Las Hermanas Read online

  “Let me look.”

  Adi extended her arm as Nayara sat down beside her and began cleaning the bullet wound. They hadn’t spoken since Adi snuck out of the Complejo and as she watched Nayara work, she didn’t know what to say.

  “I’m sorry,” she said eventually, unable to stand the awkward silence. “I know how much you loved it there. I didn’t...”

  “You don’t need to explain,” Nayara interrupted. “I get it.”

  She was surprised. “You do?”

  Nayara nodded and looked around cautiously before she replied. “I...,” she began, her voice not much louder than a whisper. “Someone owned me once.”

  Shocked, Adi stayed silent.

  “When I was little, my mama died and her boyfriend sold me to this man.” Nayara cleared her throat. “I belonged to him for a while, but he got tired of me so he beat me and threw me out. That’s where Omar found me.” She smiled as she said his name. “I couldn’t even walk and he just picked me up off the street and carried me home. I’ll never forget it.”

  She said nothing as Nayara finished wrapping her arm. She was mad at Omar for the things he said, but for some reason it felt like she had left him behind. “Why didn’t he come?”

  Nayara sighed. “I asked him to,” she said sadly, “but he won’t leave. The Complejo might be gone, but the kids are still there. He belongs to them.”

  Adi thought about Omar and the many times he had helped her. While she didn’t regret what she did, if she could redo it, she would’ve done it differently.

  “It’s not your fault, you know,” Nayara said, interrupting her thoughts. “The Complejo was too good to be true. Things like that, they never last. Not in our world.”

  •

  The next morning, they went farther from the city, hiking their way through valleys, across rivers and over hills. Talita’s condition had improved with sleep and as Adi watched everyone interact with the jungle, some for the first time, she couldn’t help but smile. Evita was running everywhere, giggling nonstop as she tried to catch the butterflies that flew past her. Even some of the older girls got excited when they spotted squirrel monkeys swinging in the trees above them.

  But it wasn’t all fun and games. In addition to leading the way, Adi spent most of her time trying to stop everyone from getting injured. Caio was stung by a scorpion when he didn’t shake out his shirt after a swim; Lupita, an eight-year-old from La Patrona’s, almost got bit by a snake while trying to climb a tree; and Nayara got a rash from touching the wrong plants. By the fourth night, things were about to get worse.

  “Adi, wake up,” Giovana said. Her slim figure hovered above her, giving her a firm shake. “It’s Talita.”

  Quickly walking over to where she lay, Adi knelt next to Nayara who was already examining her.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, though she could guess.

  “Nothing,” Nayara replied as she felt the bottom of Talita’s belly. “It’s just time. The baby’s coming.”

  She had dreaded this moment. “Do you know what to do?”

  When Nayara shook her head, her heart sank. She had only seen someone give birth once, and that was a long time ago.

  “What do we do?” she whispered, trying to remain calm. They were days from the city and even if they got back in time, she doubted anyone would help.

  “I don’t know,” Nayara replied. “All I know is, she’s having this baby right here and soon.”

  Adi rubbed her face with her hands, trying to think of anything that might help. While she had some pain relievers, she knew that was the least of their problems. So many things could go wrong. As she watched Yumi gently stroking Talita’s head, she suddenly stood and ran to her bag.

  “What are you doing?” Nayara asked as she dug through it.

  Adi didn’t reply as she found what she was looking for and held it up to the moonlight, trying to see the faded ink on the worn out paper.

  “I don’t think we’re far,” she said as she examined the map, trying to calculate the distance.

  “Far from what?”

  “From where I came from. See this?” she said. She pointed to a small dot. “That’s where the camp is, and this is the city.” She pointed to another mark. “I think we’re somewhere around here,” she said, bringing her finger close to the camp. “If I get there by morning, I can bring help back. Think she can hold on ‘til then?”

  Nayara exhaled and looked back at Talita, thinking it over. “I don’t know,” she said. “She’s not cramping a lot, but that could change.” She paused. “We don’t really have a choice.”

  That was all Adi needed to hear. She handed her bag to Nayara and slid her knife up her sleeve.

  “Give her coca leaves for the pain, but not too many,” she instructed.

  Nayara nodded.

  “And if she starts, keep her quiet,” she continued. “Anyone could be out here.”

  Nayara nodded again. “I’ll get Renan to keep watch.”

  She gave her a small smile and turned to leave, but stopped when she heard a voice.

  “Wait for me,” Catalina said as she threw on her pack. “I’m coming with.”

  They travelled west through the jungle, the darkness and dense trees forcing them to walk most of the time. Adi couldn’t stop herself from wondering how they would react to seeing her again, but she pushed the thought away. Regardless of what happened, she had to make them help her. Talita and her baby depended on it.

  After about an hour, they came upon a clearing, but spotting a village in the middle, she stayed deep in the trees and led Catalina around it, not wanting to be seen. She was tempted to ask for help, but remembered the warning about the villages east of the river, so they kept going. Not long after they passed, the forest thinned and they burst into a run, going as fast as they could through the trees. Finally arriving at the river a couple hours later, Adi worked on figuring out how to get across as they caught their breath.

