Worldwide
Chapter 01: Yo Traigo Fuego (I Bring Fire)
AU Carlos Garcia, a foreign exchange student from Spain, will be attending Palm Woods High in California. He meets his host, Kendall Knight, and his best friends, and embarks on a journey filled with love, treason, and above all, powerful friendship. This chapter will feature mostly Spanish dialogue, but I will embed translations within the text. I hope you enjoy it! Oh, and "Sr" and "Sra" is basically the Spanish equivalent of "Mr" and "Mrs". Moreover, while I have taken about six years of Spanish, this does not mean in any way that I am fluent. If you see any grammatical mistakes, please let me know! This was written in July 2011.
"Carlos! ¡Despierta!" A strong woman's voice truncated a young boy's dream. He shivered slightly, stretching the covers over his tawny brown skin. His mother, who was yelling at the top of her voice, was ordering the boy to awaken. His eyes fluttered slightly, as he took in another deep breath in the form of a yawn. The sun was beginning to rise, it's rays tickling the darkened room. The light revealed the disheveled appearance room, with clothes littered across the entire space. Shuffling from his bed, the boy took one last yawn before he began his usual morning activities.
Carlos Geraldo Garcia was a sixteen year-old student. He was currently enrolled in Compulsory Secondary Education, Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, which according to the Fundamental Law of Education in Spain, entitled the boy to a free education from the age of six to sixteen. He was in his second cycle of his academic career of Compulsory Secondary Education, and was in his last year of free schooling mandated by the government. Upon finishing the Compulsory Secondary Education, Carlos knew he would have basically three options in front of him: a post-compulsory diploma called a Spanish Bachillerato, or Baccalaureate, or a Vocational Training, or a job.
Finally, after several minutes, Carlos exited his bathroom and immediately rushed downstairs, where his mother, Sylvia Garcia, stood smiling. She had her hair propped up in a professional decor and was finishing applying her make-up. Carlos smiled widely at her, as he quickly grabbed an embrace from her. Sra. Garcia returned the embrace with as much love, and kissed Carlos on the forehead.
"El desayuno es en la mesa. Tengo que ir a trabajar. ¡Te quiero!" Sra. Garcia smiled, as she had told Carlos that his breakfast was on the table, and she was leaving for work. Carlos gave her another grin, as Sra. Garcia stepped out of her humble abode. Carlos took another yawn as he glanced at the table. He knew in Spain, breakfast was the smallest meal of the day, and he would not eat till two hours past noon. Carlos immediately spotted his usual café con leche, which was a small amount of espresso coffee with a lot of frothy warm milk, in a large cup. Next to it laid a plate of warm magdalenas, or lemon-flavored cupcakes. Whenever Sra. Garcia made Carlos breakfast, she made sure to pinch the sugar from his meals. Although Carlos detested bitter food, he always found his mother's food to be sweetened by her love. She was a hard-working mother, who worked in an international I.T consulting company. Carlos had a father as well, Sr. Garcia, who was a renowned police officer. If he was not catching crime and making the streets safer, he was often strolling around schools, helping keep the educational facilities safe.
Carlos admired his father to the extent that he had already desired to become a cop in Spain. Carlos had not yet attained his class A and class B drivers license, as required by the police department, but he had a native Spanish heritage. Moreover, he was still two years too young to become a full-fledged cop. He was slightly worried that since he was only sixty six inches, he was one inch too short to fulfill the minimum requirement of becoming a police officer in Spain, but he figured by drinking milk, he would at least grow one more inch. He knew he was in good health, and he had a clean record, apart from some academic flubs. The one thing that worried Carlos was the competitive public examination, from which candidates with higher rankings were chosen. Carlos only hoped that once he took the examination, he would pass for he knew he could survive any endurance test that would come after the crucial mental examination. It all came with his hyperactivity.
After Carlos wolfed down his breakfast, he immediately grabbed his bag and fled out the door. He lived close enough to his educational institute that he preferred to walk to the area, enjoying the fresh air. Even when it rained or was too hot, Carlos always found a drive within him to walk and bask in the outdoors. It was who he was, and he was proud of it.
After taking several steps, Carlos saw the tall building within sight. He loved his school, even if he felt that he was slightly weak in the academic portions of his school. He was fairly popular, and cheerful. He was usually well-liked by his teachers, although his constant talking in classes and tendency to make slightly inappropriate jokes earned him a certain reputation among his professors. Carlos had a slight entourage at his school, but preferred his few close friends.
Jose Alegria was Carlos's closest friend. He was like Carlos in his chipper attitude and optimistic demeanor. The two boys had done a lot together, and it was Jose who had introduced Carlos to pulling pranks at school. The two boys were around the same age, although Jose was slightly older than Carlos. He had a longer nose, and a darker hue of skin. Unlike Carlos's short hair, Jose had somewhat longer hair, which he often tied together with a band. He had a small scar above his left eyebrow, from a prank that went wrong when Carlos first met Jose. The two were close, and decided on becoming cops together.
