El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua
The Mask copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema
The American Rivera
Chapter 10: The Anniversary
[a Week Later]
Several People Were Watching The Televisions Displayed Out The Window Of The Electronic Store.
All The TV`s Was On The News Channel Where a Reporting Was "Reporting" The News.
"Good Morning, Miracle City...
I Am Anna Garcia, And You Are Watching MCNN: The MIRACLE CITY NEWS NETWORK."
"All Of Miracle City Is Going Nuts Over The New Green Headed, Zoot Suited Superhuman: THE MASK.
Who Saved Miracle City From An Invasion Attempt By MIKLA, The Dark Aztec Prince Of Doom..."
"While Most Citizens Believe He`s a Hero, There Are Some That Feel He Is a Villain...
And, a Select Few That Claim That Their Not Really Sure What To Think."
"Whatever The Case, One Question Is On EVeryone`s Mind: WHO IS THE MASK?"
Some Of The People Watching Leave...But, One Person Stays: Chris Johnson.
Who Just Stares At The Screen Blankly, His Eyes Like Pin Needles.
He Slaps His Face Suddenly.
"great...
now, my "face" is everywhere!
(Sigh) I Just Knew I`d Regret Puttin That Mask Back On..."
Chris Walks Off.
"oh, well...at least i saved the city, not to mention my family and friends.
heh heh, and i DID get even with that jerk spike and his gang."
Chris Looked Over To See Spike And his Gang In Orange Prison Suits, Picking Up Trash.
"Although Six Months Of Community Service Isn`t My Ide Of "Punishment"
I Guess It Is Better Than Nothing, Afterall."
Chris Walked Away And Headed Towards His House At Maria`s Manor.
He Walked Over, Gripped The Handle Of The Door And Turned It.
"SURPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISE!" Shouted The Riveras, Aves And Frida
Chris Was Taken Back.
"W-WHAT GOIN-"
Chris Noticed All The Party Decorations In The Room.
"So, What`s The Occasion?
It Isn`t My Birthday, Yet." Said Chris
Maria Approached Chris.
"Chris...
It Has Been One Year Today That I Found You On The Streets And Took You Into My Home And Gave You a Family, So...We`ll Celebrating Your ONE YEAR ANNIVERSAY!"
"Has It Been That Long Already?" Said Chris, Smiling a Bit
Maria Nodded.
"We All Worked Together To Make This Party Enjoyable...
Rudolfo And His Father Did The Decorations, Carmelita And Her Mother Baked The cake And, While I Was Busy With The Planning...Manny, Frida And Zoe Kept You Busy In Town."
Chris Scratched His Chin.
"I Was Wondering Why They Wanted To Go To That Water Park SO BADLY..."
"We Also Got You Some Presents." Said Zoe
Carmelita Nodded.
"We All Did."
Chris Sat Down As His Family And Friends Brought Gifts It Him.
First, Was Manny.
Chris Opened His Gift...And Found a Brown Belt With a Silver Buckle With An "R" Painted On It.
"I Made It In Arts And Crafts...
This Way, Everyone Will Know Your a RIVERA."
Chris Smiled.
"Thanks, Manny."
Frida Ran Up.
"OPEN MINE!
OPEN MINE!"
Chris Opened Frida`s Gift.
He Eyes It Dumbfoundedly As He Picked It Up.
"Red Goggles?"
"YEP!
I have Tons Of Spares Back Home, I Wanted You To Have One Of Them!"
Chris Grinned Sheepishly.
"Uhhhhhh...Thanks."
Zoe Eyed Frida, Then Approached Chris.
"I Also Have a Gift For You."
Chris Smiled He Took Zoe`s Gift And Opened It...It Was a Skulpture Of a Bald Eagle.
"You Made Me a Skulpture, So...I Decided To Make One For You.
It`s a Bald Eagle...Because Your An American And All That."
Chris Smiled.
"thanks, zoey..."
Carmelita Walked Up.
"Here You Go...Hope You Like It."
Chris Opened The Gift And Found a Piece Of Paper.
"Chris Johnson Rivera...The Number One Art Student Of The Leone High SChool." Said Chris, Reading It
He Sighed Happily.
"signed by carmelita aves, art teacher."
Carmelita Smiled.
"You Deserve It.
That Is a Copy Of The Ones That Will Be On The Wall In My Classroom And My Office."
Carmelita Brushed Her Hair.
"I Am Also Trying To Arrange For You To Get a Scholarship At CALARTS.
