At the Davenport mansion, the group of teenagers gathered in the living room. Harper's eyes immediately lit up with curiosity as they entered the space, her attention drawn to an object draped under a grey tarp in the middle of the room.

"Hey, guys, check this out. I picked this up at auction today, and it only cost me a million dollars." Mr. Davenport announced with a grin, clearly proud of his latest acquisition.

Harper and Chase stood side by side, exchanging intrigued glances as they all circled around the mysterious object, eyes wide in anticipation.

"For a sheet?" Adam asked, clearly not understanding the hype. "Boy, I guess I'd better start saving up if I'm gonna be a ghost for Halloween."

"It's a painting, Adam, by a very famous artist named Von Schtopp." Mr. Davenport explained, a little too enthusiastically. He pulled the tarp away with a flourish. Beneath it was a colorful abstract painting, bursting with warm hues and chaotic, swirling shapes.

"Hmm." Leo mused, raising an eyebrow. "I wish I would have been there to 'Von Schtopp' you from buying it."

Harper stifled a chuckle, covering her mouth, while Mr. Davenport shot Leo a glare.

"What is it?" Adam inquired.

"It's abstract art, Adam. It's whatever you think it is." Mr. Davenport explained.

Bree tilted her head as she studied the painting intently. "I think it's a crying woman."

Harper pursed her lips thoughtfully.  "It kinda looks like two bears fighting over a fish."

"I think it's a storm at sea." Chase added, his arms crossed as he examined the swirls of color.

"I think someone just blew a million bucks." Leo quipped.

Before anyone could respond, Mr. Davenport's phone rang loudly, cutting through the tension in the room.

Mr. Davenport pulled it from his pocket, giving a dramatic point to himself. "That's me. Davenport Industries." He said, before answering with a professional tone "Hello? Uh-huh. Oh, boy. All right." After a brief pause, he hung up and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Looks like I've got to put out a fire at work."

"What happened?" Chase asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Betty from accounting got her head caught in the positron collider again." Mr. Davenport explained, shrugging as if it was a regular Tuesday.

Harper's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.  "Again?"

"Yeah, that's gonna be messy." Mr. Davenport remarked as he headed toward the front door. "Can you guys put that in the art vault for me?"

Leo turned to Mr. Davenport, his expression one of disbelief. "Wait, you have an art vault?"

"When are you guys gonna learn? I have a everything." Mr. Davenport chuckled. "But whatever you do, do not touch the Davenportraits."

"Davenportraits?" Harper repeated, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "What are those?"

••••

Harper had expected Mr. Davenport to have a lot of eccentric and unusual things around his mansion, but an art room filled with dozens of paintings—each one featuring his face—was unexpected to say the least.

The room was a bizarre fusion of high-end art and personal vanity, showcasing the oddest series of self-portraits one could imagine.

It was as if Mr. Davenport had commissioned an entire collection of portraits, but instead of traditional themes, each piece was some version of himself, immortalized in different art styles and settings. Some of the paintings were more abstract, some were Renaissance-style, and there was even one of him painted like a Greek god holding a lightning bolt.

You could say that Mr. Davenport was either very eccentric—or very conceited—after encountering his secret art vault tucked above the Lab.

Leo, who had his hands on his cheeks in pure shock, mimicked The Scream, his mouth open in an exaggerated gasp. "Am I screaming out loud or just inside my head?"

"In your head." Harper replied nonchalantly.

Chase sighed loudly. "I'm just gonna say it: Davenport is one weird dude."

Harper glanced up at Chase, quirking an eyebrow. "Ya think?"

Adam stepped forward, casually placing the latest addition to Mr. Davenport's collection on a nearby wooden easel.

"Ah. Voila. The Von Schto-" Adam paused abruptly, turning away to sneeze, cutting his grand performance short.

The group groaned in unison, urging Adam to turn away to avoid getting sneezed on. He turned back just in time to sneeze directly at the painting. A flash of heat erupted from his eyes as he inadvertently used his heat vision, and a small, burning hole appeared in the middle of the canvas.

Their eyes widened in horror at the blackened center of the artwork.

"Adam, what did you do?" Chase demanded, rushing over to the painting.

