A spike of anxiety brought on indigestion as Jaynee turned into the main town plaza. I forced myself to ignore it. Of course we would be going there for lunch. It was where all of the food places were in our small town. Well, most of them. There was also a BBQ place on the west outskirts near the store that specializes in farm supplies. To the east was a fast food chain down by the flea market, just off the interstate. The homemade ice cream place was across the road from the smaller plaza, where the better of the two pizza places were in my opinion. However, Jaynee liked the one here in the big plaza more.

Why did we pass the pizzeria?

Of course! Our greasy hands would get all over everything. Avoiding any couch on toes with a good ol’ sandwich!

My gaze stayed on the shop as we passed it too.

There wasn’t much else here food wise, expect— No. Jaynee knew I wouldn't go there. Obviously, we had to be going to the grocery store! That was why Jaynee wanted us to join her. She couldn't carry the bags back.

I gritted my teeth. She was also someone not to impose on others, and all that seemed like a hassle for Remington in the end. I doubt they wanted to clean up dishes on top of whatever else Georgie left behind. Unless they were secretly a chef.

I looked behind me to Remington. They quickly covered their face with their elbow as they let out a stifled sneeze.

"Bless you."

"Thanks," Remington replied with a sniffle.

The smell of mums was heavy in the air. I glanced around. There was so much more decoration compared to last year. The nail salon and spa hung a wreath on their door with fake vines thick on the frame. The thrift store had lights in their window to illuminate the cartoonish painting of woodland creatures enjoying the festival. Corn stocks were wrapped around every parking lot light. Of course, there were chrysanthemums of every fall color you could imagine sitting in huge planters outside every business provided by the town committee; we had received some too for the salon and café. A few had added hay bales with pumpkins and artificial leaf bouquets. My favorite display was the miniature horse drawn wagon with the scarecrow driver outside the formal wear shop. I hadn’t been there since prom.

"Tetsuo!"

Oh, I dazed out again. When I looked up, Remington was next to Jaynee. I swore they were behind me. I glance down to my converse. Ah. I didn't realize I had stopped to check out everything.

"Sorry," I shouted by accident. To avoid their judgment, I averted my eyes. That was when I saw the sign behind them. My upset stomach returned as realization washed over me. I didn’t know why I even questioned it. Still, I wanted to be wrong.

"Jaynee, where are we going?"

"Villa's, of course!" Mhm. Yes, of course. Silly me. "Estelle saved us some empanadas," she said, singing the last bit in excitement.

My gut cramped so hard, I had to wrap my arms over the pain. That was what I was afraid of. Despite how delicious and savory mi tío's empanadas were, this was not a happy tune for me. Our family restaurant brought back too many memories.

"I’ll wait out here, if that’s okay with you."

Jaynee gave a bit of a pout. "It’s pickup. We’ll be gone before you know it."

She meant well, but I very much disliked that she had been trying to help me to conquer my anxiety as of late. Let me be down and out in grief. I wasn’t ready to let go.

"The line is out the door," I pointed out.

That was when I got my first real look at the restaurant. Tía must have decorated, because everything was in her favorite theme, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The sidewalk was painted gold. Red poppies lined the edge of the building or sat on stacks of hay bales. The Emerald City sat behind the cutout display of the quartet, and their little dog too, where you could stand behind and put your face through the cutouts for pictures. It looked handmade. I wished I had an ounce of Tía’s talents for crafts.

When I blinked back to Jaynee, her face was sympathetic. I almost wanted her to be mad at me instead. "Where will you be waiting?" Jaynee asked.

Good question. I checked the area and spotted a free bench not far away from Villa's. I didn't want to make Jaynee walk more than she had to. "Over there. I’ll watch for you."

After she gave a nod, I headed that way.

The indigestion turned to guilt there after. Jaynee would be fine. Right?

I should go with them. If I really didn’t want her to walk too far, I should push through my anxiety.

No, it was fine! I forced myself to sit down. Remington was with her, and Estelle worked the front. So, her equally stubborn sister would make her sit down while they were waiting. Yeah! Everything was okay. Deep breaths.

