With some of the coins I had left, I went over to the nearest payphone and called up Luz. We had plans, and I wasn't about to disappoint her. I rushed down the road and dropped my coins into the machine.
"Howdy, Luzzzy Loo!"
"Sunny, there you are! What took you so long?"
"Sorry, ran into some trouble, but I'm alright…"
"So, Hechizo?" she asked with this kind of leading tone.
"Hechizo…!" I repeated, confirming it for her.
With our plans set, I made my way to Hechizo. I couldn't use my powers since I was a bit tuckered out, so it was a bit of a walk to the train station.
Thinking about it now, there sure are a lot of things that make more sense to me now that I'm older. While I was walking, I remembered seeing a bunch of flyers on the way to the train. I didn't realize it at the time, but there was an election going on. And I remember this woman's face plastered everywhere. I think her name was Rebecca… something. I can't remember her full name right now, but if I remember correctly, she ended up winning that race.
"In other news, Senator Rebecca Stone finds herself leading the pack in the early projections of this year's senatorial election. The senator's platform includes..."
I didn't really understand most of what I was hearing—something about an organization to help folks like me. C.A.L.E.B., I think it was called. Seemed like a good idea, but I wondered why they never had one out here. Did Daddy know about this place? If he had, would we have even been here? It was in the news, after all. Now, as a grown woman, it's a big part of my life, but back then, things could've been different.
That thought lingered in my mind for a second, but before I could get too wrapped up in it, I reached my destination and stepped off the train. After checking my map, I made my way outside of Hechizo—but Luz was nowhere in sight.
While I was waiting, I heard something like a massive sonic boom rip through the sky. I looked up and saw someone fly past, dressed in red and gold, moving like a speeding bullet. I couldn't make out the pattern on her clothes, but it sure looked nice.
Who was that lady? Had to be another hybrid—but where was she off to in such a hurry?
I wondered if I could try using my powers to chase after her, but at the rate she was going, I didn't think I stood a chance. She'd already cleared most of the island and was just a blur within seconds of flying by.
"Whoa… did you see that?!" a familiar voice called out.
"That had to be Ms. Olympus."
I looked back, and sure enough, it was Luz! I thought I recognized that voice.
"Ms. Olympus…?" That name sounded familiar. Where had I heard it before…?
"C'mon, chica, you know who Ms. Olympus is… She's only the strongest hybrid on the planet."
"Really? The whole planet?"
"Do you even have a TV in your house?" she asked, crossing her arms with a sarcastic smirk.
"Yeah, I do… but I don't, like… watch all that…"
"You're such a brat."
"No, I ain't…!"
"I'm just kidding, chill out. But yeah, she's all anybody talks about online. Heard she lives out in the States."
"Man, oh man… I'd love to go a few rounds with her…"
"Wha…?" Luz looked genuinely confused. I never did tell her about my powers—might have to do that one day, but today wasn't gonna be that day.
"Nothing…"
"She'd squash you, dude."
"Yeah, probably… Anyhow, you ready to go?"
Luz nodded. "You bet I am," she said, skating across the street.
"Hey, no fair! I don't got no fancy skates!"
She stuck her tongue out as she rolled ahead.
"Then hurry up!"
With that, the two of us finally got to head inside—thank goodness! I'd been waiting forever to see Hechizo up close and personal. Always seemed like something was getting in the way.
When we made it inside, it looked just like I'd seen on TV. There was an auditorium with a big ol' wooden stage, a massive red curtain, and all sorts of bright lights and pretty colors.
"¡Sean bienvenidos y prepárense para un show espectacular, traído para ustedes por las manos mágicas del mago misterioso: Hechizo!"
Crazy that he did all of this for free. I guess he made enough from his merchandise, and it was a small show—but still, I ain't complaining. In fact, I think it's mighty kind of him!
"C'mon, c'mon, we gotta find some seats."
We waded through the aisles and found a spot, but it looked like we might've been some of the first ones there.
After a minute, I let Luz take the lead, and eventually, we wound up right in front of the stage. Not so close that we were right up in his face, but close enough to get the best view.
"Man… this is gonna be fun!"
"Ya know, I heard that Hechizo was a miracle…"
"Really? You think so…?"
"I mean, I dunno, but you think so… What if all magicians were miracles…?"
