Back at it again with another chapter and this one originally was a little longer but I came up with a great idea. Next chapter explores it further and I will detail it in the comments below. Special thanks goes out to RickRolland for giving initial feedback for this chapter.

"Wait, they are doing what now?"

Jackie asked in shock as Janna held out a crumbled flier. Jackie was surprised to see her best friend huffing and sweating bullets but took the flier and quickly read it. Before she could comment on it, Janna plopped down on the nearby bench and took a deep breath.

"Running isn't my thing, girl. Wish I could just, you know…" She waved her hands around, making Jackie roll her eyes.

"I don't think we could magically grow wings and fly like a butterfly. Sounds like something out of an anime or game."

You think that…

Janna fought down the mental image of Star flying with magical golden butterfly wings with Marco in her arms, shaking her head and taking the paper from Jackie.

"It has been a month, Janna," Jackie started, but Janna only stared at the paper with her eyes narrowed. "And it's not like he got murdered or seriously injured. We all saw what happened. He just…"

"Vanished, by some glowing thing from the sky." Jackie nodded, putting a hand on Janna's leg as she continued. "There is this… Thing, called the Blood Moon. I've read about it. The thing pairs two souls together for 'all eternity' and they are soul mates or some nonsense like that."

Jackie bit her lip, looking away from Janna.

"...I know you are really into your Wicken stuff but can you be serious about this?"

Janna harshly stared at the ground, unable to meet Jackie's eyes.

"Do you have any other answer?"

Jackie looked at Janna, eyes dilated at her blunt question.

"You really think some magic thing just took Marco to god knows where?"

Janna wanted to scream 'yes' but part of her didn't have it in her. She just took a deep breath and leaned back on the bench, covering face and screaming into her hands.

Jackie sighed, folding her arms in defeat.

"...I guess we will never know, huh? At least he didn't suffer like MarMar."

Janna dumbly nodded, the two girls blankly looking at the lively skate-park. Teenagers and younger kids were skating away to their heart's content, with the only sore sight being Oskar passed out drunk on the bench across from them. The girls watched as a little girl and her mom passed by Oskar, the mother having a disgusted look in her eye while the little girl just patted his shoulder assuredly.

The girls giggled at the sight, letting the dower mood vanish somewhat. Jackie got off the bench and fixed on her helmet.

"Wanna join? I got a spare board."

Janna shook her head and kicked back on the bench.

"Nah, this ain't my thing, remember? You have fun."

Jackie rolled her eyes and rode into a half-pipe. Janna studied Jackie having the time of her life skating, making 180 flips and grinding on the half-pipe effortlessly. Her mind flashed back to years of watching her friend go to this very skate-park daily.

She doesn't bail out anymore.

The amount of scraped knees and bruises Jackie had starting out were shocking to see, but it showed Janna that beneath her friend's natural beauty, she was able to be a tough bad-ass and fight through the pain.

Janna noticed she wasn't the only one intently watching Jackie in awe, with the little girls pointing at Jackie grinding on some nearby rails and making some oles. Jackie made a kick-flip and got on her feet, dusting off some scruff on her knee pads and kneeling down to meet one of the little kids at eye level.

She couldn't make out anything, but Janna assumed her friend was giving the kid pointers. Janna was going to get up and walk over to her, but she froze in place seeing Mariposa in the little girl's place.

In a flash, a memory played in her mind.

"Ow! That hurt Hermano…"

Marco was tightening Mariposa's skate gear. She was the most protected person at the newly built Echo Creek Skate Park, wearing two sets of pads on each arm and leg. Even had two pillows tapped on her stomach and back.

"I told you to be careful! And why isn't your helmet tighter?"

Janna sighed, elbowing Marco and giving him a look.

"What? My sister needs to be extra careful if she wants to skate."

"Calm down, Captain Buzzkill."

Janna knelt down and licked her finger. She rubbed the small scrape on Mariposa's knee and ripped off the tapped pillows on Mariposa. She then lightly punched the girl's shoulder and smirked.

