comedysituation.act1p1

scenes i-x

Yeah How About No

           On a cloudy day in early 1999, in the nice part of the sprawling suburb of Desert Tree that quietly sat in the shadow of the Californian city of Royal Valley, a doorbell ring sounded out across the interior of a big house. It was a lovely, clean home with perfectly placed furniture. One nice enough to be the set in a sitcom. Seventh-grader Lucy Elaine, freshly thirteen years old, answered the door to let in a new friend, Lex Skyler, who had been one of the coolest girls in elementary school—and now easily middle school, as well. This hangout wasn’t scheduled in advance, and a lot was riding on its success. The two had been acquaintances for about a year, but this was Lucy’s big chance to get into Lex’s circle of friends. And shy Lucy really needed this, lest she become a social outcast.

           “Hey… Lex,” Lucy said and, after pushing back her dangling ponytail, gave the always-confident Ms. Skyler a smile. “It’s, um, really cool that you asked to visit.”

           Lex gave her a coy smirk and came in, hands in pockets as they often were. “Ya know, Luce, I could make time to come over and chill if you called me. I like the whole nonconformist thing that’s so you, but you aren’t really the type to reach out, huh?”

           “I, uh… I don’t make many phone calls, no.”

           “I mean, it would keep me from having to say junk like, ‘well, all my regular friends are away for spring break.’ Kinda true, though. Hey, nice place you got,” Lex said, looking around at a house ready to be displayed on the market if it needed to be.

           As she led the way into the spacious living room with two full-sized couches, Lucy apologized over the TV noise that was growing louder as they got closer, “Sorry, this is one of the weekends where my brother’s over. Uh, half­-brother, actually.”

           Lex snickered and patted Lucy’s arm with the back of her hand. “Aw, you don’t need to be embarrassed. I know about Wes. From Morning Dew, remember? And his bud Zach gave me the keys to The Dump for fifth grade. Good guy, from what I hear.”

           “Annoying sometimes, though,” Lucy muttered. “Always going on about the stuff he’s seen or played. Makes me wonder if he’s only a pop culture gumball machine.”

           Lex snorted. “Luce, I like you, but you shouldn’t be so judgmental. I’m sure Wes has a lot of deep thoughts of his own. Even if…” Lex stopped and looked at Wes, who was sprawled out on one of the sofas in his socks and playing his new purple Game Boy Color, while ignoring Nick Jr. blasting from the large TV. “Is he watching Little Bear?”

           Startled by the guest, Wes scrambled and muted the sound. “Luce, who is… Oh.”

           “Oh?” Lex grinned. “Nah, I get it. Not much to watch on weekday daytime TV, but on the other hand, you don’t get to experience it so often, so you have to put it on.”

           Wes rolled his eyes. “It’s not that deep, Lex. I just like the background noise.”

           “You do recognize me,” Lex said after plopping onto the other couch with Lucy.

           “Not at first, with the short hair. Ya barely look like a girl anymore. No offense.” After Lex shrugged, Wes underhand-tossed over the remote control. “Go wild.”

           Lex started channel-surfing with TV still muted, quickly skipping past any soap operas and daytime talk shows. “You got premium cable. Sweet. What have you been watching these days, Wes? Some of those reality shows? Post music video MTV?”

           “Nah. I hate stuff like that. I’m still a Nick and Cartoon Network kid. And a bit of Disney when I’m over here. A lot of guys my age wouldn’t admit it anymore, but… Recess takes me back to my recess days. And Hey Arnold! is so good. He reminds me of a good friend. Who liked helping people… Not much to watch during the day, though.”

           “I bet I can find something. For me and Luce to make fun of, if nothing else.”

           As the minutes wore on and Lex scanned channels, Lucy began to feel a little more relaxed and slid deeper into the sofa cushions. Her idol Lex, it turned out, was just another kid who could idle and loaf with style like any other. She must’ve had some very particular tastes when it came to shows or movies to lampoon, though, as she kept going all the way into the obscure upper channels where Lucy never bothered venturing.

           Eventually, she double-backed on a certain channel, after seeing a few frames of a vaguely familiar black-haired boy wearing shades. When she returned to it, the camera had zoomed out to show him telling a story to his suburban parents and bossy big sister as they sat on a white vinyl couch. He seemed to be describing a problem he had.

           “Oh my God. I thought this looked familiar. What channel are we even on? I don’t recognize the logo,” Lex wondered. “Luce, did you watch this show when it was new?”

           Lucy shrugged. “I don’t know what it is. I think this is some channel where they dump re-runs for, like, weird forgotten shows. My mom watches it sometimes.”

           “I’m not surprised. No one really talks about it. It’s called No it All! And that’s not the k-n-o-w know. It’s about this genius but socially awkward Japanese kid who gets adopted into an American family. Kind of like an Urkel character, you know?”

           “Lemme guess. He has an annoying catchphrase,” Wes said, eyes still on his game.

           “Sort of. His whole shtick is… Hold on, I think it’s coming up.”

           She unmuted so they could hear the classic Mike Brady-style fatherly advice from the balding working-class dad, starting mid-speech, “… And that’s why you just need to meet with your history teacher and talk this out, Kaito. Look, we know how smart you are and that you have no reason to cheat, but Mr. Renard just doesn’t know you yet.”

           At this point, the show cut to a second camera that zoomed in so that Kaito’s face filled the screen. He stared into the lens, mugged for a bit in ways to suggest deep contemplation, and after an overlong ten seconds of this, he smirked knowingly and said, “Nah. I think I got a better idea.” Cue the live audience laughter.

           “Lame,” Wes grumbled and returned his full attention to his handheld game.

           Lex turned down the TV and explained, “See, it’s subversive. Kaito’s always getting into these typical sitcom setups, and gets the usual advice from his family on how to fix things, but instead of following it—and sometimes you think he’s about to—he goes on his own path. Usually with a complex, over-the-top plan. That’s why it’s called No it All! He says… no to everything. Some hook, huh? And everything works out by the credits.” She shrugged and brought up the remote control again. “But it’s kinda stupid, yeah.”

           “Hold on,” Lucy said as her wide, intrigued eyes absorbed the show. “So, he’s a rebel? Does the opposite of what he’s told to do? I… kind of want to see how it ends.”

           A little over twenty-five years later, a real-world teenager named Jace and all of his friends, stuck in some early dog days of post 9^th grade summer, were in his room and wasting time on their devices. They were too bored even for a multiplayer video game, and that June was proving to have a lack of good PG or PG-13 movies to go see.