Adam blinked, his face flushed with confusion. "Oh, I think that sneeze accidentally triggered my heat vision!"

Leo walked up to the ruined painting and sighed dramatically. "Big D is going to freak out."

"Okay, okay, let's not freak out right now. There should be something that can fix this." " Harper insisted, trying to remain calm, though she couldn't hide the nervous tension in her voice.

"This hole is barely noticeable." Chase offered, staring at the painting with a grimace. But then Adam sneezed again—hard—and another blast of heat vision scorched the painting, causing the hole to grow bigger in size. "That, however, is incredibly noticeable!"

Harper sucked in a breath, crossing her arms in a mix of anxiety and disbelief. Chase rubbed his forehead, clearly trying to resist the urge to facepalm.

"Adam, if you're going to destroy paintings, do it to those!" Leo exclaimed, pointing dramatically at the row of Davenportraits, which were lining the far wall of the vault.

Chase, standing behind the now ruined painting, looked through the hole. "Adam, I cannot believe you just destroyed Mr. Davenport's million-dollar painting!"

"Mr. Davenport's gonna kill us when he sees what happened." Bree said.

"Okay, well, maybe he won't notice if we fill the room with things that look much more hideous." Adam suggested.

"More hideous? Have you seen the Daven Lisa?" Bree questioned, pointing to one of the worst offenders across the room.

The elevator dinged.

Bree tossed Adam the tarp to cover the damaged painting, and in a rush, the five teenagers scattered, pretending to be engrossed in various other works of 'art' on the walls.

Mr. Davenport stepped out of the elevator, eyeing the group suspiciously.

The teens froze, trying to act as casual as possible, though the tension in the room was palpable.

"Hey, Mr. Davenport. What are you doing back?" Harper wondered innocently, trying to play it cool.

"Uh, I forgot something." Mr. Davenport began, taking a moment to glance around. "I forgot that I left my million-dollar painting in the hands of the five most destructive teenagers in the world!" He looked at each of them with narrowed eyes. "Please tell me it's okay."

"It's fine."

"Looks great."

"It's fine. Great."

As Mr. Davenport approached the painting, Leo quickly darted in front of him. "Hey, wait. Hey. We've already seen this one, and it's boring." He said, trying to redirect his attention as they moved towards another painting in the vault. "I would like to know more about this beautiful... what are we looking at?"

Mr. Davenport's face lit up. "Yeah, I remember posing for that one. You know it took us hours to get the fruit positioned just right?"

As Mr. Davenport and Leo bent over the painting, Harper leaned in for a closer look. To her surprise, the piece was a typical fruit bowl—except that the apple had Mr. Davenport's face painted on it. She squinted, making sure her eyes weren't deceiving her.

"Well, you've just killed apples for me." Leo remarked dryly.

"I was gonna be the big banana, but I thought that'd be a little too much." Mr. Davenport said.

As Mr. Davenport turned around to inspect the damaged painting, Adam, Bree, Chase and Harper quickly moved to block his path.

Chase held his hands up in front of Mr. Davenport, attempting to stall. "Don't do that!"

"Why not?" Mr. Davenport asked, confused.

"Because... B-Because I... have an idea."  Chase stammered, placing an arm around Mr. Davenport's shoulder and guiding him away from the easel. "You should pose for a Daven-Sculpture."

"Daven-Sculpture! Yes!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed, his eyes lighting up before grabbing Chase by the shoulders. "Chase, your brilliance is only matched by your good taste. I'm gonna get to work on that right away." He jogged into the elevator. "Oh! Get ready, guys, for six feet of stone-cold me!"

Harper raised an eyebrow. "Six feet?"

"There's a pedestal!" " Mr. Davenport called out as the elevator doors closed.

••••

Later in the day, Adam, Bree, Harper and Leo were gathered in the Lab, frantically brainstorming ways to fix the damage caused by Adam's accidental heat vision. The atmosphere was tense, with everyone trying to think of the best way to repair the ruined painting before Mr. Davenport returned.

Just then, the elevator doors slid open, and Chase emerged, holding the damaged painting in his hands.

