Mother's Day. Flight.

While Cristina and Circe went for a walk and stroll in the witch’s district, things were not going well at Caleb's house. It seemed the Harper boy had regressed in his piano progress. He seemed distracted, thinking about something other than winning that scholarship. He was making quite a few mistakes that only beginners make.

"Da Capo!" his father interrupted, stopping his son's practice and pointing to the letters D.C. written on the sheet music, right after a repeat sign.

Elias stood beside him, worried. He had learned that particular piece of music two years ago. He had played a note naturally when the sheet music called for a sharp.

"What's going on, Caleb? You're acting strange," his father stopped him before he could continue.

His mother got up and placed her hand on her son's shoulder. The first tears fell from her eyes; she couldn't help it.

"Does it have to do with that orphan?" his mother asked. After knowin she made a mistake, Alisha corrected herself. "Cristina, right?"

"What about her?" his father asked, concerned. "Is everything sure... is everything OK?"

"Surely she chose someone else," Alisha remarked as she sat down next to Caleb, who could no longer hold back his tears.

Elias sighed, not quite knowing what to say; he just stood there watching his son cry. He could understand his son's feelings—he had seen them at that dinner when they first arrived home—but he never expected his son to have that kind of rivalry.

Alisha then got up, searched through the bookshelves in her living room, and found a book that had been stored away for months. She flipped through the pages and found what she was looking for, placing the book on the piano stand.

"Focus on the partiture," his mother told him. Caleb wiped his tears and began to read it. "Convey what you feel; don't hold back."

Caleb began to play without caring about what was written on the sheet, only dedicating himself entirely to transmitting his frustration into the piano. His parents listened in silence while their son struck every note with strength making the note play in a high volume.

The volume made the neighbors—an elderly couple—came out to listen. They were between annoyed and confused, not expecting the music to be played so loudly. When Caleb finally finished, conveniently, they knocked on the Harper's door to ask for some quiet. Elias only whisper an apology. Caleb was calmer now, and all those feelings had finally been released.

"How about we go for a walk?" Elias was satisfied with that last piece.
Alisha and Caleb nodded. It was time to relax. The afternoon was calm and clear, despite being autumn.

★★★★

A full day passed before Cristina managed to get a message from Alex. It was written by his mother, who mentioned that Alex had been moved to a regular room and was resting.

The day before school resumed, Cristina was able to visit Alex. He looked tired with sunken eyes, but he smiled when he saw his girlfriend. She had been warned that he couldn't speak well and couldn't hold a conversation for now.

"Hello." Alex didn't care; he greeted Cristina. His voice sounded raspy and he whispered. It was hard for him to breathe.

"I'm glad you're okay," Cristina admitted, walking over to the bed and sitting down beside him.

Cristina stopped Alex from talking, worried about what might happen, so she just grabbed his hands and smiled. Alex smiled back.

"Classes start tomorrow," Cristina commented, trying to bring up a topic. An awkward silence fill the room

Cristina decided to keep quiet since she didn't know what else to say. Alex nodded. Only voices in the hallways and a few footsteps could be heard.
"Classes will be so boring without you," Cristina admitted, somewhat sad and disappointed. Alex squeezed his girlfriend's hand a little.

"I promise... I promise I'll be back soon." It had cost him a bit to speak, and he gave a slight cough.

They spent a little more time together in silence until visiting time was over. Cristina left the hospital dragging her feet. She felt a heavy weight in her heart, feeling that he wouldn't vanish anytime soon.

The Lunaris had arrived along with extra curricular classes. Cristina was accompanied by Hilda, who complained about the return to classes, about not being able to sleep as much as she wanted, and about losing the freedom of having her mornings to herself. Cristina listened to her, but her thoughts were still on Alex.

"Vacations are over," Cristina whispered, but a grumpy Hilda heard her.

"If you don't tell me, I won't notice," Hilda grumbled. They were only a block away from school, and other students were crowding at the entrance.
"You promised to try harder." Cristina looked at her sister angrily.

