Meet Harper Youngblood - Chapter 2

Harper is now facing the consequences of her previous night's escapades.

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Sitting comfortably on the couch, Harper's parents shook their heads as the news broadcast on television informed them about their daughter's activities from the day before. This was a familiar occurrence in the Youngblood household - being updated on Harper's escapades through the news. It was not uncommon for her antics to make headlines, much to her parents' dismay.

The police chief, whose neck was hidden beneath a hanging wattle, stood on the police station's staircase with a microphone. He addressed the angry mob of citizens demanding action against the Black Menace—as Harper was known throughout the city because of her black hair and clothing, as well as her mischievous behavior.

"Calm down, everyone. We are doing our best to handle this situation," the Chief's voice boomed through a loudspeaker, rising above the angry crowd of people who were shouting and pushing against the riot police formation with their shields, preventing them from storming the police headquarters. "Now, back off before we are forced to take hard measures!" He eyed the two police vans equipped with tear gas launchers, their canons poised and aimed at the angry mob.

            The crowd responded:

"Why don't you have the courage to use those harsh measures on the one who deserves it instead of targeting innocent, hard-working citizens who are suffering because of her actions?"

"Yeah! Lock that brat up and throw away the key!"

"We're fed up with this inequity! We won't leave until justice is served!"

A rock flew through the air and hit the Chief on the head, knocking him cold. Chaos erupted, launching shouts back and forth as the crowd began attacking the police officers, pushing and kicking against their shields in an attempt to break through their barricades. In response, a police lieutenant stepped forward and shouted for the vans to release tear gas from their cannons.

Zap!

Mason, Harper's father, abruptly turned off the TV and tossed the remote onto the table. He leaned back on the couch, crossing his burly arms and furrowing his bushy eyebrows in a deep scowl. His expression changed from contemplative to curious as a booming noise emerged upstairs. He glanced at his wife, Valerie. "I recognize that sound. That is music."

Valerie smiled at him. "It certainly sounds like it. Hey, maybe we should--" Her words were cut off when Mason jumped up from the couch and stomped towards the staircase, making loud thumps with his military boots on the laminate floor.

"What are you planning to do?" she asked, with a flash of worry in her eyes.

"Something I should have done a long time ago." Mason stormed up the stairs, breezing past his startled son, who had just come out of the bathroom. Mason made his way to his daughter's room, trying to ignore the thumping beat of the music that was now louder than ever, sending vibrations throughout his body. He tightly clenched his fists and forcefully opened the door with a loud bang, startling Harper, sitting at her desk, lost in her drawing and bobbing her head along to the rhythm.

"Hey!" Harper shouted when her Dad unplugged the radio, bringing an abrupt silence to the room. Harper caught glimpses of both her brother and mother peeking curiously around the corner of the doorframe behind her father's imposing stance.

Mason's voice boomed through the room, whipping Harper to attention.

"Alright, young lady, what do you think you're doing? You call this a room?" He marched over to her messy table, piled high with dirty plates and silverware. With a fierce expression, he snatched up the stack of dishes and tossed them to the floor, breaking them into shards.

"This is a pigsty! I want you to straighten up this area now!" Mason morphed into drill sergeant modus. A pile of worn clothes hanging over a stool vanished through the open window. "You are a disgusting SLOB!" he bellowed inches away from her unfazed expression, spraying spit on her cheek. "Sit up straight! Tuck in that shirt! Adjust that belt bucket! And for the love of God, wash your hair!"

His hand flashed out, yanking something out of Harper's hand. "What is that?" He sneered at the words scrawled on a piece of paper. "Riot Rebels? What kind of a daughter desecrates a defenseless textbook?! I've got a good mind to slap that arrogant smug off your face!"

Harper's disinterested expression shifted towards her mother, who was standing in the doorway. "Is he done?"

"I'm afraid not, sweetie." Valerie offered a reassuring smile.

"You are destroying your life with that… that… garbage!" A vein throbbed on Mason's forehead as he spoke, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "Alright, Miss Riot Rebel! Why don't you tell me? No, better yet, stand up and–"

Valerie and Boris, Harper's older brother, shrieked as Mason swooshed by them and collided with the wall in the hallway before collapsing onto the floor. Harper felt a pang of fear, wondering if she had gone too far.

