An American Girl
Part 1
Black Angel
By Nick Maro
Walking into the dimly lit empty bar, Roxy stopped and looked around. The stage where she first began her musical dreams was before her. A nostalgic smile slowly crept across her lips as she approached it. She set down her guitar case in front of the amp and turned it on after hooking up her instrument. She tested a few chords before launching into a heavy guitar solo that echoed throughout the vacant bar room.
The shattered silence sent a blonde haired man running from the back into the main bar area. He picked up a bat from behind the counter before yanking the plug on the amp out of the wall socket. Roxy stopped playing and turned around with an annoyed look on her face. "What the hell did you go and do that for? I was just getting into it." The man put the bat down when he saw Roxy's big smile and stopped in his tracks. "How's it going, Johnny? Long time no see."
Johnny ran up to Roxy and picked her up into a tight hug. Roxy couldn't help but to let out a small giggle. He set her down and took a step back. "How the hell did you get in and how did you know I owned this bar?"
"First of all the bar is called the Red Aces," Roxy said with a laugh as she watched go behind the bar to grab two bottles of beer. "Secondly, your wife loaned me the keys and told me the security code. She knew this would be a huge surprise for you. I'm glad you finally settled down. It seems like most of the old gang has."
"So what are you doing here?" Johnny came out from behind the bar with the two opened bottles and handed one to her.
Roxy accepted the beer, but didn't take a drink. She let it dangle between her fingers. "I'm here to collect on my inheritance. I'm sure you read about how my aunt and uncle had died in a car wreck. So I figured I might as well look up the old gang while I was at it." She finally took a long drink from the bottle and hung her head slightly. "Last time I was here I acted like a complete bitch, but I'm not that woman anymore. If Stormer was here she'd say I was looking for closure."
"Oh hell Rox, we were all idiots when we were younger. You were just showing off is all. If I had won that kind of money, I would've done the same thing too." Johnny plugged the amp back in and let Roxy play again. He saw the happiness on her face and had to smile himself. This really wasn't the angry young woman he had met years ago. He cleared his throat and spoke loud enough to be heard above the guitar playing. "So, you're a lesbian now, huh?"
Missing her next chord Roxy stopped playing and looked up at her old friend. She made a face it was mix of annoyance and understanding. "I'm not a lesbian, I'm bisexual. I just happen to have a lover who is a woman. Don't get me wrong, I still look at men when I see one who catches my eye. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Jetta is a wonderful woman and I'm very happy with her."
Johnny nodded and took a long drink from his bottle. "I didn't mean to offend you. It's just what I assumed after you announced you were involved with Jetta and all." Johnny decided that it was time to switch subjects a bit. "So, does anyone else know you're here? Aside from Rose?"
Roxy shook her head no after finishing off her beer. "Nah, I want to get this inheritance bullshit out of the way first. I have an appointment with their lawyer in a few hours. Jetta and I arrived early so we could get a hotel room and such. She's there now taking a nap. I think we made record time driving cross country. Only took us about eight days with tourist stops." She began unplugging her guitar and packing it into its case.
"Wow, still afraid of heights?"
"Not quite," Roxy chuckled, "I'm just not a fan of them. I gotta get going, though. I have to make myself look presentable for the lawyers." She rolled her eyes and laughed. Johnny gave her a big hug again. She kissed him on the cheek and smiled as she headed to the door. She paused and turned around. "Hey, don't tell anyone I'm back yet. I plan on having a Red Aces party slash reunion. I'll give you a call when the dust has settled." Johnny nodded and Roxy left the bar.
Roxy got in her car and began driving back to the hotel that she and Jetta had just checked into. Her thoughts drifted as she drove to when she first met her friends in the Red Aces. It was just shortly after she had run away from her relatives. The stench of her uncle's breath and sweat still lingered in her mind. Roxy wiped a tear from her eye and kept driving. Thinking of the relief she felt when she met Johnny.
The police car, with its lights on and siren wailing, raced down the street. The young white haired girl hid her face by turned toward the store window, pretending to be shopping. She looked at her reflection and fought back tears of sadness. Her cheeks were dirty from having to sleep on newspapers. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying herself to sleep each night when she could sleep. But most of the time she stayed awake to fend off potential attackers.
