by Gracie Dix
Mrs. Fletcher thought for a minute. “A school for students with Super Powers?" Mrs. Fletcher asked incredulously.
"Yes! Exactly," Mrs. Macintosh replied.
"I’m going to need some time to decide. This is very bizarre and strange. My kids are wanting a change, and we've been looking for a new school. I didn't even know there WAS a Superhero School, let alone that it would be an option!”
“Wow. That’s quite convenient!” Mrs. Macintosh exclaimed with another mysterious chuckle. “Call me back later once you make up your mind, and I will give you all the details about the school. It's a very special place. We would want to bring Oliver and Jessica in for a visit, so they can see what it's all about and decide for themselves. But, I think your kids will love it!”
“Of course. Thank you for this opportunity. By the way, why aren’t you calling during normal office hours?” Mrs. Fletcher asked curiously.
“Let’s just say, I had a certain 'feeling’ you would be awake.” Mrs. Macintosh answered, chuckling again.
“I’m up baking a huge cake for my kids. That’s beside the point. Just please call during the day next time,” Mrs. Fletcher said sternly.
Mrs. Fletcher thought all about it while making the cake and then thought about it some more after she finished. At 5:30 in the morning, Mrs. Fletcher decided she did want to call that Mrs. Macintosh lady back, and soon.
First, she went to discuss it with her husband. After a long conversation, they both agreed that this would be best for both of the kids. Oliver and Jessica would get to try a new school, which they wanted. Plus, they could be open about their Powers, and hopefully that would let them make some real friends. While Mrs. Fletcher called the school back, Mr. Fletcher quietly entered the twin’s bedroom and turned off Oliver’s alarm clock. It was their birthday after all. That seemed like a great reason to let them sleep in!
6.2
Oliver awoke from his slumber feeling groggy. The first thing he realized was that he was late for school and so was Jessica. His alarm clock read 10:17 a.m. “Oh no! Jess, wake up!” he yelled, “We’re so late!”
“It’s our birthday, Ollie. We can be as late as we want.” Jessica yawned as she rubbed her eyes.
“Jess! IT’S 10:17!” he shouted, gesturing wildly to his clock.
“Oh my gosh!” She screamed, scrambling down the bunk ladder in a full-blown panic.
“Happy birthday, kids! What’s all this chaos?” Mrs. Fletcher chimed, sticking her head in the door.
“Mom, we’re late for school!” Jessica yelled, grabbing onto her mom’s shoulders dramatically.
“Don’t worry about that! I called in and told the school that you need a mental-health day . . . and that it was your birthday,” Mrs. Fletcher said with a humored smile. “Happy birthday, my loves!"
“Wow, how did that go over?” Oliver asked excitedly.
“Well, I told the administration exactly what I said I told them, and the principle said, ‘Yes, tell your kids to enjoy their . . . mental-health day.’ I could practically HEAR him winking over the phone,” she explained with a giggle.
Jessica giggled too. Oliver just smiled and rolled his eyes. “So, we can stay in our PJs?” he questioned excitedly.
“Well, duh, my little monkeys! Of COURSE you can!” Mrs. Fletcher shouted, throwing her arms in the air. “Look, I know you kids like to keep a low profile, and you ‘don’t have any friends,’ and you ‘didn’t want a party,’ so what do you think about a mellow birthday at home? I mean, mellow besides the enormous cake I made . . . ”
“Whoa, seriously?” the twins cheered at the same time.
Once again, Mrs. Fletcher laughed. “Yes!” she confirmed. “It’s your special day! Your dad and I are staying home to celebrate it with you. Let’s have a fun PJ day, with cake for breakfast and lots of relaxing! You deserve it!”
Oliver and Jessica, with much more energy than they’d felt a second ago, sprinted downstairs to the enormous cake that awaited them. Once they saw the multi-layered cake, they almost fainted. The first and biggest layer had soft chocolate butter-cream frosting around the edge. The second layer was coated in a buttermilk vanilla frosting with caramel and chocolate chips dotting the sides. The third and final layer was most likely “regular” birthday cake, but it was hard to tell at first due to the vibrant rainbow frosting that had been so beautifully applied.