Carlos's other friend was Marisol Villarreal. She was a spunky and flirtatious girl, who appeared to be a social outcast. However, that was the complete opposite. Carlos felt himself drawn to her multi-colored hair extensions, odd piercings on her eyebrow, and her multiple piercings on her ear. She wore dark colored clothing, and reminded Carlos of the women in pictures from the holiday of Dia De Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Marisol was often caustic and sarcastic, but she watched out for Carlos. For some odd reason, Carlos felt as if Marisol was like an elder sister to him, and he was one of the few people who was allowed to even come close to the girl.
"Carlos! Venga aquí!" An optimistic voice called out to Carlos, as Carlos accelerated his pace. He was met with a bright smile from Jose and a small smirk from Marisol, both of whom were waiting diligently outside the academy. His two friends walked alongside Carlos, as they entered the school. Grinning, Carlos placed his hands around the two friends, and walked down the hallway, confident and proud.
"Okay clase, we will be doing our oral reports today." Sr. Martinez trilled, as Carlos grinned to both Marisol and Jose, the former of the two grimacing. If there was any subject Carlos loved, it was his English class. He was an adept Spanish speaker, although he detested boring literature. Carlos loved the excitement of learning another language, and thought it was akin to becoming a magical superhero with the ability to use magical spells to conquer the dragon. Carlos had taken several years of English, so his skills were above sub-par, although he often had trouble understanding and saying big words.
"¿Profesor Martinez, puedo ir?" Carlos eagerly raised his hand, hoping he would get to go first. He loved talking in general, and while Jose and Carlos could talk up a storm, Marisol often sent glares toward Carlos to silence him. Both Jose and Carlos often relied on Marisol's piercing looks to keep them on topic during their spoken presentations.
"Por supuesto, Carlos! Pero lo digo en Inglés!" Sr. Martinez smiled. Carlos knew he had a reputation of being slightly obnoxious in his classes, but his favorite teacher was the stout and serious Sr. Martinez. The man was fairly fair, but had a tinge of tan to his skin. His salt-and-pepper hair granted him the status of appearing to be wise but jovial. All in all, Carlos idolized the professor. Carlos frowned for a moment, as his teacher had asked him to translate his sentence into English. Carlos, however, quickly knew what to say and sent a sheepish grin to the professor.
"Profesor Martinez, may I go?" Carlos smiled, his accent slightly accentuating certain syllables unintentionally. Sr. Martinez smiled and nodded his head, as Carlos paced to the front of the classroom, smiling wildly. Jose nodded his head encouragingly, while Marisol glanced at Carlos, bored.
"I am Carlos Garcia. I love kittens, rainbows, and sugar. My dream is to be a police officer," Carlos began. He had practiced all week long for his oral report on himself. It was a fairly easy unit, but the expectations were higher than they were when he had completed this unit as a child. "I wish to one day travel the world, and become famous. I hate tests," Carlos snickered, as he even received a playful look from Marisol, "but I like English class. I have a mother and a father, and I respect them," Carlos beamed proudly, as if he was brandishing his family crest, "and I love my family like I love all my friends and teachers. I love my life and I love helping my friends and family. Thank you for listening to my report." Carlos finished, sending a wide smile to his friends, who both gave proud glanced. Sr. Martinez smiled widely, as he clapped his hands. Carlos took a small bow, and took his seat. Several other students were called forward, until finally, Sr. Martinez dismissed the class. However, he requested that Carlos remain back. Waving goodbye to his friends, Carlos stayed back to talk to his English professor.
"Carlos, para ser honesto, eres un estudiante increíble," Sr. Martinez began, "y sé que posiblemente no te vas a gustar esto, pero yo había solicitado una beca en su nombre." Sr. Martinez smiled. He told Carlos, in Spanish, that he was a wonderful student and that while Carlos may not have liked it, Sr. Martinez had submitted an application for a scholarship on Carlos's behalf. To the English professor's surprise, Carlos embraced the teacher, breaking all student-teacher protocol.
"Muchas gracias Sr. Martínez. Usted está excepcional!" Carlos trilled, so happy. He was so happy that he had a great teacher like Sr. Martinez. While Carlos was certainly not poor, he was nowhere near wealthy. Most of the money his parents made went into bills and other objects that Carlos accidentally broke. While Carlos intended on training to become a police officer, he knew he would need money to take the examination and to study and so forth. If he could get money, Carlos felt as if he would make his parents proud of him.
