《Sincrone》 0. Intro. Enigma
The coyote likes the sun. It seems like he knew this day will be the last one bringing him a vehement sun because, although the cold days still mix with the warm breezes of a summer that refuses to disappear, November has already arrived and late autumn is winning the battle. He has wandered around the city all day and only stops when sunset comes. He lies down to sleep on the bench of some park whose name he doesn''t know or care about (Does he know places have names?) while he receives the last beams of light that caress him and then disappear behind the horizon of old buildings in the industrial area of the city. Their fur retains heat and protects their sleep from the weather that changes abruptly as soon as the sun goes down. That''s how she finds him, asleep, blending in with the stray dogs, as if he didn''t have to be hiding anywhere else. "There you are, huh? Hahhh. I''ve been looking for you for a long time. I don''t know how you get off the leash. Stolen novel; please report. What am I going to do with you? I don''t want to lock you up, but if you keep disappearing..." She caresses his back, which is still warm and she feels a little envious, because she has forgotten her sweater and is now cold. "Hey... Will you talk to me someday?" Then she realizes that she and the coyote are not alone in the park. "Ah! You do ask that thing to talk to you, and you ignore me? Day and night I seek you and I get nothing from you. Don''t I deserve your attention? That animal doesn''t care about you! He doesn''t know you exist! He doesn''t even talk to you with his eyes! I hope you continue to rot with his silence!" It''s something she knows, although she can barely make out its figure unfolding in the shadows of her head. In order not to be so scared, she has learned to imagine that it is next to her and not inside. She responds calmly, as she has learned to do: "You always scream. When you stop raising your voice, I''ll pay attention to you." "Ah, how polite girl. Look how much you''ve changed since I met you. Too bad it doesn''t do you any good. The same useless tasteless person of a long time ago. What have you done with me? Nothing. You haven''t even done anything for that coyote. And you''re going to say you can''t do anything. You can, though. And you know where to go. But here you sit waiting for a miracle to happen, treating him like a puppy abandoned by those who claim to be his friends. Is this what you wanted? Is this what you have done with the life you took? You call me a parasite, and you are the one who drinks from my life. You get drunk on it and vomit it with contempt. Go on, pretend you don''t hear me. But your heart is beating so fast. Hahhh, sure it is. Remember, just remember that heart belongs to me." Although summer has given up, autumn does not claim victory. Winter has only given it a few seconds of respite.
1. Ominous Months before, in a small town to the north. When Azeneth was awake, when she was sleeping, and in moments like this of semi-unconsciousness. She never had peace. "You hadn''t been to the hospital for a while. I had even lost the habit. Ha, do you remember last Christmas? You passed it on the stretcher. Those were terrible days. And look, you''ve had bad days. For me they were worse, if you ask me. Do you remember it? I do. How long has it been? 6 months? 7? It was hard to breathe, my back turned into a concrete slab. I remember. The bed was uncomfortable, a handful of wires and probes all over my body. I remember. The lights that filtered through the door did not let sleep, that noisy family that accompanied the patient next door, the nurses who came and went without consideration and destroyed any attempt of modesty. I remember. Surely it was not the first time you wanted to die. Or was it I who wanted it? Look, as if God had heard it. Your mom wasn''t content to wait for someone up there to hear her, right? Ah, how noble, doing the impossible to save your life. And she didn''t stop reproaching you for her sacrifice. Hopefully we will never see her again. Ha, and you complain about me. Of the things I say. It''s nothing compared to her. You complain about me and want me to shut up. When what you need is to listen to me. In the end you will end up agreeing with me. Hey! Are you there? Listen! Listen! Listen!" The last scream makes her wake up. As she regains consciousness, the screams recede until there is finally silence. It has given her a break. Then she sees her mother, sitting next to the stretcher. She hadn''t seen her for weeks. She didn''t even answer her occasional messages or calls. But she is here. She traveled to the town to see her. As if, in her delusions she had invoked the image of the two of them in a hospital room. Such a common image in the past when illness was the daily issue... However, unlike previous occasions, she is not on the verge of death and her mother is not complaining. ¨DYou finally wake up ¨Dshe looks at her surreptitiously and then turns to the hallway. She wiggles her right foot impatiently; Azeneth is sure she''s dying to go out and smoke a cigarette. ¨DJust look how you look like... the doctor said you''re fine. You have a blow to the head but it''s nothing serious. In a little while they let you out. ¨DYou didn''t have to come. ¨DAnd who was going to look after you? Ha? You are sixteen, you are a minor. And your grandfather is in worse situation than you. You have no more family in this town. I had to come. Six hours on the bus in the early morning ¨Dthere she was, the woman she knows¨D. You two will be happy. You only have a few weeks here and look at yourself. Azeneth had run away from home, and the only relative she had was her paternal grandfather, who received her at his home immediately. Now the two are in the hospital after a long night. ¨DHow is he? ¨DWorse, I told you. They took him to a hospital in a city near here, because this Clinic is very small. Maybe he''ll die. Do you have your dad''s number yet? I''m not, and I don''t plan to go looking for him. Now I have to take care of my ex-father-in-law, great. As soon as you are discharged, I have to go there, to the hospital, so don''t give any more problems. ¨DI didn''t do anything. ¨DWhat? ¨DI said I didn''t do anything. I don''t know what happened. Her mother looks at her, not believing, because she knows her. ¨DAre you going to tell that to the doctors, the policemen? With that cute face you have, they surely believe you. ¨DI''m serious. He went mad, or I don''t know, it''s just that... I swear I don''t know. Everything was fine, we were fine, everything happened from one moment to the next and he... he began to behave strangely... The expression on her mother''s face goes from disbelief to doubt. ¨DDid he do this to you? Azeneth remains silent. ¨DAnswer. ¨DYes. Now it''s her mother who is speechless. Azeneth continues: ¨DAnd he did things to himself... I saw... A nurse enters and approaches the next stretcher, where a person lies asleep. But it''s close enough that neither Azeneth nor her mother want to continue the same conversation, so they remain silent until the mother says, changing the subject: ¨DI didn''t think I''d see you on a stretcher again so soon, not after your transplant. I got here, I saw you and... ¨Dshe makes a vague sign with her hand, without finishing the sentence. Azeneth doesn''t answer. She doesn''t know what to say. ¨DHow''s your heart? ¨DFine. ¨DShe adds after a pause, feeling like he had to say something else¨D: Beating. ¨DAre you still taking the medication? ¨DYes. ¨DYou need someone to follow up, you can''t- ¨DA friend''s uncle is a doctor. He saw my medical file and has checked me almost since I got here. Her mother looks at her in surprise. Azeneth doesn''t know if she''s surprised that she''s a girl who can fend for herself or if she''s surprised that she finally has friends. ¨DVacation days are coming to an end. What are you going to do when you have to go back to school? You are still registered there. Suddenly, the girl is bothered by the concern her mother is showing. And she responds as she usually responds when she is uncomfortable. ¨DThat''s none of your business. The nurse turns to look at them, surreptitiously. The mother pauses, as if refraining from answering in the same way. ¨DAnd don''t you ask me about your siblings? What? Don''t remember that you have a family anymore? Your siblings. You don''t want to think about it. ¨DYou won''t be able to stay here forever. And even less if your grandfather dies. She feels that woman has no right to ask anything, and she has no answer. Both know it. So, even though they''re together in that room of the Clinic, each one is alone. The mother is alone, throwing questions into the air just to reproach, without waiting for an answer, and Azeneth is also alone, sunk in her thoughts, ignoring questions that are not for her. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. After a few hours they let her out. She has to return home alone, as her mother goes straight to the bus station to travel to the city where her grandfather is, which is just over an hour away. She walks quietly and slowly; she doesn''t want to get there. Actually, she doesn''t want to come and remember what happened the night before, which left her in that state and the man who took her in for several weeks on the verge of death. To her bad luck, the town is small and the distance is short. At least she doesn''t have to cross paths with many people, but the few she has encountered look at her with surprise and displeasure. She really must look very bad. When she arrives, the door is open. She doesn''t want to go in. From outside she can see a mess in the living room. They told her the police would ask her some questions. What are you going to answer? That an elderly man suddenly began to throw things and break objects and attack everything in his path, including himself? Is he really about to die? She wants to be the one to ask the questions. You''ll have to go visit him in the hospital soon, right? She is terrified just thinking about it. Are you going to stay here? In this house? In this place that reminds you that no matter where you flee, the nightmare continues? Worse still, her mother is there, in the town. She will come in the evening, perhaps. That woman. She doesn''t know who she''s most afraid of. Would it be very cowardly if you ran away again? Maybe some advice could be good. Then she remembers she is not alone. For most of her life, a severe malformation in her heart kept her at home. After a couple of bad experiences that ended with a new visit to the hospital, she preferred not to go out too much, which meant not spending much time with others, until she ended up isolating herself. Constant absences from school and her introverted personality made it difficult for her to make friends between classes. She had no cousins her age and her siblings were very young. With her mother she got along worse and worse and now they couldn''t even see each other. She herself ended up chasing people away thinking they were coming to mock or out of pity. She didn''t trust anyone and when she did, things like last night happened. But since she arrived in the town a girl approached her. She met her one day when her grandfather took her to the house of a friend of his, Mr. Evans, a foreign doctor who had a small medical office. Carlota (that''s her name) is the doctor''s niece and lives with him, and since she saw Azeneth for the first time, she gave her a warm smile and sought her friendship. She didn''t know making friends was so easy, or maybe Carlota is really good at interacting with people. Thinking about it gave her the courage to run inside, straight to her room. Her phone is on the floor, hopefully it has enough battery for a call. At first, she hesitates to call her. She had already bothered her the night before when her grandfather went mad and she didn''t know what to do. But finally, she looks for her contact and presses the button. ¨DHello! Azeneth! How are you? I went to see you in the morning, but they didn''t let me see you at the Clinic! ¨DHello. Sorry, I didn''t know. I''m fine, nothing happened to me, I''m already at home. ¨DHaaa, that''s great! And what about Don Gustavo? ¨Dshe''s asking for her grandfather. ¨DThey say he''s really sick, I don''t know. ¨DOhhh. I understand. ¨DMy mom is here, well, there. She came because she was called from the hospital. ¨DAhhhh, well, you know. Someone had to take charge... Hey! Stay at my house! We have a room for you. ¨DNo, no. I just wanted to talk to someone.... I don''t want to be alone here. ¨DAh, come on. If you stay here, we can talk all night if you want. You can stay as long as you want, until your mom leaves or until your grandfather recovers or whatever. She wants to say yes, but