Reyna and Esteban spent most of their weekends at New Camelot, as well, but had also taken to spending more time with Reyna’s parents or Esteban’s mom and sister. For their part, Reyna’s parents had come a long way toward accepting Esteban as their daughter’s boyfriend. As a consequence of that, and of attending several of Arthur’s gatherings, including the wedding, they came to be far more accepting of “those people” they used to disdain. In fact, they stunned Reyna one day in early September by asking to travel with their daughter to Boyle Heights to have dinner at Esteban’s home.
Reyna had been floored, but delighted, and though the high society couple initially seemed nervous and on edge as they exited their Mercedes and entered Esteban’s small, unassuming house, they quickly warmed to seven-year-old Rosa’s delightful yammerings, and her obvious love for Reyna. And Esteban’s mom was all smiles and graciousness. It was, Reyna knew, a major step forward for all of them.
The other development of note that summer was the appearance of Hector at New Camelot to join the Round Table. He’d been Lance’s friend in The Compound at juvenile hall and at that time was being tried as an adult, but those adult charges had been dropped. He’d just gotten out of a juvenile camp program and returned home to East L.A., and was astonished to see the changes in his neighborhood thanks to Arthur’s knights and Mayor Soto’s Community Partnership Program. No longer feeling shackled to the gang life, Hector was thrilled to participate in the Round Table, and wanted to help make his neighborhood even better.
Lance was happy to see his friend. Father Mike had already told Lance that Angel and Joey had been returned to juvenile court and then sentenced to the California Youth Authority, now known as the Department of Juvenile Justice. It was a state-run system for juveniles charged with serious offenses, but unlike the prison system, its aim was to rehabilitate, not warehouse. Joey had been given two years and Angel four. But at least they’d be treated as juveniles, rather than adults, and that’s what Lance wanted.
Because he was so busy juggling all of his responsibilities, Lance couldn’t spend a lot of time with Hector. He gave the boy their schedule of weekly gatherings and invited him to attend school at New Camelot if his local school wasn’t working for him, and assigned him to the knights who were in charge over in East L.A. so Hector could become an active participant in the movement.
As October rolled around, Lance finally realized there had not been a single attack on them since June, and no gloating text messages from “the little bitch,” as he’d taken to calling his stalker, relative to the Washington incident. Of course, their 24/7 protections continued, and Lance knew the tactic could be to throw them off guard and let them become complacent and then wham, the next attack would blindside them.
In addition, Lance, Ricky and their youthful constituents across the country were getting fed up with the inability, or lack of desire on the part of Congress to act on the CBOR. Senator Cairns, Edwin regularly informed them by email, was pushing it hard in the senate, and several California and New York representatives were working on convincing the House membership, but so far little had been achieved. The CBOR hadn’t even been taken up in any committees of either branch. Not surprisingly, the children of many representatives and senators had been forbidden from maintaining contact with Lance and Ricky, which only made the kids more determined than ever to make the CBOR law.
“So much for listening to their own kids,” Lance commented to Ricky after a bunch of these messages had come through.
Ricky shrugged. “You didn’t expect them to, did you? They are grown-ups, after all.”
Lance chuckled at that. Many of the millions of kids who messaged or tweeted or emailed them said they were willing to engage in the “Operation Silent Treatment” that had worked so well in California for Prop 51. Lance and Ricky considered that, and decided to keep it as a backup plan. They figured the adults would be expecting it and thus might not let it bother them. No, they had something bigger in mind, something that would damage the reputation of the United States worldwide, maybe even make other countries look at America with disdain. But that plan couldn’t go into effect until April or May, and the effects of it wouldn’t even be felt right away. Still, he and Ricky began plotting all the same. If nothing substantial had occurred within the Congress by that time, they’d go for it.
In the meantime, the boys and their fellow knights and supporters around the country targeted their local representatives, because amending the Constitution also required approval of three-fourths of the states. Lance figured if the Congress in Washington wouldn’t take them seriously, maybe they’d listen to state legislatures that called for an up or down vote on the CBOR.
The boys were happy to see that Internet buzz about the CBOR did not let up, but kept increasing. Almost daily, the radio talk shows and all the TV political chat shows held debates on the merits or foibles of the ten amendments. As it had from the moment he’d spoken it, Lance’s line about adults wanting to keep alive the option of aborting kids up until they turned eighteen continued to be the most controversial, and the most oft-repeated. Many pundits remained appalled, while others agreed that, yes, the remark was youthfully hyperbolic, but not without some merit, especially considering the country’s penchant for putting juveniles in prison for the rest of their lives. Capitol Hill might have been hoping the whole thing would just “go away,” but the people had other ideas.
Kai and Dakota signed up to take two online courses from Diné College in Arizona, an accredited university founded and operated by the Navajo Nation. They decided to take American Government and Politics, and English 101, since those were basic requirements. Both felt, and Lance agreed, that by interacting with the professors in these classes, and by extension their students, they could outreach to the young Navajos about what Arthur had achieved in L.A., and also lobby for support of the CBOR.
