Hello everyone, Bazinga007 here! Many of you are already familiar with my 'Adventure Time' piece titled 'Something More'. And if not, go ahead and give it a read. However, I'm putting 'Something More' on hold for a bit to start on this new 'Star vs the Forces of Evil' fanfic I have dubbed 'Ace of Spades'. Apologies to my 'Something More' fans, but I think this is gonna be another good one and I thought we were at a nice stopping point with 'Something More'.

Any way. In this fanfic, It's gonna center more on Marco than Star, with a plot similar to the one in 'Something More'. Marco's world is flipped upside down when he stumbles into the wrong part of town… namely the taco stand.

Enjoy! And I do not own 'Star vs the Forces of Evil'.

(Chapter 1)

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Come now Star, that is no way for a princess to behave."

Star struggled against the magic suspending her in the air. But despite her best efforts, she just couldn't break free of her mother's magic.

Nevertheless, Star continued her attempt to break free and make a run for it. They were already outside of the castle. If Star could just make it past her mother, it was just a matter of escaping into the woods. At least, that was Star's poorly constructed plan.

Star's mother watched her daughter's struggle with a tired expression. Aside from their sky-blue eyes and fair skin, the two of them looked little alike. Queen Moon Butterfly had arctic-blue hair set in a large, heart-shaped hairstyle. Her elegant blue dress matched her hair perfectly and her crown sat well balanced on her hair. A pair of purple diamonds decorated her cheeks like birthmarks.

Most at first glance wouldn't have guessed that Star was her daughter. The young, fifteen year old Butterfly princess had hair as gold as the sun that went down to her calves and instead of a royal dress and crown wore a simple teal dress with a pink squid on the chest and a magenta headband with horns. Her striped, purple leggings matched her purple, knee length, monster boots. Her cheek marks were the only indication that she and Queen Moon were even related, except Star's cheek marks were pink hearts rather than purple diamonds.

Star tried to butterfly stroke her way out of the magic hold on her, thinking that with the name 'butterfly stroke' it wouldn't fail her. But it did. "Dad! Please don't make me go to St. Olga's!" she pleaded.

King River walked up to his floating daughter carrying the last of Star's luggage. He put the heavy load on the ground and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Phew. Feels like it's filled with bricks. Why did I even carry that thing all the way down from Star's room? We have servants." Star may not have looked much like her mother, but she was definitely daddy's little girl. The king of Mewni had a grand beard and mustache only a few shades lighter in color than her daughter's hair. King River was a stout and burly man fitted in a royal blue attire with his crown fitted on his head. His fierce expression matched his daughter's and his hands were rough and calloused. He might've been a pretty intimidating guy if he wasn't only four foot eleven. "Star, my dear. If it was up to me, I would send you off into the woods to survive on your own just like my father did to me when I was but a lad. Seems to me like the best way to help you learn to use your wand."

"Then can't I do that instead?!"

"No, because this isn't just about learning to use your wand properly." Moon answered. "This is also about you learning how to be a princess."

"Hey! I'm already good with the wand and with princess stuff!" Star complained.

"You burned down the town square and then ran off to chase warnicorns!"

"Not intentionally!...Well, okay. Chasing warnicorns, of course that was intentional. But not the 'burn down the town' part."

Moon lowered her hand, causing Star to gently sink to the ground. "Star Johansen Butterfly. You are a princess, and heir to the throne of Mewni. It is high time you acted like it and stopped being such a reckless nuisance."

Moon's scolding appeared to hit home on the princess. Star looked at her mother with a hurt expression, then looked down at the ground in silence.

Queen Moon's features softened, she sighed and placed a hand on her daughters shoulder. "Star, sweetheart. It's just for a little while. Or at least until Glossaryck comes back from wherever he went. Your friend Princess Lilacia will be there, along with a whole school full of other friends to make. I'm not sending you to St. Olga's as some kind of punishment. I'm sending you there because I want what's best for you. You must understand this."

Star just shrugged Moon's hand off her shoulder. "Yeah, sure. Whatever." she said. Without another word she got into the invisible goat drawn carriage.

Queen Moon twirled her finger in the air and all of Star's luggage flew into the carriage. She walked up to the carriage's open window and presented Star with a small wooden box with intricate designs carved into it. "Here's the wand, Star. Keep it in the box for now, St. Olga's has rules and restrictions even we must abide by. I've already spoken with the head mistress to discuss the matter of your training. You have the wand and you have the spell book. Just keep practicing and I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

Without even looking at her mother, Star took the box and placed it on her lap. Moon tried to think of what else to say. But instead of saying anything, she pulled out a fancy, blue pair of scissors and used them to cut open a portal to St. Olga's. The carriage driver snapped his reins and drove the carriage into the portal, which disappeared once the carriage had gone through.

Moon stared at the spot where the portal had been with a forlorn expression on her face. River walked up and placed a comforting hand on his wife's arm. "Moonpie. I know you're trying, but you should know by now that scolding her isn't going to work."

"Then what will, River?" the Queen asked. "The only person she seems to listen to is you. And I'm sorry, but that's not helping."

