Kim sighed deeply as she sat with closed eyes in the back seat of the family car, trying to steady and calm herself as best she could for whatever shenanigans were bound to be waiting. She just wanted this day to be over with.
"I know you're tired Kimmie, but Jim and Tim will be really happy to see their sister in the front row seat cheering for them" her dad James explained.
Kim grimaced. Those two had clearly been planning this for a very long time. "Just what exactly are they going to perform anyway?" asked Kim, praying that the reply was not going to involve any kind of playing around with dangerous chemicals or some kind of "scientific" demonstration. She had seen how the last few shenanigans involving those had panned out and she had seen enough.
James seemed to read his daughter's mind. "Don't worry, it's nothing like what you think. They promised no mischief this time." was the surprisingly comforting reply. "It's a song they've been practicing for a few weeks, and they just thought it would sound really nice if they sang it."
Kim's frown relaxed slightly. She trusted her loving father's word and now she at least knew it couldn't be that bad. She was sure even those two couldn't make something as harmless as a song turn into a destructive disaster that would shower everyone in debris like their last prank.
But wait, Kim suddenly thought back just as relaxation began to override her angst, what if Jim and Tim were only trying to manipulate her parents into letting them perform what they knew could potentially end in disaster and using this "song" as a guise.
"Well um... That's nice. What kind of song is it?" Kim eventually managed to ask. She knew that question after question wasn't exactly the friendliest way to talk to the two adults she cared for the most, especially since it showed a low opinion of the two brothers she was supposed to love equally as much.
But she needed more reassurance before she dropped her guard.
"They told me not to ruin the surprise for you Kimmie.".
Kim only shook her head. She was clearly not going to get any more information, and frankly she should have been using this time to rest rather than using it all up asking pointless questions which would get her nowhere. She was going in there, into the crowded auditorium onto the front seats right by the stage no matter what. And they were only a few minutes away from the nondescript edifice she had seen only twice before.
She closed her eyes and did her best to empty her mind of annoyances as she counted the precious seconds that still divided them between their destination.
"We're here Kimmie. Wake up" came the soft and melodious plea of the beautiful red haired woman as she gently shook her sleeping daughter who she could clearly see was not doing well. "Don't worry, it won't be long before we can go home and rest. We're sorry we had to bring you here at such short notice but Jim and Tim said it would be great if for once all of us could come over. Please try to understand that this means a lot to your two brothers."
The woman's soothing words had their intended effect and very reluctantly the sleeping red haired girl's eyelids crept open as she slowly struggled out of the car.
"Yes mom" she sighed apologetically, desperate not to seem ungrateful in front of the busy neurosurgeon who had managed to remain a loving parent even as hospital duties interfered again and again. She truly did feel blessed to have parents so supportive and had always considered them the one reward she needed for her services, since seeing them safe and unhurt meant more to Kim than all the money and fame in the world.
The three members of the Possible family took care to stay close to one another as they hurried through the crowd of people that were also trying to get into the building, pushing through a few.
They slowed down to catch their breath when they had made it through the front entrance though, and James quickly fumbled through his pocket as they neared the front desk.
"Ticket?" the very generic looking, short man with a tie and grey suit behind the desk tiredly remarked as he wearily held out his hand and struggled to keep a yawn in check.
James sighed as he proudly dipped his hand from his pocket to reveal 3 thin pieces of paper each bearing a different number and today's date. He was incredibly relieved to find that his memory had not let him down on such an important night such as this.
"These?" he replied handing the pieces of paper one by one to the man, who tiredly gestured them towards the flight of stairs leading towards the hall where the cheap event built to raise money for a barely funded education establishment would take place. He didn't even thank them as he waved them away, his fatigued state almost mirroring that of Kim's.
The three Possible's followed the directions provided, before stepping down another set of stairs leading to the front seats by the stage, where they had specially arranged to sit by paying almost double the price. The perfect seat to be hit with something pelted from the stage, Kim grimly thought as she sat in her place trying to get comfortable on the lumpy material which had clearly seen a lot of wear and tear.
