Maggie sat down. “So now, you’re here about the thunder, correct?”
The girls shook their heads.
Maggie seemed surprised. “No? Surely, you’ve heard it?”
“We’ve all grown up with earthquakes,” Vanessa offered.
Catty shrugged. “Yeah, it’s not like an earthquake warning from Caltech is big news to us.”
“Earthquakes?” Maggie seemed completely baffled. “You think earthquakes caused the sound?”
The girls nodded.
“We’re here about Cassandra,” Serena put in.
“Cassandra and Veto,” Jimena added.
“Well, tell me then.” Maggie looked at Jimena and waited. Her warm, caring eyes always gave Jimena the feeling that Maggie was inspecting her soul.
“Veto,” Jimena began slowly. “I thought he was dead, but he isn’t. I was so happy to see him again, but then I started having premonitions about him. In the first one I saw him with Cassandra. I’m not sure if she was reaching out to embrace him or to push him.”
Maggie covered Jimena’s hand with her own, encouraging her to continue. But before she could speak, Serena added, “Stanton saw Veto and said he was a shade.”
“What’s a shade?” Catty asked.
“It’s very simple really,” Maggie began. “The ancient Greeks believed that after death, the spirit keeps the same appearance it had during life so that relatives and friends who die after will be able to recognize it.”
“You mean, a ghost?” Vanessa questioned.
“Not exactly. It’s not the spirit of the person, but an airy ghostlike image of the person.”
Jimena felt relief flow through her. “Veto’s not a shade then. He didn’t feel like empty air. I mean, I kissed him. He was warm and solid.”
Maggie’s hand clasped her arm tightly. “But . . .” she began.
“What?” Panic seized Jimena.
“If Stanton recognized Veto as a shade . . .” Maggie’s words came out slowly, as if she were still considering what this could mean.
Jimena rushed for an explanation. “Stanton could have lied.”
“If Stanton recognized him as a shade,” Maggie continued, “then it could be that the Atrox animated Veto for some evil purpose. If so, then he would feel as real as any one of us.”
Serena looked at Jimena. “Remember? Stanton said Veto had been animated by the Atrox.”
Maggie nodded. “Veto’s appearance could also explain the strange thunder I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What about the thunder?” Jimena’s heart was beating wildly. She rubbed her chest, trying to calm it.
“Land thunder,” Maggie whispered and looked off to the side as if she were remembering something. “It’s the sound Tartarus makes when it opens. I suspected that Tartarus was opening and if so, then that could mean that the Inner Circle was allowing someone of high importance to visit.” Her eyes fell on Jimena again. “Or to escape.”
“It’s Cassandra,” Vanessa whispered and looked to Serena. “Tell her what Stanton said.”
“What about Cassandra?” Maggie asked Serena.
“Stanton said that Cassandra had suddenly gained favor with the Inner Circle, the Cincti he called it.”
Maggie nodded. “Yes, the Cincti, those closest to the Atrox.” Serena went on. “Stanton said Cassandra had been allowed to visit the Cincti.” Maggie frowned slightly. “If this is true, it is very bad for us because it means that she has come up with an evil plan. And it must be a very good one for her to be allowed an audience with the Cincti.”
“We’ll stop her,” Serena said confidently. “We’ve battled her before.”
Catty twisted a strand of hair nervously. “Stanton also said that she had been given permission to go back in time and change one event.”
Maggie didn’t seem surprised. “That must have been part of her plan. But whatever she changed is already part of your past now. What worries me is that she must know something about one of you, something that could make one of you vulnerable. That vulnerability could put all of you in jeopardy.”
Maggie became silent. She appeared deep in thought as she studied each of them.
“Tartarus,” Jimena repeated the word slowly. She wondered if the name had filled the other Daughters with as much dread as she was feeling now.
Vanessa looked worried. “What is Tartarus anyway?”
Maggie’s voice was solemn. “Tartarus is a dark abyss far below the surface of the earth.”
A cold fear gripped Jimena’s chest as she remembered her premonition of Veto falling. Was he falling into Tartarus? She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the picture.
“Tartarus is surrounded by a thick layer of night.” Maggie glanced around the table. “It’s a place of damnation where its residents suffer endless torments. Some say it is where the Atrox resides and, of course, we know that the Inner Circle meets there.” She shook her head. “Someone being allowed to visit the Inner Circle, someone who is not even an Immortal. This is a big event.”
Jimena clutched the table. She was afraid to let go for fear her trembling hands would reveal the depth of her concern. One desperate thought played through her mind. She had to find a way to keep Veto from falling into the bottomless pit. When she was finally able to speak, her voice felt shaky and the words tumbled out in a strange pitch. “I had a second premonition.”
“Yes, dear,” Maggie encouraged her to go on.
She waited a moment, taking deep breaths before she continued. “I saw the earth opening behind Veto. A huge bottomless pit. He fell backward. It seemed like forever, and then the earth closed over him.”
Maggie began, “It is possible that Veto has been deceived by the Atrox and—”
“No, Veto is too smart for that,” Jimena interrupted. “He wouldn’t let anyone game him.”
