Chapter 147: Interlude Twenty-Nine: Maria - A Hood Life

Maria strode forward and slid her hands down the side of her beloved Chevy, feeling the smooth, waxed coating on one of her most prized possessions. She wasn’t particularly interested in why Jeanna was wearing a wig or anything else right now. All she wanted to do was feel the power of the engine roar to calm her racing heart.

She went to the car, circling it with a fond smile. "There you are, Alejandro," she whispered, fondly caressing the hood of her 1969 Chevy Impala SS, the convertible hood pulled back. "Finally got the hydraulics goin’, bro?"

"It’d help if you didn’t leave it so low to the ground!" Her brother grunted. "Who’s the Karen yelling at ya?"

"Nobody," Maria replied, stopping at the back of the classic, white-painted car to run her hands over the 808 angel number artwork on the trunk; it had some rain spots on it. "Aye, jump out, will ya? I’m good to drive now. No slurring, huh?" she asked, Mexican accent thickening with her excitement.

"Uh. No, but are you sure..."

"Get your ass over," Maria laughed, nudging him to hop into the passenger side. "Yo, Fi, you good with the top dropped?" she asked, falling into the driver’s seat as her brother left with a dirty look, no doubt wanting to drive the car she never let anyone touch.

The fairy floated down onto the dashboard to sit cross-legged, wings and green glow vanishing as she released her magic and held up her thumbs. "I’m good! Cool car. We’re going to party, right? I just want to forget everything...like my parents not picking up the phone!"

"Uh-huh." Sensing the young woman wanted to get away from all the stress that had happened, especially all the torture she’d been through since becoming a fairy, Maria was happy to show her a good time around her hood.

Grabbing the hat off the dash that had ’Little Havana’ stitched on the front, Maria pulled her braid through the back to settle it on her head. Next came the rimless sunglasses as she smiled and put on the cassette mixtape Lita had made for her birthday when she was a little girl. Summer Nights by Lil Rob came on, hitting the amplifier, subs, and speaker.

Jeanna stood nearby, studying them with a critical eye, not so antagonistic now as Roy hopped into the back seat; she didn’t seem all that put off now that things were settling down, and if she wanted to take her license plate, QUEEN69 wasn’t hard to remember. The birth year of Lita; it had been her car before it came into Maria’s possession, after all.

Maria put two fingers to her hat as she pulled away, and Jeanna actually smiled and waved, holding her purse at her front. The wind picked up as they hit the streets, and finally, they were on the move again. As she passed the checkpoint, she received a few cheers from the soldiers, who held up fists. Her brother put on his own dark shades, sitting back and breathing out all the stress he’d no doubt felt as she slept.

Roy directed them to the college to check on Selvaria, not that Maria knew much about the scaled woman. Apparently, she was some kind of huge leviathan—shit had nothing on the bible’s. Trying not to get sucked down a rabbit hole, she felt lighter upon seeing a grin on Fiona as they freely cruised down the somewhat empty streets. At least half the businesses seemed to be back open, making Maria nod; people had to make a living, and life went on.

She saw beastkin, faekin, and everything in between strolling with loved ones. Love was coming back to the neighborhood, and she could see it in the faces of the residents. Tourists appeared somewhat sketched out still, being so far away from home, but Miami was a welcoming community.

Arm resting against the door, she vibed to the chill sound of the mixtape. A lot would have changed in the criminal network of Florida with Terrell and several other gangs taken out of the picture. Thankfully, it was the bad actors who flocked to Relica’s side; the types the streets were better off without.

Right now, peace was looking likely, and Miguel would have moved to fill the hole. Little Havana was about to take center stage. Maria was here for it since it would allow them to put a more positive spin on keeping the hood safe from outside forces.

Spinning the wheel left and right, she had fun on the drive, swapping lanes and enjoying the energy people sent them from the sidewalks or the salutes from other vehicles.

Roy pointed them to the college Coast Guard checkpoint, updating them on what they knew about the conflicts during the operation, what happened to them, and the State’s current affairs. Classes seemed suspended until further notice as students returned to their families until everything smoothed over.

Still, a few people were exercising or wandering around the grounds as they circled the parking lot to find an empty spot. It seemed the military was doing a good job of keeping things organized after nearly a week into The Oscillation.

Taking two stalls, Maria dropped the hydraulics down low and got out, Fiona giggling as she stretched out in the air, and her brother hopped out, keeping his sunglasses on.

"Do you just drive a lot to pass the time, Maria? So many people waved at us and shouted like they knew you."

Putting her glasses on the brim of her hat, Maria shut the door and locked the car when everyone exited. "It’s relaxing, girl. Doesn’t it feel good just to pull out and chill with the homies, bumpin’ good music, and seein’ the changes to the city? It’s the vibe, ya know? Ya gotta let go and relax after the grind. Enjoy life."

"Because it’s short," her brother repeated, flashing his teeth as he fell in lockstep with Roy. "I hear the President is doing nightly updates on stuff."

"Have you listened to them?" Fiona asked, keeping even with their heads so they could talk as her green glow carried her through the air. "What’s going on?"

"Naaa," Felix scoffed. "Busy with other shiz."

"A lotta shit is happening," Roy chuckled. "Mostly in the big cities, but there are some country murders. Local police and the FBI are taking control. State and city leadership should be taking the reins back soon. Martial Law is only supposed to be used for a short period during a social collapse. We’ll probably still have some presence here to support the governors; it’ll mostly be in extra personnel rather than combat, though."

"Cool," Maria grunted, noting the military vehicles posted around the campus. "So, we gonna see this leviathan girl, huh? She’s in here?"

Roy opened the doors for what appeared to be a giant pool. "Yeah, she needs a lot of water, and the college has a pool. Her mom’s here, so putting her mind at ease should help."