Wilbur was sure that summer vacation in 2037 was far more eventful than it was in the past.

On the last day of school, some joker decided to light a bunch of explosives on the school roof. So, the very moment the clock struck three, not only did the school explode in a frenzy of excited cheers, but the entire roof exploded in an eruption of flames, plaster and rubble.

'Was that Pete's handiwork?' asked Violet, astounded at the sight before her. Not only was the roof destroyed, but the entire fourth floor was blown to bits. It was a miracle that nobody had gotten hurt.

'Probably,' shrugged Wilbur, 'but Pete won't have to be punished until school re-opens. He's going to Scotland this summer, and the teachers won't be able to track him down till he gets back.'

'Won't he get expelled?' gasped Violet.

'Suspended, probably, but not expelled.'

Violet was aghast. 'He blew up the school! In my time, that deserved expultion.'

'In your time,' Wilbur laughed, extending a hand towards the school roof, 'they didn't have insta-buildings. Watch.'

In a blink of an eye, a grey, elongated blob stretched from the walls of the school and wrapped itself around the roof. To Violet's astonishment, it transformed into a series of concrete bricks, and solidified into a brand, new roof.

'Okay, come on.' Said Wilbur, trailing down the sidewalk.

Violet followed close behind. 'Where are we going?'

Wilbur smirked. 'To see Pete. Let's go see the little criminal before he makes a run for it.'

'So, what did you think about the exploding roof?' asked Pete, with a smirk that stretched from ear-to-ear. 'Brilliant, wasn't it?'

'"Brilliant"? More like "stupid"!' exclaimed Violet. 'You could've killed somebody!'

Pete shrugged. 'Hey, you can't please everybody.'

Upon seeing Violet turn crimson with anger, Pete burst out laughing. 'Relax, Vi. I protected all the classrooms on the fourth floor with some spare portable force-fields from Mr. Robinson's laboratory.'

'Wait a sec,' muttered Wilbur, 'I didn't know that dad let you have his portable force-fields.'

Pete grinned. 'I didn't say that he let me have it, did I?'

Wilbur laughed. 'You're going to end up in prison one day.'

The rest of the hour was spent helping Pete pack for Scotland. (It took a while to convince him not to bring the bagpipes – there was no way that they would be able to fit into his luggage. Plus, if Pete were to use the instrument, his horrible playing would turn half of Scotland deaf.)

Then, the trio spent the rest of the evening fiddling with Pete's hoverboard, finishing the holographic treehouse in Pete's backyard, and watching the first twenty six seasons of Captain Future (by the time that ended, Violet's eyes were spinning with the image of a man in tights).

'Captain Future is the greatest superhero that ever lived!' exclaimed Wilbur, as the marathon ended.

Suddenly, he froze in realization, sheepishly turned to Violet and whispered, 'Second greatest.'

Pete, who had been sleeping through most of the marathon, awoke with a start and wiped the drool that slithered from his lips. Then, he rose to his feet, stretched his arms, and stumbled towards the kitchen.

'Okay,' he murmured, 'I'm going to get more popcorn.'

'Oh no, you don't.' laughed Violet, rising to hers. 'I'm never trusting you with popcorn again.'

Pete feigned a hurt expression. 'Why-ever not?'

'Because the last time you got us popcorn,' said Wilbur, 'you put holographic spiders in them. Then, Violet screamed so loudly that we got kicked out of the movie theatre.'

'Ah, excuse me, Captain Future,' replied Violet, 'weren't you the one that squealed for your mother, and didn't stop screaming until the security guard threw us out of the building?'

Wilbur flushed. To his dismay, Violet correctly recalled exactly what had happened during that day. 'Whatever, Vi.'

Pete's face shriveled into a frown. 'Fine. If my friends – my two bestest, best friends in the entire universe – do not trust me anymore, I have no reason to live.'

Violet rolled her eyes, ignored Pete as he pretended to burst into tears, and headed out of the living room.

'Drama Queen,' she muttered.

'I heard that!' shouted Pete from the living room.

Violet chuckled to herself as she wandered into the kitchen. Upon catching a glimpse of the marble-white kitchen sink, the spotless tiles, and the rows of Vegemite that were sprawled across the counter, she couldn't help but remember how her kitchen back home - back home in 2007 - looked almost exactly like Pete's.

Stop it, Vi. She reminded herself. There's no point moping over what you've lost. You've got to keep moving forward, remember?

Suppressing her grief, Violet walked towards the row of cupboards above the sink, and pushed a couple of the blinking buttons that lined its edges. Then, stepping back, Violet heard the whir of mechanical cogs sound from within the walls, and watched as the cupboard rattled and shook in place.

After several seconds, the cupboard stopped shaking, its door popped open, and a bowl of freshly-popped popcorn was sitting within it. As Violet pulled it from the cupboard and wandered to the living room, she wondered if she would have enough time to put some holographic spiders in the bowl.

Little did she know, she never would have gotten the chance.

The same familiar shards of pain shot through her brain. The bowl of popcorn left her hands, and shattered on the kitchen tiles with a deafening crash, as Violet collapsed along with it.

Once again, the objects around her merged into a typhoon of colours, and a hoarse, threatening voice hissed in her head –

'Metamorphosis Vessel, Cornelius Robinson,' grated the voice, 'Invisibility, Telekinesis, Fire-synthesis, Magnetism, Intelligence.'

'Soon, Invisigirl. Your death shall arrive sooner than you think. And as soon as it comes, the city will fall to its knees!'

'Do you think she's alive?'

'I hope so...'

'Let's kick her. If she's alive, she'd feel it, and she'd threaten to beat me up.'

'Pete, don't you dare,' said Violet. Her voice shivered with fright, and her body was drenched in sweat.

Upon noticing that Violet was awake, Wilbur wasted no time in helping her up. To Violet's surprise, his hands were shaking almost as much as her body was. He must have been pretty worried, Violet supposed.

Pete stood loyally by their side, his expression as concerned as Wilbur's was.

'What happened?' asked Pete. 'Did the popcorn bowl attack you or something?'

Violet was unnerved. It had happened again. A sickening feeling engulfed her being as she realized that something horrible was about to happen – something that could threaten the lives of everyone she loved – and if nobody addressed the issue, Todayland was doomed.