"Star is a free and wild spirit, Moonpie. You're trying to lasso a shooting star." River chuckled at his own joke.

Moon gave a faint smile to her husband's lovable humor, but it quickly went away. "I just wish we could find someone that Star would listen to. Every tutor we've put to the task has failed. Even Glossaryck didn't have any luck so he went off to find someone that would."

"Is that where Glossaryck ran off to?" River asked skeptically. "Or are you sure the little blue hobgoblin isn't just taking a vacation somewhere in a tub of chocolate pudding."

"I have no idea." Moon admitted. "The last time I saw him, he just said he was going to 'find someone that could help' then vanished."

King River shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe the little cretin will surprise us and bring back a champion."

(in another, less magical dimension)

Marco woke up to something trying to eat his nose.

The Latino boy blinked his eyes open in confusion, he smiled though when he spotted the culprit. A baby had crawled up to his face and was using Marco's nose as a pacifier.

"Hey, you."

The baby stopped sucking on Marco's nose and looked up at her brother.

"Stop it."

The baby just giggled.

"You'd better stop it."

Another giggle.

"I'm warning you."

The baby went back to trying to eat Marco's nose.

Marco sighed and pulled his baby sister off of his face, earning an excited squeal from the infant. Marco sat up and held Mariposa against his chest. The two siblings looked so much alike, some people would think Marco was Mariposa's teen dad whenever he took her for a stroller ride. They both had rich brown hair and light tan skin. Both their eyes were a warm, hot chocolate color. Heck, they even had the same mole under their right eye.

"Do you have to do this every morning?" Marco asked.

Mariposa just cooed and snuggled up against her brother.

Marco sighed. "Yeah, yeah. You're adorable and there's nothing I can do about it. You don't have to rub it in."

Marco walked downstairs to the kitchen with Mariposa in his arms. It was Sunday, so he didn't even bother changing out of his pajamas. "Mom, quit using Mariposa to wake me up."

Mr. and Mrs. Diaz had just finished making breakfast when Marco came down. "She gets fussy when I don't." said Mrs. Diaz. "And besides, it's not like you hate it."

Angie Diaz was a pretty woman with auburn hair and clover-green eyes. She wore a modest green skirt and pink shirt. Her smile was both kind and playful and her eyes seemed to express constant joy.

Marco placed Mariposa in her high chair. "Still though, I have an alarm clock." In truth, Marco really didn't mind having Mariposa wake him up every morning, but the thought of his mom sneaking into his room every morning still bugged him.

"Well if you weren't such a good big brother, maybe she wouldn't like you so much." Mr. Diaz joked. Raphael Diaz was a big, broad shouldered man who always seemed to be smiling. He shared his kid's skin, hair, and eye color. All he was missing was the mole. His short sleeved yellow shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, revealing some chest hair.

"You're saying I should stop being a good big brother?" Marco asked.

"I'm saying you can't, so you're out of luck." his dad replied.

Marco rolled his eyes and sat down to eat his breakfast.

"So, son. Summer break is finally here. Any big plans?" Raphael asked.

Marco shrugged. "I'm going back to work at Britta's Tacos for the summer tomorrow. The owner knows I'm too good of a cook to let go."

"Culinary skills you inherited from me, by the way." Raphael stated proudly. "So, your welcome."

"And I'm tutoring Janna tonight. Other than that, I don't have any big plans."

"Tutoring? For what, it's the end of the school year?" Raphael asked.

"More importantly, Janna Ordonia? The girl with the beanie?" Angie asked.

'Here we go.' Marco rolled his eyes. "First question: The high school is making Janna take a test to determine whether or not she'll have to go to summer school. Second question: Yes, the girl with the beanie."

Angie sat down, her curiosity clearly piqued. "And you're tutoring her because…?"

"Because I'm the top of my class and Janna's best hope."

"So it'll be you and her… alone… together… foooor, how long?"

Marco groaned. "It's not like that, mom. Nothing is going to happen."

Angie shrugged innocently. "I didn't say anything. It was just pretty nice of you to offer to help her. She is a rather cute girl, though."

"And besides, aren't you still head-over-heels for that skater girl?" Raphael asked. "What's her name? Jackie Thomas? Yeah, Jackie Lynn Thomas! Right?"

Marco's cheeks reddened and he rubbed his temples. "Uuugh. Please stop."

"You know, you have an entire summer, Marco." said Angie. "You oughta try to ask out at least one girl."

Marco scarfed down his breakfast and got up from his seat. "I'm going to get dressed and go for a walk." he said before heading up stairs.

Angie sighed and shook her head. "Will that boy ever figure out he's a keeper?"

"Oh we shouldn't push him, Angie." Raphael said. "If he's anything like his old man, he'll get a beautiful girl by his side eventually. Just like I did."

Angie responded by giving her husband a kiss before walking over to Mariposa. "Hey, sweetie. Can you say 'mama'?"

"Mmmmmmmm." Mariposa responded.

"Come on. Say 'mama'." Angie encouraged.

"Mmmmmmmm."

"Almost there, sweetie. Almost there."

