Illegal by Stork Francisco X

Author:Stork, Francisco X. [Stork, Francisco X.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, thriller, Suspense
ISBN: 9781338310573
Goodreads: 60197618
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: 2020-08-04T07:00:00+00:00

The SHU is what the guards call the isolation cell where they’ve been keeping me. The Special Housing Unit. The only thing special about the cell were the windows near the ceiling, through which I could see the stars sometimes. How many days had I been in that cell before I was taken out for the credible fear interview and my phone call to Emiliano? I didn’t know. At the SHU you very quickly begin to lose your hold on reality. At first, I could keep track of time by the type of meals that were brought to me. Oatmeal meant another morning had arrived. But after a while, time became a blur. I didn’t know whether I had crossed into the United States ten days ago or the year before. Or maybe it was just a dream.

Was talking to Emiliano also a dream? What was it that he said about the reporter? Every time I thought of that, I laughed. My little brother knew somehow that someone was with me. Either that or he was telling the truth and a reporter was on his way to save me!

I had to repeat to myself what I told him all night long just to make sure that I had given him the right coded message. I had faith that Emiliano would remember what Brother Patricio told him during their Tarahumara trip.

Hope, little brother, hope. Hope is what you got from that trip. Hope is doing the right thing regardless of the outcome. Life’s not worth living otherwise. But also, find the right people to help you with your mission.

But did I put Emiliano’s life at risk by giving him that message?

I remembered again what I told Juana, my editor at El Sol, that I thought the United States system of justice, while not perfect, was the best there was in the world. “Here in Mexico,” I remembered telling her, “they can put you in jail and you can’t do anything about it. In the United States, there are laws to protect the innocent and the laws are followed.”

Could I have been so wrong about this country? I had to believe there were people in this country who would help Emiliano. There must be people who would protect his life and help him save the lives of the women who were in captivity. I was counting on Emiliano to be resourceful enough to find those people.

And as for me? I knew that soon Wes Morgan would break through the barriers that were keeping him away from me. Norma Galindez would call him. I could tell in her voice that there was goodness in her. And then, there was Mario.

Mario brought me my breakfast, lunch, or dinner, depending on his shift. Every time he came, I tried to engage him in conversation. At first, he would answer my questions with a yes or a no, but the evening after my phone calls, he stood by the door and spoke to me like he used to when I did my garbage rounds.

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