PROLOGUE*

The sun hung low over Secret Shores, casting an amber glow that belied the chaos unfolding below. What had begun as an ordinary afternoon—a chorus of laughter, the hum of shopping carts, the scent of fresh bread wafting through the supermarket—had shattered into a warzone. At its heart raged a creature of nightmares, a humanoid monstrosity crackling with the combined powers of the Thunderman family. Its every step tore through concrete; its every roar shook the sky.

Inside the ravaged supermarket, Chloe Thunderman crouched in the skeletal remains of the basement, her breath hitching as she cradled Booch's limp form. Dust and debris rained around them, the air thick with the tang of blood and burnt metal. A jagged steel beam speared through Booch's side, glinting cruelly in the dim light. The blonde girl's hand trembled as she brushed a tear from Chloe's cheek, her voice a fragile whisper.

"Don't cry…"

Chloe's throat tightened. "I'll teleport you to a hospital—*anywhere*—"

Booch shook her head, her smile fading like a dying ember. "Just…stay." Her fingers interlaced with Chloe's, cold and trembling. Outside, the cacophony of battle roared—a symphony of crumbling walls and thunderous blasts. But here, in this tomb of rubble, there was only silence. Booch's gaze drifted upward, glassy and distant. "So many flowers…birds singing…"

"Booch? *Look at me!*" Chloe pleaded, but the light had already fled her eyes. The girl's head slumped against Chloe's shoulder, her hand slipping free.

"*NO!*" The scream tore from Chloe's lungs, raw and guttural. She clutched Booch closer, as if her own heartbeat could reignite the life stolen away. Above, the ceiling groaned, threatening to collapse entirely.

Phoebe Thunderman staggered through the apocalyptic streets, her right leg dragging uselessly behind her. Blood trickled from a gash above her brow, blurring her vision. The creature had left a trail of ruin in its wake—shattered storefronts, smoldering cars, the mangled remains of heroes who'd dared stand in its path. Kid Danger's emblem lay trampled in the rubble.

Max, her brother, lay motionless nearby, his suit charred and torn. He'd charged the beast moments ago, a final, desperate lunge. Now, his chest didn't rise.

"*Max…*" Phoebe crumpled to her knees, her powers spent, her fists clenched. The creature loomed ahead, its form flickering with stolen electricity. It turned toward her, eyes blazing like twin supernovas.

Then, a flash of light.

Chloe materialized at Phoebe's side, her uniform shredded, blood streaking her face like war paint. Her left arm hung twisted, but her eyes—Phoebe recoiled at the fury in them.

"*Get out of here!*" Phoebe rasped.

Chloe didn't flinch. "Thank you," she murmured, her voice trembling yet resolute. "For…everything."

Phoebe's heart lurched. "*Chloe, don't—*"

But her sister was already moving, teleporting in erratic bursts to dodge the creature's attacks. Fire and lightning scorched the earth where she'd stood seconds prior.

"You took my brother," Chloe spat, reappearing behind the beast. "My sister. My *Booch*." She lunged, her good arm hooking around its neck. "Now *burn*."

Phoebe screamed her name, but the world erupted in a blinding flash. Chloe and the monster vanished—reappearing a heartbeat later inside the searing core of the Beetlejuice star, a celestial inferno visible even in daylight.

For an instant, Phoebe saw her sister's silhouette: head bowed, arms outstretched, embracing the monster like a lover. Then the light consumed them, leaving only an afterimage etched into the sky.

Silence fell.

In the ruins of the supermarket, dust motes drifted through a beam of fractured sunlight, illuminating two intertwined hands. One still warm.

The other, cold as starlight.