A little while later, Héctor, Miguel, and Kayleigh were hanging off the back of a moving trolley.
Héctor fiddled on the guitar idly as they rode through the city.
"You told me you hated musicians. You never said you were one," Miguel said.
"Yeah, you were amazing back there," agreed Kayleigh.
"How do you think I knew your great-great-grandpa? We used to play music together. Thought him everything he knows." Héctor played a fancy riff, but botched off the last note.
Miguel rolled his eyes. "No manches (Really)! You played with Ernesto de la Cruz, the greatest musician of all time?"
Héctor laughed, playfully shoving Miguel's face. "Oh, you're funny! Greatest eyebrows of all time, maybe, but his music? Eh, not so much."
"You don't know what you're talking about," said Miguel.
He and Kayleigh looked down past Héctor as the trolley came to a stop. Below them, was the bustling plaza, and in its center was a giant statue of Ernesto de la Cruz.
"Wow..." breathed Kayleigh.
"Welcome to the Plaza de la Cruz!" Héctor announced. He hopped off the trolley. "Showtime, chamacos (kids)!" Héctor held out the guitar for Miguel to take..
Miguel and Kayleigh looked around the plaza in awe. It glowed and hummed with an audience of skeletons dancing all over the place, along with the shouts of vendors selling a variety of crafts and treats to passerby.
"Querer lo (Want it)? T-shirts!" called a vendor selling Ernesto de la Cruz souvenirs. "Bobbleheads!"
Miguel and Kayleigh gazed past the vendor to see a large stadium stage, where an emcee was greeting her audience.
"Bienvenidos a todos (Welcome everybody)!" She cried. "Who's ready for some música (music)?"
The audience whooped and hollered.
"It's a battle of the bands, amigos (friends). The winner gets to play for the maestro, himself, Ernesto de la Cruz, at his fiesta (party) tonight!" The emcee pointed to the grand tower.
The audience cheered some moor.
"That's our ticket, muchacho (boy)!" Héctor excitedly pointed ahead, as the trio made their way over.
"Let the competition begin!" exclaimed the emcee.
The stage filled with acts performing one after the other. The performers were like none Miguel and Kayleigh had ever seen; there was a tuba and violin act, a hardcore metal band, a marimba payer on the back of a giant iguana spirit guide, a dog orchestra, and nuns playing accordions.
Miguel, Kayleigh, and Héctor signed up for the contest, and headed backstage into a crowd of other performers.
"So, what's the plan? What are you gonna play?" Héctor asked Miguel.
"Definitely 'Remember Me,'" Miguel answered. He plucked out the beginning notes of the song.
Kayleigh was way past excited for Miguel. Finally, she will get her chance to listen to him play the guitar. After all these years of waiting, she thought to herself.
"No," Héctor snatched the guitar out of Miguel's arms, and shook his head seriously. "Not that one. No."
"C'mon," complained Miguel. "It's his most popular song!"
"Eh, it's too popular," Héctor replied.
"Aw, come on," Kayleigh joined in. "How much can one popular song be?"
Gazing around the backstage answered her own question. The three noticed that many other acts were rehearsing their own versions of "Remember Me." One man even played water glasses to the famous tune.
Héctor glanced at Miguel with a look as if to say 'see?'.
"Héctor's got a good point, Miguel," Kayleigh assured Miguel.
"Um," Miguel thought hard of a different song to perform, "what about... 'Poco Loco'?"
"Epa (Hey)!" agreed Héctor. "Now, that's a song."
"Oh, I love that one!" beamed Kayleigh.
A stagehand approached the children. "De la Cruzcito?" He asked Miguel, who nodded at his stage name. "You're on standby!"
Then, the stagehand gestured to another band. "Los Chachalacos, you're up next!"
As Los Chachalacos stepped onto the stage, the crowd roared. The band burst into a mighty intro, and the audience went wild.
Backstage, Miguel peeked out at the frenzied audience. Los Chachalacos were unbeatable. He suddenly felt ill, and began to pace. Yet, he took the guitar back from Héctor.
