“Maybe next time,” he said. Captain Tornado waved his arms, creating an army of twisters headed straight for me, Chloe, and Sandro. My mom leaped into action. She flew across the room and deflected the twisters with ease, sending them back toward Captain Tornado and knocking him down.

“Are you okay?” Mom asked. Chloe and Sandro nodded.

“Yes,” I said. I could see it in her eyes: She was disappointed in me. That was almost worse than her being angry.

“I want all of you to stay put. This is a very dangerous situation. It’s important that you listen to me,” Mom said. “Do you understand?”

“He’s escaping!” yelled Sandro, pointing to Captain Tornado. He was making his getaway. This was all my fault. I had to stop him. I had to fix this. I had an idea.

“Captain Tornado put all the money in his car. If we let him go, he’ll drive away and we can track his license plate,” I shouted.

“The car’s not for driving, kid. It’s for storage,” Captain Tornado said. He’d heard me. On the long list of hero stuff I needed to learn, being quiet was another.

Captain Tornado used his powers to conjure up a giant vortex of wind. The cyclone swept him and his car full of stolen money high into the sky. I could tell my mom was hesitating between going after the bad guy and staying to make sure I was okay. Of course, she stayed.

In no time at all, Captain Tornado and his car of stolen money disappeared into the clouds.

“I’m really sorry—” I began.

“Don’t say another word,” Mom said. I could tell she wasn’t happy. When Dad arrived on the scene, I was doubly embarrassed.

“Hey there! Sorry for the delay. I was held up on the other side of town with a bunch of mind-controlled gorillas and—Peter?!” Dad sputtered. “What’s going on here?”

“Honey, would you mind escorting Chloe and Sandro home? Peter and I need to have a little talk.”

Chloe and Sandro had that “hope you’re not grounded for life” look on their faces as my dad escorted them out. I stayed with Mom as she spoke to the bank manager (who was still looking for his toupee) and made sure everyone was safe. Soon the police showed up to handle the situation, and we finally headed home.

“Mom, let me explain,” I started. But as soon as I opened my mouth, I stumbled. I didn’t know what to say.

I thought I could handle the superhero lifestyle. I wanted to show my family that I wasn’t just a little baby ice maker, but I was so embarrassed that it left me totally speechless.

“I know you want to be a hero, Peter, and I know you want to help. I’m very proud of you for taking the initiative, but you’re simply not ready. Your powers haven’t developed. You need proper training. And you are far too young.” My mom took a deep breath. “Today, you entered a very dangerous situation that could have turned out very badly for everyone. And worse, you brought your friends too. They could have been seriously hurt. You’ve left me with no choice.”

Oh no, I thought. No no no no no! She wouldn’t, she couldn’t! She’s going to, isn’t she? She’s going to DOOM me and ruin my entire life. Just when I thought the day couldn’t get any worse.

“You’re grounded,” Mom said firmly. “No TV, no Internet, no phone, no video games. For a month.”

My life was officially over.