Las Hermanas

by Raedene Jeannette Melin

  She stood still as she let Mariana look at her eye. It didn’t feel like she was doing well. It hurt to breathe and the ache in her arm was bone deep.

  As if sensing her disappointment, Mariana said quietly, “You’re faster than Kaue.”

  Surprised, Adi jerked her head back and saw the twinkle in her eye.

  Mariana grinned. “Don’t tell him I said that. Otherwise he’ll pout.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. When they first arrived, she thought Kaue was nothing but kind, but when she went out hunting for the first time, she saw a completely different side. He was competitive as hell. So much so that when Rodrigo came back with a peccary and a caiman, Kaue refused to return to the village until he had caught more.

  The smile stayed on her face until Mariana pressed down on the cut on her scalp, making her grimace.

  “You’ll live,” she said as she stepped back, patting her cheek just a little too hard. “Now go before you’re late.”

  Adi nodded and turned, putting the sticks back in the pile before she made her way towards the building. Not having time to wash, she quickly dumped a bucket of water over her head and changed her clothes. By the time she walked into Señorita Perez’s clinic, Nayara was already there. The moment she saw Adi, she burst out laughing.

  Adi rolled her eyes as she walked up and carefully sat down in a chair, gingerly holding her side.

  “Let’s have a look,” Señorita Perez said. She patted the table that sat on the right side of the room.

  Doing as she was told, she laid down, slowly exhaling as her head hit the pillow.

  “Come here, Nayara,” Señorita Perez instructed. “Carefully, feel along her side.”

  Nayara pressed her fingers up her torso, Adi gasping in pain as soon as she hit the spot.

  “Keep going,” Señorita Perez encouraged. Nayara continued, causing her to whimper a few more times.

  “Anything broken?” Señorita Perez asked.

  “No,” Nayara replied, carefully going back over them.

  “Good,” she said with a smile. “Now, get off my table.”

  They spent the next two hours with Señorita Perez, like they did every other day, helping her with anyone who was sick or injured. When no one needed treatment, Señorita Perez would teach them everything from how to properly set a broken bone to how to treat a cold. While Adi thought she already knew a lot about the plants in the jungle, learning from her made her realize that there was so much more she didn’t know. Sarsaparilla vine could be used to treat arthritis and skin conditions, guayacan tree leaves helped to treat weakness and fatigue, while the calabash tree was used to induce labour. As she listened to Nayara name off plants and their healing properties from memory, Adi couldn’t help but think about the first time they met. Nayara was different—everyone was—and as she watched the joy in her face, she knew they had made the right choice by staying.

  On most days, Adi would spend the afternoon with her friends while the younger ones were attending the small school near the centre of the village. Rodrigo and Giovana would be finished hunting, Catalina would be done working on the house in the corner and Marcelo would be ending his shift with Kaue on the wall. But today was a Tuesday, which meant that Helena would be waiting for her. Late from lingering at Señorita Perez’s, Adi grabbed a mango and a piece of dried fish from the kitchen before walking to the gate.

  As soon as she passed through the wall, she slowed down, seeing who was waiting on the other side. Adi said nothing as she ripped off a piece of fish and ate it, staring into the angry face in front of her.

  “Where’s my abuela?” he asked after a moment, his glare unwavering.

  The first time she met Thiago, it hadn’t gone well. She had been walking with Helena when a man a bit older than her suddenly appeared on the trail ahead of them. Having no weapons, she immediately picked a stick up off the ground ready to fight when Helena wrapped him in a hug. She said nothing as she watched them, seeing the happiness on Helena’s face and the concern on his.

  “Who’s this?” he had asked, looking at Adi.

  “Adelita,” Helena said, turning back to her. “Come meet my grandson.”

  As she came towards them, she watched as his face changed from concern to confusion, his bright brown eyes intently studying her.

  “What are you two doing out here?” he asked, looking back to his grandmother.

