As promised, the Special Edition! Special Features (clickable) include -- Cast of characters breakdown, the “Behind the Scenes” Author Interrogation IRC Log, and a quick description of
MY personal favorite part of each Chapter. Maybe having the whole story all at once will make it easier to enjoy!!!
Special Edeyn-tion
by Edeyn Hannah Blackeney
Emily smiled as she handed Jeff his towel and drink when he trotted off the court. It was always easy to sucker the older kids into a one-on-one with him.
“Nice game, Shortround,” she teased him. The two had been best friends since before Kindergarten, when he and his mother had moved into the old house nextdoor and became neighbors. Now, they were both gonna be high-schoolers next fall and brother and sister before the end of Summer.
“Yeah, yeah,” he replied mock angrily, “We all know I'm short. Hey, it makes money for us. That's another fifty bucks. Let's grab the 'rents and treat them to pizza for once.”
She nodded agreement and waited while the sweaty, four feet and eight inches tall boy downed half of the bottled sports drink and draped the towel around his neck.
They light heartedly sniped back and forth at the bus stop, and on the entire trip back home.
There were police cruisers all over the place, though. Something exciting? In their neighborhood? They barely glanced at each other and wordlessly challenged each other to a footrace to the action before taking off.
The finish line was Jeff's house.
* * * * * * *
"Wait. You're not serious.
My mother?"
"I'm afraid so, young man. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you."
"But that's impossible. I was two years old and we'd just moved here from Wisconsin. There's no way my mother was in Florida when you say. So she's not guilty. Look, I've seen the cop shows, I know you people just want to close annoying cases. Ask Matt... er... Mr. Tomkins, he lives next door and has all my life. And he's her fiancé!"
"We already have. I'm sorry, Jeff, but from the time table he gave us, if your mother lied about —“
“Shut your filthy mouth! Don't you
DARE call my mother a liar, asshole! She was just killed yesterday in a burglary by a guy that you people let go just the day before! Now, you're not only trying to turn her into a criminal, but insulting a dead woman, too? And you still haven't caught the guy that did it yet! I'm outta here.”
He explosively stood, knocking his chair backwards, and stormed to the door. It was locked.
“Let me out! You can't keep me here, I told you I know how cops work!”
“Actually, we can. You have no relatives that you can think of, and we can't find any, either. You're technically a ward of the state, now,” calmly responded the detective. Then he nodded to the mirror in the room.
“Your neighbor explained how he was about to marry your mother, though, and offered to take you in. The judge is gonna allow it, but it's a temporary solution, at least.”
The door came unlocked with a -click- and Jeff ran out. Out of the room. Out of the building. Out of his mind with grief. Straight into the arms of Emily and Matt in the small park across the street from the police station. Then he let himself cry.
* * * * * * *
Detective Warner was not having a good week. 'Standard Procedure' was causing him nine types of headache. It seemed that not a single case he picked up this week was going in a good direction. The bank robbery was looking like the manager. The two arsonists had hired Jimmy 'The Lockpick' Forsythe as a lawyer. The guy he'd drawn down on was going to sue the department. The dead lady's DNA in that burglary gone sour matched an unsolved crime in Florida. He needed to get his re-certification for firearms before Monday. Oh, yes, and his best friend was dating his baby sister.
So the growl at Janice when she called for him to wait a moment when he was on his way out was completely justified. At least, to him it was.
“Grumpy much?” she asked, looking actually concerned. The brunette was the best case records researcher he'd ever seen. She was good at her job, too.
“What is it this time?” his weariness with pretty much the world-at-large showing through his normally only slightly-rude exterior.
“Sorry, Kerry, but I think you need to see this. And I know you're not gonna like it, but, hey, you're supercop, you can handle anything, right?” and she turned, obviously expecting him to follow her back to her office.
* * * * * * *
Jeff looked at the room. It was going to be his when the 'rents got married anyway, but somehow, now it seemed kind of alien. He had already unpacked his belongings, what little there were. He sat on the bed and just stared out the window. A bird was sitting on a branch just outside, happily chirruping along, not a care in the world.
A knock at the door presented Matt's head sticking inside.
“Feel like hitting the park obstacle course with me?” he asked.
Jeff nodded his assent and stepped into his running shoes. It was something to do and keep his mind off of... things.
They passed Emily getting home as they were heading out the door, “Heya, Shortround, Dad... where ya going?”
“Guy thing, Em, go ahead and get dinner started, we'll be back soon,” Matt replied as they got into the car.
She went inside and threw her backpack against the kitchen cabinets. She was just as good — if not better than — any boy at that stuff, and yet her dad never let her do it. It's not like she enjoyed girly stuff. She could handle being a 'tomboy' in the eyes of everyone else, but she often wondered what it would be like to actually be a
boy.
* * * * * * *
Kerry Warner stared at the report in front of him, then scowled at Janice. She shrugged and smiled. “This can't be happening,” he said, “the dead lady is the only suspect in this?” She nodded again. About halfway down the fax was the major charge against Jeff's mother:
ABDUCTION OF A MINOR (2 YRS)
* * * * * * *
Jeff took the dishtowel from Emily and started to dry and put away while she was washing and rinsing. Matt had received a call after dinner and rushed out without a word. The two kids worked in silence for a moment before Jeff nervously cleared his throat.
“What's up, Shortround?”
“Ah, Em, have you ever had thoughts about yourself that, well, most people frown on? I mean, like they think it's wrong? Things that preachers give sermons about how wrong it is?”
Emily stopped. She looked over at Jeff. She looked back to the sink of dishes. She swallowed as she plucked the dishtowel from him and dried her hands.
“The dishes will keep,” she said, taking him by the shoulder and turning toward the den.
They sat on the couch, one at each end, facing each other.
Emily blew out a breath, then began.
“I was thinking along those lines just earlier. When my dad took you to do 'guy stuff' and it didn't occur to him that I may want to go. I mean, I like to do all the same stuff you do, don't I? So I started asking myself if I wanted to be a boy... like those transwhatever people on the talk shows? Really, I'm better at any sport but basketball than you. I like fishing, hunting, camping. I'm so stereotypical tomboy that it's almost a joke. But then I started thinking about other things. I like being a girl, too. I like playing with my hair. I like that I can just be in the mood to dress up pretty and no one thinks it's odd. I think what it comes down to being for real is that I hate being treated like I can't do something because I'm a girl. I mean, if you weren't invited to go to a movie because you're a boy, wouldn't that piss you off? And... you didn't mean this to be me confessing my feelings, did you? There was something you wanted to say to me. Or at least ask me about. Right?”
Jeff looked up at her and blushed. Then he nodded and took a big breath. He started shaking and took another big breath. After several more, he looked her in the eyes with tears beginning to run down his cheeks, and finally spilled what he was trying to say... “I think I may be gay.”
* * * * * * *
Kerry Warner stared across the table in disbelief. Sheila, his partner, reached over, put her hand under his chin, and lifted, shutting his mouth.
“And so,” Jimmy Forsythe was saying, “I'm afraid you're gonna have a hard time even trying to convict my respectable clients here, with the alleged arson.”
Kerry opened his mouth again, to say something, and was kicked in the shins from each side, so he shut his trap.
Wendy Sparkman, A.D.A. in charge of violent crimes, spoke up, “Mister Forsythe, that sounds like the feeble arguments of a man who knows he's already lost. We're done here,” she motioned to the two detectives to rise as she stood herself, and then turned and walked out the door without a look back.
Once out in the hall, she groaned and looked at Kerry and Sheila. “I hate that little toad. You know he's so good at keeping his clients out of jail that he's called, 'The Lockpick' by a lot of them?”
“Uh, Wendy, you okay on this one without us arresting officer types? We have to go on a run halfway across the damn country to pick up some guy in Florida for another case we're working,” explained Kerry.
“Don't forget the files we gotta grab while we're there, Yakko,” put in Sheila Kazuon.
“Oh, yeah, I'll crash and burn — pardon the pun — with or without you on this one,” Wendy said with a sour look. She walked off the other direction then, mumbling to herself about ethics classes in college.
The two headed for their unmarked cruiser. Well, Kerry called it that. Sheila called it his rattletrap of an excuse for a car.
“Pitiful the amount of info on the wire on this case, you read this?” he asked her. When she shook her head he reached into the back seat and grabbed the file printout, then handed it to her. “Read the kidnap part to me then, 'cause I only skimmed.”
She flipped through the pages and read, “Case number eff ell enn vee pee dee dash one nine nine six dash two four six oh one. The state of Florida versus Marlene Ugg on behalf of Lee Ugg. Holy shit is that a real name? Mister Lee Ugg attests that his former wife, one Marlene Ugg, used the visiting privilege as non-custodial parent to abscond — who the hell says, 'abscond,' anyway? — with their two-year old child. Wow. No one will ever accuse these joyboys of constructing testimony, will they? Where we going, anyway?”
“The range,” he answered, “I don't wanna go halfway across the damn country and not have my carrying papers in order. You need to re-cert while we're there?”
* * * * * * *
Emily knocked on the door, then stepped back next to Jeff. After a few moments, a bored looking high school girl opened the thick oak and just looked at them.
“Um,” said Jeff intelligently.
Emily took over so he wouldn't back out now, “We need to see Miss Scroggs, please. It's kinda important.”
The girl verbalized a disinterested sound that would have been a grunt, if it hadn't been born of trying to be cool. She turned and walked further into the house.
“Do we, y'know, follow?” asked Jeff. Emily shrugged, shook her head and reached over to take his hand so he would know she was there for him.
They waited about five minutes, then the door swung wide and the beaming face of their Speech, Debate, and Drama teacher faced them. She was tiny. Well, bigger than they were, but not by much, she was short enough and fit enough, that she could probably pass as a frosh in high school easy.
“Hey! I didn't expect to see either of you until classes start this Fall. Oh, Jeff, I heard about your mother, I'm sorry. What can I do to help you?” she said and asked as she vacillated between topics.
“Is there somewhere we could, um, talk private?” asked Emily, shooting a glance at the teenager trying not to look interested behind her mother.
“Oh! Of course there is. Devin, looks like I'll be busy for awhile, Come back down and get me when it's time to leave for your appointment if I'm not done. This way, kids,” she said, leading the way to a comfortable looking den.
After they were settled, Emily started, because Jeff was way too embarrassed. “We're sorry to bother you at home and all, especially since it sounds like you had plans with your daughter, but... well, we kinda thought you would understand the problem.”
“Oh? What problem is that — and why do you think I would understand? And Devin isn't my daughter — do I look old enough to have a daughter older than you two? — she's my younger sister,” said the young teacher.
“Well,” said Jeff, speaking at last, “last spring you chewed out the class for making fun of the gay character in that play we were watching. It just seemed like you felt pretty strong about it.”
Katarina Scroggs suddenly realized that one of these two kids — probably Jeff, from the worried looks around the room, anywhere but at her — was going to come out to her as gay. She could almost hear Grans saying, “Proceed delicately, Kit-kat.”
“Ah. Well, anything either of you tell me will go no further, and I'll do whatever I can to help,” she reassured them.