"Care if I join ya?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin. When I glanced up, there was Remington. "Yeah, you can join me. What about Jaynee?"

I slid over on the bench to give Remington room to sit down, but they sat with their back to a pillar instead. I did a quick sniff check on my oversized flannel. It wasn’t as fresh as it could be, probably left in the washer overnight one too many times.

"She asked me to sit with you. Guess I’m both Georgie and Jaynee’s watchdog."

"What kind of dog?"

The question slipped. Regret hit instantly as Remington’s brows furrowed in offense. "Are you calling me a bi—?"

Before they could finish their sentence, I called out, "No! Like those personality tests going around!"

This made Remington shrug. "I dunno. I'm not into those things. That, and I’m more of a cat person." There was a slight pause before they added, "Georgie said somethin' about bein' a golden retriever boyfriend."

"I don’t think I’ve met Georgie before."

Remington immediately looked at me with such disgust, they had to turn away. "What's that expression for?!" I whined in panic.

"I sure hope you know Georgie. Kind of nasty if ya don't go see the Clarksons. They're literally the only dentists in town."

Quickly, I turned away and crossed my arms to hide my embarrassment. "We go to the Clarksons! I just didn’t want to assume, okay?!" I already did that, and Remington got mistaken for Georgie.

"Okay," was all Remington said back.

I ran my hands through my hair. Jaynee swore she would never date anyone from town again, and I believe the Clarksons come from somewhere in Kentucky. That and he was Jaynee’s type to a T from what little I know from bi-annual visits. His mom usually saw our family.

"Have you ever gotten a rottweiler on those tests of yours?" Remington asked.

"No. I usually get malamute. It's like a husky. Why?"

"You’re a lot like my friend’s rottweiler," they smiled. "Loyal, full of love, and anxious." I narrowed my eyes. They didn't have to mention the last bit! Remington quickly turned away. "No offense, of course. She's the bestest dog ever."

"How do you know that stuff about me?"

Remington shrugged. They looked over to the restaurant. The line was even longer now, though the people that were at the end before were now at the door. "Everyone knows you. You're a Villa! Yall help everyone in town, me included!"

I didn't remember ever meeting Remington until today, which was weird in and of itself. Like they said, my family was a big part of Calabaza's community.

"How did we help you?"

"Your daddy hired me as a dishwasher back when I first moved here with Georgie. Stayed there 'bout a year, even did some odd jobs here and there. Then, he got me the job at the glass factory."

I looked down in shame. "Sorry, I don't remember meeting you before."

"It's alright. I'm not a memorable person."

I wasn't sure what sound came out of my mouth, but it was between a honk and an ack! "That's not it!"

Remington covered their mouth, but they couldn't hide the smile on their face. "If it makes ya feel better, I don't know your new name." Their hand slid down to their chin. "Probably should with how often Jaynee called it out today."

A grimace formed on my face instead of a smile. "That doesn't make me feel better."

Remington nervously laughed.

"It's Tetsuo," I sighed. "He/Him."

"Nice to meet ya, Tetsuo. I’m Remington." They yanked their thumb to their chest." Still figurin' out my pronouns, so I’ll have to get back to ya on that."

"Oh. I default to they/them if I’m unsure. Is that okay?"

Remington thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, that works."

"So, what made you want the job at Vaughan Glass?"

Remington shook their head. "Your daddy mentioned they were hirin', and it was better pay."

"You weren't looking for a new job?"

"Naw. I didn't mind washin' dishes. But, Mr. V said I don’t belong in the kitchen. Said it was time I found my own path, and Jean would help me out with that."

That didn’t make sense. When Papa and Tío hired someone, they kept them around as long as they wanted to stay. I never heard either of them out right offer another job, especially at Vaughan Glass. They had so many people on a waiting list to be an apprentice.

I looked at Remington. "Are you a witch?"

"No?"

I should have known. There weren't many of us left in Calabaza, and even fewer who practiced magic.

"Jean was Papa’s mentor in magic," I explained. "I thought maybe he meant she could teach you magic better than him."

Remington shook their head, eyes casted down. "Sorry. Ain’t no magic in my family. Jean did teach me to be a better person."

