A little over a year ter, the siblings found themselves seated together in their favorite booth back at Au Naturel, the same ohey usually took. The spot gave them a perfect view of everyone who came a, without causing a fuss—ideal for their favorite activity while there: People-watg.

  Even though they didn’t eh anyone as Goonie had asked, it was still fun to observe the patrons. Over time, it had bee Leo’s favorite way to pass the time.

  Ever sihe ‘Davis i,’ Leo had developed a keen eye for spotting the more mysterious-looking ers, especially those who looked like they could be living double lives as vilins or heroes. Quinn had bee her co-spirator in the game, her own theories.

  As their server dropped two iced greees onto their table, the two grinned up at the woman they knew well. Natalie beamed back, reag to tousle Leo’s unruly, thick mass of hair, now signifitly lohan it had been a year ago. “You two still up to that rude staring-at-the-patrons game again? It’s fine as long as you don’t pester anyone again,” she teased, pnting a hand on her hip and wagging a mock-admonishing fi them.

  Quinn’s grin wide the familiar mock-chastisement. “Heck yes! Check this out: there’s this extra creepy-looking guy with a huge beard and sunken eyes! He’s gotta be, like, an ex-rocker from the eighties or ies!”

  “No! He’s definitely a supervilin!” Leo’s voice was loud and eager, as if the thought of a vilin appearing on their watch thrilled her. “He’s gotta be, like, a Neancer or something super cool and sinister!”

  “Oh crap, he’s looking our way!” Quinn yelped. “Hide, hide, hide!” she whispered, her eyes wide in mock panic.

  Natalie rolled her eyes, suppressing a giggle as Leo ducked uheir table, her expression one of sheer terror at the thought of fag a fearsome raiser of the dead. Quinn, meanwhile, hummed in satisfa as she took a sip of her tte through the included straw. “Yet another crisis averted. He’s gone now.”

  Leo poked her from uhe table, eyes wide as she searched Quinn’s face. “Really?”

  “Oh! It was someone else, my mistake! He’s—”

  Leo squeaked, disappearing bader the table as if the world’s greatest vilin was still after her.

  Quinn covered her mouth, trying to stifle her ughter, while Natalie looked away, clearly trying to distract herself from the antics. “You know, if they hear you, this—” she began, but was cut off.

  Without warning, Leo leapt from uhe table, brandishing a fork and knife like ons, ready to face whatever threat had dared approach their table. The entire restaurant paused to stare at her, and then, slowly, the realization sank in: there was no supervilin. Leo, in full heroic mode, had merely been duped. She looked around at the stares, blushed furiously, and shot Quinn an indignant gre over her shoulder.

  Quinn couldn’t hold it in any lhing softly. “Sorry, little goody two-shoes. Didn’t think you’d take it so seriously.” She tilted her head, her voice dropping into pyful teasing. “Are you that desperate to find a vilin to battle? That would actually be kind of scary. You don’t even have any powers. Or were you pnning on pig some up along the way?”

  Leo stared at her sister for a long moment before answering, voice ear and almost too serious. “I read about powers falling into heroes’ ps all the time! I mean, yush! If that’s my fate, I wouldn’t pin. Even if I didn’t get any, I’d still protect you and Goonie, and everyone else here!”

  She pced the fork and knife back down, proudly sitting up as though her destiny as a hero had bee in stone.

  Everyone around them went back to their business, chug softly, some fondly, others with mild amusement. For the regurs at Au Naturel, it wasn’t unon to withe Ramses siblings pying their stratle games, especially sihey hadn’t caused trouble for half a year.

  “e on, kiddo. Sit your butt down and have some of your tte.” Quinn scooted over, patting the sofa-like seat. Leo fshed a sunny grin, eager to return to her drink.

  As Natalie moved over to serviother table, Quinn's tone grew a little more serious. “So, sis… I guess this means you’re finally—”

  “MINT!” Leo interrupted, eyes lighting up. A spsh of minty fvor had been added to the tte, making it just a little different from their usual. She grinned like she’d discovered a treasure.

  “Sit still a sed, you hyper little monster!” Quinn ughed, shaking her head. “So this—” She fixed Leo with a serious look, trying again to stay on topic. “This means you’re finally ing to my school—ack!”

  Leo had snuggled up to her, interrupting the versation in the most typical of ways. “You’re such a needy creature!” Quinn ughed, but tried to keep her focus. “Seriously though, why did you want to go to my school of all pces?”

  Leo fidgeted, flushing a little as she fumbled with her tte. She finally answered, a little embarrassed. “Um—it’s more fun with you! I always have the most fun when I’m hanging out with you, sis! But—” she trailed off, looking away.

  Quinn pursed her lips, eyeing Leo closely with a spiratorial look. “Leo, are you still sure you wanna—be my little sister? Have you ged your mind?”

  “YES! N-no! Don’t ask me two questions!” Leo shot back, shaking her head rapidly, stig out her tongue. “I absolutely wanna be a girl!” she decred, her voice full of determination.

  Quinn smiled and hough she couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was on Leo’s mind. She whispered, voice soft but serious, “In that case, I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but Mama’s arranged a special appoi for you, if you’re still serious. I didn’t know much about it before, but as your responsible older sister, I looked it up online.”

  Leo’s eyes sparkled. “I know. Gooalked with me about it and told me everything.”

  “Did she really? Everything? She prete was a big secret with me!” Quinn pouted, taking a sip of her tte in mock offense.

  “Yeah… I know all about what it means,” Leo said matter-of-factly. “I be a real girl and I won’t have to take that medication anymore, just a different kind! ... Kind of. All I have to do is have some needles sometimes, and swallow a coup pills every day. It’s probably icky to be poked, but I really want it, even if it hurts!” She said it all in a rush, her face ultra-serious despite the absurdity of her words.