  “Adelita and I are discussing the importance of purposeful work in the community,” Helena had answered. The look on his face darkened.

  When he spoke, his voice was low, causing her skin to prickle with uncertainty. “You’ve chosen her?” he asked, his tone incredulous.

  While she hadn’t known what he meant, and still didn’t, she knew it was bad. Every time they passed through the same space, he looked at her with absolute disdain. Looking into his face now, she could tell nothing had changed.

  “Don’t know,” she replied as she continued to eat the fish.

  When she said nothing else, he huffed haughtily. “Do you even care about any of this? About any of the things she does for you?”

  Adi remained silent, knowing nothing she said would be good enough for him.

  “You have no idea, do you? How important this is?”

  “What’s going on out here?” Rodrigo’s voice cut through the tension.

  A dark frown covered Thiago’s face as he folded his arms across his chest, unhappy about being interrupted. “Nothing,” he replied, focusing his irritation on Rodrigo.

  Adi could feel Rodrigo looking at her, but she refused to turn her head, opting to keep staring out into the trees.

  “Doesn’t look like nothing,” Rodrigo replied, reading her defensive body language like the back of his hand. While she didn’t care what Thiago thought of her, it clearly bothered Rodrigo. “What’s your problem with her exactly?” he asked.

  Thiago smiled condescendingly. “It’s none of your fucking business.”

  Rodrigo laughed, taking a few steps closer to him. “Oh, I think it is.”

  Although she could feel the testosterone-riddled tension fill the air around them, she was in no mood to stop a fight. Her body hurt from training and her mind was trying to figure out what Thiago’s words meant. There was something she didn’t know and it was beginning to bother her.

  “Hey!” someone shouted from on top of the wall.

  She looked up at Vagner standing above them.

  “Cut it out,” he commanded. When neither Thiago nor Rodrigo moved, he said, “If you stand there for one more second, I’m gonna come down and beat the piss outta both of you.”

  Adi hid her smile as Thiago angrily went back into the village and as Rodrigo approached, she turned and watched the frown drop from his face.

  “Shit,” he swore under his breath as he reached up and gently touched her eye. “Mariana?”

  She smirked and nodded as she dug her fingers into the mango’s skin.

  “You’re the only person I know who enjoys that,” he said as he leaned up against the wall beside her.

  She shrugged as she handed him a chunk of fruit. “Catalina and Gio seem to. And don’t forget Lupita.”

  Rodrigo huffed in response as he chewed on the mango. “Gio will shoot anything and Catalina is obsessed with knives. And Lupita...” his voice trailed off. “Lupita is something else.”

  She chuckled softly at the seriousness of his tone. Ever since Lupita had been shown how to fight at Salvador’s camp, she took to it like a bird to flight. Although she was only nine years old and small for her age, it was like the floodgates had opened and out poured years of rage and frustration. At everyone’s insistence, Adi had made her promise to stick to a few rules and in return, she would teach her everything she could. While the others were afraid of her, she knew that fighting was Lupita’s way of dealing with her past.

  “What are you doing out here?” he asked. “Waiting for Helena?”

  She nodded as she threw away the pit and wiped the jui
ce off her hands and onto her pants. She was about to say something when a sharp whistle from inside the village drew her attention. Turning, she saw Emilio waving her over.

  “I’ll see you later,” she said to Rodrigo as she jogged back in through the gate. Stopping in front of Emilio, she asked, “Yes?”

  “You’re wanted in the room,” he replied.

  “What room?” she asked, but she got no response as he was already walking away.

  A few minutes later, they entered a hallway Adi had never been in, stopping in front of a simple, brown door. Opening it, he waited for her to walk through before shutting the door loudly behind her.

  All alone, she looked around, noticing the large table in the middle, a low-hanging light centered above it. The room was dim and as her vision adjusted, she saw something she couldn’t take her eyes off of: a map. It had everything on it—rivers, villages, towns, mountain ranges—but as she walked towards it, she saw that it was so much more. So captivated by it, she didn’t hear her come in.

