"All right, officers, I'll make this short and sweet," rang out the voice of the FBI agent. The gathered police looked to where he was standing, with Detective Ventura paying especially close attention. She recognized the purple-suited agent from before when he had briefly visited LA.
"I'm Mr. X, the agent in charge, and this is Jenners," continued the agent, pointing to Jenners, who nodded his head.
"The FBI is conducting an investigation in your jurisdiction, and while I'm not able to tell you the nature of this investigation, the Feds have decided to make you aware of it, just so we don't step on each other's toes," said Mr. X to the room of gathered police officers. Jenners tapped him on the shoulder and whispered into his ear.
"Ah, yes. Thank you, Jenners," said Mr. X. "While I can't disclose details, I can say that if any of you are out on patrol and get a call relating to creatures, monsters, or aliens, I want to be informed of that ASAP."
The police began to murmur amongst themselves as they heard this. Mr. X cleared his throat to get their attention.
"Please don't read too much into that," he said. "I don't want you to jump to any conclusions; I just want your cooperation in this matter. Is that clear?"
The officers nodded and affirmed their response.
"Very well then. You are all dismissed," said Mr. X, clapping his hands. With that, the officers filed out of the room and went to perform their duties. When Detective Ventura tried to leave, she was stopped by Mr. X.
"Detective Ventura," said Mr. X, appearing suddenly in front of her.
"Yes?" she replied plainly.
"I may have use for you in this case after all," began Mr. X, looking hard at the detective. "This investigation may involve those missing girls, and since you already have a connection to that, I might be able to bring you on board."
"Oh, well, thank you, sir," she said, a bit nervous.
"Come now. You should be more excited about this opportunity," said Mr. X. "If you do a good job on this case, I can refer you for a position with the FBI, and that would be quite a promotion for you."
Detective Ventura thought briefly about that. While it was true she wouldn't mind a promotion, she was also leery of Mr. X and didn't fully trust him.
"Speaking of which, have there been any recent developments in the case since the last time we spoke?" asked Mr. X.
"Uh, no, none," replied Ventura.
"Well, I did watch the interview you conducted with the Noceda girl," began the agent. "I must say, it's quite obvious that she's lying."
"You think so?" asked Ventura.
"Come now, Detective," replied Mr. X, "you've been on the force for long enough, so you should easily pick up on her body language and her nervous twitching. Frankly, I expected that after you'd re-watched the interview, you would have realized this on your own."
"I've been busy with other cases," said Ventura.
"I see. And did you do any follow-up into Luz's story?" asked Mr. X.
"No, I didn't," replied Ventura sheepishly.
"Hmm, well, the FBI did," said Mr. X. "We sent agents to the area she supposedly stayed at to try to corroborate her story, and we couldn't find anyone who'd seen even one of the four girls."
"Oh, really?" said Detective Ventura.
"Yes, which means whatever she told you was a lie, and we still don't know the truth of what happened," said Mr. X. Right as he said that, Jenners came up and whispered something in his ear.
"Ahh, good," said Mr. X. "Jenners and I are heading out right now to investigate the Thai girl's restaurant. He tells me there've been reports of strange activity there. Even if it turns out to be nothing, at least we can get lunch. Would you care to join us, Detective?"
"Sure," answered Detective Ventura. As the group walked out of the station, Ventura's eyes looked at a board near the entrance. The board had posters of missing children on it. The detective's eyes focused on one particular poster of a girl with what looked like dyed green hair. She could tell it was dyed because she spotted a tuft of brown hair right above the girl's forehead. However, as she looked closer, she also noticed the image appeared to have been photoshopped. Strangely, it looked as though someone had tried to alter her ears. It was poorly done, as she could tell right away. She read the name under the picture: Amity Blight.
I wonder who that is, thought the detective. I don't remember hearing about a case involving her, so why did someone try to alter her ears?
Meanwhile, over at Thai Go, Anne, her parents, and the Plantars were going about their normal routine. Things had quieted down a lot since they'd taken out the Cloakbot and since their adventure over Christmas. There hadn't been any new threats since they'd taken care of both of those, and their lives had settled into a fairly normal routine. Anne and the Plantars were glad to not have to be on guard all the time, though her parents had taken to enjoying the high they had gotten after beating both Cloakbot and Santa.
"Is it just me, or is anyone else feeling amped up since we fought those robots?" asked Oum.
"Kicked their butts, you mean?" said Bee. "We beat two robots, so I think that means we're ready for a third."
"Sounds like you caught a case of post-battle euphoria," said Hop Pop.
"Nothing like a brush with death to make you feel alive," said Sprig.
"Eh, post-battle euphoria is a little overrated," said Polly, "at least for us, since we face danger on such a regular basis."
"Ah, come on, Polly, surely you still feel something every time we beat impossible odds," said Sprig.
"I do, though I will admit the feeling is starting to fade," answered Polly.
"So what's next? I'm ready to fight!" exclaimed Oum.
"Hopefully nothing," said Anne, finally entering the kitchen. "Unless Andrias sends another robot, we're safe for now. Besides, I have plans for today."
Right as she said that her phone got an alert that Anne quickly read, her face smiling as she saw what it was.
"Oh, great! She's here," she said.
Anne turned around and went back into the restaurant, and a few seconds later, the door opened and Luz, her mother, and Amara walked in, all of them waving at the Boonchuys.
"Good to see you, Anne," said Camila as she walked past Anne, patting her on the head.
"Anne!" said Luz, coming up to her.
"Luz," said Anne excitedly as she came up to Luz, picked her up in her arms, and spun her around before pulling her in for a kiss. Luz was surprised, but closed her eyes and kissed Anne back. As they separated, Luz looked slightly embarrassed.
"What's wrong?" asked Anne.
"Well, nothing; it's just... our parents were watching," said Luz, her face blushing.
Anne turned to look and saw that not only were her parents watching, but so were the Plantars and Amara, all of them smiling. Anne looked at Camila, and without missing a beat, said,
"Hello, Ms. Noceda."
"Hello, Anne," replied Camila, giving Anne a coy smile while trying not to laugh.
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy," said Luz, nervously waving at them.
"Hello, Luz," said Oum, giving Luz a look. Bee kept staring at Luz before finally saying.
"So, Luz, do you like kissing my daughter?"
Luz's face went bright red, and she brought up her hands to cover it.
"DAD!" exclaimed Anne, her own face lighting up red.
"Aye, stop it, Bee," said Oum, coming over to punch him in the arm. "You're embarrassing Anne."
"I'm not trying to embarrass Anne," said Bee. "But I can't help it if it's so easy to rile Luz up."
Luz had gone over to one of the tables, her hands still covering her face, and sat down, trying to remain hidden. Anne finally came over to her and tried to pry her hands away from her face, but Luz wouldn't budge.
"Relax, Luz; it's just my dad trying to be funny." She turned to face Bee, glaring at him as she did. "Emphasis on TRYING."
"I think I'm fine like this. In fact, I think I'll just sit here and keep my face covered forever," said Luz, firmly keeping her hands on her face.
"Aw, but if you keep your hands like that, I won't get to look at your beautiful face," said Anne.
Luz thought about that, and after a bit, she finally did lower her hands. Her face was still bright red, but she did look at Anne and smile. She got up from her chair and walked straight up to Bee.
"As a matter of fact, I do like kissing your daughter! A lot, actually!" she said in the most confident voice she could muster, trying not to falter as she looked at Bee.
"Well, good, I just wanted to make sure," said Bee, trying to keep a straight face.
"Oh, and I'm going to get you back for this, Mr. Boonchuy," said Luz. "Just you wait. I'm going to make it good."
"I'll be waiting," said Bee. The two looked at each other before both broke down laughing. Anne and Oum both let out a sigh, and each gave Bee a punch on either side of his arm.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop," said Bee, trying to defend himself.
"You better," said Oum a bit forcefully. "Remember what I did to that Cloakbot?"
"Don't forget about how I fought the Santa bot," said Camila, coming up to him and raising her fist.
"In any case, I'm glad you're finally here," said Anne to Luz. "That means we can all head out to the movies."
"Are we all set then?" asked Amara.