           Emiko was off in her own world of Inside Out fan art following the group seeing its sequel a few days prior, mostly to ridicule the OC emotions that were reflected in her glasses. Austin and Chad, on floor beanbags, took turns showing each other the dumb “fail” videos they were finding on social media, while Jamie, with genuine but mild interest, skimmed through the periodic table on Wikipedia to see which elements were stable for the least amount of time. Jace was content with drifting in and out of sleep on a pre-owned loveseat by his sunny window, while his cousin Warren and best friend Laurie burned electricity by seeing who could generate the stupidest AI images.

           A knock at the door broke up the monotony, and in walked Jace’s uncle Wes like a surprise guest on a TV show filmed in front of a live audience. It certainly felt that way, since with perfect timing, loud cheering and clapping blasted out from Toby’s phone from his spot at Jace’s desk. He was the only one with his sound up, and it startled Wes.

           “Freaking… heck, Toby,” he said as he waited for his breathing to steady. “You think you have that up loud enough? I wasn’t expecting to hear that when I came in.”

           “Sorry, bro,” the chillest of the group said with a shrug and lowered the volume a few notches. “Watching concert highlights. Don’t you like to make an entrance?”

           “Ah… no, not really… Man, your generation’s bored and mine’s bored are not the same,” he muttered as he looked around at all the screens. “Why’d I come in… Oh, yeah. Jace! Wake up, bud. Warren, take a break with the AI slop. You two need to get cleaned up for the… thing tonight.” Wes, in a dress shirt and nice pants, turned to his nephew’s closet mirror and combed his hair down a bit with his fingers. “They really make a show of stuff like this. I’d be fine with not doing it, but if your moms and aunts are dragging me out there, you’re coming, too. Free nice dinner, at least.”

           Jace wiped away the little bit of drool on his mouth and groggily sat up. “Can’t you just let Jared go get the award for the both of you if you hate it so much?”

           Emiko turned her screen off and gave Wes one of her bubbly smiles. “You should be proud of your big award, Mr. Colton! I have played all five of your games now, and I think you definitely deserve a… a thing for all that hard work.”

           “Thank you, Emiko. How kind,” Wes replied as he sloppily put on a tie in the mirror. “But I haven’t cared much for the spotlight, or celebrating, you know… me for years. Not since I was a kid. Maybe it’s more about the company, but still… I hate this.”

           “So, what are you gonna do when you get on the big games award show?” Chad asked, a little facetiously. “But… most of the actual event is super cringe, anyway, so…”

           Wes laughed off the threat, checked his watch, and turned to the group. “Okay, we do have a few minutes. Everyone up. I got something educational to show you.”

           “Aw, Dad, not another nostalgia trip…” Warren groaned.

           “It’s not me. This is actually one of Aunt Lucy’s rare throwback moments. So, I’ll be right there making fun of it with you. Let’s go, kids, up!” he commanded, getting the gang slouch-standing with a few claps. “I know, it sucks. You were all so busy.”

           Jace had seldom seen his mom so antsy as he and his friends emerged from their den. She had that same look of excited nostalgia that his uncle sometimes still got.

           “Jace, come over and sit by me,” she said, patting the couch and relegating his pals to standing or sitting on the rug. “I want to show you something I almost forgot all about. Assuming your uncle managed to find any episodes. How’d the search go, Wes?”

           “You know I don’t do things half way,” Wes moaned, grabbing the Roku remote and navigating to the home media server app on Lucy’s big flatscreen. “It was a tough search, but I was able to download the whole series. Someone even AI-upscaled it, too.” He added in a mutter, “God knows why they made the effort… Uh, any particular episode?”

           “Yeah. Um, I think it has ‘bike’ in the title? Keep scrolling down… More…”

           “What’s No it All!?” Austin asked as Wes browsed on the show’s home page, then selected an episode titled I Broke the Bike and hit the play button.

           “A show Lex and I used to watch. Well, re-runs of. It only lasted a season.”

           With picture quality that cable channels didn’t have in the late 90s, a very typical sitcom introduction with a snappy song filled the screen, showing highlights, laughing, life in some dreamed-up fanciful suburb, and faces above actor names. Wes got out a groan within the first five seconds, but joined Lucy and Jace on the sofa anyway.

           “When you wanna have your own say, he’ll come along to brighten your day! Why do things the same old way, he’ll make it fun, come what may! He’s the Nooo it Allll!” the song went and, with Emiko already humming along to it, finished with the family of four’s coordinated jump onto the set’s couch. Cut to a guitar riff over a static image of the house, give it a little zoom in, and open on the big sister with a ridiculous haircut doing her homework.

           “Hey, Alicia!” her adopted Japanese brother Kaito said after strutting into the kitchen set. “You should come out and see this new top-of-the-line sweet bike Greg’s letting me borrow for the week while he’s out of town! It’s pretty fly!”

           Alicia rolled her eyes and put down her pencil to cockily reply, “Why would anyone lend you their bike, Kaito? You’re always screwing up. It won’t even last a day.”

           As the hackneyed sibling banter continued, Wes spoke over them, “Anyone want to bet on whether they go ‘out’ to see the bike? Heck, if the bike even shows up?”

           “Um, what kind of show is this, exactly?” Chad asked. “It’s obviously old, but…”

           “Haven’t you seen a sitcom before?” Laurie replied.

           “Nah. Streamers only at my house, remember? Oh, wait, this is like that Too Many Cooks thing from years ago, right? Oooooh, that was making fun of garbage like this!”

           “That made fun of 80s shows, specifically,” Wes noted as Lucy scowled. “This feels just like one, though, seeing it again… What year did this run again, Luce?”

           “In ’97. But I had no idea it existed until ’99. And, yeah, it feels ten years too late, but what the critics kept missing is that it’s supposed to seem dated. It’s satire, even if it doesn’t come out and say it. The whole angle is that Izuki Satoro’s character… that’s the cool, Zach-like kid in the shades… He’s an outsider who comes in and, no matter what advice others give him, he goes and comes up with these crazy ideas instead.”

           As the parents joined the scene, Warren let out a low sigh. “Ugh… This is why I hate most sitcoms! Talk, talk, talk… All the scenes stretch out so long. It’s always just a bunch of characters walking around some perfectly lit set, saying their lines. I mean, Dad, I liked watching, ya know, Malcolm in the Middle with you way back, but stuff like this just, I dunno, doesn’t work for me. If there’s an audience, they laugh at the dumbest jokes, and why don’t they ever go outside? How much can it cost to do a scene outside?”

