Los Angeles, April of 2020…

The sun was shining in the sky, not a cloud in sight. It had been raining the night before, but it had recently stopped, leaving behind large drops of dew in the gardens of downtown LA. Large apartment and office buildings stood over the concrete highways and restaurants below. In one of these apartment buildings, Unit 52 in Los Angeles Union Apartments Building Number 7 on Olvera Street, a certain teenage girl was struggling to wake up for her first day back at school. Her alarm clock had already gone off, the theme song to Monster Slayer Academia ringing out in chip tune as Luz grumbled in her bed. It was an incredibly annoying thing to wake up to every day, but she forgot how to change it and her mom didn't want to spend money on replacing it, so she begrudgingly kept it. She reached for the alarm clock to turn it off, but missed and fell to the floor. After a few seconds, she stood up and clicked the snooze button and it promptly stopped. She did a few stretches before changing out of her Pj's.

She put on her school uniform with a pair of black leggings underneath. Along with that, she put on a jean jacket with the crest of a cartoon otter. The otter had a rock singer's giant mane of wild black hair, makeup in the shape of a purple lightning bolt pointing downwards, and was making a rocker hand sign on each hand, with the index fingers and pinkies extended. She went over to the mirror to see what she looked like today. Luz Noceda was a proudly Dominican thirteen year old girl with a messy head of hair tied into pigtails. This innocent look was very misleading,despite her appearance she was known as a pretty tough person in her school. After having a good look at herself, she nodded at her reflection and walked out of her room. She was hoping to be able to see her mom before going to school, but an empty scene lay before her. There was a pink note on the table and a steaming plate of eggs with cheese and tomato sauce. Luz walked up to it and ripped the note off to read it.

Hey, mija! Gotta work an early shift today. ¡Disfruta los huevos rancheros! :-)

Luz sighed. Why should she believe today would be different from any other? Even during summer, she would see her mother once, maybe twice a day. She slightly resented her, but knew Camila only did it to pay for the apartment and her education. She mostly had cared for herself for a large portion of her life, but her friends helped a lot. She quickly scarfed down the eggs she as got her backpack ready. Books, check. Pencils and pens, check. Spray cans for after-school graffiti with Sasha, check. Water bottle…not check. She took her water bottle from the table and shoved it in as well. She also grabbed her keys and phone before exiting the apartment and going down the stairs of the building, putting the phone in her pocket. She lived on the 5th floor, so it took a while to get down, greeting neighbors here and there. One of her favorites, a man called Mr. Han, was on his balcony watering flowers. He waved to her with a large smile on his face. She put her hands into a prayer position and bowed her head to him as she rushed down the stairs.

"Ni hao, Mr. Han," said Luz. Her neighbor laughed at her clunky Chinese.

He called to her before she was out of sight. "If that is all the Chinese you know, you should make time for classes with me."

"I would if I had time, Mr. Han. Have a good day!" She kept her pace as she moved down the steps until she reached the bottom. She grabbed her bike and pedalled quickly to the metro. Taking it into her hands, she ran down to catch the train. One quick hour-long ride later, she was able to ride the rest of the distance from her school. She had biked a while before seeing the large initials of Saint James Middle School in front of her. She locked her bicycle to the rack in front with all the others and walked towards the main building.

The second she stepped near the entrance she heard someone behind her yelling at someone else.

"Hey, Wu! Get back here! I'm not done talking to you yet!" She turned around and saw one of the school bullies, Maggie, running after one of her friends, Marcy Wu. They lived close to each other and to the school, so Marcy would normally try to wake up early to get to school before Maggie, but apparently that hadn't worked. Luz sighed and walked calmly over to the two of them. Maggie had pushed Marcy over at this point, making her drop her books. "Alright, Wu. I know your parents are loaded. I also know they give you a buncha money for lunch time. You're gonna give it to me now." She held an open palm towards Marcy's nervous posture.

"I need that for food!" Maggie shrugged.

