A Queer Turn of Events

  by Lisa Lees

"Step one is we get out of here, somewhere safer, then make longer range plans. Where do we go?"

"Up north?" said Alyssa. "We're past fall color, so it's pretty dead in most places until we have snow. Assuming we have snow this winter. I think I know a place we can go." She pulled out her cell phone and walked into the hallway by the front door.

"Do we just . . . vanish?" asked Kay.

"Yeh, I think we have to do that," said Tam, looking troubled. "Maybe we could tell Mrs. Carmichael? Anyone who really knows us would ask her, and I trust her not to blab."

"No," said Jami.

"Jami's right, Tam," said Sandy. "We really need to vanish."

Tam looked distressed. "What about my mom, and Alex? Alex will freak if she doesn't know what's happened to me!"

Jami shook her head. "We can find a safe way to get word to a few people, later."

"But..."

"Alex will freak!"

"Wait a minute!"

"But we're not going to tell anyone where we actually are?"

"Right," said Carys, squeezing Jami's hand.

"That sounds good" said Alyssa, returning from the hall. "I have a place for us to stay, and seeing as how we are in fact Wizzy Wig and company, how about we tell people we got a gig we couldn't pass up and are blowing off life here for a week to do it? Shit, maybe we can actually get a gig! I have another idea. Hmm." She flipped open her cell and walked back out to the hall.

Carys nodded. "That will buy us a week to figure out what we're really doing. Right." She looked around the circle of friends. "I want to be on the road by noon Monday. That gives us tomorrow to get ready. Jami and Alyssa can figure out our excuse, figure out where we're going. Crystal and Tam, transportation. Everyone else, packing and logistics. I'm going to keep things moving. Don't plan on sleeping much for a while."

"Sleep?" said Kay. "I feel so wired I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep again!"

Alyssa walked back in from the hall, snapping her cell phone shut. "We have a gig, for real peeps, in Chicago, Friday night!"

"No way!"

"Way. I know people. We're doing a set with another group. No money, but it's real. And we can begin to get our message out."

"Chicago! Where the fuck are we going to stay?"

"Working on that. We go up north first, then to Chi Town."

"Alyssa? My sister Caitlin is in Chicago. She's cool with me and Jami and Tam," said Carys.

"Then I guess, as family, it'd be okay to ask her for help. But don't tell her the real story."

"Okay." Can I lie to Cait? She always seems to know.

Jami was looking at her, clearly reading her mind.

"Honey, it's going to be okay."

Jami drew a deep breath, not convinced.

"Hey!" said Alyssa. "Friday is Halloween! How cool is that, our first gig on the run on Halloween? You all can dress up as something scary!"

Jami turned to stare at Alyssa. "Dress up! Hell yes, beginning now!" She smiled. "Hey, Emi! Come with me. We need to work on disguises."

"We have a gig!"

Jami stepped into the hallway.

* * *

"What are they doing up there?" said Rachel, as another burst of giggling broke out in the room that Jami, Carys and Tam used.

"I suspect we'll see before too long," said Carys. "At least they seem to be taking their minds off what's going on."

"And they're probably not having sex, with all that noise," said Tam, poking Rachel with hir elbow.

Carys glared at hir. "That was not a helpful comment, dear."

The door opened upstairs. Emiko stepped to the landing railing. "Mina! We are done with Jami!" She looked back into the darkened room.

Jami stepped into the hallway. The ceiling lights cast stark shadows across her face.

"Oh. My. God." breathed Carys.

"Wow!" was all Tam could manage to say.