Cemetery Boys(113)
My amazing agent, Jennifer March Soloway, was another essential part of this book becoming a reality. I reached out to her as a fellow Mills College alum for advice before she was even officially my agent. When I was telling her about the idea I had for Cemetery Boys, she stopped me and said, “Aiden, you know you could write about your own culture, right?” That idea BLEW MY MIND. If I thought people would never take on a book with a transgender protagonist, it didn’t even cross my mind that I could make it a Latinx fantasy. Without Jennifer, Cemetery Boys would be incredibly different and not nearly as special and dear to me as it is now. Whenever I’ve gotten stressed out or overwhelmed, Jennifer has been an anchor. “You’re worried, but you’re well” has become my new mantra.
The ones who really had the worst end of the deal were my poor friends who had to hold me together when I was falling apart WITHOUT EVEN GETTING PAID FOR IT! Anda Stelle and Tanya Lisle helped me sort through my dumpster fire of an outline, and then Anda read my very first draft and acted as a cheerleader as I drafted, chapter by chapter. My dear Maxamaris Hoppe and Rey Noble provided emotional support and forced me to be kind with myself when I got caught in self-hate spirals. Without these folks taking care of me, I would’ve never made it through in one piece.
A HUGE thanks to Adriana M. Martínez Figueroa for naming my brilliant bruja Paola, and Angela Wells for naming my precious Rio.
To my incredibly talented cover artist, Mars Lauderbaugh, I owe my entire life! They took my boys and brought them to life so beautifully, it’s like they pulled them right from my heart. Yadriel’s likeness is especially precious to me. I am incredibly lucky and thankful for all the work, love, and care that Mars has put into my characters. No one else could’ve brought them to life so perfectly.
I want to thank my family for their love and unwavering support. My mom (De Anna), sister (Christine Sanchez) and brother-in-law (Chris Sanchez) helped me come up with the original plot for Cemetery Boys while we drank mezcal and ate tacos as I lay on the floor, jotting notes into my cell phone.
In the process of writing this book, I lost an incredibly dear and important person to me. My cousin, Alan Claveran, was a giving, kind, and hilarious man. Without him, the world isn’t quite as bright. A part of me will always mourn losing him, but I will always treasure his stupid jokes, his relentless teasing, and his sweet laugh. See you on the other side, brother.
Something sinister waits within the trees …
When children start to go missing in the local woods, Wendy must face her fears and a past she can’t remember to rescue them in Aiden Thomas’s next atmospheric YA novel.
CHAPTER 1
Falling Stars
As Wendy Darling pushed through the door, all conversation died and every eye focused on her. As she stood there, files stacked in her arms, the whispers started in hushed tones. The hairs on the back of Wendy’s neck prickled. As a lowly volunteer at the only hospital in town, Wendy had spent her day in the basement copying files. That part of the job was boring, but Wendy wanted to become a nurse. It probably wasn’t the ideal way for the average teenager to spend their eighteenth birthday, but Wendy wanted to lie low and avoid attention.
And she was failing spectacularly.
The nurses’ station was packed with people in scrubs and officers in uniforms, and they all watched Wendy as she hesitated in the doorway, trying to not drop her stack of papers.
Her sweaty hands were making the plastic folders harder to hold onto, so, even though her nerves told her to get out of there, Wendy hurriedly crossed the room and dumped them behind the desk. Curious eyes and the incoherent crackling of police officers’ radios followed her.
“Lord, did you finish already?” Wendy started at the sudden appearance of Nurse Judy at her elbow.
“Uh—yeah.” Wendy took a quick step back and dragged her hands through her short, blunt haircut. Nurse Judy was a small woman with a large presence, dressed in Snoopy scrubs. She had a booming voice that was perfect for talking over the sound of busy waiting rooms and a loud, unabashed laugh that was often used while teasing doctors.
“Dang, girl! You’re making the rest of us look bad!” She took no nonsense and usually spoke her mind, which was why her tight-lipped smile and fidgeting hands made Wendy’s stomach twist.
Wendy forced a small laugh that quickly died in her throat. Standing behind Nurse Judy, on the other side of the U-shaped nursing desk, was Officer Smith. The pale fluorescent lights bounced off his bald head and he stood with his chest puffed out and his thumbs tucked into the straps of his Kevlar vest. He stared at Wendy, mouth in a straight line as his square jaw worked on a piece of gum. No matter what time of year it was, Officer Smith always had a sunglasses tan framing his sharp eyes. He had a way of looking at you that made you feel guilty, even if you hadn’t done anything wrong. It was a look that Wendy had been on the receiving end of many times over the past five years.
“Wendy.” Her name always sounded gruff coming from him, like he was annoyed at the mere mention of her.
Wendy’s head bobbed in an uncomfortable greeting. She wanted to ask what was going on, but the way everyone kept looking at her—
“There you are!” A sharp yank on Wendy’s arm had her spinning around to Jordan’s beaming face. “I was looking everywhere for you!” she said. Jordan Arroyo had been Wendy’s best friend since middle school. If Wendy did anything outside her comfort zone, it was because Jordan was there cheering—and sometimes pushing—her along. It was Jordan who had talked her into applying to big-name colleges, and rejoiced with screaming and dancing when they both got into the University of Oregon. When Wendy worried that it was too far from Astoria and her parents, Jordan promised they’d make the four-hour drive back home together whenever Wendy wanted.