First Person: Zytaveon

We stood in the courtyard of an old compound, like a monastery. Red brick walls were overgrown with vines, big magnolia trees had cracked the pavement, the sun beat down, and the humidity was about two hundred percent. Somewhere nearby, I smelled fish frying, and overhead, the cloud cover was low and gray, striped like a tiger's pelt. The courtyard was about the size of a basketball court. An old deflated football sat in one corner, at the base of a Virgin Mary statue. Along the sides of the buildings, windows were open, and there were flickers of movement inside, but it was eerily quiet. There was no sign of air conditioning, which meant it must've been a thousand degrees in there.

"Where are we?" Leo asked.

"My old school," Hazel said next to him. "St. Agnes Academy for Colored Children and Indians."

"What kind of name is-?" He turned toward Hazel and yelped. She was a ghost - just a vaporous silhouette in the steamy air. Leo looked down in surprise to see he had turned to mist too.

"You get used to it," I said, floating over to them. "Hey, so what's going on in here?"

"We're trying to figure out the connection between Leo and Sammy," Hazel explained. Leo looked baffled.

"How did you-?" He was interrupted by a bell ringing, not a modern electronic sound, but the old-fashioned buzz of a hammer on metal.

"This is a memory," Hazel said. "No one will see us. Look, here we come."

"We?" From every door, dozens of children spilled into the courtyard, yelling and jostling each other. They were mostly African American, with a sprinkling of Hispanic-looking kids, as young as kindergartners and as old as high schoolers. You could tell this was the past since all the girls wore dresses and buckled leather shoes, the boys wore white collared shirts and pants held up by suspenders, and many wore caps like horse jockeys wear. Some kids carried lunches, but many didn't. Their clothes were clean, but worn and faded. Some had holes in the knees of their trousers, or shoes with the heels coming apart. A few of the girls began playing jump rope with an old piece of clothesline, the older guys tossed a ratty baseball back and forth, and kids with lunches sat together and ate and chattered. No one paid us any attention.

Then Hazel - Hazel from the past - stepped into the courtyard. She looked about two years younger than she was now. Her hair was pinned back in a bun, she wore a dark dress, unlike the other girls in their white cotton or pastel flowery prints, so she stood out like a mourner at a wedding, and her her gold eyes darted around the courtyard uneasily. She gripped a canvas lunch bag and moved along the wall, as if trying hard not to be noticed. It didn't work.

"Witch-girl!" A boy called out. He lumbered toward her, backing her into a corner. The boy could have been fourteen or nineteen. It was hard to tell because he was so big and tall, easily the largest guy on the playground. I figured he'd been held back a few times. He wore a dirty shirt the color of grease rags, threadbare wool trousers (in this heat, they couldn't have been comfortable), and no shoes at all. Maybe the teachers were too terrified to insist that this kid wear shoes, or maybe he just didn't have any.

"That's Rufus," Present Hazel said with distaste.

"Seriously?" Leo asked. "No way his name is Rufus."

"Come on," I said. We hovered forward, Leo getting used to the drifting process. The big kid Rufus had flat features, as if he spent most of his time face-planting on the sidewalk. His hair was cut just as flat on top, so miniature airplanes could've used it for a landing trip. Rufus thrust out his hand.

"Lunch." Hazel from the past didn't protest. She handed over her canvas bag like this was an everyday occurrence. A few older girls drifted over to watch the fun. One giggled at Rufus.

"You don't wanna eat that," She warned. "It's probably poison."

"You're right," Rufus said. "Did your witch mom make this, Levesque?"

"She's not a witch," Hazel muttered. Rufus dropped the bag and stepped on it, smashing the contents under his bare heel.

"You can have it back. I want a diamond, though. I hear your momma can make those out of thin air. Gimme a diamond."

"I don't have diamonds," Hazel said. "Go away." Rufus balled his fists.

"Oi, Jumbo!" A female called. A Hispanic woman made her way forward towards him. The crowds automatically parted for her, and she stomped forward, her white, wedge-heels clacking on the pavement. She was in a fancy yet simple white dress, that seemed to almost be made out of silk and new, contrary to the old cotton dresses of the other girls around them. Her long brown hair flowed down to her shoulders, partially covering her face. She looked to be around Hazel's age, and she held herself with poise, tall and proud like royalty. Her gray eyes shot a gaze that was icy and firm, showing that she wasn't afraid of anything, and that she saw something she didn't like.

