Trip to the Mall

"Come on, come on, come on, hurry up!" Amber urged her parents and little sister. "If we don't hurry, there will be no more clothes for me to buy once we get there."

"It's still morning, Amber. The mall's probably not even open yet," replied Amaya. She paused for a second before adding, "Now I know who I got my impatience from." She smirked at her sister.

Amber smirked back and punched her lightly on the shoulder. "Hey! I heard that."

"We're all ready to go now, Amber," said Amanda as she and her husband Aaron joined their children at the front door. "And don't you worry one little bit, there are plenty of dresses for you to choose from to wear to your school dance next month." The four of them walked out of the house and climbed into their car, Aaron and Amanda in the front row and Amber and Amaya in the back.

Amber was 17 years old, which was seven years older than Amaya and went to Terabiscoville High School. She'd been talking about the school dance nonstop for weeks, ever since an announcement had been made at school.

Amaya never got tired of listening to her sister talk about the dance. It gave her something to look forward to once she entered high school. Maybe she could go with Connor as partners. Maybe Greg could be the DJ. It was going to be such a magical moment. But for now, she would have to wait for a bit.

As soon as they arrived at the mall, they headed straight for the clothes department. It was especially crowded today. Amber recognised several kids from her school. Maybe they had come to buy prom outfits as well.

"So what kind of dress do you wanna wear to the dance, Amber?" Amaya asked her sister as they all headed towards the dresses section of the store.

"You know those sleeveless dresses without the straps? The ones with laces at the back for you to tie?" Amaya nodded. "Well, that's the dress I want."

"But isn't it gonna be hard for you to put it on?" Amaya asked again. "I have seen girls wear it on TV and it looks very hard when you have to tie the laces at the back."

"It is hard," replied Amber. "That's why I watched some videos online that showed me how to tie the laces."

"Oh, don't forget Amber, please try to pick a dress within our budget," Amanda reminded her daughter. "I know that you'll want your dress to be the prettiest one at the party, but if it's too expensive, we're not buying it."

"Understood, Mom," said Amber, nodding in reply.

Just then, they walked through a huge crowd of people. It wasn't long before Amaya couldn't see her family among the shoppers. When she finally went past the crowd, she looked around. Her parents and Amber were nowhere in sight. There were too many people around.

"Mom… Dad… Amber… where are you?" Amaya started to panic. She didn't know what to do. She'd never gotten separated from her family in places like this before. After a moment's hesitation, she ran off in a random direction, hoping she might spot her family. She ran past sleepwear and lingerie, with no luck.

She stopped at the swimwear section and looked around. No parents or Amber to be found. She buried her face in her hands. Her heart started pounding and it felt as though she couldn't breathe. Her head spun as all kinds of questions came into thought… What if they don't find me? What if they don't even know I'm gone? What if they leave me here? What if someone kidnaps me? That was what she usually did in an unfamiliar situation and she was unsure what to do.

A familiar voice called out, "Amaya!"

She looked up and saw her big sister. "Amber?" she called out.

"Amaya!" Her sister's face broke into a relieved smile. "Mom, Dad, I found her! She's here!" The three of them rushed towards Amaya.

"Amaya! Thank goodness you're not hurt," said Amanda as she wrapped her youngest daughter in a hug and kissed her forehead.

"We were worried sick about you," said Aaron. "The second we realised you were missing, we searched the whole store for you."

Amaya wiped the tears on her face. "I'm sorry," she said. "I was just so scared and then—"

"Don't be sorry, Amaya," said Amber. "I would've done the same thing if I ever got lost. The important thing is that you're safe."

"Alright, now that everything's settled, let's continue finding a dress for Amber," their mother spoke up. "Then we can go for ice cream."

The two sisters cheered and they walked together hand in hand as the family went off to look for a dress to buy.

A Stormy Night

Thunder boomed and lightning crashed as rain poured down on the city that night. It had been about a week since it last rained there. The night time villains didn't seem to be around either, which was good news for the Power Heroes.

But it wasn't all that lucky for one of the heroes, namely Catboy. He hated rainy weather, especially thunderstorms. Maybe it came from his fear of water; and thanks to his Super Cat Ears, he was really sensitive to loud noises, even without his powers. Usually, during thunderstorms, he would hide under the covers in his bed, cuddling Mr Meow and keep his eyes shut tight. He tried to hide the habit around his parents though.