"I know, I know!" Hilda complained as she continued walking, dragging her feet and slouching.

Karla was also entering the school grounds with a heaviness only she knew the reason for. Her head hurt, and her eyes looked tired, as if she hadn't slept. She went into the restroom to try to put on makeup, but with her gloves on, it was hard to handle the brushes.

The few people in the restroom left, and Karla took the opportunity to take off her gloves. She finally managed to put on a bit of makeup to camouflage her exhaustion. On her left hand, her witch tattoo began to show; she was letting her emotions of hatred and frustration dominate her again.

The tattoo consisted of a star; from its right point emerged a snake that coiled around the star, its body extending from the lower right point. The snake's body bent to the left, with its back protruding, and its tongue flicked out from its mouth. At the lower point of the star, also in red, was a symbol: κ.

She hated her life. Ever since she arrived in Cobalt when she was 9 years old, everything had been difficult. She had to try twice as hard at everything to keep her lifestyle. Why did people like Cristina get everything the easy way? Ever since she arrived, she had made friends, gained popularity, and even secured a spot in Azulona's private section without even taking the entrance exam.

Her mother was constantly getting sick, and Karla knew that going to the witches' trading district was high risk for her—an illegal resident—yet she still had to go. It was a mistake. All that anger, envy, and frustration she felt made her hands begin to heat up without her realizing it, causing her magic to go out of control.

The clothes brushing against her hands began to fray; the acid from her hands was burning her garments, and not just those—also the brushes and makeup products she was holding. Once she finished applying her makeup, she put her gloves back on, left the restroom, and headed to her classroom.

"Good morning, Karla Martínez," said a voice. This startled Karla, who looked around for the source. Maya was right behind her.

"Good... good morning," Karla said nervously. Of all people, why Maya?

"I like your gloves. Where did you buy them?"

"Quetzal," Maya replied. "A gift from my grandmother."

"Don't be so nervous, girl!" Maya said with a certain authority that made Karla trembled.

Involuntarily, an energy surged from her hands, burning the leather of her gloves and making her skin sting. Instinctively, she pulled off her gloves. Maya watched in silence as the gloves fell to the floor with that characteristic burning smell of the gloves. at the same time M aya saw the tattoo on Karla's left hand. Maya took Karla's left hand, staring at the star tattoo with that snake.

"Where is the four-pointed blue star?" Maya asked, without letting go of her classmate. "Legally registered clans in Espliego are supposed to have it on the wrist of their right arm."

The bell rang, and Maya let go of Karla, who ran off in a panic. A Rigel's witch had discovered her. She had ruined everything.



★★★★★



During Cristina's second class, a coordinator walked into the room demanding silence.

"As you know, the first Lunaris of Hojarasca is celebrated on Mother's Day," the coordinator began calmly. "Like every year, we will dedicate this day, along with the Shivadin, to the Mother's Day festival."

Reactions were mixed. Some complained; others liked the idea. Cristina just stayed in silence.

"Teacher!" One of Cristina's classmates raised her hand, showing signs of burns. Given the floor, she continued, "Can everyone participate in the festival?"

"Of course, Miss Ramírez," the coordinator confirmed. "All interested may participate in the related activities..."

"Even if they don't have a mother?" Miss Ramírez interrupted.

Some people looked at Cristina, who felt the gazes of her classmates. She didn't say anything; she just looked down.

"Miss Ramírez," the coordinator continued, annoyed by the interruption. "As I mentioned, anyone who wishes to may participate."

Finally, the coordinator announced that tomorrow the schedule of activities would be released and sign-ups would open. For a moment, mixed remarks about the event could be heard: "How annoying!", "I hate festivals!", "My mother is an idiot...", among others. Cristina tried to calm down, but amid the chaos, she received a note from a classmate.

“Orphans are not allowed to participate. Karla R.”

