Dealing in Dreams

by Lilliam Rivera

  Nena marks it down. There are food pellets. We can’t give those up. Our tronics are too valuable. I won’t trade them. The sueños will have to do.

  I gather the girls away from Miguel. He seems only mildly concerned with what’s happening. Or is this yet another performance from him, feigning disinterest as a form of survival? I don’t trust him.

  “We give them the sueños,” I say. “Under no circumstances are we to give them anything else. Not the tronics and not him.”

  “What would the Gurl Gunnas want with an ANT? We barely want him.”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know what to expect from a stupid kid. Do you?”

  “Let me hole up with him, then,” Smiley says. “So it’s not even on the table. They won’t see the ANT, so it won’t be an issue.”

  “No. They saw us and they picked Truck. They know exactly what they are doing. OG may be twelve, but she has the smarts to have gotten this far.”

  I pace. I have to think a few moves ahead. What do the Gurl Gunnas want? As a new leader, OG needs to prove herself. It’s why she’s acting out with Truck. This is more of a show, a power play to flex her newfound muscles. The Gurl Gunnas will want to ransack us for sueños. If they are traveling back and forth to Mega City, sueños are the only currency that matters. We will give them what they want. The sueños will be our ticket to getting Truck.

  “We can’t mess around,” I say. “We stick together. It’s imperative. They took Truck because we allowed the mess with the Muñecas to trip us. We can’t have a repeat performance.”

  “I’m sorry, Chief Rocka,” Nena says. She is shaking.

  “What are you sorry about?”

  “If I hadn’t found the doll bomb, then we wouldn’t have been confused. It’s my fault.”

  “You two gather our stuff,” I say. “We are leaving in five minutes.”

  I take Nena aside. She seems so young. I can’t have her freaking out on me. This is different from when Miguel caught her. Ever since we left Mega City she has stayed clear away from him. I notice her flinching whenever he addresses her in any way. Truck hasn’t picked up on it because if she had, she would have never let Nena hear the end of it. I need her to get hard and not be fooled by dolls or any shiny objects.

  “Nena, you have to soldier.” I say this firmly. “There is no room for mistakes. Truck’s life is on the line. I will cut you loose if you make any more. Do you hear me?”

  “I’ll be a true soldier. I won’t mess this up. I promise.”

  “You’re afraid. So am I,” I say. “The Gurl Gunnas cannot see your fear. No matter what, you go into a new situation strong as a mountain and quick with the rage face.”

  She shows me her rage face.

  I caress her cheek. Baby Nena. I can’t lose any more of my girls. Not on this trip, not because of silly errors.

  “You are an LMC. Don’t let anyone ever tell you different. Do you remember what I said to you on the day I let you stay with us? We are sisters, family, and we look out for each other.”

  I won’t let what happened to me happen to Nena or to Truck, or to the others. I won’t abandon them as my sister and father abandoned me. Nena has to channel this dread she has into anger. Let it be a slow burn.

  “You stepped to the Muñeca when we needed you to. Summon that feeling again. Follow my lead. Don’t forget your training.”

  “Yes, Chief Rocka.”

  Her voice is strong. Let it stay strong.

  “This goes for everyone. We need Truck. Let’s do what we were born to do. Let’s go.”

  A young kid tries to make a name for herself. It’s not much different from the crews in Mega City except for one thing—Déesse. The Gurl Gunnas and the demented Muñecas are leaderless. At least Déesse guides us. She provides order. I’m navigating a place with its own set of rules. There’s no map here, only my gut telling me to go left or right.

  It’s been only a couple of days. It feels an eternity since the battle with Destiny. How am I going to make it to the Ashé if I can’t protect my strongest soldier? There’s so much doubt surging through me. I can’t share my fears with anyone. Truck isn’t here to talk this thing through.

  “Let’s be ready to offer him,” Smiley says. There’s no usual jokes or last digs coming from Smiley.

  “No. We need him,” I say. “We won’t give up Miguel unless we have to.”

  “Thank you, Chief Rocka,” Miguel chimes in. Here I am protecting a stranger, an addicted ANT. Why do I feel my sense of purpose has been twisted ever since I said yes to Déesse back in the healing center?