"Whoa…"
A miracle isn't just a Bible term. It's a word for people who have powers like hybrids, but the reason they have them isn't something you can really explain. No one knows who or what they are or where they come from, and they're incredibly rare—something that only really started gaining attention after the First Contact War.
Once people started getting tested for the hybrid gene, all sorts of other folks began showing up with strange abilities. But when they were tested, the scientists couldn't find anything. Still, since they had powers, everyone knew they were miracles. They had always been here. Their existence just raised all sorts of questions. Most of them didn't have many answers. But I sure do—I think they're magic, and I like magic.
A short while after Luz finished blowing my mind, the show was getting ready to begin. The seats were filling up fast. However, I kept noticing a little beeping coming from Luz's belt.
"Hey, Luz, that your, uh, pager thing going off…?"
Luz looked down. "Oh, no kidding… Hang on, I might need to take this… Big sister always worrying…" She seemed a bit annoyed but got up from her seat.
"Hurry back now! Yer gonna miss the show!" I hollered after her.
She waved back at me with a thumbs-up, but a short while later, there he was. He emerged from a large plume of smoke on stage, standing there in all his majestic glory. It was like watching a rockstar step into the spotlight—except instead of a guitar and microphone, he had a magic wand and a top hat. I was mesmerized.
As he took the stage, he moved through the crowd, performing all sorts of fancy tricks—making birds flutter and fly from his hat, pulling money from behind some kid's ear.
I was bouncing and bobbing in my seat like there was no tomorrow. He had a whole set of tricks, each one more breathtaking than the last. Sure do wish Luz hadn't left—I thought she was missing all the fun.
"Ahora… niños… I need a volunteer. Which brave soul would like to join me on stage?"
A volunteer? Normally, he had an assistant for stunts like this. But now was my chance to find out if the rumors were true once and for all. I shot my hand up and scrambled onto the stage, practically climbing over the others.
"My, my… eager, aren't we? Tell me, chica, what is your name?"
I threw up a hand to the crowd. "Howdy! I'm Sunny!" Just then, I spotted Luz making her way back to her seat.
"Greetings, Sunny… now then… I'm going to need you to step into this box if you please."
He walked me over to the large box of blades, opened it, and guided me inside. Something felt off… The interior was all red and kinda velvety, and as soon as he shut the door, a wave of claustrophobia hit me. I figured he'd give me a warning about what was going to happen, but instead, he just called out.
"Sunny, are you securely inside?"
"Uhh… yes, sir…" I answered a little nervously. Maybe this was a bad idea, especially with my powers not being at one hundred percent. What if something went wrong? Surely, he wasn't really gonna stab me—maybe the blades were dull or something.
"Good. Then allow me to insert the first blade."
From inside the box, all I could hear was the audience gasping, followed by—
Schink.
The sound of the blade rang in my ears as it slid out of whatever was holding it.
"Worry not, Sunny. These blades will not hurt you…"
He said that, but I wasn't a hundred percent sure I could believe him. At this point, though, all I could do was take his word for it.
Inside that tiny box, I could feel him getting the blade into position. I couldn't tell where it was—until a sliver of silver appeared, sliding into the box. A funny feeling crept up the back of my mind as it moved past my stomach, barely brushing against the fabric of my shirt.
And then, something unbelievable happened.
As he pushed forward, the blade jostled and moved dangerously close to my face. But just as it seemed like it would cut me, instead of doing that, it kinda started bending—like it was conforming to me. What the heck was going on? Were the rumors true…? Was Hechizo really a miracle?
After a moment, the blades plunged in and out the other side, creating another pathway. Soon, a whole slew of them wobbled all over the place. I couldn't believe it. I kinda wanted to laugh, but I felt like that wasn't a good idea. As I kept my hand over my mouth, I heard his footsteps meandering across the floor. His eyes met mine, and he made a gesture as if to say, Shhh… I nodded.
He left the blades there for just a second, the crowd letting out an audible gasp once it was all said and done.
"Now then! As you can see, I have jammed each of the blades into the box, but..."
One by one, he removed them, then opened the box, allowing me to step out—completely unharmed. As soon as the crowd saw me, they erupted into applause, their disbelief plain on their faces. I looked over at Hechizo, completely stupefied.
"And please give my lovely assistant a hand," he said, gesturing to me.
As I stepped out, I spotted Luz in the crowd. Her eyes were a bit narrower as if she were trying to figure out how he did it. She made a gesture as if to say, Did that just happen…?
