Children of the Wild by Tawlks Krysta

Author:Tawlks, Krysta
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Andrés the stag twitches his head upright as if responding to his name. He lopes across the golden grasses until he weaves into a glen, fringed with evergreens.

I have so many questions weighing down my tongue, but I only allow myself to ask one. “How did this happen?”

Valora flexes her jaw and shakes her head. “That’s a big question,” she says.

“M’ijo, there’s so much—most of it, I shouldn’t say,” Mrs. Padilla says. She rubs both eyes with one hand. “We’re here because we followed him. We’re protecting him.”

So, the women aren’t running from someone as I’d thought. But if they’re protecting him, maybe that means—

“Is Andrés running from someone?” I say cautiously.

Valora’s body stiffens.

Mrs. Padilla closes her eyes before answering. “We haven’t been followed here. Not yet.”

Not the most confident of answers. I knew this conversation was painful for them, but I have to ask. “Is he running from a photographer from San Francisco? Mr. Halifax?”

Valora mulls over this question, then gasps suddenly. “Ah! Mamá, he’s talking about Gordo.”

They both laugh. Then Mrs. Padilla clears her throat, suppressing another chuckle. “We probably shouldn’t call him that. We know his name. We knew it already.”

A smug expression tugs at Valora’s lips. “He introduced himself to us, yes. Tried to chat, but we refused, of course.”

I swallow. Not sure what to say next, but I have to let them know. “Okay, I have two things I need to tell you right now.”

Both women snap their eyes at me. “What is it?” Mrs. Padilla’s voice sharpens.

I smile nervously. “Mr. Halifax has been collecting news clippings of you. And… researching you. I found a book. Something about shapeshifting?”

Mrs. Padilla rubs her forehead and hisses like a snake. “M’ijo, I wish you’d said something sooner.”

My head droops down. “Yeah, I’m sorry.”

I’m an idiot. Of course, I should have told them right away. Mr. Halifax was researching them.

Mrs. Padilla squeezes my shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll forgive you.”

“Maybe not today,” Valora adds.

“Yes, probably not today.” Mrs. Padilla grins. “Soon. Before your next birthday, I promise.”

I squinch my face and wheeze a laugh.

Valora grips my arm. The simple gesture makes my skin prickle. “Don’t ever forget to tell us something like that again.” Her words are like frigid water sliding down my neck.

I nod. Then I remember something else, and I clear my throat. “So… I have one more thing to tell you.”

Mrs. Padilla’s eyes burn like embers.

“What is it, Pollo?” Valora says.

The way she says Pollo. She sounds annoyed.

“I saw your brother a couple months ago. In June,” I say. “I’m pretty sure he transformed into a human. Right after Mr. Halifax took a photo.”

“He took a photo?” Valora’s face pales. “No!”

“But that means Andrés shifted to human in June.” Mrs. Padilla speaks over Valora’s cry. “He hasn’t been a stag as long as we thought.” Hope sparks in her eyes, but then her face tightens. “That also means Mr. Halifax has evidence of us shifting.”

Valora grunts. “Are we going to knock him senseless and send him on the next train to México?”

“M’ija! Why’d you say something like that?” Mrs.

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