Frida had been asleep for hours the next day, the previous events from last night had left her shaken up bad. Her family bought the excuse that Frida was like this because she had almost been hit by a truck though her mother wasn't fully convinced.
"I'm really worried about her." Manny said to T.J and Andrea. "Is she gonna be alright?"
"She'll recover but there's no saying when." T.J said. "Frida experienced what is was like to be dead and it was horrifying especially since instead of moving on her soul was temporarily trapped in a dead body. Coming back from that can have serious scars."
"What exactly did Zoe do to Frida?" Andrea asked.
"She ripped out her heart and tried to eat it." Manny said.
"Whoa! Time out! So your ex girlfriend is a deranged half demon and a cannibal? Boy do you know how to pick em." T.J said.
"I still don't believe Zoe wanted to do that. Something about her just didn't seem right." Manny said.
"What do you mean?"
"When I hit her she showed no response, no emotion, nothing and her eyes they looked glassy and behind that glass there was nothing but pure anger and hatred."
"Hmm...I'll have to look into that but what I'm really curious about is once Frida's heart was ripped out she should've died almost immediately not fall into a temporary coma. If she's human how on earth is that possible?"
"Well you guys didn't see her heart. It didn't even look like a heart."
"What did it look like?" Andrea said.
"It looked like a star."
"Are you sure that it was a star?" T.J said. "Absolutely positive?"
"I don't know what else it could've been. It was bright, shiny, and it was the lightest thing I had ever held."
"Is there anything else you know about it?"
"Zoe said something about her becoming a full demon or me becoming a full spirit if one of us ate it."
T.J began flipping through his book until he found a page with a picture of people with what appeared to be stars where their hearts should be.
"They're called heavenly healers." T.J read. "Humans who descended from angels living on earth, instead of having the average human heart they have stars which give them the power to break evil spells, heal flesh wounds and diseases but it's limited per person."
"Limited? What does that mean?" Andrea asked.
"It means sometimes their powers will work and sometimes they won't. This is to prevent any human, spirit, or demon from living forever."
"And the whole eating her heart?" Andrea said.
"If the heart of a heavenly healer is consumed by anyone then they can achieve immortality and become all powerful."
"Well so much for making sure nobody lives forever." Manny said.
"Rest assure Manny, those sick enough to eat that heart may never grow old but it doesn't mean they'll never die and I hear the big guy has away of making sure that never happens."
"So are all heavenly healers good?" Andrea said.
"Well because their ancestors were angels most of them are but they're still human beings meaning that they can become evil and if one does turn to darkness their heart becomes tainted and they lose their powers." He flipped another page. "Here are the angels who took human form."
On the page were three people: a grown man, a little girl, and a young lady. The young lady looked like a teenager, she was dressed in white with brown hair that was tied back, rosy cheeks, and blue eyes.
"Who's that?" Manny asked pointing to the teenager.
"That's Catarina. She, her older brother Juaquin, and their younger sister Romona were born on earth from the three drops of blood by one God's loyal angels. They used their powers to help mankind for many years."
"She looks just like Frida." Manny pointed out. "Give her blue hair and they could be twins."
"You're right." Andrea agreed. "What happened to them?"
"Catarina fell in love with a young demon called Arturo. She tried to change him, to free the darkness in his heart and he was willing to change but someone killed Catarina. The humans who she helped blamed Arturo and killed him. Sometime after that Juaquin was killed by Arturo's father and Romona died as well but not before marrying a human and birthing a daughter who was the first heavenly healer ever born."
"I've never heard of Arturo." Manny said.
"Me either." Andrea said.
T.J flipped a few more pages and stopped at one that showed a picture of a young man wearing gray and black attire with straight black hair, freckles, and green eyes.
"He was the first natural born demon to be good. His family expected him to be evil but falling in love with Catarina made him lean toward to being good. He couldn't decided which one."
"He looks like you Manny." Andrea said. "Different hair but you're almost identical."
"Really? I don't see it."
"She's right." T.J said. "Strong family resemblance."
"Family resemblance? You're saying I'm related to that guy?"
"It says here his younger brother was the great, great, great grandfather of Rodolfo Rivera a.k.a your father so that makes him your great, great, great, great grandfather and Arturo your great, great, great, great uncle."
"Great another weirdo I'm related to."
"Could've been worse."
