CHAPTER ELEVEN

Gila Monster Madness!

As the giant Gila monster crawled into the sunlight, he started glowing, as if the sun made him stronger.

“Uh-oh,” I said. “According to my report, lizards get energy from the sun. And I think this super Gila monster is getting supercharged.”

Lumpy the Gila monster let out a massive roar. Everyone in Boulder City heard it.

“That’s so not good,” Felicia said. “Mom, do something!”

“I’m on it,” Mom said. She turned to Grandpa, saying, “Take Ben away, and fly him somewhere safe.”

Mom and Dad ran into the garden shed so the neighbors couldn’t see them. They pulled open their clothes to reveal their superhero outfits hidden beneath.

“The rest of you follow Grandpa on foot,” Dad told Gavin, Felicia, and me. “And remember—stick together, and safety first.”

I wasn’t ready to retreat just yet. This was a chance to redeem myself after telling so many lies. It was time for Peter Powers to do his hero thing.

“Wait, I can help! I know stuff about lizards. Plus, ice cube powers! Please let me help,” I pleaded.

“Now is not the time to discuss this, Peter,” Mom said, taking off into the sky. She zoomed back and forth in front of Lumpy the Gila monster. He tried to catch her with his weird lizard hands. That only made him angrier. Lumpy swatted, batting her away like a ball.

Mom crash-landed in our neighbor’s yard, right in the flower beds he loved so much. “Well, that wasn’t awesome,” Mom said, trying to stand.

The giant Gila monster screeched again. It started to run toward the crowds of people in the street. They were about to get crushed when a huge wall of flame appeared. The giant lizard reared back.

Dad was on the scene!

Lumpy didn’t like the fire. He scurried back in the other direction. But his tail smacked Dad, sending him flying into the city lake.

“Oh no! Mom and Dad need a minute to catch their breath,” I shouted to my siblings. I pulled up my hoodie and put on my hero mask. “We need to distract the Gila monster so no one gets hurt!”

“I’ve got this!” Felicia said. She pulled on her hero mask and used her super strength to pick up a giant truck. Then she slammed it down on Lumpy’s foot. The lizard howled in pain.

We weren’t supposed to be using our powers, but I was happy to see Felicia rise to the occasion when she saw people in trouble. Next up—Peter Powers to the rescue!

But strangely, Gavin beat me to the punch. He pulled on his own hero mask and copied himself, making a dozen duplicates. Each one ran in a different direction to point people to safety, away from the danger. “Since we’re using our powers, I figure I should lend a few hands!” he said.

Both my siblings were acting like heroes all of a sudden, while I was nothing but a big liar. I hadn’t even had a chance to show anyone what I could do! Then again, what could I do? I had ice powers, but they weren’t that great. After all, ice cubes aren’t much help against a giant lizard monster destroying the city.…