“What cause would two Lows have in Villa Arco Iris so early in the morning?” sneered the guard as he ran their thumbprints and information through his palm book. Rosa straightened her shoulders. “We were commed early this morning by our employer. We are to meet with him.”

“And your employer would be?”

“Don Rodriguez.”

The guard laughed. “You expect me to believe that you two lows work for our Don? The man only hires the best and while you may pass, your daughter is too plain. I’m calling enforcement on you two lawbreakers.”

“Lawbreakers! We didn’t break any laws,” Rosalinda said, crossing her arms.

“It’s still curfew for Brownies. Park your car and get out,” said the guard.

Zen sighed. “Don Rodriguez is going to be mad that you didn’t call him.”

The guard scoffed. “Nice try. He’s still sleeping. I’m not falling for that one. Get out now!”

Zen scowled and crossed her arms as her mom drove the car to a parking spot.

“Mama I’ve got to get to Don Rodriguez. Can you make some scandal or something while I get away?” Zen whispered.

“Be careful Zen,” Rosa said before they opened their doors and went to the guard. Rosa put on her best mother tone. The one that had Isaias dance to her tune most days, and faced the guard.

“Young man! I will not be treated with such impunity. I am a decent individual and I will not be treated like a child. Where are your manners? You do not treat a woman like this!”

The guard looked startled and began to stutter. “Ma’am. You have broken a rule.”

“And how do you know that when you won’t even make a comm call to my employee!”

“Ma’am you can’t seriously work for a Don!”

“That information is in the scan we gave you! Look through it and do your job!”

The guard grumbled and let his eyes stray from the duo to the palm book in his hand.

Zen smirked and slowly slipped from the guard station using the shadows to cloak her movements. She fled down the street leaving her mom alone with the guard. The guard groaned as the information turned up and indeed both Rosalinda and Zenaida Amargarita worked for Don Rodriguez. He turned to the mother and daughter duo only to stop short.

“Where is your daughter?” He asked.

Rosalinda shrugged. “I’m her mother, not her keeper. She probably got tired of waiting and went on her own.”

The guard tapped his ear. “There’s a Low with unknown intentions in Arco Iris. Enforcers be on the lookout for the information sent to you by the gate,” he said placing the information on Zen and her picture and sending it to every Enforcer.

“She is not here with unknown intentions!” Rosalinda yelled and prayed for her youngest to make it to Carmelo’s safely.

Zen ducked behind a trash bin as another Enforcer scouted the street. The amount of Enforcers had increased in the last ten minutes. She sighed and crawled to the garden hedge near the bin. She squatted and kept a close eye on the Enforcer making their rounds around the street. A little farther was another Enforcer. These guys are everywhere! There has to be a way to get through them.

Thinking for a minute, she reached back into the trash bin and plucked a glass bottle. She chucked it onto the side corner of a house.

The enforcers stopped and listened to the noise. They made hand signals and Zen recognized them from what Isaias taught her (We should check that out.)

One enforcer shrugged. (No sense in having us both down. You check it out. Call if you need help.)

The other Enforcer scoffed and flipped the other the bird. (Scaredy cat. It’s a small girl for God’s sake!)

(Then check it out!)

Zen smirked and took her whip out. She wasn’t as proficient as her brother with it but she was decent. As the enforcer came closer she got ready to take him down. The minute he found the broken bottle she pounced swiping her whip and tangling him in it. She knocked him out then she uncoiled the whip from him. His body hit the ground and alerted Enforcer number two, who waited for the first. He stalked into the corner spotting Zen and his knocked-out partner.

“Alright brat! You are so…” He didn’t finish as Zen knocked him out with a bottle to the head.

I hope I didn’t kill him! This neighbor is a drunkard. Thank you for all the bottles!

She took off down the street and kept running before coming to Carmelo’s street which was crawling with Enforcers. She closed her eyes and felt herself melt into the shadows. When she opened them, she was past the line of Enforcers and onto Carmelo’s porch. How does that keep happening? Shrugging she opened the door to come face-to-face with Carmelo. She stepped back for some room and sighed.

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“What happened? Where is your mother and why are there so many Enforcers about?”

“Mama is being held at the gate by a surly guard. I escaped and became Puerto Nuevo’s most wanted. I need that pass, fast. I have maybe two hours to reach uncle’s and I need to see Marie.”

Carmelo nodded and held out a red pass stamped with his seal of a silver spider. She took it gratefully and was gone. Carmelo focused his efforts on Rosa, who was detained at the gate, and being asked questions about her delinquent daughter. Once Rosa saw him, she relaxed and went over to him.

“Zen found you. Good. She got through the Enforcers at least,” she said, her hands cupped before her in prayer.

Carmelo nodded. “She has the pass. Now let me do something about the Enforcers.”

Rosa smiled and led him to the quivering guard.

Zen sighed as the Enforcers went down in numbers and she almost coasted to Marie Elena’s. Zen was almost spotted by an Enforcer but by some miracle, a dog caught its attention at the right moment and he missed Zen right when she needed to pass by. Still, she was more careful after that. She approached Marie Elena’s apartment complex.

She would have to sneak past the guard and climb the metal gate that separated her complex from the rest of the others. It would be a challenge in her smock dress and loafers. She wished for a way to get past the guard without her noticing her at all. Zen never noticed the crystal glowing. She did feel it when she once more dematerialized and crossed the gate. What the! Again!

She looked at the gate and her hand that had gone through it like water. No, this time was different somehow. The guard didn’t see me either.

