Las Hermanas Read online

“Hey!” a man shouted, making her spin.

  Adi’s eyes widened in fear as a policeman barrelled towards her, a threatening hand on his stick. Frightened, she ran off, the man right behind her. She was glancing back trying to see how close he was, when she stumbled into a table full of fruit, sending oranges, mangos, and pineapples flying in all directions. She was in trouble now.

  Darting behind the overturned table, she snuck along it and out the other side, the mess distracting everyone around her. As she ran from the market and back towards the street, she looked and saw that the empanadas were sitting right beside her, and no one was watching. Before she could think, she had already grabbed two of them and, terrified of being caught, she shoved them down her shirt and fled into the streets.

  Adi didn’t stop running until she could no longer take it, the empanadas warm against her skin. Carefully taking one out, she bit into it hungrily, the savory taste of beef dancing on her tongue. Unable to pace herself, she devoured the second one and as she licked the sauce off her fingers, she couldn’t help but wish she had taken more.

  She continued to move, the city sloping upwards as it spread across the mountainside. She wasn’t sure where she was going or what she was looking for; all she wanted was to sleep somewhere safe. She walked for hours, climbing hill after hill, passing colourful cantinas, busy barrios, and whitewashed churches, when she finally found some large buildings grouped densely together.

  Adi stopped and jumped up, grabbing onto the bottom rung of the stairs that hung off the side of the building. She climbed the metal bars all the way to the top and stepped out onto the roof, more buildings towering around her. Only pausing to catch her breath, she found the next ladder and continued to move upwards with the buildings.

  She climbed as high as she could, reaching a large, flat roof that sat directly below the last layer of buildings set against the hillside. She was walking around, looking for somewhere to sleep when she found a small rooftop tucked away in a corner, surrounded by cement walls and hidden from view. She had finally found it: her new home.

  •

  It was a Sunday, church bells resonating throughout the city. Sundays were good days because if she went down to the river just south of her rooftop home, she could get food for free. She discovered it by chance one day when she went to get water. As she splashed around in the murky current, she watched as families walked around, handing out food to the kids who sat along the cement curb. She had gone back to the river every day to see if it would happen again and seven days later, there they were, in their clean clothes and brushed hair, giving away food.

  The river was her favourite place in the city. No one tried to chase her away and the water was always filled with so many different people that she never felt lonely. Most of all, she loved it because it reminded her of home.

  A pang of sadness passed through her as a group of girls approached the water, flicking off their flip-flops at the edge. Adi had seen these girls before and every time she did, she thought of her sister. Like them, Leti had long brown hair that shone in the sunlight and she was just as pretty without makeup as these girls were with. Adi missed her laugh. It took a lot to get Leti to even crack a smile, but when she laughed, it filled the air with so much warmth that Adi couldn’t help but feel happy. She would give anything to hear her sister laugh just one more time.

  Consumed with thoughts of her family, she made the long journey back to the rooftop. As she walked by a window, she caught a glimpse of her reflection and looked down at her shirt, the faded material stretched thin and full of holes. It would’ve lasted her a few more weeks, but when she saw a clothing rack sitting unattended outside a store, the opportunity was too good to pass up. Snatching a couple shirts off their hangers, she darted down the street.

  Adi smiled as she put on the shirt, the soft, clean fabric feeling nice against her skin. She had only been in the city a few weeks, but already she was getting quicker at swiping things. While she was ashamed of stealing at first, it became clear that if she wanted to survive, she would have to do things she didn’t like.

  Feeling better about herself in her new shirt, she almost missed noticing the boy causally walking towards her. Focused on him, she failed to see the one coming up from behind and as she cautiously slowed, a hand slammed over her mouth.

  She kicked and screamed, but it was no use. There was nobody around and the boy was much stronger than her, effortlessly dragging her into an alley as the first one nonchalantly followed behind.

  “Make a sound and you die,” the boy holding her whispered. He took a gun from his waistband and pressed it against her face. “You’re gonna be real quiet now, aren’t you?”

  Outnumbered and alone, she had no response.

  Sitting her down against the wall, he released her from his grasp as the first one approached. Crouching on his haunches in front of her, he watched as she steadied her breathing.

  “You’re new here,” he said, his tone calm and even, “so you don’t know the rules.”

  “What rules?” she asked. Her question was answered with a slap across the face and she touched her stinging cheek, unsure of whether she felt pain or anger.

  “Quiet,” the other boy warned.

  “We’re gonna take you somewhere,” the boy continued, ignoring her question. “If you try to run, make a sound or even look at someone, he will shoot you dead.”

  She glanced at the boy with the gun as he stared back at her.

  “You’re no one,” he continued, “so no one will care if you die. We could shoot you in the middle of the street, in front of the entire neighbourhood, and no one would give a shit. Understand?”

  Adi didn’t know what to do. If she went with them, she would probably die, but if she ran, she was dead for sure. A second slap woke her from her thoughts.

  “Understand?” he asked more menacingly.

  She nodded.

  “Good. Let’s go.”