"Good as new my little Witch."

"Thanks Big Sis!" She hugged Janna tight before hopping on her pink board and jumping right into the halfpipe again.

"That was so unsanitary…"

Janna licked Marco's cheek, making him recoil in shock.

"There, now you don't have to be jealous."

Marco mumbled curses to himself as he walked over to where Mariposa rode off, leaving Janna alone. She smirked in pride and folded her arms.

"Good with kids, Janna was it?"

Janna turned around, seeing Jackie ride up to her. She wore a long sleeve shirt with a seashell in the center. She also wore short-shorts with padding on her knees and elbows.

"What can I say, I have a soft spot for my little Witch."

Jackie smiled and watched Marco look over Mariposa.

"Didn't know his sister skateboarded. Why didn't he ask me for help?"

"You kicked his ass at the dojo the other day, remember?"

Jackie rubbed her arm, looking away sheepishly.

"Surprised he went easy on me."

Janna raised an eyebrow.

"Nah, you have the 'secret weakness' and exploited that. Smart, I would've too."

Jackie's eyes widened before she just laughed.

"Maybe you're right."

The girls fist bumped and looked at Marco rushing into the half-pipe.

"Better see what my idiot is getting himself up to. Wanna join?"

Jackie nodded as she rode after Janna.

"You okay, Janna?"

Janna blinked, looking at a very concerned Jackie.

"Yeah, just… Kinda tired I guess."

Jackie didn't look convinced but passed Janna her spare helmet.

"Alright, I guess it's time we visit the Diaz's and… Figure out what's really going on."

Janna looked at the helmet, taking it hesitantly and hopping on Jackie's board. Holding on to Jackie, the two rode away from the skatepark with Janna just realizing her face was wet for some reason.

The girls rode in silence toward Diaz's place, passing by various cars and traffic lights along the way. Janna couldn't help but hold onto Jackie tight, feeling this pit forming in her chest.

I… I really haven't been a good Familia, as Mrs. D calls it.

As long as Janna could remember, the Diaz's treated her as if she were their daughter. Feeding her whenever she came over, helped her with homework and even didn't kick her out when she 'accidentally' sleepwalked into Marco's room to spy on him.

Remembering how hard Mariposa's lost hit them made this sense of guilt replace that pit.

They must be a damn wreck. Lost both of them now.

She was taken out of her thoughts by Janna stopping her board. The two looked up at the Diaz House, being the most colorful thing on the block. Various cacai were growing on the front yard, with colorful reds and blues painting the white base of the house.

Janna got off the board first, passing her helmet to Jackie and slowly walking on the stone pathway. She turned behind her, surprised at Jackie just staring at the house. What surprised Janna the most was the way Jackie's eyes dilated and how visibly uncomfortable she looked.

"Mrs. D still loves you and you would be surprised how often they ask if Marco would patch things up with you."

Jackie calmed down somewhat but she still wouldn't budge. Janna rolled her eyes and took Jackie's hand.

"I'll take you across the yellow brick road, okay Dorthy?"

Jackie fought down a giggle, squeezing Janna's hand as they walked toward the front door. They looked at the red door with trepidation, the two looking at each other silently asking who would be the one to knock.

…Be the strong one, like you always are.

Janna exhaled a deep breath, knocking on the door and waited for no response. Instead, the door slowly opened, with Mrs. Diaz looking at the two girls in surprise.

"Oh my, I…" She covered her mouth, green eyes wide in shock.

"Hey, Mrs. D. It's been a while, huh?" Janna rubbed her neck, a small smirk forming on her face. She was soon met with a warm hug from Mrs. Diaz, the woman's long bushy hair swaying as she tightly hugged Janna.

Janna felt overwhelmed, responding with hugging her back and enjoying the feeling of 'home' Mrs. Diaz always offered her. Releasing her tight hug on Janna, she looked at Jackie. Her expression was less warm but she still smiled at her.

