We all owe Lupé a hell of a lot. She comes up with some of the best ideas and has paid for every one of them. Can't have a much more loyal friend.

But man is not made for defeat.
A man can be destroyed but not defeated.
-Ernest Hemingway

Me and my family moved to New Orleans from Arizona when I was 7. That was 8 years ago now. I really liked livin’ in Arizona, we had a lotta open space and I felt a lot more free. But my dad got a job transferred to New Orleans so we all moved here. I guess the big city’s kinda excitin’, but it just don’t feel like home. Since I stopped feelin’ as free as I was, I started tryin’ things out that people said I shouldn’t, just to get some excitement in.

When I was 8, I met some kids in Las Arañas and I started hangin’ with ‘em. Really had fun, too. We made lotsa trouble, but were always able to get away. My folks were real worried when I started bein’ gone for long times, daddy tried talkin’ to me about it but I just wasn’t listenin’. Me and him always got along real well, better than him and my two brothers. Mom always just kinda yelled a lot, don’t have a lotta patience with me. So I always went to my daddy. But this time his words just went right through my head, guess I was mad cause he let us get moved away from home. Think I hurt him a lot when I yelled at him about it. I wish I hadn’t done that now. But can’t change what happened before.

About six months after I started hangin’ with the kids, they took me to Paco and introduced us. I liked him right off and not long after that he made me one of Las Arañas. I love ‘em a lot, although lately I been wishin’ I’d stayed home. I go there sometimes to see everyone, ‘specially daddy. He keeps tryin’ to get me to come home, he’s even gone out to find me lotsa times. Wish he wouldn’t do that, it could get dangerous. ‘Specially with The Strikers out there. My daddy’s black and they wouldn’t take too well to him. But he’s real tough, I don’t think they could take him without a big fight. I just don’t wanna see that happen. Between him and my Mexican mom, guess my whole family’d just piss of The Strikers.

Oh, I found out not too long ago that I got some magic in me. It’s got a lot to do with animals and the outdoors. Megiana was tryin’ to teach it to me, I don’t like her that much. When she started comin’ around, things changed real quick. Then I almost got myself killed just a little bit ago. Met some blind girl who has a big ol’ dog and she did somethin’ to me. Made me really hate Megiana, so that when I saw her next I just started yelling at her and tellin’ her off somethin’ fierce. She didn’t like that too well and Paco had to deal with me. I know he didn’t wanna do nothin’, but he’d been pushin’ the limit and Megiana was ready to throw him out to the wolves without protection. So he beat me up to teach me a lesson. Got hurt pretty bad, too. Told me not to get it healed so I could remember the lesson. But when we was alone, he said he was sorry for havin’ to do it. He didn’t wanna. I don’t blame him.

Well, that’s when I talked to Liza and she went and got an idea so that Paco didn’t have to work with Megiana anymore. Lathair said he’d protect us against her, but not against the good side, since he works with them. So now we’re broke away from Megiana and I’m glad. Still hate her, think I always will. And now I gotta try and learn my magic all by myself, don’t know who else can help me. Ain’t easy, either. But I’m gonna do what I can cause I wanna help out as much as I can. But either way, least we got away from that bitch who tries to show us how great she is. But we went from her to someone worse. Them Chaos Sisters that've been pickin' on people are a lot worse than she is, though I never thought anyone could be. They hate a lot of us, includin' me. And they do shit that's pretty awful. Includin' bringing in people that are real horrible that bug some of us. Like Whip's daddy.. and Mark, the guy who killed Taneesha's mom. He's the worst of 'em. Picked on me real good more than one time, Paco really wants to kick his ass. And the sisters really like that asshole Gary and help him out whenever they can. He don't like me at all. Guess a lot of people don't. The sisters decided to punish me real good and they had me turned into a vampire. Wasn't a greater one, either. But my friends gave me a potion of one so I wouldn't be so helpless against the bad ones.

I don't like bein' a vampire. I don't like bein' stuck at 15 years old. I wanted to die, I really did. But Andrea.. she's been real nice to me.. she reminded me of somethin' important so I couldn't just let myself die. Now I use a power I got to use more Earth magic than I started with and I've been practicin' real hard to learn lots more of it. Ain't easy, but I'm tryin'. Cristov takes care of me a lot too. I gotta mention him. Guess he's my very best friend. Kinda like another dad, even. He does everything he can for me, says he'd do anything. He's the best. And Naida's been helpin' him a lot, though she's had some bad problems lately. Although I helped out some with that. I got lotsa good friends, guess that's what keeps me goin'. That and I see my family lots more, too. I'm glad cause I missed 'em. With stuff that's happened, my mom and me don't even fight much anymore. Hope it stays that way, I like it. Guess somethin' good comes out of even bad stuff, huh?

There is no hope, no fear for you.
There is no word, no whisper, no cry.
There is no home, no bed of rest.
There is only your own pair of wings and the pathless sky.
Bird, O my bird, listen to me, do not close your wings.
-Rabindranath Tagore (Sanskrit)

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
-Langston Hughes