           “There have been a few good ones over the decades, but I mostly agree with you, kid,” Wes replied. He added after a laugh, “I remember an episode of Saved by the Bell—a show I hate-watched, I’ll always remind you—that had a driver’s ed segment shot inside of a classroom, with the kids driving, like… a golf cart or something. It was insane.”

           Lucy scowled again. “Come on, Wes, don’t be so cruel. Sitcoms might be simple and low-budget, but a lot of them are beloved and call back to the early days of TV.”

           “Sure, fine. They’re just easy to make fun of, and… Did he just tell his sister to ‘chillax, home skillet?’ Ah, man. There were limits even I abided by with slang when I was around my contemporaries. I’m glad you kids aren’t into the brainrot lingo.”

           “Mmm… Toby would disown us,” Jamie said as he boredly watched the show.

           “Because I see past today, ‘home skillet,’” Toby replied with a subtle chortle. “I don’t want to ‘hate-watch’ videos of myself saying ‘rizz’ or ‘Ohio’ in ten years.”

           “Okay, I’m only sticking around to see if the bike is an actual prop or not,” Wes stated after the kitchen scene finally ended, with a cross-fade transition to a stale school hallway set full of overly-dressed teenagers. “I think this episode is actually coming back to me, but this is definitely one of those shows I only have weird, fuzzy memories of.”

           Somehow, everyone was able to get through another five minutes or so, and all without much commentary. They watched as Kaito entered and returned to the living room, wearing a disappointed face and with his clothes slightly scuffed. His dad muted the TV and asked what happened, and he revealed the episode’s situation.

           “I can’t believe it. There I was, cruising down Central, when all of a sudden, a guy in a Ferrari pulls out right in front of me. I know I can’t hit a car like that, so I swerve to the side, run right into a pothole deeper than the Grand Canyon, and next thing I know, I’m toppled over and the bike’s flying through the air! Phew, oh boy… It crashes down and looks fine—until a garbage truck runs over it! Now it’s totally mangled!”

           “Would’ve been cool to see that…” Chad said with a disappointed grumble.

           “Oh, Kaito,” his mom replied with an empathetic tilt of her head. “I’m afraid you’re just going to have apologize to Greg. I’m sure he’ll understand. Maybe you can help him buy a new bicycle? We’ll pay you if you do some yard work around here.”

           This was the moment that every episode led up to, that put the audience at the edge of their seat. Will the sly Japanese boy who blazes his own trail take the advice of his family this time? The camera zooms in, and he rubs his chin. Opens his mouth as if to say something, closes it. Thinks some more. Squints his eyes. The suspense of it all.

           “Hm. No. No, I think I have a better idea,” he said with a trademark cocky grin.

           The show faded to black for non-existent commercials, and after it came back with a scene of Kaito talking to a group of what was apparently the school’s notorious bicycle gang, Lucy spoke up, “Okay, I’m going to get this out there before you kids find out from someone else. Lex and I… might have made something of a No it All! fan club in eighth grade. There were six of us in it at one point. We met at the school library.”

           “Wooow…” Laurie scoffed. “Did you have a crush on the actor or something?”

           Lucy clenched her teeth a little. “Um… God, this is embarrassing… I actually did have my first crush on Kaito for a little bit, yes. The character, not the actor so much. See, Izuki is mysterious. He disappeared after the show, and little is known about him.”

           “Well, Luce, you do have a thing for bad boys,” Wes remarked, and noticed the car pulling up on her driveway. “Uh-oh. Sadie and Sally are here. You can explain this to them.” He got up to let them in. “Jace, Warren, get dressed as soon as this is over.”

           “Aw, you mean we can’t binge the whole series?” Warren continued his snark.

           “Wait, wait, wait.” Wes’ wife Sadie pinched her nose as daughter Sally swayed at her side, also watching the cool boy on the screen roll an expensive bicycle onto the living room set, getting shocked reactions from his family. “I missed the first half, but I get that he busted up a bike. And his solution was to… enter a stunt bike competition offscreen, where the prize is a stunt bike? He somehow wins, paints it to look like the one he broke… And his friend falls for the, ‘look, I upgraded it!’ thing? Is that right?”

           “Yep,” Wes confirmed. “I’m just surprised they could afford to rent a real one.”

           “That is completely absurd. Luce, you liked this show when you were a kid? Did it even teach anything? Other than how lying and being contrarian is okay and cool?”

           “It was a guilty pleasure kind of show!” Lucy fired back as the episode ended on a freeze frame of Kaito giving a thumbs up with his prize. “With the kind of rules-based parents I had, can you blame me for… Oh, Wes! Pay attention to the credits!”

           “Hm?” Wes looked up from his phone and did as he was asked, keeping his eyes on the rapid yellow text scroll. “Yeah… not recognizing any of the actors. Did any of them go on to do anything decent? Or did they… Hooold on…” His eyes got just a little bigger a few seconds before the closing logos. “Did I see that Lincoln Bartles was a producer of this show?” The kids stared at him as if this was someone they should know. “Guys! He designed King Arcade. What. Luce, where was this filmed?”

           Lucy flashed a Kaito-style grin. “Ah, didn’t know that piece of 90s trivia, did you? The show is so far the only one shot on the park’s soundstage. The last episode was even filmed in the park, when the family visits a place called ‘Awesome World.’ No joke. So, yes, they did shoot outdoors once, and probably blew the rest of the budget on it.”

           “No way. Okay, Luce, the show itself is still crap, but now I have to give it just a bit of respect. I need to look that up. How’d I not know? Did they bury its history?”

           “Lucy, what made you think of this show, anyway?” Sadie wondered.

           “Well, actually… Izuki is making a public appearance and doing signings down at the mall, tomorrow. It was Lex who noticed the story and sent it to me. It’s a big deal to the dozen or so fans of the show, because he’s really coming out of some deep cave.”

           “Hm… mm-hm…” Sadie looked around at the teens who were returning to their devices. “Anyway, honey, speaking of celebrities—we need to get you downtown.”

           “Ah, right…” he mumbled and looked down at his tie. “We’re still doing that.”

           Wes had mostly forgotten about the show by the time he was pulling into Victory Plaza’s employee parking garage at the side of the skyscraper. Nearby, Lucy would be bringing Jace to the much more packed public garage. Also somewhere over there was Wes’ mom, who had made the long drive from northern California.