  “Y’know, I heard that trans people sometimes face health problems because of the medicatioake ter in life. You have to keep that in mind before you set your mind in stone,” Quinn said, tilting her head. “Even if it might mean having a shorter life, is this really what you want?”

  Swallowing, Leo fidgeted, chewing ohought for a long moment. “Yeah. Gooold me about that too. She was the most worried about me. She even told me all about how people might treat me if it turned out badly, or if… even if I got to be the prettiest girl on the curb… they’d still…”

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself, punk,” Quinn cut in with a ugh, grabbing Leo and giving her a noogie. “You still gotta pete with me! So I guess you told her yes?”

  Leo nodded, pouting as she rubbed at her tousled hair. “I know. What I think is, people have to be happy, or life sucks. Being a girl will make me smile. Even if my life was shorter, like if I became a superhero and I could die saving people, fighting vilins—I hahat. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

  “Whew… totally deep.” Quinn leaned back, her voice dropping into pyful sarcasm. “Who knew I had such a… studious little sister.”

  Her little sister’s earness and ess nearly made Quinn swoon, but she fought it off. “Y’know, on top of that, I really feel that it’s gotta be destiny. You always were a cute tyke… I mean, seriously… I could totally imagine you being mirly than you already are—way more than me already. Not that I care,” she ughed, teasing.

  Leo beamed at the pliment and shrugged, sippie with a tilt of her head. “You really don’t care at all?”

  “Heo!” Quinn rolled her eyes and quickly shifted gears. “Tell me, have you thought about what name you’d want? If yonna be a girl, probably shouldn’t go by Leo anymore, huh? I was thinking, if it’s really destiny, ‘Destiny’ would be a great name. What do you think?”

  Leo chewed on her lip for a moment. “That’s kind of… I don’t know… preppy? ceited?”

  “That’s a huge word for you!” Goonie called out from across the room as she came over to che her kids. “I see you went and spoiled the big ‘surprise.’” She gri Quinn, whose smile instantly colpsed into a pout, followed by a gre.

  Goonie chuckled, holding up her hands in mock surrender. “Sorry to steal your thunder.”

  “You really did!” Quinn pouted dramatically. “I wao be the oo tell her! A…”

  “I already decided,” Leo spoke up, cutting through the pyful tension.

  Quinn raised an eyebrow, her impish smile returning. “Well, don’t keep us in suspense! What brilliant name did you choose? Was it maybe… Mistral?”

  Leo faltered, eyes widening. Mistral? Was that a possibility? A very good possibility… She shook her head, dismissing the thought. “No—it ’t be that… Mama, my real mama—she named me after someone special—someone I never knew. My great-grandpa. Yours too, sis… It’s gotta be Leo, but like—it’s too—boyish—so we talked about it and—”

  “Leona!” Goonie suddenly announced, spreading her arms wide in triumph.

  Leo froze mid-sylble, then colpsed in a heap on the booth seat.

  “You suck, Mama! First, you stole my thunder and now poor Leo’s too.” Quinn tilted her head and leaned over to hug the now-mopey Leo. “Are you okay? Is that the name you chose, or was that just another joke?” She didn’t really think it was a joke.

  Leo shook her head, sighed, and then smiled softly. “You ’t pin too long. It’s a great name, and Goonie helped me with it! And—isn’t it nice? I love my real mom and keep my the same time—but just—I … I be Leona!!!” Leo beamed as she announced her new name, almost as if none of the previous antics had happened. Or maybe she’d fotten them already, but the moment was still full of joy.

  Quinn ughed and ed her arms around her little sister. Goonie reached down to gently pat both of their heads. “The first appoi is tomorrow. The needles might be a little scary at first, but yoing to be happy. My wyer hahe rest of it and prepared your name-ge papers. By the time you go back to school, you’ll legally be my little Leona.”

  Leona chewed on her lip. “I don’t know if I’m ready to go to school yet—though I wanna go to Quinn’s school too.” She shrugged, sinking slightly into herself.

  “You’ve been going to school until now—why not?” Quinn asked, genuinely curious.

  “Cuz I don’t want—I don’t eople to see me ging—” Leona whispered, her voice full of uainty.

  “Why not?” Quinn raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

  “I just don’t. I don’t have many friends—none really—a few, but I just wish it was easy to be magically turned into a girl and have people fet I was ever Leo.” She chewed her lip, visibly unfortable with the idea.

  Goonie houghtfully, her expression a little sad. It wasn’t an ued response, but it was still painful to hear. If people saw her ge, she’d forever be ‘that’ girl who wasn’t born one. Kids weren’t always uanding of these things, and maybe Leona instinctively knew she’d have to face those challenges. Sometimes things didn’t go the eople hoped.

  “My little sis,” Quinn said softly, smiling warmly aing Leona’s hair. “It’s okay. Just take it step by step. We’re here for you.”

  Goonie ed both of them in a warm hug. Leona sighed, sinking into their embrace, the f weight of it all easing her mind. She still sometimes thought about the inside of that musty old chest her dad had stuffed her into—memories that resurfaow and then—things that had happeo her, things she had to e to terms with. But not now. Despite those dark memories lurking at the edges of her mind, these arms around her didn’t make her feel trapped. She felt free. Free as the wind, or perhaps like one of the fluffy clouds drifting through a calm blue sky above the city.

  Despite its age and wear, San Isidro still held onto a raw sense of elegahe tall Gothid Victorian buildings reached up, grasping for the heavens in vain. Whether this was a symbol of human aspiration or something more Sisyphean really depended on who you asked.

  Across the bay, though, gleamed a city of gss and steel, its t skyscrapers sparkling in the sunlight. The well-to-do mostly kept to that glistening city, but there were still a few things you could only find in San Isidro.