Girl Z: My Life As A Teenage Zombie

by Verstraete, CA

  I glanced at my cousin, her face so pinched with worry, she reminded me of one of those carved apple-head dolls I’d seen at a museum. “Hey, Carm, your mom ever tell you your face is going to stay that way?”

  She frowned and gave me an angry glare, only making it worse. “What’re you talking about?”

  “What’re you so bothered about?”

  “What do you think?” She snapped and glanced at the houses next to us. “Everybody’s peeking out the door, gawking at you like you’re some freak.”

  “News flash, cuz. The new me. It’s what I am. Don’t worry. Word’s gotten around, I’m sure. They’ll be snooping around soon, coming over to borrow some sugar from Tia or a cup of masa, or flour, or something just to see if I’ve grown another head.”

  The idea made me snicker. Laugh or I knew I’d cry.

  “There’s nothing to laugh about, Bec.”

  “C’mon, Carm. Think of the fun we could have. Can you imagine how fast they’d run out of here if I did have another head? You know, put one of your mom’s wigs under my sweater and attach it to my shoulder?”

  I watched as she thought about it and began to giggle. “You wouldn’t…yeah, it would be pretty funny.”

  My mood felt much better once we went inside. I bent down to pet our white cat, Crystal, which endured a touch from me before running after Auntie with a loud meow, my aunt equaling food, of course.

  “Tia, we’ll be upstairs,” I called, motioning Carm to follow me to my room.

  “All right, honey. Lunch in ten minutes. Becca, don’t worry, honey, I’ll fix you up, too.”

  “Gracias, Tia.”

  Once out of her hearing, I couldn’t resist mumbling, “Yum, juice, boy, oh, boy. I can’t wait!”

  The door squeaked out a welcome as Carm and I shoved our way into my small, cozy room nestled under the staircase. I could’ve had one of the bigger bedrooms, but I enjoyed feeling like the princess in the tower.

  The room was big enough for my twin trundle bed, a dresser, my grandmother’s antique white wicker vanity table and a set of bookshelves filled with some grade school trophies and a few of my dad’s old albums. Extra clothes hung on hooks and on a bar hanging from the ceiling in one corner. My tiny closet bulged with more clothes and boxes.

  My favorite Dia de los Muertos figures covered a shelf and the top of my dresser like a macabre circus. My mom and aunt had dressed me and my cousin in pretty ruffled dresses for church when we were little, but I didn’t pay much attention to the traditions when I got older. What I liked were the colors and the poses in the little scenes. The little skeletons always made me feel better for some reason.

  I threw myself across the bed while Carm plopped into the orange beanbag chair, our favorite brainstorming spot. Above me, the glow-in-the-dark plastic stars I’d pasted on the dark, sparkling blue ceiling waited for night to show their true colors. Like me? Whatever. The colors soothed me.

  “Carm?”

  “Yeah?”

  “What’re you wearing to school Monday?”

  “I don’t know. Jeans. Bec, we have more important things to figure out.”

  “I know, I know.” It was my turn to sigh. “I wanted to act like nothing had changed, at least for a few minutes, you know?”

  “Yeah, I get it.” She sat up and grabbed a notebook. “Okay, enough moping. We need to plan. Where are we going to work?”

  I wrapped my arms around my knees. “How about bringing the stuff over tomorrow?”

  “I asked Tia if I could stay here until my mom comes home. She liked the idea.”

  “Perfect! Hey, we can go get your stuff and you can sleep here tonight. Then we can get an early—”

  “We? I don’t know if you should go out yet.”

  “C’mon, Carm, we got home okay. Tia will drive us. Besides, there’s too much for you to carry alone if I know you. Let me go ask.”

  I ran into the hall and downstairs to the kitchen where my aunt was baking. I went to the fridge and tried to not let her see my dejection. The door open, I grabbed a can of cola for Carm and was surprised to see a big pitcher of ruby red liquid on the bottom shelf.

  “I put your cranberry juice and protein powder in the pitcher,” my aunt explained. “Help yourself. Oh, and check the freezer. I made you a surprise.”

  I opened the freezer door, wondering what she meant. Then I saw the pink ice cube tray, the small sticks poking out of each star-shaped slot. She must’ve seen my confusion and gave my shoulder a squeeze.