           “Are you gonna go in your office, Dad?” Sally asked after hopping out of the back with her big brother, the two kids being much more dressed up than usual.

           “Hopefully not, honey. The event hall just happens to be part of the building where I make the video games.” Wes anxiously adjusted his tie again in the sideview mirror. “Nope, Dad’s just here for a free catered dinner… and a… big award. Whew.”

           “Breathe, Wes,” Sadie advised him. “Your speech is good. And brief.”

           He let out a nervous snicker after glancing at her. “Kids, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing your mom in a fancy dress and heels. She used to hate stuff like that.”

           Sadie groaned. “This is still what’s expected in 2024. I’ll bill society for the dress.”

           Jared, also in an electric car, pulled up next to them and stepped out with his wife Mira and four-year-old son Jake, who, like his dad, was wearing a full-blown tuxedo.

           “Hey, bud!” He went for a fist-bump with his champagne bottle-free hand. “Can you believe they’re celebrating a few pixel-based indie games? Must’ve been a dull year.”

           “I thought it was more of a ‘nice creative business to work for’ award.”

           “Nah, they admire your vision, bro. Nice workplaces are a dime a dozen.”

           “Hey, ‘Uncle’ Jared,” Warren said and shared a low five with his dad’s old friend.

           “What’s up, Jakey?” Sally asked the young, usually talkative boy she often doted on and watched at family get-togethers, who now seemed a little overwhelmed by all the fancy clothes. “Did you write a speech, too? You didn’t? Oh, don’t make that face… I’m just joking. Come on, I know the way.” She offered her hand, which he took.

           “I can’t believe Sal’s ten already,” Jared said as everyone headed to the elevator. “Seems like a few weeks ago that Jace was her age. You feeling okay, Wes?”

           “Hm? Uh, yeah. You know how I feel about awards. So… self-congratulatory.”

           “You’ve always been more of a ‘focus on the art’ guy, haven’t you?” Mira asked.

           “Exactly. Just stick me in an office and let me work. But, thanks for calling it art.”

           “Think of the morale boost when everyone sees a block of glass at work!”

           “Hoo…” Wes shakily exhaled. “I really miss our garage days sometimes.”

           Wes barely recognized the tower lobby he passed through every weekday, as it was now packed with well-dressed people hobnobbing, grabbing hors d’oeuvres, and slowly filtering into the attached event space. While Jared schmoozed, Wes kept so busy not attracting attention to himself and trying to spot the evening’s four other recipients that his mom, and Lucy and Jace, snuck up on him. Following some fast hugs, he tried to loosen up a bit and remind himself that tonight wasn’t going to be all bad.

           “Mom, hi…” he said with a warm smile. “You didn’t have to come all the way to the valley. You could be on your couch with your dog right now, streaming it.”

           “Come on now, Wes. I couldn’t not be here. And you’ve earned it,” she assured him, and plucked from a passing tray of spanakopita. “Who would’ve known, all of those hours of watching and playing… whatever all day would inspire you like it did to make your own stories. It’s just a shame your father couldn’t bother coming.”

           “It’s fine, really. He never cared about what I liked. Spares you from having to interact with him, anyway. I did ask, though. Honest. I… uh, try, you know?”

           Lucy, well-aware of Wes’ seemingly eternally-deteriorating relationship with his dad, tried to change the subject via the only topic still on her mind, “Hey, Trace, this is coming out of nowhere, but… did you ever watch No it All! by any chance?”

           “Aw, geez, Luce…” Wes moaned as his kids, Jace, and Jake passed by, looking for appetizers. “Not to sound elitist, but does that need to be talked about here, tonight?”

           “Oh, I loved that little show!” Wes’ mom crooned. “Shot at the park, you know. I think at least one or two of the actors still live locally. I heard Izuki’s even in town.”

           Before Wes could deride the show again, Jared rolled up with a shortened selfie-stick, his phone at the end of it showing their old group in tiny boxes. Arthur was on the east coast, and behind a sleepy Colin was a window that showed dawn breaking over Tokyo, but Ash and Celeste still lived in California with their own kids. Surprisingly, even Zach had managed to make it, from what appeared to be a hotel room.

           “Look who it is!” Jared said into the camera. “The handsome devil himself.”

           “Hey, guys…” Wes replied uncomfortably, getting a blended mix of responses in return. “I take it you’re all about to watch me embarrass myself? Zach, where are you?”

           “Miami for the weekend, bruh. Oh, hey, Luce. Mama Wes. So, where’s Millie?”

           “On vacation with the girlfriend. I can’t believe you’re all watching this…”

           “Of course, man!” Arthur got in a response first. “It’s a big deal, buddy.”

           “And all those late-night gaming sessions finally paid off,” Zach added.

           The crowd began to flood into the event hall where salads were waiting, but Ash spoke over the noise, “I like to think we’ve all helped you come up with game ideas.”

           “Don’t screw up your speech, Wes! I wanna hear a good one!” Celeste pressed.

           “Hey, bud, when you go up on stage, say hi to the mayor for me!” Colin said.

           “December is here tonight?” Wes exclaimed. “First I’ve heard of it.”

           “Gotta go, everyone,” Jared cut in to wrap up the round of encouragement. “All of you guys are here in spirit. Look for us on the stream, and come visit soon!”

           Feeling renewed nervousness from having to likely shake the mayor’s hand, who also happened to be an old classmate from elementary school, Wes looked for the table he’d be sharing with family and friends. He was soon sweating through his best clothes.

           The event had all the typical fixings: wine, a three-course meal, caterers bringing over the food, bored kids, and projector screens that displayed the various achievements of the city’s pioneers behind the stage and across the walls. A little over an hour into it, while emptied entrée plates were being gathered and Sally and Jake were falling asleep in their seats, the second to last recipient of the night finally wrapped up his borderline lecture about the importance of bringing “more immersive” advertising to the city.

           “About to be your turn, Dad,” Warren whispered with a nudge.

           “Mm-hm…” Wes murmured and flattened his hair for the hundredth time.

           The night’s presenter returned to the podium, clapping her hands to cap off the rest of the room’s applause—with mayor Helvetica standing behind her in a suit.

           “Yes, keep up the good work! Wow, Royal Valley has some talent, doesn’t it? We have one last pair of Hadron McMare Creative Genius awards to hand out tonight. In a first for this honor, in its 40^th year, we are celebrating a game development studio. The city’s first, and still only, RV Indie.” She stepped aside to give the crowd a better look at the montage on the screen, exhibiting clips of its existing five titles. “What started as a partner effort between a few friends in a garage in Desert Tree, has blossomed into a company that gives our local game artists and creators a place to show their talent across the world. Let’s warmly welcome to the stage, Wes Colton and Jared Reiner!”

