CHAPTER TEN

Off to the Moon

Having parents who are superheroes means that evenings can get a little hectic. Especially in the Powers household.

“The emergency numbers are on the fridge! You can have leftovers for dinner! WAIT! Where’s your baby brother?!” Mom asked in a tizzy.

Some kids have parents who go on business trips. My parents are no different—if by “business trip” you mean “flying to the moon to stop a giant alien monster.”

Yup. An alien was trying to eat the moon (again). My dad was already on his way, but Mom stayed behind to make sure her kids were okay. She needed to leave like five minutes ago!

“Ben is right over there,” I said, pointing to my baby brother, who was cheerfully munching on his fingers. He wasn’t invisible…at the moment.

“Where’s Grandpa?! Where’re Gavin and Felicia?! UGH. There’s no time! I have to go! Peter, watch your brother! Make sure he eats! And goes to bed on time! You’re in charge,” Mom commanded.

“In charge?” I gulped. That sounded like a lot of responsibility.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I can do this,” I said, hoping to make her feel better. She had plenty to worry about—what with a monster alien eating the moon. (You could actually see a little red dot up in the sky if you looked hard enough.)

Not to mention, this might be my chance to turn things around. If I handled this evening well, maybe I could prove to my parents that I could handle any situation. Or at least deserved to be ungrounded early.

“Be careful, be safe, and keep an eye on everything!” my mom shouted as she flew out the back door. “Your dad and I trust you!”

It felt good to hear her say those words. Though I wondered if she actually meant them.

SWASH!! My mom shot into the sky faster than a rocket ship. She left a trail of smoke behind her.

I stared up at the moon and squinted. I bet she was already there. My parents really are amazing. I don’t know how they juggle having a big family and saving the world every other week.

“Where are your parents?” Grandpa asked. He was just waking up from a nap. He loved to sleep.

“The moon,” I said. “Alien monster trying to eat it.”

“Again?” Grandpa said. “Oh well. If your parents are gone, you know what that means?”

“Lots of chores and an early bedtime,” I said, trying to be responsible.

“Nope. Time to party! HA-HA-HA!” Grandpa said. Then he rolled his wheelchair into the living room and flipped on the television. “Time to watch my shows! They have bad words.”

Gavin and Felicia strolled into the house an hour later.

“Your mom left Peter in charge, so you better listen to him,” Grandpa grunted.

“What?!” Felicia and Gavin yelped.

“Yeah, I’m in charge,” I said. “So, that means we’re all going to behave and not cause any trouble and take care of Ben and—”

“Where is Ben?” Felicia asked.

Uh-oh. I looked around the room. I didn’t see him anywhere. He was just here a minute ago. No need to panic, I thought. Not yet, at least.

“Good job, Peter Pointless,” Gavin said. “You lost our brother.”

“Ben!” I shouted. I ran around the house listening for him. The worst part was that Ben thought this was a funny game. But hide-and-seek with an invisible baby is not fun for anybody. “Ben!!”

I made sure all the doors were closed and locked. Then I checked the stairs. Oh no. This was bad. “Grandpa, have you seen Ben?” I said in a panic. But Grandpa was already fast asleep in his wheelchair. He’s the only person I know who can be wide awake one minute and sound asleep the next.

“Can you two help me?!” I asked.

“No, you’re in charge. You find him,” Gavin said. My brother and sister took seats on the couch and changed the channel.

“Turn up the TV,” said Felicia, snatching the remote control from Gavin.

“We interrupt this program to bring you an important news break,” the TV said. “Captain Tornado has been spotted at the famous Capital Bank in downtown Boulder City. The authorities advise everyone to stay clear of the area.”

“That’s the bad guy Peter tried to fight?” Gavin asked. “I could take him.”

“He looks puny to me,” Felicia said. She flexed. “I bet I could break him in half.”

“Fighting a supervillain is harder than it sounds,” I said. “Now can you please help me find Ben?”

“I don’t think fighting a supervillain would be hard at all,” Felicia said. “I mean, I’m super strong.”

“And I can make ten of myself!” Gavin said.

I was so frustrated! Not just because Ben was missing, but because my brother and sister kept picking on me. Before I knew it, I was shouting at them. “You think you can beat Captain Tornado? There’s your chance!” I pointed to the TV. “I’d love to see you try!”

“Oh yeah?” Gavin said.

“Yeah!” I replied. But then I took a deep breath, like Mom always did. “No, don’t do it. It’s dangerous. And you could get really hurt.”

Gavin and Felicia looked at each other devilishly and ran toward the front door. I beat them there and stood in the way. But Felicia lifted me up straight over her head.

“No no no!” I said. “You can’t do this! Captain Tornado is dangerous!”

“Don’t worry about us,” Felicia said and smiled.

“Yeah. Worry about Ben,” Gavin added. Then they ran off down the street.

They had to be playing. They couldn’t really be going to fight Captain Tornado, not after all the trouble I’d gotten in. It was just a practical joke, I thought. Right?

Oh no. What did I just do? Were my siblings about to go take on Captain Tornado by themselves?! I looked down the street, but it was too late. They were gone.

My parents were fighting an alien. Ben was invisible and missing. And I had talked my siblings into fighting a supervillain. This was bad. If everyone survived tonight, I would be grounded for life.