I decided to change the origin story for Manny's ancestor in this and Frida doesn't know she's connected to it yet.
"We're almost there!" A teenage girl no older than eighteen with long fair hair and blue eyes called. Behind her was a twelve to thirteen year old girl with short brown hair and blue eyes as well. They were running from a large demonic creature.
"I-I can't keep up Ingrid!" The little girl cried.
"You mustn't give up! Don't worry once we reach the church he can't touch us!"
The teenager was an excellent runner but her younger sister wasn't as fast, she tripped, and got her foot tangled in vines. Ingrid rushed to her sister's aid and began trying to untangle the vines, the monster was getting closer.
"Leave us alone you pig slime!" The girl pulled out her bow and shot an arrow into the creature's eye. It was her last arrow, they had no other weapon to defend herself and by the time she had freed her sister's foot the demon beast had already gotten too close.
"Carmela go to the church! Run as fast as you can! When you get there contact Mom and Dad."
"What about you?"
"I'll hold this monster off!"
"I can't leave you behind!"
"I'll be alright! I promise! I'll meet you at the church! Now go!"
"But-"
"I'm your older sister! Listen to me! Go! Run!"
Though reluctant to do so, she obeyed her older sister and ran toward the church while her sister fought the monster off.
"Faster! Faster Carmela!" Ingrid shouted. "Don't look back! Keep running! Keep running!"
She ran all the way to the church, she burst through the doors where several nuns were having a moment of prayer.
"Child what is the matter?" The head nun asked.
"Help! My sister! A demon!"
"Sister Josephine get the gospel guns and the holy arrows!"
"Yes ma'am."
"Sister Dolores protect the child and try to contact her family." The head nun told a teenage nun
"Yes ma'am."
"Child stay here with Sister Dolores." The head nun told Carmela.
"But I have to save my sister!"
"No child it's too dangerous! We will save her, you need to stay here help Sister Dolores contact your family. Can you do that?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good girl. Come on ladies we have a demon to kill."
All the nuns except Sister Dolores ran out of the church to fight the demon. Sister Dolores called Carmela's parents and kept the little girl calm. In a few hours her parents Jose and Sandra arrived with their weapons.
"Carmela!" Sandra cried.
"Mama! Papa!" The little girl cried running into the arms of her worried parents who embraced her.
"Praise God you're alright!" Jose said. "Wait! Where's your sister? Where's Ingrid?"
"I...I tried to help her but she told me to run away! She stayed behind to stop him! I'm sorry! I didn't-"
"No Hija it's alright. Stay here! We'll get your sister!"
Her mother pulled out a holy bow and arrow while her father pulled out a gospel gun and bullets. Then they went outside to join the other nuns who were shooting the demon. It lasted for hours, Sister Dolores and Carmela both prayed that everyone would be alright. When all was quiet the nuns returned exhausted.
"Well?" Sister Dolores asked.
"The demon was slayed." The head nun said but she spoke as if they had failed.
"Where's my parents? Where's my sister?" Carmela asked.
The nuns all gave her looks of sadness and regret. After a moment of silence the head nun opened her mouth to speak but before she could say a thing Carmela ran outside toward where she had last seen the creature. She found the beast lying on the ground dead as door nail much to her relief but she notice a trail of blood that did not lead to the creature. Following it she found her parents. Her mother was on her knees crying her heart out and her father holding something close.
"My baby!" Her mother sobbed. "My poor, poor, baby!"
"Oh God! Please no! Not my child!" Her father cried. "Not my child!"
"Mama? Papa? What happened?" She asked. "Where's Ingrid?"
Her parents looked at her with tear filled eyes, then her father stood up and turned toward her. In his arms was Ingrid, lying motionless and pale with a bleed whole in her chest.
"Your sister can't be with us anymore." Jose said. "She's gone to heaven now."
"No...No! No! She can't be dead! She just can't be!"
"Oh Hija." Sandra said.
"No! She promised she'd be alright! She promised!" Carmela burst into tears and ran to her sister's body hysterically but her mother picked her up and held her while she cried. "It's all my fault! All my fault! She died because of me!"
...
Carmela was laying primroses on a grave with a stone that read.
INGRID FRIDA ANITA MONDRAGON
1967-1985
Beloved daughter and caring sister
"It's the anniversary isn't it?" Sandra said approaching the grave. "Can you believe it's been twenty years since she was taken from us?"
"No."
"I miss her too you know and so did your father." She pointed over to the grave next to Ingrid's that read.