  “Interesting, isn’t it?” Helena said as she walked up to the table, causing Adi to jump.

  Turning, she saw the small smile on Helena’s face. “What do the red x’s mean?”

  Helena looked at her for a moment. “I have something for you.”

  She was wondering why she wasn’t answering her question until she saw what Helena was holding. She smiled, taking the bundle from her outstretched hands.

  “I get to keep them?” she asked as she examined her knives, the familiar feeling of the handles sending excitement through her body.

  “Yes.” Helena smiled. “They’re yours.”

  She looked each blade up and down, checking for wear. Finding none, she gently slid them back into their covers, placing them in various positions around her body. She could feel Helena watching and when she looked up, she could tell that there was something she wasn’t saying. “Why are you giving these to me now?” she asked.

  Helena sat down on the stool beside the table. “You’re ready.”

  “Ready for what?”

  “For your trip out.”

  While she knew that there were people who left the village to get supplies, she also knew that only a select few went. Since they arrived, she hadn’t gone more than a hundred feet from the wall and although going deeper into the jungle didn’t frighten her, travelling to a strange town and meeting unfamiliar people did. As doubts flooded her mind, she instinctively touched the knife up her sleeve and Helena continued.

  “There’ll be a group of you going,” she said as she studied her face. “You’ll meet them just outside the gate, one hour before sunrise.”

  Adi couldn’t help but feel like there was more riding on this than just a supply run. She wasn’t sure what, but perhaps this was what Thiago was talking about. Perhaps this was a test for something. But regardless of what she felt, and however uncertain she was, she needed to prove that she could do this. Pushing her fears aside, she forced a smile. “Okay.”

  •

  Adi woke up much earlier than she needed to. She lightly caressed the hair on Benito’s head one last time as he slept, grabbed her bag, and headed to the gate.

  “Ready to go?” Vagner asked as she approached, his dark silhouette emerging from the wall’s shadow.

  “Think so,” she replied, hoping her voice sounded more confident than she felt.

  She could see his smile through the darkness. “Everyone’s nervous on their first run,” he said. “But don’t worry, you’re in good hands.”

  Adi nodded and walked through the gate, wondering whose hands exactly she would be in.

  As the darkness began to thin, she waited for the others in silence, thinking about what they were being sent off to do. When she told Benito she was leaving, he had tried to hide his disappointment, but she saw it, a pang of guilt shooting through her as she looked at his worried face. Even though she promised she was coming back, she could tell he didn’t completely believe her. Feeling a shiver run down her spine, she reached into her bag and pulled a second shirt over her head.

  “You won’t need that.”

  As soon as she heard the voice, she froze and inwardly groaned, trying to ignore the feeling of dread passing over her. If this was a test, Helena sure wasn’t making it easy.

  “Please tell me you’re not coming with,” she said as she pulled the rest of her shirt down over her torso and turned around.

  Thiago smirked as he walked up, answering her question as he placed his bag on the ground.

  “Unfortunately,” the man beside him began, his tone light, “we need him.” He gave Adi a warm smile. “I don’t think we’ve met,” he said. “I’m Miguel.”

  Adi nodded, surprised by how young he was. She had heard people around the village talking about him, but had never seen him. All she knew was that he was the runner Helena chose when no one else could get what they needed. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned and watched Catalina and Marcelo walk up.

  “Alright,” Miguel said as he stood in front of them. “Before we leave, we need to go over the rules. First, you’ll do exactly as I say the moment I say it. No arguments, no hesitating. Second, we leave with five, we return with five. We don’t leave unless we have everyone. And third, under no circumstances will you give out any information to anyone—ever. No names, no places, not even what kind of flowers you saw blooming the other day. Nada. If someone asks you a question, you lie and keep your answers short. I don’t care what you tell them, but you are not to reveal any information about our life here. That is the only way this works. Understood?” Seeing everyone nod, Miguel clapped. “Good. Let’s go.”

