Chapter 6 (Forgotten)
Underneath the bridge hiding from the dead relatives, Hector was putting makeup on the kids to blend in with the crowd and keep the panicking down. After finishing his work he smiled and said "Alright kids I'm done. You guys look dead as a door knob, have a look."
When he handed them the hand size mirror they shared the mirror, as they see themselves as perfect image of the other skeletons. "Hey, you did one fantastic job Mr. Hector." said Penny looking at herself in the mirror. "Yeah, this the best face paint job that I ever had." said Wilbur, as he was trying to get a signal on his phone but no luck.
"Ah, thanks kids that's the best thing that I ever heard. Now, let's get down business alright, if I can somehow take you five to see Cruz and you kids get his blessings. Then you kids can put my photo up on the ofrenda." Hector said giving Miguel the photo of him.
All five looked at the picture together and Violet ask "So, this is you?." Hector smiled and said "I was a charmer back in the living world." Wilbur raise an eyebrow and said "On the behalf of everyone else, I would like to say it's a done deal." Then Hector said "Excellent!. Now, before we go and do this, I have two questions that I would like to get answered."
"Shoot. Ask away." said Hiro, while petting Dante. "Well for one are you sure that Cruz is the only relative that you kids have, and second are you kids even family?." he asked to ease his curiosity. Wilbur, Penny, Hiro, Violet, and Miguel were looking at one another and then looked back at Hector, as he waiting on his answer.
Penny was the one to answer the first question since she's really good at lie acting. "In honest Hector, De La Cruz is our only relative." "And as for the second question sir, we're not basically family by blood. But, our parents have known each other growing up and later on it made us family.". said Hiro. Then Violet said adding on to second answer "An our parents have told us that family is not made by blood, but made by love also."
Nodding his head Hector said "That's very touching what you kids told me. Let's get going you five." As headed out of their hiding spot they were walking in the streets, seeing the beauty of the Land of the Dead and imitating Hector's walk. "Um what are you kids doing?. Why are guys walking like that?." he ask.
"What do you mean?. Where walking like skeletons, this is fun." said Wilbur as he and the others were doing the funny walk. Hector said "Please don't walk like that at all, cause no one around here walks like that." Miguel looked at Hector up and down, and said "The reason why we're walking like this is because, we're trying to blend in and you're walking funny."
Hector looked down at his legs as the boy speaks the truth. "Alright you're right. Just stop walking like that and just walk normal." he said rolling his eyes. As they continue walking and talking, Hiro spotted a build board that got his attention. "Yo, guys look at this." he said as everyone came up to see the build board.
On the build board it show a face Cruz presenting his advertisement, that said De La Cruz's Concert spectacular!. Then Wilbur said with smile "Cool a concert. I bet those tickets cost a pretty penny, Penny. Get it Penny?. when I said your name but really I talking about." "I get the joke Wilbur, and I hate that joke by the way." said Penny crossing her arms and had anger look on her face.
Hector came over to see it for himself and sigh about it. "Please. Every year on day of the Dead, your great, great grandpa host his big concert at sun rise to mark the day of the Dead." he said as he was not impress about it. "Well, on the bright side we don't have to worry about the tickets, since you do have back stage passes." said Violet smiling.
"Um, about that Violet, um you kids are going to laugh about it." said Hector chuckling nervously as he rub the back of his bone neck. This made all five know that he was lying about the back stage passes, as Miguel said "You liar, you said you have tickets to the concert."
"So basically you and Cruz weren't friends at all. Unbelievable dude." said Wilbur, who was a little upset. "Now, now calm down you five, I know I have told a little white lie." "I'll say." Penny said putting her hands on her waist. "But me and Cruz go way back, and I know where his rehearsing. Come on an follow me." said Hector leading the way.
"This is better not be no goose chase, I swear this night is going down hill fast." said Miguel. "You can say that again amigo. Some night we're having." said Hiro. Meanwhile back in the living world, the families were searching far an wide to find the kids but no luck.
