The Painted Boy
Page 19
Rita nodded. “We can walk between the two, but humans—well, they’re a mix of those who don’t even remember the medicine, those who still yearn for it, and the very few who are like us and can cross back and forth.”
“So what does any of that have to do with Jay taking down El Tigre?”
“Nothing. I was just remembering. But maybe indulging in a little bit of wishful thinking, too. I look at Flores and the bandas and I see in them all the things that are wrong with the world of the five-fingered beings. Get a yellow dragon in there running the show and maybe, just maybe, we could have one little corner of the world as close to the way it should be as we’re going to get, all things considered.”
“And if Jay fails?”
“Then I find somebody else. I’m not giving up on this.”
“I’m going to get the cousins together,” Lupita said. “For when he goes up against El Tigre.”
“Yeah, well, good luck with that.”
“Maybe we’ll surprise you.”
“I hope you do,” Rita said.
Lupita searched the snake woman’s face, but she couldn’t read anything in her impassive features. Then she thought of something she’d meant to ask Rita earlier.
“Why did you want me to get Jay to go practice in those particular mountains?” she asked. “He could just as easily have done it here.”
Rita smiled. “Because the thunders live there. With any luck, he’ll run into one of them and then we’ll see his dragon wake up for sure.”
“You think old spirits like that would help him?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they’ll help him, maybe they’ll take offense at him showing up in their territory and he’ll have to defend himself. One way or the other, by the time he comes back, he’s going to have learned how to access his dragon side. If he hasn’t, Flores won’t ever have to worry about him showing up.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“Would you have sent him if I had?”
Lupita glared at her. “You’re going to pay for it if anything happens to him up there. I’ll make sure you regret it.”
“What’s to regret?” Rita said. “Whatever happens, at least one of you little cousins has grown herself some backbone. That’s a step in the right direction.”
Then she stepped between the worlds, and Lupita was alone in the desert once more. There seemed to be a storm brewing up the mountains. She didn’t see any lightning, and the grandfather thunders weren’t rumbling yet. But even down here in the desert she could feel the pressure building.
She considered following Jay to warn him about the thunders, to tell him what Rita was up to and her own part in it. She was willing, now, to confess and take responsibility for what she’d done if it would save his life. But then she thought of El Tigre, of all the cousins who were being hurt and killed because of him and the bandas.
Maybe Rita was right. Lupita knew that Jay was determined to get Flores and the gangs out of the barrio. So if this was what it took . . .
Maybe he would thank her when it was all over.
She watched the dark skies for a little while longer, then stepped back into the world of the five-fingered beings.
There were cousins to gather. Jay said that he’d confront El Tigre as soon as he could. That meant tomorrow morning. She didn’t have much time.
- iv -
Hours after Margarita’s funeral when Maria still hadn’t returned, Señora Elena went out into the alley behind her house. She looked up and down the dirt road. Her gaze finally settled on a small, gray-brown lizard sunning itself on the top leaf of a stand of prickly pear.
“
The lizard responded with a question of his own. “
Cousins, Elena thought. Were there ever worse gossips?
“
The lizard’s tongue flicked nervously. “
He was probably right. And that made Elena wonder why she’d let Jay go so readily, without trying to talk him out of it, yet was still so angry with Rita for pushing Enrico to do the same thing. She didn’t think it was only because Enrico had been family—her younger, headstrong brother who would never listen to her—though that was a large part of it.
“
“
Elena shook her head. “
“
Elena shook her head again. “”
“
Elena shook her head a third time.
“
“
“
“
The lizard shrugged. “
“”
“
“
“”
“
“” The lizard nodded toward the west end of the alley.
“
“”
Elena studied the lizard, but she didn’t really see him. What he said made no sense. It was so unlike Maria.
The lizard shifted uncomfortably.
“
Elena sighed. “
Maria was where the lizard had told Elena she would be, sitting at the bus stop at the end of the block, elbows on her knees, eyes on the ground. There was nothing of interest there. A flattened water bottle. Cigarette butts. Candy wrappers and chip bags. Elena stood by the bench, waiting. When some time went by and Maria still didn’t look up, Elena finally sat down beside her.
“I think I’ve been hanging around you and your friends too much,” Maria said after a few moments.
“What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. At first it was just that I could see your animal faces, even when you walk around like humans. But now . . .”
“Now?” Elena prompted.
“I’m getting premonitions.”
Elena couldn’t tell from the tone of Maria’s voice whether the girl thought this was a good thing or a bad thing.
