Ja’Marco’s eyes flew open as he was soon greeted by the first beams of the rising sun before his ears were soon greeted by the sound of his phone’s alarm clock. “I slept like a log,” he muttered, shutting off his alarm before noticing that he had over twenty missed calls from his mother alongside six voicemails. “Well, I have a feeling that Mom is ready to grill me thick,” he replied. “But I need a shower before I can even deal with her.”

Stifling yet another yawn, he shuffled out of the bed and made a beeline for the dresser to pick out some clothes just as there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” he replied sleepily.

Mrs. Freeman walked inside. “Good morning,” she greeted him. “I trust that you had a nice night’s sleep.”

“Ginger peachy, given that your cooking helped me unwind and almost allowed me the ability to sleep through a hurricane,” Ja’Marco commented. “And I take it that my family is downstairs waiting for me?”

She sent him a sad and apologetic smile. “You just missed them,” she replied. “They all had an early morning with your brothers and cousins working hard at the pool at GVA and your father and uncles out and about with their jobs. But they’ll see you plenty at lunch today since your mother basically demanded your father to have you meet them.”

Ja’Marco’s phone rang, his mother’s number flashing on the screen. “Speak of the devil, she’s calling me now,” he replied as he hit ANSWER. “Good morning to you too, Mom. I just woke up.”

“So I can tell. And I’m not too pleased with you playing keep-away with your father and brothers,” Melinda Hedare’s domineering voice rang in his ear. “Francis and his family were upset with you not staying up to greet them. I get that you were tired from that bus ride, but you could’ve at least made an effort be courteous.”

Called it, the teenager thought to himself dourly. “Mom, it’s not like I don’t want to meet them, I was just-“

“Save it. You’ll have the morning to do what you want to do, but you’ll be expected to give those men your undivided attention at lunch,” Melinda cut her son off. “This isn’t up for any debate, young man. You’ve been acting like you’re too good for everyone except those little nobodies that you hang out with and it’s time that you start spending time with winners. Make it happen, Ja’Marco Hedare.”

Click.

“Great,” Ja’Marco said as he tossed his phone onto the bed. “Mom’s already hounding me because I missed the Quitmans last night. She thinks that I’m being a snob for standing them up when it’s them who missed me.”

“Well, I didn’t make it better since I failed to get them to come home so you can meet them properly,” Mrs. Freeman said, though her tone was rueful. “Anyway, my other granddaughter Chanel is set to meet you at the local coffeehouse to give you a welcome-to-town breakfast she’s hosting with her friends. She’s around your age and is planning to start junior year like you are, so you’ll be among people who will be around to give you support. But you’re to come back here to dress up for this lunch I’m putting together for your father and his brood. I hope you like seafood.”

“I like it enough.”

“Good. Now, head to the shower and then get ready. Gwen is soon to arrive in an hour to take you to Sweet Java Joan’s, so get a move on.”

Ja’Marco was too happy to oblige, needing something to get his mind off of his mother’s condescending and self-righteous demands. As far as the Quitman family were concerned, they could wait until lunchtime to meet him. He needed to hear about what the rest of the townspeople thought of them. And if Chanel and her friends were like Gwen and Greg from the other day, he had a slight feeling that there was a mystery to discover- one that he wasn’t too sure he wanted to solve.

***********

“Chanel Freeman,” a leggy and model-worthy blonde with the same blue eyes as her grandmother said as she and three other teenagers greeted Gwen and Ja’Marco at the door of the spacious coffeehouse before leading him to a private table.

“Kristien Yuen,” a thin and petite Korean young woman introduced herself, she and Chanel being dressed up in similar denim short shorts, open-toe heels, and strapless blouse tops that showed off their stomachs.

“Jose Bermudez-Castro,” came the deep Cuban voice of an athletic Hispanic dude dressed in black Nike shorts and a white t-shirt.

“LaVanna Thade,” a plush and curvy Black girl dressed demurely in pastels.

“And we all want to welcome you to Glenview Valley, Rhode Island, Ja’Marco,” Chanel finished as they all took their seats with the waiters serving them coffee and breakfast pastries. “Although in my opinion, I think that you should’ve stayed in California because you being related to the Quitman men is like a death sentence.”

“I had a feeling you’d say something similar like your cousin Gwen did,” Ja’Marco sighed, accepting a bran muffin. “And to be honest, I really don’t know what I’m getting myself to despite being bullied into moving here by my mother since we’re all moving to town.”

“Ouch,” Kristen winced. “Let me guess, she’s the one who forces to stop being anti-social and all that?”

“Obviously. My stepdad, stepsister, aunt, uncle, cousin, and even my grandparents are the same way. If they’re not hounding me to join clubs at my old school, they were bugging me about the Quitmans and for me to get to know them better. So when the announcement came for me to meet them and move here, I knew that I wasn’t going to argue out of this one.”

“Well, they might as well have signed your death certificate,” Chanel sniffed. “Listen close, Hedare. The Quitmans are all connected to the rest of these rich all-male families that can make the modeling industry go gaga over them. And while many fans will say that you’ve hit the jackpot, the rest of us here know the truth: being related to them and being one of them…well, I hate for you to find out the hard way, that is if you don’t get caught up in this.”

“She’s right, child,” LaVanna agreed, nodding. “My whole kinfolk here came from Texas and we met them firsthand. It only took a day to know that this town is too full of scandalous ideals to know them further.”