"That sounds like your problem, not mine. Now gimme!" Marcy stayed on the ground, not moving a muscle. Maggie was about to start kicking Marcy when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around and was met with Luz. She had a serious look on her face.

"Maggie! Leave her alone." A rock solo could be heard in the background for her entrance. Luz looked to the side and called to someone on the bleachers. "Nice one, Vince! See you tomorrow for practice." The boy made a rocker sign.

"Yeah!" Luz made a rocker sign back to him before turning back to Maggie.

"Now, Mags, we don't want this to escalate, do we? I won't hesitate to hurt you if you keep hurting my friend." Luz raised her fist above Maggie's face Maggie looked visibly distressed by this, but responded anyway.

"Well…you'd end up in the principal's office for that!" Luz smirked at this.

"Yeah, so would you. The difference is that you would also have a black eye, some missing teeth, and a bunch of bruises along with it too. Still wanna fight?" She raised her other fist getting into a fighting stance. They circled each other, each of them ready to throw down. Fortunately for both of them, it was quickly interrupted by another rock solo as they heard someone else call to them.

"Hey, Margot! Leave them both alone." They turned behind them and were met with the figure of Sasha standing near them. Sasha quickly turned to the bleachers. "Also, nice guitar solo, Vince." Vince took the congratulations the same as the previous.

"Yeah!" Sasha walked over to the two girls as Marcy stood up and stayed to the side. Sasha looked to Luz.

"Vince is really on point today." Luz nodded.

"Yeah, he introduced me in as well." They both turned to Maggie, with Sasha taking the lead now.

"We don't have to be violent about this, Margot. Just leave Mar-Mar alone." Maggie looked between the two, clearly outnumbered.

"Oh, yeah? Or else what?" Sasha grinned.

"Well, when my summer break mega party's going off without a hitch, and everybody's having fun and dipping in the sunny pool, they'll be having so much fun…without you." Maggie's eyes went wide.

"Oh, geez, Sasha. I was just playin'. I-I'll get outta your hair now." She walked away frustratedly. Sasha smiled and turned to Luz.

"I know you had good intentions, Luz, but you can't solve everything with violence. Haven't I taught you better than that?" Luz looked down and to the side, embarrassed.

"Sorry, Ellie. I'll try not to do it again. At least I kept Maggie distracted while you came to help. Marcy wouldn't be able to get lunch if it wasn't for you." Sasha gasped like she just remembered something.

"Speaking of Marcy…" They looked over at Marcy, who was trying to pick up her books from the ground. The two bent down to help her as Sasha talked to her. "Are you good, Mar-Mar? Sorry we couldn't get her off your back sooner." Marcy smiled at her.

"It's okay, Sash. She left either way. I do need some help with this." Luz picked up a few books as she spoke to Marcy.

"So, how was she able to get to you today? Don't you usually wake up early enough for her not to bother you when you get here?" Marcy had almost gotten all of her books, excluding her brand new copy of the Good Witch Azura #5, a recent release.

"I had my traditional End of Spring Break All Night Study Sesh last night. I was a bit tired and I slept in a bit." The three of them suddenly heard some footsteps rushing towards them. They looked up and saw the last of their group running toward them.

"Hey, guys. I heard some really cool guitar solos coming from over here. What happened?" Sasha looked up at her friend.

"Oh, hey, Anne. Maggie was being annoying again. We'll tell you during lunch." As Luz went through the books, she saw the Azura copy laying on the grass. She grabbed it and held it up with a smile. She turned to Marcy, who was putting some of the books in her bag.

"Hey, Marcy. Can I borrow this for a few days? I wasn't able to get it when it came out in the bookstore." Marcy zipped her backpack shut and stood up with it on her back.

"Um, well, I just got it a week ago. I barely read past Chapter Two yet…" Luz nodded.

"So, you won't be missing much. It'll only be a few days." Marcy looked at Luz with an uncomfortable stare.

"...I kinda wanted to read it after school…" Luz dropped the smile she had and looked at Marcy very seriously.