After brushing his teeth and getting dressed in his black jeans and red hoodie, Marco sat on his bed and sighed. He knew exactly how this summer would go, the same way it always went. Nothing eventful, nothing exciting, just a regular summer for the 'Safe Kid' of Echo Creek. A nickname he truly hated. Marco would work at Britta's Tacos, babysit Mariposa, hang out with Ferguson and Alfonzo, put up with Janna's pranks and tricks, and then school would start. Nothing new, nothing else. Marco was mostly fine with that, he was a creature of habit and stuck to a schedule after all.

Still though… A girlfriend would have been nice.

Marco sighed again. "Same old, same old."

"It doesn't have to be."

Marco let out an unmanly yelp. Sitting cross legged on his nightstand was a bearded man with navy blue skin. The small creature was the size of Mariposa's teddy bear and wore a yellow robe with a tiny diamond on the naval area. His ears were pointed, his nose was long, and his bald, tall head had a shiny red jewel embedded in it. He stared at Marco with his strange, purple, diamond shaped irises and smiled with his purple lips.

"Marco Ubaldo Diaz. Four point zero grade average student, red belt in karate, and your duty as a big brother and tutor for the less studious proves you to be an excellent caretaker and patient teacher as well." The small creature grinned. "You are just the man I've been looking for."

Marco just stared at the creature with eyes wide with fear and shock. Wordlessly and slowly, he reached over and grabbed his phone and dialed a number before bringing it up to his ear. "Hey Janna, did you uhhhh… did you drug me recently?... Are you sure? 'Cause I'm seeing a small blue gremlin sitting on my nightstand… You know very well I do not smoke weed… No, I do not smoke crack either… No, I do not-I don't do drugs! Please just tell me if you have recently slipped some kind of hallucinogen into my drink or something like that, I'm kind of freaking out here!... Uh-huh… Uh-huh… You promise?... Okay… Okay… Alright, thank-hey wait a minute, what do you mean 'yet'?... Janna?... Janna!" Marco hung up. "God dammit."

The creature blinked. "Yeah, I'm not a hallucination. I am very much real. Although I do understand that you would think otherwise."

Marco got up and began pacing. "Okay, it's clear that this isn't due to any foreign substance entering my body. Maybe this is a stress induced hallucination. Or maybe I'm dreaming." Marco sat back down. "Lets try some breathing exercises." Marco closed his eyes and took a couple of deep, soothing breaths. When he opened his eyes back up, the robed gremlin was still there, though.

"Do you feel more relaxed now?" he asked.

Marco grabbed the sides of his head in frustration. "You're not real, you're not real, there's just something wrong with me."

"Low self-confidence, denial, and terrible with speaking to the opposite gender. I agree." The blue man responded.

"Shut up."

"So you finally acknowledge my existence."

"I said shut up!"

"Go down to the basement."

Marco looked over at the blue man curiously. "What?"

"When you go to work tomorrow, go down to the basement and look for something out of the ordinary." the gremlin said mysteriously. "Do that… and your future will have a place among legends."

Marco blinked in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The gremlin face became void of emotion. "You are to be a rook in a very dangerous game of chess." he said. "That is, if you choose to listen to me."

Marco blinked again, but the gremlin had vanished during that blink. 'A rook in a very dangerous game of chess'. Marco had no idea what that was supposed to mean. But he did know chess, and rooks were pretty important pieces. Game-changers even.

Marco ran his hand through his hair. 'None of it matters anyway. Because that thing wasn't even real.' he thought to himself before heading out.

Marco figured a walk around town would clear his head. It was a nice morning for a walk. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. Marco took a deep breath and tried to forget about the gremlin in his room. The strange blue creature had seemed so real though. Marco was having a hard time convincing himself it wasn't real. 'What other option is there aside from I'm going crazy?' He thought to himself.

"Yo, Diaz!"

Marco mentally groaned. 'Speaking of going crazy.'

Sure enough, Janna Ordonia came walking up to him. She prided herself in having a reputation entirely opposite to Marco's. The troublemaker of Echo Creek was every teacher's bane and everyone knew to hold on to their belongings when she came along. Janna wore an olive-green beanie over her raven hair that matched her shirt. She wore a yellow-green skirt and an aquamarine jacket. Her skin was almost as tan as Marco's and her eyes were brown and filled with joyful mischief. When she smiled, Marco could feel goosebumps running along arms. Janna was as spooky as she was troublesome, and she seemed to especially enjoy terrorizing Marco. For whatever reason.

"Hey, Janna." Marco greeted. "How's it going?"

Janna shrugged. "Not too bad. I just put some snakes in Principal Skeeves' car. Payback for making me take a test at the end of the school year."

"Janna! He could get in a wreck!" Marco protested.

"Relax, man. They're not poisonous snakes."

"That hardly matters if he gets in a wreck!"

Janna groaned. "You really need to lighten up. It's no wonder people call you the Safe Kid."

"I'm not putting snakes in cars!"

"Well, yeah. You gotta start small." Janna tilted her head curiously. "By the way, what was up with the phone call from earlier? You got drugged or something?"

"Oh, it was… never mind, it was nothing." said Marco.

"Is someone else messing with you?" Janna crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Who the hell's moving in on my turf?"