She shrugged. Better not let a good thing pass her by. She took advantage and ran towards Marie Elena’s apartment. She climbed the stairs and stopped in front of a beautifully crafted door, then she rang the bell hoping Marie wouldn’t kill her, before hearing her out. Her cousin answered on the fifth ring. She was groggy and her long usually so well put together hair was a bird’s nest.

“Zen, this better be good or I swear I’m going to scream,” she muttered yawning.

“Uncle leaves in,” she looked down at her dimensional pocket that displayed the time, “an hour. I need clothes for the trip. What I have isn’t sufficient.”

Marie yawned again. “Ok, come in,” she said, opening the door wider and letting Zen in.

Zen loved her cousin’s apartment. It was light and airy with a lot of room. Her common room was filled with bean bags and several tables which were all strewn with airy fabrics of a light tangerine to match her walls. There was one big white couch in the back. All around the room, there were mannequins dressed in the latest fashions that Marie had created. She stopped at a mannequin that was wearing what looked like fashionable brown jeans and an airy brown shirt.

“Do you like it?” Marie asked coming back with a bag full of clothes.

“Yes, it isn’t a smock,” said Zen as she passed Marie and studied her other fashions.

“I actually made it for the low class but with enough flare for the Elite as well. That way I get everyone equalized...one way or another,” she muttered touching the airy shirt.

“My mother would have wanted us to breach the gap, well before father got rid of her.” Then she looked at Zen and smirked. “We have time for a small makeover. Put it on,” she said taking the clothes off the mannequin and passing them to Zen.

Zen sighed and headed with the clothes toward the bathroom. There was no changing Marie’s mind after she’d made it, and Zen really liked the clothes. She took a five-minute bath and then put on her clothes. Marie was waiting to do her hair and makeup.

Not ten minutes later, Zen was transformed into a high-standing Low. They were allowed to wear some lipgloss and eyeshadow and have their hair in a bun. Her mother had earned her rank. She had not yet earned it, but by being her daughter she was technically a high standing Low and was allowed these things even if she never wore them.

“My, My Zen! A little curve to you and you’ll be like your mom and me.”

“Really? The guard called me plain…”

“Pft! That guard must not have eyes! Come on muchachita. I packed your bag for you. I have a feeling that you will need everything inside,” said Marie as she ushered Zen to her feet which were decked in brown sneakers to match her look. She took Zen to her balcony door and waved Zen goodbye as she jumped from the balcony to a nearby tree and climbed down. Then she was gone. Leaving her pajama-clad cousin staring at her disappearance. Many things are going to happen to you little cousin, starting with this trip. I hope for all our sakes you are strong enough for the change.

”I should have warned her about papa. Oh well, she’ll make it through.”

She turned to face her apartment and sighed crossing her arms. Mama, I really miss you. Papa hasn’t learned yet...I don’t think he ever will--not in this lifetime at least.

Zen rushed to the boathouse with all haste. She had thirty minutes and it took about twenty to get there. As she assumed, her uncle had hired some extra Enforcers to catch her but she evaded them easily in the short underbrush. Zen headed out onto the small path that led to the boathouse. Entering the small jungle that surrounded the boathouse on all sides, Zen could hear the whirring of the engines long before she saw the boat. They haven’t turned on the silencers yet? Good. She came free of the jungle and upon the boathouse. From the glass, she could see the luxury boats but wasn’t sure which one she would be on. Zen walked through the automatic front doors and stepped inside. The air was cool and a shout in the wind caught her immediate attention.

“Arrest her,” came her uncle’s voice.

“What,” she muttered but two Enforcers grabbed her from behind and cuffed her.

“Make sure to take the necklace from the thief,” he ordered.

The Enforcers nodded and tried to remove the necklace but it would not budge and worse it was sending electric shocks to any who tried! Zen struggled in their grasp but with her hands cuffed it was no use. She was trapped. She held in a scream at her uncle and let these men harass her for the crystal. It was all she could do not to cry at the indignity of it all. An Enforcer yanked and the necklace sparked in his hands searing him.

“Oww!” He cried sucking on his fingers. The other Enforcer sighed and gave up his attempt. He had already been seared once.

“Sir? That necklace does not want to be removed,” he said.

“What! Remove it!”

“We’ve tried. It...fights back,” muttered an Enforcer.

Bernado stalked up to Zen and yanked her hair. “Vile girl! What have you done to it?”

“N...nothing!” Gasped Zen as his hold on her hair tightened. Bernado tried to remove the necklace and it struck at him worse than the others.

The next one that tries to tear me from you will be struck down

Her uncle went to try again but Zen intervened.

“It...it said something! It would strike down the next person who tried to remove it.”

Bernado yanked her hair. “You lie! Only a guardian could hear the crystal and you,” he scoffed, “are no guardian.”

“Take your chance then, uncle,” she muttered.

Bernado sneered and neared the necklace. It began to vibrate and heat against Zen’s skin. Zen sighed and shifted so that her uncle couldn’t touch the necklace and it calmed down. Bernado was no fool. His niece had saved him from being struck by the Intergalactic crystal and that disturbed him. He let her go.

“Let her go! There’s been a misunderstanding. It’s not her,” he said. “ Zen, get on the boat,” he muttered, raking trembling fingers through his hair. The crystal had almost struck him down! How was he supposed to help Mariposa if the crystal despised him?

Zen was uncuffed and she straightened out her clothes and hair as she boarded the ship.

Misunderstanding my butt! But if that’s how he wants to play it? I can be as surly as him!