That night, his parents were downstairs in the kitchen. Christine handed Chris a cup of coffee, which he sipped thankfully. "Thank you, dear." He worked as a doctor at the city hospital, but he was given a week off to rest with his family.

Christine smiled and nodded. "No problem." She took a sip of her ice lemon tea.

"I heard the dental clinic let you go on maternity leave. How are you doing at home?" asked Chris. "Has Connor been behaving himself?"

Christine laughed and nodded. "Yep, you heard right. My boss said, and I quote, that she wanted her best dentist to get enough rest and prep for the new baby. And as for Connor, he's been extra helpful nowadays. He cleans his own room, hangs and folds his own laundry and does his own dishes. He even insists on holding my hand when we go up and down the stairs."

Chris chuckled softly. "He's just very excited to be a big brother. He's always wanted another friend to play with at home." It was true – Christine was indeed five months pregnant. Ever since they broke the good news to Connor, he has been very helpful and hardworking around the house.

A loud thunderclap sounded from outside. Christine looked upwards with a worried look on her face. "I hope Connor's doing okay. He's been upstairs in his room ever since he finished eating dinner."

"I'm gonna go check on him," said Chris, standing up. "Wanna come with?"

"Sure," Christine replied, and so the two of them went upstairs to their son's room.

Chris knocked on the door. "Connor, it's Mom and Dad. Can we come in?" No reply. "Connor?"

They opened the door and stepped inside to see someone shivering under the covers in bed. A familiar blue tail was sticking out from under the blanket. They uncovered the blanket to see their son in his superhero suit, his eyes snapped shut. He was clutching his beloved stuffed animal Mr Meow as tightly as he could.

"Catboy? Why are you in your superhero suit, sweetie?" asked Christine softly.

Catboy slowly opened his eyes to see his parents standing at the side of the bed. They seemed very worried. He sat up in bed, still hugging Mr Meow. His eyes were puffy, as though he'd been crying. "Mommy… Daddy…" he said, his lips quivering. "I… I… I'm scared."

Chris and Christine exchanged glances and sat on either side of him. "Why didn't you tell us you were feeling scared earlier?" asked Christina. "We could've helped you."

"Because I'm Catboy, Mom," replied her son. "I'm not supposed to be scared of anything. I'm a PJ Mask, after all." He leaned against his dad. "What kind of superhero am I when I'm scared of thunderstorms? I'm supposed to be brave." He sniffled.

Catboy had been having that thought for a while now. He wasn't supposed to be scared of thunderstorms. He was a superhero. His friends Amaya and Greg weren't scared of thunderstorms. He wanted to appear tough, but it almost seemed impossible with his fear of water and storms.

"Oh, kiddo." Chris gently rubbed his back. "Everyone is scared of something, even superheroes. You wanna know what bravery really is?"

Catboy looked up at him. "What is it, Dad?" He wiped the tear streaks on his face with his palm.

"Being brave is being scared of something, but you do it anyway," said Chris. "It's normal to be scared, but what's important is that you face it no matter what. Like a PJ Mask. Besides, we're here for you if you ever get scared."

"You're the bravest son we could ever ask for," added Christine. "And you will have to be brave for your future baby sibling. They will need a brave and strong brother to protect them."

"I guess you're right," said Catboy, sitting up straight again. "I'll need to show the new baby that I'm the bravest brother there is." He smiled at his parents. "Thanks, Mom and Dad. I don't think I'm scared anymore."

"That's our brave little Catboy," said Chris as he and his wife wrapped their son in a hug. The thunderstorm didn't seem all that scary to Catboy now that he knew that his family would always be there for him, no matter what.

"Are you hungry, kiddo?" Christine asked Catboy after they finished hugging. "I made some delicious snacks in the kitchen earlier that I think you might like." She knew her son always felt so much better after eating something, especially if it was one of his favourite foods.

At the mere mention of yummy food, Catboy heard his stomach growling. He nodded eagerly and giggled. "Yeah, I really wanna eat a snack right now. Did Mommy make any cookies?"

His mother laughed and nodded. "I made a lot! We can eat them all together."

"Alright then, to the kitchen!" Chris announced as he stood up and lifted Catboy onto his shoulder.

"Yay, time to eat!" cheered Catboy, and so the three of them headed out of the room and down the flight of stairs to the kitchen.

Ever since then, Catboy was never scared of thunderstorms ever again.

