VELVETEEN vs. Everything You Ever Wanted #4
“Door to door solicitor,” said Velma, behind him.
He turned. She was leaning against the doorframe, smiling a little.
“He was a little freaked out when he realized who I was. I had to give him an autograph to get him to leave. What were we talking about before? I know it was important, but I guess he distracted me so much that I forgot.”
“I was thinking it might be time to take the kids to the beach,” he said, and was rewarded with a bigger, brighter smile, and everything was finally perfect.
* * *
The snow swirled, resolving itself into Jack. She was panting, and looked pained. Velveteen hurried to help her stand up.
“What happened?” Vel asked. “Where’s Aaron?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t find him fast enough. This isn’t my world, and it isn’t my North Pole; it doesn’t like me pulling on its magic. He’s already been overwritten by the life of his cognate.” Jack grimaced, straightening. “I couldn’t convince him to come with me.”
“Dammit, Aaron,” muttered Velveteen. She shook her head. “Why isn’t that happening to us? And where’s Yelena?”
“We’ve both been touched by the Seasons.
I think that makes it harder for the mirrors to reflect us incorrectly.
We’re still ourselves, even when we go to other worlds.
Also, I’m a guy here, and I think that would be weird for all involved.
” Jack pulled another snow globe out of her sweater.
This one had a tiny rainbow in the middle, surrounded by swirling white flecks.
“I don’t know where Lena is, but we need to find her soon, before we lose her too. That, or we need to find the door.”
“I’m not leaving Yelena,” said Velveteen firmly.
“You may not have a choice,” said Jack. “You can only stay in a mirror for so long before it either tries to eat or eject you. Aaron’s already lost. If we both get lost, or worse, thrown out, that’s it.
That’s the carol, chorus and verse. We need to find this door, or we’re never going to find what’s behind it.
We get there, you go through, I’ll stay here and get Lena out. ”
Velveteen looked unsure. Jack forced herself to smile.
“I know you don’t know me,” she said. “I know you’re trying to think of what Jackie would do, and hating me a little bit for still not being her.
But I remember Lena being my friend for years.
I remember how much it hurt when we had to cut her off.
I remember how she stood up for me when Marketing got too aggressive and scared me.
I’m not going to abandon her, even if it means letting you go on alone. ”
There was a long pause before Velveteen nodded, slowly, and said, “Okay. If we find the door, I’ll go through it. But first, we’re finding Yelena.”
Jack didn’t argue.
* * *
“God, Cin, I swear, I don’t know whether petty criminals are getting stupider, or whether I’m just too grown-up to deal with these amateurs.
” Iris—light manipulator, co-captain of The Super Patriots, Inc.
, and utterly exhausted businesswoman in need of a drink—virtually threw herself onto the couch, her powers kicking in automatically at the last moment to soften the landing.
She sagged, letting her eyes slide closed.
“I quit. I retire. I am going to grow roses and write my memoirs.”
“No, you’re not,” said Hyacinth calmly. She stayed in the kitchen, waving her hand above the tiny herb garden and summoning equally tiny storm clouds to rain on the plants and aerate the soil.
“You’d get bored and come out of retirement inside of a week, and you know what that sort of reboot does to your sales numbers.
You’re going to have dinner, and have a good night’s sleep, and go back out tomorrow, ready to make the world safe for truth, justice, and whatever else comes to mind. ”
“I’m going to retire, and I’m going to get another girlfriend. A more supportive girlfriend, who understands the importance of my dreams.”
“Uh-huh,” said Hyacinth indulgently. She had clearly heard all this before: it had the feel and flavor of an oft-repeated routine, the sort of thing that happened at least once a week, in the pause between daytime and dinner.
“Where would you find that sort of woman? And would she be prettier than me? Because let me tell you, lady, I am bangin’. ”
“No question there,” said Iris, tilting her head back and smiling at her partner.
She had had years of experience at concealing her actual feelings.
Before she, Velma, and Aaron had overthrown the old leadership of The Super Patriots, Inc.
, she had been expected to hide almost everything about herself.
So it was only natural that she should put a brave, calm face on her confusion, which had been raging since midway through her daily patrol.
When those robbers had pointed at her and shouted “It’s Iris!
Run!” she had looked behind herself to see who they were talking about.
The code name felt wrong. She couldn’t put her finger on what she expected it to be—certainly not “Sparkle Bright,” a name she had gladly put behind her years ago—but it was still not right. And while Hyacinth might be joking…
She looked at her long-time girlfriend and live-in love, knowing every curve of her body, every shade of her laughter, and couldn’t help feeling like they were strangers, like she was betraying someone else by even being here. Like this, too, was wrong.
“Cin…” she began.
Snow swirled in the middle of the room, clearing to reveal two women, one in what might as well have been ski gear, the other in an old version of Velveteen’s costume. They looked wildly around, finally focusing on her.
“Yelena, thank Santa,” said the stranger, and suddenly there were more important things to worry about than a little existential dread.
Iris stood. Iris spoke.
“Who the fuck,” she asked, in a calm, clear voice, “are you?”
The woman who looked like Velveteen groaned. “Oh, goodie,” she said. “This is going to be fun.”