Anita and Nikita were away at college now, they were studying to be a cop and a lawyer so they wouldn't be home for most of the time. As for Frida's parents,?Frida and her grandmother would have a difficult time keeping everything a secret especially from her mother. The real reason Carmela cut their trip short was because she was suspicious of what her mother was up to.

"So what brings you two back so soon?" Sandra asked.

"I was just concerned about you two." Carmela said. "What with all the strange new dangers in the city."

"Darling I may be old but I can defend myself."

"Mother a word please, in private."

They went upstairs into another room and locked the door.

"Alright Mother what did you say to Frida?"

"What do you mean dear?"

"Don't play innocent with me. I know you, you said something. Hinted it maybe."

"Now Carmela you know I rather detest hints."

"Mother something's different. I can feel it, now tell me and don't try to lie I can see right through you."

"Very well I guess there's no hiding now." Sandra wanted to tell her but she had promised Frida she wouldn't however she didn't want to lie to her daughter. "Frida's been seeing a boy."

"What?"

"They're not dating, just friends but knowing your husband he'll freak out anyway."

"That's it?"

"Do I show any signs of dishonesty?"

Carmela looked at Sandra skeptically. She didn't have any of her physical guilt signs so she wasn't lying.

"No...So who is he?"

"Just a young man she met in the woods."

"The woods?"

"Don't ask dear."

"Does he live around here."

"Not sure."

"Does she like him?"

"According to her she'd rather kiss a rattle snake than date him."

"Well if that's it then I'm relieved. That is until Emiliano finds out about this."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that, he's not exactly as sharp as you are."

"Mother!"

"I'm just saying."

So they got Carmela to be less dense but she kept her eyes and ears open for anything not right. On Sunday they went to church, Manny came along but he had to be invisible and he couldn't speak around anyone. When it got late that night he went outside and started a fire, he sat there and felt the fire's warmth as he began to think. Being in church today made him think of his mother Maria. The nuns had fixed up two rooms with beds for him and his mother to sleep in at night.

Manny missed his mother so much. Her name was Maria, she was a kind and loving woman, always doing everything she could to raise him. She worked at a library it didn't pay much but it was the best she could do. During Christmas and his birthday she would set aside money to save to get him a present. He treasured every gift she gave him. In the summer they would go camping up at a lake house. They would swim, fish, hike, and bike ride then when it got late they would build a fire, roast marshmallows, and watch the stars. He loved their camping trips. He remembered the very last one they went on. He was thirteen, it was when he first discovered his powers and after she told him he was half spiritual.

"Ugh! Get off of me!" Manny said as he tried to get melted, mushy marshmallow off his face.

"Here let me help." Maria pulled out a napkin and wiped his face.

"Mom, what was Dad like?" He had asked while roasting another marshmallow on a stick.

"He was kind, honest, fair, just, and very handsome." She said. "You have his chin you know and his smile."

"When did you meet?"

"At a very young age." She sighed. "I was in college. Eighteen years old, a freshman. I was dead set on becoming a novelist since I loved to read and write so much. I studied hard and got good grades."

"When did Dad come in?"

"I was in the library doing some notes when I saw him. He was outside wondering around on campus. He looked to be about maybe 21 years old, I had never seen him before but he was certainly the most handsome man I had ever seen. I started seeing him around campus almost everyday I asked people if they knew who he was but no one did. Finally one day I decided to walk up to him and ask him."

"What happened?"

"First he told me his name then I asked him if he was a student here. He told me no then I asked if he was a teacher he told me no then I asked if he was the janitor and he told me no to that to. So I asked him if he wasn't a student, teacher, or janitor why was he on campus and he told me he was observing."

"Observing?"

"Yes he told me he was observing human youth and rebellion."

"That's weird."

"I admit I did think it was odd but at the same time I was intrigued. So I invited him to get coffee."

"Then what?"

"We talked and he told me about his life and his family."

"Did you start dating after that?"

"No. At the time I already had a boyfriend, he seemed nice when we first went out but he turned out to be a big mistake. He was controlling, overbearing, always drinking and very jealous. He went nuts if I even talked to another boy. I broke up with him but he never accepted it and he blamed your father."

"What a creep."

"I know. Your father was such a good friend to me through it all and he protected me too. One night my ex boyfriend came into my dorm room drunk and tried to rape me, then out of nowhere he came running in at full speed and saved me but he looked different. He looked feral and vicious like a wild animal. I was frightened, it was then that he told me he was a spirit and that he loved me. We began dating after that and we had a lot of problems but he we got through it."

"Did you ever get married?"

"Yes. We had been together for six months when he proposed, I said yes but because I was human we had to keep it a secret. We got married here it was a small wedding but a wonderful one. For our honeymoon we spent it here too then you came along and everything was perfect but he had to leave."

"So he did abandon us?"

