Page 96 of Espíritu

Julian didn’t have time to unravel the why.

All he knew was, if Catriz was afraid … then something worse was on the way. And if something could jerk Catriz off the map mid-sentence, maybe that was what was yanking other spirits away, too.

Julian needed to find Yadriel and Maritza.

He turned and ran full tilt toward the cemetery’s heart, his board tucked under his arm. Every grave felt like it was watching him. Every shadow twitched.

FIFTEENYADRIEL

Yadriel swept the broom across the stone path with steady, deliberate strokes, the bristles scratching against dirt and fallen leaves. Dried marigold petals clung to the edges of tombstones, but too many of the little offerings sat untouched—no coins gone, candles unburned, cups of café con leche still full.

“You’re gonna sweep a hole into the ground if you keep at it that hard,” Maritza said a few paces back, snipping at a stubborn vine with pruning shears.

He didn’t answer. The cemetery was all wrong. Spirits weren’t just scarce, they were missing. Tethers and portajes that had been left out for them were gone, too, or turned up bent and empty. In a few places, the gravel told a story he didn’t like. Scuffed shoe marks, petals churned up, a candle knocked over hard enough to crack the glass.

A flicker of cold brushed the back of his neck.

“Felipe?” Yadriel said, glancing toward a familiar headstone. The spirit blinked into view just long enough to look around, jittery.

“You seen Marisol?” Felipe asked, voice pitched low like the graves might eavesdrop. “I haven’t seen her since last night.”

“Marisol?” Yadriel’s stomach dropped. “Not today,” he said carefully. “I’ll check, though.”

Felipe nodded, flickered, and vanished again.

As he did, Yadriel noticed something new at the base of Marisol’s headstone—a battered, dog-eared Jujutsu Kaisen volume. He blinked, kneeling to brush away the bit of gravel clinging to the cover. It was one of his old copies, worn soft from use.

Julian must have swiped it and left it for her.

The thought hit him in the chest. Even scared, even overwhelmed, Julian had remembered and brought something just for her. The book sat there now like a small promise waiting to be kept.

Yadriel’s phone buzzed in his hoodie pocket, the sound shattering his fragile calm. He startled, tugging it free to see a missed call and a new voice memo from Julian.

“Julian, what now…” he muttered, lips twitching with tired affection.

“What’s he doing, skateboarding off another roof?” Maritza teased, tossing a clump of vine into the compost bucket.

“Maybe,” Yadriel replied distractedly, pressing Play on the voice memo.

Julian’s voice exploded from the speaker, frantic and breathless, like he was mid-sprint while recording.

Hey, babe, just casually being haunted again, no biggie! Kinda freaking out! I’m heading to your place! Anyway—miss you, call me back!

Yadriel blinked. Then played it again.

“Did he just say he’s being haunted?” Maritza asked flatly.

“Yeah,” Yadriel breathed, heart skipping. He hit Play again, hoping the words would make more sense the second time. They didn’t.

Maritza held out her hand for the phone. Yadriel passed it over numbly, brain still buffering. The sound of Julian’s panic kept replaying in his head.

Maritza listened. “Yeah, that’s bad,” she announced, handing back the phone. She looked far too calm for Yadriel’s liking. “You’re gonna wanna figure that out, ASAP.”

“I know,” Yadriel snapped, his voice tight. He immediately felt guilty for the sharpness and sighed. “Sorry.”

The wind picked up, rustling the leaves and shaking the marigolds on nearby graves. Yadriel glanced around instinctively, feeling the weight of the cemetery’s quiet like a shroud. Normally, the spirits who lingered here brought him comfort. Today, they made his skin prickle.

Maritza held the phone back out to him. “Just call him.”