she fears that she will be a nuisance and that Carlota is offering her her house out of commitment. ¨DDoesn''t your uncle mind? ¨DNo! Not at all! For Victor better. He likes to have his patients close to him haha. I would ask him to come for you, but he is not here, he went out to attend to someone in a commonland around here. But I''m coming for you so you don''t walk alone! ¨DOh no, I can go alone. Thank you. ¨DGood. Hurry up, before your mom arrives. You don''t want to see her, do you? ¨DI can''t stand her. ¨DHahaha. I''ll be waiting for you here then! Byeee! Wow. So that''s how it feels to have friends, huh? * It''s already dusk when Azael comes home from work. This week, luckily, he hasn''t had to share a shift in the mine with his brother, so he rides his bike alone along the path that leads to the town. For a few days now, instead of going straight home, he has taken a detour with the intention of passing through a specific street. There is a house he usually visits, but for now he cannot approach, so he limits himself to prowling around the block. This house is south of the village, where the streets lead to the main road that communicates with the other communities in the region. To the east, there is a small stream. To the west, the hill that crowns the town and separates it from a couple of mines that provide sustenance to its inhabitants. Traveling south, several hours away, the large cities of the northern area, and further south, the rest of the vast country. And to the north, a desert that seems eternal and finally the border. Azael feels so silly snooping around that house that he gets as close as he can to the opposite sidewalk to avoid being seen, and stealthily turns the corner promising himself that it''s the last fucking time he''s... Then he sees her leaving the corner store. ¨DCarlota! Hey! She turns to look at him with an annoyed face and continues walking, ignoring him, until Azael catches up with her. ¨DWhat are you doing? ¨DWhat are YOU doing here, Azael? Are you following me? You''re following me! ¨DI''m not following you! I was going home from- ¨DYes, aha, aha ¨Dshe replies with disgust, but walks slow so he can get closer. ¨DAre you coming from the store? What did you buy? He asks, trying to make conversation. ¨DThings... and leave me alone or walk quickly, Azeneth will soon arrive and I must be at home to receive her. ¨DWhat happened to your friend? Today at work they were saying things about her and her grandfather and I don''tknowwhatelse. Carlota hesitates for a moment to answer, but Azael knows that, even if she''s upset with him, she''s never going to refuse a good talk. ¨DYou remember Azeneth came to live here because she had a hard argument with her mother and Don Gustavo received her. ¨DAhhh, I thought she was just on vacation here. ¨DWell, let''s say something like that, but the story is... last night... ¨DLast night what? ¨D... Last night I received a call, in the early morning. It was Azeneth, she was very scared and she told me Don Gustavo had gone crazy. And she doesn''t joke about that stuff, so I got worried and woke Victor up... I mean, that''s how worried I was because you know Victor hates being woken up. And he took me to Azeneth''s house, and he had to force the door because no one would open for us. And you would have seen, Aza... Like a hurricane passed by. We found her half-unconscious hiding in her room, with scratches and a very ugly blow to the head. And the worst was Don Gustavo. We don''t know what happened to him, yet, but it was he who made all that mess... and he hurt himself a lot, a lot... I don''t want to give you details, but we found him babbling weird things and... and he gouged out his eyes... He still had them in his hands. ¨DOh fuck... ¨DAnd obviously the last thing Azeneth wants is to go back to her grandfather''s house after what happened there last night. And she is not going to return to her mother because they are still mad at each other. By the way, here is the woman, in town... I think Azeneth is not going to ask her permission to stay with me, then- ¨DAhhh, I got it ¨DAzael interrupts her unintentionally, remembering something. ¨DWhat? ¨DIn the morning, I heard people saying Dr. Evans was making mischief again. You see he''s a friend of Don Gustavo''s, maybe- ¨DOh no... they are already blaming us... Ha, let them say what they want ¡ªthey were both used to rumors about the doctor¡ª so they leave the other gossip alone. ¨DThe one who says he isn''t a foreigner? ¨DThat one is already old; the new one is I''m not his niece but his lover. Azael laughs and jokes. ¨DThat explains why you don''t look alike, huh? Carlota laughs back, and he is relieved because if she laughs it means she is not so angry anymore. But then he has doubts, because he knows the Evans well and is curious. ¨DHey, and seriously, he didn''t have anything to do with Don Gustavo? Carlota''s smile fades and she turns to see him for the first time. ¨DWhy do you think Victor would do something like that?! They had unconsciously stood near the store, so she turns around towards her house. ¨DHey, no. I just asked... Ohhhh where are you going? We were having a nice conversation. ¨DOf course not. Goodbye! Azael walks behind her, so Carlota turns and looks at him menacingly. ¨DDon''t follow me to my house. Remember Victor has already told us he doesn''t want scenes there. ¨DAren''t you going to want to talk about the other thing then? He''s been looking for her all week, trying to solve a problem between them. ¨DThe other? What are you talking about? ¨DDon''t pretend you don''t know... Come with me home, there''s the evidence. I swear to you ¨Dbut Carlota doesn''t listen to him¨D. Don''t leave! I told you it was a misunderstanding! I have proof! ¨DYou liar, go home and leave me alone. Azael finally gets fed up. ¨DOh, yes! Well, fuck it! I''m tired of being your pet. ¨DGreat! Fuck it! Bye! ¨Dshe shouts from the gate. He watches her come in, and then he gets on his bike and leaves. He''s furious. But he knows he''ll eventually make him listen. I wish you weren''t so in love with her. That way you could be serious when you send everything to hell. * Carlota enters her house, also furious, announcing her arrival with a slamming door. ¨DDon''t slam the door. She hadn''t noticed Victor is in the living room. I hope he haven''t heard your shouting with Aza. ¨DViiictor... Sorry hahaha ¨Dshe laughs nervously¨D. I didn''t know you were here already. I mean, it''s not like I slam the door when you''re not there haha, you understand me. How did it go with your patient? ¨DFine. She''s used to her uncle''s dry answers. It does not really bother her; it compensates her own habit of talking a lot and doing so animatedly. ¨DListen, listen: Azeneth is coming here. She agreed to spend the night here and I hope to convince her to stay a few more days. What do you think? ¨Dshe sits in the living room with him, carelessly dropping her bag on the couch. She had bought snacks and a few things that were missing to prepare dinner, anticipating a long night with Azeneth. ¨DVery good. She leans back, looking at Victor out of the corner of her eye. ¨DWell, I was able to get her to come. Now it''ll be easier for me to keep an eye on her. Soon you''ll have to do your own thing, huh? He doesn''t answer, he just settles into the armchair to continue with the reading he had just resumed when Carlota arrived. She takes his silence as an affirmative. ¨DShe says Don Gustavo is very bad, have you heard anything about him? ¨DNot yet. ¨DMmmm... Too bad, so good person he was. If he dies, I''m going to miss him giving me milk sweets... where did he buy them? Carlota asks herself this, not paying much attention to Victor. The air of the fan that cools the room and hits her in the face makes her drowsy, a relief after having faced the summer heat on his short trip to the store. Or, probably, the argument she had before entering was what made her feel suffocated. The house is quiet, as usual. She idly turns in his head about his conversation with Azael, her problem with him, and what he said about the rumors involving his uncle. The rumors... The almost imperceptible noise Victor produces when turning the page makes her wake up from her drowsiness. ¨DVictor... I didn''t want anything to happen to him. ¨DTo Gustavo? ¨DYes. I know I''m in charge, but... ¨Dbefore finishing the sentence, she decides to switch to a less awkward topic¨D. Hey! Have you heard... that they are blaming you for what happened? ¨DYes. Carlota giggles. ¨DPeople are so- The noise of the doorbell interrupts her. She jumps up. ¨DHa! It must be Azeneth! She''s here!
2. Farewell It''s a Saturday night in July, and it''s been a week since the incident at Azeneth''s house. To the east of the village, towards the stream, an old house with a huge courtyard often becomes the meeting point for a group of young people. The music is loud and a bonfire waits to turn into embers for the barbecue. Carlota and Azeneth walk there. ¨DIs it here? ¨DYes. A friend, David, lives here. He''s cool. ¨DThere are a lot of people, Carlota. ¨DI know! I only invited a few people haha. I don''t have many friends, actually. Either people don''t like me or they believe the things they say about me and Victor. But you know, a friend invites another friend and so it gets crowded. It''s good I didn''t have the party at my house, Victor would have killed me hahaha. ¨DI don''t know if I should be here. ¨DOh, stop. You have to distract yourself a little. ¨DBut- ¨DWhat are you worried about? Your scars to being seen? The only one that is half noticeable is the one on the forehead. Gossip about what happened to you? They will do it with or without you here. That you are very calm while your grandfather is in the hospital? They already told you he is stable. ¨DJust because he''s stable doesn''t mean he''s fine. And I still don''t have the courage to go visit him... ¨DAzeneth! Come ooon! Do it for me! It''s my birthday! Azeneth doesn''t have time to answer because, as soon as they cross the gate of the house, Carlota''s friends pounce on her to celebrate, despite her birthday is officially until tomorrow. Azeneth steps aside to give them space, and watches Carlota chat animatedly with them. Everyone looks so friendly, and she still feels intimidated. Plus, they''re probably at least a couple of years older than her, which makes her think she''s out of place there. Then Carlota approaches, holding the arm of another girl. ¨DAzeneth! Look, she''s Gloria! ¨Dshe affectionately pushes Gloria towards her, who greets her with a kiss on the cheek. ¨DSo you''re Azeneth! Carlota has told me about you. ¨DOh, yes. She has also told me about you. And sure she has done it. Gloria and Carlota were classmates in high school. ¨DObviously she told you about me ¨Dshe replies laughing¨D. At school we''re always together. Well, we were, right? ¨Dshe gives Carlota a gentle nudge. ¨DThat''s in the past ¨DCarlota says dramatically. Both have graduated at the beginning of July. ¨DNow you''re going to university, future doctor. And you''re of legal age! ¨DI''m not of legal age yet! Until midnight ¨Dshe looks at Azeneth and says, trying to include her in the conversation¨D: Azeneth is still in high school; she says she still doesn''t know what she wants to study when she finishes. ¨DYou can choose nothing, like me haha ¨Dsays Gloria, who as soon as she graduated started working in a local store¨D. Hey, it''s good that you dared to go out, I hope you''re better. How does your- ¨DOh, don''t bother her with that ¨DCarlota interrupts her, knowing she''s going to ask her about her grandfather. Azeneth feels obliged to respond, although she does so with the intention of letting the subject die. ¨D... Well, he''s still alive... Gloria stares at her for a moment, waiting for her to say something else, until finally she says: ¨DAh, he''s doing fine then, but Carlota is right, I don''t bother you anymore... But hey, Carlotita, I wanted to talk to you ¨Dshe takes her friend''s arm to bring her closer to her and beckons Azeneth to come closer too¨D. Guess who''s around... Carlota pretends to be surprised. ¨DDon''t tell me... Aza... Who invited him? ¨DHe''s David''s friend, what did you expect? And he hasn''t come in, he''s over there, I ran into him a while ago when we went for ice. He was waiting with his friend, that chewing gum, Solum. ¨DHe''d better not get close. ¨DOh, no! Wait! He explained everything to me, the unknown number and all that. I mean, look, you know Azael and I don''t get along, but I think you have to listen to what he''s going to tell you. He says he brought his brother''s cell phone to show you the evidence and I don''t know what else, cause I''ve already occupied myself with other things. But there he is ¨Dpoints to a post in the street, near the