The Casaday Girls, Book 1: Super Kids. Michael Inc. Markey

be doing all your fun things here with us instead,” said Dad. “It will be great, girls, doing the things we used to do as a family. Games, TV, movies together in our home. You two have grown up so fast, perhaps we should plan more of these family weekends while we still can.”

      “Yeah, swell,” replied Rachael, sulking.

      Peanut barked. Alexa hopped out of her chair, to address the issues with the dog and to escape from her family at the dinner table. She stared into Peanut’s eyes to start off their mental conversation.

      “Danger outside again, Alexa. Open the door so I can deal with it.”

      “Don’t worry about it, puppy. Rachael and I are safe in here with the family. It looks like we’ll be safe for most of the weekend, darn it. So, just chill, dog.”

      Peanut shrank from her position and grew quiet again. Alexa returned to her seat to continue eating.

      “Can Rachael and I watch TV downstairs when we’re finished?”

      “Of course, dear,” Mom said.

      “Let’s go now, Lex. I’m done,” said Rachael. She grabbed her plate and took it to the kitchen sink.

      “See? This home togetherness isn’t so bad at all,” Dad said with a toothy grin.

      “What about my soccer game in the morning? Am I grounded for that, too?”

      “Well, of course you’ll play tomorrow, Rachael. You can’t let your teammates down, right?” His eyes lit. “Let’s take it one step further. I think it would be a fine idea if we all attended. Are you with me, everyone?”

      Alexa winced. Dad could be such a pain sometimes. Going to one of Rachael’s games was probably her least favorite pastime. “Come on, Rache.”

      The girls retreated to the basement. Alexa turned on the TV as Rachael flopped down on the sofa and threw a pillow across the room at nothing in particular.

      “It’s just not fair.” Rachael looked up the stairs, and then at Alexa. “Turn up the TV so they can’t hear us.”

      Alexa turned it up and Rachael continued as she slammed a fist down on the cushion of that couch. It left a deep indentation.

      “Why won’t anybody listen to our side of this story? We deserve to be heard, so let’s protest.”

      “Looks like I’m going to have to use my invisible act so we can find out more about that house,” Alexa said quietly.

      “I mean, even our parents don’t want to believe--” Alexa’s last comment registered with her. “Did you just say you’d get invisible to solve this case?”

      “Yes, I did. Do you believe in vampires now, Rachael?”

      “I didn’t think so. But I saw the marks on that man’s neck, too. I guess it’s possible that vampires got him.”

      “It worries me. I know we have the superpowers to go up against human forces of evil out there, but vampires? I’m not so sure.”

      “I’ll go online to do a little research later, Alexa. I want to learn all I can about those nasty bloodsuckers. For instance, how do you know when you see a vampire? Are there good and bad ones? And how do you fight the bad ones?”

      “They’re like zombies. We just don’t know if the two of us have the powers to go up against the undead.”

      Rachael and Alexa tried to watch TV for the next hour, but they both merely stared at the screen. How could they concentrate on this mindless kid stuff after the day they had? Soon, Rachael dozed off. Alexa tiptoed around the room and peered into the high basement windows. She jumped when Peanut barked again from upstairs. It made her shiver when their family pet yelped at every strange sound or creature outside. Alexa then ventured into the next room, the one with all their mother’s exercise equipment. It had full-length mirrors that covered one entire wall. She stared into the mirrors, to practice her invisibility power once again.

      Focusing as hard as she could, Alexa closed her eyes. “C’mon, Lex . . . you can do this,” she coaxed herself. She meditated for a few seconds and felt the cells of her body vanish into thin air, a slipping away to nothingness in space. Alexa giggled. The sensation tickled all over, especially her hands and feet.

      She opened her eyes. Almost no reflection.

      It’s working! Oh, my gosh, I’m disappearing, she thought.

      When she blinked and looked into the mirror again, Alexa saw just a hint of her former self.

      Getting closer, but still not totally invisible.

      She began the routine again, with twice the meditation time. Opening her eyes, Alexa blinked, but she couldn’t see herself in the mirror. She shook her flowing blonde locks and jiggled her arms and legs. They made no reflection. At all.

      “I did it. I really can do this,” she proudly whispered to herself. When I have all the time in the world to concentrate and make it happen, it’s very easy, Alexa thought as she mentally reversed the process to make her body reappear again.

      Can I do it under pressure, though?