Ghost Stories:

Hey, I'm Emilio Respirez! But you can call me Emi. I've decided to upload my Ghost Stories to this blog, along with some daily events here and there. I'm writing from my phone in a resort in Mexico! Just a quick forewarning: I'm pretty sure I'm intersex, just waiting on a blood test to confirm it. Not that I really need it, but it's for my medical records. No, that's not the same thing as being trans, even though there is a lot of overlap. Some people cross over between sexes to get from one place to another, and some people are born in-between. I was born in-between! It would have been a big question, but the evidence between my legs is undeniable: I've got both of something most people only have one of. It was only a matter of hiding it from everyone else, for thirteen years. Having my first period in an all-boy's gym class was probably the most harrowing moment of my life – I actually fell face-first onto my own fist just so I could say it was my nose. I was lucky the air was dry that day. That might sound extreme, but I was going to the same school as my cousins back then, and the kids there do NOT like my type of person: different. They would have punched my face in if I didn't do it myself.

That's part of why I asked my mom to put me in a different school, one that's more artsy so you know all the kids there are more accepting. And for the most part, they really are! It's been good, and I've had to unlearn a lot of my social anxieties. It didn't help that I spent all last year wearing big hoodies and jeans, and that my mustache started to grow in, but nobody cared. They weren't exactly lining up to ask me out, and I haven't made any real friends just yet... but I wasn't being made fun of, or bullied. So, I'm doing good. Aside from that, now that I'm shaving my legs and waxing my face, I gotta say: I'm lookin' hot. Not only am I ready to hit the beach, I'm ready to rock what I got. Just... maybe not so loud. I'm actually... still pretty shy, to be honest.

At least, rocking the beach was the plan. But I got invited to a resort by a friend from school, a girl who's always been trying to get my attention ever since the seventh grade, the year I changed schools. Her name is Alessia, but I call her Juana for short. She seemed kind of stuck-up and spoiled to me at first, but when I got to know her, I found out we had a lot more in common than I thought. That was only last spring, though, so I still barely know anything about her. I'm always a little too eager with people, I find, and I'm still figuring out who and what I am. It's probably better if I hang back and learn the ropes before I try to walk out on them. I don't even know if she wants to date, or just really likes me as a friend. It's not like girls can't have friends. I'm (at least 99% certain) that I'm half of a girl (maybe two-thirds), and I want friends! So why not? Anyway, that's how I wound up inviting my mom and her girlfriend along for the trip. She's not really up to being co-mom, but I can respect that. We're going to some place called La Limona, on the northeastern coast.

There were only a few road-bumps getting here. The first one was more of a sky-bump. Laurela told me there's something called El Niño and La Niña, two irregular weather patterns that happen in phases. There's a "normal" state, but it can go either way from there. Apparently we're here during El Niño, so there's a hurricane risk in the Pacific region. But we're on the east coast, so we're safe, for the most part. When the plane started shaking, I was scared we'd have to jump! We landed okay, though. I tried to sleep on the plane, but my walk-man's batteries died, and the CD kept skipping. All I could hear was the engines, and people coughing. Would have been nice to have an MP3 player with a rechargeable battery, like my sister had. Juana and her parents were up in First Class, she said they actually carry complimentary batteries. Must be nice, haha.

We didn't end up at the resort, we had to spend all evening on this rickety bus, going through the slums. There were homeless people sitting on every corner. Juana's mom, Mrs. Amparosa Cruz, said "Pay them no mind", but I couldn't help worrying about them. They looked completely destitute. Her dad, Ruperto, said we were helping them by "investing in their tourism sector". I hope that's true. My uncle Rigordo is here with his new wife Olivara and his step-kids, Ailime and Carlidia. They're all pretty much fine, except that Rigordo's a loud jackass. Unfortunately, they brought my cousins, too – Ailime insisted. Yay, thanks, Gar. That means Fernanda and Conselly are here, whether I want them to be or not. And I really didn't. We call Fernanda 'Fernie' and Consela 'Conselly' because they go to one of those Unistatian-founded schools that make everyone use an 'English-sounding name'. Fernie's a self-obsessed bully, and Conselly's exactly what she sounds like: a con artist. (And no, I don't mean the kind who sells bodypillows at comic conventions. That's a con-booth artist.) Olivara said out loud, in front of everybody, that she didn't want any more mouths to feed or listen to – but Rigordo wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. At least someone's with me. I can't tell if she's nice or just feigning it, but that's okay. Ailime is always fun to hang out with, he calls himself 'Lime-Dog' because that's his favourite flavor of anything. That, and because he's a furry. He says his mom's just stressed from the travel, and she doesn't mean it when she yells. At least that's better than his step-dad Rigordo, who absolutely does mean it when he yells.

I'm not gonna let them ruin the fun, though. If I'm lucky, I won't even see them. I've noticed something weird since I got here, though. Is it just me, or does the wind seem really angry?