The Circle of Lies

by Crystal Velasquez

  “Good. And, Lin, why don’t we need an adult to go with us?”

  “Because Ms. Benitez is already there and is going to meet us. Plus, Antonio will stay in town with the jet until we’re ready to come back.”

  “Perfect. I think we’re ready.”

  Together we entered the main building and turned down the hallway, feeling confident. But as we got closer, I saw something that made me stop in my tracks. Jason was sitting on the bench outside Principal Ferris’s office—and he wasn’t alone. Sarah Gopolan, who I recognized from my math class but had never really spoken to, sat beside him, laughing at something he’d just said. I hadn’t noticed before how pretty Sarah was, and seeing her so close to Jason, seeing him laugh with her, felt like getting punched in the stomach.

  “Uh-oh,” said Lin. “Do you want to leave and come back later?” I had told Lin and Doli what had happened with Jason. Since our argument, he hadn’t replied to any of my texts, and he’d never waited for me after morning assembly again. Whenever I saw him around campus, he pretended he suddenly had to be somewhere in the opposite direction. Were we even friends anymore? Were we anything?

  “No,” I replied. “This is more important than avoiding him.”

  When Jason looked up and saw me, his mouth fell open. “Ana . . .”

  Sarah, glancing from me to Jason, suddenly looked nervous. “Um, I should really get going. I have to call my parents and let them know what your mom said about the extra credit projects.” She touched his arm. “But I’ll see you later, okay?”

  He nodded dumbly. Sarah gave the rest of us a quick wave and hurried away.

  Saving me from the awkwardness of talking to Jason, Principal Ferris suddenly ducked her head out of her office and said, “Ms. Cetzal, right on time. Please come in.”

  I did my best to put the image of Jason’s caught-in-the-act face behind me. I had to try to focus on what was important. We sat across from Principal Ferris, who laced her fingers together. “How can I help you today?”

  “Um.” I cleared my throat and straightened in my chair. “We came to ask”—why your son was out there talking to Sarah Gopolan—“if maybe you would”—tell me if they’re friends or more than friends—“give us permission to”—transfer Sarah to another school, preferably in Siberia—“borrow the school jet.”

  Principal Ferris frowned. “The school jet? Why would you girls need to use the jet?”

  “Because . . . ,” I started. Because Jason was the first person on this campus who was really nice to me. Because I still have the Snapple bottle cap in my pocket and a pirate joke he texted me on my phone. Because he saw me transform into a jaguar and accepted me anyway. . . .

  “Ana!” Doli said, snapping her fingers in my face. “Didn’t you want to tell Principal Ferris something about the paper you wrote?” She tapped the report sitting on my lap.

  I took a deep breath. “Yes, absolutely. Uh . . . I wrote this report.” I slid it across the desk to her. “And we’re working on a project for class, and . . .” The whole speech I had practiced all afternoon seemed to have fallen out of my head.

  “You’ll have to excuse Ana,” Doli jumped in. “She’s so excited about the research project we’re working on for Spanish class, she can hardly contain herself. You see, Ana’s Mayan heritage has given her a great respect for the culture and its people. Right, Ana?” Doli pulled the leather necklace she always wore out of her shirt and held the puma figurine in her hand. She shot me a pleading look, and I remembered everything. This mission was bigger than any cute boy. It was about saving Ms. Benitez and my family—and maybe the world.

  I smiled. “That’s right, Doli. In fact, I’m probably going to be a professor of Mayan culture one day. My aunt and uncle have taught me so much from their travels and from books and pictures, but they’ve always said that to get a real feel for a culture or civilization, it’s important to see it in person, which is why I want to take a trip to Mexico. How can I properly write a report about the indigenous people of the Riviera Maya and Cancún regions if I don’t go there and see it with my own eyes? And how can I ever fully know who I am if I don’t see where I came from?”

  “I agree,” Doli added. “My parents feel the same way. I was lucky enough to grow up on a reservation surrounded by my elders and their traditions.”

