A Short Story from Rose Garcia

Manny was grinning from ear to ear and his fro’ was wild when I opened the door early Saturday morning. “Dude, I won!” he burst out.

“Not again,” I muttered as I went back to the couch to finish lacing my soccer cleats, sure that whatever my best friend Manny had won was some sort of scam. Like the time he won designer sunglasses, but had to pay a crazy expensive shipping fee to get them. Or the time he won a new bike, but it ended up being a small toy-sized bike for a doll house. 

“I’m serious,” he added, closing the door behind him and coming inside. “I really won this time!”

Manny was small and thin, while I was tall and lanky. His tanned skin was a shade darker than mine, and if I didn’t get regular haircuts, my hair would look like his. We were tight, like brothers, and did practically everything together. But sometimes, he could be too much.

“Can we not do this?” I asked in an exasperated tone. “Our game starts in thirty minutes and we need to leave.”

He fished his phone out of his pocket and started clicking. “Julio, dude. I’m not kidding.” He flashed me the screen. “I won not one, but two tickets to the freakin’ Austin Comic Con and Book Event!”

The Austin Con was huge with some of the best guests. For years, Manny and I talked about going, but never had the money. 

“No way,” I said. 

“Way.”

I snatched Manny’s phone and read the email. It was from a local radio station, referenced an online contest Manny had entered for graduating high school seniors, congratulated him on being selected, and said he could get his tickets at the will-call window at the convention center. 

I handed back his phone, wanting to believe the email was real, but I couldn’t shake my doubt. “Okay, that kinda looks legit.”

“Kinda? It’s totally legit. And the con is today!”

My mom walked in with two small brown bags. My mouth watered from the smell of the chorizo taquitos she had wrapped in foil and placed inside, a morning breakfast she always made for our early Saturday games.

“¿Qué pasa hoy, Mijo?” she asked. “¿Qué es con?” She pronounced the word con with a short ‘o’, as if saying the word corn but without the ‘r’.

“Con, as in convention,” I answered, taking my brown sack. “A comic convention. Looks like Manny won two tickets.”

“Manuel, you won?” she asked. 

“Yep, and we’re going today after the game,” he said, taking his brown sack with a smile. He loved my mom’s food, and always appreciated being included in our meals. Especially since it was just him and his dad and their meals consisted mostly of hot dogs and pizza. He tossed me a look. “Right? We are going?”

I shrugged. “Sure, why not? If the tickets aren’t there we can come home.”

“Well,” Mom added with a confident nod. “If it’s meant to be, then it will be. And the tickets will be there.”

“Whoa,” Manny said. “Mama A, are you regular saying that, orrr…witchy saying that?”

My mom could sense things, and even see and communicate with spirits. Other family members had similar innate abilities, and so did I. While my mom didn’t shy away from what she could do and used her abilities to help people, I ignored that side of myself. Being different at school was never a good thing.

She waved her hand at Manny, dismissing the whole witchy thing. “It is whatever you want it to be, Mijo.”

I kissed her forehead. “Thanks for the tacos, Mom.”

“Yeah, thanks Mama A,” Manny added.

Manny and I scarfed down our tacos in the car and were halfway to the field when we got a text that the game was canceled because the other team didn’t have enough players.

“Okay, then,” Manny said with a punch to my arm. “I guess we’re going to the con sooner than later.”

I punched him back. “I guess so.”

After a quick drive home, and a change of clothes, we were on our way. And when we arrived at the downtown convention center, we found a line wrapped around the large concrete building. We took our place behind Batman and Catwoman and shuffled along with everyone else. With all the people watching, it didn’t take long at all before we were inside and at the will-call window.

“Name?” the young volunteer asked behind the counter, snapping her gum. 

“Either Manny Vela or Manuel Vela.”

She scanned her list of names, then asked, “With the high school senior giveaway?”

“Yep. Should be two tickets,” Manny answered.

She crossed his name off the list, then handed us two lanyards with one-day admission packets. “You’re all set.”

We took the lanyards and stepped aside. “Well,” Manny said with a smug grin, “I did win, and your mom was right…it was totally meant to be.”

I slipped my lanyard on with a smile. “Alright, alright, I’ll give you this one.”

We were moving in a big group toward the entrance doors to the exhibit hall when I spotted a lone door to the side with no line. I pulled Manny’s arm. “Let’s go this way.”

The door looked like all the others– tall and heavy, the kind you see in big buildings. But when we approached, I thought I saw it shimmer. As if a soft ray of light drifted over it even though there was no outside light shining into the building. A warning tingle gathered at the back of my neck, and something told me to not go in. 

Before I could stop Manny, he jerked open the door. He held it open for me, then tilted his head at my hesitant posture. “What is it?” He lowered his voice and looked all around us. “Dude. Are you seeing dead people right now?”

I had seen a few wandering spirits while we were in line waiting to get inside, but I hadn’t seen one since. And of course, I didn’t mention it to Manny because stuff like that freaked him out. 