Later, once the show was over, Luz and I headed outside and started talking.
"So he stuck the swords in you, and it was like nothing happened…? They were bending?" She made a gesture with her hands as if snapping something in half.
"Yeah, I swear… Guess what you heard was true!"
"Huh… interesante…"
Luz looked up at the sky for a moment.
"I wonder what other kinds of miracles exist out there…"
"What if we already met 'em and don't even know it?" I said, turning my head toward her.
Luz looked like her blood had run cold.
"Spooky…" she muttered.
"So, where to next?" We were having a good time, but where would it take us next?
"Wanna head back to the arcade? There was a racing game there I really wanted to try…" Luz said, an eager glint in her eyes.
"Racing game, huh? I'm real good at those!" I said, pointing to myself, feeling all confident and such.
"Oh yeah? Bet you can't beat me!" She poked my shoulder, challenging me.
"We'll see about that… Race ya there!" I smirked, pulling my hood up over my head.
Just like last time, we raced to the arcade. After trading some of my money for coins, I made my way over to the racing machine. And just like before, I was running the cabinets—Luz looking terrified as player after player got dusted.
She never even set foot in one of the cabinets—all that tough talk for nothing, heh. But still, it was nice having a hype woman like Luz this time.
Except something felt different. When it was all over, I felt… unsatisfied, like I didn't have any real challengers.
"Man, let's go… This girl's way too good," a dejected teen muttered as he walked off.
As I sat in my little booth, I watched the names scroll by on the screen. One of them read CYND. I let out a sigh.
"Sunny…?"
Luz, who was standing beside me, tapped the side of the booth.
"You okay?"
"Huh…? Yeah, I'm fine…"
I could tell she was peering at my screen, but I didn't say anything. Then, suddenly, my stomach rumbled.
"You wanna go get some tripletas from one of the food stands?" she asked, pointing toward the exit.
"Heh, yeah…" I said, rubbing the back of my head.
A few minutes later, we grabbed some food. Tripletas were a type of sandwich unique to the island—stuffed with tasty pork and served with a big ol' bag of fries.
Since the weather was nice, we decided to head to the beach. The arcade was just a stone's throw from the boardwalk, and from there, we had a perfect view of the island. We set our bag of food down between us, the seasoning on the fries peppering the air.
"So, you wanna tell me what got you all melancholy back there…?" Luz asked as she plopped down in the sand.
"Careful now, I don't want sand in my crust…"
"Ay, perdón, perdón… But yeah, wanna talk about it?"
"Yeah, it was just—" I curled my knees up to my chest. "That name on the leaderboard… It was one of my friends from back when I used to go to school."
Luz seemed to understand. She came over to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Remember yesterday when we tried to go to Hechizo for the first time, and I said I didn't wanna go?"
She reached into the bag and pulled out a small handful of fries for herself.
"Yeah, what about it?" Luz asked, taking a bite.
"Well… it was because there was a girl there. Her name was Cindy. She used to be a friend of mine, but when I first got my powers… I accidentally hurt her with 'em. Left a scar on her arm, and, well… ever since then, I'm pretty sure she hates me."
"I thought your power was just healing. Is there more to it than that…?"
"Well, it's kinda complicated… But yeah, I can make little explosions, lasers, and some such. But when I first got 'em, I ain't know that…"
"So you lasered her arm?!" Luz recoiled in surprise—a small gesture, but it still hurt nonetheless.
"No…!" I reached out to her. "No, nothing like that… More like I made an explosion, and the heat from it left a burn on her arm. She was right next to me when it happened… We were running a race together."
"Oh… man…" Luz seemed to be in disbelief as if she wasn't sure what to say. Can't blame her—there weren't too many people out here who could understand what this must've been like. I wished I knew what she was thinking… How did she see all this?
"Uh… did you win?" she asked like she was just trying to keep the conversation going. "The race, I mean."
"Heh… sure did. Shame I never got my ribbon." I chuckled before looking out toward the water.
"Hey, stop looking like that—we're here to relax, right?" she said, giving me a pat on the back. "You've barely even touched your sandwich."
She was right. Guess I was so caught up in my feelings that I'd forgotten to eat. Eventually, I took a couple of bites, but it was hard to soak in the flavor with that cloud I'd cast over our good time.
I didn't say much for a minute; I just tried to let it slide off me. Never liked wallowing in it. I'm better at it now, but back then, it was a slow process.