"So, Anne, what's the big deal about this "'movie theater'?'" asked Sprig. "I mean, your dad has shown us a lot of movies at home."
"Well, the big difference is that the movies my dad has shown you are all old. They were made years ago, but the ones at this theater are new," explained Anne. "The other big difference is the picture and sound. There's a whole world of difference between watching movies at home and seeing them on the big screen."
"Well, I'm excited," said Polly.
"Me too," said Amara. "It's amazing what humans can do with special effects."
"Alright, you kids go have fun," said Camila. "And don't worry, if anything comes up, we can handle it."
"I appreciate the offer, Mom," said Luz, "but it's probably better if you leave the dangerous stuff to us. We have a lot more experience dealing with it. Plus, I don't want to see you get hurt."
"Come on, Luz, you saw how Oum and I handled that Cloakbot and how I fought off that Santa robot," said Camila. "We can help you if you need it."
"We shouldn't need it," said Anne. "I suppose Andrias could send more robots after us, but it's been a bit since Christmas and he hasn't. I really hope we're in the clear, and now we can just focus on getting back to Amphibia."
"I hope so too," said Amara. "It would be nice to not have to constantly worry about some robot trying to kill us or some crazy scientist wanting to dissect us."
"That's exactly why I feel today is a great day for us to all go to the movies," said Anne.
"Right, but are you sure you want us to all go too?" asked Amara.
"What? Why would you ask that?" replied Anne, confused.
"I just thought that maybe you and Luz wanted some alone time," said Amara. "Thought you might like it more if you went to the movies by yourself without the rest of us."
"What? That's crazy!" said Luz. "We love you guys, and we want you to come with us."
"Yeah," added Anne. "Luz and I can go to the movies whenever we want, but this is your guys' first time on Earth." She paused before adding, "I hope it won't be your only time, but still, you guys should get to experience the fun parts of this place."
"You guys are basically like family at this point," said Luz. "There's no way we'd leave you behind. Like Anne said, we'll have time for ourselves, just the two of us, but today is not one of those days. We want you to come with us and have fun."
The Plantars and Amara looked at each other and smiled.
"Well, when you put it like that, who are we to say no?" said Hop Pop, and the group let out a cheer as they followed Anne and Luz out the front door. The two girls turned back to say bye to their parents as they left. Camila, Oum, and Bee all stared wistfully at the door.
"They really are growing up, aren't they?" she asked.
"Yeah, I suppose they are," answered Oum. She gave a mischievous grin before adding, "I wonder how long before the wedding?"
Camila's face turned bright red as she said, "Aye, come on, Oum, it's too soon to be thinking of that."
Oum gave her a coy smile. After a beat, Camila continued.
"That being said," she began, bringing up one of her arms and pulling in Oum, "I would be delighted…" She repeated the gesture with her other arm, pulling in Bee, "... to call both of you family if that day ever comes."
Oum and Bee both smiled at that, returning the hug to Camila.
"All right, here we are, Thai Go," said Mr. X. As he looked at the restaurant from the car, Detective Ventura looked nervously at the restaurant, too.
"So, are we just picking up lunch and heading back to the station?" asked Ventura.
"No, Detective, we're not just here for lunch. We're also conducting an investigation," said Mr. X.
"What kind of investigation?" asked Ventura.
"I want to know if this family is hiding anything," said Mr. X. He turned to his assistant. "Jenny, stay here and monitor any security cam activity. If we pick up anything on those strange creatures, I want to know immediately. Ventura and I will go in and get lunch, as well as ask some questions. Detective, since you have some familiarity with this family, you can take the lead."
He reached into his jacket and passed her a photo. It was the one from the highway that showed Luz and Anne crossing it with the other strange creatures around them.
"See if you can find out more about the creatures in that photo," said Mr. X.
With that, the two got out of the car and walked toward the restaurant. Detective Ventura got there first and opened the door, but Mr. X got in front of her and forced his way in first.
"Welcome to Thai Go," said Oum in a warm voice as she saw the customers enter.
"Detective Ventura, is that you?" asked Camila as she noticed the woman.
"Yes, it's me," replied Kaite.
"Oh, it's good to see you again," said Oum.
"Who's this with you?" asked Camila, noticing the man, who looked a bit strange. He was a tall, bald man who seemed to wear purple lipstick, dressed in a matching purple suit with white slacks. He also had an earbud on his right ear, and unless she was mistaken, he had on those wheelie shoes that she had seen a lot of kids wearing.
"I'm just a temporary partner who's working with Ms. Ventura on a case," said the man as he picked up a menu. "We'll take one pad see ew. You can bring it over to the table when it's ready."
With that, he went over to sit at an unoccupied table, giving Detective Ventura a look as he did. The detective looked between him and Oum, not sure what to say next, though after a bit she spoke.
"So, I figure since I'm here, I may as well ask. Uh, how are things going?"
"Things are great," replied Oum.
"Good, good to hear," said Ventura, "How is Anne?"
"Anne is fine," said Oum. "She's been adjusting well to being back."
"Good," said the detective, nervously fidgeting with her hands, and after a pause, she continued, "So, I was just wondering... when Anne and Luz came back, did they say anything about someone else coming back with them?"
Oum was immediately put on guard by that question. She glanced over at Camila, who fidgeted nervously.
"Why do you ask?" said Oum.
"We had received some new information regarding the case, and I wanted to follow up and see if they had mentioned anything," replied Ventura.
"I mean, our daughters came back. Luz made a statement to you," said Camila, coming up to the detective. "I thought we'd already dealt with this."
Ventura briefly glanced over at Mr. X, who returned her look with a cold stare. She looked back at the parents before continuing.
"Unfortunately, as long as there are still two other girls missing, this investigation is still ongoing," said Ventura, "so I need to know if either of your daughters mentioned anything about coming back to LA with anyone else with them."
"Look, we've already been over this," said Oum, a little forcefully to the detective, "I'd like to not talk about it anymore. We're all just trying to get back to a normal life."
Detective Ventura was about to respond until Mr. X got up out of his seat and walked toward the counter.
"Now, now, Mrs. Boonchuy," he said, "I feel it's only fair to warn you that lying to a federal agent is a very serious crime."
"Federal agent?" said Oum.
Mr. X took out his badge and showed it to her, causing her to sweat and let out a small gulp. She looked up at this face before saying.
"Yes, very nice. Hooray, government."
"Why is the federal government interested in our children?" asked Camila to the agent.
Again, Ventura tried to speak before being interrupted by the agent.
"The federal government has been involved ever since your children were reported missing. Detective Ventura here forwarded your case to us, and we've been tirelessly trying to find them."
Detective Ventura glared at him, as she knew that wasn't true. The Feds hadn't helped her at all and had only become interested in the case once Anne and Luz had already returned.
He took a pause, turning to Camila before continuing, "In fact, we sent agents to investigate the area that Luz said she and her friends stayed in. But funny enough, we couldn't seem to find anyone who could corroborate her story."
Oum and Camila looked nervously at each other as they considered what to say. Thankfully, at that moment, Bee came out of the kitchen.
"Order of pad se ew," he called out. Mr. X looked delighted and decided to stop his interrogation.
"Over here, deary," said Mr. X, motioning Bee to a table. Bee came over and set the food down on the table.
"Mmmm, it smells divine. Compliments to the chef," said Mr. X to Bee.
"Oh, thank you," said Bee.
Mr. X picked up his fork and was about to eat when, suddenly, Jenners burst through the door, showing Mr. X something on a monitor. Oum, Bee, and Camila saw what was there and gulped. The image was a real-time display of Luz and Anne riding on their bikes with the Plantars and Amara. Camila, Oum, and Bee all gulped as they saw that.
"Dang it! Right as the food gets here, duty calls," said Mr. X. He turned to look at the parents. "Thank you for your time, sweeties, but it looks like I won't need to ask any further questions today. Let's get this show on the road. Come on!"
"Right behind you, Mr. X," she said. She turned around briefly and took some money out to pay for the orders before following Mr. X outside the door.
Oum looked at the money the detective had left and saw that she had also put something else with it. It seemed to be a photo of some kind. Oum turned it over and let out a gasp as she saw what it was. An image of Anne and Luz crossing the highway with the Plantars and Amara.
