Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

MY DREAMS ARE ALL OF ANTONELA.

Probably because of the black seed, a memory dam broke overnight, and I've started to recall things from when we were five, like us playing hide-and-seek, and discovering the purple room, and me spying on her blood pact with Felipe. He and I didn't meet as kids; he met my twin.

I wake up missing her as much as I miss Mom and Dad. This morning, I accompany Bea to the clínica, but Teo isn't there, and there are no new messages from him. At the bookstore, Arturo tells us that Felipe is coming back tonight.

I have no idea how I'm going to handle seeing him again. I know friends are supposed to forgive each other, but I'm not sure what he did is forgivable. As much as I'll miss our sessions in the attic, I will never be able to trust him again. Can you have friendship without trust?

"I'm going to the castle," I say to Bea. "I'll come back to the clínica in the afternoon."

"Are you sure?" she asks, studying me like I might be coming down with something.

"I didn't sleep well," I lie, before she jumps to take my temperature and oxygen levels.

"Do you have your—?" She mimics firing a gun, but I know she means injecting a syringe.

I reach into my jacket pocket. "Locked and loaded."

"Don't let anyone in."

"I know," I assure her. "I won't be breaking that rule anytime soon. Or ever, " I amend when her eyes narrow.

"Good," she says. "See you back here in four hours for la comida."

I prick my finger and press my blood to the tablet.

The bookshelves slide apart, and I climb to the secret room at the peak of the tower, where everything is exactly as I last saw it.

Ignoring Brálaga's letter, I go straight to the journals and open them at random. They all feature a pair of names on the inside cover, and as I flip through the pages, the words translate themselves, same as yesterday.

I skim ingredients, instructions, and diagrams for various potions and spells that claim to do everything from growing a plentiful garden, to invoking prophetic dreams, to producing a truth-telling tea. The last one has a postscript that notes the tea only works on members of the Brálaga family, and only within the bounds of la Sombra.

After skimming a handful of these, I see that Beatríz is right—both twins are needed to produce magic. So how did Teo pull it off on his own the other night?

I open a new journal and read the names scribbled on the inside cover: Matilda y Josefina. As I flip through it, I see there's only one page of writing, and the rest of the book is blank.

I read the entry:

The bad luck began when I was sixteen.

Small explosions around the castle, like energy bursts. One killed Grandfather. When the police and reporters started coming, more people began to disappear. Ironically, the vanishings only drew more crowds.

Dad had always been withdrawn. He and his twin brother had a mournful air about them.

Only now, he became strangely talkative. It was a nervous chatter, the roundabout kind that usually circles back toward a shameful admission. That's how I learned about Josefina.

My twin .

My dad and his brother sent her to the other castle when she was four. They were convinced her spirit had returned and was now haunting us for failing to bring her home.

It wasn't long before Dad killed himself.

I write this as a warning: Keep away from these books. Do not send anyone to the other castle. Let the curse sleep.

I'm so distracted by the journals that I'm late to meet Bea.

Not good. No doubt she's going to fear the worst. I dart downstairs to head out—

BANG BANG BANG.

The gargoyle knockers echo around me in the entrance chamber, and I bring my hands to my ears to muffle the noise.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. My pulse chimes in with its own beat.

My aunt wouldn't knock. Maybe if I don't make any noise, they'll think no one's home.

I hear a faint ringing in the distance. Either Beatríz is dialing the phone in her room, or the ringing is from permanent damage to my eardrums from my proximity to the knockers.

"Estela?"

I gasp. " Felipe? "

"Estela!" he cries, voice choked with emotion. "Open the door!"

He sounds terrified, but I don't reach for the handle. "Why?" I call through the thick wood. "What happened? Where did you go?"

"Your uncle took me! I escaped, but he's still after me—my parents will never believe me, they idolize your family! No one will understand but you. Let me in!"

My fingers tremble, and I tuck my hands under my elbows. I don't know what Felipe is capable of anymore, so I have no idea if he's telling the truth. "I-I'm not allowed," I call back. "My aunt returned. She says it's dangerous to let people into the castle—look at what happened to you last time!"

