Chapter 1

It was day one of the three-day Anime NebrasKon 2017 convention, and Cindy Cooper was overwhelmed by the bedlam. She felt horribly out of place among what seemed to be thousands of teenagers dressed as their favorite cartoon characters. There were plenty of adults, but many of them were also dressed up.

Her daughter, Sierra, was out there somewhere in the sea of freaks. She was wearing a short red schoolgirl skirt, silk stockings, a white shirt with a red collar, and a blue bow. Sierra said she was Sailor Scout, Mars, whatever that was, and to be the best one here, she insisted on dying her hair pink. Hopefully, it really does wash out.

Cindy couldn’t believe she had traveled from San Francisco to Omaha for this. I did it for Sierra, Cindy thought. If her husband, Dick, and she weren’t separated, he would be here with Sierra. NebrasKon was their thing, not Cindy’s, but Sierra didn’t do anything wrong—Dick had—so Cindy was going to do everything in her power to maintain a sense of normalcy for her daughter. It was hard enough being sixteen without your parents having problems.

Cindy looked through the mob of young boys in oversized breastplates, clutching ray guns and Rapiers, and squid-like creatures with tentacles resembling penises with battle spears, and who knows what else. She spotted her daughter.

The girl’s legs were too long for those heels and short skirt. She’s not your little girl anymore, Cindy thought. Her daughter had been cursed with her gene for large breasts, and Cindy could tell the boy Sierra was flirting with wasn’t making eye contact.

“Is that your Sailor Mars my daughter is talking to?”

Cindy turned toward the voice and knew the woman who spoke couldn’t have been looking in the same direction. Sierra was dressed up as Sailor Mars, but she was talking to a teenage boy, and this attractive, dark complected young lady couldn’t possibly have given birth to him. He was at least Sierra’s age. “No,” Cindy said, “but I’m impressed by your knowledge of these characters. I’m clueless.”

The Latino woman smiled. “I would be, too, if it weren’t for Tori. You know how teenagers are.”

Cindy’s eyes moved from top to bottom and back, carefully evaluating the woman’s face, clothes, and features. She favored Maritza on Orange Is the New Black, except this lady was thicker and didn’t wear tons of makeup. “I can’t imagine you’re old enough to have a teenager.”

The young woman’s cheekbones rose, and her dimples deepened. “Only if I conceived her when I was seven.” She laughed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t do that to people. She’s my ex-husband’s daughter from his first marriage. I’m twenty-three, but I feel much older because I’ve been raising Tori since I was seventeen. Longer really, but I didn’t marry her father until seventeen.”

Cindy nodded stupidly while she processed this woman’s disclosure. Twenty-three was the age of the girl Dick had an affair with. “Sorry, I’ve been rude. I’m Cindy, Cindy Cooper. I’m here with my daughter, Sierra.”

The young woman extended her hand. “I’m Mandy Santiago. It’s very nice to meet you. I’m guessing you’re not from Nebraska.”

Cindy smiled. “No, nor you,” Cindy said. “We’re here from San Francisco.”

“Oh, cool,” Mandy said, sounding her age. “We’re here from LA, and honestly, I can’t wait to get back. The weather here, shit, it’s too cold. My hoochie mama leather jacket doesn’t cut it here.”

Cindy was surprised by the expletive but not offended. It was refreshing to hear an adult’s unfiltered thoughts. “It’s our fault for coming to the Midwest in November.”

“Yeah, true, and I hope they’re wrong about the snow.”

“Me too,” Cindy said. “Although, I think Sierra is praying that it storms. Kids.”

“By the looks of it, Tori made a friend, so I’m sure she won’t mind spending a few extra days here.”

“Mom, can I have some money? We wanna get something to eat,” Sierra said as she approached.

“Yeah, Mom,” the boy with Sierra said.

Cindy turned around. Her daughter was with the black-haired boy with intense brown eyes, except—Cindy was glad she hadn’t said anything to Mandy about Sierra being with a boy.

“So she’s your Mars,” Mandy said.

Sierra must have seen the expression on Cindy’s face because she said, “Mom, this is Tori. She’s, um, he’s Ranma Saotome from Ranma 1/2. He changes; tomorrow, he’ll be a girl with red hair and no boots, so he’ll be shorter than me.” She gave Tori one of her, that’s right, smirks.

“Maybe shorter,” Tori said, “but I’ll have bigger boobs than you.”

“Will not,” Sierra said.