I schlepped through the day's classes, then I went to the gym to shoot some hoops with Token and Clyde. In the dark I walked to the abandoned science building, looking up at the night sky; it takes me back to the night I left for school, two years ago. I was 18, Karen was 9.

That night, when mom and dad were cursing, fighting, and raising hell in general, I transformed into Mysterion and took Karen up to the roof of the trailer.

"Look at the sky, Karen. Look at all of these stars. Millions of them. They're beautiful, aren't they?"

She tilted her head up. "Yeah, but nighttime is scary. It's too dark."

I took her face in both my hands, and wiped her tears. "There are scary things in this world. It's okay to be afraid."

Sniff, sniff. "But Guardian Angel, you're never afraid. I want to be like you."

"Everyone faces their own monsters, Karen. You are strong. You can get through this. You will live your life, and you will be happy."

I pointed to the moon.

"I look at the sky at night to remind myself that even in darkness, there is beauty, and there is hope. Think about it. Even though each star is really far away, it shines with enough light that we can see it from Earth. And some day, you could go up into space and look at the stars close up. "

I take Karen's hand. "Just remember, I'm always here for you. Even if you can't see me."

She nuzzles her head onto my shoulder, and I wrap my cloak around her. She angles her head to face me, and says, "I love you, Guardian Angel." She closes her eyes and curls up into a ball, asleep.

That was the last time I'd ever see her alive. Six weeks later, I got a call from my mom. She was pretty drunk, but she managed to tell me what happened. Karen had been on her way home from school when she was abducted. The police…found her…three days later.

I entered a deep depression that I can only describe as being reminiscent of the atmosphere of the City of R'Lyeh. My sister, who I loved with all my heart, was taken from me. The monster that I carry inside me gained strength. The morning after Karen's funeral, I looked in the mirror to find that my irises had changed color from ice blue to an unnerving, inhuman yellow. I scraped together some money quickly for some blue contact lenses. No one can know that I am losing control.

The door to the basement of the science building was locked as usual. I checked my phone. 8:56pm. I can't be late for this meeting.

Footsteps behind me crunch in the snow.

"Yo, Kenny! Give us a hand and open the door, huh?" Kyle called out; he and Stan held a ton of pizza boxes.

"It's locked. "

Stan rolled his eyes. "Okay, hold these." Pushing the pizza boxes into my hands, he crouched slightly to examine the lock. He grinned. "This one'll be easy." He placed his right palm over the keyhole, the tumblers clicked and the door opened wide.

"Nice one, ya big tool," Kyle snickered.

"Why don't you stuff it, Flying Squirrel."

Each of us found a dark corner to suit up in, and we enter the Extreme Avengers' League Base (I know, it's always been Coon and Friends, but after the Coon was found to be behind both the 2008 stock market crash and the world Cheesy Poof shortage, it was a smart PR move to change the name.) Tupperware and Mosquito were waiting for us.

Tupperware pounded the gavel a little too hard, breaking both the tiny hammer and the table in half. "Guys. It's clear why we're having this meeting tonight. Listen, the Coon hasn't shown himself in a year. He's likely plotting something big. We need to start gathering as much intelligence as we can: where he might be, who he's talked to. Everything."

Mosquito broke in, "Why don't we just use satellite? His ass has got to be big enough we can see it from space by now."

Toolshed glared at him. His eyes narrowed, and Mosquito looked down at his half of the table. Tupperware gazed straight ahead for a second, then changed the subject.

"Human Kite? You have some information, right? "

The Kite levitated out of his seat and floated over to the 70-inch computer screen, touching and dragging icons with his fingers "Uh, right. Let's just review these arrest records…"

Snap. Fizz. The room plunged into darkness.