gate¨D. There, look. Carlota is thinking. She looks annoyed, but stares in his direction. Azeneth had had too little dealings with Azael to have anything to say. She can barely see him out under the post, because out there is not very good lighting in the street; he seems to be with his back turned, and from time to time he turns towards the gate. Gloria pushes Carlota to walk. ¨DOh, don''t be an asshole, sooner or later you''re going to talk to him, I already know you ¨DCarlota looks at her, now really angry¨D. Don''t make that face... Go ahead, shuu shuu. ¨DOk! I''m coming! Don''t push me! When Carlota has moved far enough, Gloria says to Azeneth, raising her eyebrows: ¨DThis is something serious, huh?... But weeell ¨Dshe says as she shrugs. She has the same habit as Carlota of slurring her words¨D, let them talk... I''m going to introduce you to some friends... Ah! Wait... Do you want to have a drink?... Oh, no! Carlota warned me not to offer you alcohol... I think we have soda, wait for me here. ¨DSure. Thank you. Gloria leaves her alone for a moment. She feels a little relaxed after participating in the confidences of the two girls. Maybe it wasn''t such a bad idea to come. ¨DShe said I''m chewing gum. ¨DHuh?! There is a boy behind her, leaning against a bar. It seems he has been listening to them. She can''t understand how they didn''t notice his presence. ¨DGloria said I''m chewing gum. ¨DEhhh... Are you Solum? So, he is Solum. She had heard about him. She knows he is Azael''s friend. ¨DAj¨¢. What does it mean to be a chewing gum? ¨DAh... it''s someone who is always accompanying another person, who always wants to be with them. Stuck, like chewing gum. ¨DAh, I''m Aza''s chewing gum, then. ¨DThat''s what she says. ¨DWell, it''s true haha ¨Dhe laughs, without embarrassment¨D. You''re Azeneth, aren''t you? ¨DYes. ¨DAza told me to distract you and Gloria, so he could talk to Carlota, but it''s not necessary anymore, I think. ¨DNo, not anymore. She can see how the boy stares at the scratches on her face, confused, until he notices the scar on her forehead. ¨DYou have a wound on your forehead! Are you ok? ¨DIt''s nothing, it''s already healing. ¨DWhat happened to you?! ¨DFrom the way they look at me, I imagine everyone here knows it. ¨DI don''t. ¨DWell... it''s a long story. ¨DWell. Solum seems to understand it''s an inappropriate topic, and stops insisting. He appears to be friendly and simple. However, for some reason she doesn''t yet understand, Azeneth is uncomfortable with his company. Maybe it''s because he''s a stranger who talks to her with a lot of confidence, or maybe it''s because of that light smile that makes it seem like he''s making fun of her without her noticing. Carlota mentioned his name frequently. She even heard it from the mouth of Victor Evans. Not only is Azael''s friend, he lives with him and his brother, Olegario. The three came to live in the village a few years ago. It had never occurred to her to ask where they come from, why they came to this town, where their parents are... But suddenly all those questions come to her mind, so she ventures to say: ¨DYou''re not from around here, are you? ¨DIs it so obvious?! Azeneth, for reasons only the shy people understand, is embarrassed to accept she has talked with Carlota about him, so she makes something up. ¨DWell... your name doesn''t sound common. ¨DAhhh, it''s not my name haha, it''s a nickname. ¨DAh. ¨DBut you''re not from around here either! Aza told me that! What else could he have told him? ¨DNo, I''m not. ¨DWhere are you from? ¨DWell... further south. ¨DAhhh, is your family there? ¨DYes. Well, for now my mom is here too, I think. She came to take care of my grandfather. ¨DDo you think? ¨DYes, I don''t know. I''m living in Carlota''s house now. ¨DAhhh. Do you live with Dr. Victor? How are you doing with him? ¨DWith the doctor? ¨Dthe question seemed strange to her¨D. Ehhh... I don''t know, I almost don''t see him. Most of the time he''s either in his office or he isn''t at home- ¨DHey, and why? ¨DSolum asks suddenly. ¨DWhy what? ¨DWhy you don''t live with your mother? ¨DWell... We don''t get along. ¨DAhhh, did you have an argument with her? ¨DI don''t know if it''s the right word... ¨DAnd you don''t have any siblings? Azeneth doesn''t respond. The one interrogated is her, but so many questions confuse her and she can''t find a way to turn the conversation. Solum hadn''t realized he was disturbing her until now, that she''s looking at him wide-eyed and unable to utter a word. ¨DSorry! It just seemed weird to me; you look like... like a family person haha. She denies it, strangely frightened. ¨DI don''t think I''m one. My mom didn''t either, I don''t know why she had one. Why did you say this? ¨DAnd you said your grandfather- If she keeps letting him talk, she''s going to end up talking more nonsense, so she interrupts him with the first question that comes to mind. ¨DWhat''s your real name? Now it''s he who seems surprised, only for a few moments, as he laughs and answers: ¨DAh... I don''t know hahaha. Fortunately, Gloria arrives at that moment and greets the boy with confidence. ¨DSolum! What are you doing here? Where did you leave the little brothers? ¨Dshe asks, referring to Azael and Olegario, although she knows very well where the first one is. ¨DI left Olegario drinking, and Aza with Carlota. In other words, as always... I''m leaving. Nice to meet you, Azeneth ¨Dhe gives them a last smile and leaves. She is relieved that he is leaving. But, something inside her, more than feeling relief, feels anger. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. A meddler, he is. Who does he think he is? It had left her alone for a few days, but it clearly wasn''t going to stay silent. Damn conceited boy. And you let him talk to you that way. You shouldn''t have come. Have you already felt your heart? Beating like crazy. You shouldn''t have come. Her stomach churns and nausea escalates through her esophagus. Ha, Azeneth. You want to convince yourself you''re relieved that he''s gone. But deep down you wanted him to stay. Where is Carlota? What else did you want to ask him? ¨DYou don''t want soda then? She has forgotten about Gloria, who looks at her strangely, holding out a glass to her, who knows for how long. She takes the drink, making sure her hand doesn''t tremble. It will be a long night... * Outside David''s house, Azael and Carlota finally talk. ¨DSee? ¨DAzael tells her, while she holds a phone and stares at the screen, embarrassed. ¨DWeeell, I got it. ¨DBut you won''t let me explain ¨Dhe''s the one who''s upset now. ¨DOh, Aza... What did you want me to think? I saw you answering calls and you hung up when I approached and you are all weird with me and I asked you and you said it was nothing and then I saw that unknown number on your phone calling you... I thought it was another woman... ¨DWell, I didn''t want to bother you with my problems! And when I wanted to explain it to you, you had already blocked me from Whats and from everywhere and you got prideful and... ¨DAzael says no more. They both know what Carlota is going to say. ¨DSo... the number is from a coyote, you say? ¨DYes, one of those... one of those men who help you cross the border- ¨DI know who the coyotes are! I''m asking why- ¨DWait, don''t get upset, it''s not a fact, don''t worry... we are thinking about it, Olegario is the one who is most decided, but we don''t know, we don''t know. Carlota quickly searches in her head for all the reasons why it''s a bad idea. ¨DAre you going to do that to Solum? How are you going to cross the border with him? ¨DOh, c''mon, Solum has the least problem with that, and you know why. ¨D... But, I mean, I don''t understand... ¨Dshe has a couple of other reasons, but it doesn''t make sense to say them. She looks down at the floor, confused. ¨DWell, it was the plan, it was the plan from the beginning and we postponed it for... for many years. We have been stuck here for years. YEARS. ¨DIt''s just that... I didn''t think that plan would still stand. ¨DIt''s the only one we have, maybe if we succeed, if we do something bigger, they won''t see us badly there... at home ¨DAzael looks down the street, as if his house were there and not hundreds of miles away. ¨DI think if you returned home now, you would no longer be badly received, the one they ran away was your father and today nobody knows where he is. ¨DDead, probably... But after what Olegario did, they are going to see us bad too. ¨DBut they don''t know what he did, do they? ¨DNo. ¨DSo? ¨DDo you want me to do that? If we come back, we may stay there forever. ¨DAnd if you cross the border, you may never come back, too. And what does it matter what I want, it''s your life. I just thought you were happy here, that you no longer needed to go north, to the other side of the border ¨Dshe doesn''t know for sure what to say, she just feels the need to go against him and not show too much that she cares. If he''s going to leave, clearly he doesn''t care either, right? ¨DSometimes I am. ¨DSometimes? ¨DCarlota looks at him, offended. ¨DIt''s just that, I''m fine here, but... It''s just it feels strange, I don''t know how, as if, as if I was happy, but because I have no other choice... Like, I''d be happier if I knew I''m here because I want, you know? He turns to look at her too. If she wasn''t so engrossed in her own feelings, Carlota might notice a genuine distress on his face. She doesn''t answer. ¨DI''m not saying that for you, Carlota. He puts his arm around her shoulders, and tries to turn her towards him, but she refuses. ¨DCarlota. I love you, a lot. You know that, right? She remains silent. ¨DHey. You know that, right? ¨DYes. ¨D... But you''re going to make your life, when the summer is over, you''re going to enter university. You''re not even going to live here anymore. Then I''m going to fall short for you, because I''m just a miner. ¨DOh, no. Don''t blame me. Don''t compare, the university is a few hours from here, not on the other side of the border, Azael. And you know when I''m done, I''ll come back here to take over Victor''s office. So, what... what''s that bullshit that you''re going to fall short? As if your job were- ¨DNo no no, don''t say anything right now, right now you could say whatever you want, but in the future, you''re going to contradict yourself... If I do something more with my life, then maybe I''m worthy of my family, and even of you. After a pause, Carlota only manages to say: ¨DThen you''re leaving... ¨DI don''t know yet! Shit, I don''t know, I would like to do it all, stay here, it''s just that here I have like... peace, and I have you, but there to the south is my family, and there in the north is my future, and everywhere I look there is something... ¨DSo having so much to look you think your future is there. ¨DI told you it''s still not certain... In fact, I''d like to... I know you don''t have the obligation, but is... like... if I went there, and you waited for me, well... but I don''t even know anymore... ¨DThat''s what everyone says, and they leave and you don''t hear from them again ¨Dshe replies, although deep down she wanted him to suggest something like that. ¨DCarlota, I''m serious... but it''s not certain. I don''t know, the one with the last word is Olegario, he''ll say. ¨DAnd if Olegario wants to leave, why doesn''t he leave by himself? I know it''s your old brother but you''re not stuck to each other. You don''t even get along, you seem like a failed marriage, just together for the children, which in this case the child is Solum. Azael pulls his arm back and moves away from her a little. Even though she provoked him intentionally, she doesn''t like it when he gets really angry. ¨DWhat do you know about how we get along? You talk about Olegario as if he were a... a tyrant... and about Solum as if he were a stupid, and about me as if I was bossed around. If you had siblings you would understand, my brother worked hard to take care of us, and if he wants us to support him, we support him. It''s easy for you to say those things because you have money and you have someone to take care of you. ¨DBe careful what you say ¨Dshe replies, speaking slowly, with warning¨D. I remind you my family also abandoned me. ¨DBut you still have your uncle, and you''ve followed him like a lapdog since you''ve lived with him, you''re going to study medicine to be like him, to follow his tradition, to take over his office, you live in his shadow, don''t be blaming me for what you don''t do. Carlota is silent for a moment, confused. ¨D... I... I don''t do that... He doesn''t respond. He thinks for a moment, and when he finally speaks, he does so calmly. ¨DLook, we''re not going to get anywhere with this conversation. Let''s not talk about this until it''s a fact... That''s why I didn''t want to tell you yet- ¨DI