"Other than yesterday, have you…" She made a vague gesture with her hands, searching for the right words. "Ya know… seen her since the incident?"
"Well… I did a few days ago… but all she did was look at me and leave. Ain't even say a word."
Luz looked hurt for me. She set her sandwich back in the baggie, dusted the crumbs off her hands, and scooted closer, wrapping an arm around me.
"Ya know… I don't think she hates you."
I turned to her.
"Well, what d'ya mean, Luz…?"
"Mira… I'm a bit older than you, and I had to learn that sometimes people are just dumb." She raised her hands to emphasize her point. "You're what? Eleven? Twelve?"
"I'mma be thirteen tomorrow."
"Oh yeah, at that age, she definitely doesn't know any better. Happy early birthday, by the way." Luz grabbed a tiny fry with her opposite hand. "And either she's going to figure it out…" She took a bite, chewing on it for a second before speaking again.
"Or… she's just a pendeja."
Well, that wasn't too nice a word. And what did she mean by that?
"Cindy wouldn't be no… that word." Papa didn't like it when I swore. I knew he wasn't here, but I still felt guilty even thinking about it.
"I think she's scared. She doesn't hate you, but she doesn't know how to act around you." Luz hesitated for a moment. "You said you lost your mother, right?"
"Mhmm…"
"Well, I lost mine too. It was shortly after the war ended. My parents got sick from the contamination and… didn't make it." She spoke softly as if it were hard to say out loud. I knew how she felt.
"For a while, I hated people like you… Blamed aliens for why my mom and dad got sick. But then I sorta learned, like… it's not your fault. You didn't do it. And just because you're like a part alien or whatever, I don't hate you."
"Really?"
"Really…"
She looked like she had more on her mind, like there was something else she wanted to say. I kept my eyes on her, waiting for her to continue.
"Besides, I probably would've done the same thing at her age… especially if you left a scar."
She sure sounded super full of herself for somebody who was only a few years older than me at most. Honestly, all that admission did was make me turn away from her.
"Sunny, it's not like that… What I'm saying is, middle schoolers are stupid, and you can't change how she feels about you if she doesn't want to."
"Hey, I ain't stupid."
"I didn't say all middle schoolers are stupid… stupid."
"Hey!"
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding."
I curled up, resting my head against my knees, and let out another sigh. I didn't really have the stomach for any more food now that we'd gotten to this part of the conversation.
"Yeah, but she was still my friend…"
"And you miss that part of her being in your life… verdad?"
"Yeah…"
"But, Sunny, mira."
She straightened up my head so I'd look at her.
"Don't be upset that they're gone… Be happy you *had* them. 'Cause if they're not gonna come back, cherish what you *did* have and move on. Keep them in your heart"—she pointed at my chest—"but not in your head." She tapped the side of my skull with two fingers.
I'll admit, that got a laugh outta me.
"Entiendes?"
"Yeah, I get it."
I think I needed to hear that. I normally try to look at everything with a bit of optimism—got that from my Daddy—but something about hearing it from Luz made it hit home just that much more.
I looked at her and smiled. "Thanks, Luz."
"It's nothing, it's what I do…" she'd say, placing her hands on her hips in a silly fashion, puffing out her chest like she was all that. "So… you gonna finish that…?"
She'd say that right before snatching my sandwich from me.
"Hey, gimme that!"
"Well, you didn't look hungry!" she teased.
We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging around the beach and exploring more of the boardwalk until it was time to head home. It was always nice hanging with Luz—it felt like I could take my mind off my troubles. But I kept looking over my shoulder. After riling up those mafia fellers earlier, I couldn't be too careful.
"Alright, Missy! Looks like it's time for me to head on home…!" I said, pushing myself up from the sand.
"Alright, I guess I'll see you around. And hey, have a happy birthday!"
"Oh yeah, almost forgot to tell ya! After tomorrow, I'll have a cellphone, so I can call ya anytime!"
"Well, you'd better!" she said, jabbing me in the shoulder.
"You bet…"
After that, I headed off, and I tell ya, today was a rough one. But after spending more time with Luz, I'm thinking everything's gonna be alright—at least when she's around. I oughta show her my powers someday. I get the feeling I can really trust her. At least when she sees them, it won't end up like last time…at least I sure hope so, after all third times the charm right…?