"Okay, Mr. Davenport's gonna be at the sculptor's studio for a few more hours. They're only up to his knees." Chase announced, sounding surprisingly relaxed considering the stakes.

Bree raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

"Because he's giving me a photo play-by-play." Chase answered, pulling out his phone and showing them a photo.

The others grimaced in response, recoiling from the image of Mr. Davenport—fully posed—immortalized in progress as part of his sculpture. A few awkward seconds passed before everyone groaned collectively.

"Okay, there's got to be some way to fix this painting." Leo began.

"What about making a replica?" Harper suggested.

"I can pull an image of the painting from my internal hard drive and project it onto a blank canvas. Then we can trace it and paint over it." Chase said.

Leo shook his head immediately. "That'll never work. We can't paint that fast."

Bree cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention to her. Her arms were crossed, and her expression showed quiet amusement at Leo's pessimism.

"Hey, do you mind?" Adam shot at his sister, glancing at her with annoyance. "We're trying to think over here."

Bree rolled her eyes. "I can paint that fast."

"Good for you. Quit bragging and help us come up with a solution." Adam shot back.

••••

Adam, Bree, Chase, Leo, and Harper had just returned from the art store downtown, their arms loaded with a fresh canvas, acrylic paints and high-quality brushes—the perfect supplies to fix their predicament. With a plan in place, they headed straight to the Lab to get started.

They set up the easel and Chase placed the blank canvas carefully on it.

"All right, here we go." Chase said. He tapped his temple, focusing on the image of the original painting stored in his mind. After a brief moment, he projected the image onto the canvas. "All right, Bree, do your thing."

Bree nodded, a smirk on her face. She grabbed the paint palette and brushes from Harper and, using her super speed, went to work. In seconds, she replicated the original artwork with impeccable precision.

As Bree finished the last stroke, she stepped back, admiring her work. "Done and done. What do you think?"

"It's perfect."

"Can't tell the difference."

"Looks identical."

"Still ugly."

"All right, well, we don't have much time. We'll go hang the replica. Adam, you take care of the original." Chase instructed.

"What? What am I supposed to do with it?" Adam asked, his eyebrows knitting in confusion.

"Hide it someplace that Mr. Davenport will never find it. Make it disappear!" Chase explained, handing Adam the damaged canvas with a determined look.

"Okay, but I'm gonna need a magic wand and a volunteer from the audience." Adam joked, glancing at his sister.  "How about you, young lady?"

Bree shot him a glare. "Just go."

With that, Adam nodded and left the Lab.

Meanwhile, Chase carefully picked up the replica and Harper took the easel. The four teens hustled to the elevator, pressing the button for the floor above.

The elevator dinged as the doors opened, and they exited onto the art vault floor. They quickly returned the easel to its original position in the vault.

"There." Chase said, satisfied as he placed the replica painting onto the easel. "Mr. Davenport will never know the difference."

"Okay, let's be honest." Leo said, holding up his hands. "If it's not a mirror or his bank account, he's not really paying attention."

Before anyone could respond, Mr. Davenport's voice rang out from the doorway.

"Hey!" Mr. Davenport called as he entered the art vault. The teenagers immediately straightened up, all trying to act casual. "What are you doing here?"

"What are we doing down here? Well..." Chase trailed off, laughing awkwardly. "We're down here cause your painting really spoke to us."

Harper flashed a grin. "That's right. And... it said... uh, 'I'm lonely. Come hang out with me'. It's a lot like you that way."

Mr. Davenport raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical and gave the group an appraising look. Then, he turned his attention to the painting and scrutinized it closely. The teens exchanged nervous glances, barely able to hold it together.

Mr. Davenport let out a long sigh and turned to the group. "Did you guys really think I wouldn't notice?"

"What do you mean?" Chase inquired nervously.

"You are looking at this upside down." Mr. Davenport revealed,  casually flipping the painting right side up.

••••

After school, Adam, Bree, Chase, Leo and Harper walked into the Davenport mansion, expecting to wind down after their latest adventure. But instead, they found Mr. Davenport standing proudly in the middle of the room, holding the painting.

"There you are." Mr. Davenport began.

"It was them!" Adam, Bree and Leo exclaimed in unison, pointing accusingly at Chase and Harper.

