It was one of those perfect sunsets. Every single color imaginable had decided to show itself tonight. The fading sunlight was illuminating the autumn leaves, producing even more vibrant colors. But as beautiful as the sunset was, the best thing about it was the silence. It was as if every living creature on earth had stopped what it was doing and was looking up at the sunset. It was just the most peaceful, quiet...
“Amanda! Give me back my costume or you’ll wish you had!”
Erica’s voice jolted Tred out of his reverie. He quickly sat up and looked around. He had left the house to get away from all the noise, but obviously that wasn’t going to happen. He turned his gaze to the house. Amanda was running out of it, closely followed by Erica. He sighed and went over to see if he could save Amanda.
Amanda saw Tred approaching and quickly ran behind him. “Tred! Help me!”
“No way! That brat took my shield and she hid it somewhere! Make her give it back!” Erica lunged towards Amanda, but was blocked by Tred.
He shook his head. “Can’t you solve this problem civilly?”
“Not on your life!” Erica knocked Tred to the ground and starting chasing Amanda again.
Tred didn’t even bother to get up. He just lay there and watched Erica push Amanda into the pond. He stared up at the sky again, the stars had completely taken over. He closed his eyes and began to think of all the changes that had happened in his life in just the last couple of months. He had been freed from the frisbee only to discover that yet again the earth was in danger. And even when he picked the five girls to help him, he had his doubts about the world’s safety. But, everything had turned out fine. Though not for good, they had succeeded in defeating the demon Talpa and Queen Beryl.
After the battle, Tracy and Amanda had arranged it so that Tred rented out the apartment in their backyard. It used to be a separate garage, but their father had been in an accident and couldn’t work for a few months, so for a project he turned it into an apartment. The idea was that their grandma would move in, but she found her own home more peaceful. Tred wasn’t complaining, though. He actually liked hanging around them, as annoying as the girls got. They had become his friends, and he couldn’t picture his life without them.
Tred opened his eyes when he felt something drip on him. Amanda was walking past him. He smiled, he would have to get Erica back for her. Amanda was an odd one. She was a genius, but acted like a normal teen. Well, normal for this group. She took math classes at the college, so sometimes Amanda would drag her homework to his apartment and get help from him. Not that he helped much. Trigonometry and calculus weren’t his strong point. She had gotten him so hooked on sugary foods. Amanda was one of those people who put tea in their sugar. She loved animals. She had always wanted to be a veterinarian. As for now, her ‘patient’ was her cat, Hunter.
Her older sister was the complete opposite in some ways, but exactly the same as her in others. Tracy was a sugar addict, she always had a Pixy Stix with her. But unlike Amanda, she didn’t put sugar on everything. Tracy loved to be in charge. Tred assumed that was because she was always watching Amanda and taking care of the house. They did have another little sister, but she was always at their grandparents. Tracy was the only one who could drive. Her prized possession was her Dodge Durango that her father had bought her, as a way to make up for being gone so much. Tracy wouldn’t let any human touch it without her permission, but she left the window down so her cat, Orion, could sleep in it whenever he wanted.
Candice was their cousin. Tred couldn’t believe that when Amanda told him. Candice was so quiet at first and she hardly ever ate junk food. But as he got to know her, Candice was just as loud as anybody. She had been dating Cye for a month now. They got along so well, their personalities complemented each other perfectly. They both liked the sea and hated eating fish. Tred just hoped that it would last, he really liked Candice and would kill Cye if he did anything to hurt her.
Erica was, well, Erica. She liked to be in charge, and was usually fighting Tracy for leadership. She liked sports and was determined to get everyone else to like them too. The problem was Tracy, Danielle, and Amanda only liked hockey, while Candice just didn’t care. But Erica was a good person, and was always there if you needed her.
Danielle liked to read, write stories, and watch movies. She hated to fight and tried to find a way around it whenever possible. Until she transformed into Sailor Hardrock. Then she jumped into frays like she could defeat the world. She was obsessed with Star Wars, but Tred couldn’t blame her, he liked the movies himself. One night, when it was pouring outside, Tracy and Danielle had come and brought all four movies over. They had watched them all night, and after that, Tred was hooked. Between the two of them, they owned all the novels and comics, so he had a steady reading supply. Tracy always made sure to throw in some classics, like Hamlet or War and Peace, but mostly he liked the comics.
They all had contributed in decorating his apartment. Each one had put there favorite things up. On one wall was a huge DragonBall Z poster. Propped up by another wall was a life-sized cardboard cutout of Sephiroth. Taped on to it was a toy yari and some fake flowers. On the table was a pile of French and Spanish books. The girls had found out that he spoke both languages fluently, and were constantly bugging him to do their homework. Next to them was a pile of comic books, everything from DBZ to Avengers.
Tred shook his head. His life was certainly different now, but for some odd reason he liked it. He got up from the ground and brushed the grass from his black hair. He took a final look up at the stars and headed toward the house.
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