Jeff looked over at Emily, the fear may as well have been written on his face with a Sharpie. “I — I think I may be gay. I'm not sure but I caught myself staring at another boy's butt at the park the other day. And I liked it...” was all he got out before his lip started to tremble and his voice quavered, “I miss my Mom!”
Emily reached around his shoulders and hugged him, saying nothing.
Katarina laid a hand on the boy's knee as she crouched in front of him so she could look up at him, saying, “There's nothing wrong with being gay, despite what the kids at school or even what the people in this town will say. That being the case, I suggest you keep it a secret except from people you trust because just nothing being wrong with it won't keep small-minded folks from taking their fears out on an innocent.” She paused a moment, then went on, “I have a couple of questions, though, can I ask them?”
Jeff nodded as tears started to come down his cheeks.
Katarina nodded back and asked, “Have you started any of puberty? Hair under your arms or on your legs? Voice cracking?” she waited while he shook his head and sniffled, “I'd say this was the first sign then. Look, anytime you need to talk, I'll be here for you. Think of me as a big sister — unless we're in school, then I'm strictly Miss Scroggs, got it?”
The three talked about things until Devin came and knocked on the door to fetch Katarina.
* * * * * * *
"Mr. Ugg? Sir I must inform you not to discuss details nor to ask questions of us about the case for which we're fetching you, until we are at our destination and in the presence of the Assistant District Attorney overseeing the case at our end. Clear?” rattled off Sheila. She looked to the west, at the bulge of Epcot Center in the distance, like a wart on the horizon's otherwise blemish-free skin. That party pooper Kerry wouldn't even consider getting a day pass. The man in front of her nodded in reply and she led him to the car.
Kerry shook the man's hand and introduced himself, then tossed Sheila the keys. “You get first driving shift on the way back.”
* * * * * * *
Jeff wandered through the park. Ignoring other folks there. It was dusk, but he wasn't afraid.
Am I really gay? I mean, yeah, I was staring at another guy's ass. Does that make me automatically gay?Oh, Mom, I wish you were here. I mean, Katarina is a help, but... I talked to you about everything. How am I ever gonna make it without you? Matt's great, but will they let me stay with him? Or will they put me in some home? Or maybe there's a long lost relative that I don't know and that doesn't know me that I'll have to go live with?
He sighed and kicked a rock out of the grass and onto the bike path, then went over and kicked it out onto the road. Even talking to Emily wouldn't help.
She loved you, too, Mom, but she just can't understand. It's not the same. She still has Matt. I don't wanna leave here, it's the only place I know.
He walked over to a crooked tree, leaned against it and sank to the ground. As it became darker, he allowed the tears to crawl down his cheeks and chin before plummeting unhindered to the absorbent beyond of his t-shirt.
* * * * * * *
Emily finished her homework and put her books back in her backpack. Jeff was 'taking a walk' and so was still gone. She reached over and turned off the lamp and sat massaging her temples. Another of those stinking headaches was coming on. She sank back against the soft cushions of the plush loveseat and closed her eyes.
She had no idea how long she had snoozed, but the key in the front door brought her fully awake. The beautiful woman that came strutting in was completely visible to her by the light over the porch. She started to ask who she was, but she realized that sitting in the dark, the woman hadn't seen her yet. It was obvious the woman was right at home. She had long brown hair done in an up-do... a French twist leaving a couple of curly bits coming down in front of her ears. A gorgeous calf-length evening gown, slit up to the thigh and showing the tops of her stockings, with a matching wrap, heels, and purse. She couldn't make out any of the fine details, but the woman moved through the darkness as though she was familiar with the house. As the intruder arrived at the stairs, the long, lacquered nails reaching for the banister, Emily moved quietly to the overhead light and flipped it on. Emily drew a sharp breath and the lady whirled around halfway up, shock and fear on her face.
“Daddy?”
* * * * * * *
Kerry Wagner and Sheila Duquesnes were experts on Nascar. At least, they were now. By the time they were one hundred miles out of Florida, they were both wishing Sheila had forbid the man to talk at all. He never shut up. Well, not quite true. He shut up when he was eating. Or sleeping.
They were at the last rest stop before home, less than forty miles to go now. They had stopped so that Ugg could, as he put it, “... hit the pisser and tap the lizard.”
“I swear, Yakko, if he even mentions Jeff Gordon again, I'm pulling my piece and to hell with consequences,” said Sheila, glaring at Kerry as though it were all his fault.
He chuckled. He reached out and patted her leg sympathetically and said, “And we have to bring him back to Florida once everything's cleared up.”
She looked toward the rest stop building that housed the restrooms. She looked down at her holster. She glared at Kerry again.
“Note to self,” she said nastily, “Make Yakko buy earplugs.”
Kerry was still laughing heartily when their guest returned to the car.
* * * * * * *
Jeff left the house early. It was Saturday, and the time at the park wasn't enough last night. When he came home last night — quite late, actually — it had sort of shocked him that not only was Matt's car gone, but Emily was nowhere to be found, either. They didn't seem to be around this morning, either. With a shrug, he rinsed his cereal bowl out in the sink, then stomped into his sneakers and set out. His backpack had traded schoolbooks and supplies for a novel, a sketchpad, his journal, and his discman with the CD that Gerald Knudson had loaned him. He contemplated the three parks in town, and decided that none of them would do for being alone to think on a Saturday. So he headed toward the Elementary School playground, instead.
He sat atop the huge wooden structure that had the tunnels to crawl through, swinging bridges, poles and slides, net ladders, monkeybars... and other stuff and idly wondered why they didn't have cool stuff when he was a little kid. His thoughts drifted back to his personal issues soon enough.
“Hey, kid,” said a voice from behind him.
Startled, he turned and saw the girl from Miss Scr— ah, Katarina's house. Her sister, he thought he remembered.
“Mind if I join you?” the older girl said, “Seems like you've found my favorite thoughtful spot.”
He shrugged and motioned her to climb on up, which she did with the ease of long practice.
He was afraid she was going to ruin the whole purpose, but she just nodded and sat down next to him, staring at the treeline on the other side of the large empty space between the playground and the creek. She sighed the sigh of someone with a lot on their mind, but didn't speak to him, already lost in her own thoughts. So he nodded slightly to himself, and set about losing himself the same way.
Silence.
* * * * * * *
Wendy leaned against the wall outside the 'interview' room, and a moment later Sheila joined her. The two women looked at each other, and both giggled.
“Ow. My pride,” said Wendy.
“No kidding,” remarked Sheila, “as far as that man is concerned Women's Lib never happened. No wonder his wife left. Did you hear that remark about women wearing pants being 'just a fad' that we would get past sooner or later?”
“Do you want Kerry to finish the rest of this? I mean, I don't think the courts will see it any other way than to give him custody,” asked the ADA.
“No, I can handle it. Yakko's got that mean streak about anything referring to people being owned,” responded the detective.
“Ugh,” said Wendy, “Er — no pun intended — yeah, I can see the line, 'That there woman stole what was rightfully my property and the fruit of my loins,' pissing him off. Well, I don't think there's much else to do, though. I'll finish up, you go get your partner and the kid, and we'll meet back up later.”
* * * * * * *
Kerry knocked on the door a third time, stepped back off the porch to see if there was any activity upstairs, then checked his notebook again for the address.
“Can I help you, mister?” said a voice behind him.
He turned and there was his goal. “Jeffrey Parker?”
“Maybe. Hey, I know you...” said the boy.
“You need to come with me to the station, kid. There's a lot of stuff going on that you need to know about,” Kerry informed the boy.
However, the response took him off guard, “No.”
“Whaddaya mean, 'No,' kid?”
“Are all cops as dumb as you? I'm not going anywhere with you. Don't try to make me, either. Crime Watch. Who will they believe, the kid that lives here or the guy attacking him? Besides, I'm younger and faster, you're out of shape, and I know the neighborhood.”
This kid was smart. “Look, son, I —“
“Don't. Just... don't. I know you were right in the station. I'm not your son, for one. I came home and searched and found my mother's diary. Her real name wasn't Janette Parker, it was Marlene Ugg. I know she took me from my father when I was two. But she's
not a criminal. She saved me from him.”
Kerry took a step forward, to try to comfort the boy, but Jeff interpreted it as an attempt to rush him and took off running.
“Aw, piss in the wind!” exclaimed Kerry. He grabbed his radio and called dispatch while he ran to the car, wondering why whatever deity was in charge hated him.
* * * * * * *
Emily stared up at Brenda. That's what she'd been told to call her. She was still having trouble believing that this woman that looked almost like a model was her father. The door swung shut again, and she said, “Clear.”
Brenda smiled down at Emily. Emily shuddered. “I'm sorry, Em. I just... I couldn't... I mean... When you... We were... And then I... After your... ah... I'm just sorry,” she said and reached to give Emily a hug. Emily flinched away.
With a sad smile, Brenda said, “If it's any consolation, your mother knew and supported me as a part of Matthew. So did Janette.”
“That's supposed to help me deal with the fact that my father looks like he belongs on the stinking cover of Cosmo?”
Brenda looked sharply around, “Please, Emily, call me Aunty Brenda? I brought you out here to help you understand. But you're not even willing to talk to me? You gave me the silent treatment all the way here, all night.”
Emily frowned. “Do you think Jeff will find the note we left?”
“I put it on the microwave, he can't miss it as soon as he uses it. We'll be back tonight and he'll have had a good alone-time day.”
“Fine,” the girl finally said, “EXPLAIN. But, dearest
Aunty, this had better be good.
* * * * * * *
“Devin, could you get that?” called Katarina Scroggs from the kitchen. Homemade quesadillas have so much less fat, but you had to watch them like a hawk. She heard the door open and Charlie Brown's teacher, then the door close.
A wide-eyed boy fairly flew into the kitchen as she was pulling Devin's quesadilla off of the griddle.
“Whoa. Jeff. What's the hurry?” she asked as she slid her creation neatly onto a plate. She glanced at Devin, and in the way that close sisters have, they communicated without words. So she started a quesadilla for Jeff, then.
“Um. If I were to tell you that the police were after me, but it was for something that I didn't do, would you let me hide out here?”
She paused in sprinkling the onions and peppers into the cheese. “But why would you tell me that, Jeff? I'd have to let your guardian — Matt Tomkins, right? — know that you were here, but yes, I would give you sanctuary as long as you could assure me it was for something you didn't do.”
Devin reached across the table and took his hand and squeezed it, then let it go. Not trying to get overly familiar, just showing support. “Us Thoughtful Spotters gotta stand together.”
Neither of the teenagers said anything more until Katarina turned and set a plate in front of each before taking her own and setting it on the table, as well.
“Now,” she said, “for dinner conversation, you need to explain your hypothetical situation a bit more.”
Jeff told her everything he knew. His mother had kidnapped him from his father. That he had hit her and tried to stop her from divorcing him, then used his money and the fact that he put that money into the Mayor and City Councils' pockets to get custody of him. And that the cops wanted to get him to go back to Florida, now.
“Wait,” inserted Devin, “your mother put all that in her diary? Sorry, I don't mean to be rude or
anything, but wasn't that just asking for it?”
