Matthew Thaddeus Banner
A thirteen-year-old brunette boy lay across a sofa reading a fat book intently. He had shaggy brown hair and green eyes. From somewhere in the kitchen, his sister's voice exclaimed, "Oh, not again! Matt, can you come help me, please?"
Matt rolled his eyes and sighed, leaving his book open on the couch. He headed to the kitchen where his ginger-haired sister was covered in flour. On the island in front of her was a bowl with ingredients inside for bread. Matt couldn't help but smile. "You know you can just ask for help or get a chair." he laughed, blowing flour off his sister's face. She scrunched up her pixie features and coughed as the flour clouded up again.
"I was just pulling it down and it slipped, and the top came off. And then, well, this." she complained. Matt smirked, walking over to the pantry to get a broom
"Try to get as much off your clothes as you can, then go shower," Matt told her, kneeling to the ground to sweep up the flour on the floor. The twelve-year-old girl sat beside him to scoop up flour with her hands. She frowned and her green eyes pouted that she had dropped the flour. Again. "Hey, at least there wasn't as much flour in the container this time." Matt said. "Besides, we still have some bread left anyway."
The girl sighed and sat back against the cupboards. "Why can't I do anything right like you?" she muttered. Matt set down the broom and sat beside her.
"What's that supposed to mean, Jen?"
The girl sighed again. "You can't do anything wrong. You're smart, like Daddy, and you can control the thing better, and you're good at puzzles and baking like Mom. I can't even make one loaf of bread without messing up somehow. Last time, I forgot the butter. The time before that I dropped the eggs. Then there was the flour. Then the oven fire, then th-"
"Jenny, stop. Just because a few times baking go wrong doesn't mean you're bad at it. Look, you're just a little clumsy is all. That's no big deal, it happens to everybody."
"Not you." Jenny grumbled.
Matt rolled his eyes. "Did you see the other day when I dropped Dad's chemistry experiment on Egypt?" Egypt the now mangy pink cat mewled miserably from the next room as if to prove Matt's point.
Jenny smiled. "Yeah, that was really funny."
"Or the time I slipped down the stairs even though there was nothing to trip on?"
Jenny giggled. "And you landed in Mom's work files. The paper went everywhere."
Matt nodded. "See? You are not the only clumsy one here."
"Yeah. But I managed to shock myself on cotton candy."
"I dropped a glass vase when Mom stepped up the stairs."
"I broke my piggy bank when I used a pencil to pull out a penny."
"You didn't fall in the public outdoor pool - with your clothes on - when a squirrel scared you."
By the time the kids' father came up the stairs, the two were breaking down in giggles on the flour covered floor, tossing white powder at each other. The man could only stand in the doorway while he watched, until a stray handful of flour landed all over his nice dress shirt. "Matthew, Jenny, what are you two doing?" he asked, his voice calm, yet forceful.
The two looked up quick. "Sorry!" they said at once.
"Umm, I spilled the flour while making bread-"
"Which was a total accident. Not her fault."
"And Matt came to help me-"
"Because I love my sister to pieces-"
"And we were talking and-"
The two erupted into laughter again. And again, their father could only watch and wait while his children calmed down again.
"Sorry, Dad." Matt said at last, standing and brushing flour from his clothes. "We'll get cleaning again." He picked up the broom.
"Yeah, I'm sorry for making the mess in the first place, Dad." Jenny said standing up as well.
Mr. Banner dusted flour off his shirt. "That's fine as long as one of you cleans my shirt." he said smiling. "Now, maybe when you aren't laughing crazy, you can tell me what happened in English." He turned to go change, then turned back. "Wait, what day is it today?"
"Monday." said Jenny.
"March 24th." Matt said. "4:39 p.m." he added, glancing at the clock. His father's jaw dropped.
"Shoot! Oh, for heaven's sake... how could I forget- Aww, Betty is going to kill me." he bolted off down the hall.
Jenny giggled as she pulled a washcloth from the sink and wiping down Matt's swept floor.
"What's today?" Matt asked curiously.
"You don't know? Of all the things you could possibly forget!" Jenny laughed again. "It's their anniversary, silly!"
There was a ring at the doorbell. The two looked towards the hall. "You get it!" They shouted at the same time. "No, you get it."
"You're better at answering the door." Matt said.
"But you're less dirty!" Jenny retorted.
Matt sighed, tossed his broom at Jenny and ran to the door. Brushing off as much flour as he could, he opened the door. Behind it was a tall brunette woman in all black. "Hello, Mr. Banner. Is your father home?"
"Hi. Umm, who are you?" Matt replied, rather impolitely.
"My name is Director Maria Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D. I need to see your father as soon as possible." she said in an urgent tone.
Matt looked at her for a minute. "Umm, please hold on a second. I have to get him."
Matt closed the door and ran for his father's bedroom, knocking on the door. "Dad, there's a woman here to see you! She says her name is Maria Hill of shield? She says its urgent."
The room was silent for a moment. Then the door opened and Matt's dad walked past his son freshly showered, hair wild, and wearing dress pants and an untucked white shirt.
He walked brusquely to the entry room. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him. Matt headed back for the kitchen where Jenny had made a considerable amount of progress on the flour. "Who was it?" she asked curiously, dumping another sweep tray of flour into the garbage.
