~* You Can't Choose Family *~ “How DARE you!” he began, but a female voice interrupted him. Aunt Jane? “How dare she? Sir, how dare YOU address my daughter in such a tone!” “And who are y-” he started, as he whirled around to face her, but his jaw fell open. “M-Melissa Jane Evans?!” She smirked. “I see my reputation precedes me, unlike yours.” She scowled, pointing at the door. “Get out of here, before I throw you out.”

---

I couldn’t help laughing under my breath. I’d been sitting quietly in the journalism department, enjoying my last ten minutes of lunch. My “Spirit’s Enlightenment” e-mail had been set up through one of those free web-mail things to completely disconnect it from my regular contact information, and even the name on the account simply read ‘Spirit Speaks’.

Elaine shifted in her seat and glanced at me. Her hair had really grown since June, now well-past her shoulders, though she wore it in a high ponytail today that bobbed when she shifted. “What?” she asked with a quiet giggle in her voice. Laughter is contagious!

“Dear Spirit,” I read aloud, “I’m not sure if you can help me. I have this huge crush on a girl, but there’s a problem. She has a rock-star girlfriend who’d kick the crap out of me if I told her how I felt. What should I do? Sincerely, Lost in Love.”

Elaine frowned. “Robin, that’s so not funny.”

I grinned, scrolling the page down a bit to reveal the camera phone-snapped picture of Nicole beaming like an idiot at our usual lunch table. I tilted the monitor for Elaine to see. She cracked a smile and started giggling. She rolled her eyes as I read the last line.

“’P.S., sorry for goofing on you — Ally dared me. See you at your game tonight!’ She is such a goofball. Some of these are really good though, like this one,” I read the next e-mail aloud, about an anonymous girl having self esteem issues with her weight. As I reached the end I leaned on my hand, planting my elbow in the arm of the chair. I stared at the monitor, not even realizing Elaine had been staring at me the whole time.

“Well?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” I offered. “I thought this would just be like relationship advice, or dealing with a bully. This girl sounds like she has a serious problem. She needs to seek professional help.”

“So why don’t you write that in the column?” she asked simply.

“I don’t want to make her feel worse about herself. It’s one thing to publish a letter people can later say ‘Oh cool, you were picked!’, but when it’s something like this I don’t want her to get picked on if people find out it’s her, y’know? I think I’m going to break my rule and respond to this one personally.”

Elaine smiled broadly as she shifted in her chair, returning to her typing. She added a moment later, as the sounds of twin keyboards clattering filled the room, “I knew we made the right choice in picking you for this.”

Just as I hit ‘Send’, the bell sounded. “Looks like I’ll have to finish this later. Are you coming to our game tonight? Free pizza afterwards,” I tried to entice her. At first she shook her head. She paused, biting her lip.

“Actually … Yeah, that sounds like fun.” Her smile broadened, and out of nowhere, she stood, catching me in a hug as I passed by. Elaine never hugged me, so I felt a little surprised by the sudden gesture, but turned back to give her a proper hug in return.

“Are you okay?” I asked. She nodded quickly. I stared at her a moment and she nodded again.

“Really, I’m okay!” she insisted. I still thought she looked like she might be on the verge of tears, but she smiled, shooing me out. I wasn’t going to just let this go, but I wasn’t going to push too hard, either. Elaine was the only girl I knew who could rival Kathy for mousiness, so I had to handle things carefully.

~oOo~

“I’m home!” I called out as I stepped through the door. Nicole wrapped an arm around my waist as soon as she stepped inside. The house was dark, not a sound throughout, so I turned, smiling, to steal a kiss.

“Ally’s?” she said before I could part my lips after. I giggled.

“Ally’s — I just need a second to get a change of clothes for after the game. Hey, how’s Trent?” I asked as I took Nicole’s hand, practically leading her upstairs. “He was in the darkroom again so I didn’t dare disturb him.”

She stifled a giggle. “Better. I can’t believe how well Laura’s mom took the news. I guess she’s just happy Laura’s not …” she trailed off.

“Like us?” I offered. She nodded.

“Yeah. Not that there’s anything WRONG with us,” she quickly added.

