Sorry this is bad, I'm having difficulty in areas of other cultures and keeping with this concept. That, and for the badly made OC's. But I'll work on it as I go along. Anita, Marco, and Tito are mine, All other characters belong to Jorge R. Guiterrez, Sanda Equihua, and/or Guillermo del Toro. Point is, I don't own most of this. Please enjoy.
/
"Tales have funny ways of being interwoven with others. Some pulled together with once coincidence while others were pulled by dozens. But when two stories interweave into one, sometimes it will turn for the worst and others for the better." The tour guide said as she gestured to a large book.
"Are there any stories about a chupacabra and a donkey warrior?" A student asked.
"No," The tour guide chuckled, "But there is a story about a charro riding a donkey for three days and four nights delivering a basket of bread to his grandma. But anyway, if we continue to the left, we will enter into the revolution wing…" As the students trailed off, two kids stayed behind and ogled the large book.
"Two stories into one, huh?" A boy with brown hair mused.
"I hope it isn't like that horrible horror mash-up movie." A girl with blue hair remarked.
"Probably not Frida," The boy said as he approached he book, "This book records great legends!"
"Like the one armed, one legged matador?" Frida asked, "You gotta admit it Manny; that was awesome."
"Yeah," Manny said, "Like those legends. But I wonder if there are any about my familia." He cautiously reached up and began to flip through the pages.
"I'm sure there are," Frida insisted, "I mean your familia are a line of super heroes and super villains. But what did that tour guide mean by 'two stories into one'?"
"It might mean something like they got together or something." He said as he continued to search, "I heard dad keep talking about that stuff when he brought up mom."
"Ew…" She remarked. As Manny continued to look through the large book, Frida spotted a box perched to the side. Cautiously, she lifted the lid to expose many figures of different persons. She picked one that resembled a matador clad in black, but held a guitar and two swords on his back. "Cool, old time action figures!" She said as she pulled another figure out, resembling a soldier.
"What are you doing?!" A voice exclaimed, making the two kids freeze. Turning, they saw a trio of children approach them. One was a girl in a red skirt and a black t-shirt, brown hair tied with a red string. The second was a boy trailing after her, wearing a white shirt and a pair of blue pants held up by suspenders, a pair of square glasses perched on his nose. The third was another boy, built athletically with his body clothed in a blue shirt and a red pants. "That's my family's legacy you're messing with!" The girl said.
"Sis, that's OUR family's legacy." The spectacled boy pointed out.
"Sorry." Frida said as she placed the figures back into the box.
"Wait, your legacy?" Manny asked, "This book is about you guys?"
"Not just us," The athletic boy said, "Almost every story thus far. My name's Tito Mondragon, nice to meet you."
"Manny Rivera." Manny introduced, "And this is Frida Suárez."
"Nice to meet ya." Frida greeted.
"Ech." The girl uttered in disgust.
"Don't mind my sister," The spectacled boy said, "She's really protective of our familia's legacy. My name's Marco Sanchez and she's my sister Anita. Anyway, you shouldn't mess with artifacts like that; one wrong move and the object's gone."
"I know," Manny said, "I just wanted to see if anything about my family is in that book."
"It's in there," Marco assured, "Almost everyone's legacy is in there. What you were looking through was the Book of Life."
"The Book of life?" The two kids asked.
"Weren't you with a tour guide?" Tito asked.
"Crud, we gotta find the class!" Manny said as he pulled Frida along, "Sorry to run like this, see you later!" As the two kids ran off, Anita snorted as she shut the book.
"Don't be so hard on them," Tito said, "I mean, they're just kids."
"I hate the immature." Anita uttered.
"I don't know," Marco said as he watch them rush to find their classmates, "I think they have a little something in their hearts that's a little different than other kids."
"Like what?" She asked.
"Don't know…" Marco said with a smirk, "Something that sets them apart."
/
"I can't believe we gotta write a three-page essay about the museum," Manny grumbled as he and Frida walked home, "There's too much stuff in there and I can't remember any of it."
"What about that book?" Frida asked.
"Oh yeah," He said, "But I don't know about it."
"Let's get those kids to tell us about it," She suggested, "They seem to know what it is."
"Good point," Manny agreed, "But where would we find them?"
"Let's try the museum." Frida suggested, "Maybe they're still there."
"Who would hang at a museum all day?" He asked.
"Long enough to know what's in that book." She pointed out.
"Good point," Manny said, "To the museum!"
"Have change for the bus?" Frida asked.
/
Later, the two stepped off the bus and walked to the front doors of the museum. But their hearts sank when a sign placed in front read, 'Closed'. "Crud!" Manny shouted.
"What's up hombres?" A familiar voice said, both turning to see Tito leaning against the wall.
