The Time of Our Lives

Prologue: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

“Eagle here – he’s coming around the corner, over.” The crackle of short-range hand-held radio communicators punctuated the message, but the two cackling youths on the hearing end of it paid it no mind.

The quiet footsteps – almost silent, in fact – of somebody coming down the hallway was not what alerted Mark and Anthony that their target was approaching. What they were really sensing was the waves of psychic energy almost everybody gave off, and just as Octavius, their rival, came around the corner, Mark and Anthony struck.

Karen – otherwise known as Eagle when on a prank with Shield and Spear – watched from one of many bridges that crisscrossed the different buildings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque’s College at alternating levels. A small pair of binoculars lay at her feet, with a pillbox-sized walkie talkie held loosely in one hand. The other hand clutched a bag of water balloons.

The plan would be that Mark and Anthony would startle Octavius enough – utilising their psychic powers if necessary – that he wouldn’t be able to react to the overhead threat.

She’d found out about their powers and confronted them about it about a year ago when she’d seen the three of them beating each other up – Octavius had been armed with psionic bolts. Sworn to secrecy (there was something about guilds and PR), Mark and Anthony and Octavius had settled with Karen being ‘discreet’. Mark and Anthony had later accepted the help of Karen in one of their many pranks and it had led to where they were now, executing plan the-gods-themselves-don’t-even-know-what-number.

What Karen hadn’t counted on was that Mark and Anthony had a rather strange view of ‘necessary’ and lashed out with psychic power almost from the start.

At the same time, Octavius had begun gathering several psionic bolts, but they suddenly fizzled out. Mark and Anthony – shocked, jaws hanging open – just stood there and Octavius was franticly trying to gather psionic energy. Karen sighed – and dropped the bag of water balloons, before scooping up the binoculars and racing off.

With an almighty splash and splatter, Octavius was drenched in mere milliseconds, which was all it took for Mark and Anthony to be shaken out of their shock and race off themselves.

“What the hell did we do?!”

“I don’t know!”

“What do you mean you don’t know?!”

“It means I don’t know, damn it!”

“What the heck did you two do? And why didn’t you stick to the plan?” Karen’s voice cut across Mark and Anthony’s rising argument.

They looked at each other in consternation and shrugged simultaneously.

“We don’t know.” They said in stereo – the effect would have been more eerie if they had been identical twins rather than fraternal.

Karen glared at them.

They shifted uneasily. “We didn’t mean to-!” “It was an accident, I swear!” They protested.

“It looks like you shorted his powers out!” Karen growled. “Is what you did temporary?” Her tone of voice seemed to say at the same time I-bloody-well-hope-so.

The twins looked at each other again, conducting a hurried telepathic conversation.

“Uh… I… we… we think so…” Mark finally muttered out.

At that same moment, Octavius came around the corner, blue psionic bolts already swirling into existence and hurtling at Mark and Anthony and Karen. Karen leapt over the railing, tucking and curling into a ball and landing one floor below onto ground level (they had been on the second floor) – she had been practicing falling from such heights for a while, but the shock still needed getting used to. Mark and Anthony, however, merely sprinted as fast as they could.

“I’m going to get you!!” Octavius bellowed, and his crimson countenance combined with the dripping water and his sopping clothes made it look like he was melting.

Fortunately for all four of them (and the guilds and their PR), school had been let out a long time ago and nobody was about – they were in a part of the college that boarders had no need to use outside of school hours.

“I… am… so… freaking... exhausted!” Anthony managed to make out in between pants.

Caelum raised an eyebrow at the twins, noting how they seemed to have run a marathon.

“Did you two do another prank? For that matter, did you leave Karen behind…?” Caelum accused. Mark and Anthony seemed too tired to even argue back.

“Hey Caelum.” Caelum twisted his head around and his eyes settled on Karen, who looked perfectly fine.

“Did these two get into trouble again?” He jabbed a finger at Mark and Anthony, addressing Karen.

“Uh… these two didn’t get into trouble…” Karen answered shiftily.

Caelum narrowed his eyes in mock annoyance. “Let me rephrase – did you three get into trouble again?”

“Not if we don’t get caught?”

“Gods, you three are incorrigible.”

“Why thankyou!” Mark – who seemed to have regained his breath – answered chirpily.

“Do you even know what that means?” “That wasn’t a compliment, brat!” Karen and Caelum shot back at the same time.

The four of them were currently ‘gathered’ at the college’s dining hall that was kept opened till late in case one of the students suddenly thought they were starving to death at four in the afternoon, or something like that.

“I don’t think I want to know who you three pissed off this time.”

“This time? Why ever do you think there were other times?” Anthony asked innocently.

“Idiot, you just proved we did something!” Mark cuffed his brother over the head.

Caelum however, was rolling his eyes. “I really, really wonder why.” He muttered dryly.

Karen nudged him playfully. “Come on, Caelum. You’ve got to get yourself a sense of humour or Celeste might just give up on you!”

Caelum glared at her. “And why on earth would I care?”

“Because you’re going to marry her when you’re older!” All three – Karen, Mark and Anthony – answered with the same words at the same time, perfectly in time.

This had, of course, happened before (many, many times, in fact) and Caelum was no longer as impressed with their feat and was merely exasperated at their insistent childishness.

“Will you three ever grow up?”

All four were in their final year of high school, which most people seemed to regard as the year everyone suddenly got real responsible.

“Nope!”

“Growing old is mandatory-”

“-but growing up is optional!”

“Oh for goodness’ sakes…” Caelum put his head in his hands.

“Cheer up, old man!”

“I am not an old man!” replied Caelum hotly – this was a subject of much contention with him. “Just because I’m older than you by a year-”

“Which makes you old.” Interjected Mark. Caelum glared at him.

“-doesn’t mean I’m an old man!”

Suddenly, the doors of the dining hall swung open and a figure surrounded in blue light stood silhouetted in the doorway.

“Oh… shitake mushrooms.” Anthony muttered. Mark had already sprinted off, his chair clattering to the floor. Karen, however, hid behind Caelum, while Anthony raced off after his brother’s disappearing form.

Octavius raced after Anthony and Mark, somehow not seeing Karen.

“What was that all about? Wait, hang on, I didn’t want to know, didn’t I?!”