The two men exchanged a brief farewell, as Carlos exited to his final class. Sr. Martinez smiled, as he walked slowly to his desk. He had neglected to inform Carlos that he had submitted the scholarship application several months ago, and he was expecting to hear a response back as early as today.
Carlos had finished his school, and found himself home around two o'clock in the afternoon. His mother was coming home for lunch, and Carlos enjoyed spending time with her. He was an only child, and while he commanded a lot of attention with his energy, he knew that he often wore his parents out and caused them to feel fatigued over his antics. He hoped to make his family and friends proud of him, so proud that they could brag to others that they knew THE Carlos Garcia. It was a far-fetched dream, but one thing that Carlos had learned from Jose was that dreams were never too far away. It took a bit of stretching, but Carlos knew he could reach it if he tried.
"Carlos!" Sra. Garcia called out to her son, who was fidgeting slightly in his chair. He smiled to his mother, who walked over and kissed her son again on the forehead. Carlos blushed slightly, but eagerly helped his mother prepare a heavy lunch for the two of them. His father was most likely on duty, and thus would not be able to join them for lunch. Carlos sometimes regretted the empty chair that belonged to his father, it's emptiness and isolation mocking Carlos. However, deep-down, he knew that it was for the good. His father was creating change.
The two talked long throughout the hour of their day, and they chatted animatedly. Carlos was never the one with a lack of words. He always had something to say, whether the recipient wanted to hear it. It was a gift within a curse. It granted Carlos an adorable sense of honesty and morality, although it often gave him a weak resolve in keeping secrets. For instance, Carlos had ruined a surprise birthday party for his father when he was younger, but luckily, his angelic face, wide smile, and bright eyes saved him from being chided by his mother.
Carlos noticed the shine on his mother's face when he told her about what Sr. Martinez had done for him. It was something Carlos was excited about, and he had done his best to keep it contained within himself when he had jubilantly chirped about his day at school. Sra. Garcia cupped Carlos's face and kissed Carlos on the cheeks, blessing him and wishing him luck that he would receive the scholarship. Carlos brightened, and while he felt slightly inadequate for forgetting to ask exactly what the scholarship entailed, Carlos knew it must have been something worthwhile if Sr. Martinez put forth Carlos's name.
The two then continued to eat in a comfortable silence. Carlos was finishing up his meal. He had a large bowl of seafood soup his mother had delicately prepared for him, while she had dined on a vegetable soup. Afterward, Carlos dived into a plate of roast chicken, drizzled with delicious honey. To Carlos, it tasted divinely especially coupled with the fresh green salad his mother had picked up immediately before coming home. As he had told his mother about the scholarship, she had served him a bowl of vanilla ice cream, which Carlos had graciously wolfed down, enjoying the rush of sugar.
After the scrumptious lunch, Carlos politely excused himself to his room, leaving his mother to clean the dishes. Normally, Carlos knew she would have asked Carlos to clean up after himself, but she was extremely proud that Carlos had been commended by a professor for a scholarship, that she still seemed to be lost in a daze. Carlos ran up his small flight of stairs before his mother would forget and immediately pulled out his phone. He dialed Jose's number, and began to converse with the boy.
They spoke in long, yet colloquial sentences of Spanish. After asking what Jose had for lunch, Carlos informed the boy as to what Sr. Martinez had discussed with him. Jose yelped in delight, and immediately congratulated Carlos, leaving the boy proud. Carlos beamed as he continued to talk with Jose about his dreams and aspiration. Both boys continued to delve into what the scholarship could entail, until Carlos noticed someone else was calling him. He quickly hung up, and answered Marisol's call. He told her what he had told his mother and friend about the scholarship, and Marisol's usual deadpan voice was filled with hysterics. Carlos grinned widely again; he was so excited that for once, he could make his friends and parents proud. For once, Carlos was not going to be that innocent boy who everyone just thought was hyper and childish. Carlos wanted this scholarship to prove that he was an adept student, individual, and that he could successfully make his parents smile.
While he was on the phone, Carlos had inwardly heard the front door open, and his mother discussing something with someone. However, when his mother screamed, Carlos immediately dropped the phone, after abruptly hanging up on Marisol, and ran downstairs. To his utmost surprise, his mother was not being kidnapped by evil robbers bent on getting revenge on Carlos's father, but instead, it was the humble Sr. Martinez.
"Hola Carlos!" Sr. Martinez waved, as Carlos waved back, slightly confused. He noticed his mother's bright smile, as Sr. Martinez invited himself into the house. The trio closed the door, and sat in the living room, under the cool embrace of the slowly moving ceiling fan.