"Oh, no!" said Oum loudly, and she quickly showed the picture to Camila.
"Wait, what is this?" asked Camila.
"Is that the Plantars and Amara?" asked Bee, looking at the picture.
"Yes, it is," said Oum, "and they were on that screen that the other guy had."
"I think the government might be onto us," said Camila. "I found it a bit weird that they were asking us all those questions."
"What do we do?" asked Bee.
"We need to get over to the theater right now," said Oum, grabbing Bee and Camila and dragging them to the van. A moment later, they were on their way. Right as they took off, Bee got a call on his phone.
"Hello, Mr. Boonchuy," said the voice on the other end. "I just got done with that delivery. I'm on my way back to the restaurant."
"No, wait!" yelled Mr. Boonchuy, suddenly coming up with an idea. "Meet us at the Movie Theater on Atlantic. We need your help with something."
"What happened?" asked the voice. Bee quickly explained the situation to him.
"Oh, wow, it looks like Luz and Anne need our help. I'll see you there," said the voice on the other end before hanging up.
"Are you sure he will be able to help us?" asked Oum.
"He already knows about the frogs," said Bee. "We could use all the extra help we can get."
"Fine, but we need to call Anne and let her know," said Oum, taking out her phone and calling her daughter.
"I'll call Luz too," said Camila.
At the movie theater, Luz, Anne, and the amphibians were seated, watching the previews that were playing. Finally, the trailer ended.
"And now, what you've all been waiting for..." began the movie announcer, "another trailer!"
On the screen, the image of a cheerleader jumping up into the air came on. Hop Pop let out a groan.
"Twenty minutes of trailers," he exclaimed, "and you people call yourselves civilized."
"I'm not sure why the theater still bothers with trailers," said Amara. "Most people watch them online nowadays."
"Wait, what?" said Hop Pop. "These trailers are available online, and they're still making us sit through this?!"
"I assume someone is making money off showing trailers in theaters," said Luz plainly.
"Yeah, probably," agreed Anne. "It just sucks that if you show up at the theater on time, you have to sit through a bunch of trailers that you don't care about."
"Tell me about it," said Luz. "The Cheerleader Musical series had been going downhill ever since three."
"Don't tell Sasha that," said Anne in a coy voice. "Five is her favorite."
"What? Five?!" exclaimed Luz. "The one that had Riley and Brett break up at the beginning, only to spend the whole movie singing about how much they miss each other and then get back together at the end?"
"Yep," said Anne plainly.
"What's with you humans and having movie series go on for so long?" asked Amara.
"I'm okay with it," said Polly, emerging from the popcorn bucket. "Human movies are much better than anything we have in Amphibia."
Amara looked at Polly and rolled her eyes. As the movie finally started, Sprig seemed a little unnerved by just how loud it was.
"Does anyone else feel like this audio-video experience is a little overwhelming?" he asked, shrinking into his seat.
"Entertainment that makes your ears bleed," said Polly. "I'm here for it, baby! That's why human movies are AMAZING!"
She looked over at Amara. "Want some popcorn?"
"No thanks, I'm good," said Amara, looking at the popcorn that Polly was sitting in.
"I have to admit, it is pretty difficult to hear anything," said Anne.
"Yeah, but the movie is what we came for, so what else is there to hear?" asked Luz.
Luz and Anne had put their phones on vibrate and didn't realize that they were both vibrating. Their parents were desperately trying to get ahold of them and warn them of the danger headed their way.
"She's not answering," said Oum in a worried voice.
"Neither is Luz," said Camila.
"We'll never catch up to them in this traffic," said Bee.
"That's because you drive like an old man!" said Oum, reaching over and grabbing the steering wheel from him. "Camila, hold on!"
Camila looked down to make sure her seatbelt was fastened, and it was a good thing she did, as seconds later, the van began to lean to the side. Oum steered the van toward the emergency lane, tipping it to the side and bypassing the traffic. They managed to pull in front of the car that Mr. X and Detective Ventura were in. Inside the car, Mr. X was playing some weird electronic music.
"Can we please put on something else?" asked Ventura.
"Hey, my car, my music," answered Mr. X.
"This technically isn't your car, though, is it?" she replied, "It's a plain car from the department."
Mr. X didn't respond but simply glared at her. Though as he turned his head, he didn't notice the car that had pulled in front of him.
"X, watch out!" called Ventura, pointing to the car.
Mr. X noticed the car and quickly swerved to avoid hitting it. He pulled ahead and put his foot down on the gas, quickly driving out of sight.
"Oh, no!" said Oum and Bee at the same time.
"Well, that didn't work," said Camila with a sigh.
Back at the movies, Luz, Anne, and the amphibians exited the theater they were in, their movie having finished.
"Well, it was no Suspicion Island," said Hop Pop.
"Oh, did you see the movie version of that?" asked Luz. "I loved the big twist at the end where it turns out that—"
"No! Don't say anything, Luz," said Anne, bringing her hand up to cover Luz's mouth. "He was talking about the show. I haven't shown the Plantars the movie version of that yet."
"What did you say?" yelled Sprig
"Wait, there's a movie version of Suspicion Island?" asked Polly, intrigued.
"Yeah, I really should show you guys that at some point," said Anne.
"What's Suspicion Island?" asked Amara. The Plantars all gasped as she said that, and they immediately pulled Amara aside and began telling her all about the show. Luz and Anne let out a laugh.
"So, what did you think of the movie?" asked Luz.
"I thought the protagonist was pretty fun," said Anne. "I liked that she was very flawed and had room to grow."
Right as Anne said that, she pulled out her phone to see if she had missed anything while watching the movie. Her eyes widened as she saw the numerous missed calls and texts from her mother. She quickly read the texts, which had warnings about an FBI agent in a purple suit coming after them. At the same time, Luz looked at her phone and saw similar messages from her own mom. The two girls looked up at the entrance of the movie theater, and at that moment, as if on cue, Mr. X walked into the theater, doing a dramatic spin. Luz tensed up as she noticed Detective Ventura was there with him. The two girls turned to each other.
"Oh, crud," they said at the same time.
"Back inside!" said Anne, quickly ushering the amphibians to another theater.
"Hurry!" commanded Luz.
"No, not another!" begged Sprig.
"Hmm, those are the girls, aren't they?" asked Mr. X to Ventura, looking to see where they had gone.
"Uh, yeah, it looked like them," said Ventura in a hesitant voice. "Maybe you should let me go talk to them."
"You can talk to them once we bring them into the station," said Mr. X. "For now, stay with Jenny and watch the front entrance; make sure they don't go out this way."
Jenners came up to the door, holding a strange device in his hands. He nodded to Mr. X and the detective and began scanning the people as they left the theater. Mr. X followed the girls into the theater.
"What's going on?" asked Amara, as the group huddled together, trying not to be seen.
"There's a secret agent after us," said Anne in a hushed whisper.
"That guy in the purple suit," said Luz, "he's working with Detective Ventura."
"What do you think he wants?" asked Anne. Right as she said that, she noticed Mr. X sitting down in a row right above her. He looked down at Luz, Anne, and the amphibians.
"Tell me, are you folks from the area?" asked Mr. X, "or just visiting?"
"We're just visiting," said Amara quickly. "Los Angeles is a big tourist spot, after all. Lots to see here."
"I see," continued Mr. X. "Where exactly are you from?"
"Uh, Canada," said Amara quickly.
"Where in Canada?" asked Mr. X.
"Alberta," replied Amara, doing her best to keep up with Mr. X.
"Oh, I love Alberta, especially its capital city, Royal Goosington," said Mr. X.
Amara hesitated as she struggled to remember if that was the correct capital of Alberta, but before she could answer, Sprig quickly jumped in.
"Yeah, Royal Goosington is amazing! There are so many geese in the fall."
Mr. X took a sip of his soda before replying in a confident voice.
"There is no such city as Royal Goosington."
Luz, Anne, and the amphibians all let out a scream before running from the theater. Mr. X took another sip from his drink before saying.
"Oh, how I love a good chase."
The group ran out of the theater and toward the front doors, hoping to quickly get away. As they got closer, they stopped, noticing that the front door was blocked by Detective Ventura and someone else. A man with blonde hair was using a device to scan the people exiting the theater.