“No,” answered Jeff. He paused to chew and swallow, then went on, “It was more like describing the stuff he did to her, then there was no entries from the divorce until six months later, when she started writing again about, 'that horrible man trying to take my baby from me' — and with what that detective had already told me at the police station the day after she died, I put it together. There's entries ranting about him for two years, then they stop with one talking about losing custody, but having a plan. They just stop there for years, then start up again with normal stuff around my seventh birthday. What she got me, y'know, like that.”
“Wow,” said Devin.
“Yes,” agreed Katarina, “very soap opera. Okay, Jeff, you can stay here until Matt comes to get you, but I'm gonna call over there. I'll leave a message if he's not there. Devin, you get him set up in the guest room.”
“Yes, ma'am,” the two answered in unison.
He grinned at her and she punched him in the arm, returning his grin.
* * * * * * *
“Wow. Okay, Aunty. I think I can handle that. It makes more sense now. But Mom? Really? That's almost... spiffy,” Emily was saying as she mopped the last of her gravy from the plate. Brenda looked much more relieved, and the other two ladies were smiling. Hard to believe that they were both really guys, too. And her mother had been the one to get him started in this crossdressing thing? Before they'd even gotten married? All because of this Cosplay — or was it called Crossplay? — stuff and a bet. Whoa. Just. Wow.
“And it's time we headed back, Em,” said Brenda, leaving cash and a tip on the table and giving quick hugs to the other ladies. “I'll visit again soon, girls,” she said, “it'll be easier since I don't have to hide it now.”
With that, the two of them got into the car and began the drive home.
* * * * * * *
“Devin. Please, help me. You're the only friend I have other than Emily that knows, um, what I am. It's Florida, where the president's brother is in charge. They'll hang me or shoot me or something, I just know it!” pleaded Jeff.
“Don't worry. I have a plan. We're gonna sneak out in a bit, but first we gotta hide you in plain sight. You ever done any acting? Plays and the like?”
“A bit,” he answered, following her into what he figured was the guest room.
She looked back over her shoulder at him and grinned, “Good. Do you trust me?”
“I guess so.”
“Sit on the bed,” she told him as she shut the door behind them, and locked it.
She walked to the closet and opened it, pulling out a skirt. She turned to him and said, “Okay, strip.”
* * * * * * *
Brenda sat and thought about what Emily had said. She had tried to explain to her that she didn't think she was any less capable of doing activities with her as Matt than Jeff was, but he had been trying to act like other men did with their daughters. She apologized. Many times. She was on her way to the shower when Emily ran up the stairs, saying something about a detective and a kidnapping and Jeff over at a teacher's house.
She sent her back downstairs, and told her that her father would be down shortly.
Matt stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of shorts. His towel over his left shoulder and a t-shirt in hand, all traces of Brenda vanished — unless you realized that the faint irritation on his chest was from removing breastforms. He headed down and to the kitchen to find his daughter impatiently waiting by the back door.
“Okay, Dad,” said Emily, “I'll meet you in the car.”
She explained the whole situation from the message on the answering machine to him on the way. They were walking up to the front door of the Scroggs' home when Katarina came out the front door, looking worried.
“Emily! Have you seen Devin? Oh, you must be Matt. Um, I don't know how to say this, but they're gone,” she babbled, obviously a bit at a loss for what to do. “I mean, I figured they were just being quiet last night, but they were late to come down for breakfast, so I went up and they just... weren't there. The beds didn't even look slept in.”
Matt looked to Emily and she took Katarina's arm, leading her to the car. Between the three of them, they started searching the town. None of the fast food places, none of the diners, not even the one coffee shop. Driving past the park, Katarina pointed.
“There's Devin. Stop and I'll find out what's going on,” she said.
They parked and got out, Katarina jogging over to the bench that Devin was sitting on with another girl. When she got to them, she rounded the bench, and promptly forgot whatever she was going to say as the two kids grinned up at her. Devin held her finger to her lips to shush her, then motioned with her head for Katarina to leave.
She frowned at them, and shook her head, saying, “Sorry, but no. Matt and Emily are here with me to get Jeff. You can take it up with them what you're gonna do about that detective. Up. C'mon.”
The two hung their heads and stood.
Emily and Matt had caught up as the two girls turned around. Their jaws hung open as they realized that the other 'girl' was Jeff in a skirt, blouse, and wig.
“Jeff, is that you?!?” gasped Matt.
“Yeah. Devin's been trying to help me think of things to do to get out of this whole going to Florida thing... we've got a good couple of ideas, too,” he answered. His height was good for a girl, and the clothes and wig plus the makeup that Devin had helped with made him look at least like an ordinary girl. Until you noticed that she stood completely wrong and tended to scratch at her bra.
“That's all I needed to hear,” came a voice just before two of the passersby grabbed Jeff suddenly. “Calm down, kid,” said Kerry as he walked up, “This is my partner, Sheila Duquesnes and a friend of ours from the station. Hold him tight, Will, he's sneaky.”
Matt stepped over and demanded, “What is the meaning of this? He's thirteen years old, you can't arrest him without talking to his Guardian — and that's me. Let him go. Now.”
“Sorry pal, no can do. Here,” he handed Matt a folded piece of paper, “you're Guardianship has been revoked. His actual father is here to get him from Florida. I'm really sorry, kid, your old man is a real asshole, but there's nothing I can do.”
“At least let him change clothes before you go,” put in Emily, “He's not done anything to deserve being embarrassed!” She hoped that at home she could help him find another way to get away.
“Em,” said Jeff, finally speaking, “don't worry about it. I'm not even trying to get away, and maybe being dressed like this will make the jerk not want me. Talk to Devin. She's got the details.” Then he looked over at the detective. “Okay, let's go see my, ah, the guy my mother was married to.”
With that, the police walked with a not-struggling Jeff to their car and pulled away.
As soon as the car doors shut, Devin whirled on Katarina. “Kat, get out your cell, call Carter and Billings, tell them to be at Carter's office when I get there with these two, use up favors if you have to,” she ordered her older sister, then spun on the other two, giving them the same treatment, “You and you. To the car, move it. Make sure you have your credit card, I'll explain in the car.”
And Katarina was left bewildered, alone, and with her cell phone out making a call as the redheaded dynamo that was her sister ushered the two off.
* * * * * * *
Carter Mortimer grinned across the desk at his best friend, then cleared his throat and mock-formally said, “Judge Billings, this man has retained my services to act as legal agent for his recently deceased fiancé's son in the Emancipation process — that would be the gray form, Randolph, yeah, that one, we backdated it — and as such I formally request that you not allow the minor in question to be removed from the state on the grounds that doing so would be placing him under the direct influence of the man he's attempting to achieve Emancipation from. I realize how irregular it is to drag you not only to my office for this, but on a Sunday, your Honor, but the situation seems to be desperate. If you grant this request — yeah, sign right there — then we have to rush this over to the police station.”
Randolph shook his head as he chuckled, “You always did get off on the pomposity of being a lawyer, didn't you? Sit down and shut up, 'Counselor' and lemme read this stuff.”
Matt and Emily were confused, but Devin lounged on the leather sofa in the office as though she hadn't a care in the world. She had instructed Matt to take care of the fees for the lawyer as soon as they got there. Carter had processed the credit card and handed Matt a receipt, at which point the Judge had arrived.
The judge scribbled something approximating a signature on several of the pile of forms that Carter had seemingly pulled from the air as needed. “So,” he said as he capped his pen and re-pocketed it, “you filed the Emancipation intent form... six days ago? Isn't that the day after the kid's mother died? Oh. There's an issue and you want it retroactive.”
Carter grinned again and dropped into a seat. “Yep. From what I've been told, this may be desperate action, but it's necessary,” he replied, then flicked a glance and the redheaded bombshell-to-be lounging in his favorite spot. “Hey, Randolph, out of curiosity... I know what I owe to Kat and Devin. But what kind of tethers have they attached to you?”
With a bit more bluster than a thirty-four year old Judge should be capable of, Randolph Billings harrumphed impressively, and mumbled something about privileged information.
* * * * * * *
Sheila Duquesnes looked in the rearview mirror at the kid, calmly sitting there in his skirt and wig as if it were what he wore everyday. Well, except for sitting in a way unladylike position. Poor kid, she thought, Having to go with that jerk. Well, maybe the skirt idea that girl that was with him had might work. Ugg didn't seem like the type to be dumb enough to 'free the beast' in public, though. He might lose interest. Perhaps. She pulled into the station parking lot and looked over at Kerry. His mouth was set into that tight line that meant he didn't like the situation, but was thinking of a way out of it. Best not to bother him.
Another thought occurred to her, “Hey, kid. Your mother didn't have a will that you know of, did she? I mean, if she named someone else as your Guardian...”
Jeff shook his head, “No. She was only thirty-one, Ma'am.”
Kerry gave Will a quick thanks for the assist, and sent him on the way, and gave Sheila a look that drained the last hope she had for the young teenager... the look that said, “I got nuthin'.”
With Jeff walking just completely calmly between them, the three went inside the station.
* * * * * * *
"Mister Ugg,” said Wendy, “when the Sheriff in your county informed you that the abduction case may have a lead, you requested transport up here and we didn't balk. Now, we're just asking you to be patient until the detectives on the case of your ex-wife's murder return. So please, sit, have a cup of coffee, feed the vending machines... I don't know. Exercise some patience. Just because you want them to be back sooner does not make it so, and yelling at me about it does nothing to improve the situation.”
She left the lounge area, and went down the hallway, as she rounded the corner, she nearly ran into Warner and Duquesnes.
“Oh good grief,” she said, relieved, “that man is driving me nuts! He's waiting in the lounge, just go to him. I'm leaving.” and with that... she left.
“I can't,” said Jeff, “I thought I could spook the fella by wearing this getup, but I can't do it. Is there a bathroom nearby where I can change before going in there?” he asked, hefting his backpack.
Kerry sighed and nodded, then pointed down the hall a bit. “Too bad though, kid, if you could act all girly, it would be bound to get under this guy's skin.”
Jeff nodded and then walked to the men's room and went inside. A few minutes later, he emerged in the cargo shorts and T-shirt he'd been wearing the day before when Kerry had seen him. His face looked like he'd made an attempt to scrub the makeup off, but he ended up looking more like a raccoon.
Sheila grinned and asked, “Anyone else in there?” and when he shook his head, she took the backpack, handed it to Kerry, and said, “Wait here.” Then she took Jeff by the hand and took him back into the men's room. She pulled a small tube of lotion out of her purse as the boy just looked at her oddly.
“Makeup is designed to stay on, even with soap. You have to remove it properly. I don't have any cold cream here, but lotion will do in a pinch as a substitute. Here,” she said, squeezing a bit onto a paper towel, “close your eyes.”
Jeff complied and she cleaned him up, then had him rinse his face and dry it again.
They exited to see a bored Kerry leaning against the wall, pack at his feet and juggling what looked to be three 'hacky-sack' bean bags. He stopped when he noticed them and slipped them into a pocket.
The three proceeded the rest of the way up the hall to the station room, and through that to the lounge.
* * * * * * *
Devin got into Carter's car as she instructed Matt and Emily to follow. Judge Billings just waved and walked to his own car. They followed the lawyer, both still kind of bewildered about what was going on, exactly.
