Miracle City fifteen years ago...

Maria Sanchez took notes carefully in her class. She had just started college a few days ago, she was an A+ student and showed up on time for every class everyday. She was studying to become a writer, she had a huge love of literature and enjoyed writing stories, reports, and news articles. She was a gifted author ready to live her dreams of writing.

"Alright class we'll pick this up next week." The professor said.

Maria left her class and went to the library to catch up on some studying. Before reading she pulled her dark hair out of her face and up into a pony tail so it wouldn't distract her. She always did this when she studied for a test that and she always wore her lucky gold hoop earrings that her grandfather gave her.

"Maria." She turned to see her friend Lupe. "There's a party tonight, wanna come?"

"No thanks."

"Maria you've been working your brain to pieces. Take some time off."

"Maybe next time."

"Maria you need to have a little fun in your life. Live a little and maybe try to find a nice guy?"

Maria sighed and continued to study. She took a break to get some water but before she started reading again she saw something out the window that caught her attention. It was a boy, He had straight black hair and a strong looking chin and jaw line. He was wondering around the campus just looking and looking. She wondered what he was looking for or who he was. Was he a student?

She watched him until suddenly he just stopped and looked right at her. Dead in the eyes. Maria looked away, her cheeks turning bright red. When she looked back he was gone, she thought about him all day. There was something strange about his eyes. They seemed dark but not in a evil way more like a mysterious way, like he was lost and lonely. For weeks she would see him walking and wondering around. It made her very curious. Finally her curiousity got the better of her and she decided to do a little investigating.

"Excuse me!" She called after him.

He turned around to face her.

"I'm I don't mean to be rude but um...I've been watching you well not in stalker way but-"

"I know." He said.

"Really? Did you see me?"

"No I heard you."

"Oh I tried to be quiet."

"I have good hearing."

"Anyway I was wondering are you a student?"

"No."

"A teacher?"

"No."

"Don't Tell me you're the janitor."

"I'm not."

"Then who are you?"

"I'm just someone."

"Wait so if you don't go here what are you doing on our campus?"

"Observing."

"Observing what?"

"Youth."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

"You're a little too young to consider your youth lost."

"I'm talking about normal youth. I'm not normal."

"I get it you were homeschooled."

"Sort of."

"Do you have a name?"

"Rodolfo, Rodolfo Rivera."

"Nice name I'm Maria Sanchez. It's a pleasure."

"Likewise."

"Do you wanna get some coffee? My treat?"

"Sure but I'll pay."

"But it was my idea."

"Yes but you're a lady and I'm a gentleman so it's only natural that I pay."

They went to the cage on campus and bought two lattes. When they sat down, Maria pulled out a bundle wrapped in tin foil. She unwrapped it to show two yellow pastries.

"Corn cakes." She said. "They're my favorite dessert, made them myself. Wanna try?"

"Sure." He ate one. "Pretty good. Your mom's recipe?"

"No actually it's my grandpa's. My parents died in a car accident when I was five, I was raised by my grandpa he's the only family I've ever known."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. So do you have a family?"

"Yep. A mother, a father and two brothers."

"What are they like?"

"My mother's a saint, my oldest brother is a know it all jerk, my youngest brother is okay but he's got issues, and my father is jack ass

"Daddy issues? Don't worry it'll work out."

"Not really also I'm engaged to a crazy bitch."

"That's not a nice thing to say about your fiancé especially if you love her."

"Who said I loved her?"

"Well why else would you marry her?"

"It's an arranged marriage which I'm trying to get out of."

"Oh."

"I refuse to marry a woman I do not love. It's a fate worse than death."

"Sweet words, ever think of becoming a poet?"

"Not really."

"Well there's gonna be a poetry reading this Friday would you like to go?"

"Why are you being nice to me?"

"Because you looked like you needed a friend."

"You should know I'm not a normal."

"Well who is?"

"No not that kind of not normal I mean I'm very different from the average human. Best to avoid me."

"If that's what you want."

Next Friday Maria went to the poetry reading downtown and was surprised to see Rodolfo there. She met him after the reading.

"I thought you weren't coming."

"Can't a guy change his mind?"

He walked her home and said goodnight. She entered her dorm room to find the door already open. She looked around to see if Lupe had come back early from her date. But she wasn't around and to her horror she found her ex boyfriend Donnagan in her closet. She had broken up with him weeks ago because he was abusive and controlling.