"No. Manny it wasn't like that. He loved you so much, we talked about having kids but we wanted to wait awhile because I was still in college and he had so many enemies determined to find his weakness. But on our first night he forgot to change out of his physical human form and that resulted in me getting pregnant with you. It was too soon, we tried to hide you but your uncle found out and he blabbed. Near the end of my pregnancy one of his enemies tried to kill me one night, your father told me to go to the church. He said no demon could harm me or you there and then he said that he had to stay away from us to protect us. It broke his heart but he didn't know any other way."

"Do you miss him?"

"So much."

When they came home from the trip they found the church in shambles.

"Oh my God." She gasped.

"El Mal Verde destroyed it." A deep voice said. They turned to see a group of a men.

"Who are you guys?" Manny asked.

"We are the high council of Spirits and Demons." One said. "You are Rodolfo's human wife yes?"

"Yes." Maria said.

"And this boy is his half human son?"

"Yes."

"Maria, now that your son has reached puberty his powers are now being activated which will attract your husbands enemies."

"We can't allow innocent people to be killed." Another said. "I'm afraid we must separate you and the boy."

"What?" Manny said.

"Manny go over there please." Maria said.

He did as his mother said.

"He can't live in human society. He must go live in the forest, away from humans and you."

"You can't! You already forced his father to leave him you can't force me to leave him! I'm all he has!"

"I'm sorry Maria but now that he has his powers he can't develop any bounds with anyone. It's too dangerous, we're going to have to relocate you. Men take the boy."

"No! You can't take him!"

"Mama?" Manny said.

Two council members grabbed Manny and took him to the forest while the others restrained Maria.

"Let go of me! Right now!Mom!"

"No! I'm his mother! Don't take him! He's my baby! Don't take my baby!" Maria sobbed.

The mother and child screamed, struggled, and reached for each other but the council were stronger and more powerful. In the end they were separated. A tear fell from Manny's eye has the memory of that horrible day played back in his mind. He blamed himself for what happened that day, if only he had been stronger he might still be with his mother.

"Hey." A voice said. He turned around to see Frida coming over with a bag. "Aren't you getting cold out here?"

"No."

"Well since you like campfires I brought you something." She opened her bag and pulled out blankets, a portable DVD player, some movies, a couple of sodas, and marshmallows. "Wanna camp out?"

"Sure." He said smiling. So they laid out the blankets, turned on the player, and watched a movie while drinking soda and roasting marshmallows.

"So where do your parents think you are?" Manny asked.

"They think I'm at an overnight study session at school." Frida said.

"They believed that?"

"You could fill a book with unbelievable stuff that my parents will believe."

They laughed and continued watching the movie, it was a war movie. It was a very violent action movie with a lot of fighting and explosives.

"Good movie." Manny said.

"Yeah."

"And there's not a lot of mushy stuff."

"Yeah I know that stuff can get so gross but there is this one romantic scene at the end but we can just not watch that part."

"But what do we do?"

"We can talk. Oh boy here it comes."

On screen a soldier and nurse were running into each other's arms.

"So why did you come out here?" Frida asked as she ate another roasted marshmallow.

"I...I don't know." He ate another one too but it ended up getting smeared all over his face. He tried to wipe it off but it only got more stuck to his hands. "Oh come on! Get off!"

"Here let me help." She pulled a napkin from her pocket and wiped his face. "There we go."

"Um...Thanks." He said blushing. "You know Mom and I would have camp outs like this, minus the violent war movie."

"You really miss her don't you?" Frida said drinking some soda.

"Yeah."

"Was she pretty?"

"Yeah."

"Have you ever tried looking for her?"

"For that first year I was alone, I looked everywhere but I never found her. It was almost like she had disappeared completely off the face of the earth."

"I'm really sorry, no kid should be separated from their mother."

"The council said I can't form bounds with people. I guess that means I'm destined to always be alone."

"I don't believe that." She said. "No one is destined to be alone and you will never be alone."

"What makes so sure?"

"Well we are friends right?"

"Yeah I guess so."

"Then that settles it. Which means if we ever get separated you'll have to come find me because friends don't leave each other alone."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Then promise me."

"Promise you what?"

"That you'll always find me."

"Okay, I promise that no matter what happens no matter how long it takes I'll always find you."

"And I promise that I will wait for as long as it takes."

"Shake on it?"

"Double cross."

"What's that?"

"It's when we both cross our hearts."

They crossed their hearts and looked back at the movie to see if it was over. But the scene was still going on, the solider and nurse embraced each other making both of them feel awkward. Frida was getting tired and decided to get some sleep. She unknowingly laid her head on Manny's shoulder thinking it was her blanket.

"Um Frida." He said blushing.

"Hmm?" She replied sleepily.

"Well you're...kind of...uh..."

"Yes?" She said half asleep.

"Nevermind."

"Goodnight Manny."

Manny felt himself blush real bad but then casually tip-toed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

"Goodnight Frida." He said.

The two fell asleep as the movie ended with the soldier and nurse sharing a passionate kiss. As the two slept they were unaware they were being watched by Maria, she wasn't really there she was just a projection of her love and compassion. She approached the two sleeping teenagers and planted a kiss on her son's head.

"I'll love you forever." She whispered. Than she turned to Frida and kissed her forehead. "Thank you."

Then she faded.