  “Honey, I remembered how much you liked those freeze pops, so I made some little frozen bars for you with your juice, added some cherry this time. Makes it seem more like a treat. They should be frozen enough to eat in an hour.”

  I closed the door and leaned over to kiss her cheek.” Awesome. Tia, gracias, you think of everything.”

  Pouring a glass, I asked if we could take Carm home early to pick up her stuff. “It’ll be easier for her to be here before school starts.”

  She gave a low mmm-hmm and went back to cutting vegetables. “Sí, we can go, but I’m not sure you should be outside the house yet.”

  I hid my pout. “I’ll cover up. Promise. I have my hoodie.”

  “We’ll see. Take this tray up to your cousin. I’m sorry, honey, I don’t have anything else for you to eat, but give me some time. I’ll figure out something.”

  “It’s okay. I’m not hungry anyway. We’ll be upstairs.”

  “I’ll call you when the baking is done. Then I guess it’ll be all right. I can drop you girls at Carm’s house while I stop at the market.”

  I bounded upstairs with the tray, grateful the protein stuff I slurped all day stopped those horrid hunger pangs. Saturday, my big pig-out day, loomed ahead. Por favor, Dios, please, don’t let me go through those horrible pains again, I whispered.

  The rainbow-hued plate in my hands, the red china covered with bright orange carrots, pale green celery pieces, and clumps of dark green broccoli, would’ve pleased any artist. It was colorful, and almost appetizing.

  Before this, I’d never been much of a veggie person except for a carrot here and there, but once I couldn’t have it…I hadn’t eaten in so long even the green clumps of broccoli made me long for a bite.

  My fingers grazed a bunch and stopped. Ugh. I was losing it for sure when I considered eating that stuff. Never mind.

  I pushed open the door and set the tray on the footstool. “Tia made you some veggies until we, uh, you eat later.”

  Another apology left Carm’s mouth as she grabbed a carrot, dipped it in ranch dressing, and took a bite with a loud crunch. “Sorry, Bec. I shouldn’t eat in front of you.”

  I sipped the juice and shook my head. No way, I could tell her about my weak moment. “Carm, quit apologizing. You’ll have to get used to it. Besides, I’m sicker than I think when I get a taste for a bunch of broccoli.”

  She laughed and crunched on a green stalk. “Yeah, I know you hate the stuff. But it’s pretty good.”

  “Enjoy. You know, I’m tired of talking about me. Let’s talk about something else for a while. Hear from Jesse yet?”

  Her face got all serious while she tried to act like the dreamy guy she’d been crushing on all summer didn’t matter. “No, well, kind of. He texted and said he’d see me in school. He was still at his grandma’s.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad you’re still talking. I thought he’d never ask you out.”

  She shrugged again. “Well, he didn’t.” “Not yet? I thought he would for sure. He likes you.”

  “I know. I like him, too. We were going to go see a movie, but he’s kind of distracted. I don’t know if we’ll have much time to see each other anyway. I heard his family’s really upset. His brother, Gabe…” She stopped.

  We locked eyes. “I know. He’s like me, you mean.”

  “Yeah. His parents went crazy over it. They kicked him out. Jesse’s grandmother told him to come stay with her.” Her voice quieted. “Jesse might move ther
e, too. You know, for a while, to help him out.”

  My eyebrow raised a notch at the news. “Hey, you holding out on me? Thought you didn’t talk to him?”

  “He told me before he left, before you got sick. We haven’t talked much since, only a couple texts here and there.”

  Wow, I realized my friend had been dealing with a lot while all the attention was on me.

  “Cuz, I feel awful. I haven’t been there for you. You doing okay with it?”

  “I’m all right, Bec. It’s not your fault. Maybe me and Jesse aren’t meant to be. We’ll see. I’m just glad you’re here now, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know. Me, too.”

  Our bonding moment ended when my aunt called us downstairs so we could leave for Carm’s house. My hoodie shading my face, I rushed after my cousin and jumped in the car’s back seat with her. After being cooped up inside for what felt like forever, I was excited about our little trip. How pathetic was I?