“The Atrox and its Followers can be very seductive,” Maggie went on. “It’s possible that Veto has been animated by the Atrox without even understanding what has happened to him. To be alive again—think of the joy he must feel if it is true . . . to be able to see you again.”
An iciness shot through Jimena with a sudden shock. “Veto would never allow himself to be used that way!”
“Maybe he doesn’t know,” Maggie said. “And that what you saw in your second premonition was his return to Tartarus. The Atrox would demand it.”
“Maybe he’s part of Cassandra’s plan,” Serena suggested.
“Not Veto.” Jimena could feel anger brimming in her chest. “How can any of you believe that about him? Besides, we’re all basing it on things that Stanton has said and Stanton is an Immortal who owes his allegiance to the Atrox. So how can we believe him? If anyone is deceiving us, it’s Stanton, not Veto. Stanton is probably part of Cassandra’s plan and he’s telling us lies to distract us from what is really happening.”
Serena glanced at Maggie and blushed.
“That’s possible,” Maggie agreed. “But not probable. The sudden appearance of Veto at the same time as the land thunder leads me to believe Stanton.”
Jimena took a deep breath, trying to control her anger. Why were Catty and Vanessa and Serena looking at her with such sadness? Had they already decided that Veto was a shade? She could tell from their faces that they felt sorry for her. That was worse than if they had been angry with her for protecting Veto.
She stood. Her legs felt wobbly. “Veto could never do anything that would harm me.” She hated the way her voice sounded weak and rasping. “No one has given Veto a chance to speak. I’ll ask him point-blank the next time I see him.”
“But you must be careful,” Maggie warned.
Serena looked up at Jimena. “If the Atrox has animated Veto, we’ll help you find a way to free him.”
“Of course we will,” Vanessa added. “We’re all here to help.”
Jimena didn’t want their sympathy. She glanced at her watch. “I got to go.”
“Please stay,” Maggie said.
/> “I have to go to Children’s Hospital,” Jimena answered. “I need to get my hours in or I’m in violation of a court order.” She tried to control her voice when she spoke but she knew they heard the anxiety in her words.
“I’ll go with you,” Serena offered.
“No,” Jimena answered, too quickly.
Serena looked at her oddly. Jimena hadn’t meant for the word to come out so harshly. She hated the distress she saw in Serena’s eyes.
“I need time alone to think.”
Maggie nodded knowingly. “Come back tonight after you’ve had a chance to take all this in.”
“Yeah,” Serena said. “We’ll wait here for you.”
Vanessa and Catty nodded their agreement.
“Will you come back?” Maggie asked.
Jimena chewed her lip and nodded. “I will.” But she couldn’t look in Maggie’s eyes. She knew that if she did, the warmth and concern she would see there would make her break down and cry.
She hurried outside to the balcony, down the fire stairs, and out into the afternoon. Tears shimmered in her eyes and she brushed them away with the heel of her palm before they could fall down her cheeks.
It couldn’t be true. It wasn’t true. Veto was innocent. But even as she was trying to deny it, another part of her mind was recalling Veto’s strange appearance the first night she had seen him.
She ran down Robertson toward Beverly Boulevard, as if distance could somehow lessen the effect of Maggie’s words.
Tartarus was another name for hell, and Jimena knew Veto didn’t deserve to go to hell, no matter what bad things he might have done. He was good deep inside, and he never would have done the things he had if he hadn’t had to take care of his younger brothers and his mother.
And then a thought came to her that made her slow her pace. Maybe it had been fear that had made them do those things. The thought grew inside her like a terrible weight. Perhaps they had acted so tough and violent because they were afraid that if they didn’t, people wouldn’t respect them. It was easy to be popular in the ’hood when you had a big reputation and everyone was afraid of you. What would their lives have been like if they had been regular kids? She stopped. Perhaps Veto would still be alive.
She turned the corner as the bus pulled away from the curb. Normally missing the bus wouldn’t have bothered her, but this evening it felt like a terrible omen of what was to come. She looked at the eastern horizon. The moon hadn’t risen yet, and the sky seemed empty and alien.
She paced back and forth behind the bus bench. This time the tears were stronger than her will to hold them back and she let them fall. She didn’t know if she was crying for Veto or for herself.
If it were true that Veto had been animated by the Atrox, then did that mean she would eventually have to fight him? She didn’t think she could. She wouldn’t. She had to find a way to free him.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THREE HOURS LATER, Jimena finished her work at Children’s Hospital and rode the bus home. Visiting with the children always had a calming effect on her. She could almost forget her problems when they smiled at her from their hospital beds and wheelchairs. She sighed and looked through the graffiti-scarred side window at the moon. She felt embarrassed for the way she had acted at Maggie’s, but she was too tired to go back there. Tomorrow would be soon enough to apologize. Right now she wanted a warm shower and a long night’s rest.
At last the bus passed Alvarado Street. She grabbed the handrail and walked to the front as the bus pulled to the curb. She jumped off and had started home when someone called her name.
