Panic set in.She snatched a shard of glass, pointed and sharp as a knife.Her fingers wouldn’t stop shaking.She couldn’t breathe.Couldn’t think.
She pressed the edge against his neck.Blood bubbled beneath the glass.This would kill him.There would be no turning back.
This was for her and her sisters.
And for Mamá.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she sank the edge of the glass into his skin, and slashed.
And then it was over.
She gasped.The bloodied shard slipped from her fingers and shattered.He was gone.He would never hurt her or her sisters ever again.The relief was so overwhelming, she blinked back tears.
Then she saw the blood again.Not as something beautiful and dreamlike, butreal.Warm and sticky spatters stained her hands and gown.The metallic-scented scarlet sent her plummeting to reality.A wave of terror almost suffocated her.Shekilledher father.She was amurderer.
It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.She would be locked away.Her sisters would hate her forever.
Lo stood on shaky feet, wiping her hands on her gown.Her pulse raced.Fortune’s Kiss.Her last hope.It always had been.She needed to get there before it was too late.If she broughtMamá back, her sisters would understand; she could tell them Lo did what she needed to do.
She ripped at the buttons of her bodice and pulled the dress off, not bothering to be careful.Threads snapped and the delicate ruffles tore.It didn’t matter.Underneath, she wore a silky ivory slip.Gracias a Dios, it wasn’t stained.She tossed the crumpled gown behind some vases and snatched a long cloak hanging near the door.Her heart pounded and her head swam, but pure adrenaline kept her moving.
“PAPÁ!”Sera screamed as she and Sofía ran into the room.Sofía burst into high-pitched wails and clung to Sera.All the while, Sera just stared at Lo, her dark eyes wide.
Lo jolted.She opened her mouth to say something.Anything.
He was going to hurt her, she wanted to explain.But more than that, she’d done this for them.To protect them.To keep them from experiencing the horrors her father put her through.But the words wouldn’t come.Her throat closed up and her vision blurred with more tears.Time was running out.She bolted to the door.Ran through the garden as fast as she could.Sera didn’t try to stop her, instead screaming for help.But that was all in vain.Their father was in El Infierno now.
Lo dashed onto the street, running farther and farther away from her cage.Like a bird escaping into the night.Free.She was free.Yet the joyous feeling didn’t bloom inside her like she always imagined.Nothing would be the same ever again.
FIVEMayté
The sun sank under the horizon, and darkness dulled the sky.Mayté bounced on the balls of her feet.She would have paced back and forth, but there wasn’t any room.Centro Street was even more packed than last time.Hopefuls and curious onlookers swarmed every which way.Children shouted in excitement and darted around, unsupervised, while a few opportunistic vendors tried to set up shop.Someone dragged around a mule; maybe that was their most prized possession.Voices clashed together in an unrecognizable jumble, but the excitement was almost palpable.If tasked with painting this chaotic scene, Mayté would have focused on portraying that feeling of expectation and energy, instead of getting all the ever-changing details correct.
She grasped one of her braids and tugged at the split ends.She was wearing her nicest ruffled blouse, and a long, bright red skirt.The outfit was supposed to be light and breezy, but she couldn’t stop sweating.
Where was Lo?
The line started to crawl forward little by little, yet her best friend was nowhere in sight.Mayté stood on her tiptoes and scanned the crowd once again for a head full of long, bouncing curls.Was she running late?No.Lo would never be late forsomething so important.Could she have changed her mind?No way that could be either.
Had something happened to her?
Mayté’s pulse thrummed louder.Should she go looking for her?She’d lose her spot in line, but if she ran the whole way, she might make it back in time.When were the doors supposed to close?What if she missed her chance?Then what?
But she couldn’t leave Lo behind.It wouldn’t be right.Her stomach churned.
Angry voices sliced the air.
“No cutting the line!”
“Who do you think you are?”
“Ay, I’m talking to you, girl!”
Lo pushed her way through the crowd.Warm relief flooded Mayté, starting at her fingertips and rushing to her toes.“Oh good!”She exhaled with relief, only for her stomach to drop.Lo was wearing a strange cloak.When the warm breeze wisped through, it revealed only a slip dress underneath.Men leered.Women whispered to each other in disapproval.All the while, Lo stared straight ahead—eyes glassy, expression dull.She didn’t flinch when someone elbowed her.It was as if she were possessed by La Muerte.
“I was starting to worry something had happened,” Mayté began cautiously.
Hadsomething happened?
