off kids from the street—
“You could stay at my place,” Maritza offered, toying with her rosary. “I bet if I talked to my parents—”
“Oh, no, that’s okay!” Luca waved her off, rubbing at the back of his neck. “My parents live a few streets over—”
Yadriel saw Julian tense.
“I’ll just stay there tonight.”
Before Yadriel could think of something convincing to say, Luca was already rolling down the sidewalk and around the corner.
For a moment, all three of them stood there, not saying anything.
All the ferocity Julian had shown earlier seemed to have drained out of him. And, to be honest, Yadriel felt too exhausted to be combative, either. “Julian—”
He spun on his heel and glided right through the iron bars of the gate.
Yadriel sighed.
Maritza shooed him. “Go on after him. I have to go home before my mom kills me.” She gave a short wave before Donatello and Michelangelo pulled her down the street.
Yadriel raced through the headstones to catch up to Julian. Voices came from the church, and he could see through the windows that the brujx had gathered inside. Warm light spilled from the open doors of the church, washing over the steps and path lined with marigolds. A couple of stragglers made their way into the church.
He remembered what his dad had said that morning, that they were having family dinner. Had he meant a meeting? Or was this an impromptu gathering?
Either way, he needed to get Julian safely into his room before he could figure it out. At first, he thought Julian was just going to barge into the house, but he stopped at the door and waited for Yadriel to catch up.
Tentatively, he opened the door a crack and listened. No music, no voices. Everyone must’ve been at the church already. He waved Julian in and ushered him up the stairs. “I need to go to the church,” Yadriel told him as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to check his messages. “Lita is going to kill me if I…” He trailed off.
Julian hadn’t acknowledged him at all. He went right up the stairs.
“Hey,” Yadriel said, watching him from the foot of the steps.
Julian looked back over his shoulder.
Yadriel frowned at him. “Are you okay?”
Julian gave him a withering look.
It was a dumb question. He was dead—he’d been murdered—and he was worried about his friends; of course he wasn’t okay.
“Yadriel?” said a voice from the kitchen.
He froze. The floor creaked. His eyes widened in alarm, but he didn’t have to warn Julian. He disappeared up the stairs and around the corner before Catriz stepped into the living room.
“There you are,” Tío Catriz said with a sigh. “Your dad sent me looking for you.” He frowned and glanced around the empty room. “Who were you talking to?”
“Uh.” Yadriel held up his phone. “Just Maritza.”
Tío Catriz watched him for a moment, for three heartbeats longer than was comfortable, but then his mouth curled into a smile. “You two really are attached at the hip,” he said with a chuckle and a shake of his head.
Yadriel laughed along with him, maybe a little too loud.
“Come on,” he said, waving for Yadriel to follow him. “Your dad called a meeting with everyone. Even the outcasts,” Tío Catriz added with an amused grin.
“Yeah.” His attention was pulled back to Julian. “Let me just ditch my backpack real quick?” Yadriel asked, already inching toward the stairs.
Tío Catriz nodded. “The black sheep might as well show up fashionably late,” he said, smoothing down the front of his dark button-up shirt.
Yadriel hurried to his room.
Julian sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees and hands fidgeting.
Yadriel tossed his backpack onto his desk. “Are you okay?” he asked again, a bit tersely.
“I’m fine,” Julian replied, not even bothering to look at him.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Yadriel considered him for a long moment. He was annoyed with Julian, but he also felt bad for him. The two emotions were at war with each other, making it difficult for Yadriel to sort through. He just wanted to help. Not only Miguel, but everyone, including Julian and his friends, but things were just getting more complicated and difficult. He wished Julian would cut him some slack.
Then again, he probably needed to cut Julian some slack, as well.
Yadriel tried putting himself in his shoes. How would he be handling this, if he was suddenly killed and woke up as a spirit? If he couldn’t speak to his friends and family? If he