Chapter Sixteen

It’s late at night and Hunter is on the prowl.

But his plans of rummaging through the unattended cash registers are foiled because the place is packed.

“Drat. Looks like it’s time for minion hunting again.”

But then he sees a very pretty bartender and a swanky smile swoops over his face.

“I’d like a Flaming Zesty Salt, straight up, my fetching fox. Nay, make that TWO Flaming Zesty Salts. I’m in a good mood.”

The bartender laughs. “I’m checking ID.”

“Drat. Foiled again. Whatever am I going to do in this place? I can’t go home. My ultimately villainous brother will gloat over my defeat. He wanted me to take him along. But do I need that kind of competition? I want to be the biggest villain in Newcrest not him.”

But then he spies a pretty redhead with adorable glasses. “She looks like the sidekick type,” Hunter says out loud. “I wonder if I can turn her to the dark side.”

He waves, wiggling his eyebrows.

She takes his bait and they both sit down to a friendly game of Don’t Wake the Llama.

“I want to thank you for playing with me, gorgeous. And your name is?”

“Eliza Pancakes. You’re very welcome. I love this game!”

“Hello, Eliza,” Hunter says in a sultry voice. “What a pretty name. After I beat you a few times at this, I wonder if you’d like to slip into something a little more…um…revealing and meet me upstairs in the hot tub. Would be a lot more fun than this I think.” He winks for effect.

Eyes wide, she says, “You are a cutie pie! I’d love to! But maybe you should ask my husband first.”

Smiling as if in a daze, Hunter looks up to see an angry man behind him, rolling up his sleeves as if to punch him.

“Oh…um…well, it’s been nice playing with you!” Hunter gets up and zooms out of the club, cheeks red from embarrassment. “Balderdash! Now what am I supposed to do.”

The only thing left is to just go home.

(I’m laughing…and can’t wait until I can needle him in his head. This is going to be fun, but sigh…I have to wait for him to age up!)

His dad has fixed supper and Hunter grabs a plate but is met by his brother, Levi. “Why are you home so early? I thought you had big plans tonight.”

“You don’t have to look so happy. But if you must know, our little town should be renamed The City That Never Sleeps. I mean, don’t people have homes to go to these days? Everywhere it was the same—full of people!”

“Well, I’ve got something that will cheer you up. Look at this video of Captain Justice defeating your nemesis Buzz Landgraab when he tried to fill the Fountain of Fairies with soap. Look at him dragging Buzz through the bubbles. It’s hilarious!”

After watching Buzz throw up bubbles, Hunter is empowered. “I promise tomorrow I will make it up to all the world for my evil shortcomings. Just you wait!

(Uh oh…I’m a little worried about what’s going on in that brain. I wish I could mine it right now!)

Hunter walks through the front doors of his high school with a focused smirk on his face.

(I wonder what he’s up to!)

He heads straight for the showers.

(Whew…just needed a bit of cleaning up is all. I’ve got to stop worrying so much.)

But then he gets out of the shower and doesn’t put on his clothes!

So, he walks through the hallways nude.

(**Smacks head**)

Sitting at the computer, he casually looks up villain costumes.

His henchman, Dudley, sits next to him. “Um, dude. Did you know you don’t have anything on?”

Yanking his head back, Hunter moans, “Of course I know that, you fool. What do I look like, a dimwitted dunderhead?”

“Um…so can I ask you WHY you aren’t wearing anything?”

“Isn’t it obvious? That moron, Buzzkill, stole my clothing. Now go find him, beat him to a pulp and retrieve my belongings before I do the same thing to YOU!”

“Okay, okay! Geeze.”

Dudley leaves Hunter to his computer and birthday suit, hoping Hunter doesn’t take his clothes in the future.

When Dudley gives Hunter his clothes, he glares. “I’m going to string Buzzkill up alive for this humiliation. Or maybe I’ll just boil him in oil.”

Snapping his fingers, he says, “No, I’ve got it! I’ll make a maze of deathtraps, each more dastardly than the next one—first he’ll catch on fire when I give him an unsuspecting CHEAP stove…then he’ll drown in a fountain of bubbles…and finally, I’ll have him go swimming as I put a fence around him. Muahahahaaaa!”

“Um, dude. Why are you laughing so much?” one boy asks who Hunter has never seen before.

“Do not trouble yourself by asking me, Hunter the Incredible, such trivial questions. Be off with you, underling.”

The guy shakes his head and leaves.

Waggling his fingers, Hunter takes out his cell phone. “I think it’s time to call in a favor by the evil Mr. Sausages!”