Kim sighed and closed her eyes as the already fairly dim lights that threw a meager glow over the room, went out completely. They had only been just in time. Just in time for what though, she was about to find out.
Kim's eyes snapped at the sound of microphone being tested, causing her to briefly look away from the stage as she recoiled from the sound.
Yet the shock was far from over as a bright flare of light struck Kim's eyes as she focused her gaze back or tried to. She instinctively threw up her hands in front of her face, trying to ward off the brightness.
It was only when she had lowered them and her eyes began to regain their vision, that she saw her two annoying younger brothers on the now brightly lit stage in the otherwise pitch black room. To her great surprise, only one of them namely Jim was stood up beside the microphone which had just given her ears quite a beating.
The other twin Tim sat seated at what looked to be a very large and ornate grand piano.
From her position in the seat so near to the stage, Kim could see that in stark contrast to the rest of the building she had seen thus far that the piano was incredibly well polished so that it almost seemed to sparkle before her eyes. It must have cost a fortune, Kim did think to herself.
And with the shoestring budget this entire school that her brothers went to seemed to be running, she could only suppose that this piano was bought some time ago when whoever founded the establishment was more devoted to their creation or at least had a larger amount of capital to work with.
Years of being called upon to track down threat after threat had made the twelve year old cheerleader very perceptive, it was difficult for even small details like the amount of dust gathering on any visible item to escape her notice anymore.
But she had no more time to think to herself about the implications, as Jim began his brief introduction, twitching slightly when his gaze briefly slid past his older sister sitting impatiently in the front seat.
"First of all" he spoke, the microphone amplifying his voice to an almost deafening state. "I'd like to thank everyone here for coming. This is an event our school have worked on for a very long time, and simply by being here you've helped our school raise a lot of much needed money. So I'd just like to take a moment to thank you all for your generosity."
He sounded surprisingly professional for a class clown, Kim thought quietly. This was not the kind of greeting she expected from the twin brother she had grown up beside. He really did sound like an entirely different person for some reason.
There was a brief moment of quiet as the young boy's eye fell once more on his parents and sister. But the brief fit he seemed to suffer was only momentary as he quickly averted his gaze away from them and back to the general audience.
"So to begin tonight's show, we'd like to sing you a very special song that we thought really hit home for us." he continued, clearly trying very hard not to look back at the family who he was as nervous as he was glad to see here vouching for him. He knew that a tiny failure here would mean certain death at the hands of either his mom and dad or his angry sister, whoever got their heavy hands on him first.
He cleared his throat briefly. "Mom, Dad, sis, if you can hear me now then please understand how glad we are that you could be here to see us do this. It really does mean a lot to us that you could be here for us, even when we know just how busy you all are with all the more important things you have to take care of. "
He seemed close to tears by this stage. "Mom, Dad. Kim. This one's for you."
Kim closed her eyes once more and braced herself for the worst. Her parents who were less worried, nodded approvingly instead.
Tim began to press his fingers into the piano he was seated at, causing a astonishingly relaxing and catchy little lullaby to echo around the room.
How he was doing that when she had never once seen him by anything remotely resembling a grand piano like the one he was playing so well now, Kim had no idea. But she did feel a great sense of relief descending over her at hearing a sound so fine. It even made her want to rock her body up and down with the notes, if that was anything to go by.
Her angst began to fade away, even as her surprise grew with every seemingly flawlessly executed chord which seemed to sear into her very soul.
Jim took a quick glance at his brother, giving him a quick thumbs up as he just as quickly turned to face his audience once again. He knew that as much intense concentration as it would take , he had to battle not to look directly at his parents and Kim during the performance lest the words get caught in his throat.
And that would not do, since this was meant more than anything to be a gift to his sister for all the times he and his equally morally dubious brother had rained on her parade. This was not the thanks a heroine who saved their lives and the lives of many others time and time again, should have been thanked. This was not the way anyone half as decent as their selfless sister deserved to be treated.