"Leave the girl alone, will you?" She demanded in a deep and firm voice. "You wanna pick on someone, at least do it to someone your own size." She walked over to Hazel without a care in the world about the large bully that cornered her and her expression softened as she put her hand on Hazel's shoulder lightly. "You okay?" She asked gently. Hazel seemed surprised, but nodded.

"Beat it, new girl," Rufus said. "This isn't your concern."

"My name is Isabella," She declared, her tone returning to its cold form. When she said "Isabella," her voice slipped into a Hispanic accent. "And yes, this is very much my concern."

"In league with the witch, huh? So does that make you one too?"

"I wouldn't push your luck against a witch like me." She spread her feet in a fighting stance, showing that she was skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Her dress wasn't tight, and her shoes were tightly strapped to her feet, meaning she was fully prepared should a battle break out, and she was willing to defend Hazel.

Before anything could start, another kid stumbled outside into the sunlight. He looked identical to Leo. He was the same height, had the same nervous energy - tapping his fingers against his trousers, brushing at his white cotton shirt, adjusting the jockey cap on his curly brown hair. He had the same devilish smile that Leo had, an expression that made teachers immediately shout, "Don't even think about it!" and plop him in the front row. Apparently, he'd just been scolded by the teacher, as he was holding a dunce cap - an honest-to-goodness cardboard cone that said DUNCE.

Some kids backed up when Sammy Valdez burst onto the scene, while others nudged each other and ran toward him like they were expecting a show. Isabella noticed him, her eyes darting his way a couple times, but she kept her main focus on Rufus, who was oblivious to Sammy's arrival.

"Stay out of this!" He shouted firmly to Isabella, though she didn't even flinch. "A diamond, witch-girl! Come on, give it!" He stepped forward and Isabella twisted her body to hold out her hand in a stop motion. Hazel flinched in fear, pressing herself against the wall. Suddenly, the ground at Isabella's feet went snap, like a twig breaking, and a perfect diamond the size of a pistachio glittered at her feet.

"Ha!" Rufus barked when he saw it. He started to lean down for it.

"No, please!" Hazel yelped. Isabella moved swiftly, kicking the diamond up and into the air in a perfect arc, spinning around before catching it and holding it back and out of Rufus's reach, her face unchanging. That's when Sammy strolled over, putting the top of the dunce cap to his mouth like a megaphone.

"CUT!" He yelled. He said it with such authority all the other kids momentarily froze. Even Rufus straightened and backed away in confusion. Isabella moved her eyes to him, but nothing else. One of the little boys snickered.

"Hammy Sammy," He said under his breath. Sammy stormed up to Rufus with his dunce cap in his hand, looking angry.

"No! No! No!" He announced, waving his free hand wildly at the other kids, who were gathering to watch the entertainment. Sammy turned to Hazel and Isabella, first looking to Hazel. "Miss Lamarr, your line is…" Sammy looked around in exasperation. "Script! What is Hedy Lamarr's line?"

"No, please, you villain!" One of the boys called out.

"Thank you!" Sammy said. "Miss Lamarr, you're supposed to say, "No, please, you villain!" And you, Miss Judy Garland." He turned to Isabella, who was looking at him in confusion and interest. "You must say, "We must run, my dear!" and leave the diamond. Keep the brave front, of course, but don't forget the drama. You must save your friend from the evil villain, but don't overdo it, please. Remember, you're brave, but still a victim." Isabella stared at him for a moment, before smiling. She dropped her fighting stance and then set the diamond back on the ground.

"Of course," She said, being purposefully overdramatic as she put the back of her hand to her forehead. "We must run, my dear~!" She said, though she was still smiling.

"Excellent! And you, Clark Gable-" The whole courtyard burst into laughter. Apparently, the idea that Flathead Rufus could be Clark Gable was hilarious to the kids. "Mr. Gable-"

"No!" One of the girls cried. "Make him Gary Cooper!" More laughter. Rufus looked as if he were about to blow a valve. He balled his fists like he wanted to hit somebody, but he couldn't attack the entire school. He clearly hated being laughed at, but his slow little mind couldn't quite work out what Sammy was up to. Leo nodded in appreciation at his twin. I guess Leo had done the same kind of stuff to bullies for years.

"Right!" Sammy yelled imperiously. "Mr. Cooper, you say, "Oh, but the diamond is mine, my treacherous darlings!" And then you scoop up the diamond like this!"

