Las Hermanas Read online

  She said nothing as Omar turned and left the room, leaving her standing by the door. She had seen blood before, and lots of it, but this was different. This was something else.

  “You,” the older girl said, looking back at her. “Come here.”

  Adi swallowed hard and walked forward, the girl’s battered frame becoming more visible. She was still alive, but the front of her head was matted with blood and there was a small trickle making its way down her forehead and into her ear. One side of her face was sunken and smashed in, blood pooling beneath the skin. Her shirt had been almost completely torn from her body, scrapes and bruises covering her chest as it moved up and down ever so slightly.

  “Hold this,” the older girl instructed, drawing Adi’s attention to where she was standing.

  Adi walked over to the end of the table, took the rag from the girl’s hand and watched as she began cutting away the blood-stained shorts.

  “As soon as these are off, you have to stop the bleeding,” she said as she cut through the worn fabric. “Find the bloodiest part and press against it. Got it?”

  Adi nodded and the girl removed the shorts, the blood rapidly oozing out of her and onto the table. Ignoring the hard knot in the pit of her stomach, she quickly pressed the rag against the steady flow, but within seconds, it was soaked.

  “You’re not close enough,” the girl said as she handed Adi another rag. “You gotta get inside.”

  “What?” she asked, unsure if she heard her right.

  The girl put the tools she was cleaning down and took the rag from her hand.

  “Inside,” she said. She inserted the rag into the girl without hesitation. “You’ll never stop the bleeding if you don’t.”

  As Adi watched the girl feel around for the bleed, it took all her willpower to fight the vomit forming at the back of her throat.

  “Here,” the girl said, interrupting her concentration. “Hold the rag right there.”

  Adi shakily put her fingers inside and held the rag tightly against the bleed, the little girl letting out a small moan.

  “We’re gonna have to do this quickly,” the girl said. She brought several tools over to the table. “We gotta make sure there’s nothing in there before I stitch it up. And that means you have to be fast. Otherwise the blood will fill it back up.”

  She nodded, understanding what she had to do.

  “Ready?”

  Adi quickly removed the rag, watching the girl peer inside as she held it open. A few seconds later, she moved out of the way and Adi shoved the rag back in, soaking up the leaking blood.

  “I need another look,” the girl said. They tried again, moving as quickly as they could.

  “Anything?” Adi asked as she pressed against the bleed.

  “Not that I could see,” the girl replied, a needle pursed between her lips as she unwound some thread. “We’re gonna do the same thing; I’ll stitch for as long as I can and then you have to get in there.”

  They worked in sync, stitching up the gushing cut as best they could, and by the time they were finished, Adi’s arm cramped from pressing so hard. She looked down at the little girl, her breath becoming increasingly shallow, and knew they had to keep trying.

  For the next hour, they examined the girl’s body, treating as many cuts and bruises as they could. They wiped her down, changed her clothes and washed the table.

  “What do we do with these?” Adi asked as she threw the bloody rags into a bucket.

  “We burn them,” the girl replied. She picked it up and led her outside the room.

  “Don’t you have any epazote?” she asked after a moment, ignoring the stares they were getting as they walked down the hall.

  “Any what?” the girl asked.

  “Epazote. It’s a plant that kills bugs. If you wash the rags in it and then lay them in the sun, you can use them again.”

  The girl shook her head. “We don’t have any plants.”

  A few minutes later, they arrived at a metal door.

  “Here,” the girl said, handing Adi the bucket. “There’s a bin and a lighter just outside. Burn the rags. I’ll wait.”

  Adi grabbed the bucket and opened the door, the midday sun glaring down on her as she stepped into the heat. Finding the lighter, she dumped the rags into the bin and burned them, the smoke stinging her eyes and the smell burning her nose. As she stood there, her mind drifted back to the girl on the table, her injuries moving through her mind in vivid detail. She didn’t understand it: how could someone do that to a person so small and defenseless? As soon as she was back inside, she couldn’t help herself.

  “What happened to her?” she asked. She followed the girl back through the hall.

  “You know what happened,” the girl replied.

  Adi was silent for a moment. “Will she live?”

  The girl shrugged.

  They didn’t have to wait long to find out. When they woke the next morning, the girl was dead and Adi couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just entered a world she didn’t want to be in.

  Chapter Six

  Not fast enough, her head snapped back as the fist hit her face, the sound of her nose cracking echoing through her skull. Looking at her attacker, Adi saw the smirk and lunged forward angrily, knife in hand. Focused on her target, she didn’t see the second one until her feet were kicked out from under her, causing her to stumble forward uncontrollably. Distracted for only a moment, it was enough for her assailant to strike, swinging her arm out across Adi’s chest and sending her backwards onto the hard ground below.

  She lay there dazed for a few moments as she waited for the ringing in her head to stop. Gingerly propping herself up on her elbows, she touched the back of her head and winced.

  “You okay?”

  Adi looked up into the dark face above her. When she had asked Catalina to teach her how to fight, she didn’t think it would take this long or be this painful. Ignoring her extended hand, Adi pushed herself to her feet.

  “What the hell was that?” she asked angrily, standing directly in front of her.