"Being half as liked for trying twice as hard is a terrible thing for anyone to feel." their mother Ann had once told them when she came back to check on her sons after hastily removing them to their room after a prank gone horribly wrong with poor Kim as the victim. "Your sister has already tried very hard to be nice and kind to you two, and if this is how you treat her, then I'm afraid you'll just make things harder for all of us. Kim is already very tired from all the missions she has to do everyday, please don't make things any harder for her. She already has it pretty rough."
Those were the words that rang in her head in that instant as Jim took the last few seconds before his part to rebuild the focus that had been ruined over remembering the painful memory.
He was only just in time as Tim briefly took his fingers away from the piano keys to give Jim the tiny opening for him to join the song.
Jim closed his eyes to remove any distraction looking at the audience might give him as he put his hand to his heart. He needed not look with his sight, but with his heart.
He began to sing in a deep, calm yet very passionate voice which caused the audience to gasp and Kim to wonder whether this wasn't some attractive looking clone that one of her enemies Doctor Drakken had sent disguised as her brother after secretly kidnapping him.
It was only the nervous twitch when he had first looked at her and her parents, that told her this was indeed him. A clone would never be able to show that much emotion.
"Maybe I'm foolish. Maybe I'm blind. Thinking I can see through this and see what's behind. Got no way to prove it so maybe I'm lying." Sang the boy, his eyes still closed since he did not need to look to tell that his song was making the impact it was. The fact that no teacher had come on stage and dragged him away said plenty, as did how no one was booing at him yet.
"But I'm only human after all. I'm only human after all, don't put the blame on me. Don't put your blame on me..."
Those lyrics, those sentences Kim could not help thinking to herself. Those words were deep. Almost as deep as the first time good friend Ron confessed his feelings for her or when her parents gave her a comforting pep talk after she had told them about her latest unsuccessful test at school and how Bonnie had laughed at her misfortune.
Was her mischievous twin brother taking too much an interest on philosophy of religion or something, since he sounded very much like a priest right now.
"Take a look in the mirror, and what do you see? Do you see it clearer or are you deceived? In what you believe?"
Tim's piano playing provided the perfect musical backdrop to bring out the true brilliance of every word in Jim's very philosophical song. Piano notes and vocal notes came together in perfect synchronization and complimented one another like chips next to cod, and jam on plain toast.
To be very honest, if the rest of the song were to sound half as good as the first few verses, Kim wouldn't have minded hearing this song again perhaps on one of her off days to dull the sadness. She did always enjoy a good song to lift her spirits after a tough day of fighting crime, and dealing with Mr Barkin's lofty expectations for her.
"Cause I'm only human after all. And you're only human after all so don't put the blame on me. Don't put your blame on me."
Kim swore she felt something in her chest at that very moment. A faint surge of pain perhaps, faint as it was she was sure she felt it.
And what was this tingling sensation in her eyes. She had heard other good songs too.
The next verse was sang louder and stronger, and Jim's already emotive voice seemed to become even more heartfelt as if he were trying to give an inspirational speech rather than singing on a makeshift wooden stage for the pure sake of raising some money.
"Oh, oh. Some people got the real problems. Some people out of luck. Some people think I can solve them. Lord heavens above. I'm only human after all, I'm only human after all, don't put the blame on me. Don't put your blame on me."
Why did a mental image of that woman in the green suit with green tinted skin flash in Kim's mind that instant.
Why did Kim suddenly wish that this woman and Bonnie were here to listen. She couldn't have put her feelings of pity towards those two any better than this song had.
Had the Tweebs, her brothers built some sort of mind reading device that could tell them exactly what every person was thinking and using that to make their song sound better knowing she was here.
That would be creepy, but no less touching. Maybe they weren't so clueless after all as to how hard her life really was.
Jim looked down at the ground as he sang the next verse as Tim mashed at the keys with ever more grace and precision than was normal for a young boy his age who had never touched a piano until recently. "Don't ask my opinion. Don't ask me to lie. Or beg for forgiveness for making you cry, for making you cry... Cause I'm only human after all. I'm only human after all, don't put the blame on me. Don't put your blame on me."
Why did Jim need to keep reminding everyone that he was human. He had said it at least three times in the song already but didn't seem the least bit hesitant to stick that fact into the end of every verse possible. Was he trying to say he felt regret for his wrongdoings. Was this why he seemed so anxious that Kim come with her family to watch them sing this.