“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“What just happened?”
“Not a clue.”
“And you're okay with that?”
“Not especially.”
“Oh.”
They were silent for a moment or two before anything else was said.
“Em?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay with... Brenda?”
“I don't know yet.”
“Oh.”
Further conversation would have seemed forced and contrived to either one of them, so again, silence reigned for a bit.
“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“You said Mom and Janette both knew and supported you as, um, Aunty Brenda. What did you mean by 'supported' you?”
Matt sucked in a breath through his teeth and then blew it out slowly.
He started to explain, “Well, your mother was the one that got me started in college with the cosplay... and then crossplay. So we started to see if I could be as convincing as a normal girl as I could as a girl pretending to be a Japanese cartoon. As for Janette...” he paused and got a goofy grin, then said in Brenda's voice, “Janette really knew how to treat a girl.”
Emily's eyes bugged out. “Don't do that!” she exclaimed, “The girly voice and the boy face is just... creepy, Dad.”
Matt chuckled, then glanced over at his daughter and finished, “Janette and Brenda were lesbian lovers, Em. Janette walked in on Brenda one day when I lost track of time when it was my turn to watch over the two of you. You and Matt weren't quite three years old, and when it was my turn to watch the kids... well, let's just say that Janette was interested in Brenda before she was into me.”
Then they pulled into the police station parking lot behind Carter and Devin.
* * * * * * *
Taking a deep breath, Jeff put his hand on the handle for the door and looked back at the two police officers. The made 'shoo' gestures, and he pulled the door open and went in.
Lee Ugg looked up at him disinterestedly from the television, “Yes? What now? More delays?” he asked, then noticed it was a kid. Disgusted by all their stupid delaying tactics, he growled at the boy, “Well?”
Startled, Jeff blushed and looked at his shoes, then back up at Ugg, “I — I was told that you're my natural father?
All the color drained out of the snarling Floridian's face, “What the hell are you wearing? This damfool pants fad is bad enough, but no daughter of mine is going to have a boy's haircut! Well, we can take care of that later, Jessica. Come give your daddy a hug!” then he opened his arms wide and beamed at Jeff as if he had just offered him the keys to Fort Knox.
* * * * * * *
"I don't care what the damn DNA says, science is freaky anyway, that's the sloppiest police work I've ever heard about, let alone seen! Now, you two clowns have a lot of work to do on this case to straighten this mess out, our I'd suspend both of you with no pay for this pile of shit. The only reason I'm not is I don't want to make someone else have to come in and sort out your stupidity! Get out of my office!” shouted Captain McCullough.
Kerry and Sheila exited as quickly as they could.
They went out to the car and sat. Not moving. Not saying anything. They just sat. For at least an hour.
“What the hell was that?” asked Sheila.
“An example of police efficiency. Don't list the physical details of the victim of the crime on the police report, to protect them,” replied Kerry. Hands on the wheel at ten and two. Back straight. Feet planted flat on the floorboard. Keys firmly in pocket.
“Okay. We need to start over. There's no question of the DNA, right?”
“Right.”
“Then where's the girl?”
“I dunno.”
“And is Jeff, Janette — or Marlene's son?”
“We should check that.”
“Start the damn car already, we're drawing some stares and it's hot as hell.”
“Oh.”
They drove out to the Tomkins house.
Matt was at work, and the two kids answered the door. Were they smirking or scowling? Somewhere between was the safe bet.
“Can I help you, detectives?” asked Emily.
“Ah. Sorry, kids, is your dad around?” asked Kerry.
“It's Monday. We're only 13. It's eleven in the morning. Where do you think he might be? Wait. Don't answer that... wouldn't want you to fetch my Dad's long, lost husband from Florida,” replied the girl.
“The only thing worse than being made fun of by a kid,” said Sheila, “is when they're right. Look. We're sorry. We're trying to fix things.”
“Uh-huh,” said Jeff, glaring at the two, “just trying to help.”
“Look, kid,” said Kerry ”fact is, we're back to where we started. I have to figure out who burgled your home, who killed your mother, where the daughter that your mother ran off with went, and,” Kerry paused and looked sheepish, “where the hell you came from.”
Emily shut the door in their faces.
They stood there, trying to decide whether to knock again, when the door was opened and a brush with hair in it thrust at them.
“Hair from Jeff. You have thirty seconds to leave before we sic the dog on you. Twenty-nine. Twenty-eight. Twenty-”
The two adults sprinted for the car, started it, and pulled away.
Kerry looked over at Sheila, who was chuckling.
“What? You think that was funny?”
“No,” she answered, “but that girl is going to be damn scary when she grows up.”
* * * * * * *
"Why did you give them my brush?” asked Jeff as he followed Emily into the kitchen.
“So they'd leave us alone,” Emily answered, “besides... um, aren't you curious? Don't get mad, but, don't you want to know? I mean, what if your mom wasn't your mom?”
“She was,” said the scowling boy, “and she still is. That's where I was day before yesterday when I came home and that cop was here. I was visiting her. I plan to every week on Saturday. You can come too, if you like, but I get time alone with her.”
“I'm sorry, Jeff,” she said quietly, biting her lower lip, “I'd like that, though.”
“Whatever,” he snapped and stormed up the stairs.
“Wait. Jeff.”
He stopped and spun around.
“What?”
“I just... well, I can't help thinking of everything that's happened. I mean, if Janette was this Marlene lady before you two moved here. And if she had a daughter named Jessica, but not a son named Jeff. Where did you come from, and where is Jessica?” reasoned Emily.
A thought occurred to her.
“Jeff... how well do you remember things from when we were small?” she asked.
He leaned against the wall of the stairway, propping one foot up on the handrail as he looked at her.
“I don't really. I mean, we were both only two when I moved here with Mom. The first real thing I remember is the mudball fight,” he answered.
Emily grinned in remembrance, herself, “The morning of the first day in Kindergarten, right? So we both went to school for the very first time with giant brown blobs on our clothes. Ugh. Daddy made me wear that horrible frothy pink dress and your mom made you wear a white shirt and tie.”
He nodded, and returned her grin with a small smile.
She grew serious again and said, “Okay... hear me out. What if you happen to be this Jessica person?”
He startled and tumbled down the three steps he had climbed.
“Are you nuts? I'm not a girl... and I don't
wanna be a girl!”
“Gee. Thanks,” she said wryly.
“What? Oh, come on! You said just the other day that even you weren't sure
you wanted to be a girl!” he protested.
“Not quite. I said I thought about being a boy, but decided I liked being a girl sometimes,” she pointed out to him.
“So... what exactly are you asking or suggesting, then?” he asked, deflating.
“Well... I don't know how to ask this... do you know the difference between a girl and a boy? Because, if you're not sure... There's this video that Dad used to explain things about, ah, boys and sex and stuff to me last Spring. Just... come on,” she said, helping him up off the floor and dragging him into the living room.
* * * * * * *
Jeff stared wide-eyed at the paused screen. He rewound, watched the screen in slo-mo, and paused again.
“So. Not only do I find out just how
humongous and weird Mom lied to me, but that is sex?”
“I'm sorry, Jessica,” said Emily.
Jeff stormed to his feet and loomed over her, “
You are NEVER to call me that ever again! Do you understand me?” he nearly screamed, angrier than she had ever seen.
Emily yelped in fear, all color draining from her face as she nodded in fearful assent.
He spun and stomped back and forth as he ranted, and Emily suspected it was more to her— ah,
himself than to or at her. “I am a
boy! I always have been, and I always will be! Not you, and not anyone can tell me differently! I'm not going with the Ugg, guy. If they try to make me, I'll run away, and no one will see me again!”
He stood panting and on the verge of tears. Emily got up and went to him to hug him. They were still there when Matt came in the front door.
* * * * * * *
Matt was driving, Jeff was staring out the window in the passenger seat and Emily was sitting behind him with her hand on Jeff's shoulder. They were coming home from the police station again, this time from giving more DNA to prove that Ugg was Jeff's father. Last night, he hadn't bothered them, after Emily had frowned at him and flicked a gaze to the kitchen, clearly telling him they needed to be left alone. Emily had done the talking as they had left the station, telling about the discovery that she and Jeff had made. Again, Matt wished he'd been able to move them to a larger town. He didn't know what to say to Jeff, so he said nothing.
When they pulled into the driveway, there was a teenage girl with red hair sitting on the steps. She stood and dusted off her backside and waved, smiling. Jeff and Emily waved half-heartedly as they got out of the car. Matt recognized her as the imperious girl that helped Jeff a couple of days before and nodded before going inside to leave the three alone.
The three walked over to the park, not really saying anything. They sat in the shade and, eventually, they told Devin of the prior night's information overload. Her eyes widened, but then she nodded.
“Wow,” she said, “I mean when I dressed you up the other day, I didn't see a bulge in your underwear, but I just figured you had a tiny dick. Sorry, but I guess it's just smaller than even I guessed.”
Jeff scowled at her, saying, “Look, this isn't a joke to me,” then he looked embarrassed and mumbled, “What's a dick?”
Again, she nodded sagely, and replied, “Slang for boyparts, dude, the worm-y looking part. But then, you'll learn all that in Health class this fall. No, you need to think of it that way, and you won't be so hung up on it. You just have a very small dick. Don't
just think of it as a small dick.
Own it. Some other guy laughs because you have a tiny dick. Fix 'im with a completely 'I don't give a shit' stare and say, 'Yeah? So?' and move on.”
“Wait,” said Emily as she stood up, “You totally don't have a problem with this?”
The older girl shrugged, “Why should I have a problem with it? It's his dick.”
“You mean,” asked Jeff, hope making his voice quaver a bit, “you don't care that I'm really a girl?”
Devin laughed. She looked at Jeff, then barked another laugh, before drawing a deep breath and settling herself. She was still grinning when she answered, “You. Are so
not a girl... it's almost painful, Jeff.”
Emily settled back down as the beatific smile filled Jeff's features.
* * * * * * *
“Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait,” gasped out Kerry between sucking in lungfuls of air to laugh, “Jesus, my sides hurt! BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Sheila watched him and despite herself, it started to amuse her, too. She giggled, swallowed it, then burst into all-out guffaw like her partner had. Wendy waited patiently until both were done and wiping the tears of mirth from their eyes.
“So,” said Kerry, still chuckling and stifling the harder laughter, “let me see if I got this straight. Jeff
is, indeed Janette Parker's aka Marlene Ugg's son. But Lee Ugg. The bastard sitting in there, is
not the father despite the only conclusion to be reached from legal documents being that the kid was conceived during the time that his mother was definitely married to said rich inbred? So, now we got yet another mystery within this case? Oh, my achin' ribs...”
“And, hee hee hee, and we get to tell Ugg? Omigawd, this is like Christmas come early!” added Sheila, giggling again.
“Are you two about finished?” asked Wendy with a sigh, “Because there's more to the story than that. The DNA provided in the brush had the same result but that's why we wanted a second sample from a more easily read source. Jeff has XX chromosomes. What with Ugg's surety that he had a daughter, this leads me to believe that our poor, deceased mother had a few tricks up her sleeve. And Ugg has a paternity test that needs to be overturned, that shows he's the father.”
