Texas Hold 'Em

by George R. R. Martin

  She looked up and saw Adesina flying toward her, carrying Antonia, the band’s drummer. And a block away, the rest of the Mob were running full-out. Ghost rode on Wally’s back. He carried her alto sax in one hand and her tenor sax in the other. Following them was a passel of the band kids and their chaperones from the competition.

  “What all the hells is this!” Michelle exclaimed. She glanced back at Joe and saw that he was bouncing off the ancient oak trees in the plaza. The trees trembled and she cursed under her breath. The live oaks were huge and she suspected the Daughters of the Republic of Texas would be less than thrilled if Joe uprooted them.

  He lurched suddenly to the east and rolled into the courtyard in front of the Alamo, heading toward the famous façade. There he stopped and stood on his back legs and gave a roar.

  Adesina landed in front of Michelle, dropping Antonia gently to the ground. LoriAnne whipped out her drumsticks. Antonia ran to LoriAnne, pulling out her own drumsticks as well. Michelle heard Officer Reyes telling the young police officer driving the cruiser to stay put.

  “How many times do I have to say, ‘Run away from danger’?!” Michelle said with dismay to the array of musicians, chaperones, and looky-loos. The looky-loos who were still filming everything. “Ever since he showed up”—she gestured at Joe—“people have been running toward and not away from him.” As more chaperones and kids from the competition swelled into the plaza, she saw many of the kids carried instruments, too. Basilio ran up holding his drumsticks aloft as if he were Enjolras singing, “One Day More” in Les Misérables. He made a beeline to LoriAnne and Antonia. The three of them grabbed trash cans and flipped them over, but not before they pulled out the can liners and neatly tied them up.

  What the hell? Michelle thought. Well, at least they’re civic-minded.

  Kimmie arrived with Bacho, who managed to get the crowd to part and let him through with his upright bass. He was panting and sweating, but in his normal form and he had an enormous grin on his face. Adesina rose in the air again. Her cobalt wings glistened with an iridescent sheen in the sunlight and her titian hair was lit like a halo.

  “Okay guys, this is it,” she said loudly. “Ready?” She held her hands parallel to the ground, then lifted them both up, and brought them down in front of her.

  The kids with instruments started playing. Those in the crowd—including the chaperones, parents, and even a couple of looky-loos who were getting into the spirit of things—began singing while looking at their phones.

  Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,

  Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;

  Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day,

  Lull’d by the moonlight have all passed away!

  Michelle recognized the song. It was the one Adesina had hummed yesterday. The lyrics were old-fashioned, and had a lovely lilting quality. The crowd of singers continued with the second verse, slowly walking toward the middle of the Plaza.

  Okaaaaaaaaaay, Michelle thought. This isn’t going to help stop him at all. She was about to try bursting Joe’s bubble, and then hit him with something concussive enough to knock him out, but she didn’t have the chance. Joe stopped. He gave a happy grunt, sat down, and looked over his shoulder.

  Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,

  List while I woo thee with soft melody;

  Gone are the cares of life’s busy throngs,

  Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

  Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

  Joe began to shake and an electric pool formed underneath him. The bubble burst. And then he rapidly started to shrink. His fur began to slide into his skin, revealing pale flesh.

  In an instant, Adesina flew to him and encircled them both with her wings. When they opened again, there was an eight-limbed joker there. It had four hands and four feet. It cartwheeled off fantastically fast, zipping across Alamo Street in the direction of the River Walk. Adesina rose up into the air, then flew to the other players.

  “Okay, guys,” she yelled. “Let’s make it swing!”

  The band kids began to riff on “Beautiful Dreamer.” LoriAnne, Antonia, and Basilio started using the garbage cans as drums. Suddenly, the sedate song had a fast, syncopated beat. Bacho started playing his bass; it was a little hard to hear him over the drums, but he did manage to get the bottom going. Just as Michelle thought he’d be drowned out altogether, Greg, the bass player from the Funkalicious Four, showed up with his upright bass. Together they thickened the sound up.

  Kimmie did a quick, fluttery flute solo. Ghost ended up taking a wicked alto sax solo, trading back and forth with Sean and the sax player from the Plano Originals, who was the only Original aside from Kimmie who’d shown up to play.

  And as Peter took his trumpet solo, Adesina nodded at Sharon, who took over and directed the musicians to start slowing the tempo of the song. It developed a cool, bluesy quality.

  As the kids played, slowly the tourists came back to hear them. People smiled and bobbed their heads in time with the music. When “Beautiful Dreamer” was finally done, Mindy-Lou taking an impressive scat solo at the end, there was a clamor for more from the audience.

  Sharon signed “Yardbird Suite,” and the Mob started playing. It was a hot and fast bebop standard. After a couple of bars, the rest of the band kids joined in.

  “You do know this is going to be a huge problem,” Officer Reyes said to Michelle as they listened to the kids play. But he had a smile on his face.

  “Yeah,” she replied. “But there wasn’t really any damage done. And see, the Alamo is fine. And no dead tourists—or anyone—so that’s a plus.”

  “Texans are pretty emotional about the Alamo,” Reyes said. “It’s a good thing it’s intact.”

  “I wouldn’t have let anything happen to it,” she replied. At least she was pretty sure she wouldn’t have.

  “You going to come with me to make a statement? Or are you going to be a pain in my ass?”

  Michelle pretended to think it over. “Hmmmm, you’re making it hard to decide there, Officer Krupke. Being a pain in your ass these last few days has really been a high point of this trip. But you did help out with the whole who-wanted-to-kill-my-kids thing, so I’ll do my best to comply.”

  “You’re not going to be very popular with the locals.”

  Michelle tucked her hair behind her ears, then jammed her hands in her pockets. “Wow, something I’m so not used to,” she said sarcastically.