"No one's messing with me." Marco said. "And I'm not your turf!" he added quickly.

"That's what you think." Janna replied. "Anyway, we still down for tonight?"

Marco nodded. "Yeah, meet me in the library and I see what I can do about that test."

"Ehhhh, can we meet in the cemetery instead?"

"...Pardon?"

"Yeah, the cemetery. I just feel like I'd feel more comfortable and focused there." Janna explained.

Marco took a breath. "Sure, fine. Cemetery it is."

"Nice. You and me, alone in the cemetery." Janna slid a finger across Marco's chest. "Such a romantic scenery. We could do more than study, you know."

Marco's face reddened and he took a step back. "J-Just focus on studying, unless you want to go to summer school."

Janna shook her head. "Never any fun." Janna began rifling through Marco's wallet. "Wanna go get some slushies? It's on me. Or you, technically."

Marco's patted his pockets. He didn't even notice Janna had taken his wallet. He snatched his billfold out of Janna's hands. "If you want money, get a job."

"Having friends with jobs is better."

"Just meet me at the cemetery tonight. And bring any schoolwork you haven't already discarded." Marco said.

"Don't worry, I'm saving all my school stuff so I can burn it in celebration." Janna turned around and walked away. "See ya tonight, Diaz."

Marco sighed. Janna knew how to get under his skin and loved to do it. As irritating as she was though, Marco couldn't really say he disliked Janna. Their 'friendship' had been going on since the third grade. Janna hung around Marco even more than Ferguson or Alfonzo and knew more about him than anybody else in school. In a weird way, Janna was sort of Marco's best friend.

Marco shook those disturbing thoughts away and continued his walk. He made his way into the town park. The whole place was nearly deserted, with only the occasional jogger passing by. Marco found it strange no one was here on such a nice day.

"Excuse me, young man! Over here!"

Marco looked over to see a woman sitting on a park bench tossing bread crumbs to the pigeons. She was the strangest looking lady Marco had ever seen and that was saying a lot, his math teacher, Miss. Skullnick, looked like a troll. The lady on the bench was a lot prettier though. She looked like a Victorian noblewoman. She wore a purple Gothic dress with long purple gloves and coal-black slippers. The sunhat atop her head was a darker shade of purple than her dress and sported a thorny branch and some kind of fur on top. Her short hair was a rich green, like a spring pine. Marco assumed it was dyed but it looked too natural to be. Her complexion was rather pale, as if the shadows welcomed her more than the sunlight did.

Marco walked over to the strange lady. He knew it was silly to be afraid of a lady feeding breadcrumbs to pigeons, but something about the lady seemed unnatural aside from her attire. "Can I help you, Ma'am?"

"Well first off, please don't call me Ma'am. It makes me feel old." her English accent matched her Victorian appearance. "Secondly," the lady patted the spot next to her on the bench. "Chat with me for a minute, won't you?"

The lady's lavender eyes focused on Marco, who once again felt he was being led into some kind of trap. Whoever this woman was, she reminded Marco eerily of Janna. Her mischievous eyes and playful smirk seemed to say 'I know a secret about you'. Adding that to the fact that she had a bit of a spooky vibe, this lady could have been Janna's aunt.

Despite his gut instinct to scram, Marco sat down next to the strange lady. It was just a foreign woman who wanted someone to talk to. Seemed kind of rude to turn her down.

The lady smiled at Marco. "Thank you, dear, you're too kind."

"No problem, miss…"

"Call me Eclisse." she responded. She smiled as if she just told a joke.

Marco raised an eyebrow. "Eclisse, huh? I believe that's Italian for eclipse."

"You speak Italian?" Eclisse asked.

"I can speak every Latin based language, and also Latin."

"My my, quite the scholar." Eclisse marveled. "Where I'm from, the sword is valued more than the pen. So it's always quite fascinating to meet a master of the pen."

"Are you from England?" Marco asked.

"No."

"Italy?" Marco guessed again.

"I can assure you, Marco, you've never heard of the place where I'm from."

"Oh, so like a small, rural country or-" Marco froze. "...How did you know my name?" he asked wearily.

Eclisse grinned. "I know more than just your name, Marco Diaz. Ever since you were little, I have been keeping a close eye on you."

Marco gulped. "T-That is extremely unsettling."

"Do not fret, dear. I have no desire to harm you. Let's just say, you are to be my ace in the hole." Eclisse said. Her cheeks began to glow red. The source of the glow was a pair of red spades on her cheeks. "And the deck is about to be shuffled quite vigorously."

Marco stared at Eclisse in shock and fear. "Who are you?"

"A victim of prejudice." the lady responded. A hint of despair had crept into her voice. "And I need your help to right a few wrongs." Eclisse looked into Marco's eyes. Marco found himself trapped in her hypnotic gaze. "Glossaryck believes in you, as do I. Fair warning though; Don't be fooled by appearances. Things aren't always as they seem." Eclisse snapped her fingers in front of Marco's face, causing him to blink. Just like the blue gremlin had, she disappeared during the blink.

Marco gaped at the spot where Eclisse had sat. Even the pigeons she was feeding had vanished. "Por el amor de dios, what hell is happening to me?"

