Age of Power 1: Legacy (15 page)

I
watched them for a few moments until someone recognized me. That someone was Bobby
Andrews. He yelled at me, I tried to wave him off, he didn’t stop, instead he
told the group who I was and things began to get nasty. Shovels 
were waved
 threateningly, and ‘Judas’ was actually the
nicest thing they called me. I’d never felt so vulnerable. Not since Jessup and
his friends grabbed Brand and me.

What
confused me about the whole thing was that it actually made no sense that Bobby
Andrews would be the one pushing all those hard-case believers on like that. I
knew he had no love for Alex. The day Alex came out of the closet to people,
not showing off or anything, but just being honest about himself, Bobby Andrews
also came out, as majorly homophobic.

He
turned out to be such a homophobe that kids in school had bets that those two
would try to kill each other before graduation day. Alex’s dad did nothing to
stop it, but given their attitude towards Alex, Bobby was only the loudest of
the family hate parade that Brian Shaw had married into, with his own son as
the target. Yet now, there he was, calling me a traitor to Alex’s memory and
pushing the group at me.

But
while Bobby was bad enough, the rest started screaming and yelling threats
against me, against Brand, and even against Mom and Dad. They were just so damn
hate-filled. I pushed the words from my mind. I didn’t want to think about it
with my parents sitting across from me. I hadn’t known people could be like
that.

Now,
I looked at my mom as she said, “Vaughn, I know it was a horrible experience,
but you have to keep pushing back. I know people can be frightening when they
are in a mob mentality. But if you stop talking about Alex, then, well, honey,
they get what they want. Or rather, Joe Andrews gets what he wants.”

My
jaw dropped for a second before I said, “Crap. That’s why he did it. Bobby was
trying to scare me on purpose.”

Mom
said, “Yes. Chief Sinclair talked with them. They won’t be bothering you again.
But yes, Joe is behind it.

My
dad said, “Vaughn, you embarrassed Joe. You knew he was going to do something.”

It
clicked. I wasn’t stupid. I said, “So I was right in guessing that
Andrews 
is 
the one behind the Avatar craze.”

My
mom said, “Joe has been pushing it, and, yes, he was behind the resistance you
ran into during those interviews.”

I
stared at her. That was something I really hadn’t brought up to my parents
while I was on the interview circuit. I asked, “How did you find that out?”

My
parents glanced at each other. Then she said, “We watched the interviews. And
when they began to get nasty, some information about Alex 
was said
 that only a few people knew. So I did some
checking with my friends in the court system. It took a bit, but I found out
that the information could only have come from the Andrews family.”

Ah,
that explained a lot. The hard turnabout by the interviewers suddenly made a
lot of sense. I should have realized this before. Go up against a millionaire,
and he’ll come back at you in so many directions that you’ll be overwhelmed.

Mom
sighed. “Honey, we meant to tell you. I’m sorry, we knew this and didn’t say
anything until we we’re sure that I was right. And with the way you felt at the
time you came home, I didn’t want to burden you.”

I
waved that away. “Don’t worry about it Mom. No one was seriously out to hurt
me. And if you had told me, I probably would have given up sooner. The way
people are acting about Alex…I think it’s too late to convince people to treat
him like a human being. Now, knowing that Joe Andrews is involved, well, I
guess I just wasted my time.”

My
dad set his glass down with a distinct 
thump
, glaring at me for a
moment. Then he said, “No. You did exactly what you needed to do. Kiddo, not
everybody is buying this Avatar religion crap. We want you to get back out
there and live life again. That’s the important thing. And while Joe Andrews is
not going to go away, you shouldn’t let him control you. 
Ever.”

I
took that in and asked, “When did you two become activists?”

My
mom chuckled and said, “Since you did. Look, for now, let’s not worry about it.
Brand asked me to tell you to stop by the library. He said he wanted to talk to
you and Dana about something. How about you head over and have some fun with
Brand and we’ll talk more tonight.”

I
nodded, wondering what Brand was up to that required meeting at the library.
Scooting out of the booth, I said my goodbyes and headed to the door while
slipping on my jacket and hat. My mom called out to me once more as I opened
the door.

Looking
back, I asked, “Yeah, Mom?”

“Happy
Birthday, son, and I want no drinking. Love you!” she quipped. I just
smiled.

“Thanks,
damn, and love you too!” I answered with a grin.

Heading
out, I walked up to Library Square, happy that it was only a block away. It was
April, but instead of the warm spring weather we’d had in the past few years,
today had a northern wind carrying a cool snap to it. The meteorologists were
right about the weather shifts. I put my head down and walked briskly up the
block. Passing the big United Bank building, I saw on the corner time and
temperature sign that it was just above freezing. I quickly crossed the corner
to Library Square.

Sometime
in the 1930s, there had been this rich guy in town who had loved books and
wanted people to read and learn as much as possible. Lyle Graettinger had
decided to contribute his entire book collection to the town library. As there
was no actual building for a stand-alone library, he’d paid to have this place
built. On the day it had opened, he’d donated the building and the land to the
town.

However,
he agreed to donate the library only if the townspeople promised that they
wouldn't tear down the building or build anything else around it on the block.
He wanted the open area turned into a park for families and children. I wasn’t
going to argue with his wishes; the place looked nice.

The
library was a sand-colored stone and brick building. Surrounding the building
was hillocks that
were covered
 with snow.
The sidewalks wound outward from the library in long curves leading to the
streets. Set in the exact center of Library Square, the library itself had
large wide steps with long with stone retaining walls on each side. The walls
curved downward to semi-Gothic designed lamps on each side of the steps.