The two detectives sobered.
“Um,” said Sheila, “how exactly is that possible? Did he have it fixed way back when and that's how he got the win in the original custody case?”
“Eleven years ago,” stated the ADA, “1995, to be exact. They were still determining paternity from blood tests at that time. DNA wasn't used for something so mundane. Apparently, the real father has the same blood type as Ugg does. Kind of adds to the whole thing. This is turning into a regular Holmes and Watson style mystery, isn't it?”
Kerry tried to say something, but his mouth still didn't want to open without laughter of some sort spilling out once the dam of his lips parted. So he opened his mouth and giggled, then snorted before slapping both hands over his mouth to hold in the mirth. After a moment, he finally had a handle on it and was able to speak.
“So we get to tell the kid the news, right? I'm pretty sure that if a thirteen-year old kid has a shit-list, Sheila and I are both fairly high on it, just now,” he said, still grinning.
“No, Detectives, I'll deliver the news while you question Mister Ugg on any male employees, relatives, or neighbors that were around in the early days of his failed marriage,” Wendy answered.
Kerry was no longer laughing.
* * * * * * *
Matt scratched his head.
“So... you're telling me that Jeff is transsexual?” he asked, confused.
“No,” replied an exasperated Emily, “well... maybe? Look, Jeff doesn't have boyparts down below.”
“Oh, is that all?” asked Matt.
Neither of the kids knew how to respond to that in any way.
* * * * * * *
Lee Ugg didn't know what to say. The lawyer he'd hired locally to help him with this entire ass-pile of occurrences assured him that the DNA test was showing that he couldn't be that boy's father, which didn't come to any surprise. But then, they kept insisting this Jeff kid was his daughter Jessica, and that he wasn't really the father. So, he thought, stewing things over, if everything they say is true, then Marlene really was cheating on me. I really did have the right to take the girl... or boy... according to the prenuptial. Hell, I only wanted the girl to hurt Marlene. Woman aughtn't try to stand up to a man that way. It ain't proper. Dammit. I knew I shoulda had that new-fangled DMV test instead of the other one. But my lawyer assured me it would prove things. Well. Now that I signed that paper this lawyer said was a good idea, I don't have to worry about no kid no more. But who could be that kid's daddy? Harry was too old, Mark couldn't get it up for a woman if his life depended on it — damn fairy — and Robin... wait.
“That filthy sum'bitch!” Ugg suddenly shouted, leaping to his feet.
Kerry pushed back and motioned to the two uniforms to restrain the man.
“AlrightalrightalrightalrightALRIGHT already! Lemme go, I'll calm the fuck down,” he swore as he jerked his arms out of their hands and plopped down in the chair again.
“Okay, Mister Dee-tective, I think I know who it may be,” Ugg said, scowling after he calmed down, “Clever little assface, too. Look, Marlene's family ain't whatcha call, 'classy' like mine was. So I sneaked around the city and found me an expert in that there whosismagadger... deportment. And hired her. At least, I thought it was a her. Turned out she was one of them transpesticide guys. I mean, I may not have finished high school — what with my family's money, I didn't need to — but I should be able to tell a man from a woman. Little fucker sneaked in and got a piece of my pretty new wife that I wouldn't let any man near. Right under my nose. Bitch is lucky she's dead, now.”
“Mister Ugg,” sighed Sheila, taking notes, “the name of the potential father?”
He scowled again, “I dunno if it was his real name, but I guess it's one of them gussied up ones that go both ways.”
“And, sir, what was it?” asked Kerry.
“Robin Masters.”
* * * * * * *
“Masters, Robin. Born in 1974 in Miami, Florida. Made living as a female illusionist illusionist, performing a magic act in drag. This lasted until 1995 when a publishing house became interested in his crime novels and he became an overnight sensation. He now resides on the island of Maui in Hawaii on an estate he has modeled after the one that housed the character Thomas Magnum from the popular, '
Magnum P.I.' television show. The estate in the program was owned by a novelist named Robin Masters,” read Sheila from the back of the book.
“So, you think he's the same one?” asked Matt.
“This is funny,” she said, completely not paying attention, “The bio keeps saying 'he' and 'his' but the picture on the back is him as a girl. Wow. I wish that I looked as good.”
“Detective Duquesnes?” prompted Matt.
“Hmm? Oh. Sorry. Um, the police out there are getting a DNA sample for us, we should have it FedEx by morning. I'm sorry, I just... I don't think I'll ever understand some of these guys that dress up like girls. I mean, I know what transsexuals get out of it... they're girls in their brains. I know what transvestites get out of it... er... off of it. But these guys that just like to dress in women's clothing? I like how it feels, yeah, but gimme something that's not tight and no heels,” she rambled on, “I was a Psych major in college, and actually wanted to be a therapist for the Transsexual Community. But I could never wrap my noggin around the garden-variety crossdresser.”
Jeff sat grinning. Not only wasn't Ugg his father, but his real father might be some famous author. Then the big dumb detective ruined his mood again.
“So,” he said, “you're really a girl.” This guy had a knack for saying just enough to truly piss off whoever he was talking to at the time.
Jeff looked over at Matt and Sheila talking and interrupted, “Excuse me, Detective, but is it true what I've heard, that sometimes, if you're accused of something but you were provoked, you don't go to jail for it?”
Sheila and Matt both darted glances to Kerry — who was oblivious — and then she sighed and answered the kid, “Yes, technically. But —“ and that was all she got out.
She didn't see exactly what Jeff did, but it involved moving quickly and a flurry of feet, and now her partner was on the floor in the fetal position crying. Whimpering, “What'd I do this time?”
Coughing to hide her laugh, she helped him to his feet, “We'd best be going, folks, Yakko needs to be getting back to the Water Tower.”
* * * * * * *
“... and that's the meat of the story, doctor. It all happened at the beginning of this summer. Turns out that the Robin Masters, author, magician, female illusionist guy really is my biological father. He didn't want to uproot me, though, and has given Guardianship to Matt Tomkins. He started sending these amazingly huge checks though, to help out with money. That's how we're able to afford for me to come see you. We filled that prescription you gave me last week, and I thought about things. I can deal with being the smallest guy in high school. At least, with this medicine, I won't have to deal with, um, breasts developing or a period starting. And you said when I'm eighteen, I can start the hormones that'll let me be boy, instead.”
“Hm? Yeah, I think things worked out amazingly well. When I think about having to go with that Ugg guy? Ack. Scary thought. I know he would have tried to make me be this idealized daughter he had in his head. I would have been one of those runaway street kids you hear about.”
“Emily's been awesome about the whole thing.”
“Ew! No way! Even if I didn't like other guys, she's like... my sister or something!”
“Yes, that's what I said. I'm pretty sure I'm gay. And yes, I know I'll likely get my ass kicked more than a few times if I come out at school, being as small as I am. That's okay, I'm not ready to come out.”
“Yup! That's right, Robin — that's what he prefers I call him, which is good because calling him 'Dad' when he looks pretty much identical to Drew Barrymore is just... well, creepy. Anyway, Robin is gonna fly all five of us out to Maui to spend the entire Summer next year! Talk about awesome plans for vacation!”
“Yep. Matt and Emily because they're kinda like family to me, and Katarina and Devin just because I wanted to invite them for being so awesome.”
“It is kind of weird to find out all these horrible things about Mom, though. I mean, she married that asshole because apparently her parents forced her to do it, then she cheated on him with a guy that looks more female than half the women in this town, then lied to Ugg about who my father was, then kidnapped me from Ugg when she didn't get custody.”
“Hm? No, I read in her diary, she didn't force me to be a boy. I wouldn't wear dresses or anything. Wanted my hair cut like 'other boys' and stuff. So, yeah, I guess even at two years old I knew who I was for real on the inside.”
“Well, the lawyer guy, Carter Mortimer? He managed to sell it and the car, and put the money in a trust fund for me. There's a new family moving in there this coming weekend, actually. I think their name is Wilson.”
Janette Parker / Marlene Ugg - The dead woman. Mother of Jeff that did what she needed to do 11 years ago, illegal or not, fiancé of Matt Tomkins
Jeff Parker - Our Heroic Protagonist
Emily Tomkins - Matt's daughter and Jeff's best friend
Matt/ Brenda Tomkins - A widower father that happens to be a crossdresser, fiancé of Janette Parker
Kerry Warner - Police Detective having a really horrible Summer
Sheila Duquesnes - Kerry's partner, amused at his expense a lot
Katarina Scroggs - Teacher at the local middle and high school, in Drama
Devin Scroggs - Katarina's younger sister, high school student, befriends Jeff, dynamic personality
Lee Ugg - Our Villainous Antagonist
Wendy Sparkman - Assistant District Attorney
Carter Mortimer - Lawyer that Kat and Devin know, that owes them favors
Randolph Billings - Judge that Kat and Devin know, that owes them favors
Robin Masters - Author and GenderQueer personality, lives and works as an author out of a private estate on the island of Maui, in Hawaii... oh, and Jeff's genetic father
Jimmy Forsythe - Criminal Defense Attorney, also known as "The Lockpick" for his uncanny ability to turn what the DA's office thinks are sure thing convictions into walk-aways
Captain McCullough - Captain of the local police station
Will (no surname given) - Random police officer friend of Kerry and Sheila. If anyone died in this series, he'd be a Redshirt
Family Tragedies and Secrets Featurette Author Chat
Edeyn: Okay... The floor is now open for any and all questions involving the story "Family Tragedies and Secrets" by... well, ME! *grin* No holds barred, ask whatcha wanna!
Holly_Logan: I've read it up to about Saturday.
Edeyn: Sunday - Wednesday won't take you long to finish, Holly.
Holly_Logan: I know. Just had other priorities. I did not realize you were wrapping it up quite this soon. Starting to read Chapter 16, now.
Sephrena: Will there be a small continuation to show Jeff become himself and how he relates through school?
Edeyn: Yes and no... not being evasive, but pay close attention to the last couple of sentences in Chapter 20 -- he's VERY likely to pop up in Sk8r Grrls at some time.
Sephrena: Ahh, OK. I was interested in the F to M surgery and how the character deals with it. There's not too many of those around to learn from or glean from. It made me wonder how Jeff would deal with other kids and their meanness at school.
Edeyn: I have a few FtM friends to ask about that, so I'm sure if it's really wanted, I could write something.
Sephrena: Is it possible you might do a deluxe edition of the story? Maybe in .pdf with some pictures inside?
Edeyn: Possible... I don't know how likely though. *grin*
Sephrena: Erin could do for you if you had the pictures. It would be fun to see. *smile* I'd read it over.
Edeyn: I can make .pdf files. *grin* Hmmm. Maybe I could provide it as a premium feature.
Sephrena: Yes, that would be good. *smile*
Holly_Logan: Up to Chapter 19 now.
Sephrena: Devin was whose child?
Edeyn: Devin and Miss Katarina Scroggs are sisters. Kat is a teacher at the middle and high school -- drama teacher. Devin is 16, Kat is 23.
Sephrena: So, Devin may show up in the other story as well. Hmm.
Sephrena: For me, as a reader, I tend to look for the characters reactions, emotions and in depth feeling inside the story.