The sound of the police car had finally faded when she started walking down the street. She kept her head and face down as she walked avoiding the eyes of the other pedestrians. She put her hands in her pockets and felt that her stash of money was starting to get grow thinner. The money had only lasted her a few days, but she had some jewelry she could pawn that was hidden. That was her destination now.
It took her fifteen minutes to reach the spot where she had hidden the jewelry she stole from her aunt. It wasn't much, but it was all she could get in the short amount of time she had. She looked up and down the alley she was in before getting on her knees and moving a crate out of the way. She then removed the grate that was on the side of the building and reached in. A panicked look came over her face when she didn't feel anything. She reached in further. It was gone.
"No," she whined softly. "This can't be happening."
"Hey kid. Are you okay?" asked a young boy's voice from behind her.
She looked over her shoulder with rage building in her eyes. "You took what I hid in there! Give it back!" She stood and pointed at him in fury.
The boy backed up with his palms up. "Now wait a minute, I didn't do nothin'. I was just walking by when I saw you and you looked upset. I just want to help is all. You kinda look like you need it. What's wrong?"
"Quit lyin'! I want the jewelry I had in there. You took it! I know it!" The girl took a wild swing at the blonde boy. She missed and fell on her butt. She leaned against the building and smacked the back of her head against the brick wall several times. She muttered under her breath. "I'm so stupid. I'm so stupid."
"Listen," the young boy said edging closer to her, "I didn't take it. I just want to help. My name is Johnny. What's yours?"
She looked up at him and wiped the tears from her eyes. She saw the kindness in his eyes, something she wasn't used to. "Roxy," she said quietly.
Johnny helped her to her feet. "Nice to meet you, Roxy, I know someplace nice where you can get cleaned up and have a warm place to sleep." They walked together slowly out of the alley. "So how old are you?"
Roxy shuffled her feet slowly and kept her head down like she was used to. "I'm fourteen." Johnny smiled and told her he was the same age. She began to relax the more they talked. She was happy to have found someone she could call a friend.
Navigating their way through the crowd, David and Pizzazz followed his girlfriend to her booth at the comic book convention. Upon returning from their trip to Cybertron, Kaori found a last minute invitation to the Sorcerer World Chicago convention. She immediately replied that she would appear. The next few weeks were a blur of activity between beating her deadline for her next issue and getting ready for the trip.
Pizzazz, Stormer and Kimber each went along for their own reasons. Pizzazz had a meeting that Friday night with one of her attorneys about opening a Chicago branch of Misfits Music. She felt it was time for expansion of the music label. Stormer had joined Kimber to meet up with Suzaku. Ken wanted to go the convention to fill in gaps in one of his collections. Suzaku was also planned to play at a few clubs in the Chicago area that weekend. Stormer tagged along because Chip was stuck at the studio all weekend and to work on their new album with Kimber.
David smiled to himself as he saw the recognition that Kaori was getting on the way to the small table. Her publisher had sent a representative to meet them both. He had decorated the table with flyers and free previews of her books. The representative was a short, stocky Japanese man in about his mid-thirties. He wore a wide smile and bowed when Kaori approached him. He spoke softly in Japanese. "[I hope you don't mind my setting up the table. I was worried you weren't going to show up.]"
"[It's quite alright. The table looks wonderful, Akira.]" Kaori motioned to each Pizzazz and David in turn then spoke in English. "Akira, this is my boyfriend David Gabor and his twin sister Phyllis Gabor. She's better known as Pizzazz of The Misfits. She can't stay long because she has a meeting tonight." Kaori sat down and began setting up her section of the table with markers and paper. She also put out a portfolio of her unpublished work.
Akira nodded to David and Pizzazz in turn and then left to go to his hotel room. Pizzazz took in the crowd around her. She never knew anything like this could exist. She tapped her brother's shoulder and spoke above the noise of the crowd. "You guys have fun. I'm gonna look around for a bit. I noticed its not all just comic books." She gave him a grin and quickly vanished into the crowd.