JOSE BERNARDO MONDRAGON
1945-2003
Devoted husband and loving father
"God bless your dear father, he blamed himself so much for your sister's death."
"It was my fault."
"No Carmela. No one is to blame except for that damn demon who killed her. Come on let's go to my house and have a cup of tea and talk we used to do when you were young. We don't do that anymore."
Carmela smiled and they drove over to Sandra's house. She had some warm tea and vanilla cookies with raspberry jam ready in ten minutes.
"Try not to be so loud I have some guests resting upstairs." Sandra said.
"Who are they?"
"Friends of Frida's."
"Speaking of Frida I've been seeing very little of her lately. Do you know what she's been up to?"
"Oh you know teenagers, they're always out and about doing whatever."
"Well every time I ask her where she's been she tells me she's been at the library studying but she's a terrible liar and lucky for her, her father is...easily tricked by his children."
"I'm not surprised."
"The point is Mother I know my daughter and she is not at library but she clearly won't tell me what's really going on so I figured maybe you know something."
"Well...It's not my place to say dear."
"Mother what's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Mother you're a terrible liar too it runs in the family and I can tell by your eyes that you know something."
"Oh...Carmela I wanted to tell you but Frida made me promise I'd let her tell you when she was ready."
"Let her tell me when she's ready? Mother that's the oldest trick in the book. What she's really saying is I have no intention of telling of my mother so please grandma don't tell her. I used that on grandma dozens of times."
"Still I gave her my word and you know very well that when I make a promise I keep it."
"Mother tell me what's going on right now."
"I'm afraid you're going to have to ask Frida."
"Hey Grandmami you won't believe the new trick I-" Frida walked in carrying her bow and arrow. "I...Hi Mom what are you doing here?"
"I was just about to ask you the same question young lady." Carmela said. "And what is this."
"Nothing!"
Carmela yanked the bow out of Frida's hand and examined it.
"This is a holy bow. Mother! You've been training her!"
"Sorry dear but she wanted to learn how to use her powers and to shoot."
"And how does she even know she has powers?"
"I might have dropped a few hints."
"Mother!"
"She had a right to know."
"I didn't want her to know."
"Why?" Frida asked. "Why didn't you want me to know?"
"Frida this doesn't concern you."
"Actually it does. Mom what I have is special."
"Yes it's special but it is also dangerous and you could be killed."
"Mom I'm not a kid anymore!"
"Frida you have no idea what you're getting yourself into."
"Yes I do! In fact I have been fighting demons and healing people for almost a year."
"You what? Frida do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"
"I do but I don't care I wanna do something great! I want to help people!"
"Frida you can do lots of great things and help people without this!"
"Mom just because you're afraid to fight and take risks doesn't mean I have to be! I am going to shoot demons and save lives no matter how dangerous it is."
"You will not!"
"It's her birthright." Sandra protested.
"Mother she is my daughter not yours and as long as I live and breathe on this earth I will not let her be apart of this curse!"
"It is not a curse. It's a gift given to our family by God to help others, a gift that you want to disappear completely."
"Well our gift cost me my sister! And it will not cost me my daughter! Mother I really didn't want to do this but you leave me not choice I forbid you to see Frida or any of my children."
"Mom! You can't do that!" Frida cried.
"Frida we are going home now."
"No!"
"Frida listen to your mother. She's right I shouldn't have meddled." Sandra said. "I'm sorry Carmela."
"I'm sorry too Mother."
Carmela threw down the bow, grabbed Frida's hand, and pulled her outside to the car.
"Mom I can't leave yet! I have to take care of Manny and Andrea!"
"Frida-"
"Andrea was burnt with hell fire! I'm the only one who can heal her! Please Mom!"
"Fine but as soon as they are better this! All of this! Stops!"
"This isn't fair Mom!"
"I'm your mother I'm not supposed to be fair Frida."
Frida grunted and then went upstairs to check on Andrea and Manny. Sandra had some special ointment that could heal burns like these faster in the basement so she went to get them. While she was down there she felt like something was watching her then she felt a cold hand size her by her throat, she let out a scream. Sandra and Carmela rushed down stairs at her scream and saw her being gripped by a man who they knew all too well. In a flash the two of them were restricted by shackles that chained them to the wall.
"Ah Sandra Mondragon." He said wickedly. "How long has it been? Twenty-four years."
General Chapuza." Sandra said. "You devil! What are you doing here?! My husband killed you twenty-four years ago!"
