"Johnny, you promised me and Ben you were going to help with this, come on!"
Susan Storm yelled to her younger brother, who was glued to the television watching a cartoon.
"Ah Sis, would you cool it? I will be there as soon as this is over, you know how much I love Road Runner."
Sue sighed, then responded to her brother's comment.
"Honestly Johnny, you are seventeen years old. Don't you feel that you are a little old for this kind of entertainment?"
Without looking at his sister, Johnny replied.
"You're one to talk, always saying, "Now I don't want to miss Lassie Johnny!" every Sunday evening."
The slender blonde glared at her similar featured brother, then calmly, yet irately, walked from the den of their home's threshold, to the front of the television before Johnny. There, she instantly turned off the television, despite Johnny's pleads.
"Sis! There were only a couple of minutes left! Come on!"
"You are indeed going to come on, with me to help Ben and I set up for the surprise party we are giving Reed and Mary at their mansion tonight!"
Johnny got ready to protest, but then backed off, deciding that it was better to give in than to go through yet another argument with his elder sibling. In a period of five minutes, Sue and Johnny had exited their home, and were on their way to Sue's fiancé's mansion. There was silence between the two siblings, until Sue spoke up.
"I know you would understand this more than anyone else, but I feel that with this party, we are not only celebrating the completion of Reed's rocket, but you and I are celebrating the new lives we practically have led here for the last five years thanks to Reed."
She and Johnny had led the roughest of lives a few years ago, when they lived in Glenville, New York. Sue was only twelve when she met Reed there. He boarded in her and Johnny's aunt's house during his tenure at Empire State University. When Reed was able to take time off from his studies, he would play a game or two with Sue and her then seven-year-old brother. These moments Reed spent with the brother and sister fed Sue's small, but growing infatuation for him. She would never forget how much in tears she was when Reed left right after graduation to travel back to Central City, his hometown since birth. Sue deep down knew that Reed was a bit old for her, but she felt through those times he spent with her and Johnny that there was something about him that reached out to her. Something about how kind and considerate he was towards them, despite her cranky aunt telling him to leave the siblings alone. But, because of her being at such a tender, young age, Sue was able to forget about Reed for the time being. Until one day, when she was seventeen years old, and her aunt had reached the apex in her cruelty towards Sue and Johnny. Still feeling that they were not old enough to take care of themselves for a few hours, the Storms' aunt called upon a strange man whom Sue and Johnny had never met, but supposedly was a good friend of their aunts'. While their aunt prepared to leave the home for that evening, Sue was cleaning up around the kitchen, and spotted an interesting piece of paper on the counter. She gasped as she read the clip. It was an advertisement cut out from the newspaper for a sleazy babysitting agency in nearby New York City. Sue had heard plenty of stories telling about the people who came from those agencies. Among those stories were tales of the majority of the babysitters being rapers and psychopaths. With the knowledge of their sitter being a man, plus being fed up over their aunt's ignorance of her and Johnny's independence, Sue made the decision for her and her brother to run away. But where would they run to? Almost instantly, Sue thought back to what Reed told them about Central City. About how despite the fact that "city" was in the name, it was a pleasant town, and how at times he missed that very place. But most of all, she thought about the chance of being able to see the one she fell in love with again. Sue and Johnny escaped their home that night with the luggage they could carry, and within the course of a month, made it to the place in the middle of California Reed said was so nice. Ever since, life had been a breeze for the Storms. Sue got up with Reed one day, and after explaining her and Johnny's past and current situations, he accepted them in his life as friends with opened arms. Thanks to a good sum of money Reed gave them, the siblings were able to buy a home of their own. And also thanks to his influencing her to keep at whatever she did, Sue was able to land a job as a secretary for a lawyer.
"Sue! Can you hear me? I said if it weren't for Reed, I don't know where you and I would have ended up! And, by the way, what is with you? You almost skidded off the side of the road a minute ago!"
Sue kept her eyes on the road, yet felt dazed over how deep in her reflection over her and Johnny's past she had gone.
"Oh... I was just thinking about all Reed has done for us. He has gone to so much trouble."
"Yeah, you are right about that Sis. There are times I feel like he has given us a little too much money. But, it is probably nothing to him as much of it as he has. Here's the turn Sue!"
Even dazed, Sue was still in a pensive state thinking back over everything her fiancé had done. She turned into the Richards' mansion's driveway as Johnny ordered. Within two minutes, the car was parked, and the Storms were at the mansion's entrance. As soon as Sue knocked on the door, a raven-haired man attired in a rather elegant suit came to the door. He said in a monotone, stern voice.
"Good morning Susan and Jonathan. It shall delight you to know Master Reed left for the Spaceport two hours ago. And, his daughter has gone to school like most children her age should. Master Reed shall not return until approximately five o'clock this afternoon. Except for Marilyn coming home around three o'clock today, that shall give all of you and Benjamin plenty of time to set up for the party you are throwing for them tonight. Benjamin just called to say he is on his way, and already has a few party decorations."
Sue greeted Rex, the Richards' butler with a smile, and thanked him for the information he provided. Then, she and Johnny proceeded to the living room, where they waited for the arrival of their friend.
