Keeping Home

I knew this day would come. It’s my 16th birthday, and today is the day I discover my powers. I’ve been showing strong signs of this year being the year: all the lights flicker at random, I’ve been appearing on the roof without walking outside, and even leaving dents in the car with a small tap. Of course these small spurts are temporary and come as they please. Most human parents would be concerned if this were to randomly happen, but of course my parents are excited and proud to see such growth.

I see mom putting out some traditional dishes to celebrate my coming of age, as well as some heirlooms she is destined to give me to continue our lineage. Dad concocts a mixture to dip my fork into. It’s an ancient “potion” of the sorts to predict what sort of power you may expect from me when my saliva meets it. You must eat traditional foods with it, or it won’t work properly. It’s something to do with the chemistry of the mixture or some mumbo jumbo. I’m hoping to have some sort of epic flame power or maybe the ability to control girls at will. Across the room, my brother Joey is sitting on the couch playing with Jojo, our rather large Himalayan. He wishes me a happy birthday lazily as he is continually distracted by our behemoth cat.

Joey is my twin, though we look almost nothing alike. Of course, he’s the handsome one of the two with his striking blue eyes, stylish and tidy locks, clean cut chin, and glasses that frame his face just perfectly. I’d say I’m about average looking. I have messy dirty blond locks that never fall into place. Joey’s hair is straight as a pin and listens well to his commands, while my slight curls do as they please. My chin has a softer edge to it, my eyes are more of a dull brown, and no glasses to frame this ugly mug.

My family isn’t like the average American kin; we are beings known as Protectors. We’re on Earth to keep it safe and protect humankind to avoid intergalactic conflicts, such as those that have visited our homeland. Humans aren’t well equipped enough for such things. Our kind look almost identical to our human counterparts with our only difference being these small tattoo like marks on the insides of our wrists. Mom has the power of healing, while Dad has the ability to catch you in a lie. All joking aside, Dad has the “strength of a thousand men” as an old school comic book may put it. Joey is showing some signs of powers, but we’re not certain if he’ll get them tonight or not. Maybe he’s just really good at hiding the symptoms?

“I can’t wait to see what your gift will be, sweetheart!” my mom squeals with joy as she places the mut-mut casserole on the counter.

“Let’s dig in so we can see his prediction… and have a delicious meal!” Dad bellows eagerly.

I rise from my chair to get some of the mut-mut casserole: my favorite. I sit down at the table with my casserole in front of me and fork in hand. Before I get a chance to spear my meal, Dad takes the fork from me to dip it in the green concoction on the counter.

“I almost forgot,” he said as he snatches my fork. He dips it in the pot and pulls it out with a special pair of tongs from our home planet. They’re shaped almost like a curly pair of ladybug antennae from a cartoon. When he pulls the fork out, it glows green for a second before returning to its original silver color. He hands it back to me and I prepare to begin my meal the proper way: with dessert first.

I dip my fork into my food as Mom and Dad call Joey to the table and all three of them lean in eagerly as a take a bite, closing my eyes to enjoy its divinity. The flaky crust of the casserole melts in my mouth as the deliciously sweet and slightly tart mut-mut fruit fills my mouth with a warm, rich flavor only mut-mut can. Its full, citrus and sugary flavors combine to create a unique combination of tastes only a Protector can enjoy. It may have only been a few seconds, but when I’m enjoying mut-mut, it feels like an eternity. I finally drop the fork from my mouth onto my plate with my eyes still closed. I wait there a second to enjoy the flavors before swallowing. With a resounding “Mmmmmm…” a smile cuts across my face, but nothing from anyone else. No celebration. No screams of joy. No laughter. I finally open my eyes and see my three family members with their mouths gaping wide open, and eyes open in awe as they stare down at my fork.

What could it be? Hopefully a red for the flames I’ve been wanting, maybe a white for ice and water, or maybe green for mind control! Whatever it is, I hope it’s a good one. What if it doesn’t show? What if I never get my powers? I thought. What if I’m just a snub? A snub is a Protector lacking powers, much like a certain custodian at a certain magic school. I finally open my eyes to see a bright yellow glow emitting itself from the silver utensil. I can’t believe it. Yellow. A yellow glow! That means I harbor potential for all powers; this is a rare sight, usually seen among nobler Protectors: the ones who stayed back home to keep our planet safe. My family is nowhere near noble! We’re part of the commonwealth, the average Protectors, the ones who all the dirty work, the lower class.

“I can’t believe it…” I whisper in awe.

“M-my s-son i-is…” Mom stammers, trying to find the right words.

“Jason is a Noble?!” Dad and Joey exclaim in unison.

“I-I can’t be a Noble! What about Joey? He’s my twin, he’d have to be too, right? Right? What would be the chances of both of us being Nobles, let alone just one of us?” I begin to ramble. This is tough to swallow, not only for my parents, but for me especially. I wonder if Joey is a noble too; I don’t want to be in this alone.

“What if it’s just a fluke?” Mom asks, “Did you make the mixture right?” She turns to Dad.

“Of course I did!” Dad says defensively, “Do you really think I’d mess up something as important as that?”

“Well, let’s make a new batch and try again,” Joey suggests, running to the stove.

“Yeah… good idea…” Mom says in a worrisome tone as she chases after Joey to the kitchen. With Mom and Joey in the kitchen, Dad takes a seat next to me with a concerned look on his face.

“Jase, what are you going to do if the prediction is true?” he half whispers to me.

“I-I don’t know, Dad.” I muttered shakily, looking down at my casserole, “What am I going to do?”

He stopped for a moment to think. “Well, you know that we have to enroll you into Protector school, once your prediction shows a result. Do you want night classes?”

“Yeah, I still want to attend human school. I-I want to be able to do something with my life if my powers don’t work or it’s a fluke.” At that moment, Mom and Joey return with a new utensil, this time being a spoon.

“Do it again, Jase. We need to be completely certain,” Joey says, cautiously handing me the spoon.

I take the spoon and carefully take another bite’s worth of my casserole and place it in my mouth. The great taste lasts for only a second before it’s overcome with a sense of worry. The flavors are muted and totally ignored as I hurriedly swallow to see the results. Looking down, I see the yellow glow again. It must be true, but it’s still hard to believe that this is happening to me of all people.

OON (Out Of Narrative): This isn't a complete chapter or story, so keep an open mind. I may change or add details. Some feedback would be appreciated. Some inspiration comes from Percy Jackson and I am Number Four. The title hasn't been chosen yet either, and may not be until later.