"Hi… Can I still call you Angie? Or is that rude now?" Jackie laughed awkwardly, coughing into her hand and making a nervous laugh.

Before Mrs. Diaz could reply, the hulking size of Mr. Diaz barreled through his wife and pulled both girls into a warm bear hug.

"Bienvenido a casa! Sirena, Hija!" Janna blinked, picking up on the last word's meaning.

…Wow.

"I… missed… you… too… Mr. D. Can you… stop crushing us?" Janna muffled out.

Mr. Diaz dropped the girls and sheepishly rubbed his neck. Taking in the familiar home, she couldn't help but have a dumb smile on her face.

Despite everything that has happened, the home still retained this positive 'vibe'. This was only amplified with warm reds, blues and yellows painting all the stone and wall work. Her eyes noticed pictures hanging up near the stairs, her heart hurting at the sight of memories shared with the family proudly on display.

Jackie noticed too, doing her best not to laugh at one picture.

"Omg, I can't believe you guys kept that one." She pointed to a prom photo of herself and Marco, the two of them posing by the front door as they were heading out to the Echo Creek Dance a few years ago.

Janna folded her arms, pleased that despite Mr. Diaz being the photography expert, he put up her shot of her dork and 'princess' beginning a fun night out.

"Gotta say, you rocked that mermaid dress. You wouldn't believe how crazy Marco got during…"

Jackie's face heated up, harshly punching Janna's arm to keep her quiet. But Mr. and Mrs. Diaz smiled at one another, knowing looks in their matured eyes making it clear they got what the girls were talking about.

At least he was too much of a chicken to go all the way.

She sighed in relief, but part of her mind now was thinking about if that would change with…

Nope! Hanging out with the fam! Yeah… Don't think about scaring stuff, Ordana.

Quickly composing herself, she walked over to the couch and sat down in her favorite spot. Jackie soon joined her, sitting next to her and looking up at the Diaz's, the warm looks they shared earlier growing serious.

Right, time to pop the question.

"I know we haven't really been around much the past month or so but…" Janna took out the flier and passed it to Mr. Diaz. "I took this off the Masons."

"Those Mierda's…" Mr. Diaz mumbled to himself.

"Honey!" Mrs. Diaz gave him a look, making him shrug his shoulders in defeat.

"...I take it you read it the flier, right girls?"

They both nodded, with Janna looking into her lap unable to face the Diaz's. Mrs. Diaz sat next to Janna, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I… I know he's been gone, but I'm sure he'll…"

Mrs. Diaz closed her eyes, fighting back tears. Mr. Diaz took over and folded his arms.

"We… We have faced loss before, girls." He covered his eyes, trying to compose himself. "As proud parents of our son, we know he's watching over Mariposa and the rest of our family."

He knelt down, putting an assuring hand on both Janna and Jackie's shoulders.

"You both made a positive impact on his life, and we couldn't be more grateful for him to be blessed to have friends like you both."

Janna's eyes widened while Jackie's watered up.

"If you both are willing to… We are holding the wake tomorrow. And I would like you both to speak for my son."

Jackie bolted up, waving her hands.

"Woah. I… I don't feel that's right." She looked away from Mr. Diaz. "The break up with Marco wasn't… wasn't the most mutual. He was really hurt and I didn't patch things up with him before he left us."

Mrs. Diaz got up and hugged Jackie. She consoled the girl and took her to the kitchen, leaving Mr. Diaz and Janna alone. They looked at one another for a few moments, eyes refusing to look away from one another.

"You think he's not dead, don't you?"

Janna was shocked he saw right through her, looking away from him and clenching her fists. She wanted to desperately tell him everything she knew. About Mewni. About her.

But looking back into his warm brown eyes, so much like Marco's…

She sighed, shaking her head and lying to his face.

"I'm just having a hard time accepting. You would think his ghost would be haunting me or something."

Mr. Diaz ruffled Janna's hair, making a boastful laugh.