Harper and Chase both jumped slightly as they stood there, feeling betrayed and glanced over their shoulders.

Bree waved Chase off. "Just take the hit, we all know you're his favorite."

Adam nudged Chase forward with a shove, and the group dropped their backpacks in a pile next to the couch, preparing for whatever Mr. Davenport had in store.

Mr. Davenport grinned, clearly in high spirits. "Good news, I sold the painting."

"What? Why?" Chase asked, stepping forward, confused.

"Some wall street guy emailed me and said he'd buy it for a million more than I paid for it." Mr. Davenport explained, chuckling. "Guy came by, looked it over, and he went straight to the bank." As he spoke, the doorbell rang. "Hear that? That, my friends, is a seven-figure ding dong."

Harper leaned towards Chase. "I think we should tell him."

"Money's comin'. Money's comin'." Mr. Davenport began humming and dancing toward the door. "Money. Money, money, money."

When Mr. Davenport swung the door open, standing on the doorstep was an FBI agent, wearing a serious expression.

"Donald Davenport?"

"Uh-huh." Mr. Davenport answered with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm Special Agent Riker." The agent introduced himself, striding into the room with his colleagues. "We got a call from a prospective buyer that you were attempting to sell forged art."

Harper's eyes widened, and she froze in place, linking her arm with Chase's. She glanced back at her friends, her stomach sinking.

"Forged art? What are you talking about?"  Mr. Davenport asked, completely thrown off.

"I am talking about this." Agent Riker responded, pointing to the painting. "The buyer reported that this canvas still had the price tag attached, that it was purchased at the art depot...."  He grabbed it and flipped it around to reveal a price tag still attached to the back. "... on sale."

"I-I don't understand."  Mr. Davenport stammered, bewildered.

"It's when a store offers a product at a discount. Mr. Davenport, selling fake art is a felony. You could be facing twenty years in prison." Riker explained sternly. With a swift motion, he took out his handcuffs from his jacket pocket and cuffed Mr. Davenport.

"Twenty years?!"  Leo exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Well, at least you'll be out in time for Adam's graduation."

Adam sheepishly smiled. "Guess I better start studying."

"I don't understand how this could have happened." Mr. Davenport said as two agents grabbed him. "That painting is original. It's got an ID chip embedded in the canvas. Scan it."

Riker's expression didn't change as he scanned the painting with a handheld device. The machine beeped, and he gave Mr. Davenport a knowing look. "That, sir, is the bad buzz, which means no chip. But there is a chip in prison, and he is mean."

"Wait." Bree's voice cut through the tension as she stepped forward, stopping the agents from taking Mr. Davenport. "He is telling the truth. We painted the fake."

"You what?!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed.

"It's true. It was my idea to make a replica." Harper confessed, her face flushed with guilt.

"We accidentally ruined the real painting, so we forged a copy so you wouldn't find out." Chase explained.

"You what?!" Mr. Davenport repeated in disbelief.

"Okay, we're gonna have to act it out for him." Adam said, turning Chase around by the shoulders. "Chase, you be the painting, I'll sneeze a hole in you."

Chase rolled his eyes and shoved his brothers hands off of him.

"Look, I'm sure this is all a big misunderstanding." Mr. Davenport said. "Chase, go get the original and show it to the nice man with the big badge and the tiny little scanner."

"Sure." Chase replied flatly, stepping forward. But then something hit him, and he abruptly stopped. His face turned pale. He turned to Adam. "Wait. Adam, where is it?"

"Oh, I threw it in the dumpster at school." Adam revealed.

Chase's eyes widened. His entire face showed a mix of horror and disbelief. "What?!"

"You told me to put it where he wouldn't look. Did he look there? No. You're welcome!" Adam explained with a smile.

"Okay, maybe it's still there." Bree said optimistically. She turned to Riker, trying to remain optimistic "If we get it back, will you let him go?"

"I suppose." Riker replied. "If you produce the original, then his story checks out, but until then, I've got a warrant to search the place."

"For what?" Mr. Davenport asked.

"Any forged art. We'll have to check every room in the house. Don't worry, we'll be careful." Riker assured.