"Dang," said Anne as she and the group hid behind the ticket counter.
"Can't go out that way," said Luz.
At that moment, Anne's phone vibrated. She picked it up and quickly answered it.
"They're watching the exit. We need to find another way out," she said to her dad.
"We're coming in to help," replied Bee.
"No!" said Anne. "I don't want you getting into trouble. We can handle it."
"Tell her we are adults, and we know what we're doing," said Oum from the driver's seat.
"Luz, don't worry, we'll figure something out," said Camila from the backseat.
"What?" said Luz, leaning over to try to talk into the phone.
"Aye, this is too complicated," said Bee. "Here, let me try putting you on speakerphone."
Bee began fumbling with the phone, trying to figure out how to do it. "Okay, let's see." He pressed a random button on the phone.
In the next instant, the phone had switched to an image of an elderly woman speaking Thai.
"Whoops, I think I accidentally called your grandmother," said Bee.
The woman on the phone looked at Anne as she continued to speak Thai. At some point, her eyes moved over to Luz, staring at her for a long time before she said something else in Thai.
"Oh, hi, grandma," said Anne in a pleasant voice, waving at the phone. "Yes, Luz is really cute, isn't she?"
Anne quickly switched her tone before continuing, "Mom, Dad, just stay in the car where it's safe. We'll meet you outside."
"We can handle this. Don't worry, Mama," said Luz into the phone.
"Bye, grandma. Love you," said Anne to the phone before ending the call.
At that moment, the Boonchuys' van pulled up to the movie theater, and the adults all looked at the entrance and saw Jenners scanning all the people who were leaving.
"How can we get them out? They're cornered!" said Oum.
"Let's just go in and rush out," said Camila, opening the side door of the van.
"Wait, Camila, what are you doing?" asked Bee.
"Taking the direct approach," she said as she closed the door, and right as she did, someone else came up to the van. Camila was nervous until she saw who it was.
"Oh, you made it!" she said to the Lyft Driver.
"Yeah, I got Mr. Boonchuy's message. Are the kids still trapped in the theater?" he asked.
"Yes, and we're trying to think of a way to get them out," said Oum.
"We don't need a plan," said Camila. "We just need to get in there and run past the guy with the scanner."
"Camila, wait, we should take some time to think about this," said Oum.
"Well, if you two want to think, go ahead," said Camila. "I know what I'm doing."
With that, she took off and made her way to the entrance. The Lyft Driver glanced at the Boonchuys before looking at where Camila had gone.
"I'll go with her, just in case she needs help. You guys can try thinking up a better plan if you want. Good luck," he said, walking to join Camila.
"You think they will be able to get them out?" asked Oum to Bee.
"Maybe, but in case they can't, I have an idea!" exclaimed Bee. "Not only how to get them out, but to deal with these agents, too. Quick, to the pet store!"
Oum took off immediately, almost tipping the van over as she drove.
"Ah! Honey, take it easy!" said Bee.
Camila ran up to the entrance of the movie theater, and as she did, she spotted Luz, Anne, and the amphibians hiding behind a ticket counter. She waved to Luz, who noticed her, and smiled, but in the next instant, her smile faded as she looked over and saw the purple-suited agent. Mr. X looked at the group and pulled out a taser, his face forming an evil smile. The group quickly ran away, with Mr. X close behind. Camila gulped as she moved to the door, trying to get inside.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but this area is closed off to the public right now…" began Detective Ventura before seeing who it was. "Camila, what are you doing here?"
"Hello again, Ms. Ventura," said Camila in a warm voice to the detective. "I'm just here to pick up my daughter."
"Alright, well, you can wait outside until she comes to meet you," said Detective Ventura in a firm voice.
"Oh, but uh, I also needed to use the restroom," said Camila, trying to sneak past the detective.
"Well, I'm sorry, but at the current moment, you can't," said Detective Ventura, blocking Camila.
Camila looked past the detective. The group had left her view, and she couldn't see them anymore. Camila tried desperately to think of what she could do.
"So, hey, can we get in if we have a ticket?" asked the Lyft Driver, coming up to where Camila was.
"No, I'm afraid not," said Ventura. "There's a police investigation going on so until—"
Right as she said that her walkie-talkie came to life.
"Guys, you're not going to believe this," came the voice from the other end.
"They're big, beautiful, talking frog monsters," continued Mr. X. "Call in the troops."
"Wait, did I hear that right?" asked Detective Ventura, speaking into the walkie-talkie. "Frog monsters?!"
Both the Lyft Driver and Camila tensed up at hearing that.
"Yes, you heard that right," said Mr. X in an annoyed tone, "and I believe I said to call in the troops. Get me back up here now!"
Detective Ventura hesitated before changing the frequency. "All units in the area, backup requested at the movie theater on Atlantic Blvd. Repeat, all units."
As she made the call for backup, she moved away from the door leading into the theater. Camila and the Lyft Driver exchanged a look before nodding and running into the theater together.
"Hey!" called the detective, as they rushed past her.
"Mija, where are you?" called Camila.
"Luz! Anne! We're here to get you out," called the Lyft Driver. The two turned to a new hall, where they finally saw Luz, Sprig, and Amara.
"Luz!" called Camila. Luz turned around and let out a sigh of relief.
"Mama, what are you doing here?" she asked as the three came over to her.
"We came in to get you out," answered Camila.
"Yeah, we have to go before the cavalry comes in," said the Lyft Driver. "Wait, where are the others?"
"We got separated," said Sprig. "To try to escape Mr. X, we hid in a closet, but as we were escaping, he managed to get ahold of Hop Pop and pull him back."
"We were ahead, so Anne told us to run," said Amara. "I don't know where she is."
"Well, let's get you three out of here first, then Camila and I can look for Anne," said the Lyft Driver, who motioned with his hand. "Come on, this way. There's an exit."
"Are you sure?" asked Luz.
"I've been to this theater a lot, so I know where the exits are," said the Lyft Driver, leading the group. A short while later, they found the back exit and raced toward it, though as they did, they heard the sound.
"I saw them head this way!" came the voice of Mr. X. "They're heading for the back of the theater."
The group ran faster toward the exit. As Mr. X pursued them, a voice came through his walkie-talkie.
"I'll head them off," came the voice of Detective Ventura.
The group finally reached the door, though Camila and the Lyft Driver looked back at the agents pursuing them, they'd come around the corner soon and spot them.
"Go, Mija!" commanded Camila, pushing Luz, Sprig, and Amara toward the door. "Anne's parents are outside. Find them, and we'll meet up later."
"But—" protested Luz.
"We'll distract them somehow," said the Lyft Driver. "Just go!"
The three hesitated for a second before quickly fleeing out the door. Right as the door closed, a group of agents led by Mr. X came around the corner.
"What do we do?" asked the Lyft Driver.
Camila looked between the agents and the Lyft Driver. "I have an idea."
As the agents got closer, Camila reached toward the Lyft Driver's face and pulled him close to her…
… before slapping him hard across the face.
The Lyft Driver let out a surprised shout as he brought his hand up to his face. The pursuing agents stopped to observe the scene.
"How dare you say that to me?!" yelled Camila in a loud voice.
The Lyft Driver was stunned and looked at Camila, who quickly faltered.
"Oh, crap," she whispered to the Lyft Driver. "I was trying to make a scene to distract them, but I have no idea what to do now!"
The Lyft Driver realized what she was trying to do and played along.
"Oh, yeah? Well, I meant it! Every word!" he said, raising his voice. "You really are overbearing and stubborn! I can't be around you anymore."
"Well, I think you… you… really stink!" said Camila, unable to come up with something better. Her eyes looked desperately at the Lyft Driver for help.
"I, uh… I'm trying a new deodorant. You're always on my case about this! Why can't you ever give me a break?" said the Lyft Driver.
"I have given you a break!" yelled Camila, still hoping she could distract Mr. X and the agents, "but I can't give you any more."
"Excuse me," said Mr. X, trying to interrupt.
"Well, I always thought your glasses were stupid!" said the Lyft Driver to Camila, glancing at Mr. X and the agents.
"I'll have you know these frames are designer frames!" said Camila.
"Must have been by a designer who was blind!" said the Lyft Driver.