On the very top of the cake was a candle that had been precariously sculpted to look like Oliver and Jessica hugging each other. The flame was alight and dancing crazily, matching the energy pulsing through the twins. They were so excited that they didn’t even notice their dad sitting at the kitchen table. “OH MY GOSH!” Oliver and Jessica screamed at the same time.
“This thing is MEGA!” Oliver yelled, laughing.
“I . . . I don’t even know what to say!” Jessica gasped, “Um . . . the candle, the colors! I love them all!”
Mrs. Fletcher came down the stairs after them and smiled at their reactions. She was taken by surprise when both her children raced toward her and wrapped her in a tight hug. “Oh my!” she giggled. “Thank you so much!”
“Hey, don’t forget about your old man!” Mr. Fletcher exclaimed, sticking his arms out.
“This is so cool!” Jessica screeched as she leaped to hug her father.
Oliver followed her example. “Thank you guys so much! And no school? he asked, feeling incredibly giddy.
“Just for today,” Mr. Fletcher confirmed.
“Oh man, oh man, oh man!” Oliver shouted. He jumped in the air and Flew around the kitchen since he just couldn’t contain all of his excitement.
Jessica sat down at the kitchen table and stared at the cake. As she scooted into her chair, she suddenly felt cold metal against her legs. “Whoa!” she yelped, jumping back.
“What?” Oliver questioned as he landed next to her.
Jessica began to stammer. “I felt cold metal against my legs. I . . . ”
“I see you found your birthday gift,” Mrs. Fletcher said. “Before you . . . unwrap it . . . I must say: This is a group project! You have to be responsible! Take care of it, love it, feed it, take it out, and walk it every weekend,” Mrs. Fletcher said with a smile. “You kids have been very stressed out recently. Your father and I figured this would be a great fix. Introducing . . . SNOWBALL, YOUR NEW DOG!”
Mr. Fletcher pulled a dog carrier out from underneath the table and opened the door with a flourish. A white, fluffy Maltipoo came prancing out. He had a on a blue collar with a silver dog tag that read “Snowball” on one side and had all four of their phone numbers printed on the back. “OMG!” Jessica screamed. “He’s so CUTE!”
“Whoa! Look at all that fluff!” Oliver said with an admiring gaze. “That’s a lot of fluff for such a little boy.”
“DOGGIE!” Jessica squealed, immediately reverting back to her four-year-old voice. “Who’s a good little baby boy? You are. Yes, you are!” Jessica kneeled down and began to stroke him softly as if this dog were the most delicate animal in the entire world.
“Jessi, you don’t need to pet Snowball as if he’s the economy,” Mr. Fletcher laughed, as if his joke were actually funny. “Get it? Because the economy is fragile . . . ”
“Snowball isn’t THAT fragile, sweetheart,” Mrs. Fletcher agreed, laughing along with him.
“Where did you get him?” Oliver asked, right after losing his man card by making kissy faces toward the dog.
“We picked him up at a shelter called Dogs, Cats, and Beyond,” Mrs. Fletcher answered, picking up Snowball’s pet carrier and placing it in the laundry room.
“Hmmm . . . What a weird name for an animal shelter. Are you sure that isn’t some kind of mattress store or something?” Jessica wondered.
“No, why would you think that?” Mr. Fletcher questioned, scratching his head.
“Anyway, did you buy any dog toys?” Oliver asked, “Because what’s a dog without dog toys?”
“Bored,” Jessica mumbled,
scratching Snowball behind his ears.
“Yes, of course we did!” Mrs. Fletcher said, pulling a plastic bag out from behind the counter.
Oliver and Jessica dumped the toys out on the floor. The second they did, Snowball raced over, clutched a giraffe toy in his mouth, and began to shake it to death. “Wow! He really loves these toys!” Jessica exclaimed. “Where did you get these from?”
“Dogs R Us,” Mr. Fletcher answered while watching Snowball rip the stuffing out and shake it all over the floor.
“Wait, didn’t that place get shut down?” Oliver wondered. He picked up the plastic bag the toys came in and examined it.
“Yes, but they opened another one right at the edge of town. Remember, Ollie?” Jessica reminded him.
“Oh, yeah. You’re right!” he said, throwing the plastic bag into the recycling bin.