  They followed him silently into the trees single file, the sky just light enough to see where they were going. The jungle was thick and tangled, forcing them to walk, but when it finally opened up that afternoon, they ran.

  Running through the trees was one of Adi’s favourite things to do. It made her feel untouchable and as the air gently caressed her face, she smiled, the worry lifting from her shoulders. They ran until they no longer could, stopping only when it became too dark to see and starting again as soon as the morning light sifted in. Other than almost being spotted by a few people on a trail on the second day, they continued like this for the next two days, going up and over mountains, crossing rivers, and passing through valleys. Just as Adi was about to ask when they would get there, Miguel suddenly changed direction.

  “Why are we going east?” Marcelo asked the same question in her head. They had been traveling in that direction for almost two hours and it was beginning to make Adi uncomfortable. She had no desire to go even remotely close to the places she had fled.

  Ignoring the question, Miguel finished eating his orange and used his shirt to wipe off his hands. “Put these on,” he said. He pulled some long-sleeved shirts out of his bag, throwing one to each person. “Make sure your knives and guns are hidden. If you can’t hide it, it goes in your pack.”

  Taking off her shirt, Adi threw the new one on, the dull, shapeless fabric going almost to the middle of her thighs. With most of her knives already hidden in strategic places around her body, she only had to readjust her largest and favourite knife, taking it off her back and shoving it into her pack, the handle peeking out of the top. She tucked the large shirt into her pants, leaving it a bit loose at the back so she could access her gun, and threw her bag back on.

  “We’re going east,” Miguel finally answered as they finished changing, “because that’s the direction we want to be seen entering the town.”

  It took them another hour to reach the road, Miguel explaining the plan as they walked. They needed to make two stops once they arrived. He would go to the store with Catalina and Marcelo while Thiago would take Adi to meet his contact. When they had what they needed, they would meet back in the trees.

  Adi’s heart pounded as they stepped onto the empty road. They walked along in a small cluster but as soon as she heard a vehicle, she had to force hersel
f to stay calm. It had been a while since she had heard or seen a truck and as she carefully watched it drive past, she exhaled and removed her hand from her gun. A few more went by and the closer they got to the town, the more people they encountered. By the time the first few buildings came into view, Adi had relaxed.

  They had been walking through the town for about five minutes when Miguel suddenly turned right, Catalina and Marcelo following. Remembering the plan, Adi quickly caught up with Thiago as they continued down the main street.

  She had planned on asking him who they were going to meet, but as she looked around, she forgot all about it. She had never been to a place like this before; it was smaller than a city but much bigger than a village. It was quiet and yet had a distinctive hum to it, one that she couldn’t place. While there were people out on the street, it wasn’t overcrowded and everyone casually walked along, some of them even nodding as they passed.

  They continued for about twenty minutes before they reached the other end of town, the stores thinning out as warehouses began to take their place.

  “This is how it’s going to work,” Thiago said as he stopped and turned towards her, refocusing her wandering attention. “Once we get in there, you don’t say a word. I’ve been working this contact for two months straight and I won’t have you screwing it up.”

  Adi said nothing as she crossed her arms, waiting for him to finish.

  “This package is important and it requires a certain type of...” He struggled to find the word. “Charm. So I’ll do the talking.”

  She wanted to tell him to shove it, but she knew nothing about this, so she glared at him before finally nodding.

  Satisfied, Thiago turned and walked up to a building ten feet down the street, Adi slowly following. As she approached, she couldn’t help but notice that it had no name, sign, or windows, but that was all she had time to see as Thiago was already halfway through the door.

  She blinked a couple times as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, the dinginess of the room becoming apparent as she looked around. Besides the tables and chairs that filled the room, there was a bar to their left, a long counter with stools lined up alongside. The room was empty except for three men who sat around a table, tucked into the back corner.