  Crossing the river at night was dangerous as caimans, anacondas, and other predators filled the water, hunting for their next meal in the dark. These animals didn’t live in every part of the river, but she knew they were there because as she slowly walked along the shore, she could see them, their bright eyes intently watching as they sat along the water’s surface. Finding what she needed, she studied the area for a minute before she walked back to Catalina, picking up sticks along the way. Her plan was in no way good, but it only had to work for a minute.

  Standing next to Catalina, she asked, “How far can you throw?”

  The dead bird hit the water with a splash, sending the caimans diving after it as Adi and Catalina entered the river, half-wading, half-swimming as fast as they could to the other side. Every second counted against them and as the noise downriver began to grow quiet, Adi swam faster. They didn’t have much time.

  She was the first one out, but as she looked back, she saw the water rippling behind Catalina. Without a moment’s hesitation, she ran back into the river, pounding her fists full of sharpened sticks down as hard as she could, the ends connecting with her target. The caiman reared back angrily, its powerful tail lashing back and forth as it snapped at her. Her sticks now gone, Adi scrambled out of the water and onto the shore just as the caiman charged, darting up the riverbank towards her.

  The log came down heavily with a thud, hitting the caiman directly on the head. Stunned and injured, the reptile slithered back into the water as Catalina dropped the tree, helping Adi up onto her feet.

  “Let’s get outta here.”

  They jogged through the trees, the sunlight illuminating the way as it rose higher into the sky. The jungle had grown dense again and so they slowed, carefully winding around large trees and brush. They were walking through a tangled clump of vines when Adi heard a light click.

  She froze, looking back at Catalina, who had already removed one of her knives, the blade resting against the side of her leg. Turning again towards the front, she listened for another sound,
but hearing nothing, she went to take a step forward when a voice commanded, “Don’t move.”

  Looking into the wall of thick leaves directly ahead of them, Adi slowly moved the knife in her sleeve down into her hand. She couldn’t see who was behind it, but when she heard the bushes rustle, she knew they were about to find out.

  Two boys stepped from cover, their guns aimed and ready as they warily approached, suspiciously looking the girls over. They couldn’t have been much older than her and as she looked at their torn and ratty clothes, she knew they weren’t from a nearby village.

  “Who are you?” one of them demanded. “What are you doing here?”

  “We’re here to see Salvador,” Adi replied, almost certain what the answer would be.

  As soon as she said his name, the boys exchanged a look, confirming her suspicion.

  “We don’t know any Salvador.”

  She ignored their denial. “We need to see him.”

  They didn’t move for a minute, clearly conflicted as she waited for them to decide. She didn’t want to seem too eager, but when the boy lowered his gun, she inwardly smiled.

  They led them through the green wall and into the dense foliage, Adi slowly recognizing the area around them. It hadn’t changed much—birds still chirped, monkeys still screeched, and the river still ran past them with authority—but when they came upon a large camp about half an hour later, it was not the same place she had run away from. Small huts surrounded the clearing, their round shapes forming a circle against the trees as a large fire sat in the center, its heat radiating outwards. But that was all Adi had a chance to see before they were ushered to a small, half-built shelter that sat on the outskirts of the clearing and told to wait.

  By the time someone came to see them, the sun was completely up and shining, the sounds of people going about their day filling the air. As Adi watched the man approach, she stood, eager to return to the others. But, as he came closer, she wasn’t sure they were going to get the help they needed.

  The man was the same height as Renan, but twice as wide. He had thick brown hair that hung down to his shoulders and even through his beard, she could see the angry scowl covering his face. Grabbing a chair, he turned it around and sat down in front of them.

  “What do we have here?” he began, the hostility impossible to miss. “And I thought you were long dead. But here you are, in the flesh.”

  Unsure of how he knew who she was and a little thrown off by his demeanor, Adi slowly sat back down.

  “I gave up on you a while back,” he continued. “But it’s nice of you to finally show up.”

  Suddenly it hit her, and as she looked into his angry eyes, she had no doubt. “Rodrigo.”

  He glared as she spoke, the contempt radiating off him.

  Knowing it would be a waste of time asking him for help, she said, “We need to talk to Salvador.”

  Her voice sounded much smaller than she wanted, but she waited, Rodrigo taking his time to answer. “‘Bout what?” he asked. When she didn’t reply, he smiled at her arrogantly. “I’m the one who decides if you see him, so if you wanna talk to him, you have to go through me.”

  She gave in. “There’s a baby coming and we don’t know what to do. We need someone who can help.”

  For a while, Rodrigo said nothing. He looked at her stone faced. When he finally spoke, it was clear he didn’t care. “And why would we help you?”

  Although she wasn’t surprised by his reaction, she had still hoped for a different response.

  “You don’t deserve help,” he said as he stood. “You deserve to be forgotten, just like Benito.”

  She could feel his glare from where she sat. Knowing that nothing would change his mind, she turned to Catalina. “Let’s go.”

  She was a couple steps away when she heard her voice behind her. “What the fuck is your problem?”

  Adi turned just in time to see Rodrigo pivot, his attention now fully on Catalina.

