"One ticket for Westwood Central, please!" I said, sliding my jar of silver dollars across the counter. I remember the ticket teller raising his eyebrows—guess he didn't see coins like that too often.
"You got some ID, young lady?"
I pulled out my wallet and handed it to him. After counting my coins, he finally gave me my ticket. Something about holding that little piece of paper had me all kinds of excited!
The train wasn't going to arrive for another hour or so, so with the extra time, I wandered over to the gift shop. I picked up a small bag to hold my coins, a map, a city pamphlet, and some markers! Since I knew I was gonna be waiting for a while, I figured I'd better have something to keep me busy.
Normally, if Daddy were here, he'd hand me his CD player, and I'd listen to all my favorite songs on it. I used to fall asleep in his lap all the time—it takes me back. I wonder if he and Momma ever rode on a train together before.
While I was waiting, I pulled out the pamphlet and started highlighting everything there was to do. The first place on my list was a restaurant called Shipwreck. It used to be a big ol' cruise liner, but when it got all old, the owner decided to turn it into a tourist attraction. Now, you can go inside, enjoy a good taste of El Lugar, and pick up some trinkets on your way out.
Then I spotted an arcade downtown that had just opened up, and it looked like it was packed with all sorts of games. Daddy never bought me one of those home consoles, but we used to have an arcade near our house. I'd spend almost the whole day there—before it shut down.
Finally, there was this little store called "Hechizo!" They sold cards, magic kits, and all sorts of cool stuff. The place was named after the magician who owned it, and every day, he'd put on a magic show! I'd always watch him on TV, but I've never seen one up close before! I marked off the location of each place and planned how long I'd spend at each one. I just had to make sure I was back on board by 4 P.M. so I could get home before Daddy did.
After about half an hour of waiting, the train finally arrived. You'd think I didn't have any manners, the way I rushed inside! Once I was in, I found a spot near the window and kept my face glued to it the whole ride over.
Going to the city was always exciting! No matter where you looked, you could always see the ocean. The sky was so serene and seemed like it went on forever—like it was its own little world.
The breeze was always gentle, the sun was always shining, and doggone it—this window seat wasn't doing any of it justice! As soon as we pulled into the station, I rushed out just as quickly as I had rushed in. Holding the map up to my face while running, I charted my course.
"Okay, according to this here map, Shipwreck ain't too far—'bout a block away!"
I rushed over as quickly as I could, but by the time I arrived, there was already a line—a real long one. It stretched about half the block. Just my luck. Then again, considering it was a tourist attraction, I don't know what I was expecting.
"Shucks…" I muttered. It looked like I was going to have to wait for a while. I hated waiting.
I'm the kind of person who's always on the move—jittery and full of energy. As a kid, I could barely sit still most of the time. While I was waiting, my eyes started to wander, and that was when something caught my eye—a couple of fellers up on the roof.
What were they doing up there? I couldn't see much, but it looked like they were trying to climb the buildings—flipping, running, and jumping or something like that. How are they doing that? I wondered.
However they were doing it, it sure looked a lot more fun than just standing around. So, I left the line and did my best to keep my eyes on them. They seemed to be heading deeper into the city, but I wasn't going to catch up at this pace. I knew one way to do it, but I had to make sure no one was around to see.
As I kept running, I cut through alleyways and put my track skills to work, hopping and jumping over obstacles in my way. After a minute, I reached a dead end—exactly what I was hoping for. From where I stood, it was going to take one heck of a jump to make it to the roof.
"Just member what Pa told ya…" I muttered.
"When yer using yer powers, think of it like lightin' a fuse. Let it simmer, and then let it loose."
From there, I let the warmth build up in my body as I kept running, focusing that energy on my hands. With a running start, I whispered to myself, "Light the fuse…"
After a few steps, I raised my hands above my head and pushed into a handspring. "Let it simmer…" I felt the energy ready to burst as I reached the halfway point of my flip.
"And then…!"
BOOM!