"Excuse me!" said Mr. X more forcefully.
"Excuse you!" said the Lyft Driver, turning to look at him. "We're trying to have a conversation here."
"Where are the frog aliens?!" yelled Mr. X.
"There are no frog aliens," said Camila, looking into Mr. X's face. "If you smelled something funny, it must have been him." She pointed to the Lyft Driver as she said that.
"I saw something exit out those doors," said Mr. X, pointing to the exit doors.
"We were the only ones here," said the Lyft Driver. "We were trying to have a conversation like adults, but she's too stubborn to be reasoned with."
"I'm too stubborn?!" yelled Camila. "How dare you?!"
She reached forward and slapped the Lyft Driver in the face again, causing him to let out another shout of pain and grab his face.
"Hey, hey, stop it!" said Mr. X, stepping in between the two and trying to break them up. Right as he did, he got a call on his phone, and he quickly answered it.
"Yes, what is it, Jenny?" he asked. A few seconds later, he said, "You found them? You saw them run into a bathroom? Head over there right now! I'll meet you there!"
Mr. X motioned for a group of agents to follow him. He looked once more at Camila and the Lyft Driver.
"Take them in for questioning," he said. "They snuck into the theater after Detective Ventura had already closed it to the public, so they're obviously hiding something."
"I don't know what you're talking about. We didn't sneak in," said the Lyft Driver, suddenly getting nervous.
"Yeah, we were already here seeing a movie... together," said Camila, moving closer to the Lyft Driver. She put her arm through his and pulled him close trying to sell the lie.
Mr. X simply glared at them before pulling out his taser again and running off toward the bathroom.
"I'll be right there, Jenny," he said into his phone. "Let's see who those visitors really are!"
Camila and the Lyft Driver were left alone, looking at the remaining agents who were with them.
"Alright, you two are coming with us," said one agent.
"Wait, uh, we… want a lawyer," said the Lyft Driver.
"We'll get you a lawyer at the station," said another agent, moving forward to grab the Lyft Driver. Right before he did, the lights in the theater went out, plunging it into darkness.
"Huh, what's going on?" asked an agent as he fumbled in the dark.
"Where did they go?" asked another.
"I can't see anything!" said a third.
As they struggled to see what was happening, the sound of a door opening was heard. Eventually one of the agents turned on a flashlight that he had. The other agents looked around, but Camila and the Lyft Driver were nowhere to be found.
Back in the movie theater Anne, Hop-pop, and Polly were hiding in a bathroom stall, all of them having a worried expression on their faces. Anne lifted her feet up off the ground so no one could she see was in the stall, but she was so tall it was hard to do.
"Do you think Luz was able to get away?" asked Anne worriedly.
"I sure hope so," said Hop-pop, "we were lucky to get away after that agent grabbed me."
"He saw what you looked like," said Polly, "he knows we're frogs."
"We sure are in trouble," said Hop-pop, "I hope Sprig, Luz, and Amara are okay."
"Was it the right call to tell them to run?" wondered Anne out loud.
"Yes, it was," said Hop-pop, "That agent had us, if at least someone got away they could always help us later."
"I won't let anything happen to you," said Anne, "don't worry we still outnumber that one agent, when he comes in we'll rush him and then run out."
The group heard the door to the bathroom open, and a voice speak as it did.
"Let's grab ourselves some frog aliens," said the voice. As he spoke they heard the sound of footsteps, multiple footsteps, which made Anne scared.
Oh crap, she thought to herself, he's not alone anymore. Luz… Sprig… I really hope you and Amara were able to get away.
Polly and Hop-pop heard the footsteps as well, both looking at each other before looking nervously at Anne. Anne held them tighter. She knew that even if they were outnumbered they still had to try and fight.
"Okay everyone, on three," said Anne pressing her feet against the toilet and getting ready to leap off., "go for the eyes." Polly and Hop-pop nodded.
"One… two…" began Anne, right before she said three the lights in the movie theater went out.
"What's going on?" asked an agent.
"The powers off," said another.
"Stay on your toes," said a third.
While all this was going on, there was a sound of power tools heard in the bathroom. The agents continued to struggle to see what was going on.
"They're getting away!" said a fourth.
"Watch where you're stepping, said a fifth.
Finally, Mr. X turned on a flashlight, so the agents could see and pointed it down to the toilet of the open stall. His light shined on two frogs and a tadpole in a bag of were placed on the toilet seat. The gathered agents all looked at the sight before them before one of them who was close to Mr. X began to laugh.
"Nice frog aliens sir," he said.
"Uh I've heard of little green men," said another, "but this is ridiculous."
Jenners scooped up the frogs into his arms. Mr. X seemed unperturbed
"It's alright, Detective Ventura was covering the back exit."
Mr. X got on his walkie-talkie, "Katie come in! Did you catch the frog aliens?"
"No, sir, I'm at the back entrance there's no one here?" came the reply.
"What?!" said Mr. X in exasperation, "what do you mean there's no one there?"
"Exactly what I mean," replied Ventura, "I'm here at the back exit there are no frog aliens."
Mr. X closed his eyes and let out a growl before bringing his hand up to his forehead and rubbing it.
"Looks like our little friends are smarter than I thought," he said, he turned to Jenners, "We're going to have fun with this one Jenny, and we'll have the last laugh!"
Bee emerged from a grate in the wall with Anne, Hop-pop, and Polly close behind.
"I don't believe this," said Anne as Bee helped her down, "Dad, Mom, how did you–?"
"Well parents have a special set of skills," said Oum with a mischievous smile.
Bee was about to explain what had happened when they heard a voice call out to them.
"Anne!" said Luz coming around the corner.
"Luz you made it!" said Anne running up to her girlfriend. Luz almost knocked her over with a hug.
"Anne," called Sprig hopping up to join them hugging both Anne and Luz.
"Oh good you managed to get away," said Amara joining them, Anne pulled her into the hug as well.
"While I love that you're happy to see us, those agents are still here," said Amara, "we'd better leave while we have the chance."
"Yeah good call," agreed Anne, leading the group to the van. They all piled in. Oum started it up and they took off.
Outside the theater, Camila and the Lyft Driver ran from the exit as fast as they could, trying to put as much distance as possible between them and the theater. As they got to the parking lot, Camila looked around.
"Oh no, I don't see the Boonchuys or Luz. What happened to them?" she asked.
"Give Luz a call," suggested the Lyft Driver. "Maybe they got away already?"
Camila quickly dialed Luz's number, and after a few rings, she answered.
"Luz, are you okay?" asked Camila.
"Yeah, I'm fine, mama," replied Luz. "Anne's fine too, and so are the Plantars."
"I'm here, Ms. Noceda," said Anne into the phone.
Camila let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's good. Were you all able to get away, then?"
"Yes, we were," said Anne into the phone. "Turns out my parents were able to come up with a great plan, involving my old tee-ball coach and mom performing a magic trick with Domino. They managed to throw that agent off the trail."
"I knew my plan would work!" said Bee in triumph.
"I have to say, I'm surprised," said Anne, "but my mom and dad can actually be quite resourceful. I guess I misjudged them."
"We have your daughter," said Oum into the phone. "We'll take her back to the restaurant. You can meet us there."
"Alright, see you soon," said Camila, hanging up the phone.
"Do you need a ride back then?" asked the Lyft Driver.
"Yes, please," said Camila. They walked over to his car, and he opened the passenger side door for her.
"Oh, I'm so sorry for slapping you," she said in embarrassment. "I panicked and didn't know what to do."
The Lyft Driver reached up and massaged his cheek where Camila had struck him. "Well, I gotta say, you sure have a mean throwing arm. I would hate to be on the wrong side of your anger, for real. But hey, it all worked out in the end, so no harm done."
"Still, thanks for going along with it," said Camila.
"I've had some improv training. Guess it's helpful for situations like this," replied the Lyft Driver.
"Oh, you mean like acting?" asked Camila.
The Lyft Driver hesitated before replying, "Yeah, something like that."
Back at the station, Mr. X was fuming. He had called Detective Ventura to ask what happened at the theater.
"I thought you said you were going to intercept them at the back exit!" yelled Mr. X to Detective Ventura.
