This is the story of Megan Carlson-Brody, an ordinary fourteen year old girl whose parents were divorced when she was younger. She lives with her apprehensive mother and her step father in New York City throughout the year, but then visits her easy going father every summer. Her father has just recently moved to The City of Townsville where he works as a therapist at an Anger Management workshop. Find out what happens when Megan spends her summer in Townsville.

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Author's note: I DO NOT OWN THE POWER PUFF GIRLS! CRAIG MCCRACKEN AND WARNER BROTHERS DO!

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The City of Townsville

Chapter 1

"Are you sure about this, Megan?" my mom, Mrs. Anna Carlson asked me when she, Daniel, and I got out of our big SUV. She had worry lines on her forehead like she always did when she was stressed out. Anna was a very pretty woman, but she was so cold and serious on the inside that it showed on the outside, causing her prettiness to be less obvious. She had shoulder-length red hair and wore make-up a lot.

"Yeah," I said, nodding. I was sure I wanted to see my dad, Richard Brody, for the summer. I hadn't seen him in a year. My mom hated my father. They were complete opposite forces of nature. She was as tough as nails and he was as light as a feather. She was night and he was day. Get the picture?

"Have a fun summer, darling," Daniel, Ma's new husband, told me, kissing me on top of my silky brown hair. I inherited my brown hair from my dad. Richard might not have had a lot of hair, but he had a little bit of hair. He wasn't completely bald.

"Thanks, Daniel," I said, forcing a smile.

Mom wanted me to start calling Daniel 'Dad', but I just couldn't bring myself to call him that yet. He wasn't my dad.

"What if he doesn't feed you?" Mom asked, obviously referring to Richard.

"Mom, I can cook myself," I reminded her, adding an eye roll to the end of my sentence. "If worst comes to worst, I'll order a pizza."

"That's probably all he eats," she muttered.

We were parked in Richard's driveway. Anna asked Daniel to ring the doorbell for her, which was very awkward. New husbands weren't supposed to ring the doorbells of ex husbands for ex wives. Luckily, neither Richard nor Daniel was very sophisticated, so they wouldn't know the difference.

"Hey Richard!" Daniel said when my dad swung his door open.

"Hey there!" Richard said, patting him on the back. Then Daniel did the same. It was some sorta "manly greeting" they liked to use.

I took a moment to study the differences and similarities between them. Both of them were quite laid back and casual. Daniel stood there in his Hawaiian t, shorts, and star-shaped sunglasses while Richard stood there in his Barney pajamas and Bugs Bunny slippers. The only difference between them, really, was that one had curly hair and the other one had hardly any hair at all.

"Hello Richard," Anna said in a reserved tone of voice, hesitantly approaching her ex husband. She looked just as embarrassed as I was for seeing Richard in his jammies and bunny slippers. "Do you go to work dressed like that?" she asked curiously.

She was never afraid to use freedom of speech.

Richard chuckled uneasily. Even he took offense to this remark. "Well, no. And I only work on Friday nights, so I have a ways to go before then."

Anna smirked. I knew what was going through her mind right now: My ex husband's an unemployed weirdo.

"Bye, Megan," she said, giving me a sympathetic squeeze around my abdomen. "Call me on my cell if you want to come home."

"I'm gonna be fine," I assured her.

She nodded and then she and Daniel got back into their SUV and drove off. Anna rolled the window down and waved at me insanely fast, like she thought she was never gonna see me ever again. I waved back and then smiled up at Richard.

"Hi, Megan," he said, smiling.

"Hi, Dad," I said.

"Let me help you with those bags," he said, bending over and lifting one of my suitcases off the ground. "Do you think you can handle the rest?"

"Yes," I assured him. "Thank you."

He took that suitcase into the house. I was gonna follow after him, but I took a moment to observe the neighborhood. All the houses looked the same. They were all ordinary looking houses with cream colored walls, burgundy doors, diamond shaped windows, brown roofs, and gray chimneys.

Some man living next door smiled brightly and gave me a friendly wave, while watering his grass. A few houses down a bunch of little kids were laughing and riding their bikes. Across the street there was a white haired woman with a dark tan holding a round plate with a pie on it. And there was a dog on the side of the road, wagging its tail and panting its tongue.

It all looked like something that could be a part of an old 50's show. Everyone was so cheerful, so simple, so friendly, so sickeningly infatuated with their little lives and their stereotypical neighborhood.

And then one house caught my eye.

It was the house next to the house with the tan lady holding the pie. This house I was looking at didn't look like the other houses. It wasn't tiny with beige walls or brown roofs or chimneys. It was tall. Tremendously tall and the walls were white. The kind of clear white you'd see in a laboratory. And there were three big blue windows in the middle of the house that were shaped like ovals. And then the front door was rectangular and bright red. This house stood out amongst all the others. It was like a prince in a garden of frogs. It was different.

"Megan?" Richard called. "Come inside."

"Okay, Dad," I said. "I'm coming."

I carried my bags inside and studied the living room. It was an ordinary living room. There was nothing unique or special about it.