don''t like you hiding things from me! ¨DOk ok. ¨D... You have to confirm me before I go to university, ok? ¨D... Ok. ¨DWell. Azael looks at the time. A few minutes after midnight. ¨DIt''s already midnight... I swear I didn''t want to ruin your birthday. Just... telling you this seemed important to me... Carlota shakes her head, indicating she doesn''t care. She tries to joke. ¨D... I guess it''s the universe telling me "Look, you''re an adult now... That''s what it''s like to be an adult, things aren''t always going to be the way you want them to, and people are going to go their own ways." Azael cracks a sad smile. He turns a little and looks into his jeans pocket. ¨DEhhh... I brought you something, for your birthday- ¨DGive it to me later ¨DCarlota interrupts him. Suddenly she feels a lump in her throat and just wants to go back into the house¨D. I''m leaving, they must be waiting for me ¨Dshe begins to walk away. ¨DLater? When? ¨DLater! Bye! She walks inside, and when she doesn''t hear Azael''s voice answering, she realizes that maybe she''s been a little arrogant. She stops and turns. He''s still standing there, but he''s not looking at her anymore. ¨DAzael! ¨DHuh?! ¨DTomorrow? Tomorrow afternoon, can you? ¨DYes, I can ¨Dhe replies immediately¨D. I pass by your house at 5. ¨DOk. ¨DFine. She is about to leave again, but decides to continue talking. ¨DIf you leave... I''m going to miss you... a lot. I missed you here today... all three in fact, Olegario and Solum too. ¨D... It''s not certain, Carlota, that I''m leaving... And you should say hello to Solum. I asked him to sneak in to distract Gloria and Azeneth. ¨DReally? ¨DYes, go, go. Tell him I am here, tell him to come because we are leaving. ¨DDon''t you want to go in? ¨DNo, thank you. ¨D... Ok bye. See you tomorrow. ¨DSee you tomorrow. * Years before, in a common land in the southwest of the country, a man was carefully observing some crops while smoking a cigarette. It was common to find him standing at the beginning of the road that led to the family home, from where are in plain sight a few hectares covered with green that belonged to him. He was no longer of age to handwork, so he just looked at the field he had tended all his life, which was now in charge of his eldest son. The youngest one had left home a few years ago and from time to time he used to appear there. He had the habit of arriving unannounced, so the man was not surprised to suddenly see his silhouette approaching to where he was. He could no longer see well enough to distinguish him from afar, but he recognized his way of walking. When the young man reached him, said with a broad smile: ¨DDon''t smoke so much anymore, dad ¨Dit didn''t seem like a scolding, because he said it with affection. It was his way of greeting. ¨DYou just started studying to be a doctor and you''re already bothering with that every time you come. ¨DNo, no. I just say, you know what you do. ¨DHave you greeted your mother yet? ¨DYes, I ate with her and then I came to see if you were here. ¨DOkay. ¨DHey, I came to visit you because... I don''t think I''m going to have chance to come and visit you anytime soon. I''m going to do social service; how do you see? Maybe they''ll send me a little farther away. The man kept silent for a while. You can imagine, right? ¨DFar? Where? ¨DLook... I don''t know well yet- ¨DThey''re going to send you to the Mountain! ¨DWait- ¨DSure! To the Mountain! They send the most stupid people there. ¨DNo one is forcing me to go, I accepted- ¨DSee? The most stupid. ¨DListen to me first. They need people there. It''s not as dangerous as they say, and I''m going to spend all the time at the Clinic. If it gets dangerous, I think they send me back. ¨DBut who tells you to go there, Serv¨¢n?! You don''t need to go around struggling. Here you have everything. Don''t think I''m not proud my son is helping people... but what a need... ¨DI''m just here to let you know, I''ve already made the decision to go. ¨DLook, you and your brother are grown up. You know what you''re doing. You didn''t ask me for permission or money to leave... but it''s just... what a need really... you lack nothing here, I expected you and your brother to take care of everything here, but you grabbed it on your side... and I respect... but what a need... ¨DBut don''t tell me that, I didn''t leave, it''s just that here there is nowhere to study what I wanted. And I doubt very much my brother and I get along working together, you know how he is and how I am. It''s better that way, everyone in peace. Look how well he takes care of it, I would only hinder him, I was never good for this. ¨DBecause you never put any effort into it, you never put interest in it. Do you think he was born knowing? You look at Serv¨¢n''s face, you don''t know if he is sad or ashamed. But it''s the kind of things he needs to hear to become a man. ¨D... I put in the effort... what more would I have wanted than to please you. They both remained silent for a long time. ¨DJust don''t forget one thing, boy. Don''t forget this is where you come from, huh? ¨DOf course not!... Wouldn''t you like a hospital nearby, for all the people around here? This way they don''t have to travel to the city. But we need people for that. Wouldn''t it be good for me to attend it? Silly dreams. The youngest one had to be. ¨DDid you already tell your mother? ¨DNo. ¨DGo and tell her, she''s sure going to start cooking everything for you to take with. ¨DOk. ¨DCome on! Go! Serv¨¢n smiled as he ran away. He also recognized his way of running. He could recognize him if he saw him running a kilometer away. But his son was not one kilometer away, nor two. In his heart, he was too far away, too far. * It''s already early in the morning and Carlota and Gloria hang out in a corner of the courtyard of David''s house, chatting and joking. Azeneth accompanies them. She has spent the last few hours handling herself like an automaton, as if inside her, the mechanisms and gears were about to fall apart and she had to steer carefully and calculate every move, because at the slightest carelessness, a nut would come out of place and its casing would break into pieces. It''s not the first time this has happened to her. She has experienced it over the past few months. Sometimes she thinks that she will learn to live with it and other times she thinks at any moment that fault inside her with its terrifying voice and its overwhelming presence would make her collapse. This isn''t normal, is it? Luckily, her two companions are slightly drunk and too involved in their conversation to pay attention to her. ¨DAnd what do you think of him leaving? ¨DGloria asks Carlota. Although their conversation is varied, they return to the subject of Azael again and again. ¨DI don''t know! I hadn''t thought about that possibility. I totally forgot about it. I hadn''t thought about the future. ¨DWell, now you''re eighteen, it''s time to start thinking about the future. ¨DI don''t want to! Can''t time be frozen and things stay this way? Just stay in high school, Gloria! And may Aza not go anywhere... And neither do you, Azeneth! You stay here, but surely when the matter of your grandfather is resolved you are going to return to your mother... Everyone is leaving... Maybe I won''t come back too, when I finish university, I''ll go somewhere else, very far, very far. Azeneth reacts a little after hearing her name, she tries to integrate into the conversation. ¨DIt''s not that I want to leave, I just don''t know what''s going to happen to my life either. I don''t think I have many options now. ¨DStay here! ¨DCarlota asks pouting. Her drunken version doesn''t please her very much. She behaves like a capricious child. Ridiculous. I would. But after what happened at her grandfather''s house, she is afraid the same thing will happen in every place she sets foot in. Then Carlota seems to forget her request and asks: ¨DDo you think I follow Victor blindly? Like everything I do I do it for him. ¨D... I think you admire him and that''s it ¨DGloria replies. ¨DAza told me that. ¨DHe''s the one who blindly follows Olegario. ¨DExactly! That''s what I think. ¨DMaybe he won''t go away and you''re all worried. ¨DNo!... I''m not worried, let him do what he wants. ¨DAha, aha. ¨DPeople have worse problems, how that''s going to worry me. ¨DLike Azeneth, she really has huge problems... Hey, Azeneth, and you have a boyfriend? ¨D... No. ¨DAnd have you had? ¨D... No... I don''t have much of a social life. I spent my time locked up because of my heart. ¨DBut you already have a new one, you''re already healthy. Surely you will soon get a boyfriend. ¨DYou made her uncomfortable, Gloria. Azeneth is not in the mood for such things. ¨DI''m fine ¨DAzeneth replies, trying to convince herself of it. Gloria suddenly gets up and says: ¨DYou''re not! But I know of something really fun that will lift your spirits! Or at least you''re going to be surprised- ¨DDon''t start with that... ¨DCarlota interrupts her with a warning look. ¨DCome on!... You haven''t shown it to her, have you? ¨DYou''re the one who should never have known! When you get drunk you always start out impertinent! She stands up too. ¨DOh, but I haven''t told anyone, I swear. ¨DWhat are you talking about? Shut up. Don''t listen to anything she''s going to say. None of them respond. Gloria looks at Carlota with pleading eyes. Carlota looks at Azeneth in turn. She tilts her head to get a better look. And a mischievous smile escapes her. ¨DWell, it''s okay... I was going to tell you anyway. Upon receiving the confirmation, Gloria feels confident to speak. ¨DCarlota has a gift, something very magical. ¨DWait, wait. I''m not going to tell you, Azeneth, I''m going to show you... What do you have in your bag? ¨DI''m just bringing a little money and... my keys... and a... Azeneth rummages through her bag. She doesn''t understand what Carlota is going to do and, because of her discomfort, she isn''t really interested either, she just obeys automatically. ¨DWhatever you bring. Ahhh, I love when she does it! ¨Dexclaims Gloria excitedly. ¨DLet''s see... ¨DCarlota takes the keys from her hands and weighs them with one hand. She smiles¨D. This will be! ¨Dshe says as she takes one of the keychains. It is a very old one shaped like a buckle. Azeneth remains silent, waiting for Carlota to do whatever she is going to do. But the girl does nothing. Just look at the keychain as spins it around in her hand. Stay away from her. Now. ¨DMaybe we should go now- ¨DShhh, let her concentrate ¨Dsays Gloria, who didn''t even hear what she said. Just at that moment, Carlota turns to look at her. ¨DIt wasn''t yours, was it? ¨DNo. ¨DBut it''s obvious, it''s a buckle, it looks like an old man''s keychain and... ¨DGloria was going to continue talking, but Carlota asks her for silence with her eyes and says, addressing Azeneth: ¨DWell, because it belonged to an old man. ¨DNo, it was my mother''s. ¨DHaaa, you failed Carlota. ¨DShhh... Yes! It belonged to an old man! It belonged to your grandfather, to Don Gustavo. ¨DOhhh, don''t try to fix it. Carlota takes one last look at Gloria, who finally understands that this is no longer a game. ¨DHe gave it to your mother... a long time ago, for good luck, when your parents were still together. Your siblings were about to be born and it was a risky pregnancy. And she gave it to you... recently... She gave it to you before your heart transplant, right?... Take good care of it because it is actually for good luck. Azeneth is speechless. Suddenly she feels afraid, she doesn''t know why. She begins to break out in a cold sweat. The nut is turning out of place. Carlota continues: ¨DAnd take care that it stays that way because... I hadn''t told you, but everything you touch you imbue with fear... especially things like this that you carry everywhere... and to all who are close to you... And fear can take people to very dark places. But you already know that, right? You''ve seen where it can take them... She stares at her, defiantly, as if waiting for an answer. She had never adopted that attitude before. Azeneth can''t answer or take her eyes off her. How does she know? What else does she know? What should you do? Lying by saying that none of that is true? Defend yourself? Defend yourself? Of Carlota? But these questions begin to get lost in a fog that covers her thoughts with dense layers of words without order or coherence. She has made it really angry. To that thing inside you. Carlota then giggles, pretending that nothing has happened there. ¨DHaaa... I scared you, right? ¨DEven you scared me, hey ¨DGloria reproaches her and they both laugh. With too much effort, Azeneth convinces her arm to move when she returns the keychain. Their eyes meet. She knows. Carlota knows who is in here. ¨DWell, I''m bored here. Let''s go home, Azeneth.