Susan Storm yelled to her younger brother, who was glued to the television watching a cartoon.
"Ah Sis, would you cool it? I will be there as soon as this is over, you know how much I love Road Runner."
Sue sighed, then responded to her brother's comment.
"Honestly Johnny, you are seventeen years old. Don't you feel that you are a little old for this kind of entertainment?"
Without looking at his sister, Johnny replied.
"You're one to talk, always saying, "Now I don't want to miss Lassie Johnny!" every Sunday evening."
The slender blonde glared at her similar featured brother, then calmly, yet irately, walked from the den of their home's threshold, to the front of the television before Johnny. There, she instantly turned off the television, despite Johnny's pleads.
"Sis! There were only a couple of minutes left! Come on!"
"You are indeed going to come on, with me to help Ben and I set up for the surprise party we are giving Reed and Mary at their mansion tonight!"
Johnny got ready to protest, but then backed off, deciding that it was better to give in than to go through yet another argument with his elder sibling. In a period of five minutes, Sue and Johnny had exited their home, and were on their way to Sue's fiancé's mansion. There was silence between the two siblings, until Sue spoke up.
"I know you would understand this more than anyone else, but I feel that with this party, we are not only celebrating the completion of Reed's rocket, but you and I are celebrating the new lives we practically have led here for the last five years thanks to Reed."
She and Johnny had led the roughest of lives a few years ago, when they lived in Glenville, New York. Sue was only twelve when she met Reed there. He boarded in her and Johnny's aunt's house during his tenure at Empire State University. When Reed was able to take time off from his studies, he would play a game or two with Sue and her then seven-year-old brother. These moments Reed spent with the brother and sister fed Sue's small, but growing infatuation for him. She would never forget how much in tears she was when Reed left right after graduation to travel back to Central City, his hometown since birth. Sue deep down knew that Reed was a bit old for her, but she felt through those times he spent with her and Johnny that there was something about him that reached out to her. Something about how kind and considerate he was towards them, despite her cranky aunt telling him to leave the siblings alone. But, because of her being at such a tender, young age, Sue was able to forget about Reed for the time being. Until one day, when she was seventeen years old, and her aunt had reached the apex in her cruelty towards Sue and Johnny. Still feeling that they were not old enough to take care of themselves for a few hours, the Storms' aunt called upon a strange man whom Sue and Johnny had never met, but supposedly was a good friend of their aunts'. While their aunt prepared to leave the home for that evening, Sue was cleaning up around the kitchen, and spotted an interesting piece of paper on the counter. She gasped as she read the clip. It was an advertisement cut out from the newspaper for a sleazy babysitting agency in nearby New York City. Sue had heard plenty of stories telling about the people who came from those agencies. Among those stories were tales of the majority of the babysitters being rapers and psychopaths. With the knowledge of their sitter being a man, plus being fed up over their aunt's ignorance of her and Johnny's independence, Sue made the decision for her and her brother to run away. But where would they run to? Almost instantly, Sue thought back to what Reed told them about Central City. About how despite the fact that "city" was in the name, it was a pleasant town, and how at times he missed that very place. But most of all, she thought about the chance of being able to see the one she fell in love with again. Sue and Johnny escaped their home that night with the luggage they could carry, and within the course of a month, made it to the place in the middle of California Reed said was so nice. Ever since, life had been a breeze for the Storms. Sue got up with Reed one day, and after explaining her and Johnny's past and current situations, he accepted them in his life as friends with opened arms. Thanks to a good sum of money Reed gave them, the siblings were able to buy a home of their own. And also thanks to his influencing her to keep at whatever she did, Sue was able to land a job as a secretary for a lawyer.
"Sue! Can you hear me? I said if it weren't for Reed, I don't know where you and I would have ended up! And, by the way, what is with you? You almost skidded off the side of the road a minute ago!"
Sue kept her eyes on the road, yet felt dazed over how deep in her reflection over her and Johnny's past she had gone.
"Oh... I was just thinking about all Reed has done for us. He has gone to so much trouble."
"Yeah, you are right about that Sis. There are times I feel like he has given us a little too much money. But, it is probably nothing to him as much of it as he has. Here's the turn Sue!"
Even dazed, Sue was still in a pensive state thinking back over everything her fiancé had done. She turned into the Richards' mansion's driveway as Johnny ordered. Within two minutes, the car was parked, and the Storms were at the mansion's entrance. As soon as Sue knocked on the door, a raven-haired man attired in a rather elegant suit came to the door. He said in a monotone, stern voice.
"Good morning Susan and Jonathan. It shall delight you to know Master Reed left for the Spaceport two hours ago. And, his daughter has gone to school like most children her age should. Master Reed shall not return until approximately five o'clock this afternoon. Except for Marilyn coming home around three o'clock today, that shall give all of you and Benjamin plenty of time to set up for the party you are throwing for them tonight. Benjamin just called to say he is on his way, and already has a few party decorations."
Sue greeted Rex, the Richards' butler with a smile, and thanked him for the information he provided. Then, she and Johnny proceeded to the living room, where they waited for the arrival of their friend.
