The crowd whooped and cheered at the swelling music, lights swirling all around the large stage, all eyes on it and the screen.
This was the most anticipated event of the year.
The day that they would finally see how Ernesto de la Cruz lived his life.
As everyone settled down in their seats, the lights suddenly went out… and a giant avocado appeared on the stage, with paper flames suddenly lighting up behind it.
Out of the avocado, dozens of dancers, all dressed like Frida Kahlo crawled out, with some making their way to the stage and the others climbing onto a giant cactus.
There were so many of them, that nobody noticed the several rushing backstage.
As the Rivera family rushed downstairs, Miguel turned to the real Frida Kahlo and beamed at her. "Gracias Frida!"
"Good luck muchacho."
Quickly, they all shed their disguises before huddling back together.
"Everyone clear on the plan?" Miguel double-checked.
"Find the questions for the interview." Rosita muttered.
"Add in some about… Hector." Julio was next.
"Watch what happens… but Miguel must be sent home before the sunrise." Imelda pulled out a marigold petal, "Does everyone have their petals?"
They all nodded, before breaking out of the huddle and rushing away.
"I hope you're sure about this Miguel." Imelda muttered as they ran through the corridors, only to come to a stop when they heard raised voices.
"GET HIM OUT OF MY SIGHT!"
"I know you have something to do with it, Cruz! Where is he?!"
Miguel frowned in recognition at the voice, motioning for his family to press up against the wall in an attempt not to be seen.
Less than a minute later, a struggling Chicharrón was carried past them, shouting and cursing up a storm, to the point where Imelda covered Miguel's ears.
However, the guards didn't count on a familiar dog charging into them.
"Dante!" Miguel hissed, rushing forwards as he leapt over the fallen guards, "Where did you come from… did you roll in paint?"
Dante just barked at him, tiny wings fluttering behind him as the rest of the Rivera family stared at him in shock.
"Your damn spirit guide nearly pulled my arm off trying to get me here…" Chicharrón growled, storming over to Miguel, "… where is he then?"
They both knew exactly who he was talking about.
"De La Cruz has done something with him, but we're going to get him back, we have a plan!"
Before Chicharrón could say anything, he suddenly spotted Imelda behind Miguel and narrowed his eyes at her, "This your family?" he asked, "Why haven't they sent you home yet? Why are they just letting you- "
Suddenly he stopped, clearly coming to a realisation in his mind.
"- He's your Great great grandpa." He whispered in shock, barely reacting when Miguel nodded, "But that would mean…" A frown suddenly appeared on his face, as he turned and glared at the Rivera family, "… One of you was his Alpha. Woman in the purple right?"
Imelda looked stunned by the attention, and the sheer anger that was directed at her. Miguel tried to explain the situation to Chicharrón, but the shorter Alpha cut of him off and started to yell over him, not seeming to care that there was a chance they'd be found and thrown out.
"How dare you! Do you even realise what happened to him, what continues to happen to him?"
Imelda took a step back.
"Don't get me wrong, I don't think you killed him, but you didn't help did you? Some Alpha you are! Alphas are meant to protect and cherish their omegas, and what do you do? You let him be killed and then refuse to put him on the ofrenda! He goes to that damn gate every year, and every year, he's rejected!"
"I thought- "
"- He was murdered you bitch! Murdered! And then he was attacked and left a mute, oblivious idiot who seems to have wandered straight into the grasp of a kidnapper! You don't deserve to be an Alpha, and you especially don't deserve to be his Al- "
"- SILENCE!"
Oh, it definitely went silent as the two Alphas squared off against one another, with Miguel and the rest of the family watching, tension written all over their bodies.
"How. Dare. You!" Imelda hissed, "How dare you say I don't deserve him! How dare you- "
"- we don't have time for this!"
Imelda and Chicharrón stopped, both turning to Miguel, who was looking more than a little stressed.
"Can't we save Papa Hector and then argue about who's the best Alpha?"
"Hector… his name is Hector?" Chicharrón smiled softly to himself, "It suits him." He then seemed to come to a decision in his mind, nodding once in determination, "Whatever you want kid, I'm here to help."
Dante barked in agreement, as Miguel sighed in relief.
"Thank you… now let's find that script!"
Quickly, they headed through the corridors again, Imelda turned to Chicharrón and smirked, "I hope you at least got one good hit on that- "Suddenly, she turned the corner and bumped into a large figure, stumbling back as the rest of her family stopped in their tracks.
"Imelda?" If he still had skin, Ernesto de la Cruz would have been as a pale as a ghost as he took a step back, "How did you- "Then he spotted Chicharrón, and it was like a lightbulb lit up in his mind, "Whatever he's told you, it isn't true! Hector left me, I don't know where- AH!"
The impact of the show against his cheek cut him off and caused his head to spin around on his neck.
"That's for murdering the love of my life!" she growled at him, unable to contain herself. Yes, Miguel's claims might not be true, but they weren't completely unbelievable.
Ernesto was always jealous of her.
"Who told you that?!" Ernesto growled, gripping his stinging face, "Who- "
"- that would be me!"
When Miguel darted out from around the corner, a snarl of anger burst free from Ernesto's mouth. "You!"
And then Miguel spotted something interesting. Whatever was in the small box, was rattling in Ernesto's pocket, much like back in his building, but in his hand was a couple of sheets of paper.
"He has the script!"
Ernesto guiltily glanced at the paper, just as the rest of the family emerged form around the corner, frowns on all their faces.
Needless to say, he bolted, racing down the corridor as the Rivera family and Chicharrón chased after him. Crashing through several giant paper mache models of his own head, he desperately cried out for his guards.
"Security! Stop them!"