As I shot into the air, a tickle ran through my tummy, like I was riding on the wind, and a big ol' smile spread across my face. But that was only half the distance—I wasn't out of the woods yet.
Using the momentum from my flip, I found myself nearly upside down in mid-air, at least 15 feet off the ground. Almost there—just one more jump to go. I just needed to keep focusing on my training.
"Just remember ya gotta focus your fire when that momentum fades. Get your hands in position for how ya want yer next one to go."
"Right..." In my new position, I focused my energy again, channeling it through my hands as I directed them toward the ground, letting it flow through me again. "Here I go..."
BOOM!
My body launched upward at a slight angle, but this time, I put too much force into it. Not only did I overshoot the rooftop, but I couldn't slow down either.
"Uh-oh…!"
I was in it now. Before I knew it, I smacked my head on the edge of a water tower and dropped chest-first onto the rooftop. Shee-yoo. The back of my head was throbbing, but hey, at least I made it.
"Oww…"
Thankfully, I could feel the injury healing itself up, nice and easy-like. Unfortunately, though, I'd lost track of those fellers hopping across the buildings thanks to my little blunder. But that's okay because now that I was up here, I don't think I'd ever seen the city look this pretty before.
"Oh, wow…" If I thought it looked good from the train, nothing could beat this.
You could see everything from up here—the tall buildings, the beach, and even the mountains way off in the distance. A friendly little blackbird perched right beside me as if it was enjoying the view, too. Now, this was the way to live.
As I soaked it all in, my eyes wandered back to the line I'd left. It hadn't even moved an inch.
"Heh… Guess Shipwreck can wait."
From where I was standing, the city in front of me might as well have been a super-sized jungle gym. Just looking at it, I felt my whole body trembling! Was it because I was closer to the sun, or maybe just because I was so excited? Daddy always told me not to use my powers in public, but how could I not? Flying around was way too much fun!
I pulled out my little map and started planning my next adventure. "The arcade ain't too far away. Maybe I'll head there next!" With another blast, I raced off toward my next destination, hopping, skipping, and jumping along the way. I made sure to be careful where I landed so nobody would catch wind of me.
When I got there, though—hoo-ee—this place had everything: skee-ball, a basketball machine, and all sorts of arcade games. I always loved these little places, and I couldn't wait to try them all out!
I traded in some of my silver dollars for coins and took a seat right in front of my favorite arcade machine. With a big ol' grin, I booted up a game. It was a two-player racing game, but the cabinets had dividers, so you couldn't see the other person's screen.
Just before I could pick my vehicle, these big, bright letters flashed across the screen: "A NEW RACER HAS ENTERED THE TRACK!" As soon as I saw that, my eyes lit up! I wasn't the best at these kinds of games, but I loved a good competition.
The first few challengers were easy enough, and before long, I was running the cabinets. But then, out of nowhere, when I got to my last challenger, something exciting happened. They were good—like real-real good.
They kept hitting those corners with a speed I'd never seen before, darn near draining me of all my quarters. We were neck and neck, turn for turn—it was just me and them. By the time we got down to the final round, things were getting down to the wire.
As the timer ticked down and I was about to clinch a photo-finish victory, the screen suddenly flashed: "DRAW GAME." Both our cars had crossed the finish line at the exact same time. The screen flashed a countdown timer asking to retry, but I guess they didn't want to keep going since they let it run out.
"Aww…" I thought to myself. No way they were gonna let it end like that! Wanting to keep the fun going, I leaned my head out from behind the cabinet divider to look at my opponent.
"C'mon now, one more race—" But that's when I saw her—long red hair, bright green eyes, and that unmistakable freckled face. Cindy. She stared back at me with as much disbelief as I had for her. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but still...
"C'mon, Cindy... the rest of the class is waiting," someone called out to her. She didn't say a word; she just turned and walked away. She was wearing a bright yellow shirt that read "Eagle's Landing Class of '99…"—my old middle school.
