Page 47 of Espíritu

“Something strange about this place,” Rio muttered, his gaze fixed on an ornate mausoleum they passed.

Julian forced a laugh. “Maybe all the dead people and graves?”

“Julian!” a voice called brightly.

He flinched. Señora Catalina, an abuela in a pink housecoat and curls, waved at him from behind a low headstone, smiling in his direction.

“Your friend is handsome! Is he single? If I still had a pulse, I’d be blushing!” Señora Catalina chortled at her own joke.

Julian panicked. He kept walking, hoping his brother wouldn’t notice.

Rio hummed. “Don’t see a lot of private cemeteries around here,” he said, glancing back at the gate.

Julian rushed for an explanation. “Oh, uh—yeah— It’s like … a family thing. Family cemetery.”

Rio’s dark eyebrow arched. “This is all for one family?”

“Yeah—” Julian started to say before he realized that was dumb. “I mean, no! Damn, Rio, I don’t know!” he barked, hoping if he got annoyed his brother would just drop it. “It’s just a cemetery!”

Rio grunted. “Right.”

This was not how Julian had planned for his morning to go.

Julian’s fingers curled around the grip tape of his skateboard as they neared Yadriel’s house. The wrought iron fence creaked as they passed through the gate and stepped onto the familiar gravel path leading up to Yadriel’s family home. The house itself sat tucked between tall, ivy-choked crypts and stone mausoleums, its weathered exterior painted a pale, sun-faded blue. The porch sagged slightly at the front, wind chimes clinking together in the breeze. A cluster of votive candles flickered on a small ofrenda just outside the door, the wax pooled and cracked with age.

“This is brutal,” Julian muttered to himself as Rio’s looming presence matched him step for step. Julian’s cool image was shredding faster than knee pads on pavement.

“Quit whining,” Rio grunted.

“It’s embarrassing!” Julian protested, but his plea went ignored. The reluctance in his gut twisted tighter. With each step, Julian felt like he was betraying the already tenuous trust of the brujx.

Rio continued, clearly unbothered by Julian’s discomfort. “I want to properly introduce myself to Yadriel’s family,” he declared, his voice leaving no room for argument.

“All right, all right, all right! Just don’t make me look bad!” Julian hissed, pressing the doorbell before Rio could pound on the door.

The sound had barely faded when the door swung open, revealing Lita in all her matriarchal glory—gray hair knotted back, eyes sharp enough to cut glass.

“Ah, if it isn’t my favorite troublemaker!” she greeted Julian with a warm smile before squinting at Rio. “You’ve got a familiar face! Where do I know you from?”

Julian’s attention snapped to his brother with a frown. What was that about?

Rio shifted, the corner of his mouth twitching as if caught between a scowl and a smile. “Not sure,” he replied, voice void of any telling tone. “I’m Julian’s brother—”

“Ay, I know why you look so familiar!” Lita chuckled, cutting him off. With a flicker of mischief behind her eyes, Lita wagged a finger playfully up at Rio. “You look like one of my past lovers!”

From inside the house came a strangled noise—half screech, half gasp.

Yadriel came skidding into view, horrified. “Lita!” he yelped, his cheeks flushed with mortification.

“Oh, relax, mijo!” Lita chuckled, lazily waving off Yadriel’s humiliation. “Come in, come in!” she said to Julian and Rio, adjusting her hair as she ushered them indoors.

Rio stepped forward, and Yadriel grabbed the back of Julian’s shirt.

“Are we in trouble?” he whispered, alarmed.

“No, he’s just being annoying and tryna embarrass me,” Julian grumped, welcoming his boyfriend with a side hug.

Yadriel leaned in, voice going soft. “Hey … it’s gonna be okay. I promise.”