3. Another human "I told you Carlota was a musty. When you finally understand you have to get away from her, it will be too late. She saw me. I saw her staring at me. She saw me. I warned you. Your mother. Your grandfather. You had to stay away from them. Look at how much damage they have done to you". Just shut up for a moment, please. She doesn''t usually answer it (to whom?), however, she is so fed up that she could scream if no one was around. But she hears noises coming from the kitchen, there are people at home. Is it daylight yet? Will it be Carlota or Victor? What are you going to do? What are you going to do? You can''t go on like this. You can''t let it... At least get out of bed. You told yourself you would go to the hospital today. You have to see your grandfather sooner or later. Your mother. You hate her. But she is alone there, it must be hard. You should help, shouldn''t you? Your siblings, you haven''t spoken to them. They are afraid of you, surely. You have to do something. You have to move. And Carlota. Why did she do that last night? Should you take care of her? But, she''s your friend. She''s your friend, right? "Do you think she''s your friend? How dumb. She behaves so well with you, and takes care of you as if you were her younger sister... You like that, huh? Azeneth, you are alone. And Carlota is not your friend. Do you think she''s offering you her selfless friendship? I can smell something hiding every time you have her around. So, out of nowhere, she approaches you, who are just the quiet, clumsy, boring and sick girl that no one knows in the town... Hahhh and she''s so energetic and funny, you like her so much. See how you fell in the trap. Do you really not suspect anything? Why are we at her house? Why is she always with you? You are locked here with her, even though the door is open. Go on, try to leave and see how she stops you. Come on, give it a try. Let me try. Get out of here. To our true home. To the blue gate and the old wooden threshold. To the sweet grenades in the backyard. To the hot mosaic floor touched by the sun. Into the arms of those who really love you". * In the kitchen, Carlota receives a call while cooking breakfast. ¨DHello Victor. Where are you? ¨Dshe answers with unusual discouragement and a hoarse voice. ¨DAre you okay? ¨DAhhh, your good uncle knows you. ¨DDo I sound so bad? Hahaha, I just stayed up a little bit late. A little bit ¨Dshe minimizes her hangover, although Victor is usually quite permissive¨D. You didn''t answer me where you are. You always disappear. ¨DI came to the city, to the hospital. ¨DAhhh, did you go to see Don Gustavo? ¨DYes. ¨DAhhhh... I can imagine what you''re going to do... Are you bringing your notable assistants? ¨DCarlota asks, ironically emphasizing notables. ¨DSolum and Olegario only. ¨DAh, fine. ¨DI''m letting you know so you''re prepared, in case the news of his death reaches Azeneth. ¨DI hope not. It''s not a good time, really. Last night she was very strange. I think it''s time to act. ¨DOk. ¨DWell. Let me know what''s going on over there, ok?... Bye! She hangs up and continue cooking. It takes a while until she notices that Azeneth is at the entrance to the kitchen. ¨DHey! Look who woke up... Do you want coffee for breakfast? * At the hospital, Azeneth''s mother, alone in the long, austere corridor downstairs, drinks from a paper cone, standing by the water fountain while staring at the wall. She''s coming to terms with the idea that she might have to spend another week there. She''s going to have to contact her ex-husband, because if she doesn''t come back to her city soon, she could lose her job. She shouldn''t be taking care of someone who is not even her relative. She still had affection for Gustavo, because he always kept an eye on her and his grandchildren, but this is already too much. Although, she feels indebted to him. And not to mention Azeneth, who disappeared from Gustavo''s house. Fortunately, the neighbors told her where she was. You were warned to her to take care of Dr. Victor Evans, but he is the one who should take care of himself. ¨DHi... Are you Azeneth''s mother? She hadn''t noticed a man has approached her and continues to talk even when she looks at him confused. ¨DI imagined you was her mother. You look like her ¨Dhe smiles, kindly. ¨DAnd who are you, boy? ¨DAh, sorry. I''m a friend of Azeneth, I come from the town. The woman looks at him badly. He''s young, but he''s clearly in his twenties. Why would Azeneth have friendships with grown men? How much was that girl doing over there? He continues. ¨DAzeneth is worried. I hope you understand she lived through something terrible and doesn''t want to come to the hospital because she is afraid of Don Gustavo, but she worries. She has sent you something for breakfast ¨Dhe hands her a styrofoam container with a pleasant aroma¨D. Spending the day in a hospital must be hard, especially with an empty stomach. ¨DMmj, she knows that well ¨Dshe reluctantly takes the food. The truth is she is hungry and does not have money to spare. And he seems like a guy too polite to snub him. ¨DA friend of mine prepared it. He''s a very good at cooking, not to brag ¨Dhe smiles heartily¨D. I''m not very good. Surely you are. She shrugs, with no intention of answering. But she doesn''t want to be rude, so she thanks him: ¨DThank you for coming to bring this. I hope you didn''t come to the city just for that. ¨DOh, no. I had some business to do here. Don''t worry. Azeneth only wanted to take advantage of the fact I was coming to send you greetings. ¨DSend me greetings? ¨Dshe doesn''t even answer your messages¨D. And how is she? ¨DAhhh, good. Better. Dr. Victor Evans takes good care of her, she will be fine... Want something to drink for your food? I bring you a coffee, a juice or whatever you want. ¨DNo... no need- ¨DI insist, I invite. ¨D... Well, thank you. He accompanies her outside while he talks to her about banal topics. So, Azeneth sent him, huh? From time to time, surreptitiously, the boy looks inside, as if waiting for someone else. * When Victor Evans asks for help, Solum never says no. Part of him gets excited about every little adventure, and another part laments that the only subject Victor mentions when he calls him is death. It''s not the first time they sneak into a hospital, and that they use Olegario as a distraction. Now they are both in the stretcher area, where they finally find Gustavo, who lies semi-conscious. ¨DHello, Don Gustavo, do you remember me? ¨DSolum asks, innocently. ¨DHe doesn''t listen to you. And don''t be loud. People will hear you. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¨DSorry ¨Dhe whispers¨D. So, do you want me to see how it looks? ¨DPlease. Solum approaches Gustavo and sees his wounds up close. ¨DWow, he did this to himself? ¨Don the way to the hospital, Victor had given him a summary of the story. ¨DSomething like that. He comes closer, his face very close to the other''s face. He spends almost a minute in silence, looking compassionately over the man''s body. He can see clearly what Victor needs to know. He turns to look at him and his expression says it all. ¨DHe''s suffering, doctor... a lot... And you were right, he''s not going to survive. His soul is almost detached. A breath of wind and it will fly away. ¨DI understand. Solum, suddenly, also understands it. ¨DAh, then that''s why you came. To spare him the agony. Victor replies, after a pause: ¨DHe would have wanted it that way. ¨DOh, right... you are a good friend. The boy calmly walks away and respectfully waits at the foot of the stretcher, turning out and sideways from time to time to watch for anyone approaching. It is Victor who approaches Gustavo now. He gently puts his hand on the man''s chest, which rises and falls irregularly. Although he has told Solum that he cannot hear them, he suddenly says: ¨DI''ll do it quickly, Gustavo. Goodbye. * By the time Olegario catches up with them, Solum and Victor are already inside the car. The front seat has been left free and as soon as he enters, Victor starts the engine. ¨DDid she like my food? ¨DSolum asks. ¨DAha ¨DOlegario no longer has the friendly expression he had a while ago. He seems annoyed. ¨DHow did you entertain her for so long? ¨DI made up something about Azeneth. She was a bit mean at first, but then she relaxed. ¨DHaaa, you always manage to get people to like you. Why aren''t you like that at home? ¨DBecause I don''t want to. Solum gives one last look at the white building, which is lost as soon as Victor turns the corner. ¨DDid you ever work in a hospital, doctor? ¨Dthe question occurs to him. ¨DSomething like that. ¨DDoesn''t seem funny... Will Carlota work on one? ¨DShe''ll work in the doctor Victor''s office, you fool ¨DOlegario replies. ¨DAhhh, yes, right?... When she finishes university? ¨DAha. ¨DAh, it''s good that she''s going back to the town, I like her very much. There is a calm silence for a few minutes, until Olegario says to Victor: ¨DSpeaking of Carlota... Aza said she has already heard about the coyote. ¨DWhen? ¨DLast night. Victor doesn''t answer, so Olegario continues. ¨DAza and Carlota''s relationship must be a headache for you. But now it doesn''t matter... We will also face you, doctor. As soon as it''s a fact that we are leaving, I will confirm it to you. I guess you will run out of people to help you. ¨DDon''t stop because of me. Don''t worry. After a long pause, Olegario again breaks the silence. ¨DI forgot to ask what happened to Don Gustavo. ¨DHe''s coming here with us ¨DSolum says¨D. Can you see it? Olegario looks back and looks at the boy suspiciously. ¨DAha. I can only see them when they are close to you. How fucking scary you are. Solum laughs. Tiny trails of light surround him, moving like snakes in the air. ¨DA bunch of them are following me. This always happens when I visit a hospital. * Years before, to the southwest, deep in the forest, hours from the nearest town, a large wall stood between the trees. It was a building that, rather than looking ostentatious like some ranches that adorned the foothills of the Mountain, remained discreet behind high concrete walls. At the top of the wall, from a couple of hidden huts, armed men kept watching day and night. Didier worked there, in one of the huts. He had seen and done many things, but the night before, he had witnessed something that had him very uneasy. Scared, actually. He had been looking for his superior all day to talk about it, until he found him. ¨DHey, hey, boss... Boss! ¨DHey, my Didier! How are you doing? ¨Dhis boss greeted him enthusiastically as soon as he saw him¨D. Come here. You were great last night, guys. Not a single thug was allowed to get in. And it''s not easy at all, huh? They always arrive at night, always. ¨DBoss, it''s just that... the truth... I didn''t do anything. He received a laugh in response. ¨DAnd why are you telling me that? ¨DWell... it''s just... it''s just the other two did it. The new ones. Those who were sent to watch with me last night. ¨DRen¨¦ and Salvador? ¨DAha. It would be very easy for me to say that it was me too, but I don''t want to ve related to anything about what happened. You don''t know, fuck. Look, I get goosebumps just thinking about it. ¨DWhy are you scared, Didier? It seems that the new one is you. That''s how it is. ¨DIt''s not that! I have seen lots of dead people. What is scary is how it happened. Those guys are from the devil... But you already knew! That''s why you told me to take care of myself. And you left me alone up there all night with them. ¨DWell, maybe I know something. What happened? ¨DI don''t even know how to explain it... In the first place, I don''t know how Ren¨¦ managed to see them, the thugs, because they were very far away and well hidden when he told us people were coming, I couldn''t even see them with the binoculars. Second... just... fuck, you would have seen... ¨Dhe was genuinely scared, but he knew his boss didn''t consider him the bravest of his men. If he had survived those years, it was because he was ingenious and not because he was brave. ¨DTell me! ¨DHe''s a guy with powers. I thought no one did those things anymore... I tell you he''s from the devil... NOT A FINGER moved, and one by one he grabbed them, but up there from where we were watching, and the others were below, as if he could move them with his mind, as if he had two imaginary and very long arms. With a movement of his hand, he lifted them up and with a movement of his other hand he took away their weapons... thus, in the air he lifted them until they were at our height. And there was already waiting the other, Salvador, who shot them in the forehead. Not a drop of blood fell on us and they fucked them all... I''ve come to have you change my place; I don''t want to be there with them anymore. His boss paused, as if considering his request. ¨DLook, I already knew something about this. Why do you think the Patron accepted them just like that? I don''t ask. I don''t know anything. God will know what things we did in this world and may he judge us. But that Ren¨¦ has something, and he is taking advantage of it. You take advantage of him. Right now, they were put there to watch up with you because Salvador is a very good shooter, but those two are going to go up quickly. Stick to them and go up too. They''re not going to stay here, they''re just starting, maybe they even take you out of this ranch forgotten by the world. Or what? Do you want to spend your nights climbing that wall for the rest of your life, until you get killed? Think about it, motherfucker. Didier looked at him. He wasn''t very convinced, but he didn''t seem to have anything to counter-argue. Seeing that he didn''t answer, the boss continued. ¨DI saw them yesterday when they arrived and I said: These kids are not going to last at all. And I even made fun of the fact that they looked very ridiculous with those clothes they were wearing. But Roni, who was there with me, told me to be careful, especially about that skinny with curly hair one, Ren¨¦, and he told me a few more things and that''s why I warned you too... But you know. You know what you''re doing. * Azael, as they had agreed, arrives a few minutes before five o''clock at Carlota''s house and knocks on the door. He''s a little nervous. They hadn''t spoken for a few days, and besides, the conversation of the night before was quite unpleasant. He feels uncomfortable and Carlota will probably be in a bad mood. He hears footsteps approaching the door as he thinks they will find a way to fix things. Then the door opens and Azael sees her. She''s wearing