As of right now walking in the neighborhood, Helen, Cass, Franny, Mrs. Foster, and Luisa were asking everyone from door to door to see if they seen their kids, but no luck. "Wilbur honey where are you!?." yell Franny as she was worried about her son and her nephews and nieces. "Oh, girls I just don't know how did this happen. I mean it's like almost every time they get into trouble or get involved into something that they shouldn't be doing." said Luisa.
"Like the time that they spend the day at Franny's house and one of them broke the robot cleaner." said Helen as she began to chuckle a bit, as Franny was chuckling as well. "I remember that day and instead of telling me or Cornelius about it, they decided to fix it. But I still don't know which one of them broke it."
(Flashback) In the dining room trying to fix the machine, Hiro, Miguel, and Wilbur were tinkering the cleaning robot while the girls were seating upset about the whole thing.
"I can not believe you three idiots think it was alright to play football in the house, I mean how dum can you get?." said Violet in her pout face, as Penny was doing the same and ask "Would it be smart if I tell Uncle Cornelius that we accidently broke the robot?."
"And get into trouble?. No thank you." said Miguel handed Hiro a screw driver. "Yeah why tell if we can fix it." said Wilbur as he finished fixing the back of the machine. With a smirk on his face and done fixing the robot, Hiro said "Done. Now, this baby should be functioning normal."
As they set it back down on the floor, Miguel turn on the switch as the bot cleaner begin to clean up. "See guys who say that we boys can't fix nothing." said Wilbur. Rolling her eyes in ignorance, Penny said "Watch when the robot goes berserk and then I will say I told you so." "Stop jinxing us please." said all three boys.
Suddenly as if it was on cue the robot cleaner became berserk and started shooting trash, instead collecting. "Ah, crap!. Duck!." yell Violet, as she and everyone hid underneath the table. "You just have to jinx us Penny. Great job." said Hiro being sarcastic. "I told you so, so shut up Hiro.
Then Carl came out from the kitchen carrying a tray of snacks for the kids, as dodge a ball of garbage. "What the heck did you kids do this time!?." "This is all the boys fault. They were playing football in the house and hit the robot." said Violet pointing at them. Wilbur looked at Violet and said "Thank you snitch. Carl can you try talking to it, I mean you are a robot after all."
"Wilbur, I can't do nothing about it. This thing is very berserk." Carl said blocking the shots. "Then this looks like the job for a super." said Violet, as she got out underneath the table. She then created invisible energy in her hand and threw it at, causing it to blew up into pieces.
When the close was clear they got out underneath the table as they saw burnt parts everywhere. "Great work Vi. Now, let's just hope that Mr. and Mrs Robinson don't see this wreck." said Carl putting down the tray on the table.
As soon as Carl said it, Franny and Cornelius came in after having a romantic walk in the garden. "What in the name of science happened here!?." ask Cornelius a little bit furious and Franny was looking at the damage. "Violet and Penny did it." said Hiro, Penny, and Miguel pointing at the girls. "You boys are tattletalers." said Violet as she was mad now. "I didn't do squat and you guys call me out." Penny said with her hand on her hip and was tipped off as well. (End Flashback)
Then all five of them started laughing about it since they needed to find something to humor themselves. "That was a fun funny memory, I really love that day." said Franny wiping a tear away. "Oh, and you thought they were trouble makers, do you girls remember that pizza order when we were only five?." asked Aunt Cass with a grin.
"Ah, girl that was crazy slumber party we had and I was the one who came up with the idea of ordering pizza, and using momma Abuelita's credit card." said Helen as she was laughing her butt off. Then Luisa said while still laughing "And then my mom forced us to eat all those forty pizzas or we're grounded until we go to college."