"Thank goodness," Manny sighed, "We kinda need your help!"
"If it's about breaking into the museum for one of those golden head pieces, no can do." Tito joked.
"We kinda need info on that big book," Manny explained, "And we were gonna ask for you guys for help on it."
"Speaking of which, where are Marco and Anita?" She asked.
"Marco's still inside," Tito said as he jerked a thumb to the museum, "I'm just waiting for him to get done."
"With what?" Both kids asked.
"Dunno," Tito answered, "Something about that book. C'mon, I'll make him let us in."
"Wait, what about Anita?" Manny asked.
"She's at a torero lesson," He answered, "She'll be done in an hour." He took out a walkie-talkie and pressed the button, saying, "Marco, it's Tito, you copy?"
"Yeah, I'm here." Marco replied, "I'm almost done."
"I got those kids here," He said, "They wanna learn about the book."
"You mean the peepers?" Marco asked. He sighed and said, "Use the secret entrance and I'll meet you at the Mayan exhibit."
"Got it." Tito said as he pocketed the communicator and gestured for the kids to follow him as they walked to a section of the museum's wall. Tito felt along the wall until he found the block he wanted and pried it open, revealing a doorknob. He turned the knob and pushed in, gesturing the kids to enter.
"Museums are starting to look cool now," Frida remarked as they walked, "Now if only I could ride the mastodon…"
"Many places have secrets," Tito said as he shut the door, "Some cool, and some horrific. I've explored a lot of them in my life time."
"How old are you?" Manny asked.
"Fourteen," Tito said, "A life well spent." The three walked the dimly lit hall until they reached a wall secured with a complex locking mechanism. Tito cracked his knuckles and worked the lock until the wall slid to the side, revealing the other side to be decorated with Mayan artifacts. "We're here." He announced as they stepped into the museum.
"Wait, how do you know about all that?" Manny asked.
"Well, let's just say we're on friendly terms with the museum staff." Tito said.
"So you can enter any time you want?" Frida asked.
"Even we have limits." The older boy said.
"I see you made it." Marco said as he approached the three.
"Hey Marco!" Tito greeted.
"Tito, Manny, Frida," Marco greeted, "Good to see you again, and thirsty for knowledge. Hurry now, we gotta wrap it up or someone's gonna get mad."
"Like who?" Frida asked.
"Museum security, my sister, our parents." Marco listed.
"Oh yeah." The kids uttered. The four rushed to where the book was last seen, finding it open but otherwise untouched.
"So, what do you want to know about the book?" Marco asked as he returned to his studies.
"What is this book exactly?" Manny asked, "Is it some sort of legends of Mexico collection?"
"Didn't you listen to the tour guide?" Tito asked.
"Not really." The two kids answered.
"Well, this is somewhat like a collection of legends," Marco explained, "Except, it's a little bigger than that. This is known as the Book of Life, a collection of all the legends of people's lives."
"You told us that earlier," Frida pointed out, "But whose lives?"
"Anyone's really." Marco said with a shrug, "I haven't figured out how this book works exactly; that's why I'm here. But I have figured out that this book explains in detail the plains of existence."
"You mean like the land of the dead?" Frida asked.
"Yes…" He answered, "How did you know?"
"We've been there once," She explained, "Kinda miss having an exposed ribcage." Marco and Tito stared at the kids, and then looked back to each other.
"Well, yeah." He said, "There's the land of the dead, but its split into two; the land of the remembered, and the land of the forgotten. There are also the land of the unknown and the land of the cursed, but I haven't figured out about those places."
"What's the difference between the land of the remembered and the land of the forgotten?" Manny asked.
"Isn't it obvious with the titles?" Tito asked, "The land of the remembered is where all of the dead go and stay for as long as their familia remembers them, especially of the Day of the Dead. They say the land of the Remembered is a forever going fiesta!"
"Meanwhile," Marco intervened, "The Land of the Forgotten is where all souls go when they are forgotten, either by an extermination of their family line, or they're just forgotten because of various reasons. They forget who they are, what family they come from, and so on. They exist with the pure agony that they are forgotten, soon crumbling to dust and be swept away with the winds. It's isn't exactly a fun place to go."
"Scary…" Manny breathed.
"That's probably where my Uncle Jose is." Frida said.
"Nah, you remember him," Marco assured, "So he should be fine with the rest of the Suárez ancestors."
"Hold on," Manny began, "When we went to the land of the dead, it wasn't a fiesta, it was a desert!"
"You really went to the land of the dead?" Marco asked.
"It's a long story," Frida began, "On one Day of the Dead, this lady called Sartana put us in the Land of the Dead, and we met all of Manny's ancestors, including-" Before Frida continued, Manny clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Including what?" Tito asked.
"Uh…" Manny thought, "My pet dog?"
