Chapter 4: A Family Curse

"Well, you're cursed," the clerk said. Juana and Nikki gasped in surprise. He looked at a was looking at something that told him what she had done.

"How?" Nikki asked.

"Día de los Muertos is the day you give to the dead," said the clerk. "You STOLE from them."

"But, I wasn't stealing de la Cruz's guitar. It was my papa's guitar first," said Nikki.

"Diego has your father's guitar?" Juana looked at her skeptically.

"No, see," Nikki showed Juana the photo she had in her pocket. She didn't want the skeleton trying to help her abandon her. Juana looked at the guitar.

"Oh, it is the same," Juana said. "Almost too exactly."

The Xolo that Nikki was with suddenly jumped up at the clerk's desk. Nikki quickly restrained him before the Clerk could get scared.

"I'm sorry, but whose Alebrije is that?" said the clerk.

"Oh, that's just Dante," Nikki said. "He's mine."

The clerk nodded.

"Look, it doesn't matter who you stole from." Juana said, looking at Nikki and giving her back her parents' and sister's portraits. Then she looked at the clerk. "What matters is this, Señor Clerk. How we send her back?"

"W...well Señorita Juana," said the clerk, fixing his glasses. "The way to undo this curse is for the girl to get a blessing from de la Cruz or a family member."

"That's it?" Nikki asked.

"Yes, but you gotta do it before sunrise!"

"What do you mean by that?" Nikki asked.

"Oh, Nikki, your hand!" cried Juana. Nikki looked down and saw her bone at the tip of her finger and saw a glow of her finger. She nearly passed out but Juana grabbed onto her and shook her.

"Whoa, Nikki, don't want you fainting out on us," Juana said. Nikki nodded. "So, how to we find her family?"

The clerk looked at Nikki. She could really see her Abuelita and Abuelito. Nikki knew that they would make her give up music, but Nikki didn't care about music anymore. She wanted to see her mother and sister again. Her aunt and uncle and four-year-old cousin. She wished she never stole that guitar. Her thoughts were ruined.

"Well, the problem is her family are visiting their living family," said the Clerk. Nikki's mouth dropped. This really was the last time she wanted to be at the Land of the Dead. Juana looked back down at Nikki in concern. She had to help this girl get back home, as Juana couldn't turn a girl down who was just like her little sister.

"What about your father? Do you know his name?" Juana asked the girl.

"No. Only my mama know his name and my sister," Nikki said. The clerk looked away from her.

"What? Do you know who my father is?" Nikki asked.

"Well, it says what your father's name but I cannot tell you," said the clerk. Nikki shook her head in disbelief.

"Why not?" Nikki asked.

"It's a closed thing, Señorita," said the clerk. "I'm sorry but your family had disowned your father so it's..."

"It's not fair!" Nikki yelled. "Why can't you tell me?!"

Nikki needed to know who her father was. He was the only one who could save her.

"Nikki!" Juana yelled at her. Nikki looked up at the woman. "Please, calm down!" She placed a hand on her shoulder. Nikki quickly took her picture from her photo. "I'm just trying to help you. We'll be here, waiting for your family"

Nikki couldn't wait that long, then she finally remembered. Diego knew her father's name.

"Please be reasonable, Nikki, I'm just looking out for you," said Juana.

Nikki knew the perfect way out of this.

"Perdóneme, I need to use the restroom," Nikki said. Dante followed her. She quickly closed the door and said quickly, "Be right back!" Nikki quickly ran away far from the door, hearing the clerk ask Juana, "Should we tell the chica that there aren't any restrooms in the La Tierra de los Muertos."

Nikki ran. Meanwhile, Juana was standing there, shocked. That girl was going to get herself hurt. She looked at the clerk.

"Por favor, señor," said Juana, "but seeing as I found Senorita Rivera, I'll make it my personal mission to find her. She could get hurt."

"Yes, I understand your concern, the Clerk said. "so we'll get you to a nearby security guard. Vamonos!"

Juana went to follow him. Meanwhile on the first floor, Nikki saw Juana with a security guard, who was speaking in some kind of device to notify that there were looking for a living girl. She looked down at Dante as she pulled her purple hoodie on.

"Come on, Dante," said Nikki. "If we're going to get home, we gotta get to Diego so he'll tell me who my padre is. They're the only ones who can help me rather than wait for my family. This will take a faster time. She knew her Abuelita's and Abuelitos needs to stay up all night, so they would be here too late to give her a blessing.

She began moving when she suddenly felt a hand snag at her hoody.

"Hold it, muchacha," he told her. Nikki began panicking so when she turned and gave the guard a toothy smile, the security guard spoke into what appeared to be a small radio and said, "I found that living chiquita!"

Nikki looked and saw a long line of family members and she quickly disappeared into the crowd and near another wall when Dante suddenly sniffed out and began following a scent. Nikki panicked after her dog, finding her way into the Corrections office. She held Dante by his collar and hugged him to hold him back from wandering off. She looked at the interrogation room next to her and noticed it was that same skeleton who tried to cross over the bridge.

"You need to clean up your act, amigo," said the officer. Nikki looked in the cubicle and listened with ease. Meanwhile, Héctor, after he cleared the marigold out of his ear hole, looked at his interrogator and decided to try something a little bit more than just using a disguise. He'd try the sympathize with the victim scheme. He needed to see his living family. His wife and their two daughters. Hector tried to get information on his second daughter from his parents-in-law, but the subsequently refused to give it to the man who broke their daughter's and granddaughters' hearts. Yes, his ex-father-in-law had accidentally let it slip that his second child was a daughter, much to his wife's dismay. Héctor then began to use the motion act that used to get him and the de la Cruz's out of trouble.

"You know, I really, really need an amigo," Héctor said, causing the corrections officer to just roll his eyes to Héctor's story, as if he'd seen people try the pity appeal before. "It's been a real hard dia de Muertos."

Nikki rolled her eyes. She'd never seen anyone more desperate before...then the girl suddenly reflected on herself. This guy was desperate to get across the bridge as she was desperate in getting a blessing from her father.

And amigos, they help their , you get me across that bridge tonight and I'll make it worth your while." He looked at the poster of the de la Cruz brothers. "Ooh, you like Diego and Ernesto de la Cruz? We go way back!" Nikki perked up to that and smiled. This guy knew de la Cruz? Things just got her way.

Héctor continued.

"I can even get you front row seats, I happen to have tickets, or, I'll get you backstage passes to meet him!" Héctor took his head off when the corrections officer turned away from him.

"I should lock you up for the night," said the corrections officer, "but I wanna visit my living family tonight." Héctor smiled hopefully his straw hat in hands anticipating for his answer. "So I can only let you off with a warning." The corrections officer handed the note to Héctor who stood back up. However, he stopped and looked at the dress he was supposed to return to Maria.

"Can I have my costume back at least?!" Héctor cried.

"No," the corrections officer said easily. Héctor rolled his eyes and stormed out of the room, walking past Nikki and Dante.

"Some amigo," he muttered as he walked away. Nikki looked at Dante and smiled, and she began to follow Héctor.