           With everyone applauding them, Wes and Jared made the all-eyes-on-us walk to the stage. On the way, they passed by the table where most of their staff were hosted, all visibly quite proud. School chum and lead artist, Brian Moreland, seemed the happiest.

           “Um. Wow… It really is heavier than I thought,” Wes said with a hearty puff as he gave the solid block of engraved glass waiting for him a weight test. “Okay, so… I, or we didn’t start RV Indie to win awards. We definitely never expected the city to honor a video game company. Even though…” he shakily grinned, and got a few knowing laughs in advance, “… we have a video game theme park just a couple miles away.”

           He looked over his shoulder at December, who gave him a tiny smirk.

           “So, Jared and I first got into programing in our late high school years, and when we graduated from Royal U, we, you know, started hanging out and playing games again, like the old days. Some new, some classic. Well, unless you’re a devoted streamer or into e-sports, you can’t really make a career off of that. But we wanted to do something with what we knew. Spread the joys of a late weekend night in front of a TV to every day. And hold onto a design philosophy that calls back to the days of childhood wonder.

           “The thing is, it’s not entirely true that the core of my stories is influenced by games of the past. The presentation and fun factor, sure, but the content has always been inspired more by our youth. It always felt like we fit right into the time period growing up. The constant sleepovers, the water gun battles, just… lazing about watching TV as friends, popping in a videotape on a whim… And also, the schoolyard banter, the local legends, the little roles we all gave ourselves… I used to see ourselves in a ‘kingdom of kids,’ finding our way in the last days before the internet went mainstream. That feeling is what me, Jared, and the rest of our team—yes, even the younger ones that missed the era—try to recapture. Either in a room made with pixels, or during a scripted sequence.”

           Wes then turned around to see some footage of their latest, recently released title, with the player character running through a futuristic neighborhood and flying starships.

           “Okay, well…” he ad-libbed and relaxed a bit as the audience chuckled, “We may have gone in a slightly new direction with Sci-fideQuest. Our side-scrolling, adventure RPG, slice of life… experiment. ‘A game about stories between missions,’ as we describe it. I can’t exactly remember the original inspiration, but I had a big file of ideas to pull from, that kept the momentum going. Um, if you’re interested, it’s on sale now. Ah, Jared?”

           Relieved to step back from the podium and let his partner take over, Wes found his hand being shaken by December without realizing it at first. She had a curious smile.

           “I just want to say, RV Indie rules!” was how Jared began a shorter, less-prepared speech. “Ahem, sorry, heh. Bill & Ted always made me want to do that. Anyway…”

           As he went on about the fun environment at the office, December, her grip on Wes now lasting uncomfortably long, leaned in and whispered, “Check your email when you get home. I’d like to meet at City Hall tomorrow, Mr. Colton. It’s important.”

           “Uh… Okay…” he replied awkwardly once she let go. “And please, Mrs. Mayor… you can call me Wes, since we go back to our playground days. Oh, and Colin says hi.”

           There was a flash of a happy memory in December’s eyes, but she said nothing.

           Desserts were had, the event wound down, and once Wes stepped out to enjoy the cool night air as his mother ceaselessly heaped praise, he was the first to notice the helmeted motorcyclist apparently waiting for his group at the main entrance. She was decked out in protective dark purple leathers, and his first thought was that she might’ve been some sort of stalking fan about to confront him. He could even feel Sadie’s grip on his arm tighten, like she was ready to enter “keep away from my man” mode.

           That was when the stranger uncrossed her arms and removed her helmet, to reveal her short brown hair, an assertive smile, and a piercing gaze from the past.

           “Hey, Wes,” she said dryly as Jared tried to identify her. “Hit the big times, huh?”

           “Oh. Hi, Vanni,” Wes replied casually, as if it hadn’t been nearly thirty years since they had last spoken. “Er, wait, no way… Vanni Patile?! What are you doing in town?”

           “Heh…” She looked at Wes’ kids. “Tell you all about it, up in your studio?”

           “Nice digs you got here, Wes!” Vanni complimented a few seconds after the lights were turned on in the open workspace. “I was imagining, I dunno, something still looking like a garage studio. Even though I just watched you win an award on my phone.”

           “It’s also the first time I’ve seen it in person,” Wes’ mom added as the four kids took off to find something entertaining in the familiar place. “You two did well.”

           “And a couple of kids to boot. Do they get along? They look like they do.”

           “Ah, yeah, definitely,” Wes said as he untucked his dress shirt and gestured to the lounge area in the corner. “Warren’s protective, but Sally’s been getting independent.”

           Mira split off to keep an eye on the kids as Wes, Sadie, Jared, Lucy, and Vanni took seats at the corner R&R spot, where a wall-mounted TV and some newer consoles were set up to provide entertainment—and maybe a little inspiration—to employees. Wes’ mom hovered nearby, her focus more on the game-themed wall décor choices.

           “So… Vanni, what brought you back to town?” Wes asked his childhood sage of sorts, the wise teenager on the block. “I never thought I’d see you again. Like, ever.”

           “Oh, I ride through every so often. And this visit, I saw your name mentioned for an award I didn’t know existed. I don’t normally look up people from my past to see how they’re doing, so I had no idea… that you make video games. Wow.”

           “You’re really Vanni,” Lucy said, inspecting the young Gen X-er who still had the airs of a self-made teenager. “Wes has talked about you a lot over the years.”

           “Lucy, right?” Vanni settled in. “Don’t think we’ve met, but I remember you and Wes shooting aliens in Area 51 decades ago. Opening day, King Arcade… I flashback to that sometimes; it reminds me of my step-bro and arcade buddy. It was more than two player games; he’d hold my spot at a new cabinet, playing slow and lousy until I arrived to ‘show him how it’s done.’ Got a lot of groans from the line. They knew what was up.”

           “Galaxy Hub’s been buying up loose cabinets around town,” Jared noted. “Every now and then, I still see a V-A-N on the high score lists. Low down, sure, but there.”

           “Woo. That’s a little incredible. Kids these days can take gaming so seriously.”

           “Vanni, you used to jokingly ask if I wanted a beer. Ya want one?” Wes asked.

           “You got those here? What kind of business you running?”