"There was no one there when I got to the back," replied Detective Ventura.
"Are you sure?" asked Mr. X, glaring at her.
"Yes, I'm sure," replied the detective, standing her ground.
"I could have sworn that at least one of the girls was running down that hall with those two adults who managed to sneak right past you," said Mr. X.
"I was calling in your backup like you wanted," countered Ventura.
Mr. X paused, trying to think of a retort to that. "Were you not able to do both?"
"I'm sorry, I was distracted," said Detective Ventura. "Besides, the woman who snuck past me was just picking up her daughter, so I don't think she was involved in your frog aliens thing, which, by the way, turned out to be false. Thanks for wasting the department's time on that."
Again, Mr. X paused before saying, "This isn't over! I'm going to get those frog aliens if it's the last thing I do. I know what I saw! I suppose I can keep you around, Detective, but I hope that next time when I ask you for help in catching suspects, you'll actually be able to help."
With that, Mr. X stormed off. Jenners gave Detective Ventura a look before following him. She let out a sigh and went back to her workstation, and as she did, she again passed by that picture of the girl with green hair. She wondered why the image had been altered and decided to look more into the case.
She sat down at her computer and typed in the girl's name, only to be surprised when the search turned up no results.
That's strange, she thought to herself. How can there be no case opened on this missing person if there's a poster up for her?
Detective Ventura, again, typed the name in, trying a few other databases to see if any more information popped up about the girl, but none did. Deciding that she may as well take advantage of the fact that the FBI was here, she went over to find Mr. X.
"What exactly do you need from me?" he asked in a huff.
"I need you to check the nationwide database for a missing girl," said the detective.
"You can't do that yourself?" asked Mr. X in an annoyed tone.
"I could," she said, "but seeing as I know you have more clearance than me, I'd rather have you do it, so I know for sure whether a case file was opened or not."
Mr. X let out a sigh before going over to her computer. "What was her name again?"
"Amity Blight," answered Ventura.
Mr. X typed in the name and looked for any sort of results. After a few minutes of looking, he replied.
"There's no case anywhere in the country with that name."
"Are you sure?" asked Detective Ventura.
"See for yourself," said Mr. X, showing her the screen. The detective's eyes quickly looked over the screen as she confirmed what Mr. X had said, which only puzzled her further.
"But there's a missing person's poster for her here in the station," she said, pointing to the poster. "How can that be if no case file was ever opened for her?"
"I don't know, Detective," said Mr. X in a huff. "Sounds to me like local police incompetence. Maybe you should ask around your office. If that's all, I'm going. I have more important things to work on."
Mr. X walked away, while Detective Ventura continued to stare at the screen, wondering how it was possible that no missing person's case had been filed on this green-haired girl. She noticed there was a number to call on the poster and decided to call it to see if she could get any more information, the phone rang twice before someone answered.
"Hello," said a woman's voice on the other end, "are you calling with information about Amity Blight?"
"Who is this?" asked Ventura.
"I'm the person who's looking for Amity," replied the woman's voice, "isn't that how this works? I put posters up and you call with your telescopic device and tell me you found something?"
"You're also supposed to file a police report for a missing person," said Detective Ventura stiffly to the person on the other end, "why didn't you do that?"
There was a long pause before the woman on the other end began making noises, "sca urg oh, brrrr, Opps I'm losing you, my uh telescopic device isn't working properly uh the connection is going bad, sorry can't–"
The call quickly ended with Detective Ventura glaring at her phone. Whoever that woman was it was obvious she was lying, but she was also acting… strange.
The Lyft Driver and Camila drove back to Thai Go, and for the most part, it was a quiet ride, as the Lyft Driver had put some music on. Though as one song began to play, Camila listened intently to it. The lyrics were in Spanish, and while there was music playing
"He escuchado muchos cosas desde que naci
Personas que pregunta, de que lado yo creci
Aquellos que me dicen que el color de mi bandera,
No esta en el corazon, sino adentro de la catera
He escuchado a mis hermanos criticar mi condicion
Porque hablo dos idiomas, mas ingles que el espanol
Porque piensen que no siento el dolor de mi nacion
Porque piensen en este lado, no los bria igual el sol.
He escuchado mil personas que me dicen que jamas
Tendre corazon hispano, porque soy de por aca.
Porque tuve que venir me hace mucho tiempo ya
A buscarme en estas tierras un poco de liberta."
"That's a very nice poem," said Camila.
"Yeah, I like it a lot," answered the Lyft Driver.
Camila listened to the poem some more before looking at the Lyft Driver and asking, "I don't think I ever asked, but are you, uh… Mexican?"
"I'm Mexican American," replied the Lyft Driver. "I'm also third generation. My great-grandmother, at least on my mother's side, was the one who came here from Mexico."
"What's the story with that?" asked Camila.
"Huh, funny, you should ask as well. There is a story, though I have no idea how much truth there is to it," replied the Lyft Driver. "So, according to my mom, my great-grandmother came to this country during the Mexican Revolution, she supposedly had an altercation with some of Pancho Villa's troops, but I have no idea whether or not that's true. She settled in Los Angeles. My grandmother was born there, as was my mother, making me a third generation. I have no idea how true that story is, since my mom heard it from one of her aunts and liked to retell it, probably because she found the story intriguing. But that's how 'supposedly' my family came over. How about you?"
"I came to the States for college," said Camila. "I wanted to study biology so I could learn more about animals. I think even at that age, I knew I wanted to be a vet, so I did my undergrad in the States. It was there that I met Manny."
"Manny?" asked the Lyft Driver.
"My… late husband. Luz's father" said Camila somberly.
"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't know," said the Lyft Driver in an understanding voice.
"That's alright. Luz and I don't really talk about it that much," said Camila. "But I met him in college, and we got married right before I started vet school. We had Luz right before I graduated. In fact, I think I have a picture of me in my graduation robe holding Luz."
"Ah, that sounds so sweet," said the Lyft Driver.
Camila recounted the memory in her head and smiled. "Yes, it was. I remember thinking, This would be the beginning of a wonderful life." She took a pause before adding, "So much has happened since then, but I've still tried my best to be there for Luz, but sometimes she can be a handful."
"I don't know if I ever told you, but the first time I met Luz, I felt she really reminded me of myself when I was that age," said the Lyft Driver.
"Ha! Were you very hyper with a wild imagination?" teased Camila.
"Yeah, I was," admitted the Lyft Driver.
"How about friends?" asked Camila. "Did you have a lot of friends growing up, or would you consider yourself an outcast?"
The Lyft Driver paused before responding, "I guess you could say that. The thing is, well, how do I put this? I suppose I was an outcast in more ways than one."
"What do you mean?" asked Camila.
"Well… I think part of it is the fact that I'm 3rd generation Latino," began the Lyft Driver. "Growing up, things were... 'easier' for me and my brother, something my parents never failed to remind us of. And I was never really interested in a lot of traditional Latino things. Never really had an interest in sports. My dad made me play basketball, but I was no good at it. I wasn't really good with cars, not good at dancing, and I didn't really like spicy food."
"Oh, man, I bet you got teased a lot about that?" asked Camila in a joking voice.
"Yes, I did, usually by my dad and my cousins," replied the Lyft Driver with a laugh. "I was more into video games, fantasy, sci-fi, anime, acting, and writing. When I was in high school, I gravitated more towards people who shared those interests, and, honestly, none of them were Latino."
"You had no Latino friends growing up?" asked Camila.
"When I was in grade school, I had two. We used to hang out a lot and even had sleepovers together, but as we got older, we kind of drifted apart. Once we got to high school, they both took an interest in sports. One of them played on the football team, another on the baseball team, and they made new friends. So, yeah, we just kind of stopped talking to each other," explained the Lyft Driver.
"I did see them a lot during the summer before my senior year, but that was because all of us went to a 'Latino Youth Legislative Event,'" continued the Lyft Driver.
"A what?" asked Camila.
"It was some leadership conference that all our parents made us apply to," said the Lyft Driver. "It was one of those programs that looked good on a college application, and it was specifically for Latinos, so all of us applied, and we all wound up going."
"So what exactly was it?" asked Camila.