There was a barstool over by the counter, and some soda that was half empty. There was a pathetic little television set in front of an old couch that smelled. The rug was moldy and the lighting was dim. And it was really warm in the house. Almost stifling hot. I walked over to the air conditioning and lowered the air one degree. Now it was like a tundra. I couldn't win for losing.

I guess this was what a house was like that belonged to a man who only worked Friday nights.

"Your room's through that hallway there," Richard said, pointing at the hallway. "You can put your stuff in there and decorate it however you like."

"Thanks, Dad," I said smiling.

I entered my room. It was old and empty looking. It smelled like sweat. I could tell that it had been some sorta gym or workout room before Richard found out I was moving in for the summer.

There was a bed in the middle of the room. It didn't look very uncomfortable. A spring was sticking out of the mattress. I put some effort into pushing it back into the mattress, and it was far enough in there, that I guess I wouldn't notice it when I slept that night.

I emptied my suitcase and duffel bag and sat my stuff down on a wooden desk and a bookshelf that Richard had just put in the room before I arrived.

I immediately felt homesick.

I missed my luxurious bedroom from my condo up in Manhattan, which I had due to my ma's high paying career as a lawyer and Daniel's high paying career as a TV executive. I didn't even know what Richard did for a living. It must not have been very great since he wasn't exactly living in a castle.

I entered the claustrophobic, roach-infested bathroom, brushed my teeth, combed my shiny brown hair, washed my face, took an Advil, and got dressed into my blue pajamas with short sleeves and short pants. I always wore those to dinner.

Richard took a plate with cold pizza on it out of the freezer and set it down on the table. "Are you ready for P-I-Z-Z-A?" he asked, trying to sound cool.

"Yeah, sure," I said, trying to sound interested.

I sat down at the dinner table which was more like a coffee table. And by the way, the chairs were beanbag chairs. Beanbag chairs! My dad should have won the award for the most casual man alive.

We munched on our cold pizza (which wasn't that bad, actually) without a word for a few minutes until I blurted curiously, "What's your job?"

"I'm glad you asked," he said. And I knew he was. He set his pizza down on the table and leaned forward. "I teach this class."

"What kinda class is it?" I wanted to know. "A class for kids? A class for adults? A class for old people? A class for disobedient pets?"

"No," he said. He took a deep breath. "You meet a lot of interesting characters in your life, particularly here in Townsville. So I run a class every Friday night for Anger Management. I teach troubled citizens about ways to control their anger."

"Wow, Dad, that sounds brilliant."

I was shocked. You'd think Richard would be working at some Wendy's or McDonald's, not as a therapist/teacher at an Anger Management class.

"Thank you," he said, looking flattered.

"So what are their problems?" I asked curiously. "Do they have bad lives, bad jobs, bad experiences? Are they depressed? Are they sick? Are they on medications? What's the deal with them?"

"Uh, it's a little more complicated than that," Richard explained. "These people I see are even weirder than your typical weird person."

"Wow." I was interested. "Well, can I… come… sometime, if it's not too much trouble?"

Richard looked uncomfortable. "Why?"

"I wanna see what you do," I pointed out. "I wanna see these people. I want to help you help them with their problems. I wanna get involved."

"Megan, honey," he said, sighing a troubled sigh. These citizens and people I see are…almost dangerous. I don't really… want you to-"

"Dad, please," I insisted. "I've dealt with weird people before."

"Megan, when you see these people, you're not gonna like it," he pointed out. "You're gonna wish you hadn't asked. They're beyond our help."

"Then why do you do it?" I wanted to know.

"It can't hurt," he said with a shrug.

"Exactly!" I agreed. "That's why I'm helping."

"No, Megan," he groaned, rubbing his forehead impatiently. "You shouldn't want to come. It's just not safe. I don't want you to help me."

"I'm helping and that's final," I snapped.

Out of all the stubborn and headstrong fourteen year olds in the world I was probably the most stubborn and headstrong of them all. I always got my way. Always. Why should tonight be any different?

It wasn't.

"Fine," Richard sighed. "What harm could it do anyway?"

"No harm at all," I said, feeling satisfied.

"So…" he began in a cheerful tone of voice. I could tell he was about to change the subject. "What do you think we could do to spend time together this summer?"

"You could show me around Townsville," I suggested. "I'd love to see the whole city."

"Okay," he said, again, using his stressed out tone of voice that I hadn't heard him use before tonight. "But you're gonna have to stay by my side. This city isn't as safe as you think."

"Dad, it can't be much worse than New York," I chuckled.

"Megan, I'm serious," Richard argued.

"Dad, where do you think we are? Gotham City? No Joker or Catwoman's lurking around, okay? Everything's gonna be fine."

"This is just like Gotham, except worse!"

"Dad, Dad, Dad! Calm down!" I laughed. "Sorry to have gotten ya riled up or anything. Fine, I'll stay by your side all summer. Maybe tomorrow we'll start by having you introduce me to people you know."

"That sounds nice," Richard said smiling.

"By the way," I began, remembering something I had just remembered. "Why are all the houses in this neighborhood the same except for the tall white house with the blue windows and the red door?"