Miguel however, was far too busy thinking about the comment that Mama Imelda made. "Is Papa Hector really still the love of your life?"
"Now is not the time Miguel!"
"I was just asking!"
As they ran into the room that sat underneath the stairs, the security guards finally leapt into action. Papa Julio and Chicharrón were the first to start the fight, both using their shorter frames to skid underneath one of the guards before they kicked him to the ground.
Oscar and Felipe faced to guards of their own, with one of the twins pulling his brother's arms off and using them as a weapon, whilst the other used his head… literally.
As Ernesto tried to escape through a nearby exit, a hapless assistant didn't seem notice the chaos until it was too late.
"Your eye scan is already in the system Senor De La Cruz. Take your place now, you're on in thirty second- AAAHH!"
The man was pushed to the side, just as Imelda managed to catch up with the taller Alpha, grabbing the script just as he tried to push her to the ground. As the scuffle commenced, Imelda winced as she was pushed against a button, a bright flash blinding her for a moment, before Miguel managed to tackle Ernesto to the ground.
With the script in her hand, she fell to the ground, shaking off the last of the white dots before calling out in success. "I have it! I have it!"
But Miguel couldn't answer, not when he was being chased all around the room.
Before Imelda could run to help him, hand already moving to her shoe to give the biggest of the guards an almighty wallop, the part of the floor that she had landed on, suddenly started to rise up to a spotlight above.
"Stop!" Ernesto cried out, "Get her off the stage before it's too late!" He and his guards went one way and the rest of the Rivera went the other, both appearing on either side of the stage just as Imelda emerged at the top, the cameras focused on her terrified face as a large screen fluttered to life behind her.
When she spotted the guards heading up the stairs to try and grab her and the script, she fumbled slightly, yelping as she knocked into the microphone, a hand darting out to stop it from falling.
She was stuck, and she had no idea what to do next.
"Sing!"
Turning to her left, she frowned when she spotted Miguel and the rest of her family standing there, the younger Alpha cupping his mouth to make his voice project a little further.
"Sing!"
Sing? But she hadn't sung since-
Shaking her head, she realised how fruitless that line of thought was.
"Ay de mí, Llorona… Llorona de azul celeste
Ay de mí, llorona, Llorona…. Llorona de azul celeste"
Behind her the screen flickered and the soft sounds of a guitar filled the area, the image of a young, omega man appearing, a stunned look on his face as he stared up at a gorgeous woman, who was starting to tap along to the sound of his guitar.
"Y aunque la vida me cuesta Llorona… No dejare de quererte"
Imelda knew that she was seconds away from crying. The image of her gorgeous omega during their first proper meeting shook her to the core.
As the guitar playing got quicker and quicker, she straightened up, remembering the dance she'd done so long ago.
"No dejare de quererte!"
On the screen, as her younger self really got into the song, she reached down and pulled Hector onto the table, beaming when the omega flushed so prettily at the attention he was getting.
And then the crowd noticed something…. There, sitting next to where the omega once was, was a young Ernesto de la Cruz.
Transfixed by what was on the screen, none of them really paid attention to what was happening on the stage. The song continued as Imelda dodged the grip of the guards.
"Me subí al pino más alto, llorona, a ver si te divisaba
Como el pino era tierno, llorona, al verme llorar, lloraba."
Imelda felt like she was a young girl again, the sound of Hector's laughter coming from the screen making her feel light on her feet as she twirled and ducked around De La Cruz's guards, the script still tight in her hand.
Spotting her family on the other side of the stage, almost all of them as transfixed by what was happening on the screen, she practically raced in that direction. Yes, they might not have been able to edit the script, but if De La Cruz had no script at all, then surely that was almost as good?
Just before she could reach the other side of the stage, the screen flickered slightly and her attention was automatically drawn to it as her wrist was grabbed.
Oh yes… she'd forgotten about Ernesto's little jealousy issue.
As they danced around each other on the stage, with Imelda frantically trying to keep the script away from him, her eyes kept darting to the screen.
She'd completely forgotten this.
She'd forgotten how Ernesto had joined in with her then as well, jumping onto the table with her and Hector and trying to push her off.
It was a challenge and back then, she had risen to it perfectly. Spinning around Hector, one carefully placed leg sent Ernesto falling to the ground, which of cause, the crowd all gasped at.
It was merely good timing that they were coming to the end of the song.
Just before the on-screen Ernesto fell to the ground, the skeletal Imelda raised her foot up and dug it violently into Ernesto's foot just as he was singing the last note, causing him to break of into a cry of pain.
It sounded good though… like a proper gritto.
Knowing that she was free, Imelda rushed over to her family, the script still in her grasp as the screen went dark.
The crowd in the arena didn't seem to notice that anything was wrong, all clapping and whooping as the interviewer made his way onto the stage and starting shaking Ernesto's hand eagerly, moving him over to the seating that had been set up.
They'd just seen a glimpse of Ernesto's life before he was famous. An and Alpha challenge at that. It didn't matter that he'd lost, it just mattered that they'd seen it.
"Wonderful!" the interviewer announced, his voice echoing all over the arena and calming the crowd done. He didn't seem to notice Ernesto's annoyed glance over to the side, where the Rivera family waited…. His guards were nowhere to be found.
"An excellent start to the night!" The pair sat down, as the interviewer remained oblivious to the tension, "How are you Senor De La Cruz? Can I offer you anything to drink before we start?"
"No… thank you."
The interviewer nodded, "Now, the script appears to have gone for a walk, but no worries! I think we all know what the crowd wants to know."
Before Ernesto could speak up and protest, the interviewer beat him to it.
"Who was that omega?"
The screen flickered once… twice…. Before coming to life.