CHAPTER TWELVE, cyborg shark attack

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Adam walked through the front door, followed by Chase, Emilia and Leo, as they have just returned from watching the new movie called Shark Beach, which they had enjoyed.

"Man, that movie was awesome!" Adam gushed.

"Yeah. Shark Beach definitely lived up to the hype." Chase agreed. "Although, I couldn't hear most of it over Leo's screaming. Shark! Aahh!"

"No. Chase, that's not right." Adam sighed before imitating Leo's scream himself. "It was more like, ahhhh!"

"Oh, it was not that loud." Leo looked at three of them, annoyed, receiving pointed looks for that comment.

Emilia raised a brow at her bestfriend. "Leo, your loud screams made me want to hit you. And, I'm a banshee."

Adam and Chase laughed at that before the latter joined in, proving that he was loud. "Dude, even girls said you were screaming like a girl,"

"Look, it's hard for me to talk about, but when I was younger, I had a very traumatic experience with a shark." Leo started to tell them, before he turned to Emilia who looked like she was about to say something. "Don't you dare!"

"You did?" Chase furrowed his brows, looking at his girlfriend who was trying so hard not to blurt out the truth as Leo resumed to tell the story.

Leo turned around dramatically. "It was the dead of summer. I was playing in the water when all of a sudden everything turned red. That's when I realised."

"Realised what?" Adam asked.

Leo glanced at him before answering. "It bit me."

"A great white?"

"No."

"Hammerhead?"

"No."

"Tiger?"

"No."

"Thresher?"

"No."

"Bull shark?"

"Okay, it was rubber!" Leo finally confessed as to what bit him, making Emilia let out a sigh of relief, glad that it was finally out.

"Wait, wait, wait." Chase paused, looking at Leo with a smile of amusement. "You were bitten by a toy shark at the beach?"

"No. It was a bathtub." The Dooley boy corrected in embarrassment, as the boys laughed. "But that water was choppy. And I was not the only victim. Mr. Froggy is still missing." He cried dramatically.

Continuing to snack on the chips from the tub he was holding, Adam looked at Leo. "You know what else is missing?" He started off.

"What?"

"Your manhood." Adam retorted before walking away with Chase, Emilia following them seconds later after patting Leo on the shoulder in a caring away as she walked past him.

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"Hey, Janelle, aren't you a little old to be playing with dolls?" Adam approached the girl and Leo, with Chase and Emilia behind him. "Give it to Chase." He turned around and grinned at the boy who pursed his lips at him.

"It's not a doll. It's a CPR dummy." Chase told his brother, quick to shoot back at him. "Or in your case, another inanimate object that's smarter than you."

Emilia chuckled at that, watching Adam sit down beside the CPR dummy before wrapping his arm around it. Meanwhile, Janelle stood up from the bench and turned to Leo. "Hey, Leo, maybe after we're done studying, we can go see Shark Beach."

"Yeah. Already saw it. Two thumbs down." Leo gestured, stating his opinion of the movie. As he went to sit down, Janelle said different. "Really? I loved it."

"And eight fingers up!" Leo quickly stood back up at his change of opinion, not wanting Janelle to know how bad the movie scared him.

"I love sharks. They fascinate me." She grinned at him, gushing about the movie that Leo didn't like at all, but still lied to her to save himself from embarrassment.

"Me too!"

"They're the most misunderstood creatures on the planet." Janelle continued.

Playing along with his lie, Leo threw his arms out to the sides. "I know! So they eat people. Leave them alone." He exclaimed.

"I tried to see the movie again last night, but someone kept screaming the whole time." Janelle groaned at this, and hearing her words, Adam let out a chuckle. "Yeah, we were at the movies, too. Guess who the screamer was?"

As Adam was about to expose him, Leo was quick to point fingers at them, between the boys as he blurted out. "It was them! They screamed. They are the screamers. Ahh! Leo, help! Tell us when the sharks are gone! You screamed!" He mocked Adam and Chase through a lie. "Screamers."

Chase scoffed. "Leo, what are you doing?"

"Yeah, that's not cool." Adam reacted the same as Chase, whilst Emilia just narrowed her eyes. At his words, Leo slowly nodded. "You're right. It's rude to laugh in your faces. Let's go do it in the cafeteria." He laughed as other students began to follow him.

"I'll get you, Leo Francis Dooley!" Emilia dropped her bag onto the floor and took a step forward to run into the cafeteria, but was unable to do, as Chase turned her around before lifting her over his shoulder. "No violence today, Lia."

"Aw, man." Emilia pouted as Adam picked up her bag off the floor for her before they walked away together.

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"Tasha, we're home!" Bree announced as her and Emilia finally arrived back at the house. "You ready to go?"

"Hey, she got called away for work, but anything you two had planned with her, you can do with me." Donald called from the couch.