  With her between them, they made their way into the heart of the southeast part of the city. She had never been to this area before so she had no idea where they were going. Looking around her as they walked, she saw that they were right: no one cared or even bothered to look her way, despite the boy’s heavy hand on her shoulder, sternly steering her forward. They continued to wind their way through the streets and as the road narrowed, the boy ahead of her turned, pulled out a bandana, and tied it around her eyes.

  She struggled, fighting to get it off, but when she felt the barrel of the gun press into her neck, she froze. Feeling a hand on each of her elbows, she moved forward, clumsily placing one foot in front of the other.

  For the next few minutes, they continued walking, Adi completely blind. She could hear the city around her, but as the hands guided her up a set of stairs, everything went quiet. The lack of noise heightened her anxiety as they kept ascending, the smell of raw sewage wafting into her nose. Unable to take it any longer, she was about to ask where they were going, when she heard a faint noise, growing louder as they climbed.

  By the time they reached the top of the stairs, she could clearly hear children even without seeing them. Their voices filled the air and the sound bounced around her as she was led forward. Suddenly stopping, her blindfold was removed and she was shoved into a room, the door lock clanking ominously behind her.

  She stood still as her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the windowless room, unsure of what or who was in there. After about a minute, she looked around and saw two chairs pushed up against the wall. Finding no way out, she tucked herself into a dark corner and waited.

  She was sitting on the floor, head leaned against the wall, when she heard the door open slowly. Not moving a muscle, she watched as two figures entered the room, one staying by the door while the other pulled out a chair and sat down.

  “So,” the boy sitting said, “you’re the one who doesn’t know the rules.”

  Unsure of what they wanted and a little frightened, she stayed silent.

  “Ho
w long has she been around?” the boy asked when she didn’t answer.

  “A couple weeks,” the one at the door answered. “Maybe a month.”

  Adi was shocked. How did they know this? She saw the figure in the chair nod.

  “So,” he said, addressing her once more, “where did you come from?”

  Feeling completely outmatched, she gave in. “I used to live in the west side of the city.”

  The boy nodded again. “And then?”

  “In the country.”

  “For how long?”

  She swallowed, her mouth feeling dry and pasty. “A while.”

  The boy leaned forward in his chair. “Why’d you come back?”

  She didn’t know what answer to give him, there were so many. “My family died.”

  When the boy didn’t say anything else, she began to worry. What if they never let her out?

  “I’m sorry about the rules,” she said, her desperation obvious. “I didn’t mean to break them. If you let me go, I promise I’ll leave and never come back.”

  “Where would you go?”

  She didn’t understand why that mattered but she tried to think of an answer quickly. “My friend Pia lives on the east side. I’ll go there.”

  The boy sat up straight in his chair. “This Pia, what’s her last name?”

  Her brow furrowed in confusion, but she answered anyways. “Diaz.”

  He said nothing for a moment, but when he did, it was not what she expected. “Adi?” His voice cracked as he said her name and she sat there confused, trying to understand how he knew her.

  “Adi, it’s me,” he said, leaving his chair and walking towards her in the corner.

  As soon as his skinny face came into view, she couldn’t believe who was in front of her.

  •

  Pulled up onto her feet, she was wrapped in a hug.

  “I can’t believe it,” he said, smiling as he looked at her. “I can’t believe it’s you.”

  Adi couldn’t help but smile back. She had first met Omar when she was five and had just gotten into trouble for speaking back to her mother. Sent to bed early with no dinner, she decided to get her own food and snuck out of her bedroom window. Omar found her wandering the streets as the sun was setting, her tear-stained cheeks giving away that she was lost. He had helped her find her way home and after that, he started checking in on her, making sure she went to school, inviting her to play football, and eventually teaching her how to climb buildings. Whenever he was around, Adi always felt like she’d be okay. “Where am I?” she asked.

  His smile widened and he clasped her shoulders. “Come. I’ll show you.”

  She followed Omar out of the room and back into the hall.

  “Welcome to the Complejo.”

  She couldn’t believe what she saw. Inside an abandoned and partially crumbling building was a tower full of kids.

  “Pretty cool, huh?” Omar said.

  Adi walked up to the railing, staring down at the multiple floors below. She had never seen so many kids and she watched in amazement as they occupied every floor, some playing while others slept. “What are they all doing here?”

  “They live here,” he replied. Seeing the confusion on her face, he continued. “I found this place a while ago. It was supposed to be an apartment building but half of it collapsed so no one wanted to live here. Plus,” he said with a smirk, “it smells like shit.”

  “And you brought them here?”

  “You know me,” he said. He playfully tossed her hair. “I’m a sucker for a sad face.”

  Adi smiled, but it quickly faded. “You said I don’t know the rules. What does that mean?”

  Omar pushed himself off the railing and began walking down the hallway. “Before we came here, there were only a few of us. But then we got bigger and so did our problems. Cops started hanging around and some of the younger kids got roped into working for the drug dealers in the slums. So as soon as we came to this place, we made rules.”

  “What rules?” she asked as she followed him.