"An old friend brought me back and I must say Sandra the years have not been kind."
"Why are you here you vile beast!"
"Well I may be back but I'm now a worm feast, I want to be as I was before you killed me and to do that I need a heart."
"You're wasting your time! Our powers died out in my daughter years ago!"
"Daughter? Oh that's right you had another one." He said looking at Carmela. "You must be the brat who got away. Carmela right? You've grown."
"Leave General Chapuza! We have nothing for you here!" Sandra said. "Now release my granddaughter!"
"Granddaughter? My it has been a long time. I'm guessing she's yours Carmela since I killed the only other child your mother had."
"You monster!" Carmela screamed angrily. "You killed my sister! I'll make you pay for what you did to us!"
"I see you still have that annoying mouth that always got on my nerves."
"Leave us alone!" Frida demanded.
"So you're Carmela's daughter, you look just like your mother did at that age you even have the same eyes." He said. "And if you're her daughter that must mean you have just the heart I need."
"You filth! Don't you dare!" Carmela screamed. "If you hurt her-"
"Oh do shut up!" He then used a force to knock them against the wall.
"Mom! Grandmami!" Frida gasped. "You cowardly pig!"
"Oh isn't that adorable Carmela? She has your mouth."
"How about I slap yours right off your smug face!"
"Enough I'm forgetting what I came for." General Chapuza made his way toward her chest but Frida's locket burned him. "Ahh! Bitch!"
He slapped Frida to the floor.
"No don't! Stop it!" Carmela cried. She and Sandra watched in horror as he began smacking and beating Frida without mercy. Tears streamed down Carmela's face as she was forced to watch her daughter be treated like this. "Stop! Please! You bastard! She's just a baby!"
Carmela and Sandra struggled to get loose from the chains determined not to let this continue. Sandra was too old but Carmela might have been strong enough to slip through the shackles.
"Too bad I couldn't eat your daughter's heart Carmela. I bet it would've tasted just as sweet as your sister's. But I'll settle for the amusement of beating her to death!"
"No! Not again! Never again!" Carmela slid out of the shackles and pulled a gospel gun from under her skirt and she fired a bullet into Chapuza's arm. He dropped Frida and turned around to face her. "Step away from my daughter or the next one goes between your eyes!"
"Are you really going to kill me like that? I mean really you-"
BANG!
Another one hit him right in the forehead.
"I'm gonna blow your brains out! You took my sister but I swear to almighty God I won't let you take my daughter!"
She shot another one and it hit him right in the eye.
"Damn you!" He cried disappearing.
Once he was gone Carmela rushed to her daughter's side and held her, the chains vanished freeing Sandra who went to get stuff needed to fix her wounds. The girl was bleeding from her arms, legs, and her head. Carmela cradled Frida and rocked her back and forth like she was a baby again while crying.
"Oh no." She sobbed. "Not again. Please God! Don't take my baby! Please!"
Her tears landed on every single area that Chapuza had beaten Frida, has if by magic her entire wounds healed much to Carmela's amazement.
"Wha...What happened?"
"You healed her." A voice that Carmela would recognize any where at any time. She looked to see the voice belonged to a teenager surrounded by a golden light with fair hair and blue eyes.
"I...Ingrid?"
"Hello little sister." She said. "Though you're not so little anymore are you?"
"Big sister is it really you?"
"It's me."
"Ingrid I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry I left you to die all those years ago!"
"Carmela it wasn't your fault. You were just a child and besides I knew I was going to die."
"But you promised me you wouldn't."
"No I promised you that I would be alright and I was in the end. Carmela I knew what my purpose was that night. It was to make sure that you escaped so you could live, grow up, marry the man you love, and have your beautiful children. I'm so proud of the woman you've become."
"Are you here because Frida's dead and she has to go?"
"No she's going to live. You healed her."
"But how? My powers are gone?"
"Not gone yet just dormant. I'm here because I want you to stop blaming yourself for my death and not to be ashamed of our family gift. Frida is destined to stop a great evil don't prevent her from doing that."
"But I can't lose her."
"Carmela you're not the only person who struggles with that fear. I struggled with it before I died, Mother struggles with it, even Frida struggles with it. You're going to have to let her go. Can you do that?"
"I'll...I'll try."
"That's my brave little sister." She said disappearing.
"Ingrid!" Carmela screamed with a tear streaming down her face.
"Mom?" Frida said waking up.
"Oh Frida! Thank God!" Her mother said hugging her.
"Mom what happened?"
"We'll talk about it later."