"David, sit down." Kaori yanked on the bottom of his shirt and smiled.
"Sorry, I was just looking around. I've never been to one of these things. It's amazing. It really is. Ken always bugged me to go with him in Osaka, but I never did. Always had something else to do, like my martial arts or my martial arts." David let out a soft chuckle as he sat next to the beautiful young Japanese woman. "So now I get to watch you play celebrity. Feels kinda nice."
Laughing loudly Kaori hugged his upper arm and kissed his cheek. "But I like watching you. It is a wonderful feeling." She turned around when David cleared his throat and pointed out that there was a person standing in front of the table looking at the portfolio. Kaori put on her best smile and spoke in a very cheerful voice. "Hello! I'm Kaori Umezawa. How are you enjoying the convention?"
Stretching as the door opened, Jetta yawned wide. She never realized how exhausting driving could be until she and Roxy went on this road trip. Jetta hugged Roxy as she slipped her backpack off of her shoulder and sat on the bed. She kissed the white haired woman deeply after seeing the spent emotion on her face. "So I take it how did go would be an obvious question, huh?"
Roxy smiled softly and let out a light snort. "It went okay, better than I had expected actually. I told Johnny not to let anyone know I was in town. I want to get all the lawyer bullshit out of the way first." She glanced at her watch and stood up. Roxy opened her suit case and pulled out a dress suit. She hung it over her shoulder by the hanger and between her first two fingers. "You don't have to come with if you don't want to."
"Pfft, that's crap and you know it, luv. I want to go with." Jetta hugged her girlfriend from behind tightly. "We're in this together. Besides, theres nothin' to do here in the room or in the hotel, I want to get out before I go stir crazy."
"You spent all of your time sleeping in the room. So how do you know what there is to do?" Roxy kept the bathroom door open as she changed. She watched Jetta in the mirror as she also began to make herself more presentable. She couldn't help but smirk to herself at the fact of how lucky she was to have Jetta. She was making this trip so much easier.
"I didn't fall asleep right away, Rox. I did the usual routine of flippin' channels on the telly and lookin' out on the balcony first. Then I just passed out until you came in. So I'm not stayin' in and waitin' for you to get back. Besides you never stay when I tell you to." Jetta buttoned up her blouse and smirked.
Chuckling gently as she put on a fresh coat of lipstick Roxy nodded. "Fine, you can go, but you have to be on your best behavior or no sex tonight." She let out a loud laugh when she saw and heard Jetta mock pout. "I mean it. We'll be wild bitches afterwards. Theres a few bars I want to check out tonight. After that road trip we need to cut loose." Roxy stepped out of the bathroom and gave a lopsided smile. "So how do I look?"
Jetta looked up from putting her make up on in the mirror in the main room. "You look beautiful. You look like an upstandin' young woman." She let out a chuckle. "Seriously though, you look great."
"Thanks," Roxy said slowly. "You look wonderful too." She picked up a briefcase and sighed. "Well, shall we get going?" She opened the door for Jetta and followed her best friend out of the hotel room. She pulled the door shut making sure it had hooked. They went to their car making small talk as they went. Within moments they were on their way to the lawyer's office.
A knot formed in Roxy's gut as she stood before the house that had caused her so much pain as a child. She glanced at the paper that she still held in her hand. It was the deed to the house. Her aunt and uncle had left it to her in their will. She wasn't sure if they were trying to make amends with this or if it was some kind of cruel final joke on her. Roxy took a bottle of beer from Jetta when she handed it to her and shrugged. "Well, its mine now. Let's see what's inside."
Together the two women walked to the front door. Roxy slipped the old worn key into the lock. She unlocked the door and looked back at Jetta. She hesitated a moment and took a deep breath as she opened the door. She let the held breath out slowly and looked inside. It was dark. Roxy felt for the light switch and flipped the lights on. The living room was almost how she remembered. The room was cleaned up and the furniture was fairly new.
Jetta peeked in over her girlfriend's shoulder. "Looks like someone called the maid, luv. Come on, let's face your demons together." She took Roxy's hand and pushed softly past her. She gave a light tug and pulled Roxy inside. "It's your place now. You can do whatever you want." Jetta gave Roxy her private smile and winked.