  I watched the houses go by. Tia’s friend Amelia Miller, who lived in the house at the corner, looked up from watering her flowerpots and waved. She’d already called and welcomed me home, the only person who had.

  “I see Mrs. Miller planted some new stuff in her garden. Those pink flowers are nice.”

  “She’s trying out a new variety of Zinnias,” Tia shared, a happy lilt in her voice. “She said she’ll bring some over for us later, unless…”

  I raised my head at the hesitation I heard. The little I saw of my aunt’s reflection in the rearview mirror showed worry lines across her forehead. “Tia, don’t worry, I’m fine. Mrs. Miller is a nice lady. I just don’t want to scare her.”

  My aunt’s eyes crinkled as she chuckled. “Honey, you won’t scare anyone, and certainly not Amelia. She’s known you since you were a baby and as a nurse, she understands. You don’t have to worry about her. She’s a tough old bird.”

  We coasted to a stop for the red light, my signal to pull my hoodie out further. I hid my hands in my lap when a car stopped next to us. The urge to peek too strong to resist, I peered out the window and watched the little boy in the other car’s backseat lean closer to his car window. He stuck out his tongue and began pointing at me. Carm’s quick grasp of my wrist stopped me from doing the same.

  “Spoilsport,” I muttered, and glanced away when the driver stared at us in alarm.

  “Never mind him,” she whispered. “No one else has paid much attention.”

  Yet, I thought. The not-knowing-what-to-expect was making me crazy.

  The car next to us turned right as we shot ahead and around the corner. I adjusted the hood and zipped the front as the car stopped at the curb.

  “Girls, lock the door after you go in.” Tia said. “I’ll be back in at least fifteen minutes. I only have to pick up a few things at the market. I’ll call you when I leave the store.”

  “Tia, take your time. We have to get Carm’s books and her clothes for school. It’s going to take us a while.”

  “Aunt Imelda, you can have my key to let yourself in.” Carm held out her bunch of keys. “I’ll get the other key out of the flowerpot. Then you won’t have to wait for us.”

  “Muy bueno, Carm. Sí, this will work perfectly. I’ll have a cup of tea when I get back, but be ready to leave in a half-hour, all right? I don’t want to be here all day and I think we should make sure we get home before dark.”

  We hurried up the steps. I waved once after Carm grabbed the extra key and we stepped into the dimly lit entrance hall. I watched Tia drive off, then slammed and locked the front door, anxious to check out Carm’s new wardrobe. My cousin was such a fashionista, I knew she still had a few things she’d worn only once or twice and gotten tired of. Seeing we were still the same size, I knew she wouldn’t mind letting me borrow some stuff since I didn’t have the chance to go shopping.

  Our moods sober, I followed Carm into the kitchen where she glanced at the little black answering machine on the wall. The red digital zero mocked us. I gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Hey, maybe they’ve been out of range or it’s been too dangerous to call. I’m sure we’ll hear from them soon.”

  She took her time answering, her voice sounding dejected. “I sure hope so. C’mon, let’s go upstairs.”

  We took the stairs two at a time to her room on the second floor. “Wow.” My gaze fell on the pile of clothes hiding what I knew should be the bed. “Where do you sleep?”

  “Funny, cuz. I pulled out some stuff I didn’t want to wear anymore. I knew you’d ask. I’m sure you don’t want to wear the same hoodie and jeans all week.”

  “Gracias, cuz. Ooh, I like the purple hoodie, muy bonita! You don’t want it?”

  “Take it. I bought a new blue one.” She tossed the sweatshirt at me and then stopped, her head tilted.

  “Hey, cuz? You make me think of that old spotted dog with the tilted head, you know the one sitting next to that big horn?”

  Now Carm gave me a blank stare, no idea what I was talking about. “Oh, you mean the Dalmation and the Victrola?” she asked.

  “My Abuela has the statue on the shelf in her bedroom. She’ll show you next—” She stopped again.

  “What is it?”

  “Did you hear that?”

  I listened, stared at her like she was crazy, and went back to checking out her awesome clothes. “I didn’t hear anything.”

  “Oh, never mind.” She went to the closet. “Guess it was nothing.”