“I know that, and you know that. That’s all that matters,” I answered, turning back to pull her into a hug. She smiled a little at that, resting her head on my shoulder. I melted, squeezing her close.

“Nikki, what is it?”

She shut her eyes and sighed. “One of my uncles won’t be coming. Somebody let it slip that I’m dating a girl, and he pretty much went ballistic.”

My heart sank. I kissed her forehead, squeezing her close. “Nikki, I’m so, so sorry.”

She nodded. A few stray tears broke loose, racing down her cheeks. “It’s not fair. He was my favorite uncle. He always seemed so open-minded and caring, but now…” she shook her head, inhaling sharply. “Never mind. I don’t wanna think about him right now.”

“Nikki, if … if my not being there will make things easier-”

“No!” she shouted, glaring at me. “Robin, I love you. You are THE best thing that’s ever happened to me! If that means one stubborn closed-minded jack-ass wants to ruin our family dinner when he hasn’t even seen how much happier I am, or what an amazing person you are, then that’s HIS loss!” She practically clung to me, burying her face in my shoulder.

After she planted a light kiss on my cheek, she whispered, “Don’t you dare ever think for even one second that I would choose closed-minded jerks over you. Not for one second.”

“I didn’t mean it like that though,” I tried to explain. “They’re your family, adopted or not. I don’t even have that.”

“Yes you do,” she answered softly. Not sure what she meant by that, I gave her a puzzled stare. “You have the Joneses, the Bakers, the Rogerses, and come this Thanksgiving, the Piniccis. Anybody says otherwise,” she shifted her voice into an atrocious stereotypical Italian gangster thing, “Hey, forget about it!” Her impish grin caused me to laugh, which in turn caused her to crack a giggle. She sighed happily.

“Robin, I love you. You’re my girlfriend, but you’re my best friend too. You can’t choose family, but you can choose your friends. Now come on, let’s find you something cute to wear,” she insisted as she gently squeezed my hand, drawing me into my walk-in closet. “You have to look good after you guys win tonight!” she teased.

~oOo~

Win we did, and though Elaine did come to the game, she left again before I could ask if she wanted to ride with one of us, or at least give her directions. Something was going on with that girl, and increasingly, I began to wonder if perhaps it was something I had said at some point. Twice now I’d offered for her to join us for pizza. The first time she flatly refused, and the second, she stood me up, so to speak.

I thought about it as I sat squeezed into a booth directly between Nicole and Brittany, with Allison and Maria further out. Chelsea, along with our favorite photographer Kathy, sat on the outside edges of our wrap-around booth. Two large pizzas, one meatlovers’, one veggie supreme rested before us with gaping holes already torn free by our ravenous teen-aged maws.

I suddenly felt Brittany’s hand on my shoulder. “Robin, what’s up? You look like you ate an uncooked mushroom.”

I made a sour face at the thought, causing Nicole to giggle. “It’s nothing,” I offered softly. She shook her head.

“It is not nothing,” she responded as she poked me in the ribs. “If you can’t tell your co-captain, then who can you tell?”

I shifted my gaze from one face to another. Every single girl had stopped eating, each of them watching me with varying levels of concern in each of their faces. Finally I sighed.

“I’m worried about someone. More specifically I think I’ve done something to hurt someone, but I have no idea what it is because she won’t open up to me.”

Nicole nuzzled closer and squeezed my hand. “Elaine, right?”

I nodded. Kathy tilted her head slightly to the side to stare at me. “Elaine, from yearbook staff Elaine?”

“Yeah. She was supposed to go out for pizza with us tonight, but she left before I could tell her where we were even going. It’s not the first time either.”

Kathy nodded solemnly. “That’s just how she is. I can’t believe you didn’t know.”

“Know what?” I asked, glancing back at her.

“Elaine never eats out. I’m honestly starting to worry about her because she hardly ever eats at school either.”

“Now it makes sense,” I mumbled, planting my palm firmly against my forehead. “I’ll talk to her at school tomorrow.” The e-mail must have been from her. That was why she reacted the way she did.

“Uh, what makes sense?” Brittany asked, but I shook my head.