Having lost her mother  years ago, Cristina thught was useless to miss or even cry for a person that died a long time ago.She barely remembered their faces and, unlike her grandmother's, whose face she still recalled.  She asked herself why she still care and miss her grandmother.  Karla, meditating on this, saw an opportunity to divert attention toward someone else.

Cristina didn't want to cry over the loss of people she barely remembered. She thought of Maya instead. Maya had a strong friendship with Sylvia, her mother—a beautiful woman who always attended to her when she arrived and listened to her. Her own relationship with Dolores was complicated. Dolores forced activities on her like horseback riding and she was always complining about why she decided to tke singing and drawing classes. every day Dolores said that its useless.

She felt much more comfortable with Javier. He was the first one to listen to her, who encouraged her to continue drawing and whom she trusted more to share her ideas and concerns. He never criticized her when he discovered she prayed to Helios. He had more patience with her and gave her advice when she drew.

Classes ended for the day, and Karla left the school wanting to avoid further confrontations, but at the entrance, she ran into what she wanted to avoid.

"Karla, what happened to your hands?" Circe said faking surprise while taking both of Karla's hands. "I like your hands—white and soft. Once they heal from those burns, they'll be pretty again."

Karla was burning with hatred. It was clearly that Maya and now Circe were bullying her. Also, why were they suddenly they have special atention with her? She wasn't afraid of Circe, but she didn't feel any respect for her either. She tried to pull away, but couldn't. Once again, the smell of burning leather filled the air.

"Kappa Serpentis clan origins is in Quetzal, doesn't it?" Circe whispered with a touch of malice. "You and your family are here in an illegal situation, right?”

Circe smiled and finally released Karla, who immediately ran away to avoid further confrontation. Maya joined Circe right there, and in silence, both watched Karla leave, smiling while sharing a mutual hatred for that lunar witch.

"Kappa Serpentis?" Maya asked as they walked toward the Delta.

"A Red Giant," Circe said, wiping her hands with a damp cloth. Maya made a face of disgust. "Part of the Serpens Caput Constellation. But Karla isn’t a stellar witch. She is a lunar affiliated to Kappa Serpentis”

"How disgusting. A lunar from a red star, they worthless and only trash” Maya said with pity.

Maya warned Circe about an anomaly involving the magical frequency of some clandestine star residing in Espliego and wanted to know their reasons. That day, she confirmed that clan was Kappa Serpentis. She also mentioned how Cristina had reacted to that anomaly: she had felt it, something that shouldn't have happened.

"The Magic-less are incapable of feeling magical frequencies," Circe replied. “Don't worry I’ll still keep an eye on Karla."

Everything related to Cristina now seemed too suspicious to her, so she decided to provisionally ally herself with Maya to investigate and find out what was going on.

★★★★★

Just as promised, the festival announcement was made the next day. There would be an art gallery, a concert, various activities like various sports competitions, and some food and game stalls. The school remained divided; some wanted the festival, while many others—including Hilda—saw it as ridiculous.

“I think you should participate.” Cristina and Alex were talking through cellphone messages. She mentioned she didn't feel safe participating, but Alex wanted her to do something. “You can start painting. Don't tell me no; just try it.”

Painting. Although the idea fells awkward to her, she also felt that sticking only to pencil and paper was getting boring. So, she accepted the idea. That night, when Javier arrived, she told him about it, and he, delighted with the notion, promised to take her to buy the necessary supplies as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Hilda, tired and annoyed by the whole topic, simply sighed and locked herself in her room.

"She's been irritable ever since the festival was announced," Cristina commented, somewhat worried.

"She'll be fine," Javier said, reassuring his stepdaughter. "It's just the theme; it makes her nervous. You and she have a lot in common, you know?"

When Cristina attended her drawing class, she approached the teacher to ask about starting to paint. Surprised by the proposal, the teacher asked why. Cristina wanted to do something different for the festival and wanted to submit a painting. Professor Maldonado nodded.