Throughout the rest of the day, Oliver and Jessica ate the giant cake. When they weren’t stuffing their throats, they were playing with their new dog and watching him demolish every toy in his path. Occasionally, Snowball would whine and paw at the front door. Oliver put Jessica on “poop duty” since he always bragged that he was older by about two minutes. Meanwhile Oliver took “pee patrol” and made sure Snowball didn’t do his thing in the house.
Around lunch, Mr. Fletcher pulled out a bag of dog food, two bowls, and a treat bag. He placed the bowls in the laundry room, poured the food into one of the bowls, and filled the second one with water. When Snowball was finished eating, Jessica gave him a treat. Or maybe a few. Or maybe more than a few.
At the end of the day, Oliver had a small stomachache from cake consumption, and Jessica was in the middle of developing one. Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher would mark this birthday as a success despite the cake-aches. Later, when the twins were feeling better, they would also mark it as a successful birthday. Even with a cake-ache, a day off from school with a new puppy really did make for the best birthday ever.
To end off their perfect birthday, Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher had one more announcement to make.
Mrs. Fletcher knocked on the twin’s bedroom door right before bed. After she heard them say ‘come in,’ she opened the door and stepped inside their room. Oliver and Jessica thought she was coming in to say goodnight and tuck them in, but they didn’t know what to expect when their dad followed in behind her.
“How are my little monkeys feeling now?” Mrs. Fletcher asked, referring to their stomachaches.
“I’m feeling better,” Jessica said softly. “Ollie’s a little on the cranky side because his still hurts a little bit. That’s why I’m speaking quietly.”
“Yet, I can still hear you,” Oliver mumbled from the top bunk.
“Come on, kids. We have an announcement that might change everything, and you’re sitting up here being grumpy?” Mr. Fletcher questioned in a lighthearted tone.
“An announcement that might change everything?” Oliver repeated, sitting up straight.
“Yes,” Mrs. Fletcher confirmed, glowing with excitement herself. “Do you want us to get straight to the point or . . . ”
“Straight to the point!” Jessica yelped loudly. She grinned cheekily like she was embarrassed for yelling. A little quieter, she said, “Plus, Ollie is tired and his stomach is still hurting.”
Mr. Fletcher smiled with child-like glee and turned toward his wife. “Should I tell them or you?” he asked.
“I think you should tell them. No! WE should tell them!” Mrs. Fletcher answered quickly.
“Come on! You’ve got me all excited!” Oliver rushed. “Spit it out . . . please!”
“All right, all right.” Mr. Fletcher said with a mock sigh. “Why don’t I tell them the first part and you tell them the second part?” Mrs. Fletcher silently nodded her head in agreement. Mr. Fletcher began “Your mother got a phone call from an . . . elite school.”
Before he could say another word, Mrs. Fletcher shouted happily, “The school is a private school for students with Super Powers and you got invited! And accepted! You’re going to Superhero School!”
“WHAT!” Oliver and Jessica screamed in unison.
“That’s awesome!” Oliver yelled, nearly falling out of his bunk.
“That’s more than awesome! Are you telling us there’s more people out there like us?” Jessica asked.
“That’s exactly what we’re saying!” Mr. Fletcher responded.
Jessica hopped out of her bed and began to leap joyously around the room. “We’re going to super school! We’re going to super school!” she chanted proudly
Oliver, throwing all stomach pain aside, Flew from his bunk and crashed into his parents, knocking them down to the floor with a super hug. “I can’t believe this! I . . . am genuinely shocked! This is fantastic! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” he screeched, laughing and crying at the same time.
Now Jessica was prancing around the room some more, chanting, “Best birthday ever! Best birthday ever!”
Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher were still lying on the floor with Oliver smothering them in hugs, when Snowball came up to them and began to lick their faces. Five minutes later, Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher managed to restore order to the household again, but Oliver and Jessica were in their bunks still chatting up a storm. Snowball was snuggled up in Oliver’s bed covers. Mr. Fletcher had said goodnight and went downstairs to bed. Mrs. Fletcher stayed upstairs to tuck in the twins.
“Goodnight, my crazy angels,” she said, turning off the lights. “I understand you’re incredibly excited, but please get to bed soon. I love you both so much!” With that, she left the room and joined her husband in a peaceful sleep.