"That would make sense." Marco accepted, "But still, I doubt that you went to the spirit world. I mean, you gotta be dead to get to the spirit world."
"Yeah, it's kinda a necessary thing," Tito added, "Like needing money to buy ice cream."
"Anyway, as I said earlier, there are two other lands; the Land of the Cursed, and Land of the Unknown." Marco continued, "But I couldn't figure out about these lands because…well, I just can't read the text." He turned the pages of the book to a page that depicted a large black blob. "I've seen the tour guides read this part of the book, but I can't." He explained, "And I've tried everything; different filters, trying to find hidden symbols, lighting techniques."
"They probably made that part up." Frida suggested.
"Why would they?" Tito asked, "I mean, this is kinda a piece of our lives here."
"What do you mean?" Manny asked.
"Well, it has a tale about an ancestor in here," Marco said as he turned the pages again, "One about Tito's ancestor, and about mine and Anita's ancestors. Do you remember those figures you picked up, Frida?"
"You mean those old school action figures?" She asked.
"Yes," Marco said, "What you held your hands were our Great-Grandpas." Marco then walked to the box and lifted the lid, pulling the two figures out. "This was mine and Anita's great-grandpapa," He said as he held out the figure clad in black, "His name was Manolo Sanchez, and he was to be a bull fighter, but he threw that away to be a musician."
"The guy in blue was my great-grandpapi," Tito said, "His name was Joaquín Mondragon. He was the hero of the town they both lived in." Marco placed the figures on a table as he carefully searched through the box. "You see," Tito continued, "Our great-grandpapi's were best friends in a town known as San Angel."
"Along with this girl." Marco said as he placed a figure of the girl along with the Manolo and Joaquín figures. "Her name was Maria Posada, and the three of them spent many a day together in their youth. That is, until her father decided to send Maria away to study abroad."
"As Maria was studying," Tito continued, "Manolo and Joaquín were training to be a bull fighter and a soldier respectively. It wasn't until they were full grown adults that they would be reunited."
"Kinda bites." Frida remarked.
"They followed in their parent's footsteps, right?" Manny asked.
"Pretty much," Tito said, "The Sanchez family has a legacy of bull fighters and the Mondragon family has a legacy of being military heroes. Why you ask?"
"I…kinda feel the same way." Manny admitted while rubbing his arm.
"Eh, same for me too," Frida admitted, "My dad's the police chief while my mom's a judge. Not to mention my older sisters are part of the junior cadet squad. And I'm a guitarist. They say they accept me as what I am, but sometimes I don't feel that way."
Tito hummed in acknowledgment. "We are all in the same boat, it seems." He remarked.
"So, what's your family legacy, Manny?" Tito asked.
"Er…" Manny uttered, "Umm…Shoe makers."
"I don't blame you for wanting to break away." The Mondragon said.
"Yeah…I'm not that good with my hands." The Rivera said.
"That's how my ancestor felt," Marco said, "He didn't want to be a bull fighter, but was forced into it because of his father. Instead, he wanted to be a musician, and he was good at it."
"That would kinda explain the guitar," Frida said, "I thought he used it to bang bulls on the head."
"No way!" The Sanchez boy gasped, "He cared for that guitar like it was a piece of him."
"So, what happened with Manolo, Joaquín, and Maria?" Manny asked.
"Well," Marco answered, "When they reunited, it turned into a competition. Heck, even Maria's father tried to use her as a bargaining chip to keep Joaquín in town to protect them from this gang of banditos. However, Maria believed in being a free woman, so she wasn't that swayed by most of their attempts. But I think that Maria was more into Manolo than Joaquín because Manolo was kinda soft. "
"Short hand," Tito said, "Maria hitched with Manolo after defending the town from that gang."
"Way to spoil it all, Tito." Marco grumbled, "There was more to that story!"
"We gotta hurry it up or else someone's gonna beat our heads in." The Mondragon said.
"So, what tale exactly got into that book?" Manny asked. Before Marco could answer, his walkie-talkie crackled to life.
"Where are you two?" Anita's voice asked, "I'm in front of the museum."
"Sis," Marco uttered nervously, "You're out early!"
"The bull wouldn't move," Anita explained, "Are you still inside the museum?"
"Yeah," The brother said as he rubbed his neck, "Those two kids wanted some help on their homework."
"It's also a chance to keep the legacy alive." Tito added.
"You two are hopeless." Anita sighed, "Just get your scrawny butts out here so we can go home."
"We'll be right out." Marco answered.
"Sorry kids," Tito said, "Lesson's over."
"But what about the legend?" Manny asked, "Don't tell me the only reason your ancestors are in that book is because of a love story!"
