What Am I?

The raid was just a hoax. Everyone knew it, but those who had a special connection to Area 51 didn't think it was funny at all.

Fifteen year old Geneva Martinez scrambled across her bed and grabbed her jacket. She was late for school, again.
"Oww!" Hopping around, she cursed at the dresser her toe had smashed into.
"Geneva honey hurry up!"
"Coming Mami, stupid dresser." Her muttered words trailed off as she ran down the stairs. Jumping the last three steps like she always did, Geneva stopped short when her mother came around the corner.
"What have I told you about that!"
"But Mami-"
"No. Te he dicho que no hagas eso." Marisa Martinez' tone was firm.
"Ma, English." Her quirky smile elicited a chuckle from her mother. They had made a deal several months ago to try and speak only English at home after an incident at school when her mother went in to speak to the principal. Her mother's less than perfect English had elicited more than one racist remark and when Geneva had overheard, she had blasted the lot of them. Two days suspension later, their pact was made.

Marisa gave her an understanding smile. It had been a long time coming. After sixteen years living in Nevada she should have known better. It would be better of course if her father was here but he...

"Mom...Earth to mom!" Geneva waved her hands in front of her mother. She had been doing that more and more lately. Just spacing out.
"Sorry hijita, stay out of trouble today, okay?"
"Yes mother." Geneva rolled her eyes and gave her mother a hug. "And you, stay away from those crazies today okay?"
The whole Area 51 raid idea had folks in a tizzy all over town. The people coming in were different than the usual folks they saw.  They were more prepared, determined. Her mother worked at the diner and they were seeing all kinds. As a child of an immigrant, it made Geneva nervous. It didn't matter that her mother was a naturalized citizen, her father was gone and he couldn't protect them anymore.
"Seguro hijita."
"Ma!  English." She gave her mom a peck on the cheek and ran out the door. She should still be able to catch the bus.

Marisa Martinez watched her daughter run down the sidewalk and around the corner. Geneva's father had been gone for over a year now and she had yet to get a straight answer from the base. She had lied to Geneva, her father wasn't dead but she wasn't sure if he was still alive no matter what they told her. She waited. Like clockwork, her phone rang, 9:00am, same time every day for almost a year now.

By the time Geneva got to school all anyone could talk about was the raid. She slammed her locker door shut and headed to her first class.
Her history teacher was out this week and the sub was a former soldier. An Army Master Sergeant, he worked a number of odd jobs around the school, but she'd never seen him sub before.
"All right...settle down...open your textbooks to the Mexican-American War." Living in Nevada, schools often taught the basics of the war that resulted in the annexation of Nevada and other states from Mexico.
"Yeah! Let's read about how America was soooo mean to the poor Mexicans." Sixteen year old Junior Phillips was a misogynistic ass who was also a direct descendant of a soldier who died at the Alamo.  He spent time playing up the illegal alien slant to anyone who would listen.
"Shut up Junior." Geneva muttered the words under her breath but the girl behind her heard her.
"Oooh..."
"That's enough!" Substitute teacher Adam Lopez snapped the book shut. He'd been told about issues in the class but no one had given him any specifics. "Mr. Phillips, is there anything relevant to the reading you wish to add?"

"Sure, sure," Junior said as he paused for effect, "how come all these aliens are still being allowed in. Mexico gave the U.S. the land. We didn't ask for the people." He winked at Geneva and smiled.
Broken laughter throughout the room demonstrated the tensions. Some knew it was best to just laugh and agree than to disagree. Except Geneva, whose flat affect cut through the room.
"You're an ass Junior." Dead silence greeted Geneva's words.
"Ms Martinez." The warning in the teacher's tone was unmistakable. It was obvious these two students were a major source of the tensions in this classroom.
Junior couldn't seem to stop himself. "Look Geneva, we know it's not your fault your mom's an alien, but your dad was one too, wasn't he? Working over at Area 51? Bet they shipped his ass back and that's why he never came home."
Geneva launched herself across the two desks separating them, one fist connecting with his jaw. They went down in a tangle of arms and legs, grunting and smacking each other.
"Shit." Adam tossed the history book aside and vaulted the empty desk in front of him. He grabbed Geneva by the collar and picked her up off the young man on the floor.
Junior scrambled to his feet and wiped at his bloody nose. "That's it Geneva, they'll kick you out for sure this time!"
Geneva struggled against the grip on her collar. "Let me go!"
"Not until you calm down."
"I'm gonna call the cops on you." Junior bellowed.
"Mr. Phillips, get yourself to the nurse and please, shut your mouth."
Stunned, Junior opened and closed his mouth, unable to say a word in response. He finally grabbed his bag and books and stomped out. The rest of the class was silent, no one seemed sure of what to do.
Adam dropped Geneva into the nearest chair.
"Everyone grab your bags. You're all going to the library for a study session. I want a two page paper tomorrow on the Mexican Cession."
Moans and groans filtered through the room as the other students grabbed their things and headed to the library. When the last one walked out the door, Adam finally turned to address Geneva.
"What the hell were you thinking?"
"Why aren't you taking me to the principal's office?"
They sat and stared at each other for a few more minutes.
"I know your father."
Geneva sat straight up in the chair. "What?" He said know, not knew...
"My father's alive?"
Adam gave her the briefest of nods. He was about to say more when the classroom door opened. School principal Mitch McConnell, not that Mitch McConnell, walked in with the school resource officer.
"Well you finally did it. I don't even need your mother here for this. You're expelled." The glee in his voice marked him for the toady he was.
Adam placed a hand on her forearm when she tensed.
"Good luck finding another school to get into." McConnell said.
Principal McConnell waited while she grabbed her things. The school resource officer escorted her to her locker and made her take a seat in the front office while she waited for her mother.