"Marcy…I'm asking nicely. You know that it's customary to be nice to people when they're nice to you, right? So, be nice to me as well, alright? End of discussion." Marcy instantly looked remorseful and looked down dejectedly.

"Sorry, Luz. You can have it for a few days." Luz perked up instantly after hearing that.

"Don't worry, Marshmallow! It'll only be a week. Or two. Or three…I'll get it back to you eventually." Anne saw this conversation and was uncomfortable with the way Luz was treating Marcy, but didn't bring it up. The bell rang and everyone piled in for the welcome assembly.

The gymnasium in Saint James was a very large place. It was in the shape of a rectangle with the standard court lines of basketball on the floor. Hoops were hung on either side of the building. Saint James did have a basketball team, but it wasn't as popular as the baseball team was. They were like royalty. The baseball diamond was much further outside, though. The bleachers on the sides of the gym could fit more students than there were at the school. As the students piled in, they plopped onto the wooden slats that made up the bleachers and talked amongst themselves as they waited for the assembly to start. Anne, Marcy, and Sasha sat in a group at the top in the back, where they had a perfect view of the whole court. Anne looked around the place, wondering where the last one of their group was.

"Uh, guys? Where did Luz go? She was with us a second ago." Sasha smiled calmly like she normally did and simply waited.

"You'll see. Be sure to get your clapping hands ready." Anne raised an eyebrow but didn't inquire further as the assembly was starting. Principal Hal Stevens stepped towards a microphone in the middle and picked it up from its stand. He cleared his throat as well before speaking into it.

"Hello, Saint James Middle School. I hope you had an excellent spring break filled with fun, friends, and all that. If it was less enjoyable, don't worry. Saint James is still the same as ever, and is greeting you back all the same. Unless something bad was posted on social media, in which case, the security will be following you more closely." A chorus of laughs rose up from the students, which he was confused about. "I am serious about that. You should watch yourself in particular, Mr. Vince." He looked directly at one student, who hung his head in shame. Mr. Stevens got back on track. "Anyways, what else is on the agenda? Oh yes, right. Thank you to everyone who was there to cheer on our baseball team, the Saint James Otters, its name courtesy of our highest scoring batter, Ms. Luz Noceda." He motioned his head towards the locker room as the gym started to erupt in applause. Luz walked out of the doors with her hands held in the air with rocker signs and her tongue out. From the group, Sasha was cheering louder than anyone else in the building.

"Wooo! Yeah, go Luz! You're number one!" Anne and Marcy were also happy for their friend, but now Marcy was the one that was confused now.

"Weren't you just cheering for her yesterday with the rest of your team?" Sasha shrugged.

"I'm just a hype woman. What can I say?" After a while, people sat down again and allowed the principal to speak.

"In her eight years here at Saint James, Ms. Noceda has managed to make our baseball team one of the best and most recognized in Los Angeles. Thanks to her, our trophy case is almost overflowing and our team is stronger and more well-trained than ever. What started as a small after-school club will now be playing in a national tournament with other schools this September, where she will contend for us to receive one of the highest honors in our country. The best under eighteen baseball team in the U.S." Another round of applause. "We wish her good luck this Fall. Thank you, Ms. Noceda, you may take a seat." Luz nodded and walked over to the bleachers where her friends were as the applause died down. As the principal droned on about other things, Luz was high-fiving Anne, fist-bumping Marcy, and doing a complicated handshake with Sasha where they did a sideways high five, once on the front, once on the back, snapped their fingers, then made finger guns and did shooting sounds.

"Pew!"

"Pew!"

All the girls laughed. One of the faculty gave them the stink eye right after, so they quieted down. After an hour or so, the assembly was finished and everyone filed out into the school halls. Anne and Marcysaid they needed to talk about something and would catch up soon enough to the others, so Sasha and Luz went ahead. As they walked through the hallway, Sasha put an arm around Luz's shoulder as she talked to her.