Matt shrugged and wiped off the counter. "Just some woman asking to see Dad."
"Oh." Jenny said simply. The two quietly finished cleaning and Jenny left for the shower. Matt went back to the living room and picked up his book. He was about to head back to his room to change when his dad walked back in. He had a grim expression.
"Matt, I need you to start something for supper for you and Jenny. Mom and I are going out tonight, and then I'm going to have to leave in the morning on a business trip." He looked to Matt. "I'm going to be gone for a while, I don't know how long. Tell your sister where I am, okay?"
"We don't get to say goodbye tomorrow morning?"
Matt's father shook his head. "I'm sorry, Buddy. I have to leave as soon as I can." Matt stepped closer and gave him a hug. "Take care of our girls for us, okay?"
Matt nodded. "Love you, Dad. Have fun, bye."
The man smiled and kissed his son's forehead. "I love you too, Matthew. Take care."
Then the man rushed off to his room and by the time Matt had thrown a homemade pizza in the oven, his dad was gone.
Jenny Grace Banner
A fifteen-year-old ginger-head girl pounded out dough on the counter of the kitchen. She sprinkled more flour on it as she rolled it out again. She had blues music playing through her headphones, and she hummed along to its sad, sweet melody. She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, letting all of her anger out on the ball of dough before her. She balled it up one more time then let it sit along with four other balls further up on the counter. Finding a good way to let off steam was a vital skill in her family.
She spun around and pulled out two trays which had small, soft loaves of cinnamon bread steaming on top. She placed these on a potholder, then washed her hands, pulled off her apron, and headed to the basement where her mother worked on her computer, and next to her mom's desk, was Jenny's older brother.
He was curled up in the far corner with a few piles of books around him, reading a textbook called, College Physics, Second Year.
"Hi, Mom." Jenny greeted her mother who looked up from her screen and smiled.
"Hi baby girl. What are you making up there that smells so good?" she asked.
Jenny shrugged. "It a secret." she said, pulling out her earbuds and stuffing them in her pocket. "A surprise for Matt. And you, of course."
"Oh, of course. Your grandmother is in on it too, I suppose." her mother whispered. She turned back to her work.
Jenny continued over to the corner. Matt also had his headphones in, and he didn't even notice when Jenny pulled them out. "Hey. How's it going? I haven't seen you in days, so you must've gone somewhere." Matt looked up and reluctantly closed his book.
"Sorry," he muttered. "Just, trying to get ahead for school."
Jenny sighed in her head. "But you're already in college. Plus, its spring break! You're supposed to relax forget school."
Matt frowned. "Well, maybe that's how everyone else does spring break, but I don't do it that way."
Jenny tried to hide her hurt. "Could you at least come do something with me today? It's your birthday, Matt. Please, just for one day?"
Matt looked into her green eyes. He smiled. "Sure," he said. "Where are you taking me?" he put down his book and stood up.
Jenny smiled too. She jumped up and gave him a hug. "How about a movie, then lunch with Mom and Grandma, then we can go for a walk - it's a beautiful day you know - then we can go to the art museum for a while. It's been forever since we've gone there together. Then we come home for supper."
Matt sighed dramatically. "Oh, I should've known. You're set on getting me away from my studies as much as you can."
"Even more than that." Jenny said and pulled him across the room. "Mom! Matt and I are going to a movie. Grandma will fill you in on the rest when she gets back from the store! Love you!"
Then the two disappeared up the stairs. Matt barely had time to pull on clothes, a jacket, and shoes before Jenny excitedly rushed him out the door.
"Who's driving?" Matt asked as they walked down the driveway.
"We're walking. Its a beautiful day, and the theater isn't that far away." Jenny replied, though she could feel her brother's scowl from behind.
"I'm afraid it will be a while longer than you think." said a voice from behind the two. They turned around quickly to see the brown-haired woman step out onto the walkway. "Its good to see you two again." she said with genuine gladness. A little, anyway. "I'd like to ask you something."
Matt stepped in front of Jenny. "What do you want. The last time you showed up, our dad disappeared. Who are you?"
The woman sighed. She took a seat on the front steps. "I told you, Matthew. My name is Director Maria Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D., a government organization. I- I'd like to see you two help to find your father."
Neither Jenny or her brother knew how to answer, so the woman continued. "As you know, you're father was a member of the Avengers. And as you know, he has gone missing. And so have all of the other Avengers. I'm putting together another team to find the Avengers and bring them home. Then, take down the enemy." She searched their faces.
Matt still stared at her, not quite sure how to take it. But Jenny spoke up. "What do you mean, bring home the Avengers? You mean... get our father back?"
Director Hill nodded. "And there are several other children who wish to have their parents back too."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait. You mean the other Avenger had kids? I guess that never really occurred to me that those people Dad told us about would get married and stuff." Then he paled. "And all of those people have been captured?"
Hill nodded again. Her features took on a thousand years as she looked at Jenny and Matt. "They're all gone. That's why we need you to help us. To help the others too. Will you come with us?"
Silence. Jenny and Matt looked at each other for a moment. "Yes." Matt said at last. "We'll do what we can. But first," he added with a meaningful smile to Jenny. "If you don't mind, Director. Today is my birthday, and my sister and I have plans."