"Yes…and no." Marco admitted, "To be honest, the story is pretty long. But I suppose the real legend is that our ancestors learned to make their own stories instead of relying solely on their family's past."
"That," Tito added, "And I think there was something about death gods' wager."
"Wait, what?" Manny asked.
"Never mind that," Marco said as he led the group away, "We gotta meet up with Anita."
/
Later, Manny was home as he wrote all he remembered from the trip, only to be interrupted by a quiet shut of the door. "I'm home…" Rodolfo moaned as he flopped onto the couch.
"Dad, what happened?" Manny asked as he looked up, flinching at the sight of his father. His outfit was scorched and cut in several places while his mask barely clung to his face as it dangled by a few straps of fabric. His father sighed as he flopped down next to him, flinching at an unseen wound.
"Just a bad…run in with the criminals tonight." His father answered as he reached into the nightstand's drawer to retrieve a first aid kit. "They fought back with flaming cacti." He added.
"Harsh." The boy hissed.
"How was your day?" Rodolfo asked.
"Pretty okay," Manny admitted as he continued to write, "We went to the museum today, and we saw this big book that's said to hold everyone's legend or something. We also met some interesting kids; they knew about the book too."
"A book of legends, eh?" His father inquired as he carefully dressed his wounds, "That's really the first time I've seen you take interest in something other than video games, or crime…you're not going to steal that book, are you?"
"No!" The younger boy said.
"Okay." His father said, "What about these new kids you've met?"
"Their names were Marco, Anita, and Tito." Manny explained, "I don't think Anita likes us, but Marco and Tito seem pretty cool. They were studying that book for some reason, probably to understand their family legacies. Um, dad?"
"Yes?" Rodolfo said.
"Did any Rivera cross paths with a Sanchez or a Mondragon in their time?" Manny asked. His father hummed as he pondered.
"I don't think so," He answered, "But I might have to look through the family history for that. Or ask Grandpapi. Speaking of which, where is he?"
"I haven't seen him all night." Manny answered. Rodolfo sighed as he stood up, muttering in Spanish.
"He's probably robbing a bank again," he uttered, "Why did my father have to be a super villain?"
"What about your injuries?" Manny asked as he peered over the couch.
"Crime is a priority over everything," He said as he reached into the coat closet and retrieved a new suit, "Even if I am down to one working limb, I will not stop until crime is put to justice." Rodolfo stepped into the closet, continuing from within, "After all, as one of Miracle City's greatest heroes, I have sworn myself to protecting this town. And some day, hopefully, you will do the same." The closet opened again to show Rodolfo clad in his White Pantera outfit, trying to keep a brave face. "I'll be out again," he said as he curled a hand around the door knob, "But I'll be home just in time for bed. Be safe, mijo!" Without another word, White Pantera rushed out of the house, leaving Manny home alone once more.
"Same to you papa." Manny muttered as he returned to his report. He sighed as he looked over his report, barely covering half a page. "A book of legends," Manny uttered, "But I'm forced to follow my ancestors. Can't I just be me?" He sighed as he idly tapped his pencil against the notebook. A knock at the door made him turn and say, "It's open!" But when the door opened, he saw someone he didn't expect. "Wait, Tito?" He asked.
"What, were you expecting a fairy godmother?" Tito joked as he entered, "I just thought to pay a visit to a new friend. Tried the Suavez residence, but nearly got my butt bit off."
"What are you doing here?!" Manny asked.
"Like I said," Tito said, "Just wanna pay a visit. Well, that and to give you a little invitation."
"An invitation?" He asked.
"Anita's gonna fight a bull tomorrow, and Marco thought you and Frida wanna watch." The other boy explained, "Besides, I thought she needs somewhat of an audience."
"Wait, how old is Anita?" Manny asked.
"Thirteen," Tito reasoned, "But hey, age doesn't matter in this wild world. I mean, ten year olds are helping in the police force. A twelve and thirteen year old are super villains while a nine year old is an apprentice super hero. Then there is you, little Manny Rivera." Manny swallowed hard as Tito loomed over him, a sickly sweet smile on his face. "My family has a motto," He continued as he pulled away, "I think it went something along the lines of…'people have greatness in them, but they gotta work at it,' or something like that. I think you're gonna be one of those cases. Same goes for your friend Frida."
"Y-yeah…" Manny chuckled nervously, "I'm workin' on it."
"Anyway," Tito said as he turned to the door, "The fight's tomorrow at four. We'll be in front of the Rosa Arena; hope to see you and Frida there, amigo."
"Wait, how did you know where I live?" Manny asked. Tito only chuckled as he tossed something brown over his shoulder before leaving the house. He sat still as he heard him continue to chuckle until it faded. Manny walked over to the object and recognizing it as a wallet, flipping it open to reveal his Granpapi's ID.
/
To Be continued.