ridiculous. Hiding eggs in the teachers lounge, putting cameras in the girls locker rooms, stealing the janitor's toupee'! You're sixteen, Johnny, start acting like it."
"Age is a man made creation, Dad."
"No, age is age. How do you plan to make it in the real world when you never act your age?"
"I guess I won't make it, but then again, who really does?"
Marcus Fineman - West Side, Boston
"First football practice of the season, and I have to miss it to go hang out with your white friends and their dorky kids." Marcus groaned as he, Jack, and Lynn Fineman pulled out of their driveway. He had his black letterman jacket on, and kept checking his watch, wondering what drills the team would currently be doing.
"It's one practice, son." Lynn said gently. "There'll be others."
"Mom, I'm seventeen, and, let's face it, my report card sucks! Now is the time to focus on scholarships! Ahh!" He shook his head angrily, grabbing at his short black hair. "Plus, the traffic's horrible."
"Can't argue their," Jack sighed as they encountered a pile up.
Sarah Mitchell - Back Bay, Boston
Sarah sat on her bed, righting ideas for the freshman formal on her notepad. Being class president stressed her out a bit now and again, especially with the added pressure of being on the French club, Chess club, and captaining the Math team. As she began pondering the food, she heard a knock on her door. "Hon, I hope your ready," came her Mother's voice. "Our guests will arrive shortly."
"Almost done Mom," she called back, abandoning the notepad and turning to her mirror. She pulled her bright blonde hair into a pony tail, and put a bit of eye liner on. She was told she didn't need much, as her bright blue eyes, "spoke for themselves."
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, the doorbell rang. "I got it!" Her mom, Barbra, called as she ran to the door, and opened it.
"Barbra!"
"Carol!" Barbra yelled back, and the two women embraced giddily. Mr. Mitchell, Sarah's father, strode out of his office and shook hands with Mr. O'Donnell. "Derrick."
"Hank." Mr. O'Donnell nodded in return.
Sarah smiled and waved to both of them, shrugging off the compliments of how tall she had gotten and how lovely her hair was. "Oh, now where is that son of ours. Liam!" She called out the still open front door.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Liam groaned tiredly as he entered, closing the door behind him. "Hey, Sarah."
"Are we the first here?" Mr. O'Donnell asked, shocked. The Mitchell's nodded.
"Yes! I knew we were making great time!" he cried merrily, and all the adults laughed.
"Why don't you kids go up to Sarah's room while we get the food laid out?"
The kids nodded and walked upstairs.
"So, you're parents are pretty easy going, huh? Just letting you bring a boy up to your room?" Liam inquired.
"Nah, they just know I could kick your ass. If it was Marcus, on the other hand, that'd be a totally different story."
"Well, he is a big guy." Liam plopped down onto Sarah's computer chair. "So, I haven't seen you since…geez, six months ago was March."
"Duh. It's every six months, on the dot. I just wished tonight was the one where they leave us alone in the house instead of that one being last time."
"Yeah, where do you think they go during those ones?" Liam asked curiously. Sarah shrugged.
"Hey, knock, knock." came a voice from the hall, and Johnny kicked the door open. "What's up?"
"Johnny!" Sarah cried, jumping up from the bed. "Your damn combat boots better not have gotten my door dirty!" She grabbed a bottle of spray cleaner and began examining the door.
"Hey, I like these boots. They make me feel cool."
"Well, they make you look like G.I. Joe." she muttered.
"What's up, man?" Johnny asked, giving Liam a high five. The two were alike in many ways when it came to their interests, and they were pretty close compared to everyone else.
"KIDS! COME DOWN AND SEE EVERYONE!"
"Damn," Johnny muttered, heading for the door. Liam groaned at the thought of listening to the latest chapter of Junior High gossip from Julie, and Sarah cringed at having to tolerate…her.
The families all exchanged greeting and small talk for awhile, lounging around the front hall of the Mitchell's townhouse, until Laura's father finally stepped up. "Well kids, we all know how well equipped the basement is for you guys, and I'm afraid us adults need to get down to business. We'll see all of you guys afterwards."
"Be good," Mr. Cain said, shooting Johnny a warning look.
"Sooooooo," Johnny started, stretching out on one of the two sofas that sat in the basement. He was next to Julie and Sarah, while Laura, Liam, and Marcus sat across from them on the second couch.
"How's high school treating you?" Julie asked, turning to Sarah. "Freshman year must be awesome!"
"Not really, it's actually pretty busy."
"That's what happens when you join thirty committees," Laura whispered to herself and Liam snorted. He caught her eye, and too his surprise, she smiled.