           “Jared has some in a mini-fridge. Keeps us from blowing money at a bar after a stressful workday. Luce? No? Got enough wine at dinner? Okay, be right back.”

           Leaving the three to chat, Wes headed back to Jared’s corner office, on the way passing by Warren and Jace chilling out at a work station where they idly talked, and handled Lego sets built to look like the company’s characters in pixel art form.

           “Honey, be gentle with that cabinet. It’s old,” he reminded Sally when he went by; she was trying to show Jake and Mira how good she had become at Donkey Kong.

           Also on the way was Charlie Pippin’s IT office, where he worked next to the company’s server cluster. Wes took a peek and sighed; as usual, his desk was a mess. He did good work, though. Next stop was Jared’s room and the mini-fridge by his chair.

           Back at the lounge, Lucy asked, “Vanni, I’ve always sort of wondered about what kind of advice you gave Wes. He claims it helped him through middle and high school.”

           “Just the tried and true. Be yourself, be confident, don’t let others choose how your life goes. But when you hear that from someone your age, it sticks better.”

           “She also introduced me to a ton of games I didn’t know existed,” Wes said as he returned and handed out three of the four bottles he’d grabbed. “I never expected to have a badass teenage girl who drums as a mentor, but it just happened that way.”

           Jared popped open his drink, initiated a toast, and took a swig while playing with his award in his other hand. “Did your high scores get him to track you down, or…?”

           Vanni answered, “We had met in the old mall arcade a few times before the park opened. He’d watch me play, I’d give him tips, we started talking about games, and then things flowed into me giving life tips. I never thought I’d become someone’s mentor.”

           “Blech…” Wes grimaced, but took another sip anyway. “I still don’t like beer, but I haven’t really found a good replacement for a fast, easy, refreshing, social drink.”

           “I get that,” Vanni said. “But I end up having some pretty much each time after I fill in when a band needs a drummer for a night or two, between my remote work. I’m usually on the road, with not much more than a few changes of clothes, a laptop, and an old, lucky pair of drumsticks. Not the life for everybody, but you can’t beat the freedom. Oh, Wes,” she took a sip, “I actually played with your old classmates’ band once, up in San Jose. Gerald and Carson? They’re pretty good. Got to talking about you a bit.”

           “I think about the not-tied-down life sometimes,” Wes said wistfully. “I’d have to do it with a teched-out, big van. With my media server full of thousands of movies.”

           “Hm… I dunno. I kind of like actually having some money,” Sadie replied.

           Vanni laughed. “But listen, your games are spreading, and I think more of your old classmates are discovering who’s behind them. And if they play them, they may even see themselves in a title, immortalized as one of your characters. I played through Summer ’96 last year, to get me through… some tough times, and I about flipped when I realized me and Gav were a couple of neighborhood NPCs. Barely even adapted, really.”

           “Still got local friends in Royal Valley?” Jared wondered. “Former bandmates?”

           “A few, sure, because I made so many in high school. And we catch up, but Wes here is special.” She took a longer swig. “But… also not actually my only ‘student.’”

           Wes piped, “Huh? I wasn’t? How many kids did you give life lessons to?”

           “Really just you. Nah, I’m talking about this girl who was around your age. She didn’t need any lessons like that; already had it all figured out, the way I recall. If I’m remembering right, I think her name was Maisy… something. Damn good on her guitar. Just needed help with rhythm and playing with others. We were chill for a few months.”

           “That’s cool, getting to tutor in music. Oh, I forgot to ask. How is Gavin doing?”

           Vanni hesitated and scratched her nose. “We… we lost him close to a year ago today,” she said, her words sending numbing ice through Wes’ veins and nearly causing the bottle to slip through his fingers. “Yeah… That’s kind of why I’m in town. Revisiting any old hangs that are still around. King Arcade included. Like retracing his footsteps.”

           “H-he died…?” Wes choked out the surreal words. “But… he was just two years older than me. He was always at the arcades. Played a big water gun game with us…”

           “Oh, Wes,” Sadie murmured and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, as Lucy gave him an empathetic look. “We’re so sorry, Vanni. I have memories of him, too.”

           Vanni breathed out deeply, put her bottle down, and rolled up the leather sleeve on her left arm to reveal a small and somewhat fresh “Best Bro Gavin Patile 1983-2023” tattoo, which made it feel much more real and delivered a serious gut punch to Wes.

           “Sudden illness,” she explained. “He was working a nine-to-five in Phoenix, with two young kids of his own. I got to the hospital in time to say goodbye, but… I hadn’t seen him in person in years. No real reason, no big fight. Just drifted apart, you know? I wanted to reconnect, but wasn’t sure how, and kept putting it off. Full, half, or step in our case… Any siblings can go their separate ways.” Aware of Wes’ shock, she put on a meager smile and tried to reassure him, “Wes. I’m managing. Don’t let it tear you up.”

           “My condolences, Vanni,” Jared said in one of his rare serious ways. “I’ll let our friends know, if that’s okay. Sorry if they flood you with social media responses soon.”

           “No—that’d be nice, thank you. Truly. I like reading others’ stories about him.”

           “Wes, is this your Super Nintendo?” his mom, holding his beloved game console encased in Plexiglas, suddenly asked after returning to them. “You must love this thing.”

           “That’s precious,” Vanni said nostalgically. “All the good memories…” She got up and finished her beer. “Well, I need to get some sleep. I’ll email you, Wes, all right?”

           Mouth dry, he replied, “Y-yeah. Um, let’s do… something… See you around.”

           His legs still trembling, Wes checked in on Sally before heading to bed. She was already sound asleep, tuckered out after a big night. In a room nearby, Warren, oblivious to his dad’s childhood loss, wound the day down with a quiet hour of video games; he was oddly considerate for a teen. In a strange mood, Wes fell onto his own bed next to Sadie, wearing her reading glasses and scrolling through something on her iPad.

           He looked over, saw her exploring a memorial wall full of pictures and remarks for Gavin, and stared at the ceiling instead. Of course, Sadie was perceptive.

           “You can talk about it, honey,” she reminded. “What are you thinking?”

           He covered his eyes with an arm and sighed. “It’s just… so weird… I last saw him in 1996, so he’s still this energetic, invincible young teenager in my mind. Any pictures showing him in his twenties and thirties, like, might as well be of somebody else.”

           “But he made a life for himself, Wes. Got married, had kids. I’m sure he looked back fondly at his days in Royal Valley, but he hadn’t been that boy in a long time.”

