TRIGGER WARNINGS: Suicide, mentions of Child Abuse, and Drugging
Reader discretion is advised
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The starless sky was pitch black while the streets of San Francisco were overrun with fog. A young boy sat on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the bay. The boy was dressed in torn brown trousers and a dirty gray sweater with a red striped scarf. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked down at the waves crashing into the rocky wall of the cliff. I can't do this anymore. The boy thought as his feet dangled off the edge. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he slowly began to push himself off.
"What are you doing?" Asked a feminine voice as someone grabbed his shoulder.
The boy, shocked after realizing that he's not alone, swung his head around to see who it was. A woman holding a basket and wearing a long, dark red cloak was standing there watching him. Her eyes were hidden behind the cloak's hood and all that was visible were her thick, rosewood colored lips, golden bronze skin, and a few strands of her black hair. After gaining his attention, the woman retracted her hand and kneeled down on the cold grass.
"What?" The boy asked, still shocked.
"What are you doing sitting on the edge of this cliff? Don't you know that's dangerous?" She said in a calm, yet concerned tone.
"Oh," said the boy, "I was just...," his eyes darted left and right before looking at the woman again, "Sight-seeing." He lied with a sad smile.
"By yourself?" She asked, clearly not falling for his deceit. "Where are your parents? Your friends?"
The boy looked down at the grass and sighed, "Alright you got me. I'm not really sight-seeing."
"Well whatever it is you're doing," the woman placed her hand on his shoulder again, "You shouldn't be here alone."
She got up and turned around. The woman walked away from the edge and set her basket down. She opened the basket and took out a large, red beach towel before laying it down on the ground. She placed her basket on top of it as she sat down on the towel. She looked over at the boy again.
"Would you like to join me for a picnic?" She asked.
The boy thought for a moment, not sure if he should be accepting food from a stranger despite not having a solid meal in days. The woman took out a ceramic container that was covered with a thin cloth on top. The boy's stomach growled loudly when he smelled the scent of freshly baked pork chops and fried rice coming from the container.
Hearing the sound of his stomach, the woman smirked, "I'll take that as a yes."
The boy walked over to her cautiously before sitting down on the towel.
After she served him some food, the boy began quickly devouring everything on his plate. The woman observed this and noticed how raggedy his clothes were.
"Did you get into a fight?" She asked in a concerned tone.
The boy shook his head as he stuffed a pork chop into his mouth.
"Did you get thrown out from somewhere?"
The boy slowly nodded as he munched on his food.
"Hm," she thought for a moment, "Where are your parents?" She asked carefully.
The boy swallowed the food in his mouth before he looked down and sighed.
"Oh…," she frowned, "Sorry I asked."
After some silence, the woman spoke again.
"What's your name?" She asked softly.
The boy looked like he was about to tell her but then stopped. He looked down and sighed in shame.
"Do you have a name?" The woman asked.
The boy looked up at her, "I do, but I don't like it. It's a girl's name."
"Why do you have a girl's name?" She asked.
The boy paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain this to her.
"I'm a boy," he began, "But nobody understands that and everyone thinks I'm a girl."
"I see," the woman didn't seem very surprised, "Well then you don't have to tell me your first name if you don't want to."
The boy sighed in relief and then nodded.
"What's your last name, dear?" She asked softly.
"Reyes!" Said the boy, confidently.
"Oh?" The woman raised an eyebrow, "Is that Mexican?" She asked.
The boy shook his head, "No, but my mother is. My last name is Dominican."
"Ah," said the woman as she stuck her hand out to him, "I'm Tezria Metchez and I'm also Mexican which is why I asked."
The boy shook her hand without hesitation and the woman smiled.
She then removed her hood, revealing her bright, scarlet eyes that pierced through the darkness of the night. Her cloak's neckline dropped, revealing her shiny amulet. The amulet was a teal circle with a thin golden outline and surrounded by sky blue spikes. The chain seemed to be a dark metal that looked almost black.
The boy's eyes were immediately fixated on the woman's amulet. *That necklace,* he thought, Where have I seen that before?
"What's wrong, dear?" She asked, noticing him staring.
"Oh," the boy looked up at her and was taken aback by her bright red gaze, "I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't realize I was staring."
Tezria smiled and patted his shoulder, "It's alright, dear." She held her amulet in her hand, "My sister made this for me when I had my son. She said that the amulet has magical properties and will help me keep my son safe."
The boy looked at the amulet again, "Where is your son now?" He asked.
The woman frowned, "I'm afraid he's lost."
The boy looked up at her with a look of sympathy, "I'm sorry, ma'am."
"Thank you." She responded, still holding onto the necklace.
"This looks really nice," said the boy, attempting to lighten the mood, "You said your sister made this, right?"
Tezria nodded, "Yes she did."
"Was she a jeweler?" He asked. "This looks very professional."
The woman shook her head, "No," she then smirked, "She's a witch."
"A witch?" The boy's eyes widened, "Aren't they evil?"
The boy remembered stories his mother told him about witches from her home country and her close encounter with one.
Tezria, still smiling, shook her head, "No, child. There are many hurtful rumors about witches but not all of them are evil."
"Oh," the boy looked away to the side for a moment before looking back at the woman, "My mother once told me a story about how she saved a little boy from a witch."
The woman scrunched her eyebrows, "Oh really?"
"Yes. She said that back in Mexico there was a witch who lived-"
"In a cabin that's in a large swamp. In the cabin, she saw a little boy." She interrupted.
The boy was surprised, "How'd you know?"
Tezria sighed, "I was there and that boy was my son," she looked down at the necklace, "This was his."
The boy gasped, "I'm so sorry for your loss." He apologized again.
The woman shook her head, "It's alright. After I lost him, I came here to start a new life." She then removed her necklace and smiled as she handed it to him, "You can have this now if you'd like. It will protect you from evil."
The boy held out his hand and Tezria dropped the necklace into his dirty palm.
"Thank you." Said the boy. The moment he closed his fingers, the amulet began to glow. The pale blue light was so bright that it disoriented the boy and nearly stunned him. While he was distracted, the woman reached into her purse and pulled out a tiny glass bottle which contained a grey powder. She removed the cork and poured some of the substance into her hand before blowing it directly into the boy's face. The boy coughed as he simultaneously inhaled the strange powder. The substance blurred his vision and made his entire body feel weak. He didn't feel any pain but he felt like he had just lost his balance.
"What was…," the boy struggled to speak, "That for…?" He then blacked out before his upper body hit the ground.