"We were getting a mani-pedi." Emilia informed Donald who surprised them by smiling. "Perfect. This mani is ready for his pedi." He chuckled and lifted his foot up off the floor.

"On second thought, we're good." Both girls went to leave but Donald had stopped them before they could reach the door. "No. No, no, no. You two and I are going to be spending some quality father-daughter time." He pulled them over to the couch and sat them down. "So, who are you totes crushing on? Is he adorbs?"

The two girls gave him a strange look before Bree muttered to him. "What?"

"You do know Chase is my boyfriend, right?" The Hunter girl reminded him before turning their heads towards the door when they heard a noise coming from outside.

They all stood up at Perry making an appearance after walking into the house. "Why do you bother knocking if you're just gonna barge in?" Donald questioned the woman.

"I wasn't knocking." Perry winced. "I dislocated my shoulder body-checking someone and I was cramming it back in place." She then threw her shoulder up against the door one more time. "Oh. Bingo." She grinned, once she was finally able to do it. "Love that meaty pop."

"Hey, can we get a heads up the next time you decide to cram something back into it's socket?"

"Anywho," Perry ignored Bree, stepping past her and Emilia to stand in front of Donald. "the Mission Creek Country Club is accepting new members and I need your help."

"Uh, why do you wanna join a country club?" The banshee asked.

"Because, my summer's wide open and I'm tired of all the sudden wolf-whistles I get dipping my piglets into the public pool. I need to be ogled by fancy people." Perry explained.

The girls walked away at that, making Perry turn around to face Donald who shook his head. "I'm sorry, after the word 'piglet', I retreated into my safe place."

Perry sighed, following his steps as he started to walk away. "Look, I have to be interviewed by a country club rep, and I hate interviews. They make me all nervous and sweaty."

Bree squinted her eyes slightly as she noticed the sweat patches under her arms. "Did you just come from an interview?"

Perry looked at her confused before looking back at Donald who spoke. "So you want me to coach you on what to say." He guessed, thinking that's what she wanted him for.

"No, I need you to come with me." Perry told the man. "I told them you're my husband."

"You what?!" Donald shrieked in shock, as Emilia and Bree giggled at that.

"When I get interviewed, I get nervous, and when I get nervous, I start making up lies. I can't help it, it's a medical condition." Perry let out a gasp of realisation. "See, I just did it right there."

"Look, I'm not pretending to be your husband."

"Guess I'm gonna have to call the cops on Donnie Don and the Robot Bunch." Perry threatened as she demonstrated her robot dance moves. This made Donald sigh in annoyance, giving in to help her get into the country club. "Okay fine, I'll do it. But this blackmailing thing is getting old."

"So is this marriage. Now shut your yap and get in the car."

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Emilia and Bree were talking in the kitchen, until they were interrupted by Donald ringing Bree's phone. "Hello?"

"Perry won't stop lying. She said we have two daughters, so I need you and Emilia to super speed down here and join the fun."

With her bionic super-hearing, Emilia could hear what Donald was saying and laughed along with Bree. "No way." The latter answered for both of them before pausing. "Wait, will this get us out of father-daughter time?"

"Get down here or you and I will have plenty of father-daughter time— in prison!" Donald's had lowered his voice at the last part, flinching as the two girls suddenly arrived, curtesy of their super-speed.

"Get off the phone and let's do this." Bree rushed, her and Emilia following Donald into the room to see Perry talking to another woman.

"Ah! There's my two ugly ducklings." Seeing Bree and Emilia, Perry grinned and pulled them both into a hug as they cringed, before bringing them over to the chairs.

After talking for a while, the girls were starting to feel impatient and wanting to leave. Emilia first spoke, gesturing between herself and Bree as she repeatedly asked. "Are we done? Is she in? Can we go?"

The rep chuckled. "Not quite yet. We like to know what our members do outside the club." Looking around at the four, she asked. "Any hobbies you'd like to tell me about?"

"None that are legal—"

"Travel." Donald answered, just as Perry finished her sentence. The two shared a look from their different responses before Donald looked back at the rep to clarify. "We like to travel."

"So do I. Peru is my favourite spot." The woman shared with a smile. "I collect Mochican Pottery from there."

"What a coincidence. So do we." Perry responded through another lie. "We have some in the car."

"Well, I'd love to see it." The rep believed her lie, making Donald sigh, feigning a smile before he turned to the first girl in his sight, which was Bree and he politely asked. "Um, sweetie, can you go out to the car and get the pottery from Peru?"

"Really?" Bree raised a brow in annoyance before standing up and walked out of the room, making sure she was out of view before super-speeding away. Meanwhile, back in the room, Perry looked at the woman and held out a mint. "Mint?"

But she got no response.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before Bree had finally arrived back, holding a pottery piece that she had actually gotten from Peru. "Finally." A relieved Perry groaned, going to grab the pottery that had almost fell out of her hands, but luckily, Donald reached his hands out and caught it.

