Randal lay in bed. The house was quiet-soft. The curtains made the room look full of warm milk. But inside Randal’s head, a tiny voice was stomping.
"Bad morning!" the voice growled. "Your socks will be scratchy. Your cereal will be soggy. Don’t even try."
Randal’s tummy felt wiggly. He didn’t want a bad morning.
Today was training day at Brightheart Hall, the junior hero club. Randal loved the foam obstacle blocks and the "rescue bell" that rang when someone helped a friend. Most of all, he loved his hero cape—Sky-Blue Bolt.
He sat up fast.
His cape wasn’t on the chair.
Randal looked again. "Oh no," he whispered. "My cape is lost."
The stompy voice cheered. "See? Bad morning! You’ll never find it. Give up and be cranky!"
Randal squeezed his blanket. He remembered Coach Mira’s rule.
**Rule One: Every hero hears more than one voice.**
Coach Mira had said, "Thought-voices can be loud. But your chooser-voice is yours. It can be small, but strong."
Randal took a slow breath. He made his chooser-voice speak.
"I can choose," he said softly. "I can choose a good morning, even if I feel upset."
The stompy voice huffed. "Good luck."
Randal swung his feet to the floor. "First mission: Find Sky-Blue Bolt."
In the kitchen, oatmeal smelled like cinnamon clouds. Randal’s eyes got watery. "Dad… my cape is gone."
Dad crouched to Randal’s height. "That feels scary. Want a hero plan?"
Randal nodded.
Dad held up three fingers. "Heroes search in three smart places. Not a hundred panicky places. Which three?"