Richard looked excited to hear this question.

"That's no ordinary house," he chuckled. "That house wasn't created by an architect or a construction worker. That house was created by an inventor. Professor Utonium."

"He's an inventor?" I repeated in interest. "Wow, no wonder the house reminded me of a laboratory."

"The Professor has three daughters who have just graduated kindergarten," Richard explained. "Their names are Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. They're such sweet girls. Especially Bubbles. What a cutie."

"They sound like cool people," I said nodding.

"Yeah," Richard agreed. "Oh! And the Professor works a lot so the girls are home alone. He recently asked me if I knew anyone who'd be willing to baby-sit for him. Do you think you'd be willing?"

"Oh my God! Yeah!" I replied, actually loving that idea. "I've never worked a job before. That sounds great! Do you think I can meet the Professor and the girls tomorrow?"

"Yes," Richard said. "It'll give you a chance to learn what they like, what they dislike, and just overall learn something about them. The Utonium's are the nicest family in this neighborhood. And they're really helpful. They always lend a hand when I need help with something."

"That's great. I can't wait till tomorrow," I said, gobbling down the last bit of pizza. "That just sounds awesome. It'll be my first job."

Richard smile. "Yep. Your first job."

"And my second job will be helping you in the Anger Management class," I reminded him.

He sighed uneasily. "We'll see," he pointed out.

I wasn't worried. I always got my way.

"Night, Dad," I said, standing up from my chair. I approached him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Night, honey," he replied. "I'll see you in the morning. Make sure to get an early start and make breakfast for yourself. I usually sleep in."

My mom always woke up at four in the morning and woke me up along with her. Again, she and my dad were polar opposites. Richard frowned.

"Are you gonna give your ma a call before you go to bed?" he asked.

"Yep," I said, dialing my mother's number into my cell phone.

"When she talks to you does she yell at you or anything?" Richard asked. "Cause whenever I'm around her I feel like I'm in boot camp."

I laughed, walked into my bedroom, and crawled into bed. Anna answered the phone.

"Hey, Megan, you wanna come home?" she asked.

"No, Mom," I replied. "I'm just calling to wish you a good night."

"Wait a second, what did you have for dinner?"

"Cold pizza."

I heard her sigh. "Did you even attempt to tell him that you're supposed to have spaghetti, Chinese noodles, and broccoli?"

"No, Mom, I wanted to try what Dad eats," I explained. "I know that sounds corny and all, but I actually like his lifestyle a lot."

A spider ran up my wall just as I said that.

"Ugh," Mom groaned. "Make sure there aren't any bugs in your bed before you sleep in it."

"Sure, Mom," I said. I checked the bed. Nothing.

"It's late, honey," Anna sighed. "Mind if I hang up?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Tell Daniel I said hi."

"I will," she said. "Good night."

"Good night."

She hung up and I got under the covers. The bed was hard as a rock, just like I had figured it was gonna be. I rolled over on my side, thinking that might have been better. I buried my face into my pillow, trying to get comfortable. After about two hours of tossing and turning I finally fell asleep.

Then I found myself in what seemed like the middle of a dream. I was in my bed, so it must have been a dream of a dream. In the dream I was awoken by the sound of screaming outside my window. I ran over to the window and looked out of it.

There was nothing going on in the neighborhood, but there was something going on out in the distance where the city and all the buildings were. There was a big fire. The screaming was coming from all the people that were nearby the fire. I kept kicking myself and hitting myself, trying to wake myself up. I wouldn't wake up.

Then some large robot flew through the city, shooting lasers at the poor innocent citizens running for their lives. "What the hell's going on?" I whispered.

Right then was when whatever was inside that robot laughed. It laughed loud enough for me to hear it all the way from the city in the suburb! It had the kinda laughter you would hear in a Disney movie- spooky and villainous. I realized I was scared, even though this had to be nothing more than a dream.

Why was the laughter so loud? It echoed off the walls of the buildings in the city, and it echoed off the houses in my new neighborhood. It belonged to a male (I was 99.9% sure), and it sounded a little bit like a Japanese Darth Vader (sounds crazy, huh?).

I gasped in horror when one of the city buildings actually collapsed! I could hear sirens coming from all directions and police men screaming at the citizens to back away from the fallen building. The robot kept flying around in the air, zapping whatever was in sight, but luckily, refusing to notice my neighborhood.

I tightly closed my eyes and opened them.

Could a dream really be this vivid?

When things looked dire for the City of Townsville suddenly three flashes of light exploded into the sky and headed straight toward that flying robot! One of them was pink, one of them was blue, and one of them was green. Then it looked like the three flashes of light started beating the robot up!

Pow! Boom! Bam!

It was all so fast. So real. But how?

I covered my ears with the ends of my pillow and climbed back into bed, trying to ignore the sound of the fighting outside my window. I closed my eyes too, so they wouldn't stay interested in what was going on. I hoped I would just wake up. Or fall asleep. Whichever one that wasn't happening at the moment.

(In Chapter 2 Megan will meet the Utonium's.)