Chapter 3
Homework was pretty easy to deal with all things considered, only five of the problems really gave him any difficulty. Michael checked his homework over before he was satisfied and went to check Gabriel. "Hey, you need help?" he asked. Gabriel was on the fifteenth question. "Not really," Gabriel told him. Michael looked over his twin brother's shoulder and said, "You forgot to multiply by X." Gabriel tensed a little but followed Michael's advice. "Okay, now back off egghead, I can't think with you looking over my shoulder," Gabriel told him, and Michael left. He passed his sister who said, "Mike, can I go with you?" "Don't you have something else to do?" he asked.
"No, Ashley and Michelle are still busy with homework, Bobby's still grounded from that Silly String prank he pulled last week, and Matt's still has a cold," she told him. Michael scratched the back of his head at this, "Mom and Dad said I could go with you," Anna told him. Nuts, Michael thought. It wasn't that he hated his little sister or anything, but he wasn't sure what she'd do when they got to the Calloway Cabana. She had a lot of stories of his more embarrassing moments, like the time he almost blew up his own room when he was experimenting with his powers, or when he was twelve and lost control of his intangibility every time he saw a pretty girl.
"No stories," he told her. "Okay," Anna said, though he thought he saw something devious in her big purple eyes. Michael and Anna went Ghost, black rings flew up and down around them, turning Michael's hair black and eyes red as his skin turned green and his clothes were replaced with a black jumpsuit with white belt, boots, and gloves and black cape, while Anna's red hair black and her eyes green while her red dress, jean pants, and white shoes were replaced with a white shirt with black gloves, a grey belt, and black pants with white boots. They floated down to the living room where their Mom and Dad were laying on the couches relaxing after a long work day. "I'm taking Anna with me to the Calloway Cabana," Michael told them. "Okay, be back by six," their Mom told them, and the two of them flew off.
They soon arrived at a building that looked like an old red stage theater with 'Calloway Cabana' in large gold letters on it and posters of old Jazz musicians like Nat King Cole, Billie Holliday, and Cab Calloway himself. They went inside and spotted his friends at a table. On the large stage at the center of the café was a holographic projection of Louis Armstrong finishing You Rascal You. "Hey man, we got your malt while we waited for you," Cole said. "Thanks," Michael said and took a sip. "Can I get one?" Anna asked, looking around at the poster and Jazz memorabilia that adorned the walls. "Okay," Michael said and went to the counter and got a small chocolate malt shake for his sister. As soon as he got back to the table the holographic display had changed and was now showing Cab Calloway and his Orchestra started playing Minnie the Moocher.
Minnie the Moocher copyright owned by the Cab Calloway Estate
Now folks here's a story 'bout Minnie the Moocherrrr,
She was a lowdown hoochie coocherrr.
She was the roughest, TOUGHEST frail,
But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale.
"So, Anna, how's it been?" Alice asked. Anna took a sip of her malt shake and said, "Kind of boring ever since we left Amity Park." "Oh really," Cole said. "Uh, Anna, I don't think they need to hear about that," Michael said, but his friends overruled him.
Hideee Hideee Hideee Hiii!
(Orchestra) Hidee Hideee Hideee Hiii!
Hodee Hodee Hodee Hooo!
(Hodee Hodee Hodee Hooo!)
Hee dee hee dee hee dee hee!
A hidee hidee hidee hoo!
(A hidee hidee hidee hoo!)
"It was awesome, I finally got to fight ghosts and stuff, even saw Grandpa and Grandma team up against this one blob monster, they blasted it to goop in five seconds flat!" Anna said. "Sounds awesome, why have you never told us about it?" Lisa asked Michael. "Because Anna only got the easy stuff, she forgets that either Gabriel or I were there to watch her," Michael told them, "She was only allowed because it was that desperate."
She messed around with a bloke named Smokeeeyyy!
She loved him, but he was cokeeeyyy!
He took her down to Chinatown!
He showed her how to kick the Gong around!
Hideee Hideee Hideee Hiii!
(Hideee Hideee Hideee Hiii!)
WWWHHHOOOAAAHHH!
(WWWHHHOOOAAAHHH!)
Hee dee hee dee hee dee hee!
(Hee dee hee dee hee dee hee!)
A hidee hidee hidee hooo!
(A hidee hidee hidee hooo!)
Michael took a second before saying, "It was like a war zone, or the aftermath to those movies about giant robots. Buildings were in pieces, literally pieces of buildings on some of the roads still, all kinds of ghosts popping out of nowhere even more so than usual, and we were all the city had. The Foley's Fighters were devastated by the invasion and were needed to keep order with help from the Police and National Guard. I actually ran out of power while I was there, three times!"
Michael's friends stared at him wide eyed at that. Michael and Gabriel had the most ectoplasmic power of his entire family, not once had they ever run out before and turned Human in the middle of a fight. Michael then looked around and lifted his shirt to show a scar across his chest, "That happened the third time, I was in the middle of fighting a ghost that looked like a gladiator when he slashed me with his trident. I thought I was really dead then, until my cousin JJ showed up and pulled my butt out of the fire."
She had a dream about the King of Sweden!
He gave her things that she was needin'!
He gave her a home built of Gold and Steel!
A Diamond car with Platinum wheels!
Cole shook his head and said, "Michael, why didn't you tell us?" Michael took a minute to watch the hologram of Cab Calloway singing and dancing before saying, "I didn't want you guys to know. This was Phantom business; I wanted it to stay that way." "What's that supposed to mean?" Alice asked him. "Look, you guys know that my parent's are the only ones from their generation that have a job that's not about ghosts or fighting, exclusively. That's because Mom and Dad always thought of themselves as themselves first; and halfas second. Everyone else, they're ghost fighters or superheroes first and foremost, not individuals with lives that don't have to be about being superheroes. I didn't want to end up like Aunt Chloe, or Uncle Jack, or my cousins. I want to have my own…I don't know, Identity."
Hideee Hideee Hideee Hideee Hidee Hideee Hiii!
(Hideee Hideee Hideee Hideee Hideee Hideee Hiii!)
Hodeee Hodeee Hodeee Hodeee Hodeee Hooo!
(Hodeee Hodeee Hodeee Hodeee Hodeee Hooo!)
Scurlivou Scurlivou Scurlivou Rlivourlivu!
(Scurlivou Scurlivou Scurlivou Rlivourlivu!)
Brrrigy Brrrigy Brrrigy AI!
(Brrrigy Brrrigy Brrrigy AI)
"It's really that bad?" Alice asked. Anna then spoke up, "No one else can think of being anything other than a superhero, except JJ who wants to be like Aunt April and open a self defense school." The five of them didn't know what else to say, so they sat drinking their drinks and watching the hologram finish its song.
He gave her his townhouse and racing horses!
Each meal she ate was a dozen courses!
She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes!
She sat around and counted them all a million times!
Hideee Hideee Hideee Hiii!
(Hideee Hideee Hideee Hiii!)
Hooh whoa oh oh whoa!
(Hooh whoa oh oh whoa!)
Hideee HIII de Hiiiii!
(Hideee HIII de Hiiiii!)
Poor Min, Poor Min, Pooooorrrrr Miiiiiinnnnn!
Would you believe me if I told you that 'Minnie the Moocher' is about a prostitute that met a guy that got her hooked on cocaine? Yeah, Jazz was the hardcore rap of the 30's.