  “Me too,” said Lin. “Well, I mostly grew up in California, but I’ve been to China several times. My father has always been very proud of our heritage and made sure I had the opportunity to experience it for myself, not just in museums. That’s part of why he is—or was—such a large donor to this school, so it would have the money to help less fortunate students”—Lin inclined her head toward Doli and me—“enjoy the same opportunity. I’m sure he wouldn’t want to hear that some students weren’t getting as good an education just because they didn’t have the money to travel.”

  “So since we’re doing this group project anyway,” Doli continued, “we think Ana deserves to go on this trip.”

  “We all do,” I finished. “And since Ms. Benitez is already there, we would have adult supervision the whole time. We can stay with her, provided we leave today.”

  I exhaled. Our pitch was perfect. I’d gone in there feeling like we were making a kind of ridiculous request, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had just laughed in our faces. But after the rough start, it couldn’t have gone better. Except that Principal Ferris’s face was still full of No.

  “Ladies,” she said, “it’s great that you’re so fired up about your culture, but this is extremely short notice. I wouldn’t have time to put through the proper paperwork. . . . I just don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “I do,” a voice said from the doorway. Jason! He met my eyes for a long time, then turned to his mother. “I think it’s a great idea. Parents’ weekend is coming up next month, and didn’t you once tell me that diversity is the third most important thing that parents look for in a boarding school?”

  Principal Ferris looked up at her son in surprise. “That is true,” she said slowly. “However, Temple Academy is already a huge supporter of diversity initiatives.”

  “Yeah, but just in the school and in the local community. How cool would it be to tell the parents that we funded an independent research project in Mexico to support cultural exploration? They’d flip. It’s the kind of thing they want to know would be possible for their kids. Besides, wouldn’t you rather tell them about that than all the vandalism that’s been going on?”

  The principal looked wounded. The “vandalism” of the temple and the gym was clearly still a sore subject for her, and the temple probably reminded her of Dr. Logan.

  “The school does budget for a few trips in the jet each semester, right?” I asked.

  “Well, yes, I suppose,” the principal said. “And all the parents have signed waivers for their children to travel abroad for educational purposes. . . .” I could see her resolve weakening.

  I looked up at Jason, who stared right back at me. His eyes were intense, like he was hoping we could go just as much as we were. He knows this is about the Brotherhood, I realized. Even though he wasn’t speaking to me, he was still trying to help—maybe because I hadn’t asked him to.

  “So can they go, Mom?”

  After a few beats of silence, Principal Ferris nodded glumly. “I can see I’m outnumbered,” she sighed.

  I jumped up and hugged Doli and Lin, who were smiling from ear to ear, unlike our principal, who had that sad, faraway look in her eye again. But she quickly shook it off.

  “I’ll work out the details of your departure with Antonio, but I want you to understand that this won’t be just a sightseeing trip, ladies. In addition to your research project, you will be required to write up an article about your experience for the Temple Academy magazine, and you’ll have to present your findings at a special morning assembly. Is that understood?”

  “Of course,” I gushed. “We won’t let you down.”

  I hugge
d Doli and Lin again and locked eyes with Jason. Thank you, I mouthed. But he just looked away and muttered, “I gotta go, Mom. Lots of homework. See you back at the house.”

  He left without another word. Even though we’d gotten what we’d come for, I felt a sharp pang of loss.

  An hour later we were standing on the runway, about to board the jet. We each had a small suitcase, which Antonio had stored on board, though I’d kept one duffel bag with me containing a very special item—the vase Ixchel had made to trap the Chaos Spirits inside. It was nearly an exact copy of the vase my aunt and uncle had donated to the school, and I could almost see the emerald fixed to the top of it, glowing through the bag. That was the gem that had called the defeated bat Chaos Spirit back to the vase and trapped it inside.

  “You’re bringing that with us?” Lin asked.

  “I have to,” I said. “I can’t leave it unguarded at the school. Not with Nicole and who knows who else still hanging out there.”

