I sighed as I dragged the last box in from the moving van. If I wasn't who I was, I would have been so much more upset that I had just moved from the most perfect place in the world…..to Cleveland.
But I was who I was, so I was always on the lookout. All afternoon I hung out in the front yard or the backyard, no matter how many times my mom told me to unpack, or my sister wanted to go somewhere. All through dinner I kept glancing at the door and the window, hardly paying attention to my takeout Chinese. All the rest of the evening I was switching back and forth between iPod playlists, unpacking only the best things and watching my window.
By bedtime, my spirit had sunk. Nothing had happened so far. And I was so looking forward to it.
I changed into my pink nightgown with ripped lace at the neck. It used to look perfect- you know, before I actually started wearing it. I clicked my rope light into place and flipped it on. I had grown out of being afraid of the dark a few years back, but it was hard to stay up reading in pitch blackness. I rolled over onto my stomach and took out my book. The red light made the whole room seem on fire. I had been reading for a few hours and my eyes were just drooping shut when I heard a crash outside my window. There was purple smoke coming up.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" I screeched, slamming the bookmark into my book and racing, fast as I could, down the stairs and out the door.
"I told you we shouldn't let her drive!" Abby was saying, crawling away from the wreckage and dusting herself off. "Even if she did manage to defeat Father that easily!" She felt her head. "And where's Numbah 5's hat?"
"Oh, relax, wouldya?" Hoagie said, mildly surprised that Abby was the one who needed to relax. "It's not like she crashed into the treehouse!"
"Yea!" Wally said, standing up. "Just some cruddy family's backyard!"
"Well, it looks like we're just a few blocks away from the treehouse," said Nigel, who had already gotten up and was now pulling Kuki up. "We can walk the rest of the way."
"And we're right behind my house," added Hoagie. "And yours Abby." He nodded to the dark-skinned girl who was searching through the wreckage for her hat.
None of them were aware of me watching them. I spotted something bright red in the bushes. Abby's hat! This would be the perfect chance to meet them. I would just walk up to them, return the hat, and tell them I was a fan. Maybe something would happen.
"You looking for this?" I said, walking out of the shadows and holding up the hat, trying to sound casual, as if I rescued hero kids' hats all the time. As soon as I stepped out, I notised a change come over Hoagie and Wally. They were staring at me like I was an angel or something. I sighed and shook my head at that.
"Gimme it!" Abby said. I laughed and obliged. Her hat was one of the few things she ever lost her cool over. She plopped it back on her head.
"Who are you, teenager?" Nigel spat.
"Woah woah woah, slow, slow," I said. "I'm Heather, and I'm just twelve!" I laughed. Of course they would think I was thirteen. I was pretty tall, and pretty developed, breasts-and-curves-wise.
"Now, this isn't exactly how I wanted this to happen," I said, "and this isn't exactly how I wanted to look when it did," gesturing to my outfit, "but I am a huge fan of yours."
"Really?" Kuki squealed in her usual cheeriness.
"Really?" Nigel said, questioning.
"Really?" Abby echoed, surprised.
"Reall-" Hoagie started to say, but I cut him off. "OK I think enough people have said it!" I took a calming breath. "Yes, I am. A huge fan. Because I watch your show."
"Our show?"
"You don't know?" I asked, surprised. Usually people know if they're on TV. "I've been watching for awhile now! I've cheered you on from the sidelines during every battle, screamed 'just kiss already!' through every Wally-Kuki moment, and heard the word tyranny so many times I think my head's going to explode!" I said.
"OK, who exactly are you?" Nigel said.
I sighed, ready to launch into an explanation.