"The Famous Art School!" Exclaimed Chris
Carmelita Nodded.
"I Can`t Make Any Promises...Those People Are Tricky But, I Have Faith That You`ll Get In And Blow They Away WIth Your Talents."
Chris Smiled.
"Thanks, Mrs. Aves..."
It Was Nana Aves Turn Now.
She Just Handed His a Box.
"here..." Said The Old Woman, a Little Miffed
Chris Opened It And Found a Bag Full Of Multi-Colored Gemstones.
"Their...Pretty."
"And Worth Plenty Of Money...
But, Daughter And Granddaughter Talk Me Into Giving You them."
Carmelita Gave Her Mother a Glare.
"Anyway, Enjoy Them."
Rudolfo Ran Over.
"OPEN MY PRESENT!"
Chris Took It And Opened It.
His Eyes Widened As He Looked At It.
"a Green, Rubber Mask?"
"I Bought It At a "99 Cent Store"...Now, You can Look Like THE MASK!"
Chris Shuddered Slightly.
"Um, T-Thanks...I`ll Be Sure To Keep This In Mind At Halloween."
Chris Put It Away.
Grandpapi Rivera Was Next.
"Here You Go...I get You a GOOD GIFT For My New Grandson."
Chris Takes An Envelope And Opens It.
"Five...HUNDRED DOLLARS!"
Nana Aves Glared At Grandpapi Rivera.
"YOU CHEAT!
You Stole My Gift Idea!"
"So?
I Steal Lots Of Things." Said The Old Man With a Smile
Last Was Maria, Who Sat Down Near Her Son.
"Chris...I Thought Very Hard For My Gift To You.
So, Instead Of Buying Something...I Wrote Something."
Maria Took Out a Piece Of Paper She Cleared Her Throat As She Began To Read.
"My Son...By Maria Rivera.
You Are My Son, Chris...That Was Always True.
Even Though You Were Not Born From Me In a Hospital...
The Love We Share Brought Me To You.
We May Not Be Family By Blood And May Be From Different Nations But, None Of That Matters...For, When All Is Said And Done: Your Still Me Son.
You`ve Lived a Hard Life, One That Makes Me Still Shed Some Tears But, All Of That Is Over Now...For Your Now Where You Belong: Right Here.
You Are My Son, You Always Was...I Love You Like No Other.
But, I Hope That In Time...I Can Prove To Be Your Perfect Mother."
When Maria Finished, Chris Was In Shock.
Tears Formed In His Eyes, Which He Wiped Away.
"that was...Wonderful."
Maria Smiled.
"You Liked It?"
Chris Hugged Maria.
"i love it...mom."
Maria Smiled As She Hugged Chris.
"no matter what people may say...you will always be my son and, i hope that someday...we`ll find the truth about your real parents."
Chris Smiled.
"for now...i`m happy just being here with you, mom."
Maria Smiled, Tear In Her Eyes.
"Okay...
Now, Let`s Go Enjoy The Rest Of Your Party."
Maria Got Up, As Did Chris.
They Spent The Next Several hours Playing Games, Eating The Cake And Dancing To Good Music.
It Was Finally Night And Everyone Was Having Dinner Together.
Chris Suddenly Stood ANd Tapped His Glass, Indicating He Wanted To Talk.
"You Attention, Everyone..."
Everybody Looked At Him
"I Have Something To Say."
Chris Sighed.
"I Want To Thank All Of You For This...But, Not Just The Party."
Chris Wiped a Tear From His Eye.
"Since I Was Born...I`ve Been All Alone.
I Never Knew My Real Family And Nobody Else Would Take Me...
But, I Am Very Thankful That Maria Was Kind Enough To Give Me That Chance."
Chris Looked At Maria, Who Smiled.
"I Hope That Someday...I Can Repay Her Kindness."
Chris Sighed.
"I Also Had No Friends Growing Up.
Nobody Cared Or Even Noticed Me...But, Zoey Did."
Zoe Smiled.
"She`s My Best Friend...And, I DO Mean That.
I May Never Have Another Friend Like Her."
Zoe Blushed a Little.
"Basicly, I have Had Rotten Luck...
All My Life, People Have Said I Was Worthless And Wouldn`t Amount To Anything."
Chris Smiled.
"But, They Were Wrong...
See, The Only Dream I Ever Had As a Kid Was To Be Loved...You All Made It Come True.
So, All I Can Say is: Thank You For Caring, My Loving Family And Friends"
Everyone Clapped.