"You're still learning," he admitted. "but we can try. I can help you with some private lessons."

Cristina nodded, and for the rest of the month, she dedicated herself to practicing and learning how to paint. Her piano teacher was somewhat disappointed upon hearing Cristina's refusal to play the piano in the upcoming concert.

That morning, Caleb was talking about how he was the main pianist for the scheduled concert. He was excited, nervous and a bit happy. He also didn’t disappoint his parents. He felt insecure. 

"I'll have three pieces, five minutes each," he commented somewhat excitedly. His mother had advised him to remain friends with Cristina. It will hurt more if not.”I want you to come and hear me. Will you?"

To the surprise of both—and especially to Cristina’s— they saw him at the school entrance, surrounded by people, and upon seeing Cristina ran over to see him.

Caleb stood paralized, watching them greet each other and seeing Alex give her a kiss on the cheek. He couldn't hear what they were saying; he just felt a wave of annoyance while pressing a hand against his chest. He hated that feeling. If only Alex would just disappear...

"The doctor said I can come," Alex said. He was speaking better now, though it was clear breathing was still difficult for him. “And I was getting really bored at grandpa's house. There's nothing to do."

Alex mentioned it with a wink. They both entered the school, classes began. That day was drawing class, and Professor Maldonado welcomed Alex, mentioning he might still finish a drawing in time for next week's festival—though if he didn't feel well, it wasn't mandatory.

"I'll do it," Alex remarked.

Finally, the first Lunaris of Hojarasca arrived, and the festival began. Professor Martínez was at the entrance welcoming the participating students. They had arrived about two hours early to prepare the final details. Upon seeing Cristina, she stopped her at the door.

"I'm sorry," she told the student, blocking her path. "I can't let you pass."
"What?" was all Cristina managed to say, completely confused. "I can enter. I study here, and besides..."

"Are you stupid?" Professor Martínez asked bluntly, making Cristina's eyes go wide. "Did you forget what day today is?"

"Day 1 of the month of Hojarasca. The Lunaris," Cristina replied without hesitation, which only made the teacher angrier.

"It's Mother's Day," the teacher interrupted angrily.

Some students noticed the scene, but hurried away to avoid the confrontation. Nobody wanted to help Cristina.

"And as far as I know, you don't have a mother, or am I wrong?"

"As far as I know, that doesn't take away my right to participate," Cristina answered fearlessly. To avoid further confrontation, she kept walking, ignoring the teacher.

Martínez stayed at the entrance yelling to her. When she turned around, Karla was right there beside her, just watching the scene, which annoyed the teacher.

"What do you want?" she said at the student, who didn't react immediately.

"She's participating in the art gallery," Karla said, watching her teacher.

"And who did she do?" the teacher asked Karla.

"She drew an old woman," Karla replied, having already caught a glimpse of Cristina's progress in previous days. "For some reason, she decided to make a painting."

The teacher smiled, struck by an idea. The gallery was going to open at noon. What if the piece mysteriously disappeared or got ruined? It sounded childish, but Cristina needed to learn some respect. It wasn't just because she had ignored her, but because of how she had humiliated her on the first day of class.

"Orphans need to learn more respect," Karla remarked. The teacher suspected they shared the exact same thought.

The orphan excuse was a perfect cover. Not only would it divert attention away from Maya and Circe, but it would also land Cristina in deep trouble.

"I'm leaving this to you," was the last thing Karla heard before the teacher walked away. Martínez was in charge of coordinating a play and had access to some interesting materials that could help.

At 10:00 a.m., the school journalism club was taking photos of the artists' paintings. Professor Maldonado was tending to the venue when he was strangely called down to the principal's office. With nothing left to do, the participants left the room, leaving Cristina all alone. She wanted to be by herself for a little while.

Seeing her chance, Karla slipped into the classroom. Cristina was adjusting her painting, and Karla stepped right up beside her, watching what her classmate was doing.

"Who is that old lady?" Karla asked Cristina with a smug air.