Graettinger
had chosen this city block because it was the technical center of Riverlite.
The man had built it to specifications of being a sort of compass, with the
front door pointed directly south. It was still the center of the town, though
for a short while the town had planned to expand the place.

But
the Iowa State Historical Society stopped the plans when they pointed out that
Graettinger had left stipulations about the building in his will. The courts
upheld the will, so no one could change the building structure. In retrospect,
that was probably a good thing. With the coming of the electronic book, it
probably wouldn’t be long before the town closed the place or turned it into a
social center as books went the way of the dinosaur. I hoped I was wrong.

I
went up the stairs went inside to stand directly in front of
the  checkout counter where a large compass design made of black and
turquoise colored marble with gray speckles was laid out on the floor.

The
flooring made a nice complement to the cream and tan highlights of the place.
The large stained-glass circular bay windows complemented both floor and
furniture. The windows didn’t open, but the rectangular windows on the sides
and front did, allowing airflow through the library in both spring and fall. In
the summer, they usually had the central air going, and the furnace kept the
large space warm on days like today.

Standing
on the compass, I realized that I was alone in the room. 
“Uh, hello?
 Is anyone here? 
Brand?”

No
one answered. Then, maybe because I was curious, the vibrating of my nerves
shifted upward a notch, and I started hearing voices. 
“BJ, stop
bouncing around, we don’t want him to hear us.”

I
grimaced. I could hear Brand whispering something about making BJ stay outside
in the cold. Then I heard laughing, breathing, and shoes skidding across the
floor. After weeks of silence, my super-hearing was back. Still, no one had to
know 
their
 intended surprise had been
spoiled. Walking forward, I looked around, calling out to see if anyone was
there. When no one responded, I rang the little bell on the counter.

“Surprise!”
 Everyone yelled
as 
they
 jumped up from behind the counter.

I
laughed and acted surprised. My hearing issues weren’t their fault, after all.
And I was surprised to see some of the people who were there. One, Max Pearson,
had been a close friend until we were in ninth grade, when his family moved
south to Louisiana.

Taller
now, he had grown an inch past me, and he now shaved his jet-black hair down to
the scalp. He even sported a slight chin beard. Max had driven here from his
home in Compton, Louisiana. He’d stopped here on his way to Minnesota to check
out a possible college to attend. Brand had called about the birthday and asked
him to come.

I
had some more surprises. On the way here, he had picked up another old friend,
a dear one. Danielle Franks was a lithely built, auburn-haired 
nineteen year-
old who loved comics almost as much as I did.
She hugged me tightly, and I could smell the familiar odor of lilacs in her
hair. She had been my first crush. You never forget your first crush.

Pulling
back from me, Danielle smiled. “You’ve been a busy boy. Max and I saw you on
television. When Brand called us up about your birthday we both decided to head
up here.”

I
looked over at my oldest friend. “You did this?”

Brand
snorted and said, “Doofus. It’s your eighteenth birthday! Did you think I was
going to simply drop by and casually wish you a good day? 
Not a chance, Vaughn.
 Now, forget all that weird stuff
with the Avatar and enjoy this!”

“Besides,
the library has been quiet as a tomb lately, what with the schools closed, that
I figured it wouldn’t hurt to close for a private party. Now, like Brand said,
Enjoy!” Dana said as she wheeled out a cake on one the book carts

 I
tried to blow out the candles, and then again, and finally a third time.
Everyone was laughing by the time the last one went out. I gave Brand a mock
glare for the trick candles. He just waved his hands in innocence. Then, with a
click of a remote he pulled from his shirt pocket, music came from the intercom
system.

For
the rest of the day, we danced, laughed, joked around, and even watched a movie
from the library’s DVD selection. As the party continued, people brought out
presents. Naturally, for me, there were comics, new and old, and history books
from Danielle. She knew I loved history—European, American, Indian, Chinese—all
of history that I could get my hands on.

For
my birthday, she had gotten me a set of books on the Tudors. She’d picked it up
in a used bookstore in Saint Louis near her dorm room building. I asked her
about it, and she said she was happy with college. They were finally starting
classes again, though most students would have to do summer classes to catch
up.

She,
Max, and I talked over the fun times we had had in our younger days. Later,
when the two of us were alone, Danielle asked if I’d found someone. I told her
no, though a certain blonde’s face kept coming to mind. Danielle just gave me
an odd smile as I told her that I hadn’t and shrugged. The party went on, and
finally, in the late afternoon, people started to leave. The cake was all but
gone, as was most of the soda.

Overall,
it had been a good day, and I’d been able to set aside 
a
lot
 of my problems. And if this was what Brand had wanted, he’d
succeeded. As the last of the partiers took off, Danielle gave me one more
surprise. She kissed me goodbye. I stood there out on the steps, watching her
walk away. She turned and gave me a wave, 
then
 I
watched her get in a car with Max and drive off. As it went out of sight, I
turned to walk back inside, feeling nostalgic.

The
only people left inside were Brand, Dana, and her brother, BJ. Dana was
stuffing a garbage bag with used plates, paper wrapping, and general refuse,
while Brand went around picking up said garbage and taking it to her at the
front counter. I smiled at her and grabbed the last Pepsi from the cooler just
as BJ grabbed a Mountain Dew. He grinned at me. We’d met quickly at the start
of the party, but I hadn’t had a chance to talk with him much.

I
didn’t know the guy, and he seemed too energetic for me. But hey, he had been
Alex’s boyfriend. I felt I should try to say something. I started with, “So,
have you been having fun?”

BJ
nodded. He slugged down a large drink of the soda. Then, wiping his mouth, he
said, “Oh I love this kind of stuff! So you’re the guy that Alex said was into
comics and history. He was right about you being a hot-looking guy.”