The day after Estel bought me my new phone I decide to call Uncle Derrick. He wanted to take me to live with him in Boston after his brother, my dad, died, but he's married to hell in heels. A woman filled with so much vinegar, I don't know how Uncle Derrick hasn't pickled laying next to her all these years.

The air has stilled, and the plants sag as if weighted down by the moisture in the air. This is one aspect of being in the mountains I've not grown accustomed to—humidity. Sometimes I walk into the cabin damp and it's not raining and I'm not sweaty.

I have to make this call short if I want to survive the rest of training today. The number I've memorized is typed before I can even think.

"Hello, who's this?" A familiar voice says.

"It's me."

"Mickie, Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks."

There's a pause. Maybe I need to say something else.

Finally, Uncle Derrick speaks. "I haven't heard from you lately."

"I'm not that late with my monthly check-in."

"I'm glad you called. I received a call from a lawyers office in Dallas."

"Why's that 'mportant to me?"

"You need to get to Dallas somehow. Can you catch a bus from Avens?"

"I'm not in Avens anymore."

"Where are you then? I need to know in case I need to send you more money."

I stop and steel my nerves. "That won't be necessary. Someone found me and brought me to my birth family. Well, my cousins anyway. My birth parents left me too, sixteen years ago."

"I'm sorry Mickie."

"For what?"

"That I couldn't bring you to Boston."

"And live with the Queen Bitch. Nope, I don't believe that would have worked. Coño."

"Mickie." He chides like I'm five years old.

"What? You know she doesn't like me. And I wasn't going to ruin your marriage just to live with you."

"You know it was more complicated than that."

"Sure, but we've already talked about that. Like beating a dead horse."

He chuckles, and it does lighten my heart. I wish I could hate him for not raising me, but I got over that a long time ago.

"Anyway, what's this 'bout some lawyers lookin' for me? Am I in trouble?" I ask.

"Hardly. Apparently, your parents left wills. The wills were supposed to be read when you turned 18. I didn't know anything about these wills. The lawyers told me that they looked for you, but when you ran away from the last foster home, they just couldn't find you."

"Cause I didn't wanna be found. Why'd they reach out to ya now?"

"There is a stipulation in the wills that if they aren't read by the time you turn 21, they forfeit their fees. Since you just turned 20, I suppose that lit a fire under their butts to find you. They started calling Russell and Gina's next of kin letting them know they were looking for you."

"What's in these wills?"

"I have no idea. Russell never indicated that he had a will that left anything to you or anyone for that matter. I'm guessing Gary would be the Executor of your dad's estate. When Gary didn't contact me after your dad's death, I thought he didn't leave a will."

"Ya mean Gary Lombardi, who was livin' in Italy the last time I knew?"

"I heard that Gary moved back to the States in 2017. I don't have any other information than that."

"It appears that if these lawyers are lookin' for me and will lose fees if they don't find me, there must be somethin' 'mportant in those wills."

"Are you going to go back?"

"Not sure. I have a new life. I don't wanna look back at those dark times."

"Here's an incentive. What if Gary has to give your Aunt Angie a portion of the estate if you aren't found and Angie sues?"

"That pinche puta. She doesn't deserve anathin'."

"I agree with you, but I can't stop her if the estate now has a chance to be claimed."

"I'll think 'bout it. I can't promise anathin', but I will consider everythin'. Do ya have to show up?"

"Not that I know of, but that doesn't mean if Aunt Angie sues the lawyers won't call me down."

"Pinche puta."

"Mickie, I already know how you feel. Just think about it. I love you."

"You too."

After the phone call, I'm in a tailspin. What should I do? I don't want to go back to Texas now. All the bad is still sitting there, as far as I know.

Estel notices my distress when I return to the cabin.

She begins to approach me, but I shake my head. "Can we talk in the morning, madre?"

Her steps falter, but she looks at me with a frown. "Sure."

I head up to my room, and my mind is still spinning as I sit on the bed. I try to meditate to calm myself, but my thoughts won't allow me to be still. I want to get a handle on this information, so I lean over and get the journal Estel got me from the bedside table. Maybe writing something down will help. Maybe writing about some memories of Gary Lombardi might bring in some answers.