"Hey," Kayleigh noticed her friend in distress. "You okay?"
"You always this nervous before a performance?" asked Héctor.
"I don't know," Miguel shrugged, unconfidently. He took a seat on one of the wooden boxes, and then finally admitted, "I mean, I've never performed before."
"What?" Héctor exclaimed, shocked. "You said you were a musician!"
"I am!" Miguel protested. "I mean, I-I will be."
"Ay!" Héctor bowed forward, agitated.
"Once I win," Miguel added.
"That's your plan?" Héctor exclaimed. "No, no, no, no, no- you have to win, Miguel. Your life literally depends on you winning, and you've never done this before?" He took a seat on the other wooden box across from Miguel.
Miguel processed that. His life did depend on him winning. Panic spread across his face.
"I hate to have to say it, Héctor, but... I've never actually heard Miguel play before, myself," Kayleigh sheepishly admitted.
"Ugh!" Héctor growled upon hearing Kayleigh say that, and seeing the panicked look on Miguel's face. "I'll go up there," he reached for the guitar.
"N-no!" Miguel said, pulling it back. "I need to do this."
"Why?" asked Héctor.
"If I can't go out there and play one song, how can I call myself a musician?"
Héctor shrugged. "What does that matter?"
"'Cause I don't just want to get Ernesto de la Cruz's blessing," Miguel explained. "I-I need to prove that... that I'm worthy of it."
Kayleigh smiled warmly at Miguel's statement.
"Oh," said Héctor, looking touched. "Oh, that's such a sweet sentiment... at such a BAD TIME!" He blurted out.
Miguel and Kayleigh both flinched at Héctor's outburst.
Héctor eventually sofented up. "Okay! Okay, okay! Okay. Okay, you want to perform? Then you've got to perform! First, you have to loosen up. Shake off those nerves!" He did a loose-bone shimmy to pressure Miguel.
Miguel placed the guitar down, and did the same.
"Now, gimme your best grito!" Héctor said.
Kayley narrowed her eyes. "Best what?"
"My best grito?" Miguel said, confused.
"Come on, yell. Belt it out!" Héctor said. Then, he leapt up and let out a long-throated grito. "Haooeyy-he-he-hey!" He landed back onto his wooden box. "Ah, feels good! Okay, now you."
Miguel looked uncertain. He glanced over at Kayleigh for help.
But she didn't know how, and just shrugged helplessly.
Miguel tried to do the same. "A-a-ayyyy-aaaaaaa-yyyyy-ay..." his own halting grito was breathy and squeaky.
Héctor and Kayleigh both grimaced at Miguel's grito sound.
Dante whimpered, hiding behind Héctor, who face-palmed.
"Oh, c'mon, kid."
Behind him on stage, Los Chachalacos was wrapping up its performance to raucous applause.
"De la Cruzcito, you're on now!" the stagehand called.
Miguel slowly made his way towards the stage.
"Miguel, look at me," Héctor said. "Hey! Hey, look at me," he repeated to Miguel, to snap him out of his terrified daze.
"Come on, let's go!" the stagehand yelled at Miguel, gesturing for him to hit the stage.
Miguel finally looked up at Héctor.
"You can do this."
"You've got this, Miguel," Kayleigh tried to encourage him.
Héctor nodded at Kayleigh's encouragement. "Grab their attention, and don't let it go!"
"The emcee spoke to the crowd. "We got one more act, amigos," she said.
"Héctor, Kayleigh," Miguel said softly, as the stagehand ushered him to the stage.
"Come on, Miguel!" Kayleigh cheered for him.
"Make 'em listen, chamaco! You got this!" Héctor called.
"Damas y caballeros (Ladies and gentlemen)! De la Cruzcito!" The emcee shouted.
"Arriba-Ba (Up-ba)! Hey!" Héctor gave a thumbs up.
Guitar in hand, Miguel stumbled out onto the stage. Blinded by the lights, he squinted at the massive audience, who gazed back at him.
Miguel just stood there, frozen in fear. Groaning, he slowly took a step back.