"I'm positive he's watching over you right now, Janna. Why don't you look around in his room? Maybe you could find something to help with your speech."

Janna raised an eyebrow.

"How did you know I would volunteer myself?"

Mr. Diaz gave her a knowing smirk.

"You had a tighter hold on his heart than you realize."

Janna felt her eyes twitch as Mr. Diaz walked into the kitchen. She wanted to laugh, cry and punch something all at once.

But looking at the stairs, she remembered his room wasn't the only thing up there. She cracked her knuckles and got off the couch.

"Hope you don't mind missing a few parts, Jeremy."

Opening the door to the guest room, Janna took in the odd mess that was Marco's training room. Despite his utter insistence on his room and everything of his being perfectly clean and tidy, this room was the exception.

Dumbbells were placed in a small pile over a training mat, with posters of Macky Hand put up crooked. Even other training gear was put away carelessly. Training straps and wrist guards were haphazardly scattered on a nearby training mat as well.

Guess it's too hard for the Diaz's to come in this room.

She touched the walls and could feel the dust caking on her fingertips. Dusting her hands off, she looked toward her target, a simple training dummy that was barely held together by bolts and duct tape.

Janna took a deep breath and threw off her beanie, letting her somewhat long hair breathe. Cracking her knuckles, she made simple jabs into Jeremy, the dummy swaying after each blow.

How does he really get into this? I feel like I'm punching nothing…

Janna closed her eyes and focused on something to take her ire and wrath on. The familiar sight of Star Butterfly appeared before Janna, standing proudly in a purple and pink dress.

"You know he's mine, right?"

Janna grit her teeth in frustration, making a harsh punch forward. To her surprise, Star easily avoided the attack and giggled in amusement.

"Come on? Don't you have strange curses to use on me?"

I will if you stay still!

Janna tried kicking next, but was again surprised with Star catching her leg. Janna felt herself get shoved backward, landing on her rear.

Opening her eyes, Janna's jaw dropped seeing Jeremy now. The training dummy somehow now resembled Star herself, even having a head of blonde hair and heart marks on the wooden body.

Janna looked down at her hands, seeing them glow a harsh purple. Looking back at the dummy, it's taunting blue eyes staring back at her only fueling her frustration.

She let out a piercing scream as a surge of dark lighting escaped her hands, hitting the Star Dummy. The dummy was shaking, reacting to the damage but once Janna stopped the magic it still remained.

It made a muffled sound, but Janna knew exactly what it said.

Janna ran forward and channeled all the magic she could into her fist, she punched a hole right through the dummy. The dummy collided hard enough into the wall to shatter into pieces, only leaving the head remaining.

"I would keep you around, but you remind me of this harpy that needs her wings clipped." Janna harshly stomped her foot on the head, leaving splinters scattered all over the floor.

Janna looked over her handy work, seeing splinters and wood scattered about the training room.

Huh, no wonder Marco loved punching that thing. Need to conjure another one for when he comes back.

She looked around the room again and frowned, feeling guilty at trashing Marco's 'sacred training grounds'.

Am I really using magic to clean for him?

She sighed, focusing on her newfound powers and held her hands out. Closing her eyes, she focused on channeling a positive feeling. When she opened them, she was surprised to see phantoms of her best friend sweeping and dusting the mess up.

They all turned to her on a dime, waving hello before resuming their work… All except one. He didn't have any duster or broom like the others and unlike the other phantoms, his form was the most formed.

Janna took a step back, a strange feeling coming over her as this 'phantom' of Marco stood inches before her.

"H-Hi. I uh, made you somehow. Do you recognize me, Marco?"

The phantom smiled, pulling Janna into a warm hug. She felt her breath hitch, hugging the 'phantom' Marco tight.

I… I can't believe this.

Despite it not being the real Marco, that didn't matter. Janna could imagine her best friend back in her life again.

