Mischief³

[WP] You're the city's superhero. Your greatest enemy is the city's supervillain. However, you're secretly brothers. This isn't tragic, though, because your whole destructive rivalry is just a massive prank on your older third brother - the mayor.

*****

“And that’s why, we are proud to unveil the monument… to Justice!” Mayor Nathaniel pulled down the cloth covering the mural to reveal a huge portrait of me beaming and giving an oversized thumbs up to anyone in the vicinity of the town hall. The mayor looked at it for a moment too long, his lip twitching, then swiftly rose back to the epitome of the city’s political world and smiled to the roaring applause.

The lawn ahead of the city’s new mural dedicated to me was packed with people of all ages, celebrating the new art installment in their community. I was disguised among them, deliberately not applauding for what I thought was too much of a display, when it certainly wasn’t something I could claim I’d earned.

“May we be inspired to do better, like Na… National Treasures like Justice Man does every day,” he said, stumbling before he said my real name.

“Not so fast, Natty!” a voice boomed from the skies.

The audience gasped fearfully as a cloud began shrouding the sun at an alarming rate, though Nathaniel sighed and put his face in his hands as our other brother cackled maniacally, followed by coughing from too much cackling. Mayor Nathanial mumbled “not now” just loud enough to be picked up on the microphone, but the masses were too panicked to pay him any mind.

I stepped out of the fearful audience to make a grand entrance later, like we’d planned.

“It is I! Evil Man!” my super-powered brother boomed from the heavens, his face taking form within the dark clouds coagulating in the sky. He had control over elements of air and water. Not that anyone outside the family knew that, of course. “I think that this display is… too much! This so-called Justice Man does not deserve such praise!”

When expecting, my parents were determined that they would name their child Nathaniel or Natalia. They were greatly excited for the child and took measures to make sure that they would not know anything about the child before it arrived. The only problem was that they ignored just how large my mother became. It was not one child, but three boys. They were steadfast in their plans and named us each as we were brought into this world. First Nathaniel. Then Nathanyell.

And myself, Nathuneele.

I think the spelling of our names was the most glaring reason that Nathanyell and I became bitter rivals with Nathaniel. Even more so than the fact that we manifested powers and he did not.

“Justice Man will face my wrath!” The cloud charged down from the sky and Nathaniel dove out of the way just in time before the mural was washed away, leaving nothing but a clean building behind. Evil Man was not known for much more than petty vandalism and occasionally destroying abandoned buildings that would have otherwise drained the city’s tax dollars to upkeep.

We loved Natty enough to keep him running the city smoothly. But we always made sure our bouts were public and stole his thunder.

With the mural gone, I was free to join in on the fray, leaping out of my disguise and jumping to an impossibly high point, sailing down and landing with a pose on stage. Standing bravely before the terrified audience, shoving the mayor out of the way and standing center stage, I puffed my chest as I delivered my lines.

“Not so fast, Evil Man!” I pointed valiantly. “I won’t let you hurt this city!”

“It’s too late for that!” he cackled, causing another coughing fit.

“It’s never too late for Justice!” I said, punching the air ahead of me and sending a tiny hurricane in the direction of the cloud, blasting it away into the sky. I, too, had the power to manipulate water and air.

Nathanyell and I took turns playing Justice Man and Evil Man. We could pull it off, as we looked identical.

“Curse you, Justice Man!” he said, not having suffered any pain at all. “I’ll get you next time!” Evil Man flew off, waving away at me subtly from within the dark cloud.

“Citizens,” I nodded to the stunned onlookers who exploded in their approval, chanting my name. Mayor Nathaniel rolled his eyes and looked at me with a forced smile.

“You’ve saved the day,” he said flatly. “Thanks. We’ll see you around.”

“There’s no need to thank me!” I said. Removing the artwork was my idea after all.

“Great, then we’ll see you around,” Nathaniel said through grit teeth.

“What about the mural!?” someone screamed from the audience. “We need to make another!”

“I think it an affront to the name Justice Man to have a single man’s image take up the Town Hall’s walls! I think it should remain free from such paraphernalia,” I said, enunciating the word slowly. I had a hard time getting the line right in our dress rehearsals.

“Well, what about Mayor Nathaniel’s house? He loves you! I’m sure he’d love to have your mural in his place!” another voice called.

My eldest brother and I looked at each other, unable to mask our mortifiedness.

“Don’t do it,” I whispered.

“My ratings would skyrock—”

“Don’t. Do. It,” I insisted.

“I would have to graciously accept the offer, given it’s what the people want,” he said, smiling at them.

Once again, they cheered and whooped their approval, clapping thunderously as the quick decision making of their beloved mayor. I stared with passive emotion at both my brother and the audience, not sure how I should be reacting, even as Justice Man.

“You’re such a sap for approval numbers,” I scoffed at him under my breath, deciding that waving to the audience would be most appropriate.

“Yeah, well you’re a sap for bugging me,” he replied, joining me in waving.

“You know we’re just gonna take that mural down as well, right?” I mentioned.

“Sure, but an attack on my property could only bolster my approval numbers,” he replied coolly.

“You’re such a loser,” I said immediately.

We waved for a couple more seconds.

“So, see you Thursday for dinner?” he asked.

“Yeah, don’t forget the dip this time,” I said, flying off stage and leaving him in the adulation of his community.

*****

THE END.