Chapter Four: Conversations Under a Starless Sky

"I don't know why you couldn't give me a chance to change."

"The fire had been going for ten minutes already! If we were any later, we'd have missed all the action."

"Five seconds. That's all it would have taken. Now I get to explain why my pajamas smell like smoke tomorrow."

"I thought they were your Lucky Girl costume."

"Why would I be wearing…? Besides which, if you'd bothered to notice those were dark purple. These are dark blue."

"Close enough."

"So not."

"At least you had your mask ready."

"I'm just glad they let me hang it up. If it was in a drawer it would have taken another second to get. And I KNOW how you hate to waste those seconds."

"Next time I'll go alone."

"No, you won't."

"Then stop whining."

"I'm not whining. I'm just telling the truth."

BEEP-BEEP

"Uh – oh. I don't think we're going to make it. Hold on. Well, I got you home. Mostly. Give me ten and I'll take us the rest of the way."

"I could fly us."

"You sure? You had to whirlwind away most of the roof..."

"It wasn't as heavy as the man you pulled out from under it."

"Guy needs to watch the donuts. Do you really think you can do it?"

"..."

"We'll take ten."

"And now I get to explain grass stains, too."

"Here. Happy now?"

"Ben, put your jacket back on."

"No."

"Fine. When did you become a gentleman?"

"When did you get so crabby?"

"I'm always like this when someone wakes me up in the middle of the night to fight fires. Don't you remember?"

"It's only eleven."

"Well, some people have busier days than others."

"Yeah, yeah."

"I mean it. Do you know how many things I had to do today?"

"Do you know how many things I had to do?"

"How hard can it be to sleep through all of your classes?"

"The sleeping isn't the hard part. It's getting back to sleep every fifty minutes because they keep moving us around. Besides, that's what school is there for. Not my fault you can't relax."

"I would, but some of us have to learn enough to tutor their cousins in math. You never did say how you did."

"91."

"I am good."

"I changed into Grey Matter again."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Well, then next time you won't need my help, will you?"

"Um… I didn't say that."

"Thought so. There's something else you never said."

"Do I have to?"

"Yup."

"…Thank you."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Yes. Move over. This grass is soaked."

"No."

"It's my jacket."

"Fine."

"Grandpa Max wants to go on another road trip this summer."

"He does?"

"Yeah. Mom told me tonight. It was supposed to be a surprise."

"Which you just ruined."

"Yeah… I was thinking… Did you have fun last summer?"

"Did you?"

"Except for a certain pest…"

"Well, it's not like you could have left yourself at home."

"Hey! You would have missed me."

"Pfft. Like I would have missed the fights, the screaming, the blood…."

"Those were some good fights."

"I'm not talking about the aliens."

"Neither am I. Did you have fun?"

"I don't know… I guess… I guess I would have missed seeing the stars. I never realized… I never really thought those astronomy shows were real. I mean, I know that everything they showed was real, but we can't see anything here. Do you remember when we stopped in the Mojave Desert? It was like the sky was full of Christmas lights."

"I miss waking up in a new place every day."

"I miss Grandpa's cooking."

"No way."

"It makes school food taste better."

"Yeah. We probably get more dung beetles in our lunches now then Grandpa ever tried to feed us. I miss sneaking out for real food."

"I miss the money Grandpa used to leave for us to get the snacks."

"He did?"

"Do you have any idea how many times we snuck out? Who did you think paid for all of that food?"

"I thought it was the money our parents gave us."

"God, Ben. Don't you ever pay attention?"

"Sure I do. When it's important. I miss the aliens."

"Which ones? The kind of nice ones or the ones that wanted you dead?"

"Both, I guess."

"You need help, Ben."

"Hey, it kept things interesting."

"Yeah. I miss them, too. And the magic."

"You stopped? But, tonight…"

"No, but it's hard to find the time to practice. I've been working on this one spell for weeks and I just can't get it."

"You will. You're doing better than I am. I've had this thing for months and it still won't change me into the aliens I want a quarter of the time."

"Just a quarter? I miss guessing which alien you'd actually be."

"Yeah, yeah. It's all funny until it turns me into Ripjaw in the middle of the desert again."

"Don't joke about that."

"Who's joking?"

"…I miss Grandpa."

"I miss him, too."

"And I miss…"

"I miss…"

"….What?"

"So, do you want to take another trip this summer?"

"Do you want me to?"

"I wouldn't… If you HAVE to tag along again this summer…"

"Tag along? Save your butt is more like it."

"My butt doesn't need saving. I've got mad fu skills."

"Will you stop that? It looks like you have Mad Cow skills."

"You're just jealous."

"You're right. I wish I could look like I'd just chugged a gallon of Jolt and licked an electric socket. Why don't you learn it for real?"

"I'm already so good that if I were any more awesome, it would destroy the universe. The world just isn't ready for that much awesome all in one guy."

"That much ego, you mean. You just don't want to get sweaty."

"No, I don't want to stand somewhere and have someone yell at me. That's what school is for. And seven hours of school a day is enough."

"I thought all superheroes knew martial arts. Isn't that a rule?"

"Yeah, well, we also have to have sidekicks. 'Course, I've got that one covered."

"You did not just smirk at me."

"Which one of us was invited to join a real super team?"

"Which one of us had to come and bail out that team?"

"Hey, we both had to bail out the Galactic Enforcers."

"Exactly. And just think about how much easier it would be if you knew what you were doing."

"Better lucky than good."

"Yeah, but I'm Lucky Girl, remember?"

"Like you would ever let me forget it. Thank God. The watch has gone green again."

"Will you at least think about it?"

"Think, thought, thunk."

"And?"

"Are you going to be like this all summer?"

"…Probably."

"I knew I shouldn't have said anything. Let's see. Who to be, who to be? I know…"

"Come on, Ben. Not Stinkfly!"

"I didn't mean to!"