John in Wauwatosa: To get on subject, Chapter 20 was a shock.
Holly_Logan: Reading 20, now.
John in Wauwatosa: Beyond a love of Magnum PI, Why Robin Masters? Or was the androgynous name a draw?
Edeyn: I was seriously sitting and writing that chapter, and when I needed a name (in Lee Ugg's thought-monologue). I heard my landlady's television playing the Magnum P.I. theme, so the name became Robin... Robin Masters *smile*
John in Wauwatosa: Motivations are a key to my enjoying a story. I hope my silly stuff provides that to my readers. The Ferrari was nice. That and Maui. I was there once and I HAD to write it into my stories.
Sephrena: I am just offering what I like as a suggestion for a future story you may do. That if you could include the "TG experience" and the coping with and how they are treated along with their inside emotions and families. I would be so humbled to love it as I do a handful of others. Sk8r Grrls does come close, too. But FTS had such potential and the character was just so ripe to explore. I know why you didn't touch on it though -- the story style.
Holly_Logan: Sudden ending... The whole last paragraph could go and nobody would have missed it.
Edeyn: Actually, Holly, no it couldn't go... and a lot would miss it. It's a major link to the Sk8r Grrls storyline. The main character of Sk8r Grrls is Annie Wilson.
Holly_Logan: FTS is rather disjointed compared to your other work. Even though it came out in a short period of time. I had -- and still do -- trouble following it.
Sephrena: It's like a TV show. The episode's scene changes between commercials, mysteriously blotted out.
John in Wauwatosa: Is Sk8r Girls before or after in time line? I'm assuming after because of the house.
Edeyn: Right after. The events of FTS take place in June-July of 2006. Sk8r Grrls begins in the last week of August 2006. The conversation between Jeff and his therapist in Chapter 20 is in the last week of July 2006.
Holly_Logan: At least I was able to figure out the 2006... LOL... I got that from the 1995 blood test at age 2.
John in Wauwatosa: PLOT SPOILER: Do Jeff and Annie ever meet, swap stories, unwanted body parts?
Edeyn: I guarantee you, they will never swap 'unwanted body parts.' *grin*
Sephrena: I'd think Jeff and Annie would need to be genetically similar for that to occur -- near clones.
Holly_Logan: If they swap unwanted body parts, I think that would be a medical first, wouldn't it? I know of one time it was tried, well, one way, but did not work.
Sephrena: China's big on that, with discount pricing.
Holly_Logan: At least, the parts needed here.
Edeyn: Meet... yeah, I think Jeff and Annie will likely meet, as they're both now Freshmen in high school at the same small town school.
John in Wauwatosa: At least she/he is getting what he/she wants. Darn on the parts, there goes my used body parts business.
mishell: Is Jeff's and Annie's therapist the same person?
Edeyn: Yes, actually... Jeff and Annie have the same therapist *grin* It was mentioned in Sk8r Girls that the therapist had another trans client. *smile*
John in Wauwatosa: They might be a big help to each other. The bit with the car and the fence was a naughty red herring.
Sephrena: Devin.
Edeyn: Think harder, Sephrena. *smile* I just gave you the answer -- Jeff.
Holly_Logan: No spoilers, please. That was the last Sk8r Grrls I've read.
Sephrena: Oh, you mean Jeff and Annie.
Edeyn: Yes. Feel free to theorize about FTS here, and I'll confirm or deny. *smile*
Sephrena: OK. Here is an unfair question, but some here may want to hear it. Between FTS and Sk8r Grrls, which story appealed more to your senses?
John in Wauwatosa: Did you have both stories in mind at the start, or did one evolve from the other? My stories tend to sprout up at random, but usually from something I was working on -- or the news.
Edeyn: Different parts... I like writing the flashcard style in FTS, but there's major appeal in the flowing timeline of Sk8r Grrls, too. I started thinking about FTS right after I did Sk8r Grrls 8, but didn't start it until just before Sk8r Grrls 10.
Holly_Logan: I like Sk8r Grrls much better because of the style.
Sephrena: Between both, I liked the hardships Jeff faced in FTS. Annie was more or less coddled by others and was shielded from some very bad plot twists.
Edeyn: Because Annie has a much more supportive family -- and isn't originally from such a socially backwards area.
Sephrena: I think Edeyn can try many more styles. All styles are valid. Just some readers prefer a movie, as to say, a TV episode with commercial blanks inserted. I would be interested to see some other ways she can present her stories.
Holly_Logan: I'm not saying do not do it. Just that it didn't appeal to me.
Edeyn: Oh, I'm gonna keep experimenting. *grin* Never fear that.
Edeyn: Which is fine, Holly... I mean, I'd love it if every reader loved every story I wrote... but I'm realistic enough to realize that just isn't gonna happen. I know that even people who identify themselves as fans of my stuff... will not like it all.
Holly_Logan: Too much seems to be missing, or just hinted at on first read.
Sephrena: I think it was on purpose to make us think.
Edeyn: Exactly, Sephrena!
John in Wauwatosa: Experiments are fine, just some are best at a shorter length. FTS was the right length.
Edeyn: One of the stories I'm currently working on isn't TG... but I may post it to TopShelf anyway, for people to see if they like the style.
John in Wauwatosa: Worth a try.
Sephrena: Go for it*smile* I'd love to see it.
Holly_Logan: As I said, it is not what I like, but more power to you for trying something different. Heck, as disjointed as it is, I might not be able to edit it, but I'd have been willing to give it a try.
Edeyn: I wanted to write a story that wasn't obvious from the keywords what the f*$% was going on. Which is why I coined the "Blurred for Plot" tag.
John in Wauwatosa: FTS is almost the way I outline -- when I do. A series of very short scenes.
Edeyn: I don't outline, I just sit down and write. I'd sit down and spend about 30 - 60 minutes writing and immediately post.
John in Wauwatosa: I rarely outline but sometimes I have to when I'm collaborating with another writer. Why do you write, what drives you to?
Edeyn: Oooh, loaded question, John... but I'll happily answer. I love to communicate, simply put.
Sephrena: Well, I do know Edeyn is a speed typist. I think she smokes through keyboards at regular intervals.
Edeyn: I love to talk. I love to write. I love to sing and to dance. I've been described as 'having a love affair with the English language' and I've also been described as 'the verbal equivalent of a neutron bomb' -- Powerful, devastating and inescapable.
Holly_Logan giggles
John in Wauwatosa: I can't type to save my life, but here I am -- I must be punishing myself.
Sephrena: Creativity through being and essence, expressing her thoughts through the music of words.
Edeyn: On a slow day, I'll write about 3500 words.
John in Wauwatosa: My sister suspects I do it to empty out the clutter in my head. --
John in Wauwatosa: 3500!!!
Edeyn: A week ago, I was working on stories and on a deadline for the newsletter I'm editor of... I averaged about 11,000 words per day for 9 days straight.
Sephrena: She is a speed typist. Her mind runs faster than most of ours.
Edeyn: I look at stories the way Michaelangelo described his sculpting: He revealed the statue, I reveal the story. Though I'm not claiming to be the Michaelangelo of writing!
mishell: Edeyn has gone through 2 keyboards since she moved in.
NOTE: Mishell is the Landlady/Owner of the boarding house that Edeyn lives in.
John in Wauwatosa: Four or five pages is a good few hours. But then, I juggles a lot of wordy characters.
Holly_Logan: I can speed type, but then it takes ten times as long to fix the typos -- if I can even understand what I wrote! *giggle*
Edeyn sticks her tongue out at Mishell
Sephrena: She makes very few errors at all.
John in Wauwatosa: I never can understand what I write if I go too fast.
Edeyn: I've been here almost 3 months! 2 keyboards is NOT unreasonable!
Sephrena: Hehehe! I knew it!
John in Wauwatosa: One for each hand?
Edeyn: No, I went through the original one I moved up here with, and then the MS Ergonomic one that I bought ($1.50 @ Goodwill!) and have another normal one.
Sephrena: Her skills at writing and typing definitely impress me. Superior to anyone else I have ever heard of or seen.
John in Wauwatosa: I wear out keyboards too, but from hitting the backspace key so much,
Edeyn wrenches the topic away from how many keyboards she wears out and back to the question John asked
Edeyn: I guess, when it comes down to it, talking/writing is my artform... I believe in storycrafting with the whole of my heart, mind, and soul. My greatest hero is Jim Henson... who took stories that were already old, and simply told them in a new way. The essence of Storycraft is just that... a story should change with EVERY retelling! My list of daily stuff... I keep 17 personal blogs, 3 political blogs, 4 roleplaying blogs, 9 fiction serials -- 2 at TopShelf ... 8 now, I guess -- plus I always have at least 3 short stories in the works and a novel... and then there's talking with publishing houses.
John in Wauwatosa: Daily blogs? I feel so lazy by comparison.
Edeyn: Sometimes... usually at least 4 - 5 entries weekly...
Edeyn: If you're interested in some of my other stuff... well, the blogs I'd rather keep personal for now, but I've got a page at
Fictioneer that I've posted a fantasy serial's first 8 parts on. http://edeyn.fictioneer.org
John in Wauwatosa: Where are the *twins* going next, other than maybe running for office?
Edeyn: What twins?
John in Wauwatosa: Our Sk8r Grrls, the Wilsons
Edeyn: But this chat is about FTS, John. *wink*
Sephrena: Krunch have you read Edeyn's FTS story?
Admiral_Krunch: I'm afraid not, though I got my computer back today *big smile*
Sephrena: Well, that is definitely a plus!
Edeyn: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/3489/family-tragedies-and-secrets
John in Wauwatosa: Okay, will we see more of Jeff and Co as a separate story, or is all rolling into Sk8r Grrls?
John in Wauwatosa: Krunch, you missed an interesting one. Odd style, but it works.
Edeyn: I'm thinking there'll be more Jeff stories stand alone, but you'll see Jeff, Emily, Devin, and Kat. At least as background characters in Sk8r Grrls, too.
Sephrena: I'd love to see a sequel story showing dealing with life in school, not necessarily as a daily but as going through school at high points and events until each resolves, to get Jeff's experience. Sort of a longer FTS style, similar to Emily by Sarah Lynn Morgan.
Edeyn: Is that story on TopShelf?
Sephrena: Yep, and its a beautiful one. Highly rated.
Edeyn: I'll have to read it to see what you're talking about Sephrena.
John in Wauwatosa: Emily covered a whole life -- and a bit beyond.
Sephrena: Trust me, it's an experience that is grand. In the same style you used.
John in Wauwatosa: It's been a while, but generally so... but each scene was longer.
Sephrena: Exactly.
Edeyn: I covered 20 chapters in 18 days, with FTS. Day one and day 12 had 2 chapters each. *grin*
Edeyn: I have a question for all of you...
Edeyn: Why is EVERYONE so convinced that Devin is a transgirl?
John in Wauwatosa: I'm not voicing my opinion, yet.
John in Wauwatosa: Where did Jeff come from? Your own life experiences but greatly altered? A friend? Too much late night TV?
Edeyn: Truthfully, John, I'm not certain exactly where Jeff came from in my brain.
John in Wauwatosa: So, Jeff is Whole Cloth?