Because if he kept singing that enough times, Kim felt it really would be nigh impossible to call those two "the Tweebs" or any of those insulting nicknames she had made for them over the years. This didn't sound like a half-assed set of sentences slapped together at the last minute just for the sake of snatching a few coins from a bunch of unimpressed spectators who would most likely regret every cent they gave away for nothing.
There was a reason why Jim had been unable to look directly at the three people most impressed with his solid performance, and why Tim kept his sight glued to his music sheet so tightly so that not even all the distractions in the world would entice the new made pianist into turning even slightly to glance at his very captivated audience.
"Oh, oh. Some people got the real problems. Some people out of luck. Some people think I can solve them. Lord heavens above. I'm only human after all, I'm only human after all, don't put the blame on me. Don't put your blame on me."
Jim paused a second, the brief silence saying far more than any words he could have used instead.
"I'm only human so I make mistakes. I'm only human and that's all it takes to put your blame on me. Don't put the blame on me."
At least, thought Kim sniffing slightly. At least they did realize that sometimes they hurt her.
Maybe a small part of their "pranks" could be forgiven after all.
Don't put the blame on me in this instance, meant something completely different than what Kim supposed they wanted it to mean.
Like a smooth criminal of sorts, pianist Tim struck a crescendo and bashed the notes with all his might rambling off angelic chord after chord, each one more complex and difficult than the last but the youngest member of the Possible family made not one mistake. This was very clearly the finale to an already awe inspiring performance as Jim's voice rose to very nearly a shout all while remaining as calm as he had been throughout what was his greatest masterpiece.
Hours and hours of strenuous practice and skipping breaks, were serving him well now. It felt good to be serious and organized for a change.
"Cause I'm no prophet, or messiah. You should go looking somewhere higher."
It was for but a brief fraction of a second, but Kim's powerful vision clearly saw his eyes turn slightly in her direction. She shuddered at how powerful those big blue eyes of his seemed so painful to look at despite all the terrible things he and his twin had done to her.
But what frightened her the most was how she had gone from wishing that her twins would be done with whatever antics they had as soon as possible, to wishing that this song never ran out of lyrics and never ended. She didn't give the slightest damn now whatever other things this show had after this.
Was this what a certain crazy old man meant when he said some time ago that pen was mightier than sword.
Her new wish however was not fulfilled, as Tim's piano notes began quickly to soften and Jim's voice began to weaken from the passionate snarl he had used just in the last few words. This was the conclusion she never thought she'd be upset to see.
In fact it was the very part of this night she hated the most, as her brother despite being in the middle of a musical number that required most all his attention decided he could look directly at his sister for the last few seconds at least. Whether he was speaking directly to just them in that last short sentence, or the general audience Kim hoped never to find out. One thing that was painfully clear was that since he and Tim were of one mind as identical twins, he had been speaking for them both this whole time.
"I'm only human after all. I'm only human after all. Don't put the blame on me. Don't put your blame on me. I'm only human I do what I can. I'm just a man I do what I can. Don't put the blame on me. Don't put yoour blaame on meeee"
His eyes stayed fixed on his mom, dad and sister as Jim put down his microphone and nervously bowed while rapidly blinking as a thundering applause filled the room.
He cared not for the cheers however as he took one last blank look at his loudly clapping family before silently turning his back and leaving the room, with Tim quickly following.
For Jim, all that mattered was that Kim was for once not angrily chastising him with those sad eyes he hated to see in his older sister. But more important was the fact that she had deigned to give him a few claps of her hand despite how very confused he could tell she was to see a calm evening with no malice or hurtful jokes.
Only her cheers mattered to Jim. For all he cared the rest of the people watching might well have not existed.
And another very difficult chapter finished. It really does take a lot of thought and checking to write each of these and I'm really happy if you liked it. Or if you don't like it, I'm very grateful that you've spent your time reading anyway. Please do comment if you like this, or if you have any suggestions on how it could be better. And I will hopefully see you all soon. But bye for now and thanks.