Page 16 of Espíritu

As they continued their trek through the familiar streets, Julian couldn’t shake the nagging thought poking at the back of his brain.

What if he was wrong? What if they did need the adults?

The possibility gnawed at him, a tiny mouse nibbling holes in the fabric of his certainty. They had knowledge, resources—maybe even answers.

But then he pictured Yadriel’s worried frown, the way his hands twisted together anxiously.

No. Protecting Yadriel from his family’s backlash trumped everything.

“Earth to Julian!” Maritza snapped her fingers in his face.

“Sorry,” Julian said, shaking off the creeping dread.

“Your face does this little twitchy thing when you’re stressing,” Maritza observed, half teasing, half concerned.

Julian sighed. “Just thinking about the next move.”

Maritza huffed. “Well, whatever the move is, we gotta be careful about it.”

“Right, totally,” Julian said, nodding along. “Measure once, cut twice.”

Maritza stopped dead in her tracks. “It’s measure twice, cut once.”

Julian threw his hands in the air. “I’m not in the mood for riddles, Maritza!”

Yadriel’s mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile. “You sure you don’t wanna rethink the whole ‘no brujx’ plan?”

Julian hesitated, caught between his loyalty and the fear of what might happen if they were wrong. But admitting doubt now would only fray the thread of bravery he was clinging to.

He’d made Yadriel’s life difficult enough—he refused to make it worse.

“Nah,” Julian said, more to convince himself than them. “We stick to the plan. We always land on our feet, right?”

“Right,” Yadriel echoed, but he seemed less sure.

“Hey.” Julian managed a grin, looping his arm around Yadriel’s neck to pull him against his side. “We got this!” he said, planting a loud, wet kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek. “First, we gotta help out Bartolomé!”

Route 60 ran straight through the middle of Belvedere Park, from east to west. The north side was pretty run-down, with worn-out sports fields and some picnic benches. It was mostly dried grass, dirt, and cracked pavement.

They crossed the street to the entrance of the pedestrian bridge that crossed over the 60. A chain-link tunnel covered the bridge like metal bones of a giant snake silhouetted against the sky. Up ahead was the downward slope where Luca had gotten jumped and Julian had barreled to his rescue.

A coldness slithered over Julian’s scar.

“Hey, you good?” Maritza asked loudly over the roar of traffic below. She might not have seen his mark, but she always seemed to know when he was on edge.

“Fine,” Julian lied. He could still feel the sting of Catriz’s attack but shoved it to the back of his mind.

Julian’s favorite spot was the skate park. His dad used to bring him and Rio there all the time. Rio usually sulked on the bench while Julian hurled himself into the bowl, fearless enough to give their dad a heart attack every few seconds. Rio never got the balance down.

Now the place buzzed with life. Skaters grinding rails, roller girls flipping tricks, some old dude arguing with kids on scooters while a crowd filmed the bowl for the next viral crash.

Julian’s fingers itched to show off the new board Yadriel had given him, but they were on a mission. So he kept walking toward the aquatic center tucked in the corner, where he and his friends used to sneak in for free rec hours—always in the shallow end, for Flaca’s sake.

The south side of the park had a big lawn, trees, and, of course, the man-made “lake” that was technically just a pond. People called it El Parque de los Patitos because of all the birds that hung out.

On one side loomed the courthouse and civic center, on the other, the sheriff’s station with lots crammed full of cop cars. But the courthouse lot stole the show—rows of lowriders gleamed under the fading sun, paint jobs shimmering with stories of pride and legacy, hoods lifted like treasure chests.

“Whoa,” Julian muttered, momentarily dazzled.