Page 23 of Espíritu

But Yadriel beat him to it.

“Sure,” Yadriel said with a smile.

Julian blinked at him. “Wait—what?”

Maritza threw her elbow into his side.

Yadriel was actually letting them in? Julian’s stomach lurched as if he’d missed a step on the stairs. Wasn’t this the kind of thing Lita or Enrique would blow a gasket over?

Julian rubbed the back of his neck, forcing a grin that felt paper-thin. “Uh, you sure, Yads?” His voice cracked on the words.

Yadriel shrugged, way too nonchalant for how panicked Julian felt.

“Ten minutes. Main path only. No wandering, no photos, and if I say we leave, we leave,” Yadriel said, steady but firm as he looked at Flaca, Rocky, Omar, and Luca. “Sound good?”

Julian immediately broke out into a sweat. Please, please, please don’t let this blow up in our faces.

Rocky gave Yadriel a two-finger salute. “Captain Cemetery, yes, sir.”

Omar raised a brow. “Is there a gift shop?”

Maritza snorted. “No, but I’m the bouncer.”

Rocky smiled at her. “We should hang out more.”

Julian laughed nervously.

Ten minutes. He could survive ten minutes, right? As long as he didn’t look too long at any ghost waving at him. As long as he didn’t slip and say hi back. The last thing he needed was Omar or Rocky watching him chat with empty air.

Together, they all crunched down the main path. Yadriel shifted into tour guide mode. “That’s my family’s house,” he said, nodding toward the squat, tile-roofed home just inside the gate. “And the church. It’s locked unless there’s service or ceremony.”

The small yellow church stood proud against the deepening sky, its white trim sharp at the edges, the bell tower throwing long shadows across the courtyard.

Rocky smiled. “Kinda cute, actually.”

Luca murmured agreement, tilting his head like he was committing the details to memory. Omar wasn’t looking at the church at all—he was watching the headstones.

Julian swallowed hard, pulse climbing. He couldn’t sense the ghosts, could he?

Yadriel kept moving. “Over there is the courtyard where we hold vigils,” he explained, pointing toward the open space beneath the arch of jacarandas. “On holidays, everyone gathers here.”

Yadriel continued offering facts and tidbits about the cemetery and how his family were its keepers. All surface level and kinda boring, but maybe that was the point.

They passed a bench where Señora Flores sat with her wide-brimmed hat, knitting needles clacking. She tipped the brim in greeting. Julian clenched his jaw, quickly looking away to keep his eyes locked on Yadriel’s back instead.

A moment later, while Yadriel showed off some newly painted nichos, a boyish giggle cut across the path. Dieguito, no older than seven, zipped in front of them and reached for Julian’s sleeve like he always did.

“Let’s play hide-and-seek!” he demanded.

Julian jerked his arm away, pretending to cough as he forced a grin at Omar.

Dieguito’s face fell, hurt flashing across his features before he disappeared.

Julian’s face twisted, frustrated and disappointed in himself. He felt like a complete asshole for ignoring Dieguito, but it wasn’t like he had a choice. He’d just have to make it up to the ghost boy later. If Dieguito forgave him.

Maritza drifted closer and nudged Julian with her elbow. “Hey,” she whispered, letting her pink-and-purple curls fall so the others couldn’t see her lips move. “Relax. Yadriel’s been keeping brujx secrets his whole life. He can handle a couple nosy questions from your friends. You don’t have to look like you’re about to pass out.”

“Easy for you to say,” Julian muttered under his breath.