Because of the attack in Washington, Ryan had managed, after much cajoling, to convince Arthur and Jenny that the Native Knights should learn how to fire a handgun in case of emergency. At first, both parents said no. Arthur, in particular, hated guns and considered them a cowardly weapon. But when Gibson joined his partner in assuring both parents that the boys’ lives might depend upon this knowledge, the adults reluctantly agreed. So, in addition to their other duties and activities that summer, the four boys were taught how to grip, aim, and fire several types of handguns with ease, enough to become proficient. Kai and Dakota had fired guns on the reservation, but mostly rifles, and took to the training quickly. Lance and Ricky took a bit longer, but eventually became confident in their ability to fend off an attacker if the need arose. All four boys preferred the bow and arrow, but they were grateful for this new knowledge.
†††
Chris turned nine that October and had grown two inches since the year before. He’d also gotten a lot stronger, and could wield many of the larger swords from the armory. He was part of the monthly birthday party, but the family also threw him his own private celebration. It touched Lance deeply to the heart when Chris raised his glass of sparkling cider and toasted the memory of Jack.
“When I’m in high school I’m gonna wear his number and play quarterback just like him. And I’m gonna tell everybody about him so nobody can ever forget,” the shaggy blond boy announced with a grin.
Lance felt tears burning the backs of his eyes as he clinked glasses with his brother and smiled with gratitude. Sometimes he felt guilty because he didn’t think of Jack every day like he used to. But Jack had told him to go on with his life, to make the world better for boys like him, and that’s exactly what he was trying to do.
By the time Lance and Ricky’s birthdays rolled around in November, Arthur and the family had visited almost every community in Los Angeles and had seen nothing but progress and positive results in terms of bettering the lives of the people, and by extension, the children. He and the mayor had discussed the ever-present issues of homelessness and drug addiction, since there still
seemed to be an inordinate number of these people. But, as the mayor explained, many of the homeless and drug addicts were mentally ill, and mental illness remained an area politicians refused to deal with in the country as a whole, probably because it would take real, hard work to make any progress.
“Just look how those guys in Washington are stalling on your CBOR?” he’d told Arthur one afternoon while they visited a homeless shelter in downtown LA. “They can’t even agree to vote on the thing!”
All things being equal, the king and his sons were pleased by what they had helped bring about, and Arthur reminded Lance that “Someday you shall be in command and must make certain the powers that be continue in this manner.”
Lance nodded, but, as always when his father made reference to him taking over, a chill slithered up his back. Surely that wouldn’t be for many years, right, Lance told himself? But then Merlin’s salutation of “Your Majesty” would ring in his ears and he’d shiver anew. What if there’s something they’re not telling me?
As with Chris, the boys had two birthday celebrations, one during a gathering for every knight with a November birthday, and a separate one with the family. Everyone seemed to make a huge deal over Lance and Ricky turning seventeen because it was their last legal year as kids. A lot of their fellow knights ribbed them about getting old and being almost grown up, and it scared the boys a little, knowing what would be expected of them the moment they turned eighteen. Even though they’d still be teenagers, to society they would be adults and expected to act accordingly.
Lance had come to understand this more clearly the previous year during their Proposition 51 battle when he’d fought for kids to have adult rights. He’d finally realized how disastrous that would’ve been if he, as a teen, was any example. He knew then, and even now, that he wasn’t ready to be an adult yet, and if Prop 51 had passed, the law of unintended consequences would likely have been catastrophic. His birthday only reinforced his resolve that the CBOR was the way to go in this country to ensure that kids had real rights and protections, but not the responsibilities of adults.
The midterm election happened, as always, the week of their birthday and Lance had been happy to see the CBOR a heated topic of debate throughout the election cycle. According to Edwin, a larger number of moderates were elected to both houses of Congress and that boded well for the eventual passage of their amendments.
The birthday party was loud and fun with lots of food and music and dancing. As at every celebration, Reyna insisted on “The Cha Cha Slide,” but Lance didn’t mind because he and Ricky had finally gotten the hang of it. Since they were Arthur’s sons, they were given the choice of first song to dance to and they chose “Little Things.” Its message that the little things about the people we love are the most important always touched them deeply, and since Arthur and Jenny’s first wedding anniversary was around the corner, they also wished to honor their parents.
So Lance and Ricky, Arthur and Jenny, and Reyna and Esteban slow danced to the soulful ballad just as they had at the wedding. When they could pull their eyes from each other, Lance and Ricky noted Bridget and Justin clinging tightly to each other as they moved to the music, and Ariel and Techie doing the same. Lance spotted Kai and Dakota standing awkwardly side-by-side, but neither made any move to ask someone to dance, despite Kai’s assertion that he loved dancing. Everyone looked happy and content. Love filled the air. It was perfect. Of course, Lance knew it couldn’t last.
The night of their birthday, after the family dinner and more presents and cake, Lance and Ricky sat cross-legged on Lance’s bed, holding each other’s hands, gazing into each other’s eyes, and feeling wistful. Of course, all day thousands of people, mostly other kids, wished the boys happy birthday on the website or Facebook and even through Twitter. Harry sent them autographed copies of the picture they’d taken at the wedding, the one in which he and Ricky both kissed Lance at the same time. It had become one of the most downloaded pictures in the months following the event, and Lance and Ricky laughed when they saw Harry’s message: “Happy 17th to my three-way pals. Love, Harry.”