“No, nothing like that, ” I said, looking through the door at what looked like a normal convention scene. People were milling about, dressed as their favorite superhero or book characters. From where I stood, I could see a row of tables with fantasy books. In the middle I spotted a sign for Rose Garcia Books. My mom loved that author. She was from Houston and featured Hispanic characters in her stories. I knew for sure I needed to get some of her signed paperbacks. I also saw swords, shields, and t-shirts nearby.

“Well, if you’re not seeing dead people or anything, then come on!” Manny urged.

I rubbed my head, shaking off whatever bad feeling I’d had, and moved to the door. When Manny and I stepped through, the bad vibes rushed me like a tidal wave. Tingles pricked my skin, my gut twisted tight, and my body slipped as if in a free fall. The sensation didn’t last long, but long enough to knock my ass to the floor, and Manny too who was sprawled out next to me.

“What the hell just happened?” Manny asked with a groan. He lifted his head and rubbed his mouth, then looked at his hand. “Am I bleeding?”

“I don’t know,” I muttered, peering at our dark and dingy surroundings that most definitely did not look like the exhibit hall I’d just been looking at.

We had face-planted in a large room that looked like the lobby of a haunted hotel. Oversized and clunky chandeliers dotted the ceiling, illuminating a pale and sickly yellow light. Dark red carpet covered the floor, its fibers emitting the stench of a gym locker that had never been cleaned. Oversized leather chairs and couches lined the perimeter, and luckily no one was around to see our crash entrance.

I climbed to my feet to get my nostrils away from the foul fibers, then helped Manny up. I halfway expected to see a dude with a chainsaw charge us, but the space was eerily empty.

Manny glanced about with a terrified expression plastered across his face. “Is this part of the con? Like, a haunted house entrance or something?”

“I don’t know, but something isn’t right. Let’s get out of here.”

We turned around to leave the same way we had come, but the door was gone. Vanished. “What the-?” Manny asked, reaching out to touch the wall. I joined him and soon the two of us were pounding in earnest. 

“Hey!” I called. “Can anyone hear us?!”

“Let us out!” Manny hollered.

A hand touched my shoulder. I spun around with a start and so did Manny. 

“My my,” a tall lanky man with long multi-colored hair said. He backed away from us with his hands slightly up. As if letting us know he meant no harm. “Are you two on drugs?”

“Jesus,” I muttered, catching my breath. “You scared the crap out of us.”

“My apologies. I certainly didn’t mean to frighten you.” He leaned in a bit. “But seriously, do you need to detox? Because I think we can find a detox potion somewhere in the con.”

“The con?” Manny asked with surprise. He waved his hands about. “All of this is part of the con?”

The tall dude nodded. “Yes, it is. My name is not Jesus, whoever that is. It’s Ruben Squamish. I am the hospitality coordinator for the con. At your service.”

I was feeling a bit at ease that Ruben looked fairly normal, and said we were at the con, but I was still tingly all over and needed further reassurances. 

“You’re getting a witchy vibe, aren’t you,” Manny whispered to me.

The man clapped his hands together. “Ah, two young male witches. Splendid!”

“No, no, no,” Manny quickly corrected, pointing at me. “He is, I’m not.”

I swatted Manny’s finger down. “Mister, my name is Julio Avila, and this is Manny Vela. We’re not exactly sure where we are.” I lifted my lanyard and showed it to him. “Is this room part of the Austin Comic Con?”

Ruben stepped close and peered at the writing on the nylon fabric and the admission card that hung from the clasp. “Oh, I see the confusion. You are most definitely at a con, but not that one, wherever that is. You are at Rinth Con.” 

A surprised silence muted Manny and me for a few seconds as we looked at each other. “Um, we’re…where?” I asked the man.

“What the what?” Manny mumbled.

The man chuckled, then pulled himself into formality mode. “Welcome Julio and Manny to the 2323 Rinth Con in the shabby yet historic Saturn Hotel. And since you look extra confused, I will also add that Rinth is an asteroid.”

A large group of people who kinda looked like animals, as if they could star in their own version of Cats, entered the room. The man eyed them, then quickly added. “You are welcome to look about and enjoy the festivities. Now, please excuse me.”

Manny faced me and closed in, his eyes practically bulging out of his head. “We’re in an asteroid called Rinth? And at their con? How, what, when, why?” He shook his head, as if clearing out the confusion. “The next time I tell you I've won something, punch me.”

“Oh, you know I will,” I warned, my mind churning as I grappled with where we were and how to get home.

“You know what to do, right?” Manny started chewing his fingernails. “I mean, you’ve got the witchy mojo. You need to call it forth right the hell now and Harry Potter us out of here.”

I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the corner of the room. “Stop freaking and stop talking so I can think. Okay?” 