bandages on her head. ¨DWhat... What happened to your head?! ¨DNothing serious, Aza. ¨DC''mon, look at you. ?But... what... show me... Are you kidding me... Carlota had tried to hide it under a hat, but Azael takes it off without asking. ¨DDon''t touch me, it hurts me more. ¨DWho did this to you?! She doesn''t respond. ¨DAren''t you going to tell me?! Do you feel good? Does it hurt?... Hey, Carlota. ¨DStoop, go walk, I''ll tell you on the way, let''s go to your home. She pulls him by the arm and directs him towards the street. Azael walks beside her very confused. Furious, too, but he doesn''t know who to be angry with. He waits a while for Carlota to dare to talk, but as she is still silent, he encourages her to tell him. ¨DSo? ¨D... It was Azeneth. ¨DAzeneth?! ¨DYes! That''s how she thanks me... Me... me wanting to help and... but it''s not going to stay that way, Victor is already taking charge ¨Dnow it''s Carlota who is furious. ¨DBut how did it happen? ¨DHahhh... Well, it all happened in the morning. I was in the kitchen on a call with Victor. And well, that''s another story, maybe you know, that Victor went with your brother and Solum to the city to see Don Gustavo. ¨DAha. ¨DWell, the Don is already dead. He left us. Which is Azeneth''s fault too, by the way. But well, I was talking to him about it and then we hung up and I continued cooking, suddenly this crazy girl was at the entrance of the kitchen looking at me. Since last night she was already very strange, but I think that was my fault because I provoked her a little with a few things. But I said: well, everything is fine... but something was definitely wrong with her because she was... well, very strange, and I wanted to talk to her, but she didn''t listen to me, that is, nothing that surprises me given her condition, but I didn''t think it would happen so soon. And then I saw she was carrying her backpack and she turned around and she was already leaving and I was like: No, Azeneth, you can''t go!... Aza, if I let her go it could make the situation very bad, so I thought I have to stop her at all costs... So, I went up to her and she yelled: Leave me alone! Carlota pauses, searching for the right words. ¨DAnd then? ¨D... Honestly... I don''t remember very well what happened next. I think she tried to do to me the same thing she did to Don Gustavo that night... I really don''t remember much, I just remember I was very scared... She stops her narration again. Azael, worried, gives her space until she decides to continue. ¨DFor as long as I can remember, I''ve seen things. I touch them, sometimes I smell them, I hear them. I''ve never been afraid. But today I had so much fear that I wanted to rip my head off, and I remember seeing myself banging against the wall, I mean, My head, Myself, I did this to myself, you see? But she made me do it... It had never happened to me that I fell into something like this, I can always defend myself... I should have foreseen that this was going to happen... I woke up a while ago because Victor found me. Obviously, Azeneth was gone, but he went to look for her... he must have found her by now. Bad for her, because with Victor she won''t be able to do something ¨Dshe concludes, taking Azael''s arm. ¨DWhat kind of person is Azeneth? I know you had her living in your house because something was wrong with her, but I didn''t think she was capable of such things. ¨DWell, actually... It''s not really her who did it. I don''t know why I''m blaming her haha. There''s something inside her. I was supposed to find out what it was and then Victor was going to take it out, but it''s a little late for that, because now that thing is who rules now, I mean?... But it isn''t as serious as it seems, I think. ¨DI''m sure Dr. Victor will take care of it. ¨DAha. Carlota is discouraged, so Azael tries to lighten the situation a little. ¨DWhat a good birthday you had, huh? I was so happy because you are now legal and I am no longer a criminal. It makes her laugh. ¨DOh, you''re only two years older than me, you''re not a criminal. ¨DThe doctor doesn''t think the same haha. ¨D... And in part all this is your fault, yesterday when we had that conversation you made me angry and that''s why I took it out on her, and I think that triggered everything because from that moment on her attitude changed. ¨DWait wait... I already apologized. And then it''s your fault, if you had deigned to listen to me before... And you broke our deal not to use your powers with me, if you hadn''t touched my cell phone you wouldn''t have seen the calls and- ¨DDon''t start with that. ¨DYou don''t start. It''s not a serious discussion but, even so, Azael prefers to change the subject. ¨DHey, do you want an ice cream? Do you want to do something? Take advantage of the fact that today is the last day that I will pamper you like a child because now you are an adult ¨Dhe jokes. ¨D... I do want one. ¨DWell, let''s go. ¨DAnd you know that today will not be the last day. ¨DHow do you know, huh? ¨DBecause you love me and you always do what I say ¨Dshe jokes too. Ha, she''s better. ¨DHa! You got me. ¨DWell, you don''t always do it... You''re going to cross the border. Not again, please. ¨DHey, we said we weren''t going to touch the topic until- ¨DI did everything wrong, Aza. ¨DWhat? What are you talking about? ¨Dhe looks at her, not understanding. ¨D... The day I met Azeneth... Don Gustavo came to visit the house with her, and introduced her to us, I think he intended for her to get along with me haha. She was all shy and had... she has that, that kind of gloomy aura haha, and that bad temper, but she was so innocent... When we shook hands, I realized there was someone else in there. Victor noticed it too. You know he didn''t need to touch her hand to notice. But he can''t see everything I see, he doesn''t have those... eyes in her hands like me, and as I''ve spent time with her, I''ve seen that thing more clearly. And I don''t know, I wanted to play the important one, I wanted to show Victor that I could do that. I think I wanted to use Azeneth to prove something... You were right when you said that I only live seeking Victor''s approval. And he said: Okay, take charge. And I did it wrong. If I had separated Azeneth from Don Gustavo in time, he wouldn''t be dead right now, and if I hadn''t rushed to make that thing inside her uncomfortable, I wouldn''t have done this to myself, nor would she have escaped... And now Victor is going to fix everything because it''s already out of control and Azeneth is dangerous even for us. Then she becomes silent and they walk in silence for a while. Azael doesn''t know what to say, or if he has to say anything. But he sees her so worried that he could say anything stupid as long as she feels better. He wraps his arm around her shoulders. ¨DHey, you didn''t do everything wrong. You brought her to your house. If you had left her at Don Gustavo''s house, her mother would probably already be dead too, or she herself... And what I said about you and the doctor, it wasn''t serious, I said it because I was angry, don''t listen to me, it''s not true. ¨DOf course it''s true! I hate to say it''s true, but it is! I wish Victor believed I could be as capable as he was. Maybe he is right not to do it. Maybe I never will be. Ah, for that you do have an answer. ¨DDo you remember when we met? I was beaten hard, and I had... how many? Three? Three broken ribs haha. And you took care of me, you did almost everything alone because the doctor was busy with Solum. And I thought: But it''s almost a girl! How many girls can do that? Not even Olegario could... You''re learning and that''s it, and now you''ll go into university and learn more things, and the doctor will continue to teach you what he knows, and God knows how much respect I have for your uncle, but you don''t need his approval. Is it really what you want? Go to study medicine and then follow in his footsteps, huh? ¨D... Aza, that''s what I want the most. It''s my reason for being here, for existing. And not just because i want to follow in Victor''s footsteps, actually. Also because, what I have, must serve a purpose, right? I must serve a purpose. These hands have to be used for something. But first I have to do it well ¨Dshe leans her head on Azael''s shoulder¨D. Haaa, where is Azeneth?
4. Those who love me Azeneth spent more than an hour to walk to the nearest town. It was barbaric to do it in the midday sun, but if she stayed in the same place, she would be found before she could take a bus to get out of there. She hoped to catch a ride on the road and get as far away as possible, but few cars passed by and none stopped. The place she arrives at is a tiny town with houses scattered here and there among bush areas. There is no one on the street, probably because of the time. In semi-desert places like this, summer is harsh, and people usually wait until sunset, when the sun has already gone down, to leave home. The bus station is nothing more than a lonely bench next to the main road where she sits and waits. She will take the first one that passes at the time it passes. The objective is to get out of that arid and forgotten region and then she''ll see how to return home. She is thirsty. She touches her shoulders that burn. Delicate body. A little sun and it has burned. She feels enormous contempt for that body. She is happy with her dry tongue and tanned shoulders. She is glad that her pain is the pain of that body. But, in the end, she will have to get used to inhabiting it. A couple of hours pass until she sees a bus approaching. The sunset is close. Finally, she will leave. She worries about the Evans. From the moment she met them, they seemed dangerous to her. Carlota had already shown her teeth a little, but the one who causes her the most concern is the doctor. There is something in him she cannot yet see. She''s sure they were up to something, and this silly girl who didn''t realize anything... And the people in town know it. They speak about them with reservations and sometimes even malice. A lot of things are said about Victor, and he doesn''t seem to have any intention of clearing up any rumors. There is one in particular that interests her, the one who says he isn''t a doctor, but a witch. She thinks about these things as the bus pulls up to the stop. When he sees Azeneth, the driver slows down, waiting for the indication the girl is going to get in. She gets up, but two strong hands hold her arms from behind and make her sit down again. She stands motionless for a moment, confused. She tries to get up again, without success. She doesn''t want to turn around, because she imagines very well who it is. Then, a white feather swinging in the air comes from behind. She looks down first, only to run into more feathers. She knows who is behind her, but that who is something different from what she thought. She was right to worry. How stupid people, who thought he was a witch. She turns slowly to see Victor behind her, several feet away. She can see his arms, his other arms, covered in feathers like wings, growing grotesquely from his chest and deforming until they reach the distance necessary to touch her. * Victor is lucky to find her just before she gets on the bus. To avoid getting in trouble if he is seen pulling a teenage girl, he must use his other hands, which are not visible to normal people. The doctor waits a moment until the bus gets lost in the distance to get closer. She looks at him with anger and fear. ¨DHow do you find me? ¨DSilence. Get out of there. With an energetic stroke of his palm, he pulls it out of Azeneth''s body. In an ordinary situation, that would have been enough to drive it out, but that thing, whose shape is only a shadow, a black human silhouette, is persistent and clings to the body. ¨DEnough! Leave me! I have a right to be here! It''s mine! It''s mine! Victor recognizes a woman''s voice and looks at it intently. When he understands everything, he says: ¨DThe heart was yours. ¨DIT IS! It''s mine! ¨DYou''re already dead. ¨DAnd you even know why I''m dead, huh?! I''m claiming what''s mine! What this damn girl took away from me! ¨DI don''t know. Tell me. ¨DI was in the hospital for surgery! But they wanted my heart for her! And I couldn''t do anything. Do you think it''s fair... that they killed me?! But they didn''t count on something, that they were messing with me. Who''s foolish enough to mess with me? In life I made some deals. You know what I''m talking about. That''s why I was able to find this disgusting girl and claim what is mine. And I''m going to go home. And I''m going to finish off every person who gets in my way, including you and your stupid niece. I hope she broke her skull and is dead. ¨DShe''s fine. And you can''t do anything to me. ¨DHa, I wouldn''t be so sure, huh? You''ve given me a good surprise, doctor. I had never met one of yours... But I bet I can hurt you a little bit. Victor lets out a sigh. He knows it will not be so difficult to get rid of her. A little more push and she''ll be out of Azeneth. She seems to be a troublemaker, even when she was alive, and if she gets hold of this body the situation may get worse. Eliminating her is the most convenient. But he doesn''t. ¨DYour death was unjust. Still, this body doesn''t belong to you. For now, I''ll let you be inside, but you''ll be locked up so you can''t do any harm. He doesn''t even let her answer. He changes the position of his hand and immediately the woman is returned to Azeneth''s chest. With his other hand he gently touches the girl''s head and says: ¨DWake up. * Unsurprisingly, Azeneth is confused and frightened when she regains consciousness. She can''t see the arms holding her, though she can feel them. The doctor sits on the bench. ¨DAre you okay? ¨Dhe asks. She doesn''t respond. But her eyes fill with tears. ¨DI won''t do anything to you ¨Dhe reassures her¨D. I''ll let you go as soon as we finish talking. Does the woman inside you continue bothering you? ¨DNo... Oh, God... No ¨Dshe replies, surprised, realizing she no longer hears her threatening voice or feels her presence oppressing her body. She turns to look at Victor. Then he knows. ¨DI talked to her ¨Dhe says, as if reading her thoughts¨D. She''s still in there, but she''s locked up. She can''t do anything to you for now. Then Azeneth bursts into tears as she squeezes her chest. ¨DMaybe... we should... let her out... maybe I... should do what... she wants... ¨DWhy? ¨DBecause... because I shouldn''t be alive, and she should ¨Dconfesses by herself. ¨DShe says she was killed so you could have a heart. ¨DI-it''s true. ¨DDid you