“Oh, I just meant it makes sense that she changed her mind about eating out. I thought maybe she just didn’t like me or something,” I giggled a little trying to cover up my lie. I trusted these girls, but I didn’t want to betray Elaine’s trust either. Kathy rolled her eyes.

“Oh, please! Robin, she loves you,” she paused, adding at Nicole’s glare, “platonically speaking. She thinks you’re a good person.”

~oOo~

The next afternoon Touch of Style was a hub of activity. I had tried to find Elaine at school the next day, but she apparently stayed home sick. I decided I’d try the e-mail she used to contact Spirit Speaks after the photo shoot. Like the other girls, I had my super hero alter-ego tucked safely away in a duffle bag. Quite a few people who came to get their autographed copies of the latest issue of Shadowcraft: Aria Blade seemed to be staying to do some light shopping.

I smiled when I saw a familiar young girl and what I presumed to be her mother browsing the winter fashions, but as Robin I couldn’t have approached her. Not yet, anyway. Instead I walked with the other girls back to the back where a makeshift photo studio had been set up. It’s amazing what one can do with a few slats of timber and some sheets.

Margie had been chatting with a tall, slender man with a neatly trimmed goatee, an expensive-looking and professional camera hanging from a strap around his neck. She smiled when she saw us approach, causing the apparent photographer to turn and face us as well.

“Ah, you must be my models?” he mused dryly. “Well, hurry up and get into costume while we finish setting up. Bernice is in Ms. Evans’ office waiting to handle your make-up.”

It seemed like nothing we did pleased this guy. If we so much as stepped wrong he started yelling at us. At one point I stopped to wave at the little girl we had visited in the hospital. That was apparently a sin as grave as if I had murdered someone.

“Enough! I cannot work with these amateurs any longer!” he shouted. Margie scowled.

“Just who the hell do you think you are anyway? I hired you because your brother recommended you, not because you have some recognizable name!”

“How DARE you!” he began, but a female voice interrupted him. Aunt Jane?

“How dare she? Sir, how dare YOU address my daughter in such a tone!”

“And who are y-” he started, as he whirled around to face her, but his jaw fell open. “M-Melissa Jane Evans?!”

She smirked. “I see my reputation precedes me, unlike yours.” She scowled, pointing at the door. “Get out of here, before I throw you out.”

“But-”

“OUT!” she shouted. “And if you utter so much as a SYLLABLE I’ll see to it that you never work a wedding again. You’ll be running the photo machine at the local drug store if you’re lucky!”

She was on fire. He gulped, quietly slinking out of the store. Thunderous applause from shoppers who had seen the spectacle followed.

Margie giggled as I ran up to Jane, no mean feat in those boots. She caught me in a tight hug and smiled. “Men like him think that because they can point a camera, they’re God’s gift to fashion. You simply have to know how to put them in their place. Are you alright dear?”

I nodded quickly. “Great, now that you’re here,” I answered cheerfully.

“Mother, what are you doing here?” Margie asked.

She laughed light-heartedly as she and Margie exchanged a hug. “My lease on my old condo expired. I had already thrown out my bigot ex-roommate, and with nothing left to tie me to London, I decided to come for a visit.” She paused, grinning right at me, “Besides, I understand there’s to be a wedding.”

I wrapped an arm around Nicole, dressed as Raven Wing, as she stepped up beside me. “Aunt Jane, I don’t remember if I introduced you last time you were here, so this is my girlfriend Nikki. Nikki, Jen, Ally?” I glanced back, motioning for the others to step closer too. “This is Margie’s Mom, Jane.”

“Girlfriend?” Jane echoed, eyeing Nicole, who smiled nervously as she offered her hand. “You take care of Robin young lady,” she winked, causing Nicole to giggle.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Oh, before I forget, there’s one other person I wanted you all to meet. You see, I met the nicest young lady at the airport, an Irish girl if I’m not mistaken. We ended up being seated together in first class, and it was such a long flight,” she went on to explain the series of coincidences that followed. This ‘young lady’ was on her way to Alpine Springs as well, though Jane didn’t want to ‘spoil’ the surprise.