  They reached the cop car. The bent-in fender and human-size dent in the hood was worse than she remembered. “I’m guessing I’ll be paying for that,” Michelle said. “And for that other guy’s phone. And for some other stuff I’ve forgotten. And for those fines the city will be ladling on me.”

  “What about your daughter? Sure looked like she aided and abetted the ape dude.”

  “The ape dude? Is that really what you’re going to go with? The ape dude?”

  Officer Reyes blushed. “I’ll come up with something better.”

  “I hope so. He has a name. Joe.” Michelle sighed. “There are probably fifty people here who’ve recorded all this on their phones. It’s all over the Internet already. There’ll be a huge shitstorm for a few days until the next click-baity thing comes along. Adesina did what teenagers do: impulsive, stupid shit. And she was the one who stopped him.”

  “And let him get away!”

  “You’re really into the details, aren’t you? Look, I’ll come and see your superiors.” She let a quince-sized bubble float above her hand, then another. Eventually she had five and she began to let them spin in a circle hovering above her palm. “I’ll talk about how you and the Little Private over there helped me stop the giant ape—with help from all those band kids, of course. There won’t be a dry eye in the house by the time I’m done.”

  “You think you can do that?” He gave her the side-eye.

  “Cake.”

  He smiled. “I think this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendshi
p.”

  “Ha! More like a one-night stand gone horribly awry. The full Fatal Attraction,” she replied.

  “That doesn’t sound pleasant.”

  “I know. Right?!”

  Bubbles and the Band Trip

  Part 13

  THE WEATHER HAD HELD and it was a beautiful cool morning when Michelle and the Mob stepped outside the Gunter to board their bus home. Both God’s Weenies and the joker protesters were gone. The media had vanished as well. No doubt there was some other Drama of the Moment that they needed to feed on.

  Her phone gave a chirp and she checked her text messages. There was a short one from Creighton: Thanks for the help. Sorry about Joe. Maybe we can make an adjustment on your bill.

  “Wait! Wait up!” Kimmie called. She dashed across the sidewalk to Adesina and Peter. “I’m going to miss you guys so much!” Then she threw her arms around Adesina. They hugged and then Kimmie turned her attention to Peter. Michelle expected a big emotional scene, but this was just a friendly goodbye, nothing Michelle would have expected after the past week.

  Adesina got on the bus, and a few moments later rushed out. “OMG! Mom! You totes won’t believe this! It’s the best thing ever!” She grabbed Michelle by the hand and dragged her onto the bus. There, on one of the front seats, was Adesina’s bass. On the seat next to it was Peter’s trumpet.

  There was a note written on an evidence tag attached to the bass. It said:

  You’d never believe it, but sometimes evidence goes missing in certain police cases. It would be awkward should this ever be mentioned again. Try to stay out of San Antonio, Mrs. Bubbles.

  “Mom,” Adesina said, looking as if she was about to cry. “You told me I wasn’t going to get it back.”

  “I guess you just got lucky,” Michelle said. “Go get your case. And tell Peter to grab his, too.” Adesina leapt off the bus with a whoop.

  Michelle picked up Adesina’s bass. It was heavy. Its purple sparkle finish was beautiful, though nothing Michelle would ever have chosen. But it was Adesina’s style, at least for now.

  A few moments later, Adesina and Peter climbed back aboard. Adesina turned to Michelle and pulled her into a fierce hug. “Thank you so much for being the most awesome mother ever! You were amaze balls!” Adesina giggled. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Michelle kissed Adesina’s forehead. “But you’re still grounded for forever when we get home.”

  Adesina pouted. Michelle wanted to laugh. “Okay, maybe just for a month.” She returned Adesina’s hug, then released her. A bubble began to form in her right hand, then one in her left. Michelle made them rubbery tough, but light enough to float. Then she batted both to the back of the bus. “Go on, get those instruments packed up.”

  While Adesina and Peter were putting their instruments away, Michelle got off the bus. Outside, she saw that the cinnamon-haired drummer, LoriAnne from the Funkalicious Four, was giving Asti a big hug and sniffing him at the same time. Cesar Chao seemed to have recovered from his date with Jade Blossom and was awkwardly asking Marissa to keep in touch. All around her, the members of the Mob were saying goodbye to the friends they’d made during the course of the competition.

  For a moment, she relaxed. She’d made it to the end of the competition and was still standing. Maybe she had a handle on this teenager thing after all. A surge of pride and happiness soared through her. Her kids were going to be all right. Michelle smiled and decided she wouldn’t rush them, and then turned around and got back on the bus. In the last row, she saw Adesina and Peter. They began to kiss, and as they did, Adesina’s wings enveloped them.

  Oh no, Michelle thought. No, no, nope. I am not ready for this. Nope. Nope. Nope.

  But to her horror, she was going to have to face it. There was no going back.

  Adesina really was a teenager now.

  The Wild Cards Universe

  The Original Triad

  Wild Cards

  Aces High

  Jokers Wild

  The Puppetman Quartet

  Aces Abroad

  Down and Dirty

  Ace in the Hole

  Dead Man’s Hand

  The Rox Triad

  One-Eyed Jacks

  Jokertown Shuffle

  Dealer’s Choice

  The Novels

  Double Solitaire

  Turn of the Cards

  The Card Sharks Triad

  Card Sharks

  Marked Cards

  Black Trump

  Stand-Alones

  Deuces Down

  Death Draws Five

  Knaves Over Queens

  The Committee Triad

  Inside Straight

  Busted Flush

  Suicide Kings

  The Fort Freak Triad

  Fort Freak

  Lowball

  High Stakes

  The American Triad

  Mississippi Roll

  Low Chicago

  Texas Hold ’Em

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