“What kind of premonitions?” she asked.
Maria turned to look at her. “That someone’s going to die.”
This was brujería, not cousin business, and Elena knew little about it. But she could see that Maria needed to talk about
it.
“How do they come to you?” she asked. “When you’re dreaming, or are they waking visions?”
“Neither. It’s just this really strong feeling that I can’t shake. I thought it might have been about Margarita, but she’s gone now and the feeling hasn’t gone away. If anything, it’s gotten stronger. I’m worried that—you know . . .”
She looked away. Elena put her hand on Maria’s arm.
“When it’s my time to go on,” she told Maria, “I’ll be ready. I don’t fear what comes next.”
Maria nodded. “But you’ve lived a long and full life. I worry that it’s about Rosalie, and she hasn’t.”
“Ah.”
“I’ve already tried warning her a few times because I know the Kings are still gunning for her, but she doesn’t seem to take me seriously. I don’t know what else I can do.”
“I would think,” Elena said, “that you have already done much for your friend. Does she not appreciate the sacrifice you’ve already made?”
“She doesn’t know. I’ve never told her.”
“Why not?”
“It wasn’t about her knowing. It was just about keeping her safe. If she ever found out, she’d get herself killed.”
Elena was quiet for a long moment, then she squeezed Maria’s arm.
“I have no words of comfort for you,” she said. “I can only tell you that in the end, we do what we can and we can do no more. After that, events will take the paths that they choose.”
Maria nodded. “I know. And the way things are going, we’re long past comfort now.”
She sighed and sat up, slouching against the backrest. “Do you think Jay’s actually going to go up against Flores?” she asked after a while.
Elena nodded.
“And does he have a chance?”
“Maybe yes, maybe no,” Elena said.
“Yeah,” Maria said. “That’s kind of what I thought.”
- v -
Rosalie never brought her dogs into the desert, not even at night when there was no one around. She knew Jay had been doing that, but when she walked them, she didn’t. There was just too much trouble that the dogs could get into otherwise. They could turn into a real hunting pack, going after mule deer or a jackrabbit. Once that started, it was hard to stop them, and it would just cause too much trouble the next time she took them out in the barrio. And then there were the thorns they picked up brushing against the cacti. Working out the fishhook cholla barbs was a chore that neither she nor the dogs enjoyed.
Somehow those problems had never come up when they were out with Jay.
But Jay wasn’t here, the dogs were at home tonight, and it was just the three of them on the trail, heading up into the mountains: Ramon in the lead, Rosalie following him, with Anna taking up the rear. They each carried a small pack filled with supplies: water, energy bars, flashlights, and small first aid kits. Ramon carried a rope and had a knife sheathed at his belt, but he’d also given each of the girls a compass and a map of the area into which they were heading.
“Why do we need these?” Anna asked as she took the map and compass from him.
“It’s in case we get separated,” Ramon explained.
“Except we’re not going to get separated,” Rosalie said.
Ramon nodded. “That’s the plan. But the desert has a way of messing up plans. It’s always better to go in prepared, instead of running into trouble and then wishing you’d been more cautious.”
Rosalie was nervous, but once they were on the trail, she could feel herself relaxing. The moonlight was so bright that they had no trouble following the slow switchbacks up into the foothills. The saguaro towered high on all sides, casting deep shadows. Something about the giant cacti always brought a feeling of peace.
“It’s all so beautiful in this light,” she said.
Ahead of her, she saw Ramon’s head bob in agreement. “The sacred beauty,” he said. “That’s what the mescaleros call the desert in the light of the full moon.”
“I don’t know about the beauty,” Anna said. “This reminds me of the old days when we used to go out and party in the desert. Drink some beer, smoke a little moto.”
“Yeah, a few years makes a big difference,” Ramon agreed. “I guess we were all crazy back then, into the whole party scene. Hell, I even wanted to be a gangbanger.”
“You?” Rosalie said.
She couldn’t hide her surprise. But Anna took it in stride.
“I didn’t know that,” she said.
“There’s lots we don’t know about each other. Everybody’s got a whole hidden world hiding there behind their eyes.”
“But a gangbanger?” Rosalie said. “Why?”
Ramon shrugged. “When you’re a little kid all you see is the low riders and how cool the bandas look. They’re styling. Party all the time, pretty girls on their arms. What’s not to like? You don’t see the violence. You think of it as a way of protecting yourself against violence because you’re part of a crew. Nobody’s going to mess with you.”
“And then?” Rosalie asked.
