The sound of light snoring permeated the room, which even though noon was approaching was still dark as the heavy, thick curtains were still closed. Two teenage boys slept in their bunk beds, that is until the green lad on the top bunk stirred. He slowly opened his eyes and stretched lazily before leaping off the bed, falling to the floor where he landed with a dull thud.

"Time to get up Dylan." Mark muttered as he stretched again.

Dylan grumbled as he rolled away from his brother, and ended up facing the wall.

"C'mon, it's almost noon."

The gray teen covered his head with his blanket. Mark gestured and a dark energy hand formed in the air, and it pulled the blanket away. Dylan groaned in protest.

"You can't stay in bed all day."

The boy grabbed his blanket and pulled it back over himself. "Why not? There's nothing to do here. Why did mom and dad bring us here anyway? Why couldn't we go somewhere cool … like French Polynesia … did you know that all the girls there go to the beach topless."

"You think Mom doesn't know that? You only suggested that like 100 times after reading that article and seeing those pictures in that travel magazine. And showing the magazine pictures of the topless beaches to Mom and Dad, that was smart … c'mon, let's get something to eat."

"How can you be hungry? We ate all that pizza last night. And don' tell me about your stupid animal metabolism."

"Fine, stay in bed. See if I care."

"Good, you go say hi to mom and dad. Crap … I can still see dad grabbing her tits."

"Shut up! I had already forgotten about that!" Mark howled as he dashed out of the room, wearing only his boxers and a T shit. Dylan smiled. It worked, Mark was out of his face and he could roll over and go back to sleep. Except now he had the image in his mind too.

"Dammit!" He grumbled as he buried his head under his pillow.

-( - )-

After making a quick stop in the bathroom Mark ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. The house was as quiet as a church on a Monday morning and as about as occupied. Upon entering the kitchen he saw Mar'i seated at the table, eating a bowl of breakfast cereal. He grabbed a bowl and a spoon and joined her at the table. Nightstar was reading a teen gossip magazine and only looked up when pulled out his chair.

"You aren't dressed." She complained.

"Big whoop." He replied as he poured himself a bowl of sugary cereal. "It's not like you haven't seen me like this before. We're cousins after all."

"Technically, we're not. In fact, we aren't related in any way." She retorted. "I shouldn't see you like that at all."

"You've seen me naked."

"Don't remind me. I'll never walk into a bathroom again without knocking."

"Don't pretend you didn't enjoy getting a look at the Full Monty." He teased her.

"I thought we were supposed to be cousins." She replied icily.

Mark began to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"You are. You blushed so hard that time that you weren't orange."

"So did you. Did you know that you turn brown when you blush?"

"Yeah, I know."

They ate their cereal in silence, until he looked up from his bowl. "Where is everyone?"

"Your parents went to the college and they took the girls with them. My parents and Uncle Vic and Aunt Karen went to some stupid mall to buy mittens or something. John is outside making another snowman."

Mark sighed. "I'm bored. Sam and Jenny won't get home from school until four."

"I'm bored too. What did our parents do when they were bored?"

"From what I've heard your Dad is too anal to get bored."

"What about your dad?"

A wicked grin appeared on his face. "He used to do pranks. Did you know that he once glued mom's hands to a GameStation controller?"

"Ooooh … she must have been pissed."

"Dad said that she gave the mother of all wedgies."

"Your parents are weird."

"And yours aren't?" He snickered.

"They are … and I'm still bored."

"Then let's do a prank."

Mar'i raised one of her round Tamaranian eyebrows. "What do you have in mind?"

"Back in the Tower, when they were teens, dad set up a trap for Uncle Vic. He filled a balloon with motor oil and loaded it into a launcher, more like a giant rubber band. It had a trip wire to set it off. Unfortunately your mom blundered into it and got creamed. Mom told us Aunt Star was really pissed and that Dad had to kiss her ass to get her to forgive him."

Nightstar smiled. "Yeah, mom told us about that. So who's our victim?"

"Who else? Your stupid brother! Didn't he prank you recently?"

She snorted. "He put itching powder in my bras."

Mark grinned. "So … are you in?"

"I don't know."

"Did they itch?"

Mar'i frowned. "I had to throw them away and buy new ones … OK, I'm in."

-( - )-

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

Mark didn't reply and only smiled as he adjusted the giant elastic band, attaching it to a hook as he stretched it out. They were just outside the front porch. He carefully aimed the elastic so it would clobber whoever came around the house's corner and triggered the tripwire that was carefully concealed in the snow, on the walkway.