           “Y-yeah, maybe… I just… I feel so bad for Vanni, and… Augh, I have to get my mind off of this for now… Oh, uh—December supposedly emailed me something.” He took his laptop off the nightstand and summarized the mayor’s message. “Hi, Wes, I’ve always worked hard to keep this city… blah, blah, blah… Huh. Something a ‘person of my unique talents’ could best handle? The heck does she mean by… What the… Is she seriously talking about… You’re kidding me. Man, this day keeps getting stranger.”

           “I didn’t get much from that,” Sadie groaned. “Got a better rundown?”

           “She wants to talk to me about Izuki Satoro. The star of the day, apparently. It looks like she wants me to help her… investigate him somehow? Who knows.”

           “Really?” Sadie was equally puzzled. “That sounds like a joke, but if a childhood classmate and mayor is calling you to her office, it has to actually be an important, real, thing, right? Oh, maybe bring Luce with you! She knows all about him.”

           “Might as well, anyway, since the really weird part is her wanting me to bring Jace.”

           Restless and needing to keep his thoughts on anything else, Wes searched for “No it All!” on YouTube. Among the few results was a compilation video of all twenty-six times Kaito said “no” on the show, in order. It had a hundred views. He clicked.

           “No. Nah. Hm, nope. Don’t think so. No way. Not happening. Nuh-uh. Yeah, no. No, dawg. No. No? No. NO! Nah. Hm. No. Yeah, how about no. Heh, no. No, no, no.”

           The next morning, Wes arrived for his early appointment, bringing along Lucy and Jace. After they were past the brutalist style city hall building’s metal detectors and waiting at the seats outside her office, Wes got on his phone and signed into RV Indie’s contact email account. Vanni had sent a message. Fearing the contents, he opened it.

           “This is for Wes since I forgot to get his contact info. If you’re not Wes and you’re reading this, you’ll be bored. So, hey old buddy! If you want to meet at the park later today, just give me a time. Don’t worry, it’s not a somber tour. Just nostalgic fun.”

           He closed it for now and let out a tired yawn. The prospect of going to King Arcade today didn’t appeal to him, outside of getting the chance to do so with his guru.

           “You sleepy, Wes?” Lucy asked him, Jace next to her and busy texting friends.

           “I didn’t get much of it…” he admitted. “Kind of a thing that happens with me the morning after someone important to me dies, like a developer I respect. I suddenly remember all over again that they’re gone, and then I’m wide-awake thinking about it.”

           “Oh. Yeah… I know how that is. It can be rough for a few days.”

           “Huh? Who’s gone?” Jace said after the focus on his screen was broken.

           “Last night, Jace, that cool lady we were talking to? I’ve told you about her. She was kind of my spiritual guide when I was a kid? She had a younger brother I also knew and played games with sometimes. And I… just found out what happened to him.”

           “Geez, I’m sorry, Unk. I thought you weren’t old enough to start losing friends.”

           “Me, too. It’s messed me up a little, to be honest.”

           Before he had a chance to get into it, not that he wanted to, December opened the doors and waved the three inside. The mayoral office, dressed in navy blues and lined with books and portraits of past city leaders, complimented her pricy pantsuit of similar color. She was taller than Wes by about an inch and her childish freckles from Desert Tree Elementary were long gone. She’d always been keen, intelligent, and fair to others, but in most every way, she was far removed from the girl she used to be.

           “Hello. Wes,” she used his first time, as requested, and closed the doors. “Please, sit. Thank you for bringing your nephew, and… This would be your sister Lucy, right?”

           “Yes,” he answered. “I mean… I really couldn’t figure out why you wanted to see Jace as well, so I thought it was best to bring his mom. Besides, if this is about Kaito, er, Izuki, Lucy is the local expert on the show. But… I have no idea why I’m here, either.”

           “I know, it’s an odd request.” She slid into the chair behind the big wooden desk, which featured an engraving of the original four seals of the towns that merged to create Royal Valley in 1920. “Oh, and I’ll get this out of the way: I didn’t rig your award just so I could get in touch with you. You earned it, and the timing happened to work out.”

           “Uh, okay. But you obviously know I make video games, so what’s this got to do with me? Do you want me to, what, be an industry informant or something?”

           December’s eyes shifted to Lucy, and she asked, “Work with your sister a lot?”

           “Like… in life? I mean, yeah. We’ve been partners of sorts across the years.”

           “Huh…” She said in a low mutter, “They didn’t mention that… Anyway, Mr. Satoro is having a little signing at the mall today, as you already know. Apparently, from what we dug up in a months’ long investigation, it’s actually just the beginning of an effort to become a presence again and find backers to fund what is likely… a No it All! movie.”

           Lucy let out a small snort-chortle. “Really, after all these years? I wanna see that.”

           “Some, I don’t know, lifestyle rebrand thing is also a part of it? Amid his return from who knows where, he’s taken to calling himself ‘Mr. 90s,’ if you can believe it.”

           “Mr. 90s?” Wes scoffed. “Come on…”

           “What’s wrong, Unk?” Jace teased. “Sad he took the name before you?”

           “Pfft, no? Buddy, you know how me and the 90s goes, but I wouldn’t make the decade my whole personality. It’s sanctimonious, whether you’re thinking that you can lead some revival of the era, or were its ‘main attraction.’ Nah, I’m not that egotistic.”

           “Whatever he’s up to,” December opened a desk drawer and eyed something hiding in there, “I think, Wes, that you’d be a perfect candidate to get close to him. You have proven your love for the 1990s through your games, and you’re building wealth.”

           “So… you’re asking me to rub shoulders with a guy stuck in the past, even more than I am, to find out why he wants to make a movie for a crappy show? Sorry, Luce.”

           “Pretty much, yes. But it’s where he’s come up with the funds he already has that concerns us, and you’re one of the few who might be able to find the truth. I’ll tell you more, but I first need to know that you’re willing to help. You’ll be paid, of course.”

           Wes leaned back in his chair, sighed, and rubbed his neck. “I mean… it’s kind of summer doldrums art busy work at the office right now, so I guess I could spare—”

           “Good,” December interrupted. “We can get serious.”

           She flicked a switch under the desk—which surely must’ve been installed by a less scrupulous previous mayor—that audibly locked all the doors in the room. Not giving Wes a chance to ask what was going on, she then took out a strange little capsule full of swirling color, about the size of a Tylenol, and snapped it in half. In seconds, a faintly pink aura spread from the shattered little pill that disintegrated into nothing, filling the room with… darkness? As something began to affect Wes and Jace, Lucy watched with no idea what was happening as the office’s lights went out. Yet, somehow, daylight remained just outside of her windows—light that didn’t seem to enter the room.

