Chapter One
There's a flash of light, and the girl sitting the chair couldn't be older than sixteen. Someone moves around the outskirt of the girl's light and she snaps her head around. She's panicking, breathing harshly, and there's a machine that is beeping fast.
She's gripping the chair's arms. "No, no, no!" She screams, eyes widening as the person outside her light moves in. "Ah, ah, ah," the man purrs. He cups her chin and brings her head upwards. "Powers," the man taps his finger against the side of his head.
The girl's screaming. She doesn't like it. But the man - the monster - loves it. It's a game to him; and he loves every second of it. He loves the girl's fear, and he loves the way she scrambles backwards when it's her turn to play.
He grabs her face, squishing her. "Powers!" He hisses as her screams cut off. He releases her after a moment before smiling. "Good job. Now," he says sitting in front of her crisscross. "Bring me the tablet." The girl's eyes fill with tears, but the man just smiles.
"If you do it, we'll let your brother go early."
He knows that she will do whatever he says - especially with her brother in the other room.
It's the boy that worries the woman. He's crazy, unpredictable, and smart. She sits in front of him, eyes narrowed in concentration. "You're blocking me," she hisses as he stares straight ahead with not a word.
"That's not smart, boy." She says. The boy says nothing, head staring upward, not looking at her. She sighs. "I'll tell you another story of the Thunder Twins." She says. The boy's eyes look down briefly before flashing back.
"That got your attention didn't it? Anyway, if you just answer me, then we'll even let your sister go early." The boy jerked slightly. "I promise," the woman lies through her teeth and the boy knows. But he relaxes and the woman's smile turns shark-like.
She closes her eyes, smile on her face, and the boy begins screaming.
Barb and Hank Thunderman are grateful for having three other children. They are. They swear it. But Billy, Nora, and Chloe see things differently. Two days per year, they hear their father crying. On the same two days.
March twenty-second and July sixteenth.
Their mother cries every day at night when she thinks that her children are asleep and can't hear her. And their three kids want to know why.
But they can't know.
Becuase Superhero League's Rule 3,456 states: None of the Thunderman children are allowed to know about their older siblings.
And how can they not follow the superhero rules?