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. âHow did this happen?â
Valora flexes her jaw and shakes her head. âThatâs a big question,â she says.
âMâijo, thereâs so muchâmost of it, I shouldnât say,â Mrs. Padilla says. She rubs both eyes with one hand. âWeâre here because we followed him. Weâre protecting him.â
So, the women arenât running from someone as Iâd thought. But if theyâre protecting him, maybe that meansâ
âIs Andrés running from someone?â I say cautiously.
Valoraâs body stiffens.
Mrs. Padilla closes her eyes before answering. âWe havenât been followed here. Not yet.â
Not the most confident of answers. I knew this conversation was painful for them, but I have to ask. âIs he running from a photographer from San Francisco? Mr. Halifax?â
Valora mulls over this question, then gasps suddenly. âAh! Mamá, heâs talking about Gordo.â
They both laugh. Then Mrs. Padilla clears her throat, suppressing another chuckle. âWe probably shouldnât call him that. We know his name. We knew it already.â
A smug expression tugs at Valoraâs lips. âHe introduced himself to us, yes. Tried to chat, but we refused, of course.â
I swallow. Not sure what to say next, but I have to let them know. âOkay, I have two things I need to tell you right now.â
Both women snap their eyes at me. âWhat is it?â Mrs. Padillaâs voice sharpens.
I smile nervously. âMr. Halifax has been collecting news clippings of you. And⦠researching you. I found a book. Something about shapeshifting?â
Mrs. Padilla rubs her forehead and hisses like a snake. âMâijo, I wish youâd said something sooner.â
My head droops down. âYeah, Iâm sorry.â
Iâm an idiot. Of course, I should have told them right away. Mr. Halifax was researching them.
Mrs. Padilla squeezes my shoulder. âDonât worry. Weâll forgive you.â
âMaybe not today,â Valora adds.
âYes, probably not today.â Mrs. Padilla grins. âSoon. Before your next birthday, I promise.â
I squinch my face and wheeze a laugh.
Valora grips my arm. The simple gesture makes my skin prickle. âDonât ever forget to tell us something like that again.â Her words are like frigid water sliding down my neck.
I nod. Then I remember something else, and I clear my throat. âSo⦠I have one more thing to tell you.â
Mrs. Padillaâs eyes burn like embers.
âWhat is it, Pollo?â Valora says.
The way she says Pollo. She sounds annoyed.
âI saw your brother a couple months ago. In June,â I say. âIâm pretty sure he transformed into a human. Right after Mr. Halifax took a photo.â
âHe took a photo?â Valoraâs face pales. âNo!â
âBut that means Andrés shifted to human in June.â Mrs. Padilla speaks over Valoraâs cry. âHe hasnât been a stag as long as we thought.â Hope sparks in her eyes, but then her face tightens. âThat also means Mr. Halifax has evidence of us shifting.â
Valora grunts. âAre we going to knock him senseless and send him on the next train to México?â
âMâija! Whyâd you say something like that?â Mrs.
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