consent to that? ¨DNo!!... how could I... How could I do that? I was unconscious ¨Dshe pauses to let the crying flow before continuing¨D. I found out... very recently. ¨DDoes the fight with your mother have anything to do with this? ¨DYes. ¨DWhat happened? ¨DI found out and that''s it. Considering what she told me ¨Dshe says, pointing to her chest¨D and the pressure I put on my mother to confess... I found out. It was my mother who did everything. She paid a lot of money... and... you know, what people can do with money. They found someone compatible in a nearby hospital, I don''t know how, but they found her, a woman who was there for surgery. Since she was close to me and I was on the verge of death, I would be given priority on the donor list. And then, someone went with her and... and now I have this inside ¨Dshe says while fitting her nails into her blouse; she isn''t referring to the woman, but to that organ she received. ¨DWhat happened when you found out? ¨D... I don''t think even the woman knew that the one who had made the agreement was my mother, because she got so angry... and then... I don''t remember anything, I never remember. I only know what I did, what I did to my mom... and my siblings were there, and they were terrified... their faces... I will never forget them... My mother too, she was terrified, but she wasn''t hurt, I don''t know why she didn''t do anything to her in the end, maybe because she didn''t want to hurt her in front of my siblings. And then I left. I left because I was angry at her for doing what she did, and because I feared what I could do and I didn''t know if I was just going crazy or what was going on, and because I was so embarrassed that my siblings would see me. And I don''t have any other family or friends, so I came here with my grandfather. Victor lets her rest for a moment, and then asks: ¨DAnd what did Gustavo do to make her angry? ¨DDon''t make me say it. I know he was your friend. ¨DThat doesn''t matter. It takes Azeneth a while to decide to speak. ¨DIt''s just that I... When I got here... He was so kind to me. And I don''t know, I felt confident, so, that night, I told him a little bit about what happened. And then he... he just laughed and said: "And where do you think your mother got the money?"... and... and because of the way he looked at me I could understand that he had given her that money... The girl looks at Victor waiting for his reaction. He calmly closes his eyes, but she can see the tension in his temples. Ever since she had met him, Victor Evans had always appeared to her with an impassive expression. She had concluded he was a serious and cold man, but now she begins to understand that, in reality, he''s only very good at controlling himself. ¨DHe died this morning ¨Dhe finally answers. A sad moan escapes Azeneth''s lips and the crying, which had already subsided, flows uncontrollably again. ¨DI''ll be honest ¨DVictor continues¨D. I took his life because he was suffering too much and he wasn''t going to survive. She feels so bad that she doesn''t even give importance to the confession. ¨DI shouldn''t have ... I shouldn''t have come here... It takes a long time until she calms down again. ¨DI shouldn''t have gone to your house either, doctor... I shouldn''t have gone. ¨DShe remembers Carlota¨D. Oh. How is... ¨DShe''s fine, don''t worry about her. ¨DI thought if I didn''t give that woman reasons to be angry, she wouldn''t hurt anyone... Sometimes I thought that this woman was myself, that it was all in my head and if I was okay no one would be attacked. The woman''s words, what she said about the doctor and her niece, come to mind. She hesitates a little and finally asks: ¨DDid you already know about this? Is that why Carlota approached me? Is that why I was invited to your house? ¨DYes. ¨DOh. ¨DWe were waiting for the right moment to help you, but it got a little out of hand. ¨DI''m sorry. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¨DThe plan was to expel her from your body. However... ¨DIt''s her heart... it belongs to her... Victor looks at her. ¨DWhat were you planning to do? ¨DWhat do you mean? ¨DIf you hadn''t run into us, what were you planning to do? ¨DI don''t know. I had no idea. ¨DYou knew that woman was inside you. ¨DI knew it deep down. But I denied it to myself all the time. ¨DYou listened to her... you felt her... ¨DI don''t know what I was going to do! I don''t know! ¨DYou denied it, but deep down you knew she was there. You resisted, but little by little you were giving her the place. ¨DNo! ¨DDo you think you don''t deserve to live? She starts sobbing again. A dry and sour cry. ¨DLeave me... I don''t know, I don''t know. The arms holding her finally let her go. The invisible hands have left huge fingers marked on her skin. ¨DThat woman, regardless of the fact her death was a crime, is not a good person, and even less so now she is blinded by hatred. If you let her control you like this, she will hurt a lot of people. For now, she''s locked up, but she can manage to escape, because she''s a powerful woman... What has happened so far is not your fault, you didn''t do it. But, from now on, I will start to hold you accountable, because you''re already aware of what is happening. And if you hurt someone else, if you touch Carlota again, I''ll hurt you, and now you''ll wish you''d died... I can get her out of there and get rid of her, if that''s what you want. Or she can stay there, if you feel so guilty, but you''ll have to learn to keep her on limit. You could even learn to take advantage of what she''s capable of doing, I could teach you ¨Dhe pauses for a long time, to let her process everything he has said¨D. You can leave if you want, or you can come back with us. We will receive you for as long as necessary and we''ll help you if you wish. I''ll give you a few days to think about it. Azeneth, unable to decide anything at that moment, only manages to distrust. ¨DHow... How do I know what you say is true, that you can help me? Victor thinks a little and finally answers: ¨DIf you decide you wanted to get rid of that woman, I will get rid of her, and take her to a place, where she could finally go where we all go when we die. I''d like to show you that place, taking advantage of the fact I''m going to take someone there. To Gustavo. Maybe you''ll be a little convinced. * Years before, an autumn afternoon in a town in the northeast of the country. Olegario and Azael were walking to an abandoned house on the outskirts of town, a house they had temporarily taken over, only while they got money to continue their journey to the northern border. They had spent the day weeding several houses, and now they were returning to rest, while they ate what Susana had given them. That woman, whom they met as soon as they arrived in town, was incredibly kind to them and to everyone. She gave them food frequently, let them bathe from time to time in her house and called them to help her with anything as an excuse to give them a little money. However, in general, it was quite difficult for them to gain the trust of people, who took the migrants as criminals, but they were honest young people and did no harm to anyone. Luckily Olegario, when he set his mind to it, could win people sympathy. ¨DThe food is cold ¨DAzael complained as he chewed reluctantly. ¨DSo? Ungrateful ¨DOlegario replied dryly, although, when he saw his younger brother looked down, changed his tone a little¨D. Are you tired, or what? ¨DYes. And I already miss the food at home. ¨DWhat? Do you want to go back? They will kill us if we return home. The viejo said we should cross the border no matter what, so we must put up with it ¨Dhe replied, referring to their father, who had been caught by immigration weeks ago in a raid, from which Olegario and Azael managed to escape. ¨DWas he killed? When the police arrested him, you said they were going to deport him. ¨DWho cares? ¨DOlegario. ¨DI don''t know! He deserved all this. Azael stayed silent for a while. Olegario knew he was just making him feel bad, but he wasn¡¯t in the mood to comfort anyone. ¨DWell. I don''t think so, he must still be here, in this country, in jail or something, but I''m sure he''s not dead. After a while he¡¯s going to reach us. Eat that now. The answer seemed to be enough, because the boy didn¡¯t speak the rest of the way, and by the time they reached the house he was in the mood to talk. ¨DHave you seen the blue house that is up here? ¨Dhe asked as he pointed to an old house that Olegario could swear was also abandoned. ¨DYes... Don''t go there, that''s where the town finishes. ¨DWell, I''ve already gone. I was passing by, and I saw they had a huge dog, or was it a wolf? ¨DA wolf? ¨DYes... Well, it was a dog, with a head like a wolf, or a fox, but bigger. ¨DI think it''s a coyote. What color is it? ¨DLike brown with gray. ¨DI''m sure it''s a coyote. ¨DWell, that''s it, a coyote... and it seemed very strange to me because it kept looking at me... but just as if... as if it knew... it behaved strangely. And I went over and reached over the fence, and it let me pet it. ¨DDon''t do that again. Coyotes are wild, it¡¯s going to bite you. ¨D¡­ There''s a scary man there. ¨DScary? Why? ¨DI don''t know, he''s scary... You should go see the coyote; it seems to be talking to you with its eyes. ¨DMaybe it''s asking you to free it. They are not animals to be locked up. ¨D¡­ Maybe. Olegario turned to look at him, regretting having put that idea in his head. Azael was not a spoiled brat, but sometimes he behaved like a child despite being thirteen. ¨D¡­ Hey, don''t go back there, huh? That animal is going to bite you, or the owner is going to scold you for hanging around his house, and I''m going to scold you for not paying attention to me. ¨DIf I had a coyote, I would take care of him, not like that old man. ¨DYou don''t even take care of yourself. * But Azael, just as Olegario feared, visited the animal again. At first, he obeyed to his brother, as he thought it was a small matter. He would already run into many coyotes on the trip. But he often felt that, from a distance, the coyote was calling him. Sometimes, at night, as he tossed and turned trying to sleep, he could clearly hear its mournful howls slipping through the night noises and the distant roar of freight trains crossing the town. That deep, pitiful sound penetrated his bones more than the cold of the floor that seeped through the blanket on which he slept. It was calling him, he was sure. He didn''t know how to explain it. It was not a suggestion. He wasn''t crazy. Maybe his brother was right. It wanted to be released. One day, at dusk, while Olegario was still outside, and Azael was sitting in the threadbare porch watching the sky darken, the coyote''s call began to resonate loudly. The boy listened uneasily, attentively, until one of the howls ceased abruptly, as if interrupted by something. He waited in vain for long minutes for it to resume, while the atmosphere was filled with the chirping of crickets and music coming from somewhere in the distance. And then his curiosity won. He slowly approached the blue house. There were no lights on, and no noise could be heard inside. Night was already falling, and because he was on the edge of town there was no street lighting, so he could barely make out the coyote lying in its dirty little corral in the backyard. As he got closer, he realized the animal''s silhouette had a strange shape. By the time he reached the fence, his eyes had become accustomed enough to the darkness to be able to make out the thing that was making its way between the open flesh of what now looked like a monster. * Days later, at night, at Evans¡¯ house, a patient Victor had been waiting for since the day before rang the doorbell. When he opened the door, found two boys and a coyote. The eldest, with whom he had spoken on a call, said his name was Olegario. He had bruises all over his body and bruised knuckles. The other boy introduced himself as Azael. He was in a pitiful state, much worse than the other, he could barely stand, it seemed as if a truck had run over him, but the doctor could imagine that this had been done by human hands. He immediately took them to his office. ¨DIt looks like you''ve broken a few ribs ¨Dhe said to Azael, whom he was checking. Olegario cursed under his breath, while his brother only averted his gaze. Victor continued: ¨DI would recommend you go for an X-ray, but I imagine you won''t. I''ll give you something for the pain and you shouldn''t make any effort for a couple of weeks. He tended to some of his other wounds and ordered him to lie down in the living room of the house, where the coyote had already settled and was rolling around among the cushions. Then the doctor spoke to Olegario while he was checking him. ¨DWhy did Susana give you my number? ¨DShe said you could help in a case like ours. ¨DYou''re going to have to tell me everything if you want help. ¨DAre you really not going to tell anyone? Aren''t you going to talk to the police? Something very bad happened. ¨DNo. I trust Susana. Olegario seemed to hesitate for a while, but he had no choice but to speak. ¨DI think the most serious thing... is that I killed someone... I swear it was in self-defense, I swear to you. He did that to Aza and... the coyote... ¨DExplain to me how it happened. ¨D¡­ I don''t know how to start. ¨DYou''re not from here ¨Dwasn''t a question, but a statement. ¨DNo, we''re from the south. From a country in the south. I don''t want to say which one. ¨DAre you just passing through? ¨DYes. We are migrants, if that''s what you suspect. We want to cross the border. ¨DYou two? ¨DYes. We came with our father. But he was caught as soon as we entered the country. He made us swear to him that we were going to cross with or without him, so we kept going... When we passed through the center of the country we were caught by other people and they took everything from us, so as we could we got to these directions sneaked onto a train and decided to take some time to rest and raise money. We went into an abandoned house in the first town we found, we were going to stay there until spring began. Susana lives there and that''s how we met her. ¨DDid you commit the murder in that town? ¨D¡­ Yes. ¨DWho did you kill? Olegario paused for a long time. Then he told everything. ¨DThere was a house near ours. A man lived there. The coyote was his. And Aza liked to visit that animal, I don''t know why... I didn''t know. The coyote... it''s a child. I saw it. He was a child and suddenly he became that thing that is in the room. That man had him trapped. I