"My God! What are you doing here?"

"It's so good to see you Maria it's been too long."

"What do you want?"

"You."

"Look Donnagan our relationship is over! Now leave before I call the cops."

He sized her arm, she struggled to get loose.

"You can't leave me Maria! We belong together! You belong to me!"

He scooped up Maria and carried her outside into the woods.

"Let go of me! Put me down! Help!"

He pinned her to her to the ground and climbed on top of her. Maria began to struggle and cry as he licked her neck. He slapped her, pulled her hair, and choked her. She closed her eyes and prayed for God to save her.

"DAMN YOU FOOL!" A voice roared.

Someone pulled Donnagan off her and punched him in the face. Maria opened her eyes to see a white panther with flamming green eyes mauling Donnagan. Then she passed out. When she woke up she was back in her dorm room. Had it all been a nightmare? She saw an ambulance leaving the campus.

"What happened?" She asked Lupe.

"Last night some wild animal mauled your ex boyfriend to death."

"He's dead?"

"As a door nail."

"I gotta go." She went back to her room and began to replay the events in her mind from last night. She remembered almost getting raped and seeing Donnagan get killed but she wasn't sure where that panther came from. They weren't even native to where they lived. Then she remembered hearing someone yell, it sounded like Rodolfo's voice. Once she made that connection she went to search for him. She looked all around the campus but he wasn't there.

She didn't know why but something told her to go look in the woods. She searched for a long time until she spotted a trail of blood. She followed it and she found Rodolfo lying near a tree with a gash on his arm.

"Rodolfo?"

"STAY AWAY!" He looked at her with eyes flaming green like the panther and fangs bared. "I'LL HURT YOU IF YOU GET TOO CLOSE."

His voice was animalistic, it was like a wild animal's roar had mixed with his human voice.

"You're hurt." She said calmly. "Please let me help you."

"NO! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER! I'LL LOOSE CONTROL AND MURDER YOU!"

She slowly walked toward him then she hugged him. Rodolfo roared, hissed, and thrashed against her but she didn't let go. Not even when he started to grow claws but after a few minutes he calmed down and reverted to his regular form. She took him back to her dorm and got the first aid kit.

"It was you last night who saved me wasn't it?" She asked tending to his wounds.

"Yep. Did I kill him?"

"Yes."

"I didn't mean to but I was so angry I just couldn't control myself."

"How did you know I was in danger."

"I heard you scream."

"You had left."

"I told you before I have good hearing."

"What exactly are you?"

Once his wounds were properly treated he took her outside back into the woods and transformed into the panther from last night. When he changed back he told her he wasn't just some random guy. He was a spirit, the spirit of the white panther who wanted to see what humans his age would do in everyday life. He told her that when Donnagan almost raped her he had never been more scared for anyone in his life.

"Now you know." He sighed. "I'm a monster, a freak of nature."

"No. Donnagan was a monster. You're a man, a man who only wanted to protect a defenseless woman."

"You're not afraid?"

"Why should I be? You didn't hurt me."

"Then can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Will you go out with me?"

She didn't hesitate, frankly he was surprised she said yes. From that moment they were always together, he showed her his spiritual world of nature, wildlife, and peace while she showed him her human world of reading, music, and cooking cakes and enchiladas. They had a very interesting relationship, Rodolfo's family was against him dating a human and his ex fiance attempted to assinate her once. They fought as well especially over Rodolfo trying to leave her for fear that he might get her killed. But in the end they worked it out.

"You're a fool brother." Santiago said to him. "Being with this human will cause great distress in the balance."

"Mind your own business."

"Excuse me for just trying to help."

"You don't need her anyway Rodolfo." His younger brother Tito said. "You have me."

"Thanks for your concern but I love her and she loves me." He said.

"Good luck then because Father is ready to talk with you." Santiago said.

Rodolfo sighed and went into Jorge's chamber.

"Do you think Rodolfo would really pick a human over us?" Tito asked.

"It wouldn't surprise me. He always had a soft spot for humans even as a child. He takes far too much after Mother."

"But he can't just ditch us for her."

"He's already done that in case you haven't noticed."

...

Maria hummed as she prepared the soup. She was cooking dinner for her and Rodolfo's date tonight to celebrate their sixth month anniversary and could hardly wait. She had just finished when there was a rapid knocking at the door, she opened it and gasped when she saw half of Rodolfo's face burnt.