"Sammy, no!" Hazel protested, but Sammy snatched up the stone and slipped it into his pocket in one smooth move. He wheeled on Rufus. "I want emotion! I want the ladies in the audience swooning! Ladies, did Mr. Cooper make you swoon just now?"

"No!" Several of them called back.

"There, you see?" Sammy cried. "Now, from the top!" He yelled into his dunce cap. "Action!" Rufus was just starting to get over his confusion. He stepped toward Sammy.

"Valdez, I'm gonna-!" The bell rang, and kids swarmed the doors. Sammy pulled Hazel out of the way while Isabella sidestepped on her own as the little ones - who acted like they were on Sammy's payroll - herded Rufus along with them so he was carried inside on a tide of kindergartners. Soon, it was only the three of them and us ghosts. Sammy scooped up Hazel's smashed lunch, made a show of dusting off the canvas bag, and presented it to her with a deep bow, as if it were her crown.

"Miss Lamarr." Hazel from the past took her ruined lunch. She looked like she was about to cry, but I couldn't tell if it was from relief, misery, or admiration.

"Sammy…Rufus is going to kill you."

"Ah, he knows better than to tangle with me." Sammy plopped the dunce cap on top of his jockey camp. He stood up straight and stuck out his scrawny chest. The dunce cap fell off. The two girls laughed.

"You are ridiculous," Hazel declared.

"Why, thank you, Miss Lamarr."

"You're welcome, my treacherous darling."

"Here, have my lunch," Isabella said, walking a little way away and grabbing a rectangular metal lunch box. "I don't need it anyway."

"I can't take that," Hazel said.

"Nonsense, I'm giving it to you. You shall take it whether you like it or not. As lunch is over, I expect you to eat it as a snack or for dinner." She took Hazel's canvas lunch and then stuck the handle of her metal lunch box in Hazel's hand. "I'm Isabella de la Orden," She said, slipping into her Hispanic accent on her name. "We witch-girls have to stick together, no? Meet me for lunch - or just come to me - any time you need. Of course, you already seem to have a knight to protect you." She motioned to Sammy. "But everyone needs a little help every now and then."

"So are you? A witch, I mean. Not that…I don't mean to be…"

"It's all right. I take pride in the title. Don't let what others say bring you down. Take pride in it, like this gentleman over here. As for your question, I'm no more of a witch than you are, that is to say, no, I'm not one. I'm just a girl with bad luck, in a situation that I didn't ask for. As you can see, I cope with it as best I can. Be strong, Hazel. Things are hard for our kind, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for us to make it through. People like us, we've gotta stick together. Keep your head up, nothing lasts forever. Oh, wait, that song hasn't happened yet, has it? Ah, but I'm rambling. Seek me out whenever you wish. I'm available at all times of the day. Don't hesitate to ask for my help, even if it's for something as small as needing to borrow a pencil or lamenting about the boredom of history class. Understood?" Hazel nodded.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me, darling. Your nice man here did more magic than this witch. He's a keeper." She winked and Hazel blushed. "Anyway, I'll see you all when I see you. Good luck. Remember, I'm always there if you need me." She waved and walked off. Hazel looked to Sammy, and her good mood seemed to waver as she looked to the ground.

"You shouldn't have touched that diamond," She said. "It's dangerous."

"Ah, come on," Sammy said. "Not for me!" Hazel studied him warily, like she wanted to believe it.

"Bad things might happen. You shouldn't-"

"I won't sell it. I promise! I'll just keep it as a token of your flavor." Hazel forced a smile.

"I think you mean "token of my favor."

"There you are! We should get going. It's time for our next scene: "Hedy Lamarr nearly dies of boredom in English class!" It'll be a hit!" Sammy held out his elbow like a gentleman, but Hazel pushed him away playfully.

"Thanks for being there, Sammy."

"Miss Lamarr, I will always be there for you!" He said brightly. The two of them raced back to the schoolhouse. The ghost of Leo looked saddened at the scene, realizing how much Sammy had meant to Hazel, and how hard it must've been for her to look at him so often.

"Hazel," He said. "I…I don't-" The schoolyard dissolved into a different scene. The three of us were still ghosts, but now we stood in front of a rundown house next to a drainage ditch overgrown with weeds. A clump of banana trees drooped in the yard, perched on the steps, an old-fashioned radio played conjunto music, and on the shaded porch, sitting in a rocking chair, a skinny old man gazed at the horizon.