Héctor turned to Kayleigh and Dante. "What's he doing? Why isn't he playing?"
Miguel continued to stand stiffly in front of the restless audience, who wanted to dance.
"Bring back the singing dogs!" Someone yelled.
Panting, Miguel looked at Héctor, who shimmied.
Deciding to help her friend out, Kayleigh climbed up onto the stage to join Miguel.
Miguel looked at her, and she nodded to him confidentially.
Facing back to the audience, Miguel took a deep breath, and let out a full-throated grito. "HAAAAAAAI-YAAAAAAAAI-YAAAAAAI-YAAAAAAI!"
The audience was stunned. Seconds later, they responded with whistles and whoops. Some returned the grito, while others applauded.
Grinning a little, Miguel began to strum the guitar intro for "Poco Loco."
Kayleigh raised her eyebrows, impressed with his talent. Then, she began to dance and sing along with him.
"Un Poco Loco"
(Miguel)
"What color is the sky?
¡Ay, mi amor! ¡Ay, mi amor! (Oh my love! Oh my love!)"
(Kayleigh)
"You tell me that it's red,
¡Ay, mi amor! ¡Ay, mi amor!"
(Miguel)
"Where should I put my shoes?
¡Ay, mi amor! ¡Ay, mi amor!
You say, "put them on your head",
¡Ay, mi amor! ¡Ay, mi amor!"
(Kayleigh)
"You make me un poco loco, (a bit crazy)
Un poquititito loco, (A little bit crazy)"
(Miguel)
"The way you keep me guessing,
I'm nodding and I'm yessing,
I'll count it as a blessing,"
(Both)
That I'm only un poco loco!"
Miguel and Kayleigh let their voices carry the lyrics over the jubilant crowd.
By the time they had finished the first verse, the audience was on their feet.
Suddenly, Dante grabbed Héctor by the leg, trying to pull him onto the stage with the children. At first, Héctor shook him off, but he finally let Dante drag him out. Once in the spotlight, Héctor busted out some percussive foot work to Miguel's guitar.
Kayleigh giggled at his own performance.
"Not bad for a dead guy!" Miguel said to Héctor.
"You and your friend are not so bad yourself, gordito (chubby)!" Héctor said, above the exuberant clapping from the audience.
But unbeknownst to either Miguel or Kayleigh, at the back of the stadium, a ripple of glowing footprints guided Pepita, and the Rivera family to the edge of the joyous audience.
"He's close," Mamá Imelda said. "Find him!"
The family members fanned out, stopping everyone they passed.
(Héctor)
"The loco that you make me,
It is just un poco crazy
The sense that you're not making,"
(Miguel)
"The liberties that you're taking,"
(Kayleigh)
"Leaves my cabeza (head) shaking,
(All Three)
You are just un poco loco!"
Héctor's head bobbed and his limbs spun around.
Every new trick made the audience howl with glee.
"¡Numero uno, Miguelito! (Number one, Miguel)" cried Héctor.
He and Miguel both made their best gritos.
Giggling, Kayleigh joined in, as well.
Even Dante howled to imitate their gritos.
"We're looking for two living kids, both about twelve," Tío Felipe and Tío Óscar asked someone.
"Have you seen a living boy and girl?" Tía Rosita prompted.
Although the audience were clapping along to the music, Miguel's family paid no attention to the skeleton boy performing onstage. Or to the young man next to him, who had become more creative with his dance moves.
(All Three)
"Un poquititi-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-to loco! (A little bit-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-to crazy)"
The trio ended their performance, and the audience erupted into boisterous applause.
The kids both beamed, enjoying the moment. Miguel felt like a real musician, while Kayleigh felt like a real singer.
"Hey! You did good!" Héctor gushed. "You, and your amiga (friend)! I'm proud of you!"
"You were amazing!" Kayleigh told Miguel, gratefully.
Miguel's heart swelled.
Were the audience was really clapping for him? And Kayleigh, too?
Miguel looked out at the cheering crowd, spreading his arms out- but then spotted his family.