“We’re seventeen, Ricky,” Lance said quietly as he looked into the eyes of this boy he loved, his voice tight with emotion. “After I turned six and Richard, you know… at first I just wanted to die. I wanted to die every time he hurt me. I never even thought I’d get to be this old, you know?”
Ricky nodded, knowing Lance needed this moment to get his feelings out in the open.
Lance fixed his eyes on Ricky’s and laughed lightly. “But now that I have you, I wanna live forever. Crazy, huh?”
Ricky grinned and squeezed Lance’s hands gently. “I guess we could become vampires. We’re already Team Lance and Team Ricky, so why not?”
Lance laughed again. Then their eyes locked, and Lance forgot how to breathe. “Happy Birthday, dumbass boy of my dreams,” he whispered so softly it was barely a breath of air.
Ricky smiled, his own heart fluttering like hummingbird wings. “Happy birthday to you, dumber ass boy of my dreams.”
They leaned in to kiss, and all the troubles of the world melted away as their lips made contact and their souls converged into a single entity. It was perfect, the most perfect moment of the entire celebration of their shared birthday.
And then Lance’s phone vibrated with an incoming text.
The boys pulled apart, dread welling up in them simultaneously. Lance reached for the phone on the bedcover beside him, and felt his breath freeze. The number read: 000-000-0000.
He exchanged a look of trepidation with Ricky before thumbing in his password and opening the message.
‘Happy birthday, fag boys! Did you like my early present back in Washington? Fun, wasn’t it? Don’t think I couldn’t have had your faggot boyfriend killed, Lancey. It just wasn’t his time. As for your Indian bodyguards, they can’t stop me, either. If they know what’s good for them they’ll go back to the shitholes they came from. Anyway, you dumbass boys of each other’s dreams enjoy your seventeenth year on this planet because it will be your last. By this time next year you’ll be dead. And so will your old man. So go on back to your perverted sex acts, but you better hurry because you have less than a year to live.’
Lance held his breath while reading the two connected text messages, finally breathing again and locking his gaze on Ricky’s wide, anxious brown eyes. Then it suddenly hit him and he focused once again on the words that seemed so wrong: ‘you dumbass boys of each other’s dreams’. Of course! How could they have been so stupid?
“Lance,” Ricky began, reaching out a hand to his arm, but Lance quickly shushed him and opened the memo app on his phone. He typed in a message and showed it to Ricky, who gasped. ‘The room is bugged’, it said. ‘Probably the whole house’.
Now it made sense to Ricky too. How could their stalker know they’d just called each other the dumbass boy of the other’s dreams unless he’d heard it?
Lance placed a finger to his lips, and then said loudly, “I guess we better show this message to the Secret Service guys, for all the good that’ll do.”
“Yeah,” Ricky said as both boys untangled their legs and clambered off the bed. Lance pulled open the door to his bedroom to find the expected agent standing guard just outside. The man, tall and broad-shouldered, turned his impassive gaze on the boys and pulled a face when Lance put a finger to his lips and held out his phone.
First, he displayed the text message, and then he flipped to the note he’d typed. The agent’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and Lance and Ricky’s quiet birthday evening turned to pandemonium. The man alerted his fellow agents and they rounded up everyone in the family and the other knights in residence and gathered them together in the lobby. Everyone had to wait in silence for several hours while the Secret Service called in their bug-detecting equipment and swept the entire hotel from top to bottom.
Even the president was notified, per his orders, and he was not happy his agents hadn’t been doing regular sweeps
for listening devices. Ryan and Gibson stood watch over everyone in the lobby during the search. Lance and Ricky sat together in the same enormous chair, hands clasped, Ricky resting his head against Lance’s chest. For both boys it was a long, pensive night as the words of the text flitted in and out of their minds: ‘You have less than a year to live’. Could their vengeful stalker carry out his plan, Lance wondered over and over again? Thus far, he seemed to be one step ahead of them. Of course, bugging the hotel had obviously clued him in to everything the boys and Arthur had been planning.
He and Ricky exchanged several looks throughout the night as agents passed by them heading to one part of the hotel or another, and the same question was in the eyes of both: who could’ve planted the bugs and when? Kai sat cross-legged on the floor beside Lance’s chair, and Dakota sat cross-legged a short distance away. Lance noted him eyeing Kai when the Navajo boy was looking away or dozing, but Dakota said nothing to anyone. Occasionally he’d glance over at Lance and Ricky cuddled together in the chair, but Lance couldn’t read the look in his narrow, flinty eyes. Finally, exhausted from the birthday activities of the past few days, Lance and Ricky drifted off to sleep.
†††
When they woke the following morning, they were still nestled together in the big lobby chair, but everyone else had departed except one Secret Service agent who’d clearly been left to stand guard over them.
As Lance awoke and found Ricky’s head on his chest and his own arms wrapped around the boy, he momentarily forgot why they were there and just relished the moment of perfect peace. But then he remembered, and gently nudged Ricky to wake him.
And The Children Shall Lead Page 34
