Now where was I? That was the first thing I said when I came to. My eyes began to focus in the sun light. Sun light? Now I knew where I was! I was at the bench I usually sit to wait for the school bus! The one near my house! I looked down. I was in my red T-shirt, blue jean shorts, my backpack was under my seat and...the comic was in my hand! Did I imagine the whole thing? No! Something is truly wrong! I crumpled the comic book and tossed into the nearby garbage can. Comics caused me enough trouble.
"What did that comic do to you to get you that mad at it?" I whirled around. A girl about my age-fourteen-was standing next to the bus stop sign. Her appearance was as strange as her high voice. She wore a pair of dark glasses, a purple hooded sweater, dark sweat pants and purple Nike shoes. The strangest part of it though was her matching scarf wrapped around her face. It was in the middle of spring too. Wasn't she sweating in those winter clothes? "Uh," I said, trying to ignore her odd appearance. "No reason. I re-read that issue one too many times." "Must be a good story then," she said, sitting next to me. "What's the story? I'm a bit of a comic fan myself." What could I say? "Well," I began, trying to think of a good story. "It's an issue of the League of Good Guys, and their apparent final fight against the Masked Mutant." "Did you like the new villain?" What? "I read that comic myself. Frightmare was it?" Before I could respond, she saw something coming down the street: the school bus. "Bus is here." It drove up in front of us and its door opened. But I remained seated. Who was this girl?
"Are you coming or not?" the driver asked, impatient. "Sorry," I muttered. I grabbed my backpack, passed the driver, and was about to take my seat when something fell on my lap! I yelped, but saw it was the comic I threw away! I looked up and there she was. "I wouldn't want you to get bored." She took her seat far away from mine before I could respond to her. What is it with that one? I looked down at the comic book, now flattened but with wrinkles. As we drove by, the driver switched on the radio. It was that "Lime in the Coconut" song. It gets stupid after a while.
Let's see. What to do while I wait to get off? I spy? By myself, no way. Sleep? After last night, I don't think I want to have another nightmare. I looked down at the comic. No. No way! Yet...at the same time...I wanted to know more about Frightmare. He just came out of nowhere! No. I can't. I won't! I...saw a penny on the floor. I picked it up. Heads or tails then. Heads I sleep. Tails...
I flipped the coin in the air, then let it land on my palm. I cringed at what I saw. Fine. I'll read. Back to the beginning, I guess.
There was nothing but peace. Good peace. Quiet peace. Too peaceful peace. "IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!" The other League members glanced over to Feedback, pulling his hair. "Calm down, Feed," cooed Flo. "Your impatience is giving me enough bad vibes as it is." "She's right," said the Galloping Gazelle. "No banks robbed, no giant robots destroying the city, no...nothing! Mutant's not made a single crime all week!" "Well, maybe he's decided to retire once and for all?" mused Dinah Might, taking off her roller blades. "No," replied the Gazelle. "This is something that really needs to be looked into." "Well then," yelled Feedback, tuning his electric guitar. "It's time to crank the volume, baby!" Dinah shook her head. "Worst catchphrase ever." Luckily, he didn't hear her, as he blasted a hole in the door that led to the exit. "And I just fixed it too."
Meanwhile, at the Mutant Headquarters, something evil comes this way. "Of course they're coming," the Mutant shouted. "But we'll be ready for them!" "Don't worry, Mutant," Root Rot gloated like the overgrown weed he was. "If I had to, I could mow them down at once!" "Hold on there, plant boy," Pinky Flamingo bickered. "If any of those losers show up, it's going to be ME who gets to rub them out!" And he showed off his eraser fingers on his left hand. "Not if I get to them first!" "Oh, back off, thorny! Just be glad my digits don't come with a pair of pruning shears!" Pinky showed off his artist and sculptor tool fingers on his right hand. "ENOUGH!" That voice and the banging of a fist stopped the two of them. The Mutant lifted his hand from the dent he left on the table. "We got work to do. And the sooner we do, the sooner the world will be MINE!" "Ours..." Everyone froze as a figure in a black body suit with skulls all over it and a hood hiding his face walked in. His iron toed boots and the spike sud knuckle glove on his right hand shined in the dim light. "Ours," he said again. "Remember our deal, Mutie. 50-50 cut on the world after you take over." The Mutant nodded in fear. "Yes, Mr. Frightmare."
Why am I doing this? I placed the comic in my backpack's front pocket and sealed it up. I decided I would read it after school. "I was reading that, kid." GAH! I turned to the left swiftly to find that girl a seat behind me! Was she reading over my shoulder?! "What the heck are you doing?!" I hissed. She sat back down in her seat. "You didn't have to be so mean." she mumbled. "You don't have to be so weird!" She tensed. Then grabbed my ears! "Oh, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" No matter how many times I said it, she continued to tweak my ears! "Don't call me that," she whispered. Scary! "I'm sorry," I whimpered. She let me go. "One more violent act like that and I'll kick you off the bus!" My savior! The bus driver saw everything. "I'm sorry," she echoed and sat back down. She's more weird than I thought. Whatever. Perhaps flipping the coin was a stupid idea.
A few minutes later, I dozed off to the sound of the music on the radio. "Hey," I spluttered as someone said that in a harsh tone. My eyes adjusted as the girl loomed over me. "Our stop's here Skipper." I instantly got up. "How do you know my name?" "I asked the driver." I looked down at the floor and tapped my foot on the chair leg. "Well, what's your name?" She didn't answer. She just walked out. Now I was curious. The sooner I get out of school, I'm going to ask her why she's like this.
But where was school? There was nothing but a clearing with a path that lead straight to the woods! And that girl was walking down it! What did she mean by our stop? Okay, this is too weird for me. I turned to tell the bus driver that there was a mistake, but he was driving down the road. "Stop!" I shouted and gave chase, but stopped after realizing that it was pointless. I faced the path, and I could see the girl still walking. No choice, whatsoever.
I immediately caught up with her after a few seconds of running. "Hey," I panted. "look." I stopped in front of her. She looked at me. "I think we got off on a bad start. I'm Skipper Matthews." She looked at me, then tilted her head. "Ale." "That's a cute name." I felt something strike me hard. Cute?! She walked past me, leaving me feeling stupid. I caught up with her soon after. "Why do you wear those heavy winter clothes? Aren't you hot?" I froze. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" "You act like this was your first time meeting a girl," she mused. "No," I admitted. "But the last one I met was a liar." And a bad guy in disguise! "How sad." she said. "Are you always this cheerful?" "Are you always this nerdy?" she retorted. Ouch.
"So why are we going down this way?" I asked later on. "Are we going to school?" "It's a shortcut," she said. "I've been down here multiple times." "Never seen this place before." "That's because you wanted to follow me." Will she stop dissing me? "Here we are."
I froze. I recognized those buildings. The towering dark colored towers with the green roofs, the yellow tinted windows...The Mutant's Headquarters! "Wait!" I pulled on her sleeve. "You do NOT want to go in there!" She tugged her sleeve away from me. "I do." She turned and faced me. "And so do you." I swear I thought I saw her eyes glowed yellow. Before I could take off running, a strong wind sucked me into the lobby of the building. I heard the Mutant's laughing voice ring out as I landed with a thud. No wait. That was the door slamming shut and locking itself. "Let the game begin!"