I'd completely forgotten about the class trip scheduled for this summer to celebrate us all moving up to the 8th grade. I was supposed to go, but on account of my incident, I wasn't allowed to.
I knew that couldn't have been a coincidence—nobody could bring out the best in me the way she could. By the looks of her arm, those burn scars were still there. Seeing them made me wonder… what does she think of me now? Would all the fun we just had be washed away just because she saw my face? Guess I don't know…
"Cindy… I'm so sorry." I stood there, frozen for a moment, trying to collect my thoughts.
"Maybe coming here was a bad idea…" My emotions were weighing on me, and just as quickly as I'd arrived, I turned back around and headed off. I just needed to be alone.
After grabbing a quick snack from a food stand—some salchipapas—I found a quiet rooftop where I could sit and watch the clouds drift by while munching on my crispy fries. The combination of mustard and sausage was heavenly, but even so, all I could think about was something my daddy once said.
"Don't you ever stop feeling that way. You ain't sick; you just different."
I kept holding onto his words to stay strong, but after seeing Cindy's face and being reminded of what I'd done, that wasn't a weight I felt like lifting again. Sometimes, I wished my powers could make that pain go away.
As I finished my food, I let my little plastic cup get carried off by the wind. Then I leaned back and laid there for a moment, tying my jacket around my waist and soaking up some sun. It always tickled, and that warm fuzziness made everything feel just a little easier.
For a minute, it was nice and peaceful, but it didn't stay that way for long. As pretty as this place was, even a pearl like El Lugar had its cracks. Just a few minutes later, a door burst open with a loud snap. I turned my head just in time to see a man get thrown right through it.
Honestly, it was less of a toss and more like he flew. The sound of the metal creaking made me think the door was about to bust clean off. I just sat there, stunned at the sight. As soon as I snapped out of it, I ran over as fast as I could to check on the old man who'd been blasted through the door.
When I got to him, I saw a pool of blood spreading from his right side—a grisly, deep wound. His arm was busted, with the bone sticking out right in the middle of the space between his forearm and bicep. A red river of blood was staining the white cloth he wore.
I've seen so much worse nowadays, but something about this sight had me shaky. Not just because of how it looked but because of the pain he must've been in. And if someone could do that to him… what the heck would they do to me? I tried to get his attention, but before I could, I heard faint laughter echoing from someone making their way up the stairwell.
I turned back toward the door and caught the sound of a tap, tap, tapping, like something was striking the railing. The old feller looked like he was trying to come to, but the pain must've been too much. He could barely open his eyes—but at least I knew he was alive.
"Of all the places to run… why the stairs? Trying to save me the trouble by taking a swan dive yourself…?" a voice echoed as the footsteps grew closer. The tapping turned into a scraping sound, as if he was dragging something along the ground.
I'd never been too worried about fighting—heck, I was actually kind of excited. But the thought that I could end up like the old feller wasn't exactly something I was looking forward to, healing powers or not.
But now wasn't the time for that—because if I didn't stop this feller, things might've only gotten worse for the old man. I just needed to remember what I'd said to Pa.
"But what about other people, not everybody can fight like me?"
"If you wanna take care of others, you gotta take care of yourself first."
As long as I had these powers, I would be fine. The older fella couldn't take care of himself, so now it was my turn. If Pa were here, he wouldn't let this man get beat up, and I wasn't about to either.
Whenever I got these kinds of jitters, there was always something I told myself.
"Ain't nothing a little sunlight can't fix!"
I turned to face the door, and after a minute, there he was—Mr. Tough Guy. I tell you, he was something else. He wore a sharp, fancy suit: a white blazer over a black dress shirt.
He stood nearly twice my height, and with how perfectly that shirt fit, I'd bet he was hiding some serious muscles under those fancy duds of his.
"Eh… a gringa here?" he said, twirling his bat. A red stain on the end of it splattered right in front of my feet.
I raised my fists as he stepped closer. "¡Déjelo en paz, e-estúpido, o si no!" That was my way of saying, "Leave him alone, you dummy, or else!" My Spanish wasn't perfect, but I knew enough to say that.