"He venido aquí porque quería informar a Carlos sobre la beca." Sr. Martinez announced. He had came to Carlos's house shortly after dining to talk to Carlos about the scholarship. Carlos began to subconsciously play with the end of his shirt in nervousness. He was just informed of the scholarship, so he was slightly confused as to why his teacher had to talk to him about the scholarship now. Moreover, Carlos could not recall the last time a teacher had actually came to his house.
"Yo he dicho de qué se trataba y cuando realmente se presentó. Pido disculpas. Sin embargo, yo quería hacerle saber que había presentado la solicitud hace varios meses." Sr. Martinez continued. He had informed Carlos and his mother that he was sorry he never told Carlos that he had submitted the application several months ago, and now he wanted to tell Carlos exactly what the scholarship was about.
"En California, hay una escuela secundaria que participa en un programa de cambio de divisas. La escuela es conocida por producir estudiantes increíble y es difícil entrar en sin vivir en los límites o tener buenas notas para un programa." Sr. Martinez had taken a small breath, gauging Carlos's shocked reaction and Sra. Garcia's proud reaction. He had just informed the duo about the scholarship. In California, there was a high school with a foreign-exchange program. The high school was known for producing great students, and it was difficult to gain access to without living near the school or having the top grades for a foreign-exchange program. Upon hearing this, Carlos looked down. He knew he had lower grades than both Marisol and Jose, both of whom were not even the smartest students in the school.
"Aunque quiero creer que Carlos recibirá la beca," Sr. Martinez paused again, as he expressed his confidence in Carlos receiving the scholarship, "Hablé con mi amigo en esa escuela, la Sra. Wainwright. Ella es el subdirector y puede ser capaz de mover algunos hilos para obtener acceso a Carlos de la escuela. Creo que va a ser una opurtunidad grande para él." Sr. Martinez finished, as he looked once again at Carlos and his mother through his glasses. He had informed them about how he had talked to his former student, Ms. Wainwright, a vice-principal at the school, and told them he believed she could pull some strings to get Carlos into the school. He told Carlos about how it would be a great oppurtunity for the boy.
Carlos was extremely excited. If granted the opportunity to take this scholarship, Carlos could live in America for a bit. While he would surely miss Jose, Marisol, Sr. Martinez, and his parents, Carlos could feel his heart pounding at the anticipation. He was glad Sr. Martinez had submitted the application months ago and not told Carlos about it until now. Carlos could not imagine having to wait several months in order to hear about the scholarship. Carlos was even more excited about going to California, because he knew that the police force was prominent in that area, and perhaps he could learn from them. He was unaware of American policies in getting a position at the police department, but he figured that it couldn't be too hard.
"Muchas gracias por todo..." Carlos trailed off, thanking Sr. Martinez for everything. However, Sr. Martinez immediately silenced the boy as he pulled out a manila envelope. Carlos's heart leapt. He didn't need to hear from Sr. Martinez as to what was inside the envelope. It was the decision of the scholarship!
Carlos watched Sr. Martinez delicately open the envelope, and slip out a fancy embroidered paper. While it was simply a piece of paper, to Carlos, it held a key to dreams and freedom, as well as popularity, potential, and opportunity. None of his family had ever been to America, let alone outside of Europe, and he was immediately excited to be the first in his family to travel so far.
Carlos noticed a flicker of confusion plant itself on Sr. Martinez's face. His heart fell. He could just imagine the letter informing his teacher as to how stupid Carlos was and how stupid his teacher was for even considering Carlos.
"Sr. Martinez?" Carlos asked, as he noticed his mother practically holding her breath. He placed his hand on her shoulder, causing his mother to loosen. Sr. Martinez peered at Carlos beyond his glasses.
"Te has ganado la beca," Sr. Martinez announced Carlos's success laconically, which slightly confused Carlos. Sr. Martinez cleared his throat and continued. "Pero no se alojarás en las instalaciones proporcionadas por la escuela secundaria. Has sido seleccionado para quedarse con una familia anfitriona." Sr. Martinez looked at Carlos. He had just informed Carlos that he would not be staying at the foreign facilities provided by the high school, but instead, he would be staying with a host family. Carlos's eyes widened, as his heartbeat quickened. He would be staying with a complete stranger for his final year as a student?
"Who is my host?" Carlos spoke in English, his Spanish suddenly betraying his voice. He now noticed his mother placing her hand on Carlos's shoulder, as he braced himself. He was afraid of living with strangers. He was used to being coddled by his mother, but he had been outside his house with friends several times. He had never once stayed the night with a complete stranger.
Suddenly, Carlos found himself wary of the entire scholarship, his lips quivering. He was afraid, anxious, and apprehensive. The positive, preppy, and punctual Carlos had departed, leaving behind the inner insecure, intimidated, and introverted Carlos Garcia. The confident, cocky, and cool Carlos would no longer be attending America, but instead America would meet the shy, scared, and simple Carlos.