"It's... my grandmother," Cristina said nervously. She didn't like Karla's presence.

"It's not the day for the eldery, dummy." Karla shoved Cristina, who didn't fight back against the teasing. "Besides, as far as I know, you don't even have real family—just old Dolores, Javier, and that stupid Hilda."

"Hilda is not stupid!" Cristina was getting angry. She felt her voice rising, and before she understood how, Karla stumbled back a step.

Karla had felt a jolt—an electric spark—course through her body. But she didn't give up. Karla slammed the classroom door shut, took off her gloves, and slapped Cristina, catching her completely off guard. Her skin stung, not from the blow itself, but from a strange sensation she couldn't explain.

"An orphan like you needs to learn some respect," Karla said pushing Cristina.
Karla proceeded to kick Cristina in the stomach; she collapsed to the floor in pain. She barely had time to react before she saw Karla destroying her painting.

During the morning, Karla had managed to extract some of her venom into small jars she had hidden specifically for this moment. Between the stinging slap and the kick, Cristina was paralyzed and could only watch as her classmate first soaked her painting in that strange liquid, which she immediately realized was corrosive venom.

To make people believe it was an act of vandalism by Cristina, Karla grabbed some art club supplies to smash the rest of the drawings, adding industrial cleaning chemicals to complete her mischief. It didn't even take her ten minutes to finish the task; she knew she had to be quick.

To keep Cristina from interfering, she attacked her a couple more times, avoiding burning her with her venom by sticking to kicks and punches so there wouldn't be awkward questions later.

“The best part is that no one is going to believe you," Karla told her as she pinned her to the floor. Cristina realized Karla had used magic.

The final blow had been heavy, so it took her a while to react, and Karla didn't even need much effort to keep her pinned down. Cristina screamed—not just a cry of rage, but a scream that triggered something within the school grounds.

Maya, who was getting ready to sing on stage, felt it: an instability of raw magic driven by intense emotion. And she wasn't the only one; every witch at the school that day felt the anomaly. Karla panicked upon sensing it and, not wanting to stay a second longer, fled.

Fate managed to hand Karla the advantage. There were no witnesses, nobody to help. The door swung open again. It was Professor Martínez. Cristina managed to pull herself up as she looked at the wreckage.

"You're in big trouble," the teacher said, grabbing Cristina by the arm and dragging her toward the principal's office.

“No! I... you're wrong, teacher!" Cristina tried to defend herself. The professor took Cristina’s hand and grab her to the aisle. They’re were heading to the principals office.

"You were the only one in there," the teacher said, stopping and looking her dead in the eyes. "I really wan to listen to your excuse.”

Cristina managed to free herself and fled as fast as she could. She was in serious trouble now. The teacher was going to claim she destroyed the art exhibition, and nobody would believe her side of the story. She had no proof to the contrary, and nobody had seen Karla. Before she knew it, she was hiding near the athletic field where some students were warming up for a competition. Still panting, she kept moving and slipped out of the school gates. She was terrified of facing Professor Martínez and her peers.

She walked a few blocks, stopping at the entrance of a clothing store. Being inside the heated school had made her forget the chill outside. The autumn wind was piercing, and the sun barely gave any warmth as it hid behind a blanket of clouds. She was freezing, and she didn't even have a sweater.

Back at Azulona, the art group had gathered in the hall where the drawings were to be exhibited. Several parents were present, along with two journalism club photographers. Someone was taking notes on what had happened based on Professor Martínez's testimony.

Alex's drawing was ruined, defaced with a phrase: “Stop coughing,” read the first line. “Learn how to speak well,” said another. His mother picked up the drawing, looking deeply disappointed.

"Mom, I..." Alex tried to explain as he watched his mother watching the drawing. The phrases had been written in permanent marker.

"She's innocent," his mother whispered. "I know she wouldn't do this."

Javier and Dolores were talking to the principal, who angrily reprimanded them over the matter. Dolores was the only one who bothered to apologize, but Javier remained silent, thinking about what happened.