The second Riker finished speaking, his agents began scattering through the great room, overturning furniture and tossing valuable items aside in search of any other forgeries. It was clear they weren't exactly following the 'be careful' directive. Harper watched in horrified silence as a vase she'd never seen before smashed on the floor. The agents didn't even flinch as they continued their destructive search.

Harper's mouth fell open, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Relax, Big D. You didn't really break any laws... that they know of." Leo uttered.

Mr. Davenport, still cuffed, looked visibly tense as he glanced from the wreckage to the teens. "Look, have you thought about what happens when they find the lab and how to explain it? That would be bad!"

"Hey, don't worry about this. I got it." Adam reassured before grabbing Riker's attention. "Hey! Mr. Agent. We've got nothing to hide. But say we did; how would we go about doing that?"

Chase, unimpressed and increasingly annoyed, stepped forward and yanked Adam back by the bicep, hauling him back to the group.

"Look, the three of you go find that painting." Mr. Davenport commanded. "Leo, Harper, you stay here with me and help me distract these agents."

"Actually, I'm gonna go with them." Harper said, pointing to the bionic siblings. "They'll need all the help they could get."

"Hurry." Mr. Davenport urged, his face growing more stressed with each passing moment.

With that, Adam, Bree, Chase and Harper rushed toward the front door, their footsteps echoing in the now-chaotic mansion.

••••

Harper was certain she had lost her sense of smell forever. The stench of the dumpster behind the school was unbearable. She tried not to think about the things her hands had touched, but the thought kept creeping into her mind as she gagged once more. The mix of moldy food, garbage and who knows what else was enough to make anyone question their life choices.

She wrinkled her nose as Bree handed her another trash bag to set on the ground

"Ugh! Sticky! Ugh! Squishy!" Bree exclaimed as she stepped on a bag, her feet squelching in the muck. She let out a scream that made both Harper and Adam flinch in unison. "Ahh! It's moving!"

Harper let out a long, frustrated sigh as Bree smacked Chase's shoulder, clearly done with the whole dumpster situation, prompting him to switch places with her

"Adam, where is the painting?" Chase asked as he sifted through the garbage in front of him, trying to make sense of the mess.

"I don't know." Adam replied. "It should be in here. I just threw it out this morning."

"Okay, this is disgusting." Bree groaned, stepping around some squishy bags of garbage. "Can't Davenport just go off to jail for a little while?"

"Here." Harper interjected, swinging her leg over the dumpster's rim with surprising ease. She crawled over, a grimace on her face as she navigated the mess. "Bree, I'll swap places with you."

"Thanks, Harper. You're a lifesaver." Bree said in relief as she practically leapt out of the dumpster.

"Hey!" The group froze and turned toward the voice. Principal Perry was striding toward them. "School's over. Go home and make your parents miserable!"

Harper pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow, a little annoyed but mostly unfazed. "I actually don't have parents."

Chase blinked, his confusion growing. "Principal Perry, what are you doing here?"

"Getting rid of expired cafeteria meat. If you ask me, it's still good. Meat's always expired it's dead!" Perry explained, tossing  a heavy, squelching bag of something into the dumpster with a satisfied grunt. Harper let out a quiet ugh and instinctively jumped back, only to find herself colliding with Chase's chest. "So... you guys are dumpster divers like me, huh?"

"Nope, but thanks for that little glimpse into your life." Chase responded dryly.

"You twerps are gonna have to dive elsewhere. I've already hauled off all the good stuff. Found the perfect painting to use as the last obstacle in my golf course!" She announced.

"Painting?"

"Painting?"

"Painting?"

"Golf course?"

••••

Adam, Bree, Chase, and Harper stood frozen in the middle of the school hallway, staring in disbelief at the bizarre collection of items Perry had repurposed for her makeshift golf course.

"So, this is why you pick through the trash?" Bree asked, completely unimpressed by the scene around her.

"I know this may come as a shock, but being a principal isn't as glamorous as I make it look. So I created for myself..." Perry trailed off, shifting into a thick Scottish accent. "A fancy little country club!'

"With trash. That is glamorous." Chase remarked sarcastically.