"So, after school graffiti is still on?" Luz shook her head.

"I might not be able to make it today. Sorry." Sasha looked at her confusedly.

"Why would you not make it? You don't have practice today." Luz shrugged.

"I like to go back home to see if Mami's there and see if I can say hi to her before she leaves for work again. Maybe she can spend the rest of the day with me." Sasha's look darkened as she took her shoulder off Luz's shoulder.

"It'll take longer to get back from there. You promised me yesterday that we would do it." Luz looked down in embarrassment.

"Well, I want to see my mom today. All I said was that maybe I wouldn't make it-" Sasha interrupted her frustratedly.

"No, no, it's fine. Spend the time with your mom. You don't even have to go with me. I can just have fun by myself. Maybe I'll even bring Anne." Luz was surprised at that and gave Sasha a worried look.

"But…graffiti is our thing. I like Anne, but she doesn't do stuff like that. Can't we just do it tomorrow?" Sasha pondered for a moment. Sasha looked at Luz with a conflicted face that had a mixture of annoyance and frustration. It eventually softened and Sasha sighed.

"You know what?" Her face changed from one of annoyance to one of calmness. "It's fine. You can go see your mom. We can do it tomorrow." Luz smiled.

"Thanks, Ellie. Sorry for the change." She looked toward the clock. "Oh shoot. I have class now. See ya!" She ran down the halls, speeding past a No Running sign as she did. Sasha paused in the hall to let Anne and Marcy catch up with her. When Anne was close, she walked over and stopped her.

"Hey, Anne. How would you like to do an activity after school with me?" Anne turned to Sasha with a raised eyebrow.

"Sure, dude. What is it?" Sasha smiled mischievously.

"Something very fun."

School went by quickly with not much happening. Right after school ended, Luz waved goodbye to her friends and went to the metro. She waited on a bench for the train to come by. As she did, someone sat next to her. She was looking at her phone, so she didn't see who it was, but she suddenly felt as if she was being stared at. She looked to get right and saw someone wearing a mask and sunglasses with a large trench goat blocking every other discerning detail. They were currently staring at her, showing no expression behind those amber shades. They both looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity before the person broke the silence.

"Do you believe that even the worst person in the world can change for the better?" The person talked in a slightly garbled voice with a thick accent. Luz didn't really know how to respond to this.

"Uh…sure? Who are you?" The person did not answer the question, instead turning to look towards the train tracks.

"You do not know the answer now to either of those questions. You will soon. Don't worry." Luz raised an eyebrow with an annoyed look on her face.

"Is that a threat, old man?" She heard what sounded like a wry chuckle come from behind the face mask. It sounded slightly weird, putting Luz on edge.

"I have no desire to harm you, Ms. Noceda. The opposite, actually." The a.. Buy

"How do you know my name?" Again, they did not answer the question.

"I will see you again soon. After that, you will be somewhere new and very far away. Until then, Luz." The stranger stood up, tipped their hat to her, his arm bending weirdly, and turned around. "Until then." They then walked away.

Luz was too shocked by the bizarre interaction to go after them, and when she finally decided to, the train had arrived. She looked between the two, trying to make a decision. She kept switching her focus before groaning in annoyance and choosing the train. That guy was probably some rando that wanted to freak her out. But why did she have the feeling it was something more? Chills had run down her back as she spoke to him, but she didn't know why. She quickly put them out of her mind as she walked up the stairs of the exit. She was at least able to say hi to her mom today. She was so focused on getting to her building that she didn't notice the same person behind an unlit streetlight. It dropped the trench coat, sunglasses, mask, and hat to reveal a slim robotic body with red eyes. It gave an eerie robotic sneer as it slowly turned invisible and started following her, the stomp of its robotic feet turning to muffled silence.

Oooh! Looks like the cloakbot is making an early appearance. But why was it dressing up when it can turn invisible? Why is it following Luz in particular? Why am I saying rhetorical questions you'll never answer? We'll just have to see…