The Fall of Innocence by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Author:Jenny Torres Sanchez
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2018-06-13T00:00:00+00:00

Emilia Was Crying

Emilia was crying softly in her sleep; her head was buzzing, and from somewhere far away, someone called her name.

“Emilia?”

She wondered if her tongue was intact or split. She tried to move, but her body hurt. She knew it was covered in bruises.

“Emilia?” It was her brother’s voice, in her ear.

But how had Tomás gotten in the hospital room? They wouldn’t let him in. Ma wouldn’t let him see her.

“Wake up, Emilia. It’s a bad dream, that’s all,” he said. His voice was gentle but urgent in her ear. She heard a soft whimpering and suddenly realized it was her own. “Just a bad dream. Don’t cry.”

Emilia opened her eyes and saw Tomás’s worried face. Hot tears came out of the corners of her eyes and a sob was stuck in her throat.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded, unable to speak, and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. She stared at the ceiling as she tried to come back to reality. Her brother held her hand.

“It just . . . it felt so real,” she finally managed.

It was, but this was just a dream, she told herself. You’re home. In your bed. It was so long ago.

She wiped her face. Took a few more breaths.

Tomás had started coming into her room in the middle of the night and sleeping on her floor ever since the night Ma told her about Carl Smith.

In case you have a bad dream, he whispered one night when she woke to find him there and asked him why. She was secretly grateful.

“I’m okay,” she told him before he could ask again. And they stayed like that for a long moment before a knock at the door startled them both.

Ma peeked her head in. “Merry Christmas,” she whispered.

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