"Marco?"

Marco jumped up and got in a defensive pose, ready to attack. His heart nearly stopped when he saw who it was.

Jackie Lynn Thomas raised her hands in surrender. "Woah, take it easy Mackie Hand! Didn't mean to scare you." Jackie apparently had been skateboarding when she came across Marco. She got off her skateboard and took off her helmet, setting her shoulder length, platinum blonde hair free. She wore a white and sea-green shirt with a pair of baby blue running shorts. An orange seashell necklace hung around her neck and she had a streak of turquoise in her hair. As a result of her love for surfing as well as skating, her skin was tanned from days on the beach. A trio of freckles hung under each of Jackie's marine-green eyes. She had a fit figure from a lifetime of skating and surfing.

Marco tried to tell his heart to start back up. He had had a crush on Jackie for as long as he could remember. "S-sorry about that Jackie. I-I guess I'm a little jumpy today." he offered a nervous chuckle.

Marco thought he was going to lose it when Jackie smiled at him. "Oh, yeah? Let me guess, Janna's been bothering you nonstop with her test coming up, huh?"

Marco shook his head. "Oh, It's not that. Tutoring Janna actually puts her in less of a pranking mood. It's like studying drains the life out of her."

Jackie snorted. "That definitely makes sense. Say, who were you talking to?"

"Huh?"

"Earlier ago. It looked like you were talking to someone."

"Oh, that!" Marco rubbed the back of his head. "It was nobody. I've just been feeling kind of… off today."

Concern waved through Jackie's eyes. "You feeling okay?"

Marco's cheeks reddened. "Yeah, yeah, totally. I'm feeling just peachy." 'Peachy? Really, Diaz?'

Jackie raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Well, okay then." she put her helmet back on. "Guess I'll see you around." She got on her skateboard.

"Jackie, wait!"

Jackie looked at Marco curiously. He had no idea what had gotten into him. Maybe it was the stress of hallucinating gremlins and English witch ladies, but he didn't bother to think about the reasoning. "Listen, uhhhhhh…" Marco rubbed the back of his head again. "I was wondering… if… you're not doing anything later…" 'GO GO GO! Don't stop now!' "You and I could… maybe… hang out sometime?"

Jackie's eyes widened in absolute shock. "Did… did you just ask me out on a date?"

Marco's face began to almost match the color of his hoodie. "Uh-uh-uh-uh well, we don't technically have to label it as a date per se. That is, if you'd rather-"

"Yes."

"...Come again?"

Jackie smiled. "I said yes."

Marco blinked. "Really?"

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Yes, Marco Diaz. I would like to go on a, quote on quote, date with you."

Marco might've jumped up and down and screamed with joy like a grade school girl if Jackie wasn't still there. "Okay, great!" he managed.

"So, you gotta place in mind?" Jackie asked.

'Refer to the flowchart we made. Sunday morning, in the park, busy tonight and tomorrow afternoon'. "H-How about tomorrow night? We could hang out at the beach?"

"A midnight stroll across the beach." Jackie smirked. "Sounds pretty romantic."

'Remember to breathe, remember to breathe.' "Soooooooo… see you then?"

"Well, first I wanna swing by your place to see your baby sister." Jackie said.

"Uh… you sure we can't just go straight to the beach? I really don't want my parents to be… well, parents about this." Marco said an almost begging tone.

"Don't care. You're sister is the most adorable baby in Echo Creek and possibly all of California. You want that date, then I'm seeing your sister."

Marco sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine. You win."

Jackie smiled. "Sweet." she put her helmet on. "See ya tomorrow, Marco. By the way…" Jackie winked. "It took you long enough." she said before getting on her board and skating away.

Jackie's last comment left Marco feeling faint. He let himself fall back onto the bench. "Guess this summer is going to be different after all."

Marco had no idea.

(Later that night)

Marco checked the time on his phone again. "Come on, Janna. Where are you?" Sitting in the cemetery all alone was bad enough, but it was in every horror movie that the friend who was waiting for the other friend to show up died right after the other friend died. It was an eerie but calm night, the owls hooted and the crickets chirped. Perfect 'night in the cemetery' background sound.

Marco was seated under a large tree waiting for Janna. He considered himself to be a patient guy, but Janna was really starting to test that patience. Marco sighed. "Alone amongst the dead. I wonder if this is just one of Janna's more poetic pranks?"

"No, but it's a good idea for one."

Marco jumped to his feet and got in a fighting pose. Janna had appeared as if out of nowhere and was leaning against the tree with her trademark, smirk of mischief. "Stand down Daniel-san, it's just me."

Janna's creepy aura and mischievous look reminded Marco of Eclisse, but he shook the odd lady out of his head. "You're late, Janna." Marco scolded.

Janna shrugged. "Whatevs. Now let's get this torture session started, shall we?"

Marco sighed. "Alright. You have a study guide I can look at?"

Janna reached into her backpack and pulled out a couple of stapled papers. Marco took the papers and gave them a read. "Okay, how about we start with western civilization?"

"Like cowboys and Indians? The cowboys came and killed all the Indians. Something I learned from this segment? White people have always sucked." Janna responded.