  We need to get Truck back. I will do what I must to make it happen. Our mission is true. The Gurl Gunnas are just another crew blocking my way.

  CHAPTER 14

  GURL GUNNAS BE LIKE

  A heavy smell of burnt rubber replaces the earlier stench of garbage. Abandoned buildings dot the area. This doesn’t surprise me. What does is that I can see Gurl Gunnas situated on the roofs. They keep their tronics by their sides. My soldiers are aware. We keep tight to our formation.

  “There’s so many,” Nena says.

  “This is Cemi Territory,” Shi explains to her. “They don’t abide to the five girls to a gang rule. Who knows how many Gurl Gunnas are part of their outfit.”

  Two Gurls greet us at the crossroads. The tronics on them look state of the art, equipment we wish we could score from Santo. As far as I know, tronics are made in Mega City. Santo said Déesse has an “understanding” with them. Does it include weapons? I am left with more questions and a feeling of dread.

  “Empty them, Chief Rocka,” one of them says. She rolls the “R” in “Rocka,” really emphasizing it. What a jerk. There’s no respect. This should be about business. It’s bad news if these scrubs are following what the OG is dishing.

  “We don’t empty for no one. Stun if you got to,” I say. “Your boss isn’t going to give you high fives for dropping bodies without making currency first.”

  This Gurl Gunna will play it right if she knows what’s good for her. They are smart enough to understand the value of trade. As for our weapons, they’re not laying one finger on them until we get Truck. And not even then.

  “We got to pat you down, Rockas,” she says. We hold on to our weapons. They won’t feel any of our secondary toys, our knives and blades. They’re well concealed inside our garments. I get patted down first.

  “Sorry to hear about what happened to Vanessa,” Smiley says. She baits them to talk, gauging how chaotic the changes are inside the Gurl Gunnas headquarters.

  The one with the bald head talks. “Vanessa. Haha. She was a joke. A come mierda who needed to be put down. It was easy.”

  The other one has a squat build. Her hair is up in elaborate braids. She doesn’t say a thing. I noticed the flicker in her eye. She had an allegiance to Vanessa. Smiley sees what I see and directs her question to her.

  “If the shift of power was done smoothly, then there’s no loss of sleep. Right?” Smiley asks her.

  The Gurl Gunna looks away.

  “We haven’t seen you girls at the boydegas,” Smiley says. “The Luna Club is fire right now. You’ve been there?”

  Smiley acts friendly. She’s good at conveying that. The baldhead girl isn’t interested. The squat one, on the other hand, is curious. Maybe she wants to leave the Gurl Gunnas and sees in us a possible exit. Smiley is planting a seed.

  “You think Mega City is the only place with boydegas?” the domed one says. “Life doesn’t start with you. We got our own boydegas.”

  “That’s not what I said.”

  The domed one shakes her head. Was she born here in Cemi Territory? Perhaps this is where her loyalty lies. I guess you have to fool yourself into believing what you have is good enough.

  “Next time you find yourself in Mega, the drinks are on me.” Smiley directs this to the quieter soldier. The Gurl barely nods in recognition. This may never work to our favor. The Gurl Gunna might be too entrenched. It doesn’t hurt
to try.

  The bald-headed Gurl Gunna checks Nena.

  “Aww, look at this new cub.” She rubs her bare head. “You might as well put a collar on her because she’s about to bail.”

  Nena has the look of flight for sure. Even after my earlier talk, her baby face still gives her away. Shi comes between the Gurl Gunna and Nena in defense mode.

  “Leave her alone,” Shi says. “Or the one getting cuffed will be you.”

  There’s a long, tension-filled moment. After a beat, the Gurl Gunna laughs off the threat. They’re sizing us up, getting intel to relay back to the boss.

  Satisfied, the Gurls walk down a few blocks. Around a corner we see their headquarters. A large tent is made out of colorful sheets. Their emblem, a tiger with two tronics, hangs above the tent.

  “OG is in a meeting. She wants you Rockas to chill over at our boydega,” the Gurl Gunna says with a snarl. “You can see how we play.”

  As much as I hate this, I can’t refuse.

  “Keep close,” I tell Nena, and she does.