  Catalina shrugged. “I’m doing what you asked.”

  “Bullshit,” she replied, spitting a wad of bloody saliva onto the ground. “That was dirty. You didn’t tell me there’d be someone else.”

  Catalina smirked, making Adi angrier. “How exactly do you think it works?” she asked. “They’re not gonna tell you shit.”

  Adi took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm herself down. She had asked for this, it just felt like she would never be good enough, she would never be ready.

  A sharp whistle interrupted them and Adi looked up at Renan’s head hanging over the railing a few floors above. Nodding, she turned to leave but Catalina stepped in front of her.

  “I did it cuz you’re getting good,” she said. “You’re quick and stronger than you think.” She smiled. “You might even beat me one day.”

  Adi smirked. Catalina was one of the best fighters in the Complejo, and with a knife in her hand, she was unstoppable. The first time Adi saw her fight, she wanted to be just like her.

  “I doubt it,” she replied before walking past. She was almost to the stairs when Catalina’s voice stopped her.

  “Oh. You might wanna get Nayara to fix your nose.”

  Adi’s hand went up to her face. She didn’t notice how crooked her nose was until she hit a small bump near the top. Swearing under her breath, she looked back to give Catalina a piece of her mind, but she was already gone.

  By the time Adi made it to the main floor, the lineup was already winding down the hall.

  “What took you so long?” Renan asked irritably. He was one of the boys who had plucked her off the street and it was immediately made clear that he didn’t like her.

  Adi didn’t bother answering and walked into the room, the early morning light making her squint as it streamed through the windows. Shaped like a rectangle and the biggest on the fifth floor, the room was full of kids lying on mats and make-shift
beds that lined the walls.

  “There’s a lot today,” Nayara said. She opened the supply chest and pulled out some tools. From the moment they tried to save that little girl covered in blood, Adi and Nayara had clicked. It was like they were meant to be together; whatever one of them couldn’t do, the other one could.

  Adi nodded and looked around. Only a couple beds were empty. Something in the river was giving the kids a rash. Not knowing if it was contagious, they were keeping them in the room until they were better.

  “What happened to your face?” Nayara asked, getting her attention.

  “Catalina.”

  Nayara smirked. “Right.”

  The door opening interrupted them. “Ready?” Renan asked.

  “Just a sec,” Nayara said as she walked up to Adi. “Hold still.”

  Nayara’s hands moved so quickly that Adi didn’t have time to take a breath. One minute she felt pressure and the next she was hit with a sharp wall of pain, the intensity of it making her eyes water.

  “There,” Nayara said as she stepped back. “Try not to move it.”

  They spent the rest of the morning treating the sick and injured kids waiting to see them. They set broken bones, stitched cuts, treated infections, and administered medication for malaria, fever, bites, and colds. While Nayara knew more about bones and muscles, Adi could heal wounds, reduce pain, and stop sickness with remedies she made from the plants, roots, and flowers she collected at the edge of the city.

  When she wasn’t working with Nayara or selling extra medications at the market, she spent most of her time on the roof, watching the sun set deep behind the mountains. It was there, in the darkening sky, that she thought of Benito, sometimes only for a moment. When he would still be on her mind as she lay down next to Nayara on the mattress they shared, she would whisper the lie she told herself more times than she wanted to admit: just a little longer.

  •

  The unrelenting sun dried the water in her hair as she pushed her head up and out of the river. Adi couldn’t remember a longer dry season and the water was full of those trying to escape the heat.

  All different types of people came to the river. Married couples and their children swam next to wrinkly old men, kids her age dressed in fancy school clothes sat on the shore beside the homeless, and handfuls of kids launched themselves into the water, their excited shrieks filling the air.

  With her feet barely touching the sand and the water lapping against her chin, Adi watched as two kids wrestled on top of a rock. She smiled when the loser was pushed off a few seconds later and into the river below, the laughter of their friends traveling out across the water. Three short, sharp whistles grabbed her attention and she looked over at the group she had come to the river with. Maresol and Caio waved her over and she nodded, dunking her head in once more before she climbed out.

  Moving towards the shore, she wrung the water out of her clothes as she walked, her shirt clinging to her tightly. Her feet were almost out of the river when she heard a voice faintly say, “Adi?”

  She stopped and turned, searching the riverbank for the person who said her name. As she looked over to the right, she saw a girl about her age standing along the edge.

  “Pia!”

  Adi splashed through the shallow water as she ran towards her, but when she was less than two feet away, a strong hand grabbed her arm and she was jerked back, her body hitting the sand.

  From her position on the ground, she saw a large man standing above her, his head blocking the sun as he glared at her. Unsure of what was happening, she looked over at Pia, but another man was already leading her away.

  “Pia,” she called out, trying to stop her from leaving. The only response she got was a sad glance over her shoulder as she walked towards the street.

  Scrambling to her feet, Adi tried to follow, but the man held her back by her arms.

  “Let go,” she said angrily as she struggled to get free.

  “Don’t make this difficult,” he warned.