Chris Blushed Sheepishly As He Sat Down.
[Later That Night]
Everyone Got Ready To Leave.
As The Aves Left, Zoe Stopped And Spoke To Chris.
"Chris...Did You Really Mean What You Said Back There?"
"You Mean About Me Not Having ANother Friend Like You?...Of Course.
It`s Funny, Zoe...Whenever I feel Sad, All I Have To Do Is Think Of You...
And, Suddenly...I Don`t Hurt So Much Anymore."
Zoe Looked Into Chris`s Blue Eyes.
"Really?...You Mean That?"
Chris Nodded.
"Mmm-Hmm..."
Zoe Smiled.
"Well, Just So You Know...I Feel The Same Way About You."
Zoe Quickly Kissed Chris On The Cheek.
He blushed Bright red, As Did Zoe...But, She Turned To Hide It.
"Goodnight, Chris...happy anniversary."
Zoe Left.
"Y-Yeah...Goodnight."
As The Other Riveras Left, Manny Stopped.
"Well, See Ya."
"Yeah...See Ya."
Manny Sighed.
"Chris...I`m Sorry For All The Trouble I Caused You I Didn`t Know You Had Such a Rough Life..."
"It`s Okay, Manny..."
"No...It`s Not.
I Hope That Someday I can Make It Up To You."
Chris Shrugged His Shoulders.
"If That Makes You Happy..."
Frida Walked Up.
"Hey!
Me And Manny Are Gonna Hang Out Tommorrow After School...Why Don`t You COME WITH!"
"Only If Zoe Can Come."
Frida Sighed.
"Fine...
But, She`d Better Not Do Stuff Like Pouring Honey On My Hair!"
"I`ll be Sure To Tell Her, That..."
Frida Left.
"Well, Goodby, Bro." Said Manny, Who Left
Chris Waved.
"Yeah...You Too, Bro.
Chris, Then Walked Back Inside His House.
[Later, In Chris`s Room]
Chris Was Laying On His Bed, While Maria Was Sitting Beside Him.
"Now, Get Some Sleep, Mijo...
You Have a New Day Of School Ahead Of You."
"Manny Is Also Taking Me In Town After School...This Time He`s Going Too."
Maria Smiled.
"I Know..."
"Mom..."
Maria Looked At Chris.
"Yes, Mijo?"
"Thank You For Taking Me Off The Streets That Day...
My Life Has Gotten Better Since You Bothered To Care About Me."
Maria Smiled Warmly.
"How Could I Do Anything Else..." Said Maria
"I`m Glad I Found You Back Then, Too...
Sometimes I Feel It Was Meant To Happen."
Chris Smiled.
"so do i..."
Maria Sighed.
"I Just Wish I Could Of Found You SOONER.
Everything That You Had To Go Through...It Never Should Of Happened To You."
Chris Sighed.
"no argument, there."
Maria Patted His Head Affectionetly.
"Well...You`ll Never Have To Suffer Like That, Anymore.
I Am Going To Ensure Your Life Will Be Happy From Now On...This I Swear."
Chris Sighed.
"You`ve Given Me So Much, Mom...But, I Have Nothing For You."
Maria Smiled.
"Your Love Is All I Really Need, Mijo."
Chris Smiled.
"There, That`s It...That Is All The Gift I Need: a Smile."
Maria Kissed Chris On His Forehead.
"Goodnight, Mijo...sweet dreams."
Maria Got Up And Began To Leave.
"goodnight...mom." Said Chris As He Turned And Went To Sleep.
Maria Smiled.
She Shut The Light And Closed The Door Behind Her.
[Meanwhile, At The Aztec Lair Of Mikla]
The Aztec Prince Sat On His Throne...His Body Covered In Burns.
He Stared Intently Into An Energy Window, Watching Playbacks Of THE MASK In Miracle City.
He Clenched His Skeletal Fist, Growling With Rage.
"Such Power...Wasted On Pointless Heroics."
Mikla`s Minions Trembled In Fear At Their Master`s Rage.
"I Swear...I Will Uncover The Secret To The Mask`s Power And MAke It MY OWN!
Then, I Shall Make HIM And All Of Miracle City Pay Dearly For My Defeat!"
Mikla`s Eyes Glowed Bright Red.
"I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"
Mikla Laughed Maliciously, Which Echoed In The Darkness Of His Lair Bats Flew Away In Terror, While Dozens Of Skeletal Warriors Creeped In The Shadows.
THE END TO BE CONTINUED In "The Mask Of Miracle City"