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It was 5:38 PM.
The enemy would come out of his lair soon, only coming out to claim his target.
The target that would inevitably give the enemy ultimate power over all the house’s inhabitants.
The target had been left in a dangerously open space. Free for the taking of all who dared enter its chamber. Left there in obedience of the ancient laws put in place by the Mighty Overriding Moderator. The queen of the small yet stable population of this household had long since decreed that the target would never leave the chamber in which it resides.
the declaration had never posed an issue in years past, however, when the enemy entered the house and laid claim to the target when it was needed most.
Thus, a struggle for power came to be.
It had been months- nearly a year now- since the fighting began. And while it seemed to grow and shrink throughout the course of its existence, it has stayed steady enough for the issue to be on the minds of all who were affected by it.
The enemy was fast.
The enemy was quiet.
The enemy was about to emerge.
It was 5:46.
It was 5:46 and Bethany couldn't take it anymore.
She had to act upon this unjust truth. This terrible dilemma she had found herself in.
If she did not do it, her opponent would reach the target first and use it for his own entertainment.
She had to go now.
There was no use in thinking something like this through. She had tried, once, and failed handsomely.
There was no time to think.
She had no time to discuss, argue, or even weigh her options.
There wasn't going to be any mercy if she did not act first.
This was war.
This was win or lose.
And Bethany would not lose.
It was 5:51.
Just a few months ago, this hadn't been an issue. It had never occurred to her that it may become one. This little thing- this new problem- could only be solved in one way:
Get there first.
Bethany had to be faster than this new enemy.
Bethany had to be quiet so she would not alert the enemy to her presence or movement.
Bethany needed to put her hero training to the test, and hope that it would be enough.
Her phone clock read 5:56.
Go time.
As quickly and quietly as she could, Bethany crossed her bedroom floor, opened and tiptoed through the door, and closed the door as she passed through it. Glancing over to one of the other doors in the hall to make sure it stayed shut, Bethany speed-walked through the hallway, and down the stairs.
A door opened behind her.
Bethany ran.
The enemy shouted something that Bethany couldn't quite hear and didn't bother trying to.
The enemy was moving quickly.
A hand just barely brushed through the ends of Bethany's hair, not deep enough to pull, but enough to make her run faster.
Bethany kept running as she entered the living room. She lunged forward, arm reaching out for the target- her hand wrapping around it and pulled it to her chest just as her brother entered the room in the same rushed manner Bethany had.
“Oh come on!” Orion groaned, seeing Bethany smirking as she went to sit on the couch. “You had the remote yesterday!”
“You snooze, you lose!” Bethany laughed, turning the TV on and switching through the channels, looking for something good to watch. “Besides, you had it like- three days in a row last week!”
“Ugh, fine,” Orion muttered, flopping down on the couch beside her. “Just don't put on anything stupid?”
“Since when do I watch stupid shows?”
“Teen Titans Go.”
“That was only for the crossover movie with the 2003 show, and you know it!”
“Surrre, if you say so. :)”
“How do you even say that out loud?? How did I hear it that way?!”
“Apparently, it comes with being from a comic book.”
“... huh.”
And for a few seconds, the siblings sat in a comfortable quiet.
Content in one another's presence and the sound of the TV channels switching.
Then-
“Whelp-” Bethany clapped, as she stood up, still holding the remote, and went to open the cabinet under the TV where the DVDs were kept. “Nothing interesting is on. I'm putting on Barbie: Rapunzel.”
“What.”
“You heard me! It's the best one!” Bethany paused. “…You don't have to watch with me, you know?”
“...” Orion looked away from Bethany before also standing up and saying “I'm gonna grab some snacks to eat while we watch. What do you want?”
“Something crunchy? But not the chips- Mom said she's saving that for a meal later this week.” Bethany answered while turning on the TV.
“Got it.” With that, Orion left the living room, heading toward the kitchen.
While her brother moved around the kitchen, inspecting the cabinets’ contents for a suitable snack, Bethany started setting up the DVD player and switching the TV's controls to connect to it. Locating the Barbie: Rapunzel DVD, Bethany placed the disk into the DVD player and waited for it to load.
Just as the player started the previews, Bethany heard the sound of the microwave being turned on and loud popping noises soon started to drown out the noise of trailers for movies that have long since come out.
“Hey, Beth!” Orion called from the kitchen. “Do you want butter and cheese on your popcorn?”
“Sure!” Bethany answered. “The movie's ready when you are.”
A few minutes later, Orion came into the living room with two bowls of buttery popcorn. Bethany hit play on the movie as Orion sat down and passed her one of the bowls.
The opening music started, and the camera panned around the room, showing off various art supplies. The opening credits started appearing throughout the room as the music got louder.
Just as the credits ended and the scene turned to Chelsea at a painting easel, Bethany took her first handful of popcorn and brought it to her mouth.
Only to immediately cough at the unexpected flavor of cheesy chocolate.
Turning to her brother, Bethany demands, “Who in their right mind puts M&Ms in their popcorn?!?”
“It tastes good!” Orion answers. “I thought it was a good idea!”
“You have wonderful ideas!” Barbie says to Chelsea from the TV.
“Shut up Barbie.” Bethany says, pausing the movie. “You don't know what his awful idea was.”
“It's no different than trail mix!” Orion defends.
“You don't put butter and powdered cheese into trail mix, Orion!”
The sound of footsteps coming down the staircase interrupted whatever Bethany was going to say next.
Christian entered the room, looked at his children, and asked, “What are you kids yelling about?”
Without hesitation, Bethany pointed at Orion and said, “He put M&Ms in our popcorn! With butter and cheese!”
“Is this true?” Christian asked, turning toward Orion and stepping closer to the couch he was sitting on.
“Yep!” Orion smiled. “Want some?”
“Absolutely!” Christian grabbed a large handful of the cheesy, chocolaty mix. “It's been a while since we've had this, huh?” He asked, sitting between a flabbergasted Bethany and a smug-looking Orion. “Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all!” Orion said, hitting play on the remote while Bethany looked at them both with betrayal.
On the screen, Barbie began telling Chelsea the story of Rapunzel.