Chapter 7
A few weeks later, in a new house . . .
“I still can’t fathom how Dad managed to blow up our old house,” Oliver stated, sitting on the couch in their new living room one Saturday morning.
“That seems to be a talent of his,” Jessica added, flipping through TV channels. Remember when he accidently blew up that public bathroom last year? I can’t believe the cops believed him when he said it was a plumbing issue.”
“Yeah, didn’t he say it was ‘backed up pipes’ or something?” Oliver laughed, stroking Snowball’s fluffy back. “The cops looked at him as if he was the most disgusting guy on the planet.”
“I’m pretty sure Dad said that he backed up the pipes,” Jessica corrected, “Or at least that’s what the cops must have thought.”
“I don’t think we ever did find out how he ACTUALLY accidently blew up that bathroom.” Oliver mentioned, sitting up straight.
“I guess we’ll never know how he did it this time either,” Jessica sighed. “At least we have our own rooms now that we moved. Plus, this house is much bigger.”
“Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure he was trying to make lasagna in his hand-built nuclear microwave,” Oliver exclaimed. “Man, classic Dad.”
“Huh. I thought I smelled burnt lasagna somewhere in there,” Jessica stated.
“But, yeah. This new house is so cool! I mean, it’s HUGE! And even though it’s giant, it’s still comfy. I’m finally starting to feel like life is looking up,” Oliver said, squeezing Jessica’s hand in his.
“Yeah! I just can’t wait to start at this new school! I think it’s going to be so great!” Jessica yelled. She got up from the couch and began to dance around in a crazy and random fashion. Mrs. Fletcher walked in at that moment.
“Well, hello, my crazy cat,” she laughed as she saw Jessica’s dance moves. “And hello to you too, my lounging lemur.”
“Hey Mom, Jess has been doing this ever since we moved! She always has her spontaneous dance moves at spontaneous times. It’s weird. Tell her to stop,” Oliver groaned.
“Oh, come on, my silly little salamander. She’s clearly enjoying herself and she’s obviously very happy,” Mrs. Fletcher stated, sitting on the couch beside Oliver. “I have a very exciting announcement and I will just get straight into it. The principal of Superhero School has arranged for you two to visi
t the campus next week! You get to go next Friday, so the school will be active during your visit—but I’m sure you won’t mind.”
The kids just gaped at each other, clearly shocked by the announcement. Jessica’s expression immediately switched into a grin and Oliver leapt up from the couch. Both he and Jessica were now dancing around the room, laughing and shouting with joy. “We’re going to super school! We’re going to super school!” They chanted for the seventh time since their birthday.
7.2
That Friday morning, both Oliver and Jessica woke up with a fire in their hearts. They were about to go visit for the very first time what they hoped would be the greatest step up in their lives. Oliver’s alarm clock sang to him that morning. Figuratively, it sang “Get up! Get up! This is going to be the start of the rest of your life! Wake up!” What his alarm clock REALLY sang was “Beep! Beep! Beep . . . ” BAM! Oliver slapped the top of his alarm clock to shut it up and leapt out of bed with much more speed than he meant to. He landed on the hard wood floor on his hands and knees.
“Ouchy,” he mumbled, getting up and rubbing his knees.
When he pulled his hands back up he saw red stains and looked down at his knees. He had landed really hard. They were both bleeding. “Great. A not-so-perfect start to a perfect day.”
“OLLIE!” Jessica screamed from downstairs in the kitchen. “HURRY UP!”
“Got it, sis!” he yelled back. Oliver carefully walked to the laundry room across from his bedroom door and grabbed two large adhesive bandages from the first-aid cabinet. He then grabbed two other bandages and quickly wrapped his knees just in case they bled through the first ones. As he was walking back to his room, he realized his knees felt really sore and that it was difficult for him to walk without feeling pain.
“Hmm . . . Maybe I’ll tell Jess about that,” he whispered to himself. When he got back to his room, he cleaned the blood from his legs and the floor, and then threw on a T-shirt and jeans. Oliver quickly combed his hair and brushed his teeth. When his morning routine was relatively complete, he literally Flew down the stairs.