"Are you serious? I know you're mad at me, but he's going to kill me !"

"He's not," I say, mouth dry because I don't know what's true anymore. "He doesn't need anything from you." I can't tell if I'm trying to convince Felipe or myself.

"Then why did I just break out of the abandoned shack where he's been keeping me?"

What would Teo want with Felipe? "Just—go home!" I shout. "Or go to the clínica, and Bea can look at you, okay?"

"I can't go to town, or he'll find me! He's probably tracking me right now, and if you don't let me in, he's going to kill me, and it'll be your fault!"

I feel the tears forming in my eyes. "You're right. I'm cursed, Felipe. Stay away from me."

"I'm already caught in your curse! Don't you get it? He's going to kill me—but I guess you can live with that."

"You can't come in here," I insist, making my voice firm. "But if you're that afraid, I'll walk you to the clínica—"

"Don't bother!" he shouts at me. "I'm going to the police, and I'm telling them everything ! They'll come here searching for answers, and you can explain your curse to them —"

I swing open the door. "I'll walk with you, and we can tell my aunt what's happening," I say, and since the key is in my pocket, I shut the door behind me.

Before the lock clicks, Felipe shoves past me, shouldering the door open. "Hey!" I shout as he knocks me into the doorframe on his way inside.

" Felipe! " I call after him, but he doesn't turn or slow down. My heart plummets as I realize I've made the same mistake twice.

Bea is never going to trust me after this.

"Felipe, wait!" I follow him into the grand hall with the ribbed ceiling and ask, "What does my uncle want with you?"

The guy who meets my gaze is not the Felipe I know.

He looks sickly, as if his skin would be sticky to touch, and his gaze darts everywhere, like he's searching for something. Or someone.

"First tell me what happened," he says, leaning against the back of a leather couch.

"When?"

"After I passed out." He's breathing heavier than usual.

"Let's sit," I say, and he looks around, like this might be a trap. But once I drop onto a cushion, he comes around and joins me, his face relaxing as his body rests.

"My uncle bled me from both arms until I passed out," I say. "I woke up on the ground outside la Sombra the next morning. What do you remember?"

"Waking up in an empty shack." He swallows, and his throat sounds parched. "It's where your uncle has been staying. He only moves at night, so no one sees him. He took me back to the same spot in the forest two nights ago, tied me up, and blindfolded me, but I could hear him chanting the same words over and over again."

" No hay luz en Oscuro, " I supply, and he nods. "Did he use my blood?" I ask.

"I don't know. I woke up in that shack yesterday. I've been feeling sick ever since, and your uncle has been tending to me, but today I felt fine enough to escape once he fell asleep."

"But your dad," I say, frowning. "He said he spoke to you on the phone—"

The castle's front door thuds shut. Felipe and I stiffen, and I don't even breathe until I hear Bea's voice.

"Estela?"

"I'm here!" I call out, and I say to Felipe, " Wait here. " I need to do some explaining before she sees him.

I meet my aunt in the hallway.

"You never came," she says, syringe cocked in her hand like it's a loaded gun. "I got worried—"

"I'm fine, but I need to tell you something," I say hurriedly, reaching for her arms so she'll lower her weapon and stop walking. "Felipe's here."

Her gaze narrows with anger. "I told you no visitors!"

"Teo was holding him hostage, and he managed to escape," I say quickly, letting go of her arms. "I think he needs medical attention."

"He needs to go home, and his family needs to take him to a doctor far from here," she says, syringe still in hand.

" You're a doctor!"

She blows out a hard breath and starts marching ahead to meet Felipe. "Haven't you realized yet?" she asks over her shoulder as she rounds the corner. "He isn't safe with us! No one is— ahhh! "

"Beatríz!"

I rush forward as she collapses, but I freeze when I see Felipe. He's caught her before she hits the floor, and the syringe clatters away.

"She should be more careful," he says, setting her down.

"What just happened?" I ask. "Did—did you do that?" I back away a few paces.

"She injected herself—"

"You pushed her hand!"

My heart's pounding shakes my frame. I never should have let him in.