"Oh, it's beautiful." The rep stared at the piece in awe. "Next you'll tell me you collect Inuit art from Alaska."

"We do!"

"Alaska!" Bree sat up quick before giving Perry a look of annoyance. Seeing this, Emilia sighed to herself before placing her hand on her friend's shoulder, volunteering. "How about I go to the car this time, huh?"

"Thank you." Bree whispered to the banshee who smiled before walking out the room, and once she was out of their view, she super-speeded away to Alaska.

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It's been a couple hours and Emilia and Bree had done a lot more super-speeding to other places than they expected to. Bree had walked back into the room, placing yet, another art object on the desk that was now covered in them before sitting down next to Emilia — both of them hoping that was the last time they had to do that.

The rep looked at the art in awe. "I have to admit, you didn't strike me as people I'd want to see strolling out grounds in tennis shorts, but how could I not lobby for a family who shares so many of my own interests?"

Donald feigned a chuckle. "And to think we had all of these lovely items you adore just sitting in the trunk of our car." His eyes stopped on Perry, glaring at the woman.

"Welcome to the club!"

"Hear that, Donny? We did it!" Perry hugged the man who looked visibly uncomfortable but tried to hide it with a fake smile. "That's great. Let's get out of here snookums."

As they all went to leave, the woman looked over at them, calling out. "I'll have your ID badges ready tomorrow." She stopped and pointed over to the girls. "Oh, I didn't catch your names."

"It's Emilia/It's Bree." The girls introduced at the same time Perry answered. "It's Hope and Julia."

The three of them looked awkward, noticing the confused rep who stared at them, making them correct themselves. "It's Hope/It's Julia." At the same time as the girls, Perry said. "It's Emilia and Bree."

The rep stood up in shock. "You don't know your own daughters' names?" She looked at Perry in question, the woman simply shrugging. "I get all my kids' names mixed up."

"Wait, you didn't tell me you had more children."

Perry nodded quickly. "Yep, six in all, and twenty one grand-children, couple llamas, and a goldfish named Silvio." She explained, lying once again.

Emilia and Bree shared a look before they turned to the rep, making sure they mention. "Who are not out in the car."

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After that whole mishap, Perry unfortunately did not get accepted into the Country Club. They all walked out of the room, following an upset Perry as Bree was first to speak. "So, you didn't get in? But, I mean, there's plenty of other places that will let you in like a truck stop or prison."

"You don't get it." Perry frowned. "I'm always the outsider looking in, but here, people would've been forced to hangout with me."

"They would've found a way not to." At Donald's words, Emilia quickly smacked him on the arm, sending him a look, mentally telling him that he wasn't helping.

"Guess I'm gonna be alone forever. Thanks for trying." Perry frowned before walking away.

Emilia sighed to herself. "Look, I can't believe I'm saying this," She began to say. "but I actually kind of feel bad for her." And Bree agreed with her.

"Me too." Donald sighed, shaking his head before shrugging. "Oh, well. Let's go." He went to walk away, when the girls stopped him.

"We have to try at least one more time." Bree told Donald.

"You're right." He sighed in defeat. "Sometimes I forget that underneath her layers of venom, there lies a troll with a tiny dried out raisin of a heart."

"All right, come on." Emilia said before the three of them walked back into the room — with Bree speaking first. "You have to reconsider. We only lied about being a family to impress you because she wants to be a part of this club more than anything."

"Yeah. Terry Perry may not be family, but we'd be honoured if she was." Emilia smiled softly.

"Trust me, there is no living thing on Earth quite like her." Donald nodded.

"Not happening." The rep declined before waving them away. But with an idea in mind, the girls stepped aside to let Donald through as he pulled something out of his pocket. "Oh, well, perhaps my check book could make it happen?"

The woman looked at him sharply. "As I said, our club prides itself on its integrity." She glanced at the check book, looking over his shoulder as she changed her mind. "I believe you spell 'integrity' with three more zeros."

Donald gently ripped the check out of his book as the woman smiled at the three. "Congratulations, you're in!" But to their surprise, they didn't see Perry come in, who quickly swiped the check off Donald before he could give it to the rep. "Not so fast! I don't want any part of this dump."

"What?!"

"You heard me. I always wanted to be a part of something, but now I realised I already am." She smiled at Donald, Emilia and Bree before moving over to wrap her arms around them. "You love me. And why would I want to be here when we've got each other? All summer long."

"What? No!"

"Well, that backfired."

"I want to scream." Emilia said quietly before she looked over her shoulder to spot Perry trying to hide the check.

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MEGAN SPEAKS !

i hope you enjoyed reading this
chapter! the next one is where everyone
finds out!! thanks for reading, i love you
all!! <33