“My abuela and mother warned me about them when we met them two years ago, the same time when I met Thade,” Jose agreed. “I only rode with Francis from my summer job at the local bistro once and that was enough for me. I still cross myself and perform a rosary when I do my second shift for the paper route and I pass that house.” He crossed himself three times and pulled out his rosary beads.

“Mom and I learned the hard way when Dad and my brother started getting too close to your brothers, kid,” Kristen commented. “Next thing I knew, they both left home and left my mother feeling betrayed.”

“But what is it about my family that-“ Ja’Marco began.

“Trust us, Hedare,” Chanel cut him off, an urgent look in her eyes. “The moment that you’ll meet them face to face at that lunch later on, you’ll soon see the signs of the magic that lingers in this town. And once you do, you’ll start making plans to leave this place as we will after junior year. And with you attending Glenview Valley Academy this fall, you’ll see more and more of what really lies underneath it.”

All Ja’Marco could do was nod his head.

Chanel sensed his unease and confusion, her fearful looks softening as she reached for his hand. “Look, Hedare, we don’t mean to scare you or anything since you’re the new kid in town,” she began. “And if it wasn’t for you going to GVA, I think you might have fit in with us when we start at South Vincent High soon. But you’re from one of THOSE families that some of the townsfolk don’t really want to associate with. The rest of them are either blind to the truth or mainly young men who are a part of that crowd. It’s only fair to let you know of this since La’Vanna’s related your friends, Ro’Niah Adamson and Kimani Turner.”

At the mention of the two names, Ja’Marco’s eyes went wide. “Wait, how-“ he started to ask just before his phone rang. “Hello?” he answered.

“I can’t believe that your mother sent you to that town!” the countrified voice of his best friend said indignantly. “Kimani and I did a search of that town and heard from LaVanna that you got sent there by that witch. And child, you are in trouble!”

“And hello to you too, Adamson,” Ja’Marco said, bemused by the son of two ministers’ no-nonsense candor. “Yeah, Mom sent me to meet the Quitmans and I’m going to be staying in this town whether I want to or not. But something tells me that I need to-“

“All the better for the LA Calvary to be at your side, Hedare,” Ro’Niah replied. “I forwarded the news to the others and we’ll be there before school starts in September. Hold on to your britches, because Hurricane Adamson is coming with a vengeance!”

“See you soon, Adamson.”

They disconnected.

“Good to have a few allies by your side, Hedare,” Chanel commented. “Just make sure to follow these rules when attending GVA.”

“One, never let yourself be near anyone who might seduce you into their wiles,” Jose began. “Make sure to keep a small cross or a religious token on hand to keep your mind sharp and alert.”

“Two, when it comes to the extracurricular activities, do NOT join them,” Kristen added. “Just being a part of their social climb can lead you to assimilating into their world.”

“Three, stay away from any parties or gatherings unless you absolutely have to,” LaVanna piped up. “From what I’ve heard, that’s when the guys are at their sensual peak and just being there for even a minute can lead to something that you’ll later regret, if not wanting more.”

“But most of all, Hedare? Obey this rule at all costs,” Chanel said firmly. “Rule number four: Never, EVER, go to the beaches or the pool, even if you’re family demands that you do so. I can’t really tell you the whole story myself since I was…well, let’s just say that I was a witness to what happened and was told to keep it a secret. But what I will tell you is that the beaches of Glenview Valley and the pool at GVA are full of that sensual magic that lies in this town. Once you step into the waters, you’ll gradually lose your identity.”

Ja’Marco nodded slowly, his mind full of questions as he took in the information. “Well, I have a feeling that my two years here at Glenview Valley are going to be full of mystery,” he said. “For now, I need to prepare myself for this lunch, so let’s talk about something more pleasant to keep me distracted.”

Because if I know better, I bet Mom knows more than what she says she does, he thought to himself as he let the small group of friends take him on a morning tour of the downtown district. And it’s all the more reason why I’m grateful for my LA friends to come to town with their families. Glenview Valley isn’t ready for the likes of Ro’Niah Adamson, Kimani Hedare, Candide Weston, or Marquez Howard.

     *************

After a morning spent with Chanel and her friends touring downtown with promises to call them for support, Ja’Marco was back at his new home and currently fussing his choice of outfit- a canary-yellow dress shirt with tan slacks and oxfords. “I hope that I don’t make a total fool of myself meeting these people,” he said to his reflection as he fussed with his cross pendant (a gift from Candide on his thirteenth birthday). “And after what I’ve heard from Chanel and her friends, maybe it won’t be a bad thing if I decide to skip out. But if I do that, then Mom and everyone back home will really give me grief for this. Nope, I might as well go through with this like a man and meet the Quitmans. And besides, this could be an opportunity to do my own investigation: The Secrets of Glenview Valley. Hmm, not too shabby.”

There was a knock at the door, Mrs. Lancaster stepping inside. “Are you ready to meet the family?” she asked him.

Ja’Marco inhaled deeply. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied. “Time to meet the Quitmans.”

He followed the older woman out the bedroom and down the hallway, the sounds of boisterous laughter emanating from downstairs. No going back now, Ja’Marco Hedare, he told himself as he slowly walked down the stairs. Whatever happens next, you got this.

But gentle reader, whatever confidence the young man had soon flew out of the window once he stepped into the spacious family room and was greeted with the sight of nine sea-green eyes staring right back at him.

“Oh, God."

Dun-dun-DUN! What do you think will happen at the brunch in the next chapter? Will Ja'Marco decide to listen to his family and give the Quitmans a chance? Or will he take heed to the warnings of Chanel and the gang and decide to cut himself loose? Stay tuned for the next chapter and find out!

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