"You just lost yourself a caddy job, tiny woods." She announced, snatching the golf club back from Chase. "So, the tee is right there. I shoot through the life saver, over to the speakers, off the bongos, then the tennis racket, over to the vacuum, up to the fan, over to the umbrella, into the rain gutter, up the treadmill, through the hole in the painting, into the helmet."

Harper gave her a deadpan stare. "That doesn't sound hard at all."

"Back in my glory days, I was on the pro circuit. Gotta keep my skills sharp." Perry said as she twisted and bent into an exaggerated pose, causing the teens to cringe in unison.

"Guys, getting this painting back is gonna be a lot more difficult than I thought." Chase whispered.

"Why don't we just grab it and run?" Adam suggested, stepping forward.

Chase grabbed Adam's arm, stopping him dead in his tracks. "The woman is holding a metal club, and I don't think she's afraid to use it."

The four teenagers turned to look at Principal Perry, who was now tightening her grip on the golf club, ready to strike.

"Heads up." Perry warned. "I'm more power than accuracy, so cover anything you don't want a golf ball to smash."

Without needing another word, Adam, Bree, Chase and Harper quickly moved aside, taking cover behind a nearby beam just as Perry swung her club. The ball rocketed off with a satisfying whack, careening through the air. It pierced the life saver, struck the road sign, grazed the stairs, and finally shattered the glass window of the office door.

Harper winced at the destruction. "Yikes."

"Ugh! Chimp pickles!" Perry yelled in frustration, clearly not impressed with her own shot.

The teens peeked out from their hiding spot, watching Perry storm away from the starting point.

"Um, you know what would make this course a lot easier? Removing this painting." Bree piped up, lifting the painting off the easel.

"Get your hands off my junk!" Perry shouted, eyes wide. "I waded through biohazard waste to get to that."

Bree sighed, trying to maintain her calm. "Look, Principal Perry, this painting is our dad's, and Adam accidentally threw it away, but it's really important that we get it back."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I can't give it back. It has sentimental value."

"But you just found it."

"Not to me. To you!" Perry explained as she once again reclaimed the painting from Bree's hands. "Play it through!"

Bree shot a glare at Principal Perry as the woman placed the painting back on its easel. Her hands clenched into fists, frustration evident on her face.

"Guys, we have to get that painting back from Perry." Chase whispered urgently.

"Look, I have an idea. Just follow my lead." Adam said confidently. He walked over to their principal who was ready to take her next shot. "Principal Perry!"

"Ugh!" Perry groaned, not hiding her annoyance. "What do you want?"

"Look, how about if we make this shot, you give us the painting?" Adam asked.

Perry paused, eyes narrowing as she considered the proposition. "Done. But if you miss the shot, then you four have to cut all the grass on the football field for the rest of the year...."

"Deal." Adam agreed.

".... With these mustache scissors." Perry added, pulling out a small pair of scissors from her pocket with a flourish.

"Why do you have mustache scissors?" Bree questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Why do you ask so many questions?" Perry shot back. She then turned to Adam, who had reached out to grab the golf club from her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I don't play co-ed. I'm not a savage. This course is ladies only. Which means one of them has to take the putt." She handed the club to Harper, who stood frozen in surprise. "Good luck, Wilson."

Harper held the club like it was a foreign object, glancing at the others with a mix of nerves and confusion. "I-I've never played golf before in my life."

"Don't worry." Chase assured. "I'll use my molecular kinesis to guide the ball."

"Quit your mutter and grab your putter! Let's do this!" Perry called out, impatience creeping into her voice.

Adam, Bree, and Chase stood behind the tee, blocking Perry's view of Chase's bionics. Harper was ready to hit the ball, her grip firm on the putter. She looked back at the trio, receiving nods of approval from them as they silently encouraged her. This was it—the moment of truth.

Perry, as usual, seemed unfazed by the tension and played a loud, jarring trumpet note, causing Harper to flinch. She swung the club instinctively, sending the golf ball hurtling through the air. Her aim had been off, but fortunately, Chase's bionics were ready to make up for it.

Chase focused intently, his molecular kinesis going to work, guiding the ball through the precise path that Perry had described earlier. It bounced off the life saver, pinged off the speakers and ricocheted off the bongo drums. Harper, though nervous, couldn't help but feel a rush as she watched the ball move smoothly.