"Yeah, you're right." Roxy stepped through the doorway and smiled. She closed the door and locked it. "I can't believe that the lawyer's appointment went so quick. Hell I can't believe that this old dump is mine to do with what I please. I keep expecting to wake up and find out its all a dream." She took a long drink from her bottle of beer. "I'm thinking I should sell it. Y'know, get the gang here and fix it up first. Maybe then I'll feel more vindicated."
"Sounds like a plan to me, luv." Jetta slowly walked around the small living room. "I'm thinkin' we could sell the furniture, too. Just gonna sit here and collect dust."
Roxy finished her beer and nodded in thought. She started walking toward a bedroom without saying a word. She opened the door and turned on the light. The room had a full queen sized bed that was stripped bare of any sheets and the dressers were empty. Roxy opened the closet and it was empty as she had expected. She knelt down and found the hidden safe that was in the wall. It was open. She looked inside and found it empty.
In a fit of fury, Roxy punched the wall right above the safe. She made a deep hole and the glint of metal caught her eye. She felt inside and found a metal box that was unlocked. She pulled the box out and sat down with her back against the wall. She opened the box. Inside were a handful of jewels. She smiled at Jetta. "These were my mothers. We were poor but my mother had these. They've been passed down for generations on her side."
Jetta knelt down and looked at the gems then kissed Roxy on her forehead. "They're yours now, baby." She hugged Roxy and felt her let out a happy sob.
Roxy looked up at Jetta and smiled. "I can't believe I forgot that my mother hid these here. She hid them here so my dickhead father wouldn't hock them for booze money. I remember being six and her showing me them." She looked back down at the gems. "Amazing how something like this can spark forgotten memories."
The crowds on the convention floor began to thin out as Kaori started packing up most of her pens and art supplies. David had gone wandering around the convention. He was due back any moment. She finished putting the supplies in her bag that she wouldn't need for the rest of the day and sat back in her chair. She spotted Ken and waved him over. He quickly weaved his way through the crowd ignoring the other artists.
"[So how was your first day, Kaori?]" Ken set his backpack down and rotated his stiff shoulder.
Kaori smiled and blushed. "[I don't know. It's my first public appearance. I guess it went well. I had to explain a few times that I just learned English so if they spoke too fast, I couldn't understand them. But it made me feel good to finally meet my fans.]" She shrugged and looked around shyly.
Ken laughed to himself and opened his backpack. He pulled out several tradepaper backs of her manga. "[I wanted to ask you before, but I always forgot. This way it feels more official to have your autograph. I'm sure David has told you how huge of a fan I am. I never got to tell you myself how much that I admire your work.]"
"[Thank you, I really appreciate hearing that in person rather than through David.]" She signed Ken's final book in kanji. To Kenshiro: Thank you for being a friend. Always, Kaori Umezawa. "[Listen, I have a personal question I would like to ask.]" Ken looked up at her after reading the autograph that Kaori gave him. "[I just wondering how you'd feel about being set up on a date with someone I know.]"
"[I dunno, Kaori. My record with women isn't too great. I've had maybe three serious girlfriends in my life.]"
Kaori just smiled at Ken. "[I want to set you up with my younger sister. She's about your age and single. She's a big fan of Pulsar. I got her hooked on your albums. What do you say?]"
"[Alright, but just to meet her.]" Ken put his books back in the backpack and gave Kaori an odd look. "[Wait, I'm David's age. How old are you? I just assumed that you were our age.]"
"[I'm twenty-eight, Ken.]"
"[That's right Ken, I'm living with an older woman.]" David walked up and hugged Kaori from behind and kissed her cheek. "[The con floor is closing in about fifteen minutes. Want to beat the crowds and head back to the hotel room and then order some dinner? I saw Eiji while wandering he's going to dinner with some model or something. Poor girl. Mary called me and said she and Kim are going out to dinner alone. They want to work on their new album. I have no idea where Hitomi is.]"