While they were laughing and remembering the golden years, back at the Land of the Dead. "Are we there yet?. I'm getting hungry." asked Wilbur holding his stomach. "You're always hungry Wilbur." said Violet with a smile. Then Hector said "Don't worry kid you eat when we get there and we're here."
When they reached the building and had help from Hector's friend, who loaned him the clothes and help them climb up inside of the building. "Alright Hector where's my clothes that I let you borrow?." she asked with her arms crossed. "You see my friend it was taken by one of our good old police officers, and he didn't want to give it back to me." he said chuckling nervously.
"You said that you'll going to bring them back, and I needed those clothes." she said upset. While they were talking about the clothes situation, the kids helped themselves at sight seeing and maybe try finding De La Cruz.
"I wonder if we're going to meet anyone that is famous around here?." Hiro asked while looking at the people who painting. "I hope so Hiro cause I would love to meet a celebrity." said Violet. Then suddenly Dante started chasing a colorful monkey that belonged to a very famous person.
"Dante get back here boy. Leave that monkey alone." said Miguel as an the others were running to catch Dante. An as they got him a stumble upon a women who has a unibrow, and she was one of the famous painters in Mexican history. "Oh, we're so sorry ma'am his usual have control over himself." said Hiro as he look at the women and know exactly who this person.
"No way you're the famous Frida Kahlo!. The greatest Latina painter in Mexican history!." he said who loved her paintings. "Why thank you young man, I always love to have fans who love my hard work. Say, do you kids want help me out with this project that I'm working on?." Frida asked. "Sure, what can we do for you?." Miguel asked.
After helping Frida Kahlo with the project that she was working on for Cruz's Concert, but there's one problem. "Wait a minute where's De La Cruz?. I thought he was practicing for his thing?." asked Penny. "You see little girl he doesn't rehearsal his concert. His at his big time party at his big pent house." Frida said pointing at the window.
Miguel, Hiro, and Wilbur went over to the window and saw the big building that was the tallest building in the Land of the Dead. "Great, that's just great and now, we have to walk all the way there." said Hiro banging his head on the window as was tired of the goose chasing. "Some night we're having huh?." said Wilbur.
Violet and Penny looked at one another and then looked back at the famous painter, and Violet ask "Ma'am if Cruz is over there then who's here that is famous?." "Hmmmm let me think for a second oh yes, I know two very famous singers. One is female and the other is male." Then Penny asked trying to keep her excitement "Where can we find them?." With a smile she said "Just follow the sound of music."
When she said that they heard a familiar music being played as both Violet and Penny ran to follow the music. "Vi, Penny?. Where are you guys going?." asked Miguel as he and the boys ran to catch up with the girls, while Dante was close behind. When they heard the music getting louder as they ran towards it, they saw a woman on stage singing and dancing with a very familiar guy who was moonwalking, as he started singing.
"Jam!. It ain't, it ain't too much stuff, it ain't too much, it ain't too much for me to Jam." the person that was singing was non other than the King of Pop of himself, and that was Michael Jackson as he was dancing and killing it. Then the music changed into the women's song, as she began to sing.
"Come on everybody let's dance!. I feel something that moves me, A beat that makes me dance. Take your partner everybody, Everybody let's have some fun!." the women who was singing was a famous Mexican American singer Selena Quintanilla as she and Michael were dancing and moonwalking together.
Violet and Penny's mouth dropped as they see their favorite singers of all time, just there singing and dancing. Without containing themselves they began to scream and ran over to them hugged them. "Selena and Michael we're your biggest fans, and we love you!!!!." said both Violet and Penny.
With smile on both of their faces they hugged the girls back as Michael said "Thank you for showing love you two. We we're only practicing our duet for up coming tour." "It's called the Xscape Tour. The biggest tour that the people of the Land of Dead have never seen before. You kids want tickets?." Selena asked gentle squeezing Penny's cheek. "Yes please!." said both of them.