Baking a Cake

Greg bounced excitedly in his seat on the sofa, his stepmother sitting next to him. The two of them were watching TV, but Greg had something else on his mind. Hearing the front door open, the blond rushed out of the living room and jumped into his father's arms, who had just come home from work. "Dad!"

Grace went to join the two of them and planted a kiss on her husband's cheek. "Welcome back, darling."

"Greg, you're getting heavy. What has Mom been feeding you?" asked Gus jokingly, setting his son gently on the floor.

"Hey!" Grace playfully punched Gus's shoulder and the three of them laughed.

Even though Grace was Greg's stepmother, the two of them got along very well. His birth mom had died several months before his fifth birthday. At first, Greg didn't want a new mom; but after Grace got him his pet lizard Lionel as a gift for his birthday, he loved Grace more than ever.

And speaking of birthdays, Greg was going to turn 10 years old in two days. He was going to invite some of his family and his friends Connor, Amaya, Newton and Ivan over for a small birthday party. He could already picture it already. The gift table filled with presents yet to be opened. Green streamers and lizard-shaped balloons. And the highlight of the special day: a green cake with a picture of a lizard on it. "When are we gonna bake my birthday cake?" he asked his parents excitedly.

Gus exchanged glances with Grace and smiled lovingly at their son. "We'll bake it first thing tomorrow morning." He playfully ruffled Greg's hair, making him giggle.

The next morning, Greg woke up early. He was eager to bake his birthday cake. He ran over to his parents' room to wake them up. "Come on, time to get up! We gotta bake my birthday cake."

Grace chuckled. "I see someone's in a good mood this morning."

Greg smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "I'm just so excited to bake today. I want my birthday cake this year to be the best cake ever!"

Gus got out of bed and stretched. He lifted Greg onto his back. His son loved piggyback rides. "Well then, let's head on down to the kitchen and get started, shall we?"

"Let's go!" Greg declared, giggling.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, they got out the necessary baking equipment and ingredients. Grace flipped through the cookbook as he searched for the perfect cake recipe. It was the first time the three of them were baking a cake together. Usually they bought one from a store, but this year Greg insisted on baking his 10th birthday cake with his parents.

Gus helped Greg put on an apron and a chef's hat. "Now you look just like a baker, kiddo." He grinned down at his son.

Greg grinned back. "Thanks Dad."

The three of them spent the whole morning baking the cake. His parents did most of the work, but Greg got to help with cracking the eggs and tasting the batter. It was so much fun baking with his parents. It was around 11 am when Grace put the cake in the oven. "Alright," she said. "Greg, why don't you go and rest in the living room? I'll be here cleaning up.

"Okay, sure." Greg stretched and took off his chef hat and apron before heading off to the living room. He sat on the sofa and sighed.

His dad entered the room and noticed Greg, who had a sad expression on his face. He sat next to him. "Everything okay, son? You seemed a lot happier and excited in the kitchen."

Greg nodded and forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's just… I miss Momma so much. We never got to bake with her when she was around. And she fell really sick, and then…" He leaned on his father's shoulder. A tear slid down his cheek.

"Oh, Greg." Gus gently patted his son's shoulder. "I miss her a lot too. I know things have been… different since she died, but we have to be strong. For ourselves, and for her up there. Look at me, kiddo." Greg looked up at him.

Gus wiped the tear on his son's face with his thumb. "If Momma could see you now, she'd be proud knowing you're such a strong and brave boy."

"You really think so?" asked Greg.

"Of course I do," Gus replied. "In fact, me and Mom know so."

At that moment Grace walked in. "Hey, you two. What's going on?"

"Greg just misses his Momma, that's all." Gus smiled at his wife.

Grace walked over to Greg and kissed his forehead. "Oh, sweetie. Your Momma is happy and healthy up there, and me and your dad will always be here for you if you ever need to talk."

Greg smiled at both of his parents. "Thanks Mom and Dad, I love you guys so much." The three of them hugged.

The timer in the kitchen rang, signalling that the cake has finished baking in the oven. Greg jumped out of his seat excitedly. "Let's go, Mom and Dad! I can't wait to see how the cake turned out."

His parents laughed and the three of them headed into the kitchen to take out the cake from the oven.

AN: I hope all of you enjoyed reading these little vignettes. I've been wanting to do this for a while now and I really enjoyed it. All three vignettes shared a common theme: that their families mean everything to them and will always be there for them no matter what.

Please let me know if you want more and don't be shy to drop a request.

Take care and have a great day! :D