The Masked Family Read Free Page B

dumped by her favorite boyfriend of all time.
    Maybe she just needed to get out of town for a few days. Maybe she was hurt worse than she thought, and needed a face-to-face with Cary instead of just a phone call.
    It wouldn't be the first time. Of the kids in the Beacon family, she and Cary had always been closest. Even decades ago, in the golden age of their childhood as the Nuclear Family, Celeste and Cary had stood more closely together than the others. Even back before what had happened in the fire, back when the brothers and sisters had all still been on speaking terms with each other, Celeste and Cary had been tight as twins.
    He was her safety net. When all else and everyone failed, he would catch her. Just like he'd done the night of the fire, long ago...though he hadn't been able to save everyone.
    To Celeste, he would always be a hero. To her mind, he was the only member of the Nuclear Family who had never stopped acting like one.
    Maybe now it was time for someone else to be a hero for Cary. That was why, three hours after getting home from the dump-fest, Celeste tossed an overnight bag in the back of her silver Hyundai and headed west.
    If her gut feeling was a false alarm, all the better. Getting some face time with her brother, especially after such a crappy day, was worth what she'd pay for the gas to get there.
    If Cary really was in trouble, then she would be the cavalry. She wouldn't let him down.
    The Nuclear Family took care of its own.
    The survivors did, anyway. The survivors who were still on speaking terms with each other.
    Two out of six, in other words.
    Don't worry, Cary. Spellerina's coming.
    Well, someone who used to pretend to be her, anyway.
    Though Celeste was usually a careful driver, she floored the accelerator and flew down the interstate at eighty-five miles an hour, pointed toward West Virginia.

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    *****

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    Chapter Four
    Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 1977
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    As the Nuclear Family (except Father Law, who was on a separate mission) hunkered down in the trees behind the firehouse, they faced their most dangerous mission yet.
    The four of them were ready for action, dressed in the colorful super-hero costumes that struck fear in the hearts of their enemies. Musclebot, the senior member of the team at twelve years old, wore bluejeans and a navy blue T-shirt with a foot-high foil letter "M" on the chest (stitched on by Maxi-Mom, the team's seamstress). Musclebot also wore a bright red cape, tucked into the neck of his shirt and hanging down to the backs of his knees.
    Eleven-year-old Moon Girl wore a black leotard with another giant letter "M" on the chest, this one stitched on in sparkling, multi-colored sequins. Her cape was bright yellow and stitched to the leotard's neckline; her shorts and sneakers were yellow, too. Her domino mask was as black as her short, bobbed hair.
    Ten-year-old Spellerina's leotard was pink, with the letter "S" glued on the chest in glitter; her ballerina tutu skirt was pink, too. Over her eyes and nose, she wore a glittery Mardi Gras-style mask flocked with little white feathers around the top and sides. Pink and white ribbons streamed through her long, blonde hair.
    Then there was The Hurry, nine years old. The "H" on his red T-shirt was painted on in lightning bolts like the ones that streaked the sides of his red shorts. He wore plastic goggles (from Father Law's tool bench) to protect his eyes when he ran faster than the speed of sound (which happened during every adventure). The natural blond streaks in his red hair were like racing stripes on either side of his head.
    Costumed as they were, the four heroes left no doubt that they meant business. Elsewhere, they might be dressed like ordinary kids, and no one would give them a second look...but when they broke out the Nuclear Family costumes, all who saw them knew that danger was near and the four heroes would save the day.
    Even today, when they faced their most dangerous mission yet.
    "There it is!"