Edeyn: I mean, I remember when I was a kid, reading a newspaper story of a non-custodial mother kidnapping her son and raising him as a daughter... they were caught when she was in 7th grade and had to dress out for PE for the first time. I think there was something of that in there, just reverse polarity. I'm certain there were other things that added to the creation of Jeff.
John in Wauwatosa: He/she is a twist on the usual TG fiction character.
Sephrena: Jeff is a male in soul and mind.
John in Wauwatosa: Some characters I've created were inspired by other writers' characters, some by readers, some by people I met, some... I have no idea,
Sephrena: I found Jeff refreshing. I'm just frustrated more dipping into his psyche or personality or emotions did not occur. I was so wanting to feel him, and got so little of it inside the story. *smile*
John in Wauwatosa: The weakness of the Flash Card style, as Edeyn called it.
Sephrena: Yes. But that is because she had such a strong character and so little was mentioned about him.
John in Wauwatosa: But it looks like a great way to test a character or idea.
Edeyn: Okay, I know Holly didn't like the Flash Card style... what about the rest of you? I mean, I'm not even claiming to have pulled it off best... I think I could've improved on it.
Sephrena: I do like the style, in the longer format like Emily. Short format, I do not particularly like.
John in Wauwatosa: In a short story like this, it was a break from the usual style.
Edeyn: Part of why I did it soooo short, is I wanted to be able to provide a bit everyday, and short enough that folks could read it at lunchtime.
John in Wauwatosa: I liked how fast things developed, I'm impatient at times -- wordy me -- but it did leave out a lot and some useful data had to be left out. A bit like a radio play.
Sephrena: Well, it wasn't enough for me to digest as a lunch. Maybe a light snack. *smile*
Edeyn: Well, some of that data was left out on purpose, John, to strengthen the feeling of mystery. *grin*
Edeyn: And to answer the privately asked question: No, Jeff and Kerry will not likely EVER get along.
Holly_Logan: I'm positive they will not.
John in Wauwatosa: For a *rush* job, and I mean that in a nice way, it was remarkably good. What would the slow burn version have been like?
Edeyn: Hmmm...
Sephrena: Full tale? Or longer version same style?
Edeyn: I would have been working on making sure I didn't reveal too much with every scene, but it would have been connected a lot more solidly. It was chronological, but the time between the scenes was a bit random.
John in Wauwatosa: Full, fleshed out tale but as a series of scenes, Emily-ish or like Sk8r Grrls.
Edeyn: I think it would have been a hybridized version, if I'd taken the time to do it. Still flash cards, but each card would be longer and more detailed, and there would be time stamps so you could follow the timeline a lot better.
Sephrena: OK, same style longer. Instead of Tuck, Jeff.
Edeyn: Ooh. Good comparison.
John in Wauwatosa: But Jeff speaks better and is sane.
Sephrena: 12:09 7 June
Sephrena: Jeff looked over at Matt and Sheila talking and interrupted, “Excuse me, Detective, but is it true what I've heard, that sometimes, if you're accused of something but you were provoked, you don't go to jail for it?”
Sephrena: 12:17 7 June
Sephrena: She didn't see exactly what Jeff did, but it involved moving quickly and a flurry of feet, and now her partner was on the floor in the fetal position crying. Whimpering, “What'd I do this time?”
Sephrena: Yeah like that, sort of. *smile*
Edeyn: Close, but I'd likely put a timestamp at the beginning of the flash card.
Sephrena: Cool. *smile* that would be different from Ellen and unique.
Edeyn: I don't see a need to verify the second or minute that everything in scene occurs.
Holly_Logan: Good.
Sephrena: Although X-Files opened with time and date and location for each segment.
Edeyn: Right. Like that.
John in Wauwatosa: With so few words to tell the tale, not realizing a clue too soon would be difficult. You didn't have the verbal *padding) to hide it.
Edeyn: Right. But I think I did a good job of packing each flash card with info, though.
John in Wauwatosa: You set your self a difficult task, a solid try.
Edeyn: A lot of the time, the general high points of a story hits me all at once. Like the first 8 chapters of Sk8r Grrls did. FTS did that, but... it was different... there was no feeling of how to get from A to B, B to C, etc. So I didn't write the between bits. *grin*
Edeyn: Does that make sense?
Sephrena: Is the web comic for Sk8r Grrls coming along superbly? Or are you still trying to finalize hammering out details?
Edeyn: Both. We're working on pages, but still detailing characters.
Edeyn: Heather Rose is working on Walter Nguyen right now. *grin*
Sephrena: Yay!
grover: Did you know what the end was going to be when you started?
Edeyn: Yes. I thought of pretty much all the scenes, but nothing in the in-between of the scenes... and that bothered me a bit. But then I decided to let it rip, and just not write the in-betweeny bits.
Sephrena: I think it takes a unique mind to attempt that short style you used.
Sephrena: I don't have the gumption to do it. I cant separate my movie viewing of reading and need to feel the characters. Interruptions are like shell shocking.
grover: It was interesting tying together a bunch of scenes like that. Almost Pulp Fiction-like. Kinda.
Edeyn: Oooh, I LIKE that comparison, Grover... thanks muchly! If I were to show the scenes out of order, it would work!
Sephrena: Flashbacking them?
Edeyn: Some college friends of mine and I once took 2 VCRs and a blank tape and put Pulp Fiction in chronological order... boring and sucky movie... only interesting in the way Tarantino presented it.
Edeyn: So... I'd like to know who each of your favorite characters were -- and why?
Sephrena: Jeff for me. Vibrant rare F to M, and a chance to experience something along the lines of what I went through, in a way.
mishell: I liked Devin. She is the least known, but one of the most powerful characters.
Holly_Logan: Not Lee Ugg, or Kerry, that is for sure.
Edeyn: I worked hard on the characterization of Jeff... I'm tired of not seeing strong (and LIKEABLE) FtM characters.
grover: Me too. I really liked Devin. She really moved the plot along behind the scenes.
Sasha_Nexus: I liked Devin too... she helped Jeff when he really needed it... a wonderful friend.
Edeyn: Devin... Devin simply DEMANDED to be written! I didn't have a choice there. She's got her own force of personality.
Sephrena: Get someone to summon her to life. *smile*
grover: Jeff was cool in being a good kid but one that knew his mind.
Edeyn: Lee Ugg -- I so based him on a cross between my genetic father and my mother's mother.
Holly_Logan: Not a main character, but I liked the way Sheila seemed to be open-minded.
Edeyn: I didn't WANT anyone to like Lee Ugg. *smile*
Sephrena: Did you go through with a bad father, Edeyn?
Edeyn: I had a great stepfather, Sephrena.
Sephrena: Oh, OK. Why the not liking part? I mean how can a great father-type you had be crossed into Ugg?
Edeyn: Lee Ugg was meant to be the villain... and yet, he was guilty of no crimes... so I had to find ways to make him villainous.
Edeyn: Sephrena, my natural father... bad guy. My stepfather... awesome.
Sasha_Nexus: I ended up having to do a cast of characters as I read... so many names and not enough time to get to know who was who in the course of the writing and if you don't know what name goes with which character it is hard to follow the action.
grover: Another strong character that dictated the entire plot was the Mom. It was almost like Drowning Mona's plot.
Edeyn: Yay! Janette Parker... dead woman... really strong character. *grin*
Edeyn: Kerry Warner... why the no-love for Kerry? I really liked writing him. He was competent... but bumbling. He tried to understand... but failed.
Sephrena: Annoying twit is why. Came across almost like anime comic relief.
Edeyn: Kerry didn't have all the information most of the time... he largely WAS the comic relief. What's wrong with that? *grin*
Sephrena: You did leave one point open, the possibility of a TG gene and Robin Masters passing it on.
grover: It does look if everyones guesses about lee being involve in Janet's death was baseless.
Edeyn: Yep... I loved the theorizing that went on. A lot of the time, I'd read the comments and say to myself, "Damn! I wish I'd thought of that!"
grover: Addonna is taking advantage of that with Blue Moon.
Edeyn: Heh.
Edeyn: It seems like the major complaint, was the variable time between the disconnected scenes. Each scene was between 2-10 minutes... and sometimes it was a half hour between them or less... sometimes it was several days.
grover: Plus, when I Game Mastered, I always kept a open ear to what the players were chatting about. Got some of the best games from them!
Edeyn: I've been gaming for nearly 29 years... and a GM for about 25 years. *grin* I played my first game of D&D when I was 3 and a half. I GM'd the first time when I was not-quite 7.
Edeyn: Anything about FTS is still fair game! Stuff you wanna know (or think you wanna know). Stuff you suspect! Theorize and I'll confirm or deny!
Pippa: I don't think there's anything I suspect, other than what was there.
grover: Did Robin Masters know he had a kid?
Edeyn: No. Not a clue -- but he didn't doubt it, either.
Edeyn: When Ugg is being questioned about what male relatives and such it could have been, once it was known that Jeff wasn't his child.
Pippa: The problem with ultra-short chapters is, if you blink, you miss them.
Edeyn: Lee Ugg didn't know what to say. The lawyer he'd hired locally to help him with this entire ass-pile of occurrences assured him that the DNA test was showing that he couldn't be that boy's father, which didn't come to any surprise. But then, they kept insisting this Jeff kid was his daughter Jessica, and that he wasn't really the father.
grover: So when Lee Ugg told everyone he had a daughter and Jeff responded he was a boy everyone took his word? Right?
Edeyn: Ugg did, at least.
Edeyn: The bit of part 18 I was proudest of... was one word. "Transpesticide."
grover: I did get a laugh from "Transpesticide."
Pippa: Short Stories need to be concise, with limited numbers of elements. one of the "problems" with FTS, is that it wanted to have novel-length scope, but just be a vignette. It mostly works, but it's a big challenge to the reader.
grover: And, Pippa, a huge challenge to keep the reader interested enough to work it out.
Pippa: Yes. I found it quite daunting.
Edeyn: Well, I'm gonna post the whole thing as a big blob tomorrow, with DVD Special Features. *grin* Maybe that'll make it easier
Pippa: I'm not sure I like the nomenclature of "DVD Special Features" applied to a short story.
Edeyn: Why not, Pippa? I'm gonna put in links to character profiles, this 'Behind the Scenes' bit...
Pippa: Short Stories are meant to be simple, and profound. They shouldn't need reference tools, character guides, plot notes, or exposition.
Edeyn: And character profiles and this Q&A will hurt that? Special Features aren't things that are needed... they're extras, added just for fun. I know several people who never touch the Special Features menus of their DVDs.
grover: My question is : Was this a short story?
Edeyn: I feel like it was more of a mini-series type.
Pippa: Micro-series. Pico-series? Nano-series?
Edeyn: 20 parts is not nano, pico, or micro. *smile*
grover: Nano-serial? Short Serial then?
Pippa: When the "parts" are 400-word glimpses, I'm not sure what to call it. 8000 words is a short-story.
Edeyn: Most of the parts were short, some were long...
Pippa: A short-short story.
grover: So, short story in volume, but serial in style?
NOTE: Definitional arguments about what constitutes a Short Story have been deleted, as they're not really relevant!
grover: How about just how Janette knew Jeff was a boy? I mean the kid was what -- two years old. Did she start it, or did she just let Jeff decide?