didn''t know this... until the day before, when I arrived and Azael was not there, so I went straight to that house, because there were not many places where he could be. And I was angry, because I had told him not to be bothersome, so I went for him... I don''t know what happened there, I think Aza wanted to let him go, the child... the coyote, and the man caught them, and the... and when I got closer... and he was... I heard screams and I went in and... I just wanted him to leave my brother alone... But it wasn''t my intention to kill him, I didn''t want to! But if I didn''t stop him, he was going to kill me, and Aza... I don''t know what kind of things he would have done to him¡­ he had him, chained like an animal, I swear to you... And his house was... a disgusting place. There were things that... ¨Das he told it, became so excited he couldn¡¯t continue talking. Victor didn''t say anything, just kept passing a cotton ball soaked in medicine on his injured skin. After a few minutes, when Olegario calmed down, he was able to finish the story. ¨D¡­ We just ran out of there. And the only person we could go to was Susana, who had been kind to us. And she believed us, but she knew no one else was going to do it. So, she told us to run away that same night, and she gave us your number and told us you could take care of Aza and tell us what that coyote is. As the doctor stayed silent, the boy continued talking, as if trying to convince him. ¨DYou don''t believe me, do you?... I don''t know who that man was or what was going on in that house and I don''t really care. I know there are people like him... And I wasn''t going to let my brother... And all the coyote thing is true, it all started with that animal... Wait! Listen! Listen! For a while now, the noises made by the coyote had been sneaking in from the living room, some grunts and soft howls. But slowly, without either of them noticing, the noises had become the restrained cry of a child. The doctor wasn¡¯t surprised, he only told him, when he had finished bandaging his hands: ¨DYou''re fine, you don''t have any serious injuries. Let''s go with the child. You did the right thing. * In the living room, Azael was trying to pick up what appeared to be the coyote''s skin, while a naked, wet child sat watching him as he suppressed his tears. ¨DI''m sorry, your sofa is dirty now ¨Dthe boy said sadly, when he saw the doctor arrived, trying to get in the way of the trail of blood spilling from the skin. ¨DStop that. I told you not to move ¨DVictor replied without giving it importance, because he had his attention focused on the child, who stopped crying and looked at him with slight suspicion. ¨DSit down, Aza ¨DOlegario interjected¨D. I''ll clean it up, doctor. ¨DIt doesn''t matter... Shedding of skin? ¨Dhe asked, referring to the coyote. ¨DYes, I think. ¨DStand up ¨Dhe said to the child, who obediently stood up. ¨DHe understands humans, even when he''s in the form of a coyote, but he doesn''t speak. ¨DI think he can, but he doesn''t know how ¨DAzael added, leaning back in the sofa. The pain pill he was given was starting to kick in, though he still felt like he''d been put in a tight corset of thorns. ¨DCan you transform into a coyote now? ¨Dthe doctor spoke to the child again, who didn¡¯t answer or move, he just stared at him with the same curiosity with which they looked at him, so Azael replied again: ¨DHe can''t... As if he doesn¡¯t control it, suddenly he transforms and that''s it. Sometimes he gets scared and: coyote, and then he falls asleep and: human. ¨DIt''s disgusting, he''s done it like three times, we''ve been leaving a trail of skins ¨DOlegario added. ¨DOnce he became a coyote, he wanted to eat his human skin... ¨DI don''t know how that man could do that to a child. Turning him into an animal. ¨DHonestly, I''m not sure if he did something to him or if this is his nature ¨DVictor told them. ¨DHuh? ¨DAzael expected a more conclusive answer. ¨DI need to investigate. The brothers looked at each other. ¨DWon''t he have a family? If we find out- ¨DWe don''t have time for this, Aza. We must keep traveling. ¨DAzael can''t travel like this ¨DVictor warned¨D. You can hide here while he heals. And the child can stay with me until I find a solution for him. ¨DI understand, thank you, doctor. We will stay only one night, tomorrow early we will leave here. ¨DYou will stay as long as necessary. ¨DEh... all right, all right. ¨DI would like to do something more for the child ¨DAzael thought aloud¨D. Did we just bring him here to abandon him? ¨DDon''t you think you''ve done enough? ¨DOlegario reproached him¨D. Look. Look what I did... Now we are going to have to try to cross now. As soon as you recover, we''ll get out of here, we''re not that far from the border anymore. ¨DOh sure, it''s only the middle of winter... Ah! and there are still miles and miles of desert to go... Don''t-don''t get paranoid. No one is going to care about the death of that man. No one ¨Dreplied the other. He said that, because he couldn''t express how guilty he felt for getting them into such trouble. ¨DAre you listening to yourself, Azael? Are you listening to what you''re saying? I''m going to get as paranoid as I want because I''m the one they''re going to put in jail if they catch me! And you''re going to be deported. And you know what awaits you back home, right? Because you have an inept father who got into trouble with heavy people, and now he is threatened with death there, and to ruin him more they also threatened his sons who have nothing to do with his bullshit and now we are fleeing like cowards. We can''t even talk to mother or anyone else because we put them in danger too. And it turns out that I can''t be here now either because you had to get involved in what you don''t care about. ¨DAaaah poor you! Look at the poor man whose life we ruined! I already said I''m sorry! What else do you want me to do?! I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I didn''t know this was going to happen! If we get caught, I''ll blame myself for that man''s death and you can go and hide on the other side of the border! ¨DAzael was going to continue talking, but the strength of his voice caused him pain and he squirmed in the sofa. ¨DWho''s going to believe you killed someone with those skinny arms?! Does it seem as simple as- ¨DRest ¨DVictor interrupted him, touching Olegario''s head and knocked him unconscious. Azael watched in amazement how invisible arms cradled his brother and placed him in the sofa in front of him. He looked at the doctor, understanding it had been his doing. The sudden silence caused by the absence of their screams made him feel like crying, but he wasn''t going to do it in front of a stranger, so he just remained silent while his eyes glazed over. ¨D¡­ I know I shouldn''t have done it ¨Dhe said, looking at the wall, suddenly feeling the need to justify himself. ¨DYour brother has had enough. You too¡­ You''re a good boy. ¨DI''m not. And if I were, in this life that''s nothing ¨Dthe crying burned his throat. Suddenly he felt the need of talking about what that man had done to him that night. Perhaps in this way the doctor would understand why he was glad of his death. He opened his mouth. Then he changed his mind and only said: ¨DAnd don''t come to say that my brother behaves like this because he was worried about me and because he is the oldest he has a great burden on him... I already know that. Every day we spend on this damn trip I remember it. Victor looked at him. Who the hell is that man and why is he helping you? ¨DThe child needs a bath ¨DVictor said suddenly¨D. So do you ¨Dhe turned around and beckoned the child to follow him, which he obeyed without hesitation. Oh, he''ll take him for a bath and let you cry to your hearts at peace. Thank you. The doctor stopped. He stayed silent for a moment, and then turned to Azael, saying: ¨DBy the way. My niece lives in this house. Her name is Carlota. She¡¯s also my assistant, so you¡¯re going to be close to her. I don''t want you to bother or make her uncomfortable under any circumstances. And avoid approaching her if it isn¡¯t necessary. Is that clear? Azael was speechless. What did they think they were, you damn prejudicer? As if you wanted to get close to a woman after all the things that are happening to you. But he knew he wasn''t in a position to be angry with him, so he just nodded as replied: ¨DAh... ah, yes. Sure, Dr. Evans. Obvious. Obvious. * Back to the present, to Sunday night. Azael is with Carlota, cuddling on the sofa at his house, and receives a call. ¨DHello? Yes?... Ah, yes... aha... aha. ¨DHey, hang up. You''re going to miss the important part of the movie. ¨DIt''s your uncle, wait... Yes... let''s go there... Ok. ¨DWas it Victor? ¨DAha. ¨DWhat did he want? ¨DHe¡¯s going to take Don Gustavo through the door. I have to take Solum to him. Just as Azael thought, the man''s death caused little stir. Only a few news reached their eyes on social media focused more on the grotesque place that was that blue house than on his death. They may have seen some comments about some migrants who occupied the house across the street and how they conveniently disappeared a few days before the smell of the man''s rotting body reached the nearest houses. They never knew anything more about the fact, neither about Susana, nor about that town where they would never set foot again. But they didn¡¯t leave the country, nor the protection of Victor Evans. The days passed and then the months and the trip was postponed again and again until the brothers stopped touching the subject (until now). The child was named Solum, after a book Carlota had read. They taught him to speak, to control his transformations and to behave in society. Even Olegario, reluctant at first, began to treat him like another younger brother. They haven¡¯t found an answer to the origin of the coyote-child. Carlota can see little using her hands, as a result of the constant change of matter in each transformation, but the little she has been able to perceive points to an animal origin, because in the touch of Solum''s hair she has seen some other coyotes, in the touch of his hands a cascade of feral feelings, and in the touch of his shoulders valleys of mountain and deserts with unreachable horizons. Nevertheless, they discovered a couple of things. First, as he grew older, he developed an innate and sensitive spiritual attraction. And second, they found a certain place that has a special connection with him.
5. Primordial desert
You avoided looking at it because you don''t want to feel guilt or shame. She doesn''t know where all this is going to go, and although she will have to apologize several times and live with certain regrets, for now, she wants to enjoy this moment of tranquility. They''ll make you go into that gap, with a guy you barely know and a wild animal you don''t know what''s doing there. And worst of all, you''re going to do it. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Don''t you feel rare now? The circle, it looks like a fire, a silver bonfire, and you want to get closer, you also want to leave and receive a little warmth. There''s nothing more stressful for you than having an argument with Victor Evans. It''s like arguing with the wall. Every time he is silent you have to answer yourself. Now, Victor hasn''t said anything to you because he''s not going to give in ordering you to apologize to Azeneth, whether you have arguments or not. But you don''t want to. Then you realize you''re not upset with Azeneth. You''re upset that Victor is so worried about her when you''re in front of him with your head in a mess. You''re upset because he doesn''t show compassion for your mistakes. And you''re also upset with yourself, because you''ve spent the last few years trying to prove that you''re good for something because you know that at any moment that man in front of you can throw you out on the street, and every time something like this happens you get a fear that makes you break out in a cold sweat and- He''s giving you the key to the studio and the coordinates to the door. He''s giving you the key to the studio and the coordinates to the door. He''s giving you the key to the studio and the coordinates to the door. He''s giving you the key to the studio and the coordinates to the door. He''s giving you the key to the studio and the coordinates to the door. He''s giving you the key to the studio and the coordinates to the door... 6. The tomorrows Hi. Didn''t Azael tell you about Solum? Ah, just as they were returning, Solum told us that he had a vision there, at the door. ... Things. I''m not going to tell you. Look- I''m going to tell you something! Let me talk, damn it. And don''t talk so loud- Let me speak! I''m at work, the break is going to end. Solum saw... certain things, happening in a certain place, and he is very distressed... and Aza and I thought that this place, as he describes it, could be the shaft of an abandoned mine... I''ve done some research, here with the workmates, and there''s a mine near here that we think might be the one Solum says. We''re going to go investigate, I''ll get a borrowed car and- I know what you''re going to say, you¡¯re going to suggest to ask Victor. Solum doesn''t want him to know, I don''t know why. Well, as I was saying: we''ll go and see, after work. And let''s say that, maybe, your hands could be of help to know a little more. Solum trusts you, so you can join us. But don''t tell Victor, invent something. Good. Azeneth what? Oh, shit... Wait... Aza! Aza! What?! ¨DCome here! I''m talking to Carlota. Why?... Ahh, you''re going to tell her to accompany us to the mine. I thought so too. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. She says yes, but she has to take Azeneth because she''s watching her and I guess they can''t be separated. ¨DAhhh it''s true... Solum is not going to care, what he wants is to know. Let me message him to ask anyway. ¨DHey. I was going to tell you! But Mr. Plans ¨Dhe is referring to Olegario¨D went ahead of me to do it. Don''t go tell Dr. Evans because- If he wants to tell you when he sees you... Solum answered. He says it''s okay, Azeneth can accompany us if that''s the only way for Carlota to go. Leaving here we will pick you up, ok? What will you invent for Victor?
7. Another place The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. 8. Shadow Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. 9. Shadow II Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. 10. Anything in life
She sounds annoyed. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.