  Unwilling to lose her, she stomped down as hard as she could on the man’s foot. Groaning in pain, his grip loosened and Adi wiggled free and ran forward. She thought she had escaped him, but as soon as she felt her legs being yanked out from underneath her, she knew she was in trouble. Falling face first into the sand, she tried to push herself back up but it was too late. The man was already on top of her.

  “I see you like to do things the hard way,” he said. He easily swatted away her punches. “Just you wait. I’m gonna make things real hard for you.”

  She was powerless as he held her down with one hand, the other unzipping his pants. Looking around for help, she found no one as the people nearby had already moved away, leaving her utterly alone. As she felt his hand latch onto the waistband of her shorts, fear unlike any other surged through her. But as she continued to fight back, she heard a familiar voice say, “Let her go.”

  Looking up, Adi saw Caio standing behind the man, the barrel of his gun placed against his head. The man froze, but made no move to release her from his grasp.

  “I’m not gonna tell you again,” Caio warned.

  As soon as the man sat up, he let go of her arms and she scooted out from under him.

  “Good,” Caio continued. “Now get up slowly.”

  Moving to his feet, the man’s shirt adjusted, revealing the pistol tucked in his pants. Not hesitating for a moment, Adi grabbed the gun and pointed it at him as he glared down at her.

  “You’re gonna regret this, you little bitch,” he said.

  Whether it was the adrenaline or the rage pumping through her veins, she lowered the gun and fearlessly walked up to him. She stood and stared at him, holding his gaze with determination before she kicked him as hard as she could in the groin.

  The man’s face paled as he clutched his junk, dropping to his knees in agony onto the sand.

  “Come on,” Caio said. He grabbed her arm and led her up towards the street.

  Adi looked back over her shoulder and watched with satisfaction as the man stayed on the ground, doubled over in pain. But when she heard Caio say “Shit” softly under his breath, she turned and saw that they weren’t out of danger yet. Two men were coming towards them and they looked less than pleased.

  “You ready?” Caio asked. She knew exactly what he meant.

  As soon as she nodded, Caio ran into the busy road, Adi right behind him. Cars and motorcycles sped past, horns blaring as they darted around traffic. Not waiting to see if the men had followed, as soon as they reached the other side, they sprinted as fast as they could into the streets, zigzagging their way back to the Complejo.

  It took twice as long to get there, Caio taking her the long way back as they darted and ducked through markets, walkways, and alleys that Adi didn’t even know existed. They didn’t dare slow down and when the area finally began to look familiar, she exhaled and caught her breath.

  But as soon as they arrived at the Complejo, she no longer felt relaxed. Besides the additional lookouts she had seen on her way there, the building was oddly quiet. As they walked up to the main floor, Adi saw groups of kids huddled together, a look of fear in their eyes.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Caio didn’t have a chance to reply because as soon as they stepped onto the landing, Omar was already walking towards them.

  “You lose them?” he asked Caio, not looking at her.

  “Think so,” he replied. “Didn’t see them after the river.”

  Adi quietly listened, unsure of how Omar already knew what had happened.

  “Go tell the others,” Omar said. As soon as Caio left, he turned to her, his arms folded across his chest. “Let’s go.”

  She didn’t say a word as she followed him into the room. While it was clear that the men were causing trouble, she didn’t know what that had to do with her, so she simply sat down and waited.

  Omar sat across from her, the anger visible on his face. “Do you know what you’ve done?” he
asked, his voice low and quiet.

  She did not, so she remained silent.

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  For a moment Omar looked at her like he didn’t believe her, but when the confusion stayed on her face, he explained. “Why did you go to that spot by the river? Why did you go over to that group?”

  Still not understanding why she was in trouble, she replied, “I saw Pia.”

  Omar sat back in his chair, but then shook his head and leaned forward. “It doesn’t matter. The damage is done.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  Omar sighed and looked straight at her. “Pia,” he began, his voice breaking a little. “Pia isn’t like regular girls. Pia belongs to someone.”

  He didn’t need to explain further, Adi knew what that meant. Although there weren’t many around the Complejo, she had seen a couple girls working on the street that were owned.

  Omar rubbed his face with his hands before sighing heavily. “She belongs to La Patrona,” he continued. “She lives with her on the east side.”

  Adi was surprised, unsure of what to say. She had heard of La Patrona and the nasty things she did, and she didn’t understand how Pia could end up a prostitute, especially with her.

  Omar’s voice distracted her from her thoughts. “What happened at the river won’t go unpunished. They’re already looking for you and Caio.” He paused. “You’ve put everyone in danger. Do you get that?”

  She nodded.

  “That’s not the only problem,” Omar continued, his voice tired as she looked up at him. “You already have two strikes...”

  Knowing where this was headed, she cut him off. “But I didn’t mean to,” she said, her desperation clear. “I didn’t know this would happen. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Omar gave her a sad smile. “Some people would disagree.”

  “Who?” Adi asked, becoming angry. “Renan? He’s hated me since I got here.”

  Omar put up his hands, trying to calm her down. “Nothing’s been decided,” he replied, “but whatever happens, you can’t see Pia again. She’s not your friend anymore, she’s dangerous. Don’t go near her.”