Peter Powers and the Sinister Snowman Showdown!

CHAPTER ONE

Holiday Jinx

“Put your hands in the air and step away from the Christmas tree!” Mom ordered. My siblings and I scattered in all directions. We definitely didn’t want to upset her. The fate of our presents was at stake!

After dinner, the air thickened with the sweet smell of fresh-baked cookies. Mom had just finished whipping up a batch, and they smelled delicious. The scent drove Dad wild. But other than the tree and the cookies, our family celebrated the holidays a little differently from other people: It was Chrismukkah in the Powers household.

Mom grew up celebrating Christmas. And Dad grew up celebrating Hanukkah. When they got married, they decided to smash both holidays together into one big festival of lights and presents as a way of honoring everyone’s favorite traditions.

Oh, before I forget: My name is Peter. And did I mention that everyone in my family has superpowers?

“I thought you said these boxes were heavy,” my little sister, Felicia, said. She carried a dozen giant boxes of decorations into the living room like it was nothing. Felicia has super strength. She can bench-press a boat.

My older brother, Gavin, dove into the boxes like a maniac, pulling out clumps of tangled holiday lights. “This’ll be my mission!” he said. He snapped his fingers twice, and each time a brand-new Gavin appeared out of nowhere. Gavin’s power is making copies of himself. And all of them are as annoying as the original. The three Gavins untangled the lights.

In the corner, Dad lit the menorah candles with one fingertip. He has the power to make fire, so everyone calls him Fireman. Mom is called Flygirl (even though she isn’t a girl anymore). Mom can soar through the sky like a fighter jet. Together, Mom and Dad are Boulder City’s favorite superheroes.

“Candles all lit!” Dad said.

“Honey, aren’t you supposed to light only one of the candles on the first day?” Mom reminded him.

“Ooooopsie! Good call, sweetheart,” Dad said. He waved his hand across all but one of the flickering menorah candles and sucked each tiny flame back into his palm.

“Whoa!” I said. “What did you just do? I knew you could make fire, but I’ve never seen you take fire away. How’d you do it?”

“I control fire. So if I concentrate hard enough, I can pull the heat back in,” Dad said. “Cool, huh?”

“I wish I could do that,” I said. Of everyone in my family, my superpowers are the lamest. I can create ice cubes. I freeze stuff too, on occasion. I’ve been trying to strengthen my powers. Some days it feels like I’ll never become the superhero I dream of being. Mom says I’m her “little snowman,” but I’m ready to be “the Winter Storm”! (Okay, so I haven’t figured out my superhero code name, but I’m working on it.…)

“The keys to growth are focus and commitment. That’s how you discover new abilities,” Dad explained.

“Let me try,” I said, making a small ice cube in my hand. Then I concentrated with everything I had—but I couldn’t absorb the ice cube.

“Give it time, Peter,” Dad said. “These things happen when you least expect them.”

Mom brought a plate of fresh cookies into the living room. “They’re still warm. Be careful,” she said. “Where’s Grandpa?”

“GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” My brother Ben’s joyful noise traveled down the hallway. He was riding on Grandpa’s lap as they both zoomed around in Grandpa’s wheelchair.

“I’m pooped!” Grandpa said, wheeling to a stop. He sniffed little Ben’s rear end and scrunched his nose. “And from the smell of it, so are you!”

Ben can turn invisible—which makes babysitting a big pain. (How do you watch an invisible kid?) Grandpa is a retired superhero, but every time I see him, he’s using a new power. He sprouts giant wings, possesses super eagle-eye vision, and even has a long tongue for eating bugs. (Gross!) I think he keeps his abilities a secret on purpose. I wonder what other things he can do.

“It’s snowing!” I screamed, running to the window. My siblings and I were hoping for a snow day so we could get out of going to school the next day. (Sure, it was the last day of school before the holiday break, but a day off was a day off.) Now that small white flurries were gently falling, it looked like we might get our wish.

“Nothing is going to ruin this holiday,” I said.

Gavin slapped me on the back of my head. “Way to jinx things, jerk!” he said. “Saying something like that just invites bad luck.”

CHAPTER TWO

Snow Day!

“NOOOOOOOO SCHOOOOOOOOL!” Felicia howled.

The storm had turned into a full-on blizzard overnight. The whole town was covered in two feet of fluffy white snow. Outside, a winter wonderland was waiting to be explored. I got excited. Cold weather was my thing, after all.

I sneaked into Gavin’s room to deliver the good news. He was still sleeping. I bent over and yelled in his ear, “School’s closed!”

Gavin threw a pillow at me and mumbled, “Then let me sleep, turd- burger.”