"I found the plans in my dad's desk. You wouldn't believe all the crap he's saved from his teens."

"You went rummaging through your dad's desk? My dad would kill me if I did that." Mar'i gasped.

"Good thing your dad isn't my dad. And I routinely ransack his desk, he's got the coolest stuff hidden in it. I even found a bunch of love letters he wrote."

"To your mom?"

He shook his head. "Nah, they were for some bitch named Terra. Mom doesn't know that he still has them. I guess he never gave them to her."

"He must have had some crush on her. And how do you know she was a bitch? My mom mentioned her once, but she didn't use the word bitch."

"He sure did have a crush on her. That must be why mom never liked her … she's the one who says that this Terra was a bitch. Dad said she married some dude in Metropolis and they never heard from her again. When I asked him more about her he would just clam up, and so would mom, so I took matters into my own hands."

"If your Dad catches you in his desk, your ass is grass."

Mark snickered. "My ass already is green, so no big loss." His pointy ears suddenly twitched. "He's coming … quick! Hide!"

The two pranksters leaped behind a bush. "This is gonna be so cool." He grinned. "I can't wait to see the look on his face after he gets creamed." He whispered.

Mark's grin vanished when he saw three adults come around the corner. The one in the middle was a stranger, who was flanked by his parents. The all had a pleasant expression on their faces and were engaged in small talk. Mark immediately realized that the taller man was the veterinarian his father was trying to recruit into his growing practice.

Time slowed to a crawl and Raven's foot caught on the tripwire. She stumbled but was able to use her powers to keep from falling. Gar and the newly minted Dr. David Molyneux both focused their attention on her and did not see the giant slingshot fire its oily payload, which was headed straight for Dr. Molyneux's face.

"Noooo!" Mark shouted while Nightstar stared in horror at the train wreck that was about to happen. The balloon flew like a missile and the vet turned forward just as it was about to hit him and gasped. To his immense surprise the balloon suddenly stopped mid air as it was enveloped in Raven's dark energy. She had a fierce scowl on her face as the balloon glided down to her open palm. Mark felt a lump form in his throat when his mother saw him and gave him one of her signature death glares. This was going to be bad, very bad.

"If there ever was a doubt he's your son, this should put that question to bed for good." Raven seethed to her spouse who wisely chose to remain silent.

Mar'i became airborne as she prepared to flee, but stopped when she felt an icy presence around her right ear, which pinched it and began to pull at it.

"Ow, ow, ow!" She complained as her "aunt" reeled her in. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw that Mark was suffering the same fate. Raven pulled them both in until they were standing before her.

"What is the meaning of this!?" The sorceress snarled while she pointed at the balloon.

"It was prank, for John." Mark replied in a contrite tone.

"A prank?" Raven's voice lowered. "You were going to hit him with a balloon full of motor oil? Have the two of you lost your minds?"

The balloon became encased in Raven's dark energy, though she was unaware of it, and it began to shake.

"We would have cleaned up, mom! I know I can do it with my powers." Mark's voice warbled.

The balloon began to jitter as a vein throbbed on Raven's forehead.

"You think that makes it OK?"

Mark dug his foot into the outdoor walkway.

"Well …"

"What if John had used his eyebeams!? Did you think about that!? The balloon could have exploded like a bomb and caused a fire! The rental house could have burned down."

"I'm sorry, mom."

"Don't you sorry me!"

The balloon was now shaking vigorously and the changeling was the first to notice. "Uh … Rave?"

"Not now, Gar! I'm going to discipline these two brats since you're too soft with them, and they have it coming."

The balloon was now pulsing alarmingly, stretching to impossible sizes as it was contorted by Raven's obsidian light. Finally, it swelled to the size of a beach ball. Raven of course remained completely unaware of what was happening with her powers.

"Hit the deck! It's gonna blow." Mark yelled.

A confused look appeared on Raven's face as everyone present ducked for cover. She then glanced at the balloon and her eyes became as wide as saucers just before it exploded.

"MARK LOGAN! YOU"RE GROUNDED FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!" Raven shrieked at the top of her lungs as she wiped the motor oil off of her face with her hands.

Years later, mother and son would laugh over the "balloon incident."

-( - )-

A very short chapter, but I think it was kind of fun.

Do you want more vacation time, or should I wrap this up?