           “Um. Mrs. Helvetica?” Lucy said softly. “What did…” She looked over, startled to see her brother and son apparently having sudden, very intense headaches. “Hey, are you two all right?” she asked, as the mayor gave her a curious look. “What is going on?”

           Memories were flash-flooding back, and could not be subdued. Their neurons firing away and resulting in sweats and a painful fever, Wes and Jace both once again remembered that they had time-traveled before, in multiple instances. Their personal journeys, the Royal Valley of ’95 and ’96, the future and going to space… all of it.

           As soon as he began to recover and was able to concentrate on a single thought, Wes looked at his sister, and his mind went to a familiar theme: Lucy isn’t supposed to be here. Aw, crap! Lucy really isn’t supposed to be here! But… how did December…

           “Wes? Jace? You feeling better?” Lucy asked them with notable concern.

           “I’m sorry about that,” December said and clasped her hands together. “But I couldn’t really get into further details without first reversing your temporal amnesia. It should pass in a few moments. What I did is completely safe. This room is eight hours in the past, in the middle of the night. After about five minutes, we’ll return to 2024.”

           “Oh… no…” Jace murmured and gazed up at his mom, now unwittingly a time traveler. He looked at the mayor, who he also knew in fifth grade. “December, she…”

           “Eight hours in… in the past?!” Lucy exclaimed and jolted out of her chair. “What are you talking about?! I don’t know what kind of special effects City Hall has on standby, but if they’re giving my family migraines, then you can bet that we’re leaving!”

           December’s expression became flat. Then, she frowned. Then, she scowled.

           “I thought Lucy was a time traveler, Wes! ‘Partners across years,’ you said!”

           “What did you think I meant?!” Wes fired back, his head pain subsiding.

           “Who says it like that?! I was trying to ask if…” December took a deep breath and rubbed her temples. “Nope, nope… I promised I’d try not to yell anymore. It’s not like you knew what you were saying… Another flub on my part. Good job, December.”

           Wes also took a breath, gave the tension in the room a moment to settle, and then replied, “To be fair, she has time traveled before. But just to help fix a timeline that now doesn’t exist, and that we can’t remember. I know she can handle it, though. After a proper explanation.” He gave his neck a crack and leaned forward. “Damn, that’s a rush. Like waking up a sleeper agent with a code word or something.”

           “Is anyone going to tell me what all of this is?!” Lucy burst again. “Time travel?!”

           “Mom, it’s true,” Jace sighed. “Me and Wes have done it before. Heck, we’ve gotten pretty good at it. Even Colin, Arthur, Jared… and Millie, too. But the memories always go away eventually, when you come back to your own time.”

           Seeing that Lucy had no idea what to say, December continued, “Wes, after the events that brought you and Jace here to the past…” She paused, and grinned at her old classmates, briefly looking like the December they knew again. “You and Jason Connor, maybe I should say… Ahem… The TMB now has a policy of letting the mayor in on everything, in case more time traveling incursions happen here. Of course, I definitely thought I’d never have to actually pop one of those capsules and have this chat.”

           On cue, the local temporal effect ended, and the lights came back on as the office returned to the present, at least as they perceived it. Wes let out a sardonic chuckle.

           “Eight hours into the past, huh… And you never used one to fix a mistake?”

           She stared at Wes, and thought it best not to answer. “Anyway, I was recently informed of a budgetary scandal of sorts that must involve time travel. For now, they’re seeing if we can handle it on our own instead of bringing agents in.”

           “Financial stuff?” Jace groaned and sunk into his seat. “Come on, if we’re going back into the fray, at least give us something fun. We’ve been to freakin’ space!”

           Noticing Lucy’s bewildered reaction to that, Wes asked, “And Izuki’s involved?”

           “He’s our suspect, but the lead is shaky. Hence why they want us to do some ground work first. They have no idea how he might’ve acquired time tech, but there is too much of a coincidence with the dollar amount he’s already ‘raised’ to fund his… film. Ten million, give or take a grand, matches up with a local ticking money bomb.”

           “Like, for the city?” Wes replied, as the mayor Googled something on her phone.

           “How much, if anything, do you know about McMare’s missing fortune?” she asked, putting a picture of Royal Valley’s famous casino from the 1950s on display.

           Surprisingly, Lucy had an answer, and unconfidently gave it despite the bizarre events of the last few minutes, “Um… There’s a local legend about a treasure of sorts. Something to do with bonds, that Hadron lost in a casino game in 1956 but never got cashed? I think it happened when he was mayor. He was kind of… shady back then.”

           “Not bad, Lucy. The secret that not many know, is that Hadron rapidly built this city in potentially catastrophic ways. He’d lure investors with appealing, but very stupidly risky investment bonds that, somehow, had variable maturity; an expiration date. At ten years, or as long as you could hold on. So, the value of our missing paper grew and grew. Until just recently, when someone, through a shell company, finally pulled them from the ether and cashed out. In a few days, the city has no choice but to pony up ten million.”

           “Is… that a lot? Like, compared to a budget for a city this size?” Wes wondered.

           “It’s more than enough to become a major affair and do some damage, and this being an election year… cause me to lose. Look, the TMB let me know that, in the end, I’m a middling city leader. Small in the grand scheme. But I’ll also go on to plant a few good seeds, that won’t grow if I’m not re-elected. This makes me sound like just another politician, but if the agency wants to stop history from changing, isn’t that enough?”

           Wes rubbed his chin. “So… you want us to investigate Mr. Satoro and find your missing paper? I mean, it sounds easy compared to our previous… ‘missions,’ but sure.”

           “Don’t worry about the bonds quite yet. First, sniff around and see what you can find out. You’ve done this before; you know what to look for. I can’t give you a time device, since I don’t have any other than the temps, but… I trust you on this.”

           “Well… I can’t say I expected to be ‘activated’ again just to go all PI on a faded child star, but I wouldn’t mind proving myself to the TMB. Come on, Luce,” he said and helped her unglue from her seat. “I’ll tell you everything on the way to the mall.”

           “Uh-huh…” she muttered back, with Jace at her side trying to keep her steady.

           “By the way, Mayor… Mind settling something? You and Colin, Camp Morning Dew ’96… My buddies and I have always wondered if you two, ya know… kissed?”

           She turned slightly red, and quickly dismissed them with, “The city thanks you.”