Manny impatiently waited for Frida to show up. He knew her coming to see him was risky considering her father forbade her to see him but she had never been this late so he began to think of some reasons why she was taking so long. As long as it had nothing to do with churros or flirting with other boys then he wouldn't be mad.
"Manny relax she'll be here soon." T.J assured him.
"She's taking forever. Geez what's keeping her?"
"Patience my friend, patience."
"Patience is a virtue...That I do not have. You know what screw this I'm just going to march over there and bring her butt over here."
"What about her father?"
"He never visits after eight. That's the start of his night shift."
"I still think it's a bad idea."
"Since when I have ever cared about what you thought?"
"Okay but if her father is there and he sicks his mutts on you don't say I didn't warn you."
Manny just rolled his eyes and started to walk into town. Suddenly he felt very hot and dizzy, feverish even. He tried to shake it off and keep walking but he found it hard to stand then he collapsed.
"Manny!" T.J gasped. He and Andrea went to his side. "Manny what's wrong? Can you hear me? Come on man talk to me!"
He didn't respond.
"He's burning up." Andrea said feeling his forehead.
"Looks like a fever."
"T.J look!"
She pointed to Manny's eye. Blood was coming from the scar and it was black blood.
"Oh my God! I gotta get my grandfather!"
Meanwhile at her house Frida was watching her mother sit in the kitchen crying. She had been weeping nearly every morning and every night since her father left. Whenever he visited to check up on her she tried to convince him to work things out with Carmela but Emiliano wouldn't listen. Not sure what else to do she gave her sisters a call and asked them to visit.
"Sorry sis but he wouldn't listen to us either." Anita said.
"Papa was always the most stubborn out of the five of us." Nikita said.
"But we'll stay and help you out with Mom."
"Thanks guys." Frida said.
"So from what Grandmami told us Dad left because Mom was supernatural and didn't tell him?" Nikita said.
"Yep."
"Well then I'm not surprised he left."
"Nikita!" Anita scolded.
"Oh come on Anita you know how Dad feels about secrets and lies. It's on his list."
"His list?" Frida said.
"List of things he hates and wishes was destroyed. Here he gave us a copy so we wouldn't forget."
Nikita handed Frida a slip of paper.
"Why is bubblegum powder on here?" Frida asked as she read it.
"Dad thinks that bubblegum powder is just a cover for drugs that they slip kids."
"Oh man Manny is on here. I know Dad never really liked him but come on does he really hate him that bad?"
"He hates him more than bubblegum powder I know that."
"Oh dear."
"What?" Anita said.
"Nothing."
"You're hiding something aren't you?"
"We won't tell Dad. Promise." Nikita said.
"That's what you said when I told you that I planned to get a tattoo back in middle school and you told."
"We won't this time. We've learned from our mistakes." Anita said.
"Yeah and if you still won't tell us we'll just use our police knowledge for college to investigate." Nikita added.
"Fine I'm...I'm just helping Manny, Andrea, and T.J."
"You know you're not supposed to do that."
"I know but he needs me."
"Don't you mean they need you?"
"I did say they."
"No you said he."
"I did?"
"Yes."
"Oh. I meant they. They. Now look you two promised that you wouldn't tell and if you do I swear the next time you two fall asleep I'll cut off all your hair just like I did when I was five."
Frida went into the bathroom to change.
"Where are you going?" Nikita asked.
"To discuss something with Manny. If Mom asks I'm at the library."
"Oh dear Nikita. Our little sister is in love." Anita said.
"Yeah with a freak of nature. I don't know what she sees in that kid he's not even fully human."
"Well since when has our sister ever done anything normal?"
"I think we should tell Dad."
"We promised we wouldn't and besides do you wanna wait three years for our hair to grow back again?"
"Good point still you don't want her to end up with that freak do ya?"
"Hell no but I have feeling that he's going to be our brother in law one day."
"Oh God I hope not. He's stupid, eats sardines from the garbage, scratches up our furniture, and I swear he ate our goldfish senorita fish face."
"Hmm...Maybe she'd loose interest in him if we bought her a cat."
"Ha-ha. That's funny."
Frida was in the middle of brushing her hair when suddenly she too began to feel feverish. Thinking that maybe it was dehydration she went to the kitchen to get some water. She had just brought the glass to her lips when she fainted to the floor. The sound of glass breaking caught the attention of her mother and sisters.
"Frida!" Carmela screamed. "Anita call an ambulance! Nikita call your father!"
The twins did as they were told while Carmela began trying to wake her daughter.
"Frida? Frida what is it? What's wrong baby?" But she didn't respond and her wrists we're bleeding.
It wasn't long before she was rushed to the hospital but the doctors couldn't find out what was wrong with her.
"What do you mean you don't know what's wrong?!" Emiliano shouted at the doctor.
"Mr. Suarez according to our tests she should be in perfect health."
"She is unconscious, feverish, and bleeding! You call that perfect health?!"
"We're doing everything we can to help her."
"So help me God if my daughter dies I swear I'll-"
"Emiliano stop!" Carmela screamed tearfully. "Just stop!"
"Stop?! My daughter is sick and the damn doctor can't figure out what's wrong! You expect me to calm down?!"
That earned him a slap right across his face from his wife. After two hours of awkward silence he asked if he could talk to Carmela alone and she agreed.
"I can't believe you did that to me." He told her.
"I had to you were out of control."
"Sorry but I'm just don't want my daughter to die!"
