Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is my first Coco fanfic, and I'm really excited for this writing adventure. Just note, I don't speak Spanish so I will do my best when it comes down to it. Also, I don't own anything except for my OCs—Disney/Pixar own Coco, this is just a story that I came up with after reading phenomenal stories y'all have posted.
The world was moving in a blur, but the paralyzing fear quaked through his bones. His fingernails dug deep into his smooth palm while his hand clutched the car door with a deathly grip. Adrenaline pumped through his veins with every bump of the car and he looked over to the driver.
"You're going to be okay," a female voice reassured him. His eyes tried to focus on her face—eyes, lips, nose, anything—yet he couldn't see beyond the blurry halo of her dark hair. Was this Mamá Imelda when she was younger? "Todo estará bien." No, Mamá Imelda has a more…distinct and commanding voice.
'Where are we going?' he wanted to ask this stranger, but the familiar pangs of anxiety and fear silenced his voice. A fleeting memory of Ernesto de la Cruz's bony knuckles holding onto his life flashed in his eyes and that feeling of freefalling jerked his body forward, and instantly the scene changed. He peered down and recognized the golden glow of cempasúchil petals holding his weight. At the end of the bridge was the aging stone entrance to the cemetery—his way home.
"¡Corre, Miguel!"
His head whipped in the direction of that same voice, but the blurred filter only allowed him to see a palette of smudges painting vibrant colors and the faint outline of the Land of the Dead. Although he couldn't see the shape who possessed the female voice, his mind knew she was warning him at the opposite end of the bridge. Telling him to go home. A small flutter of hesitation kept him rooted on the bridge, until the edge began to collapse and move quickly towards him.
'No! No! I need to go home!'
His legs carried him as fast as they could, but he wasn't fast enough. The bridge collapsed beneath his feet, his arms outstretched above his head trying desperately to preserve his life. An ominous darkness swallowed him, squeezing the short breaths out of his lungs.
Miguel's body jolted awake as he sat up with a hand protectively guarding his chest. A thin layer of sweat seeped from his pores like morning dew kisses on grass when the rising sun begins to warm the earth. A small trickle of perspiration began to snake down his temple and Miguel wiped it away with the back of his hand. His heart thumped faster than he could breathe and hard against his bones, worried it would burst. He ran a shaky hand through the soft, charcoal strands as he tried to slow down the quivering in his breaths.
Silver-blue moonlight seeped through his window and gently touched the pearly surface of Héctor's guitar. His droopy eyelids glanced over at the alarm clock—3:30a.m.
Since returning to the living world, Miguel experienced a wave of dreams relating back to the Land of the Dead. It's been a selection of dreams, nightmares, and memories—sometimes, all of them combined. The first two months were the most active and typically featured two characters—Héctor or the one who can go to hell, Ernesto.
All the dreams he had of Héctor ended in his weak bones disappearing into golden dust as the morning sun radiated against his cheeks. With all the nightmares of Ernesto, no one saved him. Not when he was hurled off the building. Not when Ernesto choked him to death as his great-great-grandfather succumbed to the Final Death alone. Not when Ernesto separated his new skeleton body and scattered it throughout the Land of the Dead.
"I just want to know," Miguel whispered into the cotton sheets. He reclined and curled into a fetal position, his hands clenching the dusky red quilt. Fresh tears seeped from his eyes and flowed to the side of his face until disappearing into the pillow. Even if he couldn't see Héctor now, all he wanted was closure. Did he return home? The only answers Miguel received were his dreams, yet none of them authenticated his hope that Hector returned to their family.
"I miss you." Miguel sniffled and a waterfall of tears gushed from his chocolate brown eyes.
The memory of his relatives who passed on reemerged in his mind and their fierce love for each other, his living family, and him forced more crystals of sadness to escape and dampen the pillow. His soft cries eventually became silent as his sadness pushed him to slumber.
"Bravo, muchacho!"
"You have a real talent, Miguel!"
"Gracias a todos!" Miguel humbly bowed and carefully put the guitar back into its case. Performing for the other local residents made Miguel's heart swell a little—not because of the attention, but because he can spread happiness to others. The ones that really mattered were his own family, but if he can help brighten others' day, then what's the harm?
"Ay, kid. You really can sing," a new voice piped up from behind him. Miguel glanced back and a smile tugged at his lips.
"I remember you!" The boy exclaimed.
"I remember the time you shined my shoes, niño. And your abuelita's chancla." The mariachi shook his head and chuckled at the memory.
"L-lo siento about that, senor," Miguel shrunk his head inwards and gave a nervous smile.
"No worries, kid. I just wanted to say hello and…" The rest of his words never registered into Miguel's brain. Beyond the mariachi in front of him, a young female with the same golden, ethereal glow walked past. Her rich dark hair concealed her face, but he couldn't shake the strange feeling her aura radiated through his core. His mind recognized the similarity between her and the figure in his dreams, and his body started pumping adrenaline again.
"Senor, I-I'm sorry to interrupt! But I just remembered I need to run back home and—uh," Miguel's eyes flickered back and forth between the mariachi and the female who was almost out of sight. "Clean the courtyard!"
The man raised his eyebrow in confusion. But he sensed the urgency in the body language Miguel exhibited before him. He shrugged.
"No worries, músico. Go do what you gotta do."
Miguel had already bolted.
"Gracias!" He shouted over his shoulder, chasing the trail of the mysterious stranger. His eyes searched for that distinct glow, and it caught sight of a glowing skirt flushing around the corner about two blocks away. 'Am I cursed again? Can skeletons visit the Land of the Living outside of Día de Muertos? Ay, I think I'm running faster than when Mamá Coco was alive now!'
The edge of the block moved closer and closer to Miguel and his energy was surging through his veins with every step and breath. He was so close to running the corner…
"Got you!" he muttered to himself in pride.
The moment he swerved, he felt all of his energy and force crash into a poor soul at full speed. His momentum caused him and the person to knock into a table and tumbling onto the cobblestone floor. Miguel felt a surge of pain in his elbow and hip as it came into contact with the ground, but his weight was on top of the person he crashed into. Oops…
"I-I'm so-sorry!" His voice stuttered as he tried to lift himself off the ground; he inhaled sharp breaths as the mild waves of pain rode its course. "I should have looked where I was—" Miguel paused as his eyes landed on the stranger before him.
The familiar, warm glow hypnotized his eyes and radiated around her entire body.
She groaned as she sat up, a hand moving to her torso and pressing into her body. Her head was bowed down, some strands of charcoal hair dangling in front her face. The vibrant cerulean blue skirt was bunched around her knees, and one side of her white off-the-shoulder top had hiked up one shoulder.
She looked up at the young boy before her, eyes widening in surprise.
"Are you…Miguel?"
Author's Note: I was hoping this chapter would be longer, but I'm happy with where it's at now. I'm trying my best in staying true to the characters—so far, that seems to be what I'm working towards most. In general, I have much of the story mapped out. I appreciate comments/feedback because I am getting back into writing and any tip helps! Also hope you guys are interested in this story and enjoying it so far!