"There's nothing to apologize for," Javier told the principal, who angrily tried to interrupt. "Her painting was damaged too. She is innocent."

"On what grounds?" the principal insisted. Dolores was surprised her husband wasn't backing her up.

"All of this is strange. First of all, she has never had any trouble with anyone; second, as I mentioned, her painting was targeted too." Javier spoke calmly and with total conviction.

"Sure, she did it herself so nobody would suspect her," the principal said, confident that his version was the true one. "Your daughter fled instead of facing the problem. Nobody can find her."

Dolores tried to resolve the issue her own way, saying she would take full responsibility, but Javier stopped her.

"Right now our priority is finding Cristina."

Alex and his mother approached Javier, offering to help search for her if it meant finding her faster.

While all the chaos surrounding Cristina unfolded, Maya and Caleb were getting ready for the first round of musical performances. Maya was anxious to begin. She believed that if she activated her magic while singing, it might find the strange anomaly she had felt moments earlier, allowing her to identify which clan it belonged to.

One of the recital participants rushed in, looking somewhat shaken. Speaking in a low voice, he mentioned to Maya that someone had wrecked the art exhibition. Professor Martínez had supposedly caught the culprit, but the student had fled to escape the consequences.

"Isn't that the exhibition Cristina was participating in?" Maya asked. Almost imperceptibly, a blue star tattoo flickered on her right hand.

In the distance, the announcer could be heard starting the recital, calling Caleb's name as the first performer. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs, and exhaled as he stepped onto the stage. Applause broke out, and moments later, the piano began to play.

"Why would anyone do something so barbaric?" Maya asked.

"It's retaliation," replied the person who had been spreading the gossip. "Rumors said there are traces of magical frequency left in the drawing room. Two of them, to be exact."

"Find Karla," Maya ordered her classmate, who received the command and rushed off.

Meanwhile, Javier was in contact with Hilda, who had decided to stay home. She didn't feel like attending a festival where her own mother wouldn't even be allowed. She hated watching everyone else enjoy the company of people she could never have. Hilda agreed to stay home just in case Cristina showed up.
Alex and his mother went to the cafeteria to grab a coffee only too try to relax.

Several families were enjoying the day there, but the rumors about Cristina were already spreading, with several people calling it a scandal that should have been prevented. Alex coughed softly as he ate a few cookies, trying not to think about it. Spotting Circe, he got up from his table and walked over to her.

"Circe," Alex shouted, agitated as he approached the witch. Circe looked at him. 

"I don't know how you did it, but without me even telling you, you knew I had cancer."

"You're here because of Cristina, right?" Circe asked, cutting straight to the point.

"I don't know how you do it, but I'm sure you'll find who really didi it. She's your friend."

Circe smiled and agreed to help her friend. Accompanied by her mother, the two witches conversed quietly. Alex overheard something about Circe's father still being at home with the baby, and that he could bring the potion. Alex grew impatient watching the women talk among themselves. While her mother picked up her phone to make a call.

"My father will be here soon," Circe told him with confidence. "The guilty will be exposed."

While Circe and Alex were talking, Alisha and Dolores walked into the cafeteria. It had been over half an hour since Caleb and Maya's performance ended.

"I should never have let this happen," Dolores murmured, feeling terrible about everything that was going on. "It's my fault for letting her get involved in this."

"Dolores, please, calm down," Alisha tried to reassure her friend. "What makes you think she actually did it?"

Dolores didn't say anything. Alisha concluded that her friend genuinely believed Cristina was guilty.

"What I'm about to tell you is going to sound strange," Alisha told her friend honestly. "I'm sure she's innocent. You should be on her side."

"If she didn't do it, then who did?" Dolores was completely overwhelmed now.

Alisha didn't say another word. She knew her friend was just mirroring the behavior of her father, Alfredo, but she also knew telling her so wouldn't accomplish a thing.