"¿En serio? ¿O si no, qué? ¿Eh? ¿Qué vas a hacer?" His words were pure taunt. What he meant was clear: "Are you serious? Eh? What're you gonna do?"
Hmph, that only made me clench my fists even tighter—no backing down now. He stepped a bit closer, spinning his bat again, and this time, another splatter of blood hit the floor.
"Beat it, pendeja!"
CLANG! Before I knew it, that bat cracked me in the jaw—something FIERCE! All I remember was the sharp pain of my jaw snapping out of place as my teeth tore through my cheeks and out the other side of my mouth.
A few seconds later, I hit the ground, blood drooling from the gaps where my teeth used to be and dripping down onto my shirt.
"Stupid gringa…"
I let out a ragged cough, gasping for breath as I felt the small holes in the sides of my face pulsing where my teeth had torn through.
I was a mess! If you compared how I looked after hitting the chain-link fence to how I looked after taking that bat to the kisser, you'd think I'd been a beauty queen.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Mr. Tough Guy taunting me as I struggled to breathe. What kind of foul person gloats about hitting a little girl?
But, just like clockwork, I felt the sunlight washing away all the pain. It was like a warm, cozy hug, soothing and comforting.
Within seconds, my teeth started poking back through my gums, and the bones in my face shifted back into place, good as new. It never really hurt the way you'd think it should, thanks to my powers.
You should've seen the look on Mr. Tough Guy's face—I tell you, he looked like he'd just seen the second coming.
"W-what…? How are you… doing that!?"
I stood up, wiped the blood off my mouth, and smirked at him, showing off my nice, pearly whites, all back in place.
"Wanna try again?" I asked with a big ol' chipper smile. What'd I tell ya?
Stunned, he fumbled to reach into his pocket, probably going for a gun. But before he could pull it out, I got a running start. In a flash, I sent a small burst of sunlight surging through my legs and arms, propelling myself forward like a rocket. Before he could even blink, I closed the distance in a flash. My head slammed into his chest with all the force my body could muster.
BAM! Direct hit. He stumbled back, clutching his chest, and I swear I heard a bone crack on impact. Couldn't tell if it was one of his or mine. He hit the hard concrete floor like a rock, letting out a wet, ragged cough as he landed. It sounded like he was choking on a fishhook.
Using my powers like that might've been risky, but if he was about to pull out what I thought he was, there was going to be some real trouble—for the old man and me. I gotta to say though, in that moment—knowing he couldn't hurt me any more—that was one heck of a thrill.
After a minute, I tried to get back on my feet, but for some reason, my vision was all blurry. Thankfully, my body took care of it and cleared things up. I can't say the same for Mr. Tough Guy, though.
"Hija de puta…" he groaned.
When I turned to look his way, I saw he was still keeling over, though the anger in his eyes hadn't faded. He was practically trying to set me on fire with his glare.
Once I got my bearings, I looked back at him and stuck out my tongue.
"Serves you right—I warned ya!"
Now that Mr. Tough Guy was laid out, it was time to tend to the poor feller who was still bleeding out.
"You okay, mister…?"
He didn't say a word—the pain must have knocked him out cold. I needed to get him out of there and fast. The problem was, I wasn't exactly strong enough to lift him off the floor—but I had a feeling my powers might help me pull it off.
"Hang on, mister. Lemme getcha to a hospital!"
He was a hefty feller—or maybe just hefty for someone for my age. I wasn't what you'd call book smart, but I did know a thing or two about how the body works.
Whenever you lift something heavy, your muscles take on tiny bits of damage.
At the time, I didn't realize it, but because of the way my powers worked, my body was healing the damage instantly! And the more I kept at it, the stronger I got. Eventually, after about a minute of effort, I was able to lift him off the ground like it was nothing.
"There we go… c'mon, we gotta get you somewhere safe."
