“Well, then.The rumors must be true,” Señor Vásquez muttered to himself.He rubbed his chin.“This could change everything.”
Mayté’s pulse quickened.Could it be?She rushed through the crowd, her plaited hair bouncing against her back.Her rebozo flew in the breeze like wings wanting to take flight.All around, everyone spoke of it.The rumors swirled in the thick humid air.
“They say it will be even grander than last time.”
“Ay, son solo encantos y trucos.¡Nada más!”
“No, no, you know what happens to those who win!”
“And what of those who lose?”
“They wander aimless like ghosts.Worse off than street beggars.”
“But the risk more than makes up for the reward.”
Mayté’s ears pounded, making it even harder to hear.
Then she saw it.
Plastered on the smooth adobe walls of the grand cathedral like a divine blasphemy, a poster, black as ink.An ornate calaveracontrasted with the dark background, outlined in shimmering amber as if penned with pure magic.Big white teeth, theonlywhite on the entire page, grinned at her, as wide flowery eyes stared into her soul.She ran a finger over the skull’s swirly floral pattern.
The rest of the poster’s text was that same magical amber.In the harsh sunlight, it twinkled like the stars at night.IT IS HERE.THE LEGENDARY EL BESO DE LA FORTUNA.
“Fortune’s Kiss,” Mayté choked out, then slapped a hand over her mouth.As if saying it out loud would chase away the mirage.But no.This was real.It was happening.Finally.
Twice a year, during the summer and winter solstices, Fortune’s Kiss was said to appear in a random city without warning, sometimes seemingly swallowing up whole buildings.But once it was there, it opened its doors for those brave enough to gamble.Those willing to accept the high stakes.
Now Fortune’s Kiss had chosen Milagro once again.
A tiny lizard darted along the wall but kept away from the poster, as if the paper were cursed.But it was just the opposite.Thiswas the biggest blessing.
Try your luck to make your greatest desires manifest, Mayté read.She let out a breath.Her greatest desires … To make a name for herself as a painter with enough money and commissions to support herself.
To be free from the weight of her family’s name.
If you dare …
Yes, yes, she did.She would do anything to make her dream come true.
Mayté ripped the poster off the wall and held it against her chest.In her other hand, she squeezed the empty bottle of Una Pizca de Suerte.Señor Vásquez’s sister-in-law was really ontosomething.Most potions only had temporary effects—it made the business more lucrative—but something told Mayté that her luck wouldn’t run out anytime soon.
Her father claimed that the family fortune had floated away.All the way up to the sun, where it had melted into starlight, but no one believed him.Mayté heard enough whispers to form her own conclusion.Gambling.He had gambled it all away like a fool after Abuelita passed on.And to further ruin everything he became a drunkard, refusing to work and speaking barely a syllable to anyone.Their family had once been highly regarded.They had been members of Las Cinco Familias, representing everything the country of San Solera stood for.Still, the Robles’s powerful bloodline couldn’t make up for the damage her father had done, and soon Las Cinco became Las Cuatro.All because of him.
But now it was Mayté’s turn to gamble.She wouldn’t lose like her father.No, she would succeed, rise above everyone else, and forsake them for what they’d done to her.
Father, for not picking up the pieces of his life and running away from his problems.
Mother, for putting everything into her brothers and neglecting her.
Her brothers, for taking all that was left without leaving Mayté even the smallest of scraps.The list was endless …
The rest of Las Cuatro for shunning her.
The girls who stopped inviting her to parties.
The boys who suddenly forgot she existed.
She wouldn’t need Señora Castro’s commission, or that greedy shopkeeper’s business either.Like imperfections on the canvas, she would paint over them until her life was pristine, flawless.She would blot out every last person—