"Western European civilization, Janna."

"Like Spain? That's where your family is from, right?"

"My grandparents were from Mexico, not Spain."

"But the first Mexicans were from Spain." Janna made a 'throwing a basketball' motion with her hands. "Three points. Janna O."

Marco pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is starting off quite predictably. I think we're gonna be here for a while."

(many incredibly frustrating hours later)

"Okay, let's recap with some history. Now, how many people did the Black Plague kill?"

"Around twenty five million. Racist name, by the way."

"How about the Spanish Flu?"

"Around fifty million. Is that one particular sensitive to you, by the way?"

"Ignoring that. Describe the Salem witch trials in just a few sentences."

"The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than two hundred people were accused. Thirty were found guilty, nineteen were executed by hanging."

"I'm not even going to ask why that one is the most appealing to you." Janna and Marco were sitting on the ground with their backs leaning against the tree. It was almost midnight and the moon was full. Illuminating the world with its ethereal glow. "Okay, it seems history is your strong suit. Or at least, certain parts of history." Marco coughed into his fist. "How about we take a break and then try some more math problems?"

Janna groaned miserably. "Do we have to?" she whined.

"If you want to get out of summer school, then yes." Marco brought a thermos out from his backpack. "Coffee? It'll help keep you awake."

"Hell ya, give me some of that."

Marco brought out a couple of cups and poured the two of them some coffee. Janna took a drink and sighed with content. "That's the stuff. Is this home brewed?"

"Made it myself." Marco responded.

"Kickass, dude."

The two of them sat in silence for a while, sipping on coffee. Janna tapped her cup anxiously, as if there was something bothering her. Finally, she sighed and looked over at Marco. "Listen, man… Thanks… You know… For helping me with this."

Marco blinked. He had been Janna's tutor numerous times, and not once did she ever thank him. It actually sounded pretty sincere. "Uh… sure, no problem, Janna." he said.

It was silent again for a minute, until Janna spoke up again. "Can I ask you something, Marco?"

Marco raised an eyebrow. Janna rarely called him by his actual first name. He nodded to her.

"Remember how you kicked Brady Fero's ass with your karate when he was picking on Ned Crastor?"

"Oh, yeah. That guy was a dick. Small wonder he wound up in juvenile hall."

"Remember when Sabrina Smith sprained her ankle during cheerleader practice and you literally carried her to the infirmary while everyone else was focused on Brittany?"

"I was surprised it was just a sprained ankle. Sabrina has a reputation of more serious injuries."

"And remember when you called out Brittany on all of her bullshit in front of everyone when she was giving me a hard time?"

"She never forgave me for that. I'm fairly certain she tried to get her dad to hire a hitman to take me out." Marco gave her a quizzical look. "Why are you bringing all of this up?"

"Because I gotta know. Why do you do it? Why do you stick your neck out for the outcasts of Echo Creek?"

Marco shrugged. "Standing up for my fellow outcasts, I guess."

"Fellow?" Janna asked incredulously. "Dude, you have got to be the coolest 'outcast' I have ever met."

Marco tilted his head. "Huh?"

Janna threw her hands up in exasperation. "Oh my god, seriously? You have a red belt in karate, your IQ is through the roof, over half of the girls at school think you're adorable,"

"Say what now?"

"Why do you hang around the 'bottom of the barrel' kids?"

Marco didn't answer. He honestly didn't know how. He never would've expected someone to say something like that to him. Especially not Janna.

"Okay, then." Janna said when Marco didn't reply. "Why do you hang around me?"

"Well to be fair, you normally find me."

"So, why do you always agree to tutor me? I know I make your skin scrawl, so why do you put up with me?" Janna asked like it was a riddle that's been bugging her for a while.

Marco rubbed his arm. "Well I mean… don't get me wrong; I think you're spooky as shit, irritating, possible descendant or reincarnation of a witch, and will probably end up in jail due to one of her freaky, satanic shenanigans."

"...Go on."

"But that doesn't mean I hate hanging around you. You're my friend. Or frenemy, rather." Marco offered a smile. "And there are a lot of things I do in fact, admire about you. You're confident, you don't take other people's crap, you're inventive and clever, and nothing really seems to bother you. A lot of people say I shouldn't hang around you, but I actually do, to an extent, value our frenemyship… or whatever you would call it. Is there a word for it?"

Janna just stared at Marco as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard.

Marco gave her a worried look. "Janna? You okay there?"

No response.

Marco counted to five Mississippi, but Janna didn't even move. "So… we're just gonna sit here for a while… in silence… having some kind of staring contest." Marco tried to think of what else to say to get her to snap out of it. "Listen, about what I said-"

Janna lunged forward and grabbed back off Marco's head, planting a long kiss on the shell shocked boy's lips.

When the kiss was done, Janna slowly scooted away looking like she only just now realized what she did.

Marco had absolutely no idea what to do or say. He looked like he was trying to process what just happened as well. "Uh… Janna, I-"

Janna grabbed her backpack and ran away.

