"Oh good, you made it."
"Yeah, sorry I'm late," Travis said as he arrived, walking into the Carson's home.
"Oh don't worry about it, Luke only just arrived a few minutes before you did," Mrs. Carson told him. "The others are all waiting for you downstairs. I'll bring some snacks for you in a minute."
"Oh thank you so much," Travis grinned before heading down to the basement. He skipped down the steps and saw the others all standing around, clearly waiting for him. "Sorry guys."
"What took you?" Franklin asked.
"I…I'll tell you in a minute," Travis said. He was still processing everything he'd just learned. It was…so much more than he ever could have imagined. "But, uh, Sumin's the one who called this meeting so we should let them go first."
"Thank you," Sumin said. "I have some news from my grand-"
"After we change," Travis quickly added.
Almost everyone groaned. "Really man?" Gabriela asked.
"Come on. It's fun. And relevant."
"Pretty sure it's just fun," Franklin told him.
"Oh you love it too, don't even to deny it."
Franklin smirked. "Maybe a little."
"I kind of like mine too," Madison said softly, her cheeks turning a little pink.
"Yeah, they are pretty dope," Emily agreed.
"Then without further ado." Travis reached out with his power and snapped his fingers. Instantly the seven colored lights filled the room and their costumes were all on. Travis grinned, seeing them all dressed like that. He had been waiting for this all his life. They were a superhero team. His superhero team. He felt so many emotions at once he didn't know what to do with them.
"We look like the Rainbow Brigade," Luke commented.
"Not a bad name," Gabriela smiled.
"Oh we are not calling ourselves that," Franklin emphasized. "Ever!"
"We're the Cloak Guard," Travis affirmed. "And before we begin our first official meeting, I say we all promise something. That no matter what happens next, what comes our way, we'll always back each other up. That we'll always fight together and stay by each other's sides. That's what it means to be a team. We may drift away in the future, live our own lives, but this," he gestured to their costumes, "this team is forever."
"I promise," Franklin said.
"I promise," Madison added.
The others all said the same, joking faces gone, all serious. Travis smiled, looking at them all. He knew it wouldn't last forever. But for him, this moment. This was eternal.
"I brought cookies!"
"Mom!" Franklin cried. "We're in the middle of a very important-"
"Ooh cookies!"
"Yum!"
"I could go for a bite."
"Never mind," he muttered, shaking his head. "Let's go get some cookies."
The night air was ruptured by a loud explosion, silver light spilling across the sky. A figure on one of the upper cranes rained silver balls of fire down below, sending the guards screaming and running in a panic. A few tried to fight back but they were quickly brought down.
"Protect the boss!" one called out. "He must not be-"
He was interrupted when a large man fell at his feet, cut marks crisscrossing his body, leaving him a bleeding pile.
"Boss!" the first man cried in panic.
As the guards rushed to save their boss, a dark figure swooped down and caught the silver figure, picking him up and carrying him off into the night.
They landed a few miles away on the roof of a small building. "Good work, Silver" the dark figure said, her jet black wings folding back into her shoulder blades. "You've gotten better."
"Thank you. So, where to next?"
"Terrinburg."
Silver raised an eyebrow at that. "So the rumors are true?"
The dark figure nodded. "The Cloak Guard have indeed returned, their power residing in mere children now."
"And the Sculptor?"
"Defeated by them," she confirmed.
"Everyone will be coming for them now."
"Then we need to get there first," the dark figure growled. "Get Dote and have everything packed and ready to go. We leave within the hour. Ten minutes if possible."
"There's a big time gap between those two, but ok."
"Don't sass me."
As Silver walked away, the dark figure turned to the horizon, looking past it as if she could see right to the new Cloak Guard. If things went well, she would finally keep her promise and have her revenge. After so many years, it was so close.
The Raveness smiled darkly, her feathers itching to slice.