The boys have finally caught up with the girls as they were breathing hard. "Guys what made you guys run like crazy fan girls?." asked Wilbur trying to catch his breath. Miguel looked at the two adults who were being hugged by Violet and Penny, and immediately know who they were. "Oh my God!. You're Michael Jackson!. And you're Selena Quintanilla!. I'm a huge fan of your music, besides De La Cruz." he said as was trying to breath.
"That's very nice of you to say. Are you kids attending his party?." asked Michael as he took a selfie with Violet. "Well yeah since we need his blessing to get back home, because we're actually living kids." said Hiro as he found the snack and begin snacking. Then one of the band members who was packing up his guitar and said "Well, if you kids want to see him then you have to compete in his music competition. If you win, you kids can play in his pent house party."
"Yeah, and the only thing you need is a instrument to qualify." said Selena signing a photo for Penny and gave it to her. "I'm so going to frame this baby." she said folding it and put it in her pocket. "Kids there you are, I have been looking all over for you guys." said Hector as he found the kids as Miguel was the one to say something to him.
"You said that De La Cruz will be rehearsing here but, his at his pent house partying." "Say what?. That bum what kind of a person that doesn't come to his rehearsals?. But I heard that we need a guitar and I know just the place to get one." he said walking out as one of the musicians have started telling Hector's story about how he died, and it was funny.
"Wait, wait hold up you died of food poisoning?. That's the worst sad way to die." said Wilbur as he and everyone else was laughing. "Whatever that's old history come on let's go, we don't have all night." said Hector ignoring the laughter. When they headed to the low down living area where people live who doesn't have a place to go to when the day of the dead comes.
When Hector poured some drinks he lead the way into the hut where they can barrow a guitar from this person. "Hey, amigo I need a favor to ask you. I need to borrow your guitar it's for the kid and since we're good pals and all." said Hector trying to sweet talk the old skeleton, but the old senior wasn't falling for it.
"Borrow?. The last time I let you borrow my stuff it never come back at all. So, forget it or I have to." suddenly the old skeleton begin to glow and feel pain. "Oh my gosh are you ok, sir?." asked Penny with worry as she helped the old skeleton back to his bed. "No child I'm not, I being forgotten by love ones. If you want my guitar Hector then you have to earn it. Play for me please."
With sigh and a sad look on his face, he picked up the guitar and began tuning it. "Any request amigo?." he asked, as the old man said "You know my favorite song amigo." As Hector began playing and singing, the kids sat down to listen and hope that old man will be alright. When Hector was done playing the song for the man, he said "Thank you so much amigo, enjoy that guitar."
Then all of a sudden he glowed an turn into gold dust and flew away in the air, as Hector got up and toast him and drink. "Wh...what happened to him?." Wilbur dare himself to ask. "He was being forgotten. If no one remembers or tell your stories about you then you die the second time. We call it the second death." said Hector in a sad tone.
Penny then said "Wait, I know what happens when you die the second time. We learn it from our history class when you die twice, you go to the land of the Forgotten and never leave there." "That's sounds about right Penny, but hey why get depress about?. Will all gonna go one day so, what are we waiting for?. Let's go to the plaza and win that competition!." Hector said with a cheerful attitude as he walked out.
"Guys we have to make sure that we put his photo on the ofrenda. His too nice to go that place of a dump." said Hiro who was feeling very sad. "Yeah, no kidding, we should and will put his photo on the ofrenda." said Violet as she and the rest nodded in argument as they headed out to catch up with Hector.
Meanwhile, momma Imelda and the rest of the dead family members were on there tails as they were underneath the bridge, as the spirit guide blow her breath on the ground showing foot prints. "Yes, we're almost close to finding them. I just hope that there safe and sound, I love my great, great grandkids."
"Don't worry momma Imelda we will find them in no time, we just got to keep following the trail." said Grandpa Julio as he and the rest followed the spirit guide.
RIP to Michael Jackson and Selena Quintanilla. They will always and forever be remembered in our hearts and mind.