Chapter Three: Two Worlds Collide

Ever since the North-Beardsley family had moved into the lighthouse, no one had ever really settled down (with the exception of the housekeeper, Missus Munion). Dylan and Will graduation high school. Will was accepted into Havard, and Dylan moved to New York City, where he joined a rock-n-roll band know as Puppet Fever.

The family (although, at first, some reluctantly) agreed that the next eldest child to inherit Dylan and Will's old bedroom will have the room to him or herself. Since Christina and Phoebe were both a year younger than Dylan and Will, one of them would move into the boys' room.

Phoebe sat lazily on her bed as Christina had already packed up her belongings in her neatly lined-up suitcases. Picking up the suitcases, she strolled right in. Finally, the two high school seniors thought. My own room without her!

However, about a year later, Christina and Phoebe graduated high school and decided to move in together in an apartment downtown, nearby the community college, where they had both decided to attend. Who knew if that was the smartest choice to make, since the two girls did not get along sometimes, but they seemed to get along well enough to agree on that decision.

Naoko also left the home, for she had been accepted in a special program at the film academy in New York. That left Kelly and Joni to share their own room together, which drove the girls into happy hysterics, since they had become the best of friends since the melding of the two families.

Jimi and Harry went to share Christina's bedroom, and with the four youngest boys growing up fast, Eli and Otter got Phoebe's room, so the younger kids had just a little more space to grow into.

And so, with Lau gone at a fashion summer camp, Michael and Mick shared their bedroom just between each other during the season. Though it was nice to have twice as much space to himself, Michael found it a bit awkward how empty and silent the room was. He sat rigidly at the side of his bed, glancing all around.

Mick, who sat on the floor, leaning against the side of his bed across the room, glancing all around.

"Um..." he started, trying to break the awkward silence. Mick, who sat on the floor, leaning against the side of his bed across the room, slowly looked up from his comic book.

"What?" he responded curiously.

"Well..." Michael spoke, still feeling uncomfortable. "We... kid of have our room now... What do you want to do with it?"

Mick shrugged and turned his attention back to his comic book. Michael sighed, and flopped on his bed. Summer break was just about started, and he was already bored.

"I'm done," Mick said, and Michael turned his head to see Mick holding up his comic book. "Wanna read?" Michael shook his head.

"I'm not really into comic books."

Mick shrugged, and placed it down on the floor next to him, then got up.

"I'm going to get a snack. You want anything?"

Michael was craving for some cheese-flavored crackers, but said "no" anyway.

As Mick went out the door, Michael starred at the comic book on the wooden floor. He reached over for it, and picked it up. He flipped through he pages once, then went back to the front, and opened to the first page.

From the moment Michael read the first speech bubble, he became captivated by the plot of the story. He had never been so interested in classic comic book heroes, such as Batman or Superman. But this, this was absolutely fantastic. The plot, the characters, the ink and color- just stunning!

In what seemed like a matter of minutes, Michael was hanging onto the last page of the book, in which the hero was tied up and dangling above a tub of bubbling acid; a cliffhanger.

Michael gasped. WHAT HAPPENS? he yelled in his mind. By this time, Mick had came back with, ironically, a popcorn bowlfull of fish and square-shaped cheese-flavored crackers that was carried in one arm, and a drink in the other hand. He was a little surprised to see Michael so interested in his comic book, or to even had picked it up in the first place, but his face didn't show that he was fazed at all.

"I got the next issue, if you want to read it," Mick mentioned. Michael looked up at the other boy. It was like Mick had read his mind. But then again, it was quite obvious what Michael was thinking.

"Could I, really?" Michael was on the borderline of acting like a hyper-active child, exited about an upcoming birthday party that he was invited to.

"Sure", Mick replied, shrugging, as he put down his bowl and drink on the nearby desk, and pulled down a medium-sized shoebox from a shelf bolted a third up on the wall. Setting the shoebox on the bed next to Michael, Mick lifted up the lid. Taking the first book on the top of the pile, he handed it to Michael.

"This is the latest issue, but I think the first five issues of the series are the best so far. It shows bits of the origins of the characters." Mick reached for the bottom on the stack and slipped out the mentioned books, then handed the bunch to the former boy scout.

Not too long after, Mick and Michael were having their own mini-party, having a feast of chips and soda pop while reading some of Mick's finest comics, which lasted well after nightfall.

It then occurred to Michael that moments like these were going to last all summer long, once his and Mick's worlds collided right into each other.