"Our daughter! She's my daughter too damn it! You're not the only one scared for her life!"
"Don't shout at me!"
"Don't shout at me! Do you have any idea what the hell I've been through for these past few months?! You left me!"
"You lied to me! For years you lied to me!"
"You're right and I'll regret that for the rest of my life and the guilt over that has been eating me alive but least I never left you or acted like you never existed!"
"I was angry! I'm still angry!"
"Well you've made me angry plenty of times! Angry enough to where I would complain to my mother and she would try to get me to leave you!"
"When?"
"Whenever you missed out on our anniversaries or family gatherings for work, whenever you would get injured on the job so bad that it brought you close to death, whenever you lost your temper and embarrassed me in public like tonight! My mother's been telling me to leave you ever since we got married but I could never even think such a thing because I love you too much to live without you! But you...You ran out on me! Just like your mother ran out on you!"
That struck a nerve and Emiliano pushed Carmela against the wall while raising his fist as if to punch her but stopped as soon as he saw her tear filled eyes.
"Are you going to beat me up like your father beat you up?"
Horror and disgust began to fill up inside of Emiliano when he realized what he almost did. In blind rage he almost attacked his wife and was prepared to beat her to a pulp. All his life despite how violent he was, he made sure that he would never ever be violent toward his wife and children.
"Oh my God...Oh my God. Carmela I...I'm so sorry."
He then ran from the hospital.
...
Somewhere else Tito grinned as he began to imagine what kind of pain he planned to inflict on Manny and Frida. Oh how he hated those two, he hated Manny for being the product of his brother and a human, he hated Frida for making Manny happy, he hated them because they ruined his plans, he hated both of them because he blamed them for his suffering, but most of all he hated them because they reminded him of Rodolfo and Maria.
Personality and behavior wise they were complete opposites if Rodolfo and Maria but the way Manny went out of his way to protect Frida. The way he always came for her as soon as he knew she was in danger. It mirrored Rodolfo and Maria's actions in every way.
"So my young nephew you have finally realized that you followed in your father's footsteps by losing your heart to a human woman! And not just any human woman but one who has angel's blood flowing through her veins just as our ancestor Arturo did! Quite interesting, wouldn't you agree brother?"
Tito glanced over at the cell that held the once great white panther spirit who had been tortured without mercy.
"Answer me this Rodolfo how can there be love between a man who descended from demons and a woman who descended from angels? First it was Arturo and Caterina, now it's these two! So how is it possible?! How is it possible that an angel gave up her immortal life to save our demon ancestor?! How is it possible that you picked a human woman and a half human child over everything else in this world even your own family?! How is it possible that your son even when tainted with demonic power will still protect some girl with his very life?!"
"Typical that you wouldn't understand any of that." Rodolfo said weakly. "Your heart is so full of envy and hatred that you can't even comprehend the love that others feel. Tito why can't you let this go?! Why can't you stop hating?! Hating me! Hating my wife! My son! The people he cares for! Don't you understand what will happen if you keep hating and hurting people?!"
"Be silent you traitor!"
Tito then subjected Rodolfo to painful burns that made him roar in agony. When the burning sensation finally ceased he collapsed to the stone cold floor panting from pain and exhaustion.
"Wha...What have you done with Mother and Father and Santiago?"
"I stripped them of their powers and left them in the netherworld!"
"How could you do that?! They're your family!"
"Family? Ha! They locked me away! You all locked me away in that hell hole and left me there to rot for fifteen years!"
"We didn't have any other choice! You were out of control! You had destroyed lands, killed innocents, when we finally captured you the council gave us two options. Kill you or lock you away. None of us could bring ourselves to kill you so we sealed you up."
"You all betrayed me!"
"You betrayed us first! When you tried to kill my wife and my child and then frame our father for your attacks on them and countless others!"
"I only did it for you! You would've ruined your life if you had chosen to stay with that woman!"
"I would have been happier than I had ever been in my entire life! I love Maria and Manny more than I love anything and anyone else in this world! Even you!"
That earned Rodolfo another painful and torturous burning.
"We'll see who you love once they're gone!"
"You can do whatever the hell you want to me but I beg you Tito, please spare my wife and son."
"How can I spare them when they're the cause of my misery?! But soon I shall be rid of them both. I plan to change history and arrange for it that you never meet that woman."
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?"
"By reviving an old acquaintance of our family. Tell me Rodolfo does the name Diablo mean anything to you?"
"You wouldn't." Rodolfo said with horror in his face.
"I would."
"Tito you've lost your damn mind! Do you have any idea what will happen if you bring him back?! He'll destroy us all! He'll destory the world!"
"He and I made a little agreement."
"Whatever he promised it's a lie! You've got to believe me!"
Tito only laughed then left Rodolfo alone in his cell. He fell to his knees and fought the urge to cry. His only solace in this miserable prison was the knowledge that Maria and Manny were still alive. When a spirit falls in love and that love is returned than the souls of the two become connected and allow them to feel each other's emotions. Once he married Maria he gained the ability to feel everything she felt and she felt everything he felt. He could feel that she was still alive but he could also feel that wherever she was, she was in pain just like him.
However with Manny it was their blood that connected them and that gave him the power to sense if his son was alive or not and share a telepathic connection with him. Whenever he felt that his son needed him he would talk to him telepathically but it would always cause a great strain on his body and right now he could sense that his son had become very, very sick which worried him greatly.