  “Fine, but if the bat gets out and we have to fight it again, you’re paying for my manicures till the end of time.” Though her parents had lost most of their money to a shady accountant, Lin still had the wardrobe of a starlet. She tied a white silk scarf over her head, threw on a pair of black Dior sunglasses, and climbed the steps to the jet.

  Doli followed Lin, shaking her head and mumbling, “She thinks she’s Audrey Hepburn or something.”

  I laughed and lingered on the stairs, looking out at the gate. Even though I knew it was unlikely, part of me still hoped Jason would come to see us off and wish us luck. But he was nowhere to be found. I was starting to turn away, when I saw a swish of black fur and the glimmer of green eyes emerge from the bushes. We still hadn’t settled on a name for the cat, but she was ours all the same, an honorary Hunter of Chaos. She ran up and pawed at the stairs, looking at the jet and letting out plaintive meows.

  “Oh, all right. I should’ve known you wouldn’t want to be left behind.” I picked her up with one hand and settled her on my shoulder. She licked my cheek with her rough tongue, and we climbed into the jet.

  “The cat’s coming too?” asked Doli as she settled into her seat.

  I shrugged. “I don’t think she’d take no for an answer. Besides, she seems to know things about the Brotherhood that we don’t. I can’t explain how, but maybe she’ll be able to help us find what we’re looking for.”

  “Then we should probably do her the courtesy of giving her a name,” said Lin.

  I stroked the cat’s midnight-black fur. “I’m sure she’ll eventually let me know what she wants to be called.”

  Suddenly the cockpit door opened and Antonio, the school’s pilot, came into the cabin. He had a big smile on his face, half covered by a bushy gray beard. He slapped his large hands together. “Ladies, welcome to my pride and joy. I call her Venezia. It will be my honor to fly you to Mexico today.”

  I smiled back. “Really? Nicole made it sound like you didn’t like kids being in the jet.”

  His face darkened at the mention of Nicole’s name. “That one is a different story,” he said, wagging his finger back and forth. “She is not welcome here. But you—you say you’re going to meet Ms. Benitez, yes?”

  “Yes,” I said. I didn’t want to add that we’d have to find her first.

  Antonio slapped a hand over his heart and said, “It is my duty to help anyone who is a friend to Ms. Benitez.” He gave me a look that made me wonder if he knew more than he let on. But if he did, he wasn’t saying.

  After he returned to the cockpit, the rest of us strapped into our seats, and the cat settled onto my lap. I checked my phone one last time, hoping to see a message from Jason. I’d texted him the minute we’d left Principal Ferris’s office, practically falling all over myself to thank him for helping us, but he never replied.

  “Has anybody heard from Shani yet?” I asked, forcing myself to put the phone down.

  “No,” said Doli, “and I’m worried now. I’ve been texting her all these messages, and she usually responds right away. Ana, you don’t think she really is angry at us for letting her get kicked out of school, do you?”

  I sighed and shook my head. “Honestly, at this point I hope that’s all it is. But for right now, all we can do is focus on finding Ms. Benitez and my aunt and uncle. Then maybe we can make things right with Shani.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” said Doli.

  chapter 9

  Ana

  THE SECOND WE TOUCHED DOWN in Cancún, I turned on my phone and texted Jason.

  We’re here. Can’t thank you enough.

  I probably wouldn’t get a response to that either, but I had to try. After Antonio pulled into a private hangar, he helped us with our bags as we climbed down the stairs.

  “Girls, I have to stay with the plane, so this is as far as I can go. But if you need anything, you call me right away.” He took my phone from my hand and added his number to my contact list.

  “Thank you, Antonio.” I shook his hand, my slender one almost disappearing in his.

  He nodded seriously and said, “Be careful.”

  “We will,” I said. I knelt down and picked up the cat, who curled around my shoulders and purred in my ear.

  Antonio raised his eyebrows. “Oh no, no, no. That cat will never make it through customs. You’ll have to hide her somewhere.”

  I thought for a minute. “Lin, can you take her?” When Lin nodded and held out her arms, I handed over the cat and unzipped my suitcase. I pulled out a yellow raincoat. It had deep pockets inside meant to keep valuables dry. I put it on and reached for the cat. “I know you’re used to traveling in style now,” I whispered into her ear, “but would you mind riding inside my pocket just until we leave the airport? You’re an important part of the team, and we can’t afford to lose you.”