He clamped his mouth shut and nodded his head.  I ran my fingers through my thick hair and walked in a small circle, sifting through all the things my mom had taught me about our abilities, when one lesson sprang to mind. She said if I ever found myself in a strange or unusual situation, I needed to focus my energy on home. Being at Rinth Con, on an asteroid no less, was most definitely strange and unusual.

Before I could say anything to Manny, a woman hurried over to us. She was small, with dark skin and glowy green eyes. She wore a simple black dress with rows upon rows of gold and silver necklaces hanging around her neck. She took my hand  and squeezed. “Earthling,” she said in a raspy voice. “I am Nyda, and my spirit is telling me to do a reading for you.”

I froze, my mind taking me to another lesson my mom had taught me about messages. She said they sometimes appeared in the most unexpected places and in the most unexpected ways.

With his mouth still clamped, Manny furiously shook his head, muttering between his teeth, “Nope, nope, nope.”

Dismissing his warning, I kept my focus on the lady. “Is it something you can do here?”

“Are you crazy?” Manny blurted. Then he remembered his manners and said, “I’m sorry Ma’am, but we don’t belong here.”

“You do belong here,” she offered. “I sense a portal from your world brought you to this one so I could do a reading for you.”

Even though warning vibes had been blaring in me, for some reason they weren’t signaling around her. As if some force out there in the universe was telling me she was safe and to listen. 

Recognizing my silent agreement, she gestured to my hand. “May I?”

“Yeah, sure,” I said. 

She took my hand with both of hers and held on tight. She closed her eyes. Her hand was soft, like a comforting blanket, and cool like a winter breeze. She stayed like that for a few seconds, then opened her eyes with a snap. The color of her irises had changed from bright green to milky white.

Manny sucked in his breath, while I stood transfixed.

She opened her mouth slowly, then said, “There is a princess from a faerie realm called Faevenly. She will come to you for help. You must not turn away from her. Her future, and even your own, depends on you. You must hold onto your faith and your beliefs and all you have been taught. When all seems lost, these things will never fail you.”

She slowly released her grip and took a small step away from me. She closed her eyes. I kept my attention on the woman, wondering what was going to happen next. It didn’t take long for her lips to part slightly as a long exhale came out of her. When the last bit of air emptied, her eyes fluttered open revealing they had returned to their green color. 

She nodded at me, then said, “Your mind will not remember my message when you leave Rinth, but your spirit will.”

She left as quickly as she approached, leaving Manny and I speechless.

“Uhhh…. Fae princess what?”  Manny finally uttered.

I was thinking the same thing, but more than that, I was thinking we needed to get home.

“No clue, but let’s get out of here,” I said.

“Yep.”

I strode to the section of the wall we had entered from. I studied the material, thinking that it looked like something between stone and concrete. I placed my palms flat on the surface. My mom always said there was power in touch. And just like that lady who took my hand and gave me that message, I thought my hands could do something to this wall to get me and Manny back to where we were supposed to be.

I cleared my mind from thoughts of a princess and a faerie realm and an uncertain future, and focused on the Austin convention center and the moment before we stepped through that door. I could feel the rush of the AC blasting down from overhead, I could hear the chattering from people excited about entering the exhibit hall. I could even smell the coffee from the coffee stand when we had walked in. 

“Go back,” I muttered. “Back to where we were.”

Warmth gathered at my palm, trickling through each finger and down my arm. Something was happening. I repeated my mantra with extra fervor, saying the same words over and over. A tingle spread throughout my entire body and my stomach flipped like crazy. Suddenly, my body dropped, as if falling. My body lunged, and my face crashed against a hard surface.

Manny let out a yelp. “Ah!” He cradled his mouth. “Holy crap, am I bleeding?”

Manny and I had face-planted into the exhibit hall, and everyone was staring at us. A burly dude dressed like a viking lumbered over to us. “Whoa, you two okay?”

I climbed to my feet, and Manny followed. “Yeah, I think so,” I said, rubbing my chin.

“Nothing to see here,” Manny said jokingly to the nearby gawkers. “Not a thing.”

The guy patted our backs. “Y’all be careful now.”

“Thanks,” I said to him.

I glanced at the floor, perplexed and embarrassed that Manny and I had fallen like that. Almost as if we had been pushed. “What the heck did we trip on?” I asked.

“Who knows, and who cares,” Manny said, looking at his hand and seeming to be okay since there was no blood. “Let’s go check out the gaming booths.”

I had finished scanning the floor and had moved on to studying the door we had entered from. Something about it seemed… off… but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Julio, come on!”

Shrugging it off, I followed him through the crowd, excited to meet Rose Garcia and see all the cool things.

The End
…but really just the beginning…

…

Curious about the message Julio received? Dive into the Fae Bloodlines Series by Rose Garcia to see what’s in store for Julio, Manny, and the mysterious fae princess from Faevenly. 

Get Fae Away, book one here: www.books2read.com/FaeAway

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