I don't know why I was so surprised. Weird stuff happens to me all the time.
But when I saw that flame shoot up in front of me, I yelped and jumped back. It was like seeing something out of religious books – right in front of me.
When the flames cleared, I spotted Creamer – looking even worse than I'd judged him for. His cords had been melted into a misshapen lump, as tends to happen when such materials are exposed to 451 degrees of pure heat. I also caught a foul scent – the smell of melted gold and copper wiring. His face and front side similarly bore a new set of stripes – in the brown red of burnt flesh. I didn't know burns that well (shocker for a girl who's hung around a fire elemental for over a month), but that was probably a second degree right there.
Creamer hissed in agony. "You," he said. "I should've known."
Huh? I glanced at Knuckles.
I know. I was very familiar with his fire powers. I knew he was extremely devoted to protecting me – always had been, even before he promised my father he'd keep me safe. I simply hadn't expected him to react that way.
And I wasn't sure what to make of him now. He was surrounded by flames – rings of them. His dreadlocks were whipping as though in a breeze. On top of that, he was levitating ever so slightly off the ground – like an anime character when he channels his full power.
Even stranger, his eyes seemed to be changing colors – going from gray to brown to hazel, much like… much like the angel who'd brought him into existence.
"We speak as one." Knuckles' voice sounded as if two people were talking. In one, I heard Knuckles as he normally sounded. But in the other layer, I heard an older, much more powerful voice talking – the voice of the Vortex. "Especially on this matter. No one harms Imira Fadjir."
"What the –?" Pop gasped. "That… that can't be possible."
I didn't think Knuckles was possessed, really. He and the Vortex were acting in accord, which meant… Dang. I had badly underestimated how much Knuckles cared about me.
"And some other things," Tails said firmly. His telekinesis must've been going out of whack, as well as his conjuring abilities, because a pair of metal shields – medieval shields, no less – were floating around him. "Imira's family was protecting her. She was learning to control her strength even while the woman was giving her a hard time. Her mother chose Fairview to keep you away from her child."
Mom glared fiercely at Creamer. "I heard about the drag story hour, yes. But not from Achmed. From Abed Fallad."
Vinny Lee frowned in confusion. "Any relation to Señorita Snobby Samirah?"
"Her father?" I hadn't even known Mom kept up with the Fallads after my family picked me up. I'd assumed they'd withdrawn, as most of the community had. Shows what I know.
Mom's expression didn't change. "He'd learned of this plan a few months ago," she said. "He warned me about it. 'Don't let your children near that library,' he said. I thought he was kidding. But then I heard it was actually happening – from the other neighbors. One had pulled her kids out. Another had moved away from the area. That's when I realized – I couldn't just sit by and watch. I had to take action. The first thing I did was ensure the eldest one was in a school environment where she would be taught the right things."
"Fairview," DJ realized.
I was more concerned about the Vortex/Knuckles. How had the spirit been able to show through an avatar? He'd said he wouldn't be there, all right. Personally. But it was clear he was here in spirit.
The answer smacked me in the face, why the cysnakes had dodged and weaved with us. The Vortex's power was over us. Clearly the cysnakes could sense that. They couldn't hurt us, because the Vortex was watching our backs.
They really can't stand the guy at all, I thought.
"It was the first step," Mom continued. "But it's the first step that's the start. I prayed to Allah to watch over my children in this time. All of them. I wasn't about to count out my daughter. I hope you've realized that now."
Mom pulled out a shotgun and leveled it at Creamer's face. "She may not be my daughter by birth, but she is my family. And no one messes with my family."
She shot just as Knuckles blasted another fireball at Creamer. Now there was a double whammy.
The last I saw of Creamer was his body, burned and with a bullet in his head, dissolving to dust. As he disintegrated, I heard him muttering, "This isn't over –"
I whipped my hijab around the post nearby and swung into Creamer, scattering his ashes. Rude, yes, but I was getting tired of his chatter.
Knuckles' eyes turned back to solid gray – where they stayed – and he nearly keeled over. I couldn't blame him. Using that much power to take out a cysnake was no joke, even with the Vortex helping.
"Now can we go home?" Fatima asked.
On top of everything else, McPherson had found a new librarian.
Or rather, the real librarian.
I had to hesitate when I saw her on our way. She looked a lot like the first cysnake, but with a more colorful wardrobe. Her jacket was yellow and brown, with a red shirt and green skirt. Her pumps were brown. Had the cysnake impersonated her? Very likely, as she never wore monochrome when I knew her.
Kori pulled out her pistols. "Come on, lady."
The librarian frowned at her. "Who is this pulling pistols on me?"
Yep, definitely the real librarian. I doubted she'd met Kori in her life.
Kori must've come to the same conclusion, because she holstered her pistols.
"At ease," Sonic said. "It's really her."
"How do you know?" the librarian said. "What is going on? I take a vacation and suddenly everyone is acting up. Accusing me of indoctrin –"
"A few things went south while you were gone, Marissa," Pop interrupted, glaring at her. "A doppelganger of yours invited a drag queen in to tell stories. To children."
The librarian flinched. I guessed Marissa was her name. "Oh, my goodness. I try to manage an inclusive environment –"
Tails shot her a withering look. "Inclusive? Maybe. Safe? I have major doubts – especially since the drag queen was trying to attack a –"
Sonic clamped a hand on his mouth.
"But this?" The librarian sounded furious. "I can't allow that. I'm not affiliated with the school union. That's their decision. I'm –" She paused. "What was that about an attack?"
"She was targeting me," I said. "She and the drag queen were working together to get me. This was so that they could get me out of the way. Once they had me out, they could attack the others and be rid of them. They'd devour the whole world if they had the chance. They were monsters."
Marissa looked upset – and a little confused. "What is she saying?"
"My daughter is part of a little organization supporting reason," Mom said. "VLADJI." She gestured between me, Amos, DJ, and Vinny Lee. "She was chosen because she has the toughest attitude out of them. And I know she – and I – are not okay with the library board's action to include Creamer, especially since he – physically and psychologically – put my son in grave danger. I cannot tolerate that."
Marissa's right eye twitched. "I will speak to the school board. I know no one will take me seriously, though. That creature –" she paused – "was quite good at impersonating me. But she didn't know what I ran into."
"And what was that?" DJ pressed with a composed tone. Always the even one.
"A young man with blond hair. He was fending off a monster of sorts – at least, when I got a closer look. He had a steel spear in his hand."
Kori looked awed. "Alex?"
"When he fended off the monster, he remarked that he wasn't anxious to face this sort of thing again. Not since the confusion demon escaped his body."
Definitely Alex. Sonic had mentioned him being possessed by such a demon once.
"It made me wonder – what if those who advocate trans folk are truly possessed? What if the detransitioners have indeed broken free of their own demons? I started feeling like I was on the wrong side of the matter. Hearing about this – this incident – I'm sorry. I can't endorse it when it's all coming from the darkness. It goes against my judgment."
"And better you rely on that," I responded. "For your sake and ours."
As we left, Kori remarked, "If that was indeed Alex Coleman she ran into, she'd see reason pretty soon. Now can we go back to Aramingo? There are some people I need to catch up with."