  Inside one of their tents, the music is deafeningly loud. The boydega doesn’t compare to the Luna Club. There are skinny, emaciated boys dancing on various elevated stages. They look as bored as ever. Who knows how long they’ve been at it. The place is packed with Gurl Gunnas placing bets on the papis dancing. I can’t tell who is judging.

  “Serve these Rockas drinks,” she says. “Not him. He only gets drinks if he dances.”

  Miguel glares at the soldier. This is what he meant by the Gunnas. The papis are forced to be here.

  “No thanks,” I say. “We’re not thirsty.”

  There are tables of soldiers eating, and my stomach growls. I won’t touch the food. I don’t know what type of game these people are playing. We don’t do a thing until I see Truck.

  “How long before OG is available?” I ask.

  “Soon.” The Gurl Gunna walks away and checks out a boy with flaming-red hair dancing in silver shorts. She guzzles down her drink. “See! You guys aren’t the only ones living the high life.” She yells to the papi to move faster. He doesn’t. Other Gurl Gunnas point and whisper to each other. The whole display is pathetic.

  Shi sidles up to the quieter Gurl Gunna. Although Shi is doing the talking, the Gurl Gunna is listening. On another stage, papis gyrate while Gurl Gunnas holla at them.

  All I can do is wait. Count the minutes while Truck endures who knows what. Nena fidgets with her LMC tattoo.

  A young Gurl Gunna runs to the loudmouth soldier. The loudmouth doesn’t stop staring at the dancing papi. She answers only with a nod.

  “It’s about to happen,” Smiley says. Even when I am in the middle of chaos, there is a dance being carried out. This is a performance. I’m being forced to wait while Truck is close by. The OG has the upper hand, and I am part of the show until the very end.

  “Do you want a little aid to calm you down?” A papi serves shot glasses with sueños in them.

  Miguel grabs a glass and places the pill in his pocket before I can stop him.

  “Damn you.”

  “Just following the leader,” he says.

  This freaking guy. Miguel will soon ride high and be utterly useless. Why go under when we are walking into the unknown? Or, perhaps, this is the reason why he does it.

  “Let’s go, Rocka!” the loudmouth soldier shouts. “OG is waiting.”

  Nena scurries to walk with Smiley and Shi. I follow the Gurl Gunna. She leads us away from the boydega to a large tent. Gurl Gunnas stand guard in the front of it. They give the nod and we walk in.

  It’s as if we’ve stumbled upon a boydega fantasy room. The tent is stacked with books everywhere. There are walls of books, more than I’ve ever seen before in my life. Piles used as tables and chairs. My papi chulo Books would have fit right in. For an instant I am drawn back home and the life I left behind.

  A Gurl Gunna keeps a fire pit going by feeding it with books. Tied up in a chair sits a slumped-over Truck. She’s been getting the beatdown for who knows how long. She is a bloody mess. They took things too far.

  Sitting atop a massive chair made of books spray-painted in gold is the twelve-year-old OG. She’s weighed down in chains, around her neck, her arms, her waist, her teeth. Her hair is cropped, with one gold stripe across the top.

  “I’m Chief Rocka of Las Mal Criadas. Your situation looks tight, minus, of course, my girl Truck right there,” I say. “Let’s cut her loose and get down to numbers.”

  The OG pats an oversized pet iguana that sits beside her. The iguana is a mechanical animal similar to the piñatas hanging at Luna Club. Built to last forever, or until its batteries die. These toys are not cheap to come by, and it doesn’t appear to have been handmade. Are the Gurl Gunnas living that large to be able to afford this opulent plaything? This goes beyond selling multicolored wigs and Codigos. The iguana jets out its tongue and props its head back down on the floor.

  “Naw. You’re in my house now. I’ll tell you what is what.” With the self-inflicted scars on her face and body, I can see how an outsider might be fooled into thinking the OG is older. No matter how much gold she throws on herself, she can’t hide the baby fat on her cheeks. “Your girl here was out of order. Not checking herself. We talk numbers when I’m good and ready to talk numbers.”

  I came on too strong. I’ve got to pull back or there will be no rescue for Truck.