  “We have a system,” he replied, leading her up the stairs to another floor. “Each person is allowed to leave the Complejo, but only on certain days, and everything is shared. If all of us went out at the same time, we’d get a lot of unwanted attention.”

  She listened intently as he led her farther up the building.

  “Once you’re older, you can’t steal anymore, so you gotta find a way to make money. But no drugs or sex. And you have to go on lookout.” Omar stopped, standing in front of a short stairway that led to a grey door.

  She couldn’t help but notice that there was no one else on this floor, the sudden silence giving it an eerie feeling.

  “So,” he said, turning to face her, “you wanna come live with us? Or would you rather stay on that shitty rooftop you call home?”

  It wasn’t a hard decision and as soon as Omar saw the look on her face, he said, “Good.” Walking up the stairs, he flung the door open.

  The sun blinded her as she stepped out onto the roof. The building was one of the tallest in the area, allowing her to see all the way to the ocean. She stopped, distracted by the view.

  “Ready?” Omar asked, bringing her attention back to him. He was standing behind her with a glove on one hand, holding a small, skinny piece of metal.

  Smirking at her confused face, he explained. “Everyone who lives here is marked. It’s how you get in. Without it, you won’t get close.”

  As he expectantly held out his hand, Adi grimaced, knowing what was coming next. He took her arm, turned it over, and grabbed the back of it, pressing the hot metal bar tightly against the skin on the inside of her elbow.

  She squirmed in pain, the metal burning her skin as the pungent smell stung her nostrils. When Omar finally removed it, an angry red line stared back at her.

  “What are those for?” she asked when he used the end of the bar to burn two small dots underneath the line.

  “Those are your strikes.” He finished, placing the metal back on the ground. “One more and you’re out.”

  Adi looked down at the marks seared into her arm, lightly touching them with her fingers. “What do you mean I’m out?”

  “You’re gone,” he repeated, arms crossed over his chest. “You’re out of the Complejo.”

  She was about to ask why when a boy burst through the door.

  “We got a problem.”

  As soon as they were back inside, Omar told her to go downstairs. She hesitated, watching them walk down the empty hallway, and before she knew it, she was following them.

  The only sound she heard as she crept through the hall was the faint echo of voices wafting up from the floors below. The air around her seemed thin and the farther she went, the less sure she felt about what she was doing. She stopped to turn around when she heard muffled voices coming from a room just ahead of her. Cautiously tip-toeing up to the door, she pressed her head against it, trying to hear what was happening inside.

  “You just don’t get it, do you?” she heard a voice saying.

  “Please I...,” a girl replied, but the sound of a dull thump interrupted her and Adi instinctively took a step back.

  She knew she shouldn’t be there, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave. Instead, she moved back up to the door and listened. She could hear the girl crying, her voice barely audible.

  “I can’t be out there,” Adi heard her say. “They’ll kill me. Please.” But Adi didn’t get a chance to hear the rest as a strong hand latched onto her arm and yanked her away from the door.

  Spun around, she looked up into the face of one of the boys who had caught her on the street.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” he asked. His jaw clenched as his face twisted into an angry snarl.

  She opened her mouth to reply, but unable to think of anything, she stared back at him as she heard the door open behind her.

  The boy looked over her head. “We found another one.”

  “Wha
t’s she doing here?” As soon as Adi heard Omar’s voice, she cringed.

  The boy shrugged. “Found her listening.”

  When Omar didn’t reply, she knew she was in trouble.

  “Wait here,” he said to the boy as he walked in front of her. “You wanna see?” He turned her around, not waiting for a reply. “I’ll show you.”

  Unsure of what was happening, she tried to move away, but Omar’s firm grip held her in place as he walked her by the shoulders into the room. As the door slammed shut behind them, she found herself staring into the bruised face of a girl.

  “Please,” the girl whimpered as she looked up at Adi from her knees. “Give me another chance.”

  Speechless, Adi looked back at Omar but he stood still with crossed arms and a blank expression.

  “Help me,” the girl cried. She grabbed Adi’s leg, latching onto her. “I promise I won’t do it again.”

  When she reached out towards her, Adi saw the line with the three dots underneath and understood. The girl was out.

  “Please, please,” she begged.

  The despair on her face was too much for Adi to take and she turned around. “She won’t do it again,” she said to Omar. “Can’t you give her another chance?”

  He moved towards her. Although his face was calm and steady, she could see the anger underneath. “Let me show you what happens when we break the rules.”

  Not saying another word, he grabbed her by the arm and led her out of the room. The boy waiting in the hall followed as they made their way back down the stairs to the main floor.

  Adi could tell by the strained looks on the faces they passed that something was wrong, but when Omar pushed open the door to a room in the back of the building, she was not prepared for what was inside.

  On the table lay a girl, maybe five or six, covered in blood.

  “Give me those,” an older girl instructed. She hovered over the small body, her shoulder-length black hair swaying as she wiped off the blood.

  Adi watched in shock as three of them tried to stop the bleeding, but couldn’t. It was gushing from everywhere.

  “You want me to give that girl upstairs another chance?” Omar asked, reminding Adi he was still there. “This is what happens.”