"Look," Marcus sat up. "We're here and we can't change it. Why ruin everything about tonight? Let's just all relax."
"Goliath's right," Johnny said, nodding to Marcus. "Everyone be cool. Now, where do your parents keep the jack?" Johnny asked, running over to the cabinets.
"Here we go again," Sarah sighed. "I told you, John, my parents don't drink."
"That's what they want you to think!" he cried, determined. "Just let me work, alright? Here," he pulled a little remote out of the cabinet. "Watch TV!"
He tossed the remote to Liam, who shrugged and pointed it at the television. "Wait," Sarah said, a look of curiosity on her face. "That's not our remote."
Liam hit the button, and with a loud bang, the wall next to the TV opened up, with what looked like an elevator standing open in front of them.
"Holy crap!" Sarah cried as everyone stood up.
"No frickin way!" Johnny yelled merrily. "You're parents are totally secret agents!"
"Where does it go?" Marcus asked, tapping the doorway. Liam cautiously walked over and joined him, the two giving the elevator a quick once over.
"I say we try it." Laura said.
"Are you insane?" Sarah cried. "We don't know were this goes? Haven't you guys seen Charlie and the Chocolate factory?"
"Hey, if you're telling me that thing will take us to a candy factory, I'm even more pumped to give it a test drive," Liam said, still looking over the doorframe.
"No, Sarah's right. This could be unstable or….or defective. We should close it back up and forget about it." Marcus went to snag the remote, but Johnny got too it first.
"Ease up their, Andre." Johnny smirked. "Maybe you're afraid of going down the rabbit hole, but that doesn't mean the rest of us don't want to see Wonderland."
"I'm going," Laura said pointedly. "Liam, you in?"
"Me?" Liam said, surprised. Laura didn't talk to anyone at these things much, except for when she argued with Sarah. To all of a sudden be getting attention from her through Liam a bit off balance. "Yeah, totally. This is the most interesting thing that's ever happened at one of our parents little cocktail parties."
"Cool," Laura smiled. "Johnny?"
"Hell, yeah. Who knows, maybe theirs some beer on the other side of this thing."
"I'm coming too," Julie added, joining the other three in the elevator. "I feel like James Bond."
Johnny tossed Marcus the remote as the doors slid closed. Laura waved. "Have fun talking about pep rallies and Homecoming."
The doors were about to close, when Marcus's large form slid in, nearly crushing the others, Sarah coming in after him. "I'm so gonna regret this." she said, and with a lurch, the elevator started moving upward. "Anybody seen The Untouchables?" Johnny asked.
"Shut up, man." Liam cringed. "This is already weird enough."
"Afraid, O'Donnell?" Laura smirked.
The doors opened, and the kids stepped into a room with a large glass window. "A little now, yeah."
For through the window, their parents could be seen below sitting at a round table, wearing all different clothes. Liam's were in lab coats, and had different vials strapped to different parts of their bodies. Johnny's, too, had lab coats, only theirs were equipped with different gadgets and gizmos. The Boleyn's were dressed in red, almost tribal clothes that Liam remembered seeing at a pro-mutant activation presentation. The Mitchell's had black, hooded cloaks on, that were covered in ancient looking symbols while the Fineman's had on rather odd looking, metallic space suits. Laura's parents, however, were dressed just as they had been before, in regular business clothes.
"So," Mr. O'Donnell seemed to continue, never looking up at the window. It must have been a two way. "Now that the Mitchells have concluded their report on Mephisto's realm, would the Mavericks kindly take the floor?"
"Mgh deals are up as normal. However, still not technically on the inside of the city, thank God. We're making sure that the dealer's are friends, and that every sorry fool that wants to be a superhero best drag his/her ass up to New York." Mr. Mavericks said confidently.
"Excellent!" Mr. O'Donnell continued. "Well, we have successfully received funding from Mr. Fisk's associates due to our selling him six vials of our Tissue Regeneration Serum, and thanks to that, we can easily afford a few more officers'….cooperation."
"Mr. Fisk?" Johnny whispered. "He's the Kingpin of crime!"
"Isn't Mgh a drug?" Liam added.
"What did they mean by 'Mephisto's Realm'? Sarah asked nervously.
However, a loud shriek brought the group out of their first state of shock, and placed them right into their second one. Laura watched as her father, who was standing up, held a knife that was drenched in what looked like blood. And on the ground, her eyes empty and her stomach wounded, laying at Gregory Mavericks feet, was a young girl, only about eighteen or so, obviously dead.
"Now," he said calmly as he wiped the blood off of his dagger with a handkerchief. "Long live the Wrath."