The phantom let go of Janna and started looking around the room, rubbing its chin. It was as if the phantom really was Marco, looking around the room in disappointment seeing it in shambles. He turned toward his brethren and snapped his fingers.

They all turned to him, giving him a salute. He pointed to specific spots in the room and in an instant, they resumed their work and got everything done in a matter of seconds.

Janna could only look in awe as the Marco's slowly vanished one by one. She felt her heart ace, a fear taking hold at the idea of losing Marco yet again.

The final phantom, the one that embraced her, was going to wave goodbye as his form vanished but paused. He looked over himself, seeing his almost see-through body become solid.

He rushed over to the lone mirror in the training room, looking over his new form. He donned a black hoodie and blue skinny jeans. But the key difference between Marco and him, was his right mole was on the left side of his face now.

'Marco' tried to speak but nothing escaped his lips. He tried again and again to say something but only muffled grunts escaped his lips. He sighed in defeat, sitting on the beanbag in disappointment.

"Uh… What do you want me to call you?"

Janna felt nervous for some reason, only amplified with 'Marco' giving her a disappointed look.

"Ocram will work for now, but we can figure out a better name for you."

Ocram tried mouthing his name, a small grin forming on his face seemingly pleased with his name. He got off the beanbag chair and walked toward Janna again.

She didn't back away this time, a knowing smirk forming on her face.

I… I got my friend back, somehow.

Part of her knew she was lying to herself. But another simply didn't care. She was going to embrace him in a girlish hug but Jackie opened the door.

"Hey girl, Mrs. Diaz made me feel a bit better and even had some ice teas we could…"

She dropped the glasses, eyes dilated at the sight of Ocram standing before her as the glass shattered on the floor. He clearly was alarmed too, though his brown eyes gave her a warm look as he walked over to the mess and quickly cleaned it up.

Jackie looked between Janna and Ocram, covering her mouth in a mixture of horror and amazement.

"Holy shit, Oskar wasn't kidding…"

Janna folded her arms smuggly, enjoying Jackie pacing around Ocram and looking him all over. He raised an eyebrow, looking for Janna for support.

"You literally made a clone of Marco…"

Ocram shook his head, getting the girls attention. He entered a battle stance and made a few simple chops and kicks, as if to prove his point.

You aren't fooling anyone. You are literally Marco, bud.

Seemingly reading Janna's mind, he pouted and grunted to himself. Jackie pulled Janna aside and started whispering in her ear.

"Okay, seriously. What did you do? No way you used magic like that."

Janna shrugged her shoulders, giving her friend a sly grin.

"I have my wicked ways."

Jackie was going to say something but she caught Ocram walking out of the room.

"We can't let the Diaz's see him, they will have a heart attack, Janna!"

Janna agreed with her, running after Jackie and the two saw Ocram look around Marco's room in awe.

While Jackie's rightful concern was justified to Janna, seeing her best friend again in his room and just being himself soothed her troubled soul. She noticed him picking up a controller connected to a GameStation 4, trying to make the thing work.

"I would've thought you knew how to turn this on."

Janna sat down next to Ocram, pressing a little button in the center of the controller. The TV lit up, making Ocram's eyes wince at the bright screen. It dimmed down, showing a row of games to play.

Janna spotted a personal favorite, grabbing the other nearby controller and elbowing Ocram.

"I'm sure this will jog your memory."

She pressed the X button and a fighting game started loading up. Janna turned toward Ocram, his brown eyes focused on the game. Janna felt a surge of memories bubble up, losing herself to the button mashing and loud announcer shouting from the speakers.

Unknowing to both her and Ocram, was Jackie watching the two as if she was seeing the literal past come to life.

Before I continue, the Spanish translates to 'Welcome Home! Mermaid, Daughter'. And the other Spanish word is a surprise :). But the entire idea of Ocram just came to me, being a great way to really lean into Janna's skill set with magic and a 'piece' of her past always being with her along the way. Next chapter should be coming within the next week and it's going to be very emotional and likely the longest one yet.