He shrugged. “You either stay stupid or you grow up and see it for the lie it is.”
Anna laughed. “You sound like one of the pamphlets Mrs. Mercia keeps in her office.”
“Doesn’t mean they aren’t true.”
Anna was silent for a long moment and Rosalie knew she was thinking about her brother.
“Yeah,” she finally said.
“How are we supposed to summon these desert spirits?” Rosalie asked, to change the subject.
Ramon glanced back at her. “Honestly, I have no idea. Alfredo only told me the best places to look. He said it would become clear once we were in the right place.”
“That’s helpful,” Anna said. “I’m surprised he didn’t tell you that we should get naked and dance in the moonlight.”
“Like you wouldn’t enjoy that,” Rosalie said.
“Out here with cacti?” Anna said. “I don’t think so. For me, Our Lady of the Barrio, it has to be the right time and right place, and this is neither. But I’d love to see you cut loose for a change.”
“I’d do it if it could actually help Jay.”
Anna grinned. “Oh, I’m sure you getting naked would be a big help. What do you think, Ramon?”
He turned his head, teeth flashing in the dark.
“I think you’re a troublemaker,” he said, “but it doesn’t make me love you any less.”
“Come on,” Anna said. “I’m just trying to lighten the mood.” She paused a moment, then added, “If it wasn’t for me, we wouldn’t even be out here looking for Jay.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Well, according to Rosalie, I’m the one that drove him away.”
“I didn’t say that,” Rosalie said. “I just . . . you know—”
“Wanted me to look past the end of my nose. I get it. I’m here, aren’t I? But I have to tell you, I don’t think we’re going to find any spirits waiting for us. I mean, yeah, everything looks all mysterious and cool in the moonlight, but really. Helpful spirit guides showing up just because we need them? What are the odds?”
“I don’t know,” Ramon said. “The new boy in town likes you, but it turns out he’s carrying around the spirit of some big old dragon inside him. What are the odds of that?”
“Okay, okay.”
Anna stopped walking and raised her arms up to the sky. The other two turned to look at her.
“Oh great and mighty spirits of the desert,” Anna cried out. “Please come to us. Show us how we can find and help our friend Jay.”
While Rosalie knew Anna was only goofing off, she couldn’t shake the unexpected feeling that something was listening—the cacti, the land underfoot, she wasn’t sure what. But whatever it was, it made the hair at the nape of her neck stand up. Then, as Anna’s voice echoed off into the desert, the world seemed to give a little shiver and Rosalie knew a moment of vertigo. She had long enough to notice that the moonl
ight suddenly seemed brighter before an unfamiliar voice spoke from directly beside her, saying, “Wow, is she always such a drama queen?”
Rosalie jumped, bumping hard into Ramon. The two of them would have gone tumbling into the cholla except that the stranger, moving more quickly than Rosalie would have thought possible, grabbed them each by an arm, pulling them back onto the trail.
Not only was the stranger quick, Rosalie thought, but she was strong, too. And then she realized who it was.
“Mother of God,” Anna said at the same moment, her eyes going wide.
She made the sign of the cross.
Rosalie understood Anna’s shock completely. It was Lupita. But a different Lupita from the young girl Rosalie had seen before. This one had long jackrabbit ears hanging down like a pair of braids, and pushing up out of her hair were two small deer antlers. But she was wearing the same kind of raggedy clothing—baggy black sweatpants and a tight pink sleeveless T-shirt.
Lupita regarded Anna, then turned back to Rosalie.
“She really is a total drama queen,” Lupita said.
Rosalie had almost made the sign of the cross herself.
“You—you’re Lupita,” she said.
The girl nodded.
“Jay’s . . . um . . . cousin.”
“I’m a cousin, but not the way you’re thinking.”
“And you . . . you have antlers and . . .”
“Long ears,” Lupita finished for her.
She flipped them coquettishly, to bring the point home.
Anna looked back and forth between them.
“You know this . . . this, uh . . . spirit?” she finally asked Rosalie.
Rosalie couldn’t stop staring at the antlers and ears.
“Kind of,” she said. “But she didn’t look like this the last time I saw her.”
“That’s right,” Ramon said. “She’s the girl who was waiting for Jay in front of Tío’s place the other night.” He turned his attention to Lupita. “But looks are always deceiving when it comes to the animal people, isn’t that right?”
Lupita gave him an amused look. “I’m not one of the big medicines, if that’s what you mean. What you see is what you get.”
“So you’re just a kid,” Ramon said.