Now that I had him in my hands, I was able to get him down the stairs and carry him to the hospital.
Once we arrived, the doctors took him from me and asked for his ID. While they were examining him, I managed to hear someone call out his name.
"Ernesto Reyes! Get him to a room quick!"
After I left, I made sure to write his name down next to the hospital on my map so I'd remember to come back and check on him to make sure he was okay.
I wondered what he must have done to make those fellas so mad at him. If I remembered correctly, Pa had once told me that those fancy fellas in suits were called the "Cartel." Nasty folks who sold bad stuff to people out in the streets. I wonder how Mister Ernesto had gotten wrapped up in all that? Maybe I could ask him the next time I saw him.
But now, with him off getting rest at the hospital, I still had another problem on my hands: my bloody clothes.
"Now what…? If'n Pa sees my clothes like this, he's gonna flip."
I looked up at the clock and realized I'd spent most of the morning out here—it was already 2 P.M.
I ought to have gotten going sooner rather than later, but with my shirt all covered in blood, I had to find a new one fast.
I didn't have much of a concept of money back then—heck, I still don't, even now as an adult. But I pulled out my little jar of silver dollars and thought. "This itty bitty chunk of change oughta be enough to get me a new shirt, right…?" I had about 8 dollars left.
Anyhow, I ran over to the nearest clothing store and headed inside. Once there, I grabbed a nice new T-shirt that looked really similar to the one I was wearing.
After picking it up, I made my way to the register with my little jar of coins. The cashier eyed me from the other side of the counter with a raised brow, and I shot him a big, toothy grin as I laid down my jar.
And well, without even needing to count them all, he just said, "Next!" I didn't need to know how to speak Spanish to figure out what that meant, dangit...!
With that being a bust, I took my little sandals and marched out of the store, then took a seat on the sidewalk. Man...
"Ay, ¿qué pasa, mija…?" said a real soft voice. I looked over and saw this nice old lady staring at me.
She was real pretty-like, with long black hair tied up in a little purple hairband. I tried to say something, but the right words wouldn't come to me.
"It's alright, I can speak English if you'd like. What's wrong?" she said. I let out a sigh of relief, figuring it must've been pretty obvious I wasn't a native—and I was still tripping over my Spanish.
"Well… I done got my clothes dirty, and I need some new ones…" I said, leaning back and showing her my shirt. The lady frowned and extended her hand to me.
"Is that so…? Come with me."
I took her hand, and we walked right back into the store, heading to the youth section. "Which one do you want?" she asked.
I pointed to the shirt I'd been eyeing on the rack. "That one…"
She took it down, and we walked together to the counter, where she paid the nice man for it.
"There you are… no more trouble," she said with a smile as she handed it to me. I held the piece of fabric in my hands and looked up at her.
"Thank you, miss… How can I pay ya back? I think I got some coins left…" I said, rummaging through my jacket to offer her some of my silver dollars.
"No, no, don't worry, mija… Just pay it forward. It'll come back to you in time."
I nodded, though I wasn't too sure what she meant. Anyhow, with my new shirt fresh off the rack, I headed into the fitting room and put it on. But by the time I came out, she was gone. Somehow, though, I had a feeling I'd see her again—just a hunch.
But with all that settled—between fighting with Mister Tough Guy, running through the city, and playing at the arcade—I figured it was time for me to head back home. Stunk, too—fighting that feller up top had made me miss my magic show. I guessed I'd get my chance eventually. The day hadn't turned out like I wanted, but at least it was eventful.
Fighting that varmint had been an unexpected surprise, and the arcade had been a lot of fun! Still, I hoped Cindy was having a good time on the trip with the others… even if I was pretty sure she hates me. For now, I just needed to get home. Hopefully, that nice man was gonna be okay.
All through the train ride home, I couldn't stop wondering who Mr. Tough Guy was, why he attacked Mr Ernesto, and what they wanted with him. If breaking his arm was part of the plan, it couldn't have been good. But I guess that's an adventure for next time.