  Carm pulled out a few more things like the cutest plaid skirt with a red lining and some green leggings. I squealed to see the yellow and black skirt with the black tulle underskirt sticking out. I’d so loved it the one and only time she’d worn it.

  “Yours,” Carm mumbled, disappearing inside the closet. “Here, grab this.”

  I shuddered seeing the ugly olive backpack she handed over. I grabbed it and set it aside. The last time I’d seen it…

  “Hey, cuz, you okay? You’re kind of green.”

  My eyes met hers. Well, they both did once she tapped my arm. “How can you tell? Never mind, I-I’ll be fine. I’ve felt so much like my old self, sometimes I forget, you know?”

  Her gaze was just as serious. “It still doesn’t seem real. But it is.” She exhaled and stared at me. “You know, cuz, I have a funny feeling.”

  Uh-oh. Her words made me forget about the clothes and everything else.

  I gazed at her and couldn’t help but shiver. Great. What a time for Carm to go into Fortune Teller mode.

  Every now and then Carm got a hunch, a kind of premonition or something. It didn’t happen often, maybe once or twice a year, but when it did, I knew to pay attention.

  She’d warned me last year about staying away from this guy who’d moved a few houses down from me. He was a couple years older, but he seemed okay. He was kind of cute, too. Then he got arrested for drugs. I was sitting on my porch and he’d dared wink at me as the cops took him away. So much for my taste in guys.

  Odd. So far during this whole ordeal, Carm’s psychic antenna hadn’t tuned in once. Not even a flash or a blip. Her picking up on something now freaked me out. “Carm?”

  She threw an uneasy glance my way and began tossing some clothes into a box. “Bec, c’mon, help me. Leave the rest. I’m only taking a few things. I just have this feeling I won’t be back in school for long. I don’t think we’ll be hanging around here much longer, either.”

  I bit my lip and began replacing her pairs of flats with sturdier hiking boots. She paused for a minute, then traded some of her skirts for jeans and hoodies. I gasped when we both reached for her flannel jacket.

  “We’ll pack your stuff when we get back. Then I think we better talk to our aunt.”

  I stared at her, uneasy about the direction in which we were suddenly headed. “You think it’ll be soon?”

  “Yeah.” She showed me the goosebumps up and down her arm. “Real soon.”

  Yikes. I grabbed the box and jumped when someone yelled outside. “What was that?” I asked a
nd rushed toward the window. Carm grabbed me just before I got there and pulled me down onto the window seat.

  “Bec, wait! Don’t look. See, I did hear something before. It sure doesn’t sound very nice.”

  I listened and quickly understood what she meant. A man yelled and then another joined in. Several voices boomed—dangerous voices.

  More curses, attached to the word freak, made me cringe. I bit my lip and took in the carpet, mentally counting the dirty spots. “Carm, they’re talking about me.”

  “Maybe it’s somebody else,” she whispered back. “You don’t know…”

  “Yes, I do. How’d they know I was here? What do they want?”

  Carefully, Carm shifted her weight and slowly pulled the corner edge of the curtain for a look. “I don’t know, hurry up and take a peek. Don’t move the curtain.”

  Stunned, I peered at the scene on the sidewalk in front of the house. A couple grizzled, old men in worn flannel shirts waved their fists and shouted in our direction. Two younger men in scruffy clothes, their bearded faces angry, eyes hard, glared at the windows. Several older women, bags at their sides like they’d just come from the market, stood with arms crossed, their prim, disapproving expressions aimed not at the men, but at us. A few kids stood with their bikes and watched.

  The women bothered me the most. “Cuz,” I whispered, “this is getting scary. All those women have to do is say the right thing and it could push those men into doing something. We have to get out of here.”

  “How? We have to wait for Tia.”

  We both gasped to see a familiar car drive slowly down the street and then pass the house. “Uh-oh, there’s her car. Good thing she saw those people and kept driving by. What’re we going—?”

  The phone’s blare cut her off. I ran out to the hall to pick it up. “Hello? Tia, we saw you go by. Yes, yes, we’re ready. We’ll meet you out back.”

  Hanging up the phone, I ran into the living room, grabbed some of the bags, and slung the overstuffed backpack over my shoulder with a grunt. “Get your stuff. Tia’s going to pick us up by the alley.”