  “As I mentioned, your house looks nice. I’m good sitting down with your people, if it’s a sit-down you want. I’m coming to you identical to the way you’re coming to me. As two warriors, two soldiers with one agenda, getting what we want.”

  There’s a long pause. I can almost hear her brain working overtime, trying to figure which piece to play first. I refuse to step down from this scrub, even if we end up getting jacked. She’ll be the first to get a taste of my hidden knife.

  Smiley speaks, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

  “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, OG,” Smiley says. “I trained with you right before I left the camp, remember?”

  Smiley knows her. This is news. I wish we’d known this before getting here. OG is a Mega City girl. She has roots in our city and she’s managed to upgrade her situation by carving space in Cemi Territory. There’s no way she could have done this alone. I don’t see what makes her special. The chair made of books engulfs her small frame. History between Smiley and her might work in our favor, unless they got beef.

  OG gets up and walks over to Smiley. It takes OG a second to place her. When she does, her expression is far from a welcome surprise. Instead, her scowl grows.

  “You know me? So what? I remember you being a punk-ass zero who couldn’t fight to save her ugly face. You hanging with this sorry crew? That tells me everything. Step back before I truly wreck you.” I probably won’t be the one to beat this girl. It will be Smiley for sure. If their history goes back to the training camp, then Smiley knows exactly where to hit.

  “You forgot it was me who saved you from getting a beatdown from the Rompe Cocos,” Smiley says. “I remember too well who played the punk that day.”

  The OG laughs this off. One of the Gurl Gunnas grabs Smiley and tries to wrestle her down. Smiley is quick to outmaneuver her. She grabs the Gurl Gunna’s head and pushes it into her raised knee. Another Gurl Gunna rushes to tackle Smiley. Shi joins in by grabbing the nearest Gunna. More enter the fray. Nena jumps in. The fight is clean. My hand stays settled against my tronic just in case the ugliness escalates.

  While the ruckus continues, OG and I play the staring game. Her gold teeth gleam even in the darkened tent. OG waits for me to be the first to blink. I try to re-create her timeline. Did she fail in the training camp and decide to become a freelancer? To be a seller you must be on the pulse of what people desire. She needed to fill a void. What is she selling out here in Cemi Territory? It can’t be this extreme force.

  Pleased with the show, OG strokes her iguana. There’s no protection here, no cover. Th
is is her house, and we’re battling our way to find a seat at the table. Truck moans.

  Smiley has knocked two Gunnas out cold. There’s a slight reprieve for the LMC, enough for Smiley to hold down a Gurl. Then four more Gunnas join the fray. They take Smiley, but not before she lands a blow to the side of a Gunna’s head, sending her careening to a table. Books are toppled to the ground. The OG isn’t pleased by this.

  “We’re done,” I say. My girls stop fighting. The OG knows what we are capable of. Maybe now we can sit down and plot the rest.

  “Good,” she says, chuckling a bit. “Get the LMCs drinks.”

  I am led to her negotiating table, which is made of books painted in gold. The Gunnas bring water to my girls. After catching their breath, Smiley, Shi, and Nena stand erect behind me.

  “You’re a long way from Mega City. Where are you heading, and why have you dragged your asses over here?”

  OG should be more concerned with her own troops than with where I’m going.

  “We’re marching toward the interior of Cemi Territory. No drama, no blood.”

  “Cemi Territory isn’t for everyone. Only the cold-blooded and ruthless can survive. You guys don’t seem either of those things. Too much time in Mega City. Why are you in my hood?”

  “That’s our business.”

  “The thing is, your business is now my business. I’m in no rush to cut your soldier down, especially after the way she mouthed off to my people. This girl, Truck, is bad news.”

  I don’t doubt Truck mouthed off. OG’s lying soldiers surely provoked her first. Truck probably fought everything and everyone around.

  “It’s neither here nor there whether my soldier disrespected you. Let’s talk about how your Gurls took Truck without negotiating first, while we were dealing with those sorry Muñecas. We can go over the rules broken and see which one of our crews is more on the wrong. It’s a waste of time.”

  The giant iguana circles my feet. Santo had one before. He was gifted a tiger. They are made in the Towers. The latest trend. It can’t hurt anyone. Still, I don’t appreciate it lingering near me.