"Where are we?" Hazel asked, her voice full of alarm. "This isn't from my life!"

"It isn't from mine," I said. Leo's ghost flickered, seeming to solidify.

"It's Houston," He realized. "I know this view. That drainage ditch…this is my mom's old neighborhood, where she grew up. Hobby Airport is over that way."

"This is your life?" Hazel asked. "I don't understand! How-?"

"You're asking me?!" Leo demanded.

"Shut up and look!" I said, pointing to the old man.

"Ah, Hazel…" He murmured. His eyes were fixed on the horizon, and there was no way he could see us. This was just a memory, after all. We weren't really here. "I guess we ran out of time," He continued dreamily. "Well…" He didn't finish the thought. The old man had clearly been talking to himself, but that didn't explain why he'd said Hazel's name. He had leathery skin, curly white hair, and gnarled hands, like he'd spent a lifetime working in a machine shop. He wore a pale yellow shirt, spotless and clean, with gray slacks and suspenders and polished black shoes. Despite his age, his eyes were sharp and clear. He sat with a kind of quiet dignity. He looked at peace - amused, even, like he was thinking, "Dang, I lived this long? Cool!"He was tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, but the tapping wasn't random. He was using Morse code, just like Leo did, like his mother had done, and he was even tapping the same message: I love you.

Suddenly, there was a light behind the man, before it resolved into a woman. As if things couldn't get any more shocking or confusing. The woman was a spitting image of Zy. She was in a simple white dress that went all the way down to her ankles, and her skin was so pale it might as well have been white. She had on wedge boots, along with a necklace that had an oval-shaped gem in a bronze holder on a black leather cord, but other than that, no jewelry. She seemed to be glowing, and slowly stepped forward with the elegance of a royal. Her face and hair were identical to Zy in every aspect, only she looked to be a bit older, maybe in her twenties. She moved to sit beside the old man, a chair shimmering into existence with a small flash of light.

"You know, my offer to her extended to you as well," She said, her voice deep and melodious. The old man turned to her, though he didn't seem shocked or panicked by a glowing woman with magic appearing to talk to him.

"Do I know you?" He asked.

"Yes. You once knew me as Isabella de la Orden," She said, slipping into her Hispanic accent on her name.

"Isabella? You…look different. Are you an angel? A goddess?" His demeanor remained calm, as though this was the most normal thing in the world. He asked the questions as though he was asking her, "Did you cut your hair since I last saw you?" She looked to the sky, resting her arms on the chair's armrests and lacing her fingers in front of her.

"Well…that's a complicated question. I once had the name Angel, but not anymore. Yes, this shell is a goddess. The woman you see before you now is a goddess indeed. The being taking refuge within, however, is more complicated. I am a goddess in technical terms, a goddess called a Primordial. But that remains unimportant. It's been a long time." The screen door opened, and a young woman came out. She wore jeans and a turquoise blouse, her hair was cut in a short black wedge. She was pretty, but not delicate. She had well-muscled arms and calloused hands. Like the old man's, her brown eyes glinted with amusement. In her arms, was a baby, wrapped in a blue blanket.

"Look, mijo," She said to the baby. "This is your bisabuelo. Bisabuelo, you want to hold him?" When Leo heard her voice, he sobbed. That must've been his mother, and that meant the baby in his arms…The old man broke into a huge grin. He had perfect teeth, as white as his hair. His face crinkled with smile lines.

"A boy! Mi bebito, Leo!"

"Leo?" Hazel whispered. "That…that's you? What is bisabuelo?"

"It's great-grandfather," I said, remembering the little I learned in Spanish class back at school. The old man took baby Leo in his arms, chuckling with appreciation and tickling the baby's chin.

"He's adorable," Zy said, smiling lightly and looking to baby Leo. If the man knew her as Isabella, and she'd said her offer to Hazel had extended to him, then this confirmed my suspicions. Somehow, Hazel's power to revisit the past had found the one event that connected both of their lives, where Leo's timeline touched Hazel's.

"Oh…" Hazel said, seemingly realizing who he was. Her voice became very small, on the verge of tears. "Oh, Sammy, no…"

"Ah, little Leo," Sammy Valdez said, aged well into his seventies. "You'll have to be my stunt double, eh? That's what they call it, I think. Tell her for me. I hoped I would be alive, but, ay, the curse won't have it!" Hazel sobbed.

