*talking really fast* Okay: So it was brought to my attention that the first chapter of the story was replaced by the first chapter from Dream Busted, still don't know how that happened, I guess I must have selected the wrong document, but I went and fixed the issue as soon as I saw. Special thanks to LabGirl2001 and IlvNGTNSBFWFIYMHDisNickGirl for letting me know. :) :) On with the story!
Henry has been positive that he was going to have trouble getting up for school that morning, but it turns out that rolling out of your bed and hitting the floor wakes you up pretty fast.
Crazy, right?
Anyway, Henry still had a few minutes before his alarm was supposed to wake him up, but since sleep was obviously a lost cause, he decided to just turn off the alarm and start getting ready.
But then his watch started beeping. Go figure. He slid it off his wrist and onto his "second floor" and picked up a shoe.
"What is Jeff doing this time, Ray?" That was how Henry greeted his boss that morning.
"I wish I could tell you, Kid. We've got a problem."
Henry abandoned his effort of trying to untie his knotted shoelaces, suddenly a little more awake and a lot more alert. "Why? What happened?"
"Jeff is gone. The cops found a big hole in his cell, like, five minutes ago. They just called and asked us to come check it out."
"Ray, I can't. I've got school." The alarm clock started beeping. Henry threw his shoe at it and it stopped. The shoe- his left one- bounced back and landed in front of his door. "I'd love to skip and help you, but I can't without my parents finding out."
"Which is why I called you. What time do you have lunch?"
"Uh, 11:50 to 12:35… ish. Why?"
"Okay, hold on." Ray hung up. Puzzled, Henry closed his watch and went to retrieve his shoe.
It was rather unfortunate timing that Piper barged in right as he was bending down to pick it up.
"Ow!" Hyper Motility notwithstanding, the door slammed right onto his head, in the same place a suitcase had hit him once. "Piper!"
Grasping his head, Henry looked up at his little sister. Even though it was barely seven A.M., she was fully dressed and looked ready to leave. (How does she do that?) She was also looking down at him very impatiently.
"Piper, what the butt?" Henry slowly but surely straightened up, still clutching his head. "What was that for?"
"Where's my selfie stick?" How is it Piper can ask a simple question and still sound so demanding? Not to mention threatening.
"I don't have your-" Henry stopped short. Well shoot. He did have Piper's selfie stick.
Confused? A few days ago, Charlotte was trying to get into Henry's room because she was trying to get her backpack, with had been left in there from that evening. The hiccup: it was the middle of the night because Henry had just gotten home from a mission that Charlotte was with him on. Meaning, in the Man Van, but anyway, Charlotte's backpack was in Henry's room from a brief study session that was cut off by Ray, and she couldn't go through the front door because Piper and a few girlfriends were having a sleepover down there. So, Henry "borrowed" Piper's selfie stick from her room to lower the backpack down to her. (Amazing now that stick was even strong enough- it's certainly a multipurpose tool.) Normally, Charlotte would've just climbed up the tree, but the first branch that they use had snapped under Henry's feet as he climbed, and she was too short to reach the next one.
Long story short, Henry had Piper's selfie stick.
"Aha!" Piper pointed to Henry's "second floor" where the stick was resting. "I knew it!" She retrieved it and started for the hallway, knocking Henry's watch over as she did so. Not to mention kicking his school bag.
"Watch it!" He bent over and picked the watch up up, keeping one hand on his head. "Why do you want that thing, anyway? I can't remember the last time you used it!"
"Because Jasper came over and is asking for you, and it's annoying me, so I'm going to break his nose again!"
"What?" Without thinking, Henry dropped the watch and reached over, grabbed the stick, throwing it over and out the window- way to quickly. Fortunately, Piper didn't see how fast it happened, just that her beloved selfie stick was out the window.
"Henry!" Piper cast him an angry look and practically leaped out the window to get it back.
"Watch out for the broken branch," muttered Henry. He loved his sister, and all, but he couldn't help smiling as he heard her hit the ground. (Don't worry, she was just fine, physically, even if she did yell "I am NOT OKAY!")
Henry finally pried his hand from his head. It still hurt a little, but there wasn't any blood. He ran downstairs to meet Jasper.
"Henry!" Henry almost fell down the stairs in surprise, having not expected to hear Jasper near-screaming his name.
"Jasper, it's not even 7:15 in the morning, what is it? And make it quick, Piper wants to break your nose again."
Unfazed by that last part, Jasper immediately started rambling. "What happened last night? Who was there? Did anyone get hurt?" In spite of working for/with them, Jasper sometimes got a little hyper excited with Captain Man and Kid Danger. "Where was it? Was there fighting involved? Where's your watch?"
Henry looked down. "Crap, I must've left it upstairs." He started running again. Jasper followed with an "I'll come with you!"
Neither of them had expected to find Piper in there, holding Henry's beeping Wiz-Watch.
"Piper?!" A string of swear words coursing through his head, Henry reached for the watch, and she dodged. "Gimme that back!"
Piper (who, by the way, had found an alternate tree branch that hadn't been visible in the dark) ignored his request. "How do you make it stop beeping?" She inspected it from all angles.
Henry had to focus all his mental energy on not using his superpower when snatching it back. He held it behind his back and silenced it, ready to protect it from his crazy sister.
But there was no need, because Piper finally noticed Jasper and grabbed her selfie stick from behind her.
Luckily, Henry was able to grab and hold her long enough for him to run far enough away. Letting out a frustrated groan, she stomped out of Henry's room and slammed her door.
Welcome to the Hart House.
Henry looked at his watch, which he had dropped while controlling Piper. It was still closed, so Piper probably hadn't opened it. The watch started beeping again.
"I'll explain what happened later," said Henry as he set it down again. "So?"
"What? Oh, right, okay, so as soon as you get to lunch, sneak out so you can go with me to inspect Jeff's cell. I said that we would be there at noon."
"How?"
"We're taking the Man Van."
"No, I mean how I am supposed to sneak out?"
"Oh. Yeah. Schwoz was looking at a map of your school, you can slip out through the auditorium."
"I also hacked into the school's database and found that no teachers or anyone would be around that area at that time, so you have a small window to get out," called a voice that Henry couldn't see. (It was Schwoz, obviously. He also called "It's me, Schwoz, from work!")
Henry nodded. "Okay, so what about getting back in?"
"I checked on that, too." In the Man Cave, Schwoz stepped into the camera range, waving enthusiastically. "They won't be around at the very end of your lunch period, either. So you're good!"
"Yeah, okay, do I get to eat lunch?"
"We'll bring you something from the Man Cave," said Ray. "Now go get ready, don't need teachers on your case for being late."
"Yeah." Henry flipped the watch watch closed and slipped it back on. He glanced at his alarm clock and over at his backpack, which, in all the action, got knocked over and everything spilled out of it, including a water bottle that was leaking. He was definitely going to run late.
Welcome to Henry's life.
*consulting list* Okay, chapter fiasco explanation, check.
Also, special thanks to PicassoPeinguin for the first review. :)
Ciao, and Happy Reading!