VLADJI and the Avatars: Family Matters

Chapter 15 - A Happy Day in the Park (We Earned It)

"So, basically, there were quite a few reasons you put her in Fairview," Amy said to Mom.

We were in Aramingo Square again. Achmed had challenged Tails to a duel of action figures, which the fox had immediately accepted after conjuring one of his own. Turns out, Achmed had another in his sock – a John Cena. (I didn't ask where he kept it.) Fatima was playing princess versus dragon with Carrie. (She'd resorted to begging to get her to do it.) Sonic and Kori were play-fighting, avatar-style – pistols out (Kori), spin dashing (Sonic), lots of banter (mostly Sonic) and swearing (mostly Kori), attacks that would've hurt a regular human (both).

Your basic evening in the park.

"Yes," Mom replied to her. I'd explained what I'd learned after the incident. "For one, the librarian who could've had a say in the matter was away, and –"

"– a cysnake took her place?" Amy finished. "I heard."

Mom flinched.

"They were siblings," Sonic said, having returned to the spot after having whooped Kori's butt. "Bluetooth and Lightning. Bluetooth took the librarian's place and let Lightning in posing as Creamer. I took the liberty of tracking Creamer down. When I discovered the real Creamer was still performing in Boston, I knew something else was going down."

Cysnakes named Bluetooth and Lightning? Okay. It also didn't surprise me that the Creamer in town was an impostor by the same token as the librarian. I'd seen odder instances. And it made all too much sense.

"For another," my stepmom continued, "this isn't just in my neighborhood. I'm seeing a lot of this crop up in other places. Worse, the people who set those up on our turf think we don't care. But I'll show them we do. Starting by putting my children in the right place."

"Sure thing," Vinny Lee responded. She was presently setting up a workshop where she was making something out of popsicle sticks and yarn – possibly an Ojo de Dios, although I didn't really know for sure. Her own necklace was a hybrid involving an Ojo de Dios. The fact that she was presently singing "Caderas" reinforced that she was crafting. She always sang while she worked. It's a Vinny Lee thing.

"Ah," DJ said. "See, this is what my mother tried to leave behind."

What now? I leaned in closer. I'd heard DJ bellyache about Los Angeles enough to get a good idea of its vices, but apparently, DJ had been tighter-lipped than I'd thought.

"How so?" Pop said. He didn't seem bothered by DJ being here. Then again, DJ broadcasts her religion about as much as she does her status – which is, again, not extensively. (Religion's one of her Three Taboos, after all.) She hadn't even bothered to tell him up front. Besides, anyone who's been strong through a cysnake encounter is all right in our book.

DJ took a deep breath, like a man preparing to tell a tragic story. "I did come from a rich background, but I didn't like it. I had everything, but... I dunno..." She sighed. "I saw everything the elites could do. I didn't want to act like those snobs. So I found a route to escape."

"Las calles," Vinny Lee said.

I seemed to recall DJ saying something about that. She hadn't been on the streets because of family trouble -- but more for the thrill.

I heard a sudden burst of giggling from Fatima. Carrie must've caught her and bestowed on her a tickle attack. I hoped Fatima would make it out alive.

"It was for adventure, in the beginning," DJ continued. "But I came to see a disparity in Loss of Angels – the snobs who had everything and those homeless who had basically nothing. I wasn't sure how to handle it. The government wasn't doing enough for them, on the one hand. But how do you bestow something on someone who doesn't earn it for themselves?"

I couldn't argue with her logic.

"I was glad to leave," DJ said. "I don't love what's going on in Philly, but I at least have a prayer of being able to do something. And I can, and I will."

Drive – and courage. True qualities of a leader. This was why I respected her – the same qualities that led her to talk down and chase out the bullies. This was why I followed her.

Amos spoke up next. "So, that Creamer guy... I hope we don't have to deal with those shenanigans again. Even though I know they're going to happen. People are just going to choose the idiotic thing for inclusion."

Mom frowned. "I didn't think you had a problem with that."

I'd thought the same thing till Amos told me otherwise. Most people of Amos' tradition generally chose the left side of the debate. But Mr. Darvosky had made it very clear where he stood.

"Well, I do," Amos replied through clenched teeth. I could catch his right eye twitching worse than a chicken's corpse. "My family put me through charter schools most of my life. I've been growing up on different things than what I've heard my people say. And I wasn't exactly popular in that group – both because of my ideas, and because of a girl."

"Miriam," DJ said.

I must've missed quite a bit more than I'd thought, because I didn't recall Amos having a friend by that name.

"We've distanced over our ideas, but the fact that I hung out with her... She's half-Jewish, so she isn't exactly welcome around my part of town. But then I found these three." He gestured around us girls. "DJ saw me, tended to me. I'm going to stand by her and her company. It's a better company than I had growing up. I mean, how many people are going to stand by you when things get rough?"

I wasn't about to dispute it. Annoying though that boy might be, he was still a pretty good friend to have – at least for laughs. But he stuck with us and stayed true to his heart – qualities the Vortex had seen right off the bat. I guess he does have good judgment.

Mom smiled. "Good to know where you stand," she replied. "But why..."

I understood what question she was dodging – why Vinny Lee?

Miss Marzera must've picked up on the tension, as she set down her still-unfinished craft. "If you think I'm going to make my alternate identity solid, forget it. I'm actually fighting it."

That got both parents' attention.

"Gender-questioning people are more complicated than you think," Vinny Lee continued. "I was bullied back in San Antonio. I was a weirdo – even before I started thinking I was in the wrong body. I wasn't exactly in the best parental scenario, either. Mama was too focused on her career to even care."

The others nodded grimly. We'd already heard the story. Besides, it was just one of the tragedies of enlightened (full sarcastic air quotes) modern house life. One of the parents didn't bother to show up, or even be in the child's life. I'd been abused, sure, but to be completely ignored – I couldn't fathom it.

"But my father was willing to make up for it," Vinny Lee said. "He went out of his way to let me help him out. But it just wasn't the same without that 'mom time.' It was stress that made me question. Now I'm in good hands, with a loving parent, and friends to guide me."

"So, we're good?" Amos asked.

Mom smiled. "I've seen people come and go in my restaurant, but never have I seen someone so determined to help my family in our struggle. To have my daughter be in the company of such reasonable, such charitable people – this is the best blessing Allah could give."

"Aw, gracias," Vinny Lee said.

"Well?" Carrie said, having broken away from Fatima at last. "Anyone up for a game of freeze tag?"

"No thanks, Carrie," I said with a light smile. "I've already been tagged enough for a while."