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*****
"Da-la-la, da-la…"
Raven hummed softly as she packed her suitcase, her face brimming with joy.
Tomorrow, the whole family was going on a trip.
Just thinking about what Mike had said over the phone made the corners of her mouth uncontrollably curl up with happiness.
The whole family.
"Ehehe~"
She couldn't hold it in and let out a quiet giggle.
After packing a few sets of clothes, Raven stepped out of her room and made her way toward Charles's office.
She knocked gently on the door before entering. Under the warm glow of the sunset, Charles looked bathed in orange and red hues. Raven smiled at the sight.
Charles, who had been preparing lessons, looked up, rubbed his brow, and nodded toward her. "Raven, uh…"
Raven's brow twitched.
Charles quickly corrected himself. "Raven."
She had firmly insisted that, in the school setting, he must only call her by name.
Raven nodded, pulled out the chair in front of Charles's desk, glanced at the lesson plan he was working on, and sat down as she said, "Isn't the school about to go on break?"
"It's prep for the next term."
Charles taught several subjects, so it was better for him to get ahead with his planning.
The school was gradually getting on track, and more students were enrolling.
Though still small compared to a regular school, the number of students at X-School was promising, especially given the unique circumstances of mutants.
Lately, quite a few talented kids had joined the school—
Bobby Drake, John Allerdyce, Peter Rasputin, Kitty Pryde, and others.
Though they had only enrolled this year, their potential was already beginning to show.
As for Jean and Ororo, part of the school's first batch of students, they were already self-studying college-level courses. In another year, they could probably try for university degrees.
The two were among the most capable students in the entire school.
Charles, as a teacher, was immensely proud.
"Did you need something?" Charles asked curiously.
"I'm leaving school tomorrow, just came to let you know."
"Leaving?" Charles tensed up.
Raven giggled. "Don't worry, it's not what you're thinking. I'm just going on vacation."
Charles breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression quickly turned strange. "You're not going with…"
"That's right. Your dad."
Raven laughed as she tossed her hair. "We're heading to Houston."
Man, it's been so long since I took a break. I wanna go too!
Charles wailed internally.
"So if anything urgent comes up, I'll skip the trip," she added.
Standing up, she reached toward Charles's head like she used to when they were kids and teased, "Do your best at school, little Charles."
Charles dodged her hand and warned, "Hands off the hair."
Raven laughed. "You're not nearly as cute as you were when you were little."
With that, she left the office, still smiling.
Charles watched her go, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.
At last, his father's happiness in old age was secured.
Speaking of action...
There actually was something coming up—more precisely, something from the Brotherhood.
Erik had sent him a message asking for help tracking a certain monster—one that was apparently hunting mutants.
Charles had already used Cerebro once, but didn't find any trace of the creature.
He frowned in thought, deciding to search again later and keep an eye on the situation in the meantime.
Once he located it, Erik would send someone to deal with the threat.
As he planned out the steps ahead, Charles still couldn't help but think of the trip tomorrow.
He really wanted to go too.
Unable to resist, he scratched his head—and froze.
Looking at the strands of hair in his palm, Charles let out a miserable wail.
Things had been a little too hectic lately—he was starting to lose hair.
That was not a good sign. He needed to find time to go home and see if his dad had any solutions.
…
The Next Day – Overcast
Although the sky was gloomy and gray, it didn't dampen Gwen's bright mood in the slightest.
This was the trip Gwen had been looking forward to for so long.
"Dad, when are we leaving?"
Gwen twirled her sunhat in her hands. When she noticed Mike's serious expression, she popped the hat onto her head and asked with concern, "Dad? Is something wrong?"
"No, I just remembered something unpleasant."
"Something bad?" Gwen asked worriedly. "Are we canceling the trip?"
"No way!"
Mike chuckled and gently pressed down on Gwen's hat.
With a soft thump, the hat slid down, covering her eyes. Mike said, "I'll go pick up your Aunt Raven now, and then we'll head out."
"Hey! My hat!"
Gwen took off the hat and gently patted it, heart aching a little. "Clark gave this to me, you know."
"You never get this sentimental over the things I give you," Mike muttered.
He pulled out his phone and called Raven. After a brief conversation, he took out a card and opened a glowing portal. A moment later, Raven stepped through, wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed sunhat, rolling a suitcase behind her.
"Aunt Raven!"
Gwen squealed with joy, hugging her tight. She pointed to her own hat. "Look, it's just like yours!"
Raven helped straighten Gwen's hat and smiled dotingly. "Yours is much prettier than mine."
Then she turned to Mike and asked, "When do we leave?"
"Whenever you're ready."
Mike took her suitcase and slipped it into his dimensional pocket.
"Where's Clark?" Raven asked curiously.
"He's got work—he won't be joining us," Mike replied. Then he clapped his hands lightly, and as both Gwen and Raven turned to look at him, he said with a grin, "Ladies, tell me—how would you like to travel? Plane? Train? Or a road trip?"
"Plane!" Gwen shouted excitedly. "I want to get there fast! There's the space center, cowboy shows, and those crazy stunt car performances—I can't wait!"
Raven smiled slyly. "Then how about letting your dad teleport us there?"
"Yay!" Gwen lit up, turning eagerly to Mike. "I've never gone through a portal before!"
Both of them looked at Mike.
Smiling, Mike conjured a swirling golden portal.
As it materialized in their living room, a wave of cool, misty air drifted in.
Just as Gwen walked up to the edge of the portal and raised a foot to step through, Raven rolled her eyes at Mike and quickly pulled Gwen back. "Let's take a look at what's on the other side first."
They both leaned forward and peeked through.
Gwen's eyes widened as she gasped, "It's... it's the sky!"
She immediately took a step back.
No way she was about to fall out of the sky.
Just then, Mike lunged toward them, scooping one into each arm. With both of them caught in his grip, he leapt through the portal.
As their shrieks filled the air, they plummeted from the sky together.
(End of Chapter)