Edeyn: Chapter 20 covered that a bit, "Hm? No, I read in her diary, she didn't force me to be a boy. I wouldn't wear dresses or anything. Wanted my hair cut like 'other boys' and stuff. So, yeah, I guess even at two years old I knew who I was for real on the inside." In the diary, was details of everyday life. How she fought with Jessica, trying to get her to wear dresses and be girly. How Jessica insisted she wasn't a girl, she was a boy.
grover: OK, I can buy that. I do have a background question. Is it really that likely Jeff didn't know the physical differences between male and female where he grew up?
Edeyn: Yes, yes it is. Hang on... I explained it really well in a private message.
grover: I'm from farm country so I knew the differences very early on. "Mama, what are those two goats during?"
Edeyn: I'm from the Ozarks. Farm country, yes... but those questions just aren't answered. *smile* Here, I'll post the email in here.
grover: Ah...
Edeyn: Alright, my turn for some background *smile*
Edeyn: I was raised not only in the Ozarks, but the kind you see on the Beverly Hillbillies -- that wasn't all a joke. I have an uncle that lives in Bugtussle, Kentucky. Western KY, Northern AR, Southern MO, Southeastern KS, and Northeastern Oklahoma. I was sheltered a LOT -- not as much as Jeff obviously has been, nor as much as most of my cousins and family were. If I hadn't had a twin sister, there is no doubt in my mind that I would have been that sheltered. Sex is dirty, and you're dirty for even thinking about looking at yourself, let alone touching yourself. I was an Air Force Brat -- not a lot of exposure to other kids my age because we moved before I could make friends. However, my parents divorced when I was rather young, and we went back to the Ozarks where my mother was raised. Southwest Missouri. Washburn, population (at the time) 279. The schools are so small, that if they have indoor plumbing, there's not fancy-schmancy urinals. The first time I ever laid eyes on a urinal, was in high school, and we'd moved to Cassville, Missouri (all of 7 miles from Washburn, but it was leaps and bound different from what I had known) population of just under 3,000 when I was in 8th grade. That's right, the middle school didn't have urinals, either. Also, you didn't shower with the other kids in PE.
Robyn is a California girl - northern SF Bay Area
Edeyn: Nope. Showers weren't until high school (grade 9). Also, Health class wasn't available until high school... I was in my Freshman (required, thank gawd) Health class in the middle of the first week. We went in and the pull-down window-shade type visual aid had a big picture of a vagina. The teacher began, "Alright boys," because they had separate Health for male and female, "How many of you have seen one of these before?" Me and two other kids raised our hands in a class of 37. "Alright, how many of you know what it is?" Same three hands. "Alright, you three, write down what it is and what it's for on a piece of paper and fold it, then hand it to me." One of the other two then admitted he didn't have a clue. The teacher then 'anonymously' read the answers aloud. The other boy that answered was read first. 'That there is a pussy. Momma has one, but Papa don't, though Papa calls me one a lot.' Then my answer was read. 'That is a vagina. Girls use them to pee the way a boy uses a penis.' As you can see, even the two that sort of knew, hadn't a clue. We were 13 and 14 years old. Puberty didn't start hitting these kids for the most part until they were already in high school... typically, you'll see freshmen that look like little kids, and then sophomores that look like, well, your typical high school student image. Mind you. I left out the majority of detail about myself because I just wanted to give you info about the atmosphere of the area.
grover: More 19th century than 20th.
Edeyn: Much.
Edeyn: The Beverly Hillbillies was NOT exaggerating the area. I have RELATIVES in Bugtussle, Kentucky. I'm actually only a 3rd cousin from some of the actual Hatfields... as in the STILL feuding Hatfields and McCoys. Southwest Missouri is the heart of the Ozarks, which is the common name for the lands, villages, and towns of the hillfolk of the Ozark-Ouachita Highlands... a Mesa in the midst of the Great Plains whose top is a bowl. The "Ozark Mountains" is actually the rim of the bowl-mesa.
grover: Oh my. And I thought I was from the backwoods. We used to get fresh milk and veggies delivered by wagon.
Edeyn: Last November, Job Announcement in the Newspaper, "Wanted: Rural Mail Carriers. Pay is $85 per day, six days per week. Must provide own mule or donkey" So, now you see the environment? Yes, they're keeping up with technology... as much as possible...
grover: I think I begin to see.
Edeyn: Certain advances are USELESS there. Computers, they have... but cable is hard to run in the area. Satellite works.
grover: Problems with cell phones? LOS
Edeyn: One of the few completely dead areas for Sprint and Verizon. Alltel and AT&T are the only two choices for an area about 100 miles across. Alltel is really the only one that's worthwhile there, though. This is the environment Jeff and Emily have grown up in. Annie and Allie from Sk8r Grrls have it better -- they just moved into the area, so they're much more savvy.
grover: It also explains why Kerry and Sheila mayhap were unfamiliar working a case like this.
Edeyn: Exactly!
grover: Getting off the subject somewhat. So roleplaying was approved there? Here in South Carolina there are always groups claiming RPGs teach devil worship and witchcraft!
Edeyn: There are there, too. I've been EGGED by an 80+ year old woman for trying to run a HERO-System game out of the library.
Whew. Some of these were hard to narrow down, others were easy!
- Introduction of the Jeff — Emily relationship, “Shortround”
- Introduction of poor Detective Kerry Warner, “Shut your filthy mouth!”
- Kerry's bad week, ”Oh, yes, and his best friend was dating his baby sister”
- Jeff's revelation, “I think I may be gay”
- Sheila's introduction and commentary, “Who the hell says, 'abscond,' anyway?”
- Introduction of Devin, “bored-looking high school girl”
- Emily discovering Brenda, “Daddy?”
- Knowing how to share a silence, “Silence”
- Local expressions of frustration, “Aw, piss in the wind!”
- Devin's cunning plan for the next day, “Okay, strip”
- Devin's take-charge attitude, “Kat, get out your cell...”
- Really obscure line of pun-bits about the lawyer's name, “Carter Mortimer”
- Ugg's total cluelessness, “Come give your daddy a hug!”
- Sheila being observant about Devin, “but that girl is gonna be damn scary when she grows up”
- Jeff's meltdown screaming fit at Emily, “
You are NEVER to call me that ever again! Do you understand me?” - Devin's reassurance of Jeff, “You. Are so
not a girl...” - Wendy's last laugh, “Kerry was no longer laughing”
- Ugg's thought-soliloquy, ”transpesticide”
- Jeff and Kerry will never get along, “What'd I do this time?”
- The last two sentences, “There's a new family moving in there this coming weekend, actually. I think their name is Wilson”
Comments
Excellent Recap And Additions Edeyn!! *Hugs*
...This is almost like a deluxe edition in itself :) The chat and your thoughts just made it so much better than how it was originally presented. Much much better presentation overall to me. I love it. You spend a lot of Quality time and do care about your characters and the environment in which they live (even if you are a speed demon typist!) You are very unique and i look forward to more of your wonderful stories as your real life job permits.
Hugs
Sephrena Lynn Miller
34 Scenes
34 Scenes, 20 Chapters, 18 days
Edeyn
FTS
Now I think I understand it (well, most of it) maybe, possibly? I never did have the fastest brain-cell in the pack; you just had to prove it. Thanks (no thanks!)
A great plot and very well written. You are right; this combined version, character list, etc, makes the story much easier to enjoy.
Susie
And people wonder
why Special Edition DVDs sell so well!
Edeyn
I Can't Understand...
...why Devin was in this story at all. The whole lawyer/judge thing had nothing to do with the action; Devin's idea of dating it six days back made it an obvious fraud, since it described Lee Ugg before anyone in town except possibly Kerry Warner knew he existed. But backdating aside, there's no way the judge could have justified emancipation if it were contested -- it didn't hand Jeff over to Matt; it left him on his own, responsible for his own well-being, before he even started high school. Designating Matt (or Katarina) as guardian is one thing; Ugg could contest it or argue that the judge didn't have jurisdiction over Jessica, but he or his attorney would have to go to court and make his case. Emancipation doesn't stand up to even casual scrutiny.
You've made Devin's background a mystery, making a point of her living with her sister without an explanation. (It could be something as simple as their mother having died, especially since Katarina quotes her grandmother and not her mother for advice. But why not fill it in for us?) You have Devin befriending Jeff (does she feel that great a "need" for a little brother?) and then crossdressing him -- OK, we need that for story purposes so that Edeyn and later Devin can tell us how ungirlish Jeff is, appearance aside. But Emily or Matt could have come up with the idea, or Jeff could, in the classic way of TG stories, have desperately done it himself in order to escape.
(In the discussion here, you make an argument for Devin as someone manipulating the system for the sheer joy of it. I can't see it, though; I'd argue that someone doing so wouldn't call in favors from a judge and attorney that could be of greater personal value to Devin and Katarina down the road.)
I did enjoy the story, in case my complaints are suggesting otherwise. Except for the first abrupt change of scene -- made before we understood the format -- I really enjoyed the shifty style. (And I'm reassured by your not using it, as I had suspected in an comment somewhere, to hide some essential fact from us.)
But it seemed weak to bring in Robin Masters 95% of the way through the story as a deus ex machina. I thought, given the insular nature of most of the story, that Jeff's father ought to have been someone we knew, though I couldn't come up with any candidates. (The police chief? That'd explain why the guy knew Kerry had fouled up the case...(g).)
One other item: it's hard to imagine Jeff, having read his mother's diary, thinking that both his parents considered the child described there, presumably him, to be a boy from birth. True, not knowing about the anatomical differences at the time he read it, he could easily assume that some parents chose not to make a immediate decision on that. But it ought to have been clear from pronouns there -- references to "my baby" notwithstanding -- that there was some gender confusion going on. It'd seem to me that for story purposes that there was no need to go that route; the diary could have started with the second group of entries, the documentation of Lee Ugg's physical abuse of Jeff's mother.
Eric
Devin
Devin was in the story because she demanded to be written. The lawyer/judge/Emancipation thing was never meant as more than a delaying tactic, to give Jeff a bit more time. They all knew that, but apparently I didn't do a good job of conveying that. Truthfully... any scene that had Devin in it, was not planned. She chose when to show up and where the story was going while she was there. The befriending of Jeff... she's only about three and a half years older than he is. It's not a huge gulf. She's gonna be a senior in high school, he's gonna be a freshman
The calling in favors... well, I plan on sometime doing a "backstory" about Devin, Kat, Carter, and Mark. You'll find out the relationship there. Essentially, Devin and Kat have unlimited favors from both. Using one isn't a risk of using them up
Bringing in another father wasn't weak, it was planned. I wanted the readers to get used to -- and loathe -- the idea that Ugg was gonna take Jeff away. But I like happy endings too much to let it end that way. I couldn't let it be anyone established because then that person would know too much
In my diary, I assume no one else is ever gonna read it. I don't go to pains to describe everyone I mention, or even specify their gender. I'm the only one ever to see it, and I already know all that. It's reasonable to expect the same from a character in my story. You don't write in your diary things that are obvious to you
Edeyn