"Wow! She put a crazy spin on that one, huh?" Adam commented with a nervous chuckle.

Chase kept his eyes on the ball, his concentration unwavering. He guided it over the tennis racket, past the vacuum, up the fan, through the umbrella and into the rain gutter. Perry's eyes widened and her mouth parted in shock as the ball zipped through the course with precision.

But just as they were about to celebrate, the ball hit a snag—it got stuck in the gutter, lodged in the pipe.

Perry let out a victorious laugh, clearly enjoying the moment.

"Chase, where's the ball?" Bree asked.

"It must have gotten stuck in the pipe!" Chase whispered, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. He wasn't about to let this stop them.

"I win, I win, I win!" Principal Perry cheered, jumping up and down like a child with a new toy.

Principal Perry, still dancing in celebration, stopped when she noticed that the ball was suddenly on the move again. Her face fell when she saw what was happening.

Chase, with a slight frown of concentration, guided the ball down the pipe, onto the treadmill and through the burnt painting, finally landing the ball in the helmet.

The four teens stood frozen for a second, looking at the helmet where the ball rested. Then, it was as if a wave of relief hit them all at once. They exploded into high-fives, grinning from ear to ear.

"Get the painting." Chase ordered through clenched teeth.

Without missing a beat, Adam bolted over to the easel and snatched the painting and the four teens turned and sprinted out of the school, adrenaline surging through their veins.

••••

When Adam, Bree, Chase and Harper returned to the Davenport mansion, they found the living room eerily empty. The place felt quiet, too quiet, and their footsteps echoed as they walked through the hallways, their confusion growing with every room they checked. Where was everyone?

As they approached the wall, something caught their attention. Instead of the usual wooden panels, there were two metal doors. The group exchanged looks of curiosity before entering the elevator.

Harper leaned back against the wall as the elevator began to descend. The elevator dinged, signaling their arrival at the art vault. The doors slid open, revealing a scene that made their eyes widen in shock. Mr. Davenport, Leo and a group of FBI agents were gathered around the vault.

"We got the painting!" Chase announced as he stepped out of the elevator.

"Ha! They have the painting!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed, his excitement bubbling over as he threw his hands into the air in triumph. Without missing a beat, he stepped forward and embraced Riker"I'm free! I'm free!" He pulled away with a grin and saluted. "I mean, thank you for coming, officer."

Bree smiled. "This proves Mr. Davenport is innocent."

"Well, I'll be the judge of that, Miss." Agent Riker said coolly before scanning the damaged painting with a device. It beeped a few times as it processed the information. "Kid's right. It checks out. Sorry about the inconvenience, Mr. Davenport. Good luck with the singing career. You've really got something."

With that, Riker and his team uncuffed Mr. Davenport before stepping into the elevator, their mission complete. The doors closed with a soft ding, and the tension in the room began to dissipate as the danger passed.

"My album's available online." Mr. Davenport added hastily.

"What's an album?" Leo asked, genuinely baffled by the term. Mr. Davenport shot him a glare.

"That was close. Too close." Mr. Davenport chided. "The feds were just about to discover the Lab."

"We didn't mean for any of this to happen. Things just got out of hand. We're really sorry, Mr. Davenport." Bree apologized sincerely, her face etched with regret.

Harper stood beside her, nodding in agreement. "We're sorry for not informing you about the painting sooner."

"Yeah, we promise we'll always tell you the truth." Chase assured.

"Yeah." Adam agreed, taking a deep breath. "You're selfish, you're bossy, and I wish I didn't, but I love your voice." He paused, looking almost relieved to have finally said it aloud. "Man, I'm so happy I got that off my chest."

"Give me that." Mr. Davenport demanded as he reached out, snatched the painting from Adam's hands, and placed it gently back on the easel.

"It's destroyed. Why are you putting it up?" Leo inquired.

Mr. Davenport grinned, the mischievous glint in his eye returning. "So that every time you look at it, you'll remember that you owe me a million dollars."

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PUBLISHED: 15.03.23
DEDICATIONS: Peters_suit_lady