“She should be here just any minute now. She said she wanted to stop by someone’s house and say hello first,” she added. “Oh, and if you’re still in need of a REAL photographer, I still have a few contacts who owe me favors. I can have one of them out here within the hour.”

“Oh, I don’t want to impose, Mother,” Margie began, but Jane pressed a finger to her daughter’s lips and grinned.

“Oh, shush. You’re not imposing in the least dear!” she replied warmly and winked. “I promised when I left last, that I would make things up to you and Robin, and I shall do precisely that.”

Before my sister could argue the point further, Jane had already whipped out a sleek, expensive-looking phone. As she stepped away to make her calls I turned back to the others.

“So Nikki,” Jennifer began, “What was that ‘big surprise’ you had for Robin?”

Nicole cackled. “Y’know with that jerk blowing his stack I completely forgot about it.” She turned back to me and grinned broadly. “Y’know how the other night you said I could put you in a corset some time?”

Uh oh. “Yeeeeah?”

“And I said there would be pictures.” She giggled. “I even brought a really sexy black gown to …” she trailed off. She, Jennifer and Allison all stood with their jaws hanging agape, staring at someone behind us. I turned about, coming face to face with Shadow, of Heedless Despair, dressed in-character from head to toe. A small crowd of onlookers approached, some snapping pictures of us together, but none dared step too close.

“Hi there,” she hissed playfully.

“S-Shadow?!”

“The one and only, Aria Blade,” she answered, placing her hands on my shoulders. She stared deeply into my eyes for a moment then smiled, turning her attention to ‘Raven Wing’. “I trust you’ve taken care of my ‘baby’?”

Nicole, without missing a beat, nodded with a smug smile. “She still has the voice of an angel too. I’ll let you see her if you behave yourself,” she chided. Raven Wing would’ve been proud.

Shadow laughed. “Mmm, you haven’t changed a bit. That’s good. Come, we have much to discuss.” She spun about, causing a few in the crowd to jump. She grinned a fangy grin. “Don’t worry. I’m only borrowing your little heroes for awhile. I’ll bring them back shortly.”

She started to turn away, but paused when the girl from the hospital ran forward, grabbing her hand. “Ms. Fang? W-wait!”

Shadow glanced down at the girl. Her gaze softened and she smiled more genuinely. “What is it?”

“W-would you sign this please?” She held up one of our autographed comic books, pointing to an empty section. Another adult stepped forward, offering her a pen. She grinned as she uncapped it, applying her signature in a delicate, fluid pass. She tossed the pen back to its owner, kneeling to turn the comic about for the girl.

The girl wrapped her arms around Shadow’s neck, squealing with joy. Shadow, surprised by the sudden gesture lightly patted the girl’s back. As she stood, she offered the book to the girl, who happily squeezed it close to her. “Thank you so much!”

I had to giggle as I led the girls and the bassist back to Margie’s office. As soon as the door closed, Shadow grinned. “Did’ja miss me?”

Nicole laughed. “You bet. But what the heck are you doing here?”

She slowly paced across the small office, leaning on the edge of Margie’s desk. “I needed a break. After six straight months of one tour after another I couldn’t take it anymore.”

Jennifer crooked her head slightly. “I can see why you’d want a break. Why come here, though?”

“Because I promised I would,” she answered simply, nodding toward Nicole. Nicole blinked a few times as if trying to parse what she’d just heard. Shadow laughed. “You don’t remember do you? Eh, doesn’t matter. I just needed to get away. Kristen’s sleezeball boyfriend was just the straw that broke the camel’s back I guess.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” I offered. “I mean, I know we’re just kids, but-”

She held up her hand. “Hold on there. Let me just stop you there. You’re not ‘just kids’.” She grinned. “You DO realize I’m only twenty-one right? Anyway, you’re a lot more mature than I was when I was sixteen.” She buried her hands under her arms as though she were hugging herself. She sighed. “And I really would prefer not to talk about it right now. Shite happens. The band will get through it.”

I frowned. I didn’t like the way she said ‘the band will get through it’ as though she weren’t part of them. Still, I felt compelled and stepped closer. I hesitantly wrapped an arm around her waist from the side, but to my surprise she leaned over to rest her head on my shoulder.