Valerie immediately knelt down to check on her husband. "He's still breathing," she reassured Harper.

With a sigh of relief, Harper relaxed a little. Meanwhile, Boris was fuming, glaring at his unconscious father and then turning to face his sister. "What were you thinking?" he yelled. "You're insane! Even you should know that!" His finger jabbed in her direction.

Valerie spoke to her son calmly, "Why don't you go to your room, dear?"

"To my room? I'm getting the fuck out of here. You are both crazy! I'm going to stay with Aunt Betty!" Boris stormed to his room, stuffed a few things in a bag, and left the house with a loud clatter of the front door that startled his mother.

Valerie let out a sigh while Mason slowly regained consciousness and groaned, attempting to sit up and rubbing his head. "What's going on? Where am I?" He looked around dazedly, confusion evident in his eyes.

Valerie bent down beside her husband, resting his hand on his shoulder. "You stumbled over one of Boris's Playstation controllers."

"Controller?" Mason asked with a perplexed expression.

"Stay where you are. I'll bring you some water and have a talk with our daughter."

She brought her husband a glass of water and urged him to rest for a bit before striding into her daughter's room.

"He had it coming, Mom," Harper said.

Valerie raised a hand.

"None of this is my fault if that guy in the store just–"

Valerie's hand went up again, signaling for Harper to stop. Carefully avoiding stepping on the shattered pieces scattered on the floor, Valerie approached her daughter's desk. Next to the stack of drawings lay a book that immediately caught her eye. Worry flooded her as she realized what it was.

Valerie held up a book with a hard black cover and silver letters imprinted on it, asking, "Have you been reading this?" The book was written by a former classmate who became fascinated with Valerie's heritage. Although Valerie appeared human, she was actually an alien belonging to a magical humanoid race from a planet on the edge of a nearby galaxy.

Valerie was the primary contributor to this book, so she was well aware of its contents. She had tried multiple times to convince Harper to read it but to no avail. However, finding out that Harper had finally read the book did not bring Valerie any joy. Harper's interest may have been sparked by her recent discovery of extraordinary abilities, such as smashing through a brick wall with just her head after losing control while riding a bike or being able to outpace a Lamborghini with just her feet. And let's not forget, she can fly now too - a new skill she acquired just a few months ago!

Valerie was deeply concerned when she suddenly saw her 15-year-old daughter swooshing over her head with a scream of joy while she was busy hanging the wash.

Even Valerie, in the prime of her life, could never do that. The only thing she once managed after a night-long of deep concentration was floating a few inches off the ground and letting a small flame, the size you see on a candle, flicker on her finger top.

Harper had always been a nonconformist, viewing rules and laws as limitations on her creativity. Now that she could fly, it opened up a whole new world of possibilities where she could break free from the constraints of the law and cause even more trouble.

Harper nodded in response to the question about whether she had read it. Dressed in dungarees shorts, she plopped onto her bed and crossed her legs, resting her hands on her knee. "Is it really true about Regina Vixen?" She asked with curiosity.

Valerie let out a deep sigh as she sat down beside her daughter on the bed. It was no surprise to her that Harper was most interested in this particular topic. Regina Vixen, or what she was called when she walked among humans 4000 years ago, was one of the oldest witches known to exist.

From a young age, Harper's ancestors knew that Regina was a prodigy in the magical arts, even though she was just a small girl.

She quickly surpassed her peers, stunning everyone with the complexity and power of her spells that even the elders hadn't dared to dream of.

Everyone was amazed by Regina's rapid progress; at only thirteen years old, she had powers that inspired both awe and fear among her people.

Regina could easily split continents with just the power of her will if she desired.

As she aged, her abilities grew to daunting heights, reaching a point where she was essentially a Goddess who could reshape the world as she pleased by the time she reached the age of fifteen.

People began worshipping her. She used her powers to mold the world into her ideal image. Even in the present day, we can observe evidence of Regina's influence on our universe, as it was her concept to form spherical clusters called planets that would sustain life.

Valerie wasn't surprised by Harper's curiosity about the potential for her omnipotence, considering she was also a prodigy.

Valerie's body shuddered at the thought. The countless pranks and mischievous acts Harper had carried out over the past few years flooded her mind. She couldn't even imagine the chaos ensuing if her little girl truly gained omnipotent powers.

The potential consequences could spell disaster on a global scale!