Marco was about to call out to her, but something stopped him. He instead brought his hands up to his lips, still tingling from the kiss. Janna had tasted like starbursts and candlewax. An odd and questionable combo, but Janna was an odd and questionable girl. With a heavy sigh, Marco packed his things and left for home.

(back in the other dimension)

A small fly monster made his way to the abandoned monster temple. It was the oddest looking temple to be found in Mewni. It was built into the mountain over a thousand years ago by the Size-Shifters, a once greatly respected race of monsters now long extinct. They may have been feared greatly by the first Mewmans, but the monsters knew them to be a kind race well known for their strong religious faith in the spirits. But now, the Size-Shifters were all gone. Only the one temple remained to their memory.

The fly monster flew into the temple. One of the perks of being able to fly, he didn't have to take the stairs. Inside the temple was a small army of monsters of all shapes and sizes. The fly monster flew up to the two monsters who appeared to be in charge, the rest of the monsters seemed to mass behind them. The two lead monsters appeared to be in some kind of argument.

One of the two monsters was a tall lizard man in a well-tailored black business suit and red tie. His jet-black hair was combed back neatly and hung all the way now his neck. He looked like a lizard lawyer ready for a case.

The other monster was only about two feet tall. A green bird monster with yellow eyes and a head that seemed too big for his body. He tried to make up for his short stature with an intimidating attire. He wore a green robe with tiny skulls on the shoulders, a large skull of some horned creature sat on his head like a crown, and in his hand he held a scepter of black iron twice as tall as he was. The scepter was decorated on the top as a green eye with black wings.

"I am sick and tired of being left in the dark!" the shorter monster shouted. To his credit, the bird-man had a commanding and authoritative voice. Even though that voice was also quite high-pitched and scratchy. "I want answers, Toffee, and I want them now! You're hiding something, that is quite clear!"

"You need not worry yourself, Ludo." said Toffee. His deep voice was unsettlingly calm, and his poker face gave nothing away. "When this is all over and we part ways, you'll have what you want and I'll have what I want."

"I want the wand." Ludo reminded him.

"Yes, so you keep screaming to everyone." Toffee remarked dryly. "And you'll have the wand, you have my word."

"What good is the word a Septarian?" Ludo remarked.

"About as good as the word of an Avarius."

Ludo growled. "Fine. You want to keep me in the darkness, go ahead! We're monsters, we live in the darkness."

"A sad but true fact." Toffee remarked.

"Agreed. Which is why this heist is going to be spectacular!" Ludo cried out. "We'll stick it to those no good Butterflies and not only take the wand, but their princess as well. Along with a surplus of princesses to ransom to our hearts content!"

The fly monster chose that moment to intervene. "Mazter Ludo. I have newz."

"What is it, Boo Fly?" Ludo demanded.

"Princezz Ztar haz been zent to Zt. Olgaz." Boo Fly informed. "Zhe iz at the zchool now."

"Excellent!" Ludo squealed. "Now is the time, my fellow monsters! We shall show those Mewman scum that we are not to be left in the dirt!" The crowd of monsters cheered.

"Hold on, we need a little more time to prepare." said Toffee. "Then we'll be ready."

"What?!" Ludo shouted. "I've waited long enough! I want that wand and I want it NOW!"

"Your impatience and recklessness will be the end of you." Toffee stated calmly. "I implore you to listen to me. Do so, and you'll have the wand, and I'll have the princess."

"The Butterfly princess, you mean?" Ludo asked.

The faintest of smirks formed on Toffee's lips. "Yes, the Butterfly princess."

(back on Earth)

Marco's alarm clock woke him up the next morning. Surprisingly, there was no baby slobbering on his nose. Marco got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. His parents and sister were already up, Angie was still trying to get Mariposa to say 'mama'.

"Good morning, everyone." Marco greeted.

"Morning, sweetie." Angie replied.

"Good morning, son." said Raphael.

Marco ruffled Mariposa's hair, earring a happy giggle. "Still, can't get her to say 'mama', huh?"

"I'm getting there. Patience is key, Marco."

"Mawco."

Marco and his parents stared at Mariposa in shock. "Did… she just say 'Marco'?"

"Mawco!" Mariposa yelled.

"Oh my god!" Marco lifted Mariposa out of her high chair and hugged her against his chest. "I don't believe it, I'm her first word!"

"How wonderful!" Raphael cried, he looked on the verge of tears. "I hope you're not too upset, Angie."

Angie shrugged. "Maybe a little. But baby's first word! I'm so happy!"

Marco put Mariposa back down and sat down to eat his breakfast. Angie knelt down and kissed Mariposa's forehead. "So, Marco. How did the tutor session with Janna go last night." Angie asked. She gave Mari's belly a tickle. "You were out pretty late."

'Oh boy.' Marco drummed his fingers on the table. "I… think we made some progress."

"Something bothering you, son?" Raphael asked.

"No." Marco said unconvincingly.

Angie turned her attention from her daughter to her son and put her hands on her hips. "Is that so?" she asked skeptically. "Because it kind of looks like something did in fact-"

Marco scarfed down his breakfast and bolted for the door. "Gotta go! Starting work! Love you all! Bye!" he shouted before running out.

Angie sighed. "I hate it when he does that."