"I'm gonna go check on Frida." Manny turned invisible and sneaked over to her house. But on his way there he smelled a local peddlar spirit, they were known to be very greedy and cheap with their merchandise but the stuff sold had magical properties. He bought one for Frida and then continued on to her house. Luckily she was awake but she looked so pale and was trembling. He knocked on the window. She got out of bed and let him in. "Hey how are you feeling?"
"I don't know. It's all foreign to me."
"Frida you have no idea how sorry I am about last night I swear I never thought she would try to hurt you."
"It's okay you can't see the future."
"If you don't mind me asking what did it feel like?"
"It was cold and dark, I couldn't see, I couldn't hear, I couldn't move, and I couldn't breathe. It was like I was dying but at the same time I wasn't. I don't think I had ever been more scared in my life."
"I have something for you." He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a heart shaped locket with a star engraved on it.
"It's beautiful."
"I got it from a peddlar spirit and it cost me one of my fangs."
"Your fangs?"
"Peddlar spirits are total weirdos, no big deal it was a baby fang so I'll get an adult one. Anyway he told me that this was specially made to protect hearts, if you wear it no one will be able to get your heart."
"Really? Thanks...Um...Can you put it on me?"
"Sure whatever."
He carefully chained it around her neck.
"How do I look?" She asked.
"With your eyes." He said.
"Ha, ha, very funny you know you don't have me fooled."
"What are you talking about?"
"That whole tough guy act. You act like you're this great big tough guy when the truth is you're just a big softie underneath."
"Be quiet! Before I change my mind and sell that thing."
"I'm never gonna take it off you know."
"I imagine since some people my try to rip out your heart and eat it."
"Just saying and- hey. How did you know that?"
"T.J looked it up his book, you're some type of healer. Why didn't you tell me?"
"At first I didn't know and when I did find out I promised my grandma I wouldn't tell."
"Is that why you can see me? Even if I'm invisible?"
"Yes."
"I knew you weren't a normal human."
"I take that as a compliment. So you bought me this to keep my heart safe, if I didn't know any better I'd say you care about me."
"I...I...Well I...Okay so I care a little bit I am half human after all."
"You know you keep saying that you being kind and caring comes from your human half and yet you're father who was a full spirit loved and cared for your mother who was a human. Is it possible that you could care for others weather or not you're a halfling?"
"I don't know but can we please not talk about my old man?"
"Sorry, anyway thank you." She planted a kiss on his cheek making him blush. "Listen why don't we play some video games?"
"You sure you're up to it?"
"I'm always up to video games."
He smiled and joined her in their game unaware that they were being watched by Tito.
"Oh Manny you're more like your father than you think. How it sickens me that you both lost your hearts to human women." He snarled. "Dare I say you love that human girl more than you ever loved anyone else even Zoe who I'm controlling like a puppet on a string."
"You won't get away with this!" An angry voice called. Tito had captured both of his brothers and imprisoned them.
"Rodolfo I really didn't want to do this but I can't have you stopping me from killing your son."
"You're insane! How can you do this?! He's your nephew!"
"Just because we share the same blood doesn't mean I care for him. You know you'd be proud of him because he's following in your footsteps."
"What are you talking about?"
"Getting involved with demonic women only to abandon them and fall in love with human women. Tell me what is about the men in our family that makes them fall for women weaker than they are? Our great, great, great uncle fell for an angel, Father fell for a spirit, you fell for a human, and your son is doing the exact same thing."
"I swear if you do anything to hurt my wife or my son I'll kill you."
"You can't protect them. Not so long as your trapped behind bars made in the fires of hell."
"You truly are monster. You're more evil than our father at least he wouldn't hurt anyone in the family!"
"Family is overrated and so is love."
"What exactly did you do that girl?"
"Zoe? Simple I placed a shard of a demon's mirror in her eye. Now all she feels is anger and hate toward everyone even the ones she loves. I hoping it'll drive her to kill Manny."
"Why?"
"Because we both know he'd never kill her even to save his own life."
"You're sick! Twisted! I swear you will suffer for all you've done!"
"Not as much as your son is going to suffer. Before I send Zoe on him I'm going to kill that human girl right in front of him, make him wish he was dead and then have Zoe grant it. Just like how I made you suffer by beating your wife to a pulp and then selling her as a slave."
"YOU UNIMAGINABLE BASTARD!" Rodolfo transformed and tried to claw at him but the bars kept him from touching him. "WHERE IS MY WIFE?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?!"
Tito just cackled and left him there.