"Gaea…Gaea told me he died of a heart attack, in the 1960s. But this isn't…this can't be…" Sammy Valdez kept talking to the baby, while Leo's mother, Esperanza, looked on with a pained smile - perhaps a little worried that Leo's bisabuelo was rambling, a little sad that he was speaking nonsense.

"That lady, Doña Callida, she warned me." Sammy shook his head sadly. "She said Hazel's great danger would not happen in my lifetime. But I promised I would be there for her. You will have to tell her I'm sorry, Leo. Help her if you can."

"Bisabuelo," Esperanza said. "You must be tired." She extended her arms to take the baby, but the old man cuddled him a moment longer. Baby Leo seemed perfectly fine with it.

"Tell her I'm sorry I sold the diamond, eh?" Sammy continued. "I broke my promise. When she disappeared in Alaska…ah, so long ago, I finally used that diamond, moved to Texas as I always dreamed. I started my machine shop. Started my family! It was a good life, but Hazel was right. The diamond came with a curse. I never saw her again."

"Oh, Sammy," Hazel sobbed. "No, a curse didn't keep me away. I wanted to come back. I died!" The old man didn't hear her, and I put my arms around Hazel as she cried, desperate for her words to be heard. Sammy smiled down at the baby and kissed him on the head.

"I give you my blessing, Leo. First male great-grandchild! I have a feeling you are special, like Hazel was. You are more than a regular baby, eh? You will carry on for me. You will see her someday. Tell her hello for me."

"Bisabuelo," Esperanza implored.

"Yes, yes." Sammy chuckled. "The crazy old man rambles on," He said, the first part in Spanish. "I am tired, Esperanza. You are right. But I'll rest soon. It's been a good life. Raise him well, nieta." Esperanza took baby Leo back and headed inside.

"I have a daughter. She is my stunt double as Leo is yours," Zy, or I suppose, Zy's mother said, staring at the horizon, having been unseen by Esperanza. "She will have to face hardships as well. I can only pray for her survival and happiness."

"Why did you come to us in the form of Isabella?" Sammy asked, his eyes back on the horizon as well, as though remembering those days.

"Isabella was a former host. A tough girl who wished to stand up for those treated unfairly. She was lucky in life, as you saw. Her mother married to a rich man and she got a better life than most in her position. But for others like her who were treated so unfairly, she wished for them to have equal rights as well. She chose to go to your school rather than one her father could get her into. She was a brave and daring woman, one I offered my power to in exchange for her hosting me. I asked her in particular so that I could meet Hazel. She has a destiny ahead of her, that's true, but she must learn to be brave on her own, first. Though you aren't able to help her now, you gave her a dream, a strong past and memory to look upon when times are tough. You brightened her life, made her into a good person despite all her hardships. For that, I am thankful. And I've come to tell you, that you were there for her. It's more than I can do for my own kin. In return for being a goddess and having such power, I can't even meet my own daughter. I spent seconds with her before handing her off to her father, and now I will never see her again."

"You are young, Isabella, or do you prefer another name now?"

"Technically, I am Zenobia. The name I prefer, however, is Ren."

"Well, you are young and powerful. You have time, Ren."

"Maybe. I've sent a boy to look after my daughter as well. Hopefully, he can help her through the dark days to come. Hopefully, he can tell her I love her. Like you, I am unable to assist in the future, and now I have to believe things will work out. Hazel missed you too, you know. She always wondered if you had a happy life without her. She always wanted to come back to you. She never forgot you, and she never will. And she knows you were looking out for her. You lived a life, a good one. That's all she could ever want for you. She forgives you for selling that diamond, if it meant you lived a full life. Though I may not look like it, I too have lived many years. I am just as tired as you."

"I think we both deserve some rest, then." She nodded. The scene faded. We were standing on the Argo II, Leo holding Hazel's hand while I stood next to her with my hand on her shoulder. The sun had gone down, and the ship was lit only by bronze lanterns. Hazel's eyes were puffy from crying. What we'd see had been too much for them. The whole ocean heaved under us, and for the first time, it felt as if we were totally adrift.

"Hello, Hazel Levesque," Leo said, his voice gravelly. Her chin trembled. She turned away from him and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, the ship lurched to one side.

"Leo!" Coach Hedge yelled. Festus whirred in alarm and blew flames into the night sky. The ship's bell rang. "Those monsters you were worried about? One of 'em found us!"