"Mawco."

"You said, Mari. you said it."

Britta's Tacos didn't open for another hour, giving Marco plenty of time to prepare. Marco put on his yellow apron and hat and got to work, organizing this and that. After he was done he looked around. 'Still no sign of him. Of course.' Marco pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, waddup. You've reached Oskar Greason. You know what to do, yo."

(Beep)

"Yeah, hey Oskar, it's Marco. You're late for work. I kind of don't want to run a restaurant by myself, so if you could hurry on over here and do your damn job that would be most appreciated. Bye." Marco ended the call. "I really hope he gets fired. It's been a long time coming." Marco continued to prepare for the day. "It's fine. Just survive today, and then we can go on that nighttime beach walk with Jackie." that certainly livened up his spirit. "Aw crap, out of jalapenos. Guess I gotta go down…" Anxiety took hold of Marco. "...To the basement."

"Go down to the basement and look for something out of the ordinary." The blue gremlin had said.

Marco looked over at the basement entrance. He had gone down there before, but always hated it. It was creepy down there, as if something lied in wait in the basement darkness. Janna might've liked it down there. Thinking of Janna only made his anxiety worse, though.

Marco took a breath. "It's fine. That thing was just a stress induced hallucination, and so was Eclisse, and if I'm lucky, so was Janna kissing me." Although he couldn't help but feel like he was kidding himself, especially about that last part. Regardless he grabbed the maintenance key and unlocked the door to the basement. "A quick in and out. Grab the jalapenos and leave. Simple."

Marco opened the door and stared downstairs, a chill running up his spine. Marco gulped and walked down the stairs. The basement was a lot deeper than it should have been. Marco had no idea how long ago it was dug, but it must have been dug for something other than taco topping storage. Marco made it to the bottom of the stairs. The poor lighting made it hard to find anything, so he pulled out his phone and turned on it's flashlight. Marco began to look for the jalapenos. "Come on, come on. Where are they?" Marco pointed his light at the shelf in the back. "Aha!" he said when he spotted a box of jalapenos on the bottom shelf. Marco picked up the box and let out a breath of relief. "Okay, good. Mission accomplished. Marco out." he pocketed his phone and headed to the stairs.

"We need your help."

Marco froze and nearly dropped the box. He spun around to see who had spoken, but there was no one.

"Over here."

The whispering voice sounded feminine. Actually, it sounded more like a group of feminine voices sounding off as one whispering voice. Every word seemed to echo in Marco's head.

Marco had no clue why he did, but inched his way forward. Clutching the box of peppers like it would save his life.

"You can help us. You can help them. You can help her."

Marco tried to pinpoint where the voices were coming from.

"Over here, young one."

Marco walked over to the corner of the room, he felt terrified and was sweating despite the cool subterranean air. He stopped in front of some kind of circular table that jutted from the ground. It was covered in boxes and old Britta's Tacos menus and merchandise.

"Open the well." Now it sounded like a singular feminine voice was speaking. It spoke in a strong but sad tone, like a general who had seen too much carnage.

'Well?'

Marco kept telling himself to just leave. To take the jalapenos back upstairs and maybe quit his job. But he felt compelled to listen to the voices. They all sounded heartbroken, especially the single voice now speaking to him.

"Do not be afraid, dear child." the voice said. "We mean you no harm."

Marco cleared away the boxes and menus. Turns out, it was a well. A stone well with a circular wooden lid. With shaky hands, Marco opened the lid and looked inside.

He could not believe his eyes.

The well was filled with what looked like liquid gold that shone with a beautiful and alluring light. The liquid gold kept sloshing around even though nothing appeared to be moving it. Marco became hypnotized by it's warm glow.

"What is this?" Marco asked, awestruck by what he was seeing.

"The magic." The voice said. Although the voice didn't sound very happy about it.

Marco continued to stare at the strange glowing goo. The goo radiated power, as if it was radioactive.

"Uh… okay. A magic well. That's not something you see every day. Or ever. Sooooo… what do I do now?"

"Forgive us."

A long, slender arm covered in golden goo shot out of the well and grabbed a hold of Marco's arm.

In a panic, Marco broke out of his trance and let out a frightened yelp. He tried to pry himself out of the arm's grasp but the goo made the arm slippery and it's hand had an iron grip. The arm began to pull Marco into the well.

Marco's eyes were wide with fear. "No no no!" He tried to pull against the arm but it was too strong. Marco's caught arm was submerged under the golden goo, it was warm and more watery than he would have guessed. Marco continued to strain against the pull. The terrified Latino boy was suddenly yanked with such force that he was pulled right into the well. Before he could go under though, Marco grabbed ahold of the well's side with his free hand. He was up to his shoulders in liquid gold. Marco pulled with all of his might to free himself but he could feel more hands grabbing a hold of him, trying to pull him under.

Marco's grip on the well began to slip.

"No… please, no." Marco begged.

"We are truly sorry, Marco Diaz."

Marco lost his grip on the well's edge and with one final shout, was pulled into the depths of the well. The lid closed on it's own, shutting the well once more.

Once again, dead silence filled the room.

I look forward to your reviews.