He moves toward me, and I keep walking backward. "Why are you here?" I ask, my voice quavering.

"I may have rewritten some details of my story." His crooked smirk is now more of a leer, his once-handsome face sagging with illness. "When I woke up in your uncle's shed the morning after he drew your blood, I wasn't tied up. Teo gave me a choice: I could go home, or I could make a new home in la Sombra."

I slip my hands inside my hoodie's pocket, and my fingers close around my own syringe, since Bea warned me to be armed at all times. If Felipe reaches for me, he's going down.

"So, what do you think I chose?" he asks, still marching closer. "I tried to resist. I wanted so much to be good for you. But he offered me something I could never refuse." His glassy eyes begin to shimmer, and I see that actual tears are forming.

"Being a Brálaga is all I ever wanted. I hoped to do it by marrying you, but you turned me down. You left me no other choice."

I scramble back, toward the front door, trying to keep out of his reach. "What did my uncle mean? How could you become a Brálaga?"

"He told me I could marry into the family if I did one thing for him."

I feel the blood abandoning my face. "It's your fault if you thought I was his to offer!"

"I didn't say I'd be marrying you ."

"I don't think you're Bea's type—"

But when Felipe's confidence doesn't crack, I realize who he means, and I gasp. "You can't actually think—"

"I do," he says. "He's promised me your sister's hand when she returns."

"My uncle is sick!" I shout at him. "And my sister is dead!"

"He's going to bring her back." Felipe's face lights up with manic faith. "But first, he needs me to deliver a message."

The brightness of his gaze has hardened to glass, and I break into a run. He looks so ill that I'm hoping I can make it out the front door in time—

I duck as he lunges for me.

Felipe crashes against the door, and I spin away. Careening deeper into the castle, I hope I've bought myself enough time to outrun him. If I can just make it to one of the secret rooms, he won't be able to follow me.

I cut toward the tower, but I hear Felipe's footsteps gaining ground. His breaths grow louder, and I grip the syringe. When he's too close, I swing around—

He bats my arm away, and the needle goes flying. We both dive for it, and I jab my elbow into his eye.

"Ow!"

I reach the syringe first and spring to my feet. Felipe yanks on my ankle, knocking me down.

"Let go!"

He pulls on my leg to slide me toward him, and I arch up to stab him with the needle—but he rolls out of my reach.

A shadow falls over us, and we both look up at Sebastián, whose menacing glare is focused on Felipe. Is it nighttime already?

I have just enough time to register that Felipe can see the shadow beast, before I realize what's going to happen. " Sebastián, don't! "

But he's already got Felipe in his grip, eyes wide on discovering he can touch him.

"Please!" I beg, grabbing Sebastián's arm so he'll let Felipe go. But he might as well be made of steel.

"Who are you?" the shadow beast demands.

"A messenger."

"I don't want your message!" I shout, still tugging on Sebastián's arm. "I want you to go!"

"My message isn't for you," says Felipe, his eyes on the shadow beast.

I feel myself going slack-jawed. How does Felipe know about him?

"Go on," says Sebastián.

"You want to know who you are?" Felipe twists his neck to look at me. "Ask her ."

My whole body goes cold, and I wish I were anywhere but here.

"What do you mean?" asks Sebastián.

"Estela has a book about you. I gave it to her."

I back away from them both. I consider stabbing myself with the syringe to avoid this moment as Sebastián turns to look at me, shock in his eyes.

"Not that you need the book," Felipe goes on. "If you truly want your memories back, all you have to do is drink. They're stored in Estela's blood."

I feel my eyes grow bigger than my face, yet I don't see renewed shock in the silver galaxies of Sebastián's gaze. He couldn't have known this whole time that my blood was the key to unlocking his past… could he?

"Don't blame me," says Felipe, and too late I clock the predatory shift in Sebastián's expression. He's staring at him dangerously. "Like I said, I'm just the messenger."

"Yet your message is not in your words."

I've seen that look.

I squeeze Sebastián's arm with all the strength my muscles can muster. "Sebastián, please ! DON'T—"

But he's already ripped Felipe's throat open and started to drink.