“Thanks. I needed that. So what’s up with the costumes? Halloween was last month wasn’t it?”

Allison grinned. “We're doing a photo shoot for the Shadowcraft comic. You just missed Margie’s mom throwing a persnickety photographer out on his butt. It was epic.”

“Oh jeeze.” She laughed as she shook her head. She fiddled with a small, onyx-set silver ring on one finger as she glanced up again. “I woulda paid to see that. I had to get into costume and mentally adjust to ‘being’ Shadow. I wanted to surprise you guys.”

Jennifer piped in, “So how long can you stay?”

“A few days at least, probably more. I’ve been living on a tour bus or a jet for so long I needed to find some place quiet to think.” She paused, adding disheartened, “Kris and I were supposed to share an apartment until she started dating that creep. I really thought we had…” she trailed off, clearing her throat, “a deal.”

I had no idea which one Kristen was, and before I could ask, someone knocked. Margie’s voice followed. “Everyone decent in there?” I laughed as I called back for her to come in. She poked her head inside and smiled. Shadow waved half-heartedly.

“Sorry to steal your models. I just wanted to talk somewhere where I wouldn’t have to ‘be’ Shadow. You’ve quite a circus out there lady,” she added with a smile that reminded me all too much of Nicole’s impish grin.

“Oh, that’s fine. I’m Margie by the way,” she answered warmly.

Shadow smiled. “Shadowfang is my stage name, but you guys can call me Moira.”

“Did Jane find another photographer?” I asked.

“Sure did. Turns out she’s even right here in Alpine Springs. She was hired to do someone’s senior pictures, but no one warned her that her subject came down with a nasty case of the mumps.”

“Ouch,” Allison and I answered in unison, glanced at each other, and giggled. Moira cracked a smile at the “twin talk” moment.

“Hey, Shadow,” Nicole began with that trademark impish grin of hers. I could tell just by the tone that she was up to something. “We’re all in costume. You’re in costume. Why don’t you stay and join in the fun?”

“I dunno,” she started to protest, but Jennifer cut her off.

“Oh come on! You sound like you could use a little fun. Plus if you stick around you’ll get to see Robin all gothed up.”

Moira turned to stare at me. I held up my hands. “I had nothing to do with it this time. Nicole wants a poster-sized picture of me in one of her Victorian dresses and a corset. I did sort of volunteer for it, but I wasn’t expecting it so soon,” I added. She laughed.

“Oh, why not? Like you said, Volcaness,” she paused, letting the significance of her knowing Jennifer’s heroine alter-ego’s name sink in, “It could be fun.”

As we stepped out, we found Maria in her Psychic Strike costume, pandering to the crowd and having a lot of fun in the process. She seemed to be playing some sort of ‘pick-a-card’ game with willing patrons, and doing a good job of it too. She turned around to greet us, presumably at the sound of our collective footfalls, but when she saw Moira, her jaw dropped.

“Ohmygod, that’s… That’s…”

Moira grinned as she approached, sticking out her hand. “Shadowfang. You must be Psychic Strike.” She winked. Maria, recovering from the initial shock took her mummy-wrap-gloved hand and shook it.

“Aria Blade told me you played a little trick on her during Dia De Los Muertos,” she giggled. Moira, now fully in her Shadowfang persona again, laughed grimly.

“Ah, someone who understands the significance of the day; I like you already. But yes, I suppose my macabre sense of humor did get the better of me that day.”

The playful banter continued for awhile, but eventually our replacement photographer arrived. I don’t think any of us expected someone so young-looking, to have been recommended by a contact of Jane’s. She wore her beautiful red hair in a tight French braid, a pair of designer sunglasses perched perfectly atop her head when she stepped inside.

She had a large camera bag slung over one shoulder and an even larger duffle bag over the other, which despite her plump physique and 5’7” frame, seemed to dwarf her. Moira approached the woman, clearing her throat. “Do you need a hand with that? I’m used to lugging heavy equipment around.”