I looked down at my hands folded in my lap. Now that I thought about it, I didn’t remember much of Jean either besides the stories Papa told me. Did I meet her?

"Hey, Tetsuo?" Remington called out in a loud whisper. I hummed softly in response. "Mind tellin’ me what that monster of yours looked like?"

"Why?" I asked, regrettably turning to find the answer.

There was the shadow creature in all its inky glory. It was standing in front of Tía’s display.

I slowly got up to get a better look. Remington reached out. They gritted their teeth like this was a bad idea. I put my hand up to let them know it was okay. Probably.

The shadow unsteadily knelt down to get a better view. It stuck its bony hand through the tinman’s face cutout then out again. This made it grin in delight.

"What’s it doin’?" Remington asked.

I shook my head and whispered back, "I don’t know. There's only one way to find out."

That was when I stepped out without a second thought. I felt the slight touch at my sleeve as Remington tried to stop me. "Don't you go after it now!"

With a glance over my shoulder, I gave an apologetic smile. "I don't want it to hurt anyone."

I continued on, slowly walking, while trying to come up with some game plan. Do I want to distract it to keep its attention on me, or was I going to try fist fighting a 7 foot tall shadow monster? Considering I had always been more of a runner than someone that stood their ground, the first option seemed like the winner.

"Wait for me!" Remington called out from behind me. When they caught up, they asked, "So, what's the plan?"

I replied, "Yes."

We approached the walking void, some in line giving us odd looks with how cautious we were being. I was glad that Remington could see it now too. It didn't set well with me that I was possibly going crazy.

"Hey, little guy," I nervously said.

"It ain't little," Remington immediately retorted. I turned to give them a look. They put their hands up defensively. "Well, it ain’t!"

When I turned back, the creature was looking over me. I needed to hurry before it ran off to whatever it had spotted. "Hi there."

Its now copper eyes looked down at me. It seemed to smile and wave. "HELLO."

My reaction came out of Remington as they squealed, "It talks?!"

Since they had panicking covered, I kept my brave face on. "Why don't you come over here?"

"Who are you talking to?"

Both Remington and I yelped. We turned to the voice, which was Jaynee’s. She was looking at us both very confused. Next to her was Estelle.

I quickly turn to point, "There's a—"

There was nothing. I quickly checked to make sure my own distraction didn't give it a chance to run away. No, the monster had simply vanished again.

"Please don't say it's another spider," Jaynee grimaced.

Estelle held herself as she let out a shiver. I wished she was a practicing witch. She was one of the many whose parents refused to teach them how to use magic. Most believed magic was a dead art with how much technology there was nowadays. However, Fernando said his reasons were different, but he never offered any further explanation. I thought she could learn alongside me, but she wanted to have this held over her father’s head if something ever happened. Fair, I guess.

Estelle finally turned to me to ask, "What was that magic?"

"I don’t know," I replied.

With a loving smile, she held out a cup of coffee. My saving grace! "I love you."

"I love you too, Tsuo. Careful, it's hot,” she said.

Estelle was like a chai latte. She broke any bitter cold with her warmth. I was going to miss her when she moved to New York with River next year. However, I couldn’t wait to see her with her hair down again and free to wear whatever color she wanted. Sorry Papa, but blue wasn’t a color for everyone.

Before I could tempt fate with the heat of a thousand suns, my brain got distracted by the brightness of the bags Estelle was holding. "Oh, you got takeout too? Did you get off work early?"

She turned back to look at Jaynee, who nervously laughed. Only then did I notice how much she was relaying on her cane. I gave a worried look. "They're mine. My leg wins, and the move will be delayed until later."

"You got ahold of Georgie then?" Remington asked.

"Yeah, he's free from the toilet gnome and pulling the car around to get us."

Estelle elbowed me gently. "He's a nervous shitter, apparently."

"Ew," I said.

Of course, both Estelle and I gave a stank face to annoy and embarrass Jaynee. It worked, as she called out, "You don't have to say it like that!"

"But it is like that," her sister shrugged with one shoulder. "I hope he doesn't poop his pants at the altar once you get married. Maybe he should wear a diaper, just in case."

"Shut up!"

...continues next chapter due to character limits...