"We formed a mock government and tried to pass 'laws' and do, uh, 'government business', and stuff like that," said the Lyft Driver. "And it was with Latinos from all across the country. It was honestly the first time I'd really been around so many other Latinos."
"That must have been a fun experience," said Camila.
The Lyft Driver paused before saying, "You'd think so, but... honestly, it was one of the worst experiences of my life."
Camila looked shocked. "What? Why?"
The Lyft Driver let out a sigh as he recalled the memory. "Well, I've never really talked about this much since it happened, but maybe you might actually understand."
He looked into Camila's face before continuing, "So, on our second day after we arrived, I was sorted into a group, and we spent time talking, getting to know each other, and such. As you might expect, we all had different experiences and different lives. The idea was for us to be more familiar with each other, and I, being only 17 at the time and being 'naïve', didn't realize how people might react to things I said. Things I thought were normal for everyone were things that other families didn't have. So after I spent some time talking about how my family owned a business and the house we lived in and that we went on vacations, one of the people in the group, I think it was a girl, I honestly don't remember, said... 'you shouldn't be here. You're not a real Latino.'"
Camila looked shocked at that. The Lyft Driver continued.
"She and a few others in the group then chastised me for being third generation, living in a nice house, and being able to take family vacations. Said stuff about how I wasn't allowed to call myself Latino because things were easy for me, and I guess I hadn't 'suffered' enough. And I really had nothing to say in response to that. If nothing else, I suppose the experience was an eye-opener, but for the first time, I began to wonder what it meant to be a Latino. I'd grown up learning Spanish, I ate Mexican food, my mom taught me how to cook it, and my family listened to Latino music, Selena, Mana, and Gloria Estefan, just to name a few. My parents talked about the struggles they faced growing up, and they told me to take pride in being Latino. I honestly thought I was, so to hear another Latino tell me I wasn't was so... I don't even know."
"That… that wasn't right for her to say that to you," said Camila.
"Well, whether it was right or not, it certainly affected me," said the Lyft Driver. "I was already an introvert who wasn't that good at talking to people, and after hearing that, I spent the rest of the conference just 'showing up' and doing the activities without really talking to anyone. I just wanted to get through it all and go home. I felt a very real sense of dread and shame, like, 'I don't belong here.' After that, I spent a lot of time thinking and obsessing over what she said and whether or not I was a 'real Latino.'"
"So, what did you decide in the end?" asked Camila
The Lyft Driver paused before answering, "I think what we think of as being Latino changes over time, or I feel it should. There are some things that just feel so superfluous that I don't know why people think it's a requirement. Liking sports, beer, cars, or being a macho man... Are those the only things that determine if we can call ourselves Latino? I sometimes think back on what that girl said to me, and I wonder, would she prefer that all Latinos be poor and always have to struggle? Are those the only ones who are 'real' Latinos? I know that's been the experience for some, but the ones that struggle want a better life for their kids than what they have. So many people come to this country looking for a better life, some are able to get it either for themselves or their children. Would that girl have disparaged every second or third-generation Latino who was born in this country and had an easier life than their parents?"
"That does seem so stupid," said Camila. "Heck, despite me being an immigrant, I know I've had it a lot easier than many others who have come over from the island. But even I know they want things to be better for their kids. That's really what we all want."
"When I was growing up, and we'd go to a fancy restaurant or something, my mom always made sure to remind me and my brothers that we had to behave so that people would 'see' Latinos in a good light,'" said the Lyft Driver. "I didn't quite understand what that meant as a kid, but now that I'm older, I do. As she put it, we were 'setting a good example for all other Latinos'. To her, it was important that we went to fancy places so that people would see us there and know that Latinos belonged in fancy restaurants, private schools, country clubs, or other places like that."
"Huh, that's an interesting way of looking at it," said Camila.
"I do appreciate what my mom was trying to do," began the Lyft Driver, "but as I got older, I also started to see some of the toxic traits my mom had. And not just her, but other Latinos. I don't know if there's an official term for it, but I suppose I'd call it 'Toxic Matriarchy.'"
"Ah, you mean when an older Latina woman forces her family to conform to her standards?" said Camila, immediately catching on.
"Ha! You do know what I'm talking about," said the Lyft Driver, letting out a small laugh. "Yeah, that's exactly it. And it wasn't just my mom. Looking back, my grandmother had shades of it too. I didn't find out until after she died how much she was a manipulator and liked to pit my mom and her sister against each other. She wanted to see them compete with each other over things. And well, I suppose you won't be surprised to learn that at present, my mom and her sister don't talk to each other."
Camila rolled her eyes at that.
"But, anyway," continued the Lyft Driver, "as I got older, I started noticing certain things about Latino culture that I honestly didn't want to be a part of. My dad was a big sports fan and I remember him getting angry whenever his team would lose, especially if it was during the playoffs. And I was just like, 'Dude, are you really getting this worked up over your team losing?' But my dad's not the only one. I see a lot of Latinos in LA who go crazy over sports, especially the Dodgers. That's another line I've heard a lot: 'in order to be a true Latino, you have to be a Dodger fan.' I feel like I'm the only one who sees the tragic irony of that, considering how the area where Dodger Stadium is used to be home to a lot of Latino families who were all forcibly removed so that damn stadium could be built."
"You know about that?" said Camila in a somber voice. "I'm surprised. So many Latinos seem to want to forget that it happened."
"Which is exactly why it infuriates me whenever I see Latinos going crazy over the Dodger," said the Lyft Driver. "Cheering for a team whose stadium caused so many of their grandparents to be displaced. The worst part is that some of them know this and still are huge fans, then they have the gall to tell me I'm not a real Latino because I don't like the Dodgers."
The Lyft Driver had gotten worked up and let out a breath of air to calm himself down.
"Sorry, I may have gotten a little ranty," said the Lyft Driver.
"It's alright," said Camila. "I honestly understand a lot of what you said."
"Here, I'll put some music back on," said the Lyft Driver, adjusting his phone. A new song had just started
"They tell me you're shy boy, but I want you just the same.
Don't play innocent with me, you know it's not just fun and games
When I look into your eyes, so much passion burns inside"
If you need some coaxing I will do it, step by step there's nothing to it!
"Oh, yeah, I love this song. Turn it up," said Camila.
"Me too!" said the Lyft Driver. "This was one of my favorites growing up."
The Lyft Driver turned the music up, just in time for both of them to sing the refrain.
"1, 2, 3, 4 Come on baby say you love me, 5, 6, 7 times!
8, 9, 10, 11 I'm just gonna keep on counting until you are mine!"
The two continued to sing together both smiling and bopping their heads to the music.
"I still can't believe your parents' idea worked," said Luz to Anne as the group arrived back at Thai Go.
"I'm just glad your mom was able to get you, Sprig, and Amara out of there," said Anne. "I got so worried when that agent grabbed Hop Pop. I told you to run because I thought we were caught, so I hoped you might be able to escape on your own."
"We did, thanks to my mom and—" began Luz before being interrupted.
"Oh, hey, I think that's his car," said Anne, pointing to a black car that had just driven around to the back.
"I bet my mom is with him," said Luz, going around to the back to meet her. As she turned the corner, she looked at the car and saw her mom and the Lyft Driver singing along to a song together, both bopping their heads and smiling. Luz felt weird seeing that, but also strangely happy. She approached the car to meet her mother. Luz knocked on the door, alerting her mother to her presence. The Lyft Driver turned off the car and stepped out of it, as did Camila.
"Good to see you made it, Mija," said Camila, hugging her daughter.
"Same. Glad you were able to distract those agents," said Luz.
"Yeah, it was a little painful," said the Lyft Driver, "but luckily, we managed to get away."
"Anne and the Plantars are fine. I'm glad everything worked out," said Luz. She turned to look at the Lyft Driver. "Thanks so much for helping us out."
"No problem," answered the Lyft Driver. He paused before adding, "I hope I can continue to impress you."
Luz did a double-take as he said that. She had heard someone else use that phrase before, and she began to wonder...
"Well, I should probably check in with the Boonchuys and see if we have any other deliveries scheduled for this week," said the Lyft Driver.
"Go get Amara and say goodbye to Anne. We'll be leaving shortly," said Camila.
