Once Veronica returned to her room (which, thankfully, she didn't have to share), she immediately began taking off her clothes, starting with her hat. The thing was, her hair came off with it. She also took off her sunglasses, revealing seemingly empty eyesockets. Every article of clothing she removed revealed empty air beneath it. Scowling at her reflection, Veronica splashed water on her face and neck (the only parts of her that still showed) and wiped it off. Looking in the mirror again, she saw nothing.
As you may have figured out, Veronica was an invisible girl. The Invisible Girl, thank-you-very-much. As for her brothers…
James was very mysterious, keeping to himself a lot and talking to his closest friends in a language nobody else knew. Timmy was definitely the smartest one, especially when it came to history. Allan was more normal than the rest of them, but came up with the best schemes and got into the worst trouble. Edgar was a bit more complicated. He was really two different people: the meek, intelligent Eddie and the monstrous brute Gary. Although Gary was physically stronger, and evil, Eddie managed to stay in control, most of the time.
Veronica was taking a long, black leather jacket from her closet when she heard a motorcycle pull into the driveway. She pulled it on and ran downstairs.
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"Pass the gravy, wouldja?"
Mary, Zachary and the Children of the League were sitting around the table for dinner. Any outsider looking in may have thought it just an average family gathering, even listening to the conversations.
"The science teacher is so-o-o stupid."
"Yeah, he doesn't lock his cupboards when Veronica's around."
"Shut up, James."
"No, I'm talking about the instantaneous speed thing he talked about today. I mean, it's a scientific oxymoron."
"Timmy, nobody really cares."
"Don't even think about it, Allan."
Allan sighed and put down his fork, with which he was about to catapult some peas across the table. Veronica's forehead was such a great target, what with the white greasepaint she used at home and all. Mary seems so tense tonight, he thought as he glanced at his guardian. It couldn't be that thing with Edgar and Veronica today. That stuff happens, like, every day.
"Well, Mary," said Zachary as he stood up. "I think we have a few things to talk about, don't you?"
Mary nodded and walked stiffly into the living room. Zachary looked at the five faces that all had the same curious expression.
"Don't worry," he said. "It's just some boring adult stuff. You wouldn't like it."
The kids glanced at each other. Zachary had always told them to think of him as one of them, not as an adult. As Zachary followed Mary into the living room, all the boys looked at Veronica. She nodded.
The boys quickly occupied themselves with eating and making enough noise, while Veronica took off her jacket and make-up and slipped quietly into the living room.
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Zachary was standing by the couch and Mary was sitting on it, looking ready to cry.
"When?" she asked.
"Tomorrow, 100 years to the day."
"So soon?"
"Mary, you know it isn't sudden. You've known this had to happen the whole time."
"I know, but--it's just--they're not ready yet."
"Yes, they are, Mary."
"Well, I'm not!" Mary stood and looked Zachary in the eye. "I've raised them for 16 years. They're like my own children and I won't have them taken away from me!"
"They're not coming to take them away from you. You know that something's about to happen. That's why the Time Traveller came in the first place."
Time Traveller? thought Veronica.
"But who's to say that the children won't go with them after it's done? The League has everything, don't they? Why wouldn't the children leave me and go with them?" Mary's voice rose until she was almost shrieking.
"Shh, not so loud. Now you're just being selfish, Mary. You know as well as I do that they need to meet the League."
What League? What are they talking about? Suddenly, something clicked in Veronica's mind. Wait, Mary calls us the Children of the League…is it this League?
"I know, I'm sorry. I am being selfish. I just can't stand the thought that everything I've done isn't enough. That someone else could know them better."
"They'll always think of you as a mother, Mary. But they need to meet people like them. Extraordinary people."
"Alright, I'll call them in."
"Wait! Don't tell them tonight. What could you possibly say to prepare them? Let the League tell them."
"Yes. You're right. I'll just…put them to bed."
Veronica ran back to the dining room, threw on her jacket and went to the kitchen sink where she busied herself with washing off an imaginary smear on her forehead. James looked curiously at her. His eyes widened as he heard Mary's approaching footsteps. "Nice shot!" he grinned at Allan, nodding towards Veronica.
Allan looked confused, then understood. He stood up and bowed as Mary came in. He whirled around, looking for all the world like a boy who was caught in the act of hitting his sister with catapulted peas.
"Bedtime." said Mary quietly. As if on cue, the children started whining. Mary smiled sadly. Tomorrow night, everything would be different.
The five teenagers solemnly trooped up to bed, each making a silent promise to each other to meet after Mary had gone to sleep.
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An hour later, the Children were assembled in Veronica's room.
"I thought she'd never get to sleep," said Timmy. "What was she doing anyway?"
"She was looking at pictures from when we were little." said Veronica, or rather, the empty patch of air on Veronica's bed.
"Really?" asked James. "Now I know something's wrong. Those pictures were still in storage from the last time we moved."
"Yeah," said Veronica, tugging on an invisible strand of hair. "Do you guys want to hear what I found out or what?"
"Duh, Ronnie." said Allan, using Veronica's nickname.
"Well, first of all, someone's coming tomorrow. Apparently, a group of people that they kept calling 'the League.' Also, something happened a hundred years ago tomorrow. Mary's scared that the League's going to take us away from her, but Zachary said that we need to meet them, because they're extraordinary people, like us."
"Wait," said Edgar. "The League? Doesn't Mary call us 'the Children of the League'?"
"That's what I thought, too." said Veronica. "You think maybe they really are our parents?"
"No," said Timmy suddenly. "It doesn't make sense. If they were our parents, why would they give us all to Mary? Unless there was a really good reason for it, no one would give her five kids at once. Especially kids like us."
"Think about it, Timmy," said James. "Maybe they couldn't find five people who would take us in."
"No, no. Timmy's right," said Edgar. "A while ago, I did some research. There's no account, anywhere, of any Skinner, Jekhy, Roberts, Eloi, or Sawyer giving a child up for adoption in 1988. In fact, there's no real record of our births, either."
"And then there's the whole 'hundred years to the day' thing." said Veronica. She sighed dramatically. "I guess we'll never know who our parents were."
"Correction: we'll know tomorrow." Allan pointed out.
"How?" asked Timmy.
"The way I see it, whoever they are, they'll know something about us. They've got to."
"Well, this got us next to nowhere." said Veronica, climbing under the covers. She glanced at Allan, who was in the act of putting on her wig. "Now get out of my room."
"Touchy," Allan muttered and ducked to dodge a flying pillow.