Kaori packed up the rest of her art supplies in her bag, David took the bag for her. Ken followed the couple back to the hotel and thought about Kaori's offer. They arrived at their hotel rooms after a slow walk following the crowds down the halls. David and Kaori waited outside of the room Ken and Hitomi were sharing with Stormer and Kimber. Almost as soon as the door closed, they heard a woman's shriek followed by a yell of surprise from Ken, who came out of his room blushing immediately.
"[What the hell was that?]"
The door to the room opened seconds later. Stormer smacked Ken with a rolled up magazine and yelled at him. "Baka! Hope you got a good eyeful!" She slammed the door shut and locked it.
David looked at Kaori and hid his chuckle with her. Ken just glared at the couple. "[Okay, so I saw both Kimber and Stormer naked. They were changing to go to dinner. Let's just get something to eat and drink.]" He followed Kaori and David into their room. "[They should've locked the door in the first place, dammit. Hitomi and Eiji will never let me live this one down.]" Neither David nor Kaori could hold it back any longer as they let out a loud hard laugh. Gradually Ken began laughing himself.
It had been a few days since she had made her very first real friend. Roxy walked in thought of what she and Johnny were going to do next. The shelter they were staying at was nice, but she didn't like it too much, too many older men and women who reminded her of her aunt and uncle. She stayed away from them every chance she got. A police car's siren brought her out of her thoughts. She turned her head and looked inside a few shops as she walked as she always did when she heard sirens.
The sirens faded into the distance and Roxy went back to looking at the sidewalk as she walked. She considered dying her hair black since her white hair stood out. She would ask Johnny his opinion later. Roxy turned a corner to head back to the shelter for lunch when she walked into a young man in his early teens. She looked up at him and scowled. "Watch where you're walking, asshole."
"You ran into me first. Maybe if you looked where you were walking, you wouldn't walk into people." He stopped and looked at her and sighed. "Listen, I'm sorry I snapped at you. Just have been having a bad day is all."
"I'm sorry, too," Roxy mumbled and began to walk away. The young boy started following her. She looked over her shoulder and shook her head.
"Hey! Wait up a sec. You look like you could use a friend."
Roxy stopped and gave him a confused look. "I only bumped into you. Not like I bought you lunch. Now I'm off to go get some food." She started to walk away again, but the boy ran in front of her and stopped her again. Roxy was beginning to get angry now. "What is your fuckin' problem?"
"Sorry, it's just that you look lost and confused. Not to mention scared. You're a runaway like I am, aren't you?" The boy smiled when Roxy eventually nodded. "My name is Link. I'm the leader of a group of runaways called the Red Aces. We're not a gang just a group of runaways who stick together. If you want I can introduce you to them now. What do you say?"
Trusting her gut instincts Roxy nodded. "I'd like that. My name is Roxy. It's nice to meet you." She followed Link through the maze of back alleys and back streets to the Red Aces' home. "I've only been on the streets a few days and the shelter I've been living at reminds me too much of home. I do have a friend at the shelter named Johnny who I'd like to bring here. He's the same age as me, fourteen. Do you think he could join us?"
Link smiled at her as they walked. "I don't see why not. It sounds like he's your only friend." Roxy slowly nodded. "After I introduce you to everyone, we'll go get Johnny and bring him to see the Aces." Link smiled when Roxy did. He explained to her how they have heat, electricity and phone services all for free. While Link talked, Roxy began to feel like she was becoming accepted. It made her feel great inside.
Roxy woke up with a slight jerk and looked around. She was back in the hotel room with Jetta. She looked at the clock and saw it was just after two in the morning. She slipped out of bed and wandered slowly in the dark to the bathroom. Once finished, Roxy groped her way back to the bed and wrapped her arm around Jetta's side and sighed. Jetta gently rubbed Roxy's arm and smiled. "Bad dreams?"
"No. Good ones fer a change." Roxy leaned over and kissed Jetta then smiled at the raven-haired woman. She looked at her in the faint light from the draped window. "T'morrow I'll properly introduce you to the Red Aces. Now let's get some sleep. Love you." She pecked Jetta's lips and smiled. She drifted to sleep within moments.
TO BE CONTINUED IN "INVISIBLE TOMORROW"
PART 2 OF AN AMERICAN GIRL