"Okay, see you at the car, Mama," said Luz as she ran off, looking one last time at the Lyft Driver.
"Thanks again for helping us back there," said Camila to the Lyft Driver.
"You're welcome. I hope we won't have to do it again, though," said the Lyft Driver, rubbing his cheek.
Camila laughed before replying, "Yeah, me neither, It was nice talking with you. I'm glad we got the chance."
"Me too," said the Lyft Driver. Camila began to walk away before the Lyft Driver called out to her. "Hey, Camila…"
"Yes?" answered Camila, turning around.
The Lyft Driver paused for a long time before saying, "Uh, nothing. Forget I said anything."
"Are you sure?" asked Camila.
"Yeah, I'm sure," said the Lyft Driver. "I'll see you around."
Despite the action with the FBI Luz had calmed down considerably by the time she got home. She, Camila, and Amara had dinner and played a few games before getting ready for bed. Amara climbed up to her bunk while Luz decided to open her laptop and check Discourse. She had recently friended the author of "The Good Witches Coven." When he was online, the two would sometimes chat. As it so happened, he was online at the moment. Luz began typing to the author.
Luzura: So how's the next chapter in the fic coming?
ChampionElCid: I'm working on it, was pretty busy earlier today but I have some time on my hands now.
Luzura: Cool. Also thanks for taking a look at my fic for me.
ChampionElCid: No prob, is this the first fic you've ever written?
Luzura: Yes, I started work on it with a friend a while ago, we haven't had a chance to work on it again. I thought about continuing it on my own, but I feel I should involve her.
ChampionElCid: Is your friend available to work on it with you right now?
Luzura: No, she's not… it's complicated.
ChampionElCid: I understand, that's fine if you don't want to talk about it. But for being your first fic I feel you did a good job with it. You only have a few chapters right now, so I hope you will finish it at some point.
Luzura: I will, at least I hope I will. I get you, there are so many fanfics out there that aren't finished and that take forever to be updated.
ChampionElCid: I mean hey, most of us write it in our spare time so it takes time to put a good chapter together, edit it, and then post it after we think it's ready. If I had my way I'd love nothing more than to write all the time, but unfortunately I can't do that.
Luzura: Yeah I get you, I'm glad to see that there are so many people who are fans of both Azura and Cynthia Coven. It feels natural that people want to write fanfics that combine the two.
ChampionElCid: To a lot of us it just makes sense, both series deal with magical worlds and young teenage protagonists. So the possibilities of how to combine those are endless. Have you read any others besides mine?
Luzura: Well not any other crossovers not yet at least, I spent a lot of time reading some Azura fanfics first, then I binged through your fic, but I see there are quite a lot to choose from.
ChampionElCid: You should for sure check out "Magical Intervention" by Spritigamer.
Luzura: You're involved in that one too aren't you? As the Beta Reader.
ChampionElCid: I am, but honestly Spiritgamer is a good writer on his own. I already liked the fic even before he brought me on, it's fun to work on that fic. I really like the concept of Azura and Cynthia switching places and exploring each other's world. I also like how while some things remain similar to canon there are a lot of differences too. Spiritgamer comes up with some great ideas for the fic and I just help him refine them. He does occasionally ask me for help with some stuff and I love talking about them. Plus Spiritgamer beta reads my fic and helps me get a second opinion on it, but yeah definitely check out that fic.
Luzura: I will, what's another one?
ChampionElCid: Oh, you should also check out "A Lost Witch" by Marzek. The premise for this fic is that at the end of The Good Witch Azura's first book, when Azura is fighting Balastros, she gets pulled from the fight and transported to the finale of book one of Cynthia Coven.
Luzura: I actually did read the first chapter of that one. The concept sounds pretty intriguing, I really liked the first chapter.
ChampionElCid: Wait until you get to chapter five.
Luzura: What happens in chapter five?
ChampionElCid: Let's just say things take a bit of a dramatic turn… don't want to spoil it for you.
Luzura: Oooo mysterious, okay I'll be sure and read more of it. What else you got?
ChampionElCid: Hmm, Oh you should look at "Shared Accommodations" by Theduskmurderer. That one has Cynthia and Azura switch worlds but after they've spent a good chunk of time in their own worlds. Now they have to adjust to the new worlds and find a way back home.
Luzura: Dang it's hard enough having to survive in one magical world, now they have to do it all over again, that's gotta be rough.
ChampionElCid: That writer has another good fic, it's just a Cynthia Coven one, but I'd say it's also worth checking out, "Return to the Magic" has Cynthia go back to the magic world she left ten years later.
Luzura: The way the epilogue to the series ended I felt there was still room for more stories, I'd love to see Cynthia go on an adventure now that she's all grown up.
ChampionElCid: Hey it's a lot better than "Loyalty Among Covens" He added a laughing emoji after that.
Luzura: Ugh, don't even joke about that, though I saw that the author deleted that fic and is attempting to rewrite it. Have you looked at the new version at all?
ChampionElCid: I only read the first chapter, it's alright, but unfortunately for him, I'd say the damage has already been done. Maybe now that he's actually putting effort into writing his fic it will be better, but honestly, he should have done that from the start. There were a lot of people who made videos mocking his old version of the fic.
Luzura: Oh you mean like CosmicNevada and her review of the first season of Loyalty Among Covens? I loved that video! It was hilarious!
ChampionElCid: Yes Exactly! So you've seen that video. I was laughing my ass off when I first saw it. If I need a good laugh I will rewatch that video, there are so many funny moments in it. CosmicNevada did a great job with that, I hope that she'll keep reviewing other fics. She said she was going to review mine at some point.
Luzura: You do seem to have a lot of fans.
ChampionElCid: Yeah I consider myself pretty lucky on that front. Especially since I have some fans who create some artwork of my fic, seeing as I can't draw myself it's nice to have some fan artists create some things for you. I'm really glad to have people like R-Doll, who's made some great art for my fic. I appreciate everything he's ever made me. I'm also glad to have someone like Cartoonking1 who commissioned some cool art and wrote a small story that ties into my fic.
Luzura: Oh yeah, I saw there were some people who wrote stories based on your fic.
ChampionElCid: Yes, Thomas Holmes wrote a nice story set in my fic, I really liked what he came up with and decided to make it canon. He's a pretty good writer. We've talked about him possibly writing some other stories based on my fic.
Luzura: Oh hey I was wondering something, you said earlier that you live in LA right?
ChampionElCid: I do.
Luzura: What part of LA?
ChampionElCid: The Eastside.
Luzura: Yeah me too, where are you? Montebello? El Monte? Pico Rivera? Monterrey Park? Pasadena?
ChampionElCid: Ha! I'm flattered that you think I'm rich enough to live in Pasadena. Sorry but no way I could afford to live there. Heck, sometimes I can barely afford to live where I'm currently at. But for now, I'll just say I'm on the Eastside, I like it as it's a bit more spacious than central LA or the Westside.
Luzura: You can get around a bit easier without having to take the freeway, but only if you're going to another area in the Eastside.
ChampionElCid: One of my jobs involves driving a lot, so yeah I've been all over LA, I've sat in traffic a good chunk of my life, ugh, never gets any easier, but I gotta keep doing it until I become a famous writer someday… maybe.
Luzura: Well it's getting late so I'm going to turn in for the night.
ChampionElCid: Yeah me too, it was nice talking to you.
Luzura: Oh wait I had one more question for you, I was wondering how did you come up with that phrase you say, "I hope I continue to impress you."
ChampionElCid: Huh, no one's ever asked me that, but here's the story. As my fic started getting more popular I figured I needed a "catchphrase" or some sort of sign-off that was unique to me. It's kinda of funny, I just came up with it off the top of my head, but I liked it because I liked the meaning behind that phrase. What I wanted was to say that when I write something I always want to try and give you my best. I always want to make sure that I'm writing something good, that you the readers will enjoy. I want my future written work to be as good or better than anything I've made in the past, so that's why I say, "I hope I continue to impress you," because well… I mean that. I hope that I will strive to be a good writer both now and in the future.
Luzura: ….That's really nice, I like that explanation. Thank you for telling me.
ChampionElCid: You're welcome! But now it really is time for bed, so goodnight.
Luzura: Goodnight.