Mateo burst into the dining room and appeared out of breath. “Mateo? Are you okay?” Elena asked, concerned. “It’s…this,” Mateo breathed, holding out a necklace with a clear gemstone attached to the end. Before Elena could say anything, a flurry of orange blossoms exploded in front of Mateo.
Elena gasped as a slender leg stepped out from the cloud of blossoms, followed by a graceful-looking woman revealing herself. She had long straw blonde hair that fluttered by an invisible wind, a white billowing gown, and sky blue eyes.
“Who are you?” Mateo asked, holding his Tamborita at the ready. “The necklace is for…Zuzo,” the mysterious woman said, disappearing in a cloud of sky blue butterflies. When the flurry dispersed, the woman was gone without a trace. “She vanished!” Elena said in shock, wide-eyed.
“What do you think the necklace does, Elena? Maybe you should call Zuzo over. He’ll know what to do,” Mateo suggested, lowering his Tamborita. “How did she know Zuzo’s name, though?” Elena asked. “Zuzo would probably know. Call him,” Mateo responded, turning to look at the pile of flowers left behind by the mysterious woman.
“Zuzo!” With a flash, the spirit guide appeared in front of Elena. “Morning, Elena!” Zuzo greeted, before noticing her expression. “Zuzo, I need you to take a look at this. Do you recognize it?” she asked, holding the necklace out for him to see. Zuzo took the necklace from Elena and examined it closely.
“Hmmm…I don’t recognize this,” Zuzo replied, slipping it around his neck. As soon as the necklace was on him, the clear gem suddenly turned a bright blue. “Uh, Zuzo? Something’s happening to you,” Mateo said, slowly backing away. “What are you talking abou-” Zuzo started to say before his eyes widened in surprise.
“You…you’re turning physical! But that’s impossible!” Mateo said. With a shout, Zuzo dropped in midair and landed on the floor. “Oof! That was…strange,” he said, before realizing what had just happened. Turning around, Zuzo startled when he saw his reflection in the mirror.
“This…shouldn’t be possible. Elena, where did you find this necklace?” Zuzo asked, his eyes still on the mirror.
“Mateo brought it to me. But that’s not the only thing that happened. A woman suddenly just appeared out of thin air. Poof! Just like that! She said the necklace was for you, but she didn’t say why or even what it would do. And then she vanished without a trace,” Elena explained.
The spirit guide took the necklace off and instantly returned to his spiritual form. “Maybe it could be useful,” Mateo suggested. Zuzo looked back at him, nodding in agreement. “You might be onto something. It would probably be worth trying out,” he replied, putting the necklace back on.
This time, Zuzo was closer to the floor and landed more smoothly. Suddenly, an explosion of orange flowers burst out from behind the three. “There she is! It’s her!” Mateo shouted.
“Is she a spirit? You can almost see through her,” Zuzo said. Without warning, the mysterious woman leaped backward out of the window, her white dress fluttering as she went. “We have to go after her and find out what she’s up to. Come on!” Elena said, jumping out the window.
“Hey! Wait up!” Mateo called, following suit. Zuzo hung back, still not accustomed to having a physical form. “Okay, you can do this. Just jump out the window. Nothing too difficult,” he told himself, taking a preparing breath.
When Elena, Mateo and Zuzo landed on the ground, they looked up just in time to see the mysterious woman take a strong elegant leap into the air, making her white dress billow around her thin, slender legs. “Whoa,” Mateo breathed, his mouth hanging open.
“Who is she?” Elena wondered, staring up into the sky in wonder. “I don’t know, Elena,” Mateo said, shrugging his shoulders. Zuzo finally caught up to them, breathing shakily. “Sorry,” He breathed, “I’m not used to running like that. Who knew that having a physical form could be so exhausting!” He wiped off a bead of sweat.
“Elena!” a familiar voice said somewhere behind the three. She turned in the direction of the voice, and saw Naomi running up to her. “I saw you jump out of the window. What were you after?” her friend asked, before she finally noticed Zuzo. “Is that…Zuzo? What happened to him?” Naomi asked, looking at him with confusion.