My first thought was about Dad and Gary's shared love for Dad's 1964 Pontiac GTO.

Dad and Gary were hunched under the hood.

"Can I help?" I ask peeking over the front.

"Sure, short stuff. Can you reach this?" Gary asks while pointing at a carburetor.

He was attempting to be funny, but I showed him. I jumped up on the bumper, grabbed the wrench from him and proceeded to work on loosening the bolt.

I hear my dad laugh behind me. "You should know not to challenge her by now."

"I guess not. When are you going to teach her to drive?" Gary asks Dad.

"Next summer when school is over."

"Do you think she'll be up for the challenge?"

I snapped my head around and stuck my tongue out at him.

Dad's smile broadens. "I think she just rose to your last challenge." Dad ruffled my hair. "I should remember that next time I want her to clean her room."

Dad never got to teach me to drive. Just one more thing taken from me. Tears pour, and my anger grows. The journal slams against the wall, and I'm shocked at being able to do this without thinking about it—or at least I don't think I did. But it shouldn't have been a surprise, I made the ground shake in Maple Valley just thinking about Boyd. Puta madre.

My anger continues to build.

A knock sounds.

"Are you okay, Mick?" Tally calls out through the door.

"I'll be fine. I'll see you later."

"Okay," she responds before I hear footsteps retreating.

How did I get so lucky to find a family that understands me and loves me unconditionally—I guess they do.

My thoughts tumble around in my head, and I get dizzy trying to catch them. My anger doesn't dissipate, it simply grows until I feel the bed shake.

"Mi loba," Estel yells. "You need to calm down."

"I can't." I cry out.

"I'm coming in." and before I can respond Estel is walking into the bedroom.

"Do we need to go somewhere safer?" she asks cautiously.

When the bed continues to move, I nod.

Estel helps me up, and we quickly leave the cabin. We go down the familiar path to Tanner's Mudhole. The area is bright with the afternoon sun beaming down, and with no breeze, the temperature has only risen.

"Now, what's wrong?" she asks.

I tell Estel everything. If I can't trust Estel, my life is hopeless. I relay the story I got from Uncle Derrick. Everything. Every word.

"There seems to be only one option. We go to Texas," Estel says after I finish.

"You don't have to go with me."

"And let you loose on Texas? I think not."

I chuckle. "I can imagine me causing an earthquake near Dallas. The meteorologists would be scrambling to find the epicenter and scratch their heads wondering if it was caused by humans or not, because I've heard of that happening." We laugh at the thought.

"You could cause wide-spread destruction at the rate that your abilities are improving."

"Only when I'm highly emotional. I don't really see that as improving."

"You could if we could find a way to help you bring your reactions in. It's okay to feel those things. The hurt. The betrayal. The loss. Those are valid, but you have to learn to control what happens inside that manifests out where normal people can see. It endangers all of us.

"I understand. But how can I accomplish that?"

"Let me think about it. Let's talk about something more positive."

Estel tells me about growing up on the island, and by the time we are done, she has me laughing again. I miss laughing. I haven't laughed much in the last five months until I came to the cabin. Emotions bubble up, but I work hard to push them back because now isn't the time to deal with them.

We talk about plans to return to Texas, but this time we are going to travel by plane. Luckily, my dad took us on plane trips quite often, so riding in one doesn't scare me. The plan is to celebrate the anniversary of the Erbyn Revolt, although to me I don't see anything to celebrate. Then we will leave for Texas.

Estel makes all of the arrangements and the plan is now set in stone. Now I need to figure out what to do if I run into my past. It's probably inevitable to run into Boyd since I want to say goodbye to the rest of the Outcasts. I didn't say a proper goodbye before, but now I know that I'm not going back to Texas permanently. I've found my family.

____________________

[A/N]:

Coño [Spanish] - Meaning C*nt

And yes, this is as offensive as it gets.  No different than English. Be very aware before you decide to use this word to someone else, you may be in danger.

https://www.rypeapp.com/blog/spanish-swear-words/