A Bullying Excerpt From "The Augean Tasks"

Just so everyone is aware: Yes, I was bullied.  I spent most of my life being bullied, at school, at church, and in my family.  Not for being gay, no, because coming out as transgender homosexual is something fairly new for me, but I got bullied for hanging out with "the gays," and "the goths," and "geeks," and "the drama kids."  I got bullied for being "ugly," for being "flat chested," for being "fat," for being "too skinny," for being "too white."

I got bullied for being black.

When I was ten I was walking home and was pelted by rocks from some Caucasian boys in a truck as they laughed at me and told me to go back to Africa.  I remember how confused I was by that because A) I've never been to Africa B) I have Caucasian in my bloodline so not all of me would fit in in Africa and C) I have Cherokee Indian blood running through my veins (my granny was half Cherokee) so technically, they'd come onto "my people's" land and really, shouldn't they be the ones leaving?

So when I first started writing "The Augean Tasks" I had not planned to really have a bullying scene, but today, before even watching "Happy Feet 2" (I'll talk about that on my other blog), I got the idea to make one of the main characters get bullied because of the name of his spirit guide.  I shared it with my Nieceling and her wise words to me were:

"Uncle Vic, write it down before you forget everything."

The kid's an effing genius.

So I did and before long my hand was flying across the page there in the movie theater and I'd written this bullying scene, and it's one of many in this book, I can already tell, but for me, I felt a part of me connect with the character of Amorien.  This is the first book that I'm writing where both main characters are Native American and I'm excited.  I don't know the name of my own spirit guide just yet (I have not gone on a spiritual quest yet) but I'd like to think that if I ever did one that I'd have one half as cool as Amorien:





Amorien stumbled into the wall with a hard thump, his cheek and chin connecting with the rough edges of the brick and slicing open. He hissed under his breath and then turned to face his attackers.  He groaned when he saw who it was.  Why couldn't they just leave him alone?  He swallowed back the tears that tried to choke off his air supply and square his shoulders in a false show of bravery.

"What the hell do you assholes want?" he asked angrily, hiding his shaking hands by folding his arms across his chest.

"Hey Amorien!  I hear your spirit guide is a flaming eagle?  Well, the ancestors sure got that right, because you're the most flaming bird that I know!" Lechan teased him, his friends laughing in delight as they formed a half circle around Amorien.  They were all a bunch of mindless drones.  Laughing when Lechan told them to laugh, moving when Lechan told them to move, bullying people when Lechan told them to bully.  Amorien had always wondered what would happen if anyone ever opened their heads.  Would they even find anything inside?

Amorien tried to calm his racing heart and call upon the spirit of his dead father to protect him.  His grandmother had always told him that it would work if he believed hard enough.  Please dad, please don't let them hurt me, and if I have to be beat up to become a man, just don't let it hurt too bad.  Please dad.  His breathing increased rapidly, his chest rising and falling quickly as he struggled not to let the fear overtake him and send him into a full-blown panic attack.

"Hey More!  Why're you standing there looking all scared?" A voice questioned from in front of him.

Quirking open one eye slowly, Amorien looked around and noticed that the only person standing in front of him was Balquo, his best friend, and the only other boy on the whole Reservation who didn't try to beat him up...besides Ashton.  But Ashton wasn't really a boy.  Ashton was a man.  And that meant that Balquo was the only boy who never tried to beat him up.

"Where's Lechan?" Amorien asked in wonder, both eyes opened wide as he quickly scanned the area.

Balquo shrugged, his black hair falling behind his shoulder.  "Him and his buddies took off like they'd seen a ghost or something," the other boy stated nonchalantly.

Amorien breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes sliding closed as his head rested back against the wall.  He couldn't believe that it actually worked.

Thanks dad, he whispered mentally before allowing Balquo to take him to the Shaman for healing.