  “What the fuck is my problem?” he asked. He stepped forward, stopping right in front of her. “Maybe your friend over there forgot to tell you what she did, but she’s the last person in the world I would help.”

  “So?” Catalina asked, completely unfazed.

  “So?” Rodrigo scoffed.

  “It’s got nothing to do with her.” Rodrigo was about to respond when Catalina continued. “She’s not asking you to help her, she’s asking you to help someone else. And if you don’t, they’ll die. Is that something you’re comfortable with?”

  Rodrigo didn’t respond, the conflict flashing across his face, but when he turned and left the shelter without another word, they had their answer.

  They were silent as they left the camp, slowly walking through the trees. It didn’t matter if they made it back in time or not; they had nothing that would help. But as they approached the river, they whipped around, pulling out their knives as they spun to face whatever was behind them.

  Adi was surprised as she watched two girls emerge from the trees, one with a pack, the other with a gun.

  They stood examining one another before the one with the bag said, “We hear there’s a baby coming.”

  Chapter Nine

  Less than five hours after making it back to Talita, the baby came out screaming, her loud cries penetrating the jungle around them. At the two girls’ insistence, everyone packed up and left for Salvador’s. Adi had tried to tell them that they would be fine on their own, but the one with the gun, Valentina, shook her head. “Salvador says you’re coming back with us.” That was final.

  It took almost an entire day to get there, which Adi was grateful for. She was in no hurry to face Rodrigo again and she couldn’t even imagine what seeing Benito for the first time would be like. But she was able to avoid it all for a little longer, because as soon as they arrived, she immediately found shelter and collapsed on the ground, the exhaustion of the last few days sending her into a deep sleep.

  Adi was dreaming, her mind swirling with images of the city, when the sound of someone’s shoe crunching on the ground jolted her awake. She reached for her bag, trying to grab her gun, but wasn’t fast enough. Caught from behind, one arm wrapped around her body while the other covered her mouth. She struggled with all her might, kicking and flailing, but the arm held her still, carrying her backwards and out of the shelter as the sleeping faces of her friends slowly disappeared from view.

  Her mind raced as she was dragged through the trees, the camp no longer visible. Determined to get free, she closed her eyes and controlled her breathing, trying to calm the panic pulsating through her veins. When she opened her eyes a few moments later, she knew what she had to do.

  Stretching out her legs as much as she could, she reached for every tree that passed, trying to latch onto it with her feet. The first few she missed, but eventually she caught one and when she wrapped her legs around it, holding on with everything she had, her captor jerked to an abrupt stop. He turned, seeing what was holding him back and just as he walked forward to untie her limbs, his grip loosened just a little.

  Adi thrust her elbow into his side and he dropped her, doubling over as she scrambled to her feet and ran back towards the camp. She was flying through the trees, desperate to get far away when she was hit from behind, the force of the blow knocking her unconscious.

  It took a while, but when she slowly came to, she could feel herself being gently rocked back and forth as if she was in a hammock. But when she opened her eyes, her mouth gagged and her hands tied in front of her, she looked up and saw Valentina, the light of the moon falling across her face.

  Valentina said nothing as she smiled, her gun resting casually in her lap as Adi lifted her head off the bottom of the boat. Looking out, she watched as two others paddled upriver. She had no idea what was happening, but unable to escape, she laid her head back down.

  It was still dark when they banked on the river’s edge, Valentina standing guard as the others carried the boat into the trees. As they walked ba
ck towards her, Adi saw a familiar face and her confusion instantly turned to anger.

  “I’ll take out the gag and untie your hands under one condition,” Rodrigo said. “You won’t run or make a sound. Got it?”

  Adi didn’t move as she glared at him, unsure if she was mad because they had gotten the jump on her or because he looked so damn smug about it. Knowing the answer wouldn’t help, she forced herself to nod, having no intention of keeping her word. Her mouth and hands no longer bound, they turned and walked into the trees, Valentina shoving her forward.

  They went silently, the only sounds the flow of the river and the occasional monkey calling in the distance. Adi had no idea where she was, but as the trees thinned, the landscape began to look oddly familiar and suddenly, she knew exactly where they were.

  “Why are we here?” she whispered to Rodrigo, unable to hide the alarm in her voice as she looked at the village in the middle of the clearing. She had been here less than two days ago, carefully going around it, knowing what these villagers did with kids they found wandering alone.

  Her question was answered with a threatening look and they crept along the edge of the village, Adi trying to figure out how she was going to escape. Stopping behind a small shack that sat partially in the trees, Rodrigo tied her hands back up and forced her to sit, Valentina standing almost on top of her. As he left them there, walking casually into the village, Adi racked her brain. There was no way she was going to let him give her to these people. If that happened, she’d end up back in the city, forced to do the same things Pia did.

  Just as she convinced herself that she could take on both Valentina and the other boy, Rodrigo returned with an older man, his black hair shimmering with hints of grey. They talked in hushed voices while looking at her, sending chills all over her body. This was not happening, this was not going to happen to her.

  When Rodrigo approached, she loudly said, “No,” and he quickly grabbed her, his hand covering her mouth.