“Oh, thank you,” the woman began as she turned to face her would-be assistant. She nearly stumbled backwards. “Oh! Y-you’re-” she stammered. Her cheeks turned nearly as red as her hair. Moira giggled under her breath, an uncharacteristically girly sound, as she took the duffle bag.

“Shadowfang, yes,” she whispered grimly, trying to regain her composure and return to character.

“I’m sorry. It’s just nobody warned me a-a rock star would be here. This is such an honor,” she babbled. A moment of silence passed between them. It felt like a scene out of a romantic comedy unfolded before us. Our photographer smiled shyly as she slowly looked up, and Moira as Shadow stood there silently, holding her duffle bag aloft like it weighed nothing.

“I-I’d better get set up,” she finally stammered. Shadow nodded, following along behind her. I giggled when she passed, causing her to glare at me.

“What?”

“Nothing,” I answered innocently. Nicole started giggling too. Moira rolled her eyes, turning away to strike up a conversation with the photographer.

“I’m Regina by the way,” the redhead offered humbly. “This was just supposed to be an internship job, but the boss liked my work so much that they hired me part-time to help me pay for college.”

“I never went,” Moira offered sheepishly. “Sometimes I regret it. I should go back though, in case…” she paused, biting her lip.

“In case the bottom falls out?” Regina finished her sentence for her. She nodded.

“Yep. I don’t like to think about it. I like to think Heedless Despair will live forever.”

“Even so, it’s good to have something to fall back on. My dad wanted to be a musician, but he still got a teaching degree. Now he teaches music and he couldn’t be happier,” Regina answered, causing Moira to crack a smile.

The photo shoot with our new photographer went incredibly smoothly. When Nicole asked to buy an extra photo of me, Regina actually offered to do the print at no extra charge. Before we knew it, we were finished and back in our street clothes again. We didn’t know what would happen with Moira, still dressed in her Shadowfang costume, though. She left to walk Regina out to her car.

“That was so cool,” Jennifer giggled. Maria nodded.

“Very! My friend Gabriella’s going to die when she sees those pictures. Hey, I’ll see you guys later, yeah? Jason’s picking me up soon.” She waved as she walked away, pausing long enough to grin at Moira, who rolled her eyes, swatting at the Latina playfully as she grinned back.

“Hey guys, I just wanted to say thanks for including me in all this. It was a lotta fun.” She paused. Nicole beamed.

“But?”

She laughed. “Oh, bah. But nothing. It was fun. Really. Regina invited me out for coffee though. I’m gonna find some place quiet to change then head back to New Haven with her.” She turned to me with an odd sort of half-smile. It was the sort of nervous, almost sisterly smile I’d only seen Kelly use once or twice when she had something important to ask me. “Can I ask a big favor from you?”

“Um, sure. What is it?”

“If someone from Heedless Despair happens to call, unlikely as it may be, would you tell them you haven’t seen me? I’m shutting my phone off just for tonight.”

“Sure, I guess,” I answered, confused. She smiled so brightly that even her overdone, macabre stage makeup couldn’t distill it.

“Thank you. I need this so much.”

She turned and raced back out again, leaving us staring at each other. Finally Allison spoke up. “So what do you think that was about?”

Jennifer rolled her shoulders as we started for the door. “Hard to say. Something obviously happened with her and Kristen’s boyfriend. If I’m not mistaken that’s Demona Rose, judging by how she was pawing at the guy with them last time they were here.” Jennifer could be so incredibly zen sometimes.

“So she and Rose were supposed to be roomies, and then something happened between her and the boyfriend?” I echoed.

Nicole frowned. “There’s more to it than that. The way she talked about how she thought they had, and then just stopped? I think she wanted more than friendship.”

We all turned to stare at her. She shrugged. “What? You saw how fast she left with Regina. You … do know she’s into girls right?” She suddenly slapped her hand over her mouth. “Ohmygawd. I never told you guys! Jeeze, I’m sorry. It was one of the things we talked about in private.”

Jennifer giggled. “Hey, we forgive you. You said she swore you to secrecy after all. C’mon, we can talk about it on the way to Ally’s. I’ve still got a ton of homework to finish.”