Page 54 of Espíritu

“What are you talking about?” Yadriel asked, looking between Julian and the bucket. “I just saw you standing here, staring at nothing.”

Julian’s hands fumbled for something to hold on to, finally gripping the doorframe as if it were the only thing anchoring him to reality. “I saw—I don’t know—the water, it was glowing, and there were eyes, and—and—and—!” His voice cut off, his mind struggling to piece together the fragmented images.

Yadriel placed a steadying hand on his arm. “You’re shaking,” he said softly.

Julian tried to nod but couldn’t stop the tremor in his limbs. “It’s—it’s gotta be the dark spot!” he muttered, pressing a hand to his chest where the faint throbbing ache had intensified. “It’s connected! I know it is!”

Yadriel’s brow furrowed with concern. “We’ll figure it out, Jules. I promise.”

Julian wanted to believe him, but the memory of those golden eyes burned in his mind. As Yadriel led him out of the closet and back into the fluorescent-lit hallway, Julian made a plan to find Angel. Whatever was happening, he needed answers, and quick.

He didn’t know how much time they had. But every whisper, every shadow said the same thing—not enough.

NINEYADRIEL

Warm gold clung to the tops of houses as Yadriel and Maritza walked home. The air had cooled just enough to make Yadriel tuck his hands into his hoodie sleeves. He walked beside Maritza in silence, the full-volume commotion known as Julian having split off with Rocky, Luca, and Omar.

Yadriel kept replaying the exchange with Julian from earlier. Wide eyes. Rigid shoulders. Breaths coming in panicked gasps. It was as if Julian were trying to act normal but couldn’t pull it off because he was that scared.

He’d told Julian that they would figure it out, but he didn’t know how. Especially not without help from the other brujx.

Yadriel glanced at Maritza, who was scrolling through her phone, her brow furrowed in thought.

“Something’s wrong with Julian,” he said.

Maritza looked up from her phone, thumb hovering mid-scroll. “Uh, yeah, no kidding,” she said. “He looked like he’s one more hallucination away from a meltdown.”

Yadriel winced. “He texted me to meet him after lunch, and when I found him, he said he saw something in the janitor’s closet.”

Maritza made a face. “Gross.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Yadriel said, though a ghost of a smile pulled at his mouth. “He said there was … glowing water? Whispers. And he swore there were eyes staring back at him from a mop bucket.”

That made Maritza slow her pace. “Okay,” she said cautiously. “Gross and haunted.”

Yadriel’s chest tightened. He’d seen Julian scared before—flinching from shadows, hiding it behind jokes—but this was different. Maritza was right, he was haunted. Whatever Julian had stumbled into, it was brushing too close to the kind of danger Yadriel couldn’t exorcise with words.

Yadriel’s voice dropped. “Between that, susto, and the Marca Huecas…” He trailed off.

The pattern was starting to scare him. It wasn’t just one weird experience—it was threads weaving together, too deliberate to ignore. Whatever was happening to Julian wasn’t random, and if the magic was fraying around him, it meant something—or someone—was pulling at the edges.

Maritza rolled her eyes, sharp and immediate. “And he thinks Angel has the answers,” she said flatly.

Yadriel didn’t bite. “They’re the only other person we know who can see the marks. That’s useful.”

Maritza’s mouth flattened. “Useful isn’t the same as trustworthy.”

“We’ll take the help and keep our guard up,” Yadriel said, ending it.

He hated that she wasn’t wrong. But he also hated how helpless he felt. Julian was slipping through his fingers, and no matter how tight he tried to hold on, he couldn’t stop it.

Maritza sighed. “So what’s the plan?”

“I don’t know yet,” Yadriel said, hesitating. “Maybe if we can figure out how to cure the susto—his and Luca’s—”

“Then we’ve got a lead,” Maritza finished, nodding. “Okay. That means we need more information. About the marks. About susto.”

“Lita might know,” he suggested. “She’s dealt with soul stuff before. Whatever Julian’s seeing … it’s different.”