"What happened?"

"My father." He panted. "We got into a fight...He lost temper...fire...so much fire."

She got an ice pack and pressed it to his forehead, she watched him break down in tears and sob bitterly.

"He called me a fool. He forbade to see you."

"I'm so sorry. He shouldn't have done that to you."

"He's a demon, what do you expect?"

"But he's your father."

"Just because he created me doesn't mean he's my father." He sniffed and wiped away his tears. He saw that Maria was crying as well. "Maria?"

"Yes?"

"Will you marry me?"

"What?"

"I love you, will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes of course."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"We can't tell anyone."

"I know."

Rodolfo lied to his family and said that he left Maria but at night he would sneak off to see her. During summer break they stayed at a house near a lake far from where his family resided and had a private ceremony for their wedding. It wasn't much but there were candles and flowers, a priest, and Maria got to wear her mother's wedding dress. They decided to spend their honeymoon there as well. Each day was filled with joy and laughter as they fell more in love than before. When they returned from it, they moved into an apartment, Rodolfo got a job working as a mechanic while Maria continued school. Everything seemed to be great for them until...

"Maria I'm home." He found her in the bathroom puking over a toilet. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine just a little nauseous."

"Was something you ate?"

"Well I did eat a lot of that bear liver you left in fridge."

"That's weird. You don't even like bear liver. You don't like anything I bring home from hunts."

"Well I was hungry for it when I woke up and now I'm wishing I didn't eat it." She puked again. "I've been like this for three days."

"Three days? Shouldn't you see a doctor then?"

"Probably. Wait! Hang on for minute."

"What?"

"Can you leave for a minute?"

"Why?"

"I need to pee and test for something."

"Okay."

She didn't come out for at least an hour and when she did she ran straight to their bedroom in tears. Rodolfo raced after her.

"Oh no." She sobbed. "Oh no."

"What? What is it?"

"I'm pregnant."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"No. No that's not possible! There's no one that could've happened unless...Oh God no!"

"What?"

"Last week I forgot to change out of my physical human form when we went to bed and if a spirit or demon does that with a human it could lead to a pregnancy. This is bad! Very bad!"

"Is it really that horrible?"

"Yes and no. For one thing a half human half spirit is not supposed exist, second my family find out eventually about this, and three you will die!"

"What?"

"Spirtual and demonic fetuses are not like a human ones. They grow at an alarming rate and they give off a powerful force which damages the mother's body. A female spirit and demon can take it but a human can't. You'll be dead even before the baby's even born."

"Alright let's just stay calm. Is there a way to make it so that I won't die?"

"One option is abortion."

"I'm not killing my child!"

"I know! I don't want to either but the force from the child's intense growth will kill you before it's fully developed and once you're dead it won't be long before our child dies."

"There must be something we can do."

"Well my mother keeps a charm that she says will control the force, it may help but I'm not sure."

"We have to try. Please."

"Okay." He left to get the charm.

An hour after he left Maria felt a sharp pain in her belly than out of no where her stomach size began to increase. The pain was unbearable, it felt like a hard stone breaking every bone in her body. She screamed and cried while clutching her belly.

"Arrghh!"

Rodolfo came through the door at her scream.

"Oh my God it started quicker than I thought!"

"Rodolfo! It hurts!"

"Hang on!" He pulled a coin with a sliver chain from his pocket and put it around her ankle. To his relief and hers the growth stopped along with the pain. "Thank God."

"What happened?"

"The charm fixed it. You'll have a normal human pregnancy and birth as long as you wear that."

"Okay now that this crisis is settled what are we gonna do? I wanna keep it but do you?"

"Yes but we're gonna have to keep it a secret."

"For how long? We can't just hide it away forever."

"We'll think of something." He sighed.

So for the next few months Rodolfo and Maria tried to keep their unborn halfling child a secret. During that time Maria had a strong craving for meat and even blood, she also tended to be feral from time to time. But they were very excited about starting a family.

"Rodolfo."

"Yes?"

"I've been thinking of names for the baby. And if it's a boy I wanna name him Manuel."

"Manuel?"

"It was my grandfather's name. What do you think?"

"Hmmm...I like it but why don't we call him Manny for short?" He bent down and planted a kiss on her swollen stomach. "Little Manny."