  To all of our surprise, the cat licked my hand and then climbed into the pocket by herself, sinking into it with a soft purr.

  “Incredible!” Antonio said. “How did you get her to do that?”

  I shrugged. “I asked her nicely?”

  Antonio laughed. “I’ll have to try that next time I ask my mother-in-law to go home, ah?” He winked.

  After Antonio got back on the plane, the rest of us made our way through customs (the cat unnoticed), through the terminal, and into the blinding sunlight of Cancún. The heat felt good on my skin after the hours of air-conditioning on the jet. As soon as we reached the passenger pickup lanes outside the glass doors of the baggage claim area, we spotted a taxi stand.

  “What now?” Doli asked.

  “Now we get to work,” I said. I fished into my backpack and pulled out three copies of a picture I’d printed out before we’d left campus. It was Ms. Benitez’s faculty photo from the Temple Academy website. I handed each of the girls a copy. “Ms. Benitez must have taken a cab when she left the airport. So let’s split up and show all the drivers her picture. With any luck, one of them will remember her. If none of them do, we’ll go to the other terminals and ask them.”

  It was a long shot, I knew. But I was counting on the fact that Ms. Benitez’s inner goddess made her stand out in a crowd, even when she wasn’t trying to. If she had been here, I just sensed that someone would know it.

  Still, when I started showing the photo around, driver after driver told me they hadn’t seen her. After a while I started to lose hope. The sun was setting, and we were still no closer to finding our teacher. But Doli and Lin weren’t giving up, so I couldn’t either. Soon there was only one taxi left, waiting near the entrance to the airport parking garage. I rolled my suitcase up to his passenger-side window.

  “Con permiso,” I said. Spanish for “excuse me.” I held up the picture. “¿Recuerda usted a esta señora?”

  He leaned closer to the picture, and his eyes lit up. “¡Si! La lleve a Chichén Itzá hace dos dias.”

  Chichén Itzá! Of course. It only made sense that a Mayan goddess would visit the famous Mayan ruins! I shrieked in excitement and tol
d him not to move because my friends and I would be right back.

  While the driver put our bags in the trunk, I piled into the backseat with Lin and Doli, and the cat crawled out of my pocket and curled up on Lin’s lap. “He said he saw Ms. Benitez. He took her to Chichén Itzá two days ago.”

  “Chichén Itzá? That famous Mayan pyramid thing? But that’s not even in Cancún—it’s, like, a three-hour drive,” said Lin. When Doli and I both looked at her in surprise, Lin took off her sunglasses and said, “What? I’m not just a pretty face. I know things.”

  Doli took out her phone and typed Chichén Itzá into the Google Maps app that Shani had installed. “Ugh, Lin’s right. Guess we’re in for a long drive!”

  “Told you,” Lin said, folding her sunglasses and slipping them into her bag.

  “But why would she have gone to see an ancient Mayan ruin so far from Cancún?” I asked.

  Doli shrugged. “Maybe that’s where she was meeting her contacts, or maybe she found something that told her that your aunt and uncle were there.”

  “Maybe,” I said.

  By then the driver had climbed back into the front seat. He turned the key in the ignition and asked, in heavily accented English, “Where do you want to go?”

  “Take us to Chichén Itzá, please,” I said.

  The driver reached for his keys again and turned the car back off, shaking his head. “Sorry. I can’t take you there.”

  “Why not?” Lin asked.

  He gestured to the sky, which was now a faded orange threatening to turn black. “By the time we get there, it will be closed to the public,” he explained. “How old are all of you, anyway?”

  We looked at one another with a hint of panic. We needed to come up with some reason for him to take us without asking so many questions.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Lin said after a second. “We’re meeting my parents there. They arrived on an earlier flight.”

  “Yeah,” Doli added. “And there will be a huge tip in it for you if you get us to our hotel safely.”