She whirled around. Veto leaned against the metal beam supporting the weather shelter over the bus bench, his legs crossed in front of him, exactly the way he had waited for her only a year back.
“Hey, Jimena.” His words were lazy, his look sultry.
She took two quick steps back to him and slapped his cheek.
A slow, steady smile crossed his face. “I guess things are back to normal.”
“How did you get back to me, really?” she demanded.
His eyes looked confused, and he reached for her.
“You know what Stanton said about you?” she continued. “He said you were a shade.” She studied his face for a reaction but the light on Alvarado had turned green, and now traffic was moving swiftly down Wilshire Boulevard. The car headlights rushed over Veto, and the whirling light made it impossible for her to read his face.
“Shade?” Veto shrugged, his lips frozen in a grin. “I’m Ninth Street. Puro Ninth Street.”
“Not a gang!” she shouted. “A dead person.”
His eyes seemed to quiver and she saw the slightest droop in the corner of his mouth, but those could have been illusions created by the headlights.
“Come on.” He pulled on her arm. “Let’s go over to Langer’s for something to eat. I told you I wanted to explain everything to you.”
He darted into the street, pulling her with him. They dodged traffic. Angry horns honked behind them. One car skidded to a stop as they jumped on the curb and ran across the grass into the park.
“Veto.” She called his name sharply and he stopped. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“What?” He acted as if he didn’t understand. He had learned to hide his emotions from years of being in a gang, but she knew him well enough to detect the slightest nuance. And without the interference from the car lights she read his face clearly. Her heart sank.
“It’s true, then,” she said sadly.
“What’s true?” He put his arm around her. “You’re letting your imagination run away from you. I told you I was going to explain everything to you, but you won’t give me a chance.”
She stared at him, not even blinking when she spoke. “Don’t play any games with me. I need to know the truth.”
A nearby homeless man tossed in his sleep and looked up at them through his stained pink blanket.
She pulled Veto away and they began walking toward the lake. The rain had started again, and Veto took off his jacket and put it protectively around Jimena’s shoulders.
“I know what you’ve done.” Her words came out in a whisper. “You let the Atrox animate you so you could come back. You don’t understand what the Atrox is, and now I have to find a way to free you.”
He walked quickly ahead of her, then turned back and punched his right hand into his left palm. “I’m proud of what I’ve done. Why can’t you be proud of me? No one has ever dared to do what I’ve done for love. I tricked the Atrox so I could be with you again.”
Jimena stopped. “Do you believe that?”
“The Atrox is no match for a homeboy from el Nueve.”
“No one can trick the Atrox.” Her anger matched his now and their voices echoed around them. “No one!”
“Why can’t you believe me?”
“The Atrox is using you, Veto. There’s too much you don’t understand.”
“It’s you who doesn’t understand.” He held his face up to the rain as if it could cool his temper. When he spoke again his words were slow and sure. “Didn’t I promise you that nothing was ever going to separate us? Not even death? I’m just keeping my promise to you. My homies always said that I could trick the devil. Even you used to laugh and say it was true. So I did.” He turned away from the rain and looked at her. “I tricked the Atrox. I did.”
Jimena knew he was telling the truth as he believed it, but was it even possible to trick the Atrox? “Veto, the Atrox is using you, and it’s my fault because I’m . . .” Her words trailed off and she started again. “It’s my fault the Atrox did this to you, because it wants to hurt me and my friends. I’ll do everything I can to free you from its control.”
He touched her arm. “Free me? ¿Por qué? Feel glad for what I’ve done. I’m with you again, and you know with your heart that I’d never let anything bad happen to you. The Atrox can’t hurt you with me around. I got your back.”
She shook her head sadly. “Th
e Atrox is probably going to use you to hurt me.”
He chuckled. “If I were working for the Atrox and going to harm you, wouldn’t I have done it already, before tonight, before you found out how I got here?”
He put his arm around her and pulled her close against him.
“I risked everything to be with you again,” he whispered against her cheek. “I risked my soul.”
A chill spread through her, and it wasn’t from the rain drizzling down her back.
“Has any vato every done so much for love?” he continued, his voice caressing and convincing. “I did it for you, baby. For us.”
“Veto.” All the old ache and loneliness came back. “It was wrong what you did and dangerous. How am I going to save you?”
“You got the power.”
She looked at him surprised. “You know about me? Who I am?”
“What about you?” He touched her moon amulet with the tip of his finger. “I’m talking about this. What are you talking about?” Veto lifted the amulet. Rain beaded on the moon etched into the silver.
Jimena breathed a sigh of relief. At least he couldn’t be a Follower or even a danger to her. If he were, the amulet would have burned into his flesh. He balanced the amulet on the tips of his fingers.
“What about my moon amulet?” she asked.
“It can keep me alive without the animation of the Atrox,” he explained.
Was that true? She believed in the power of the amulet, even though Maggie had tried to dissuade her. Maggie said the amulet was only a symbol of the power inside Jimena.
He played with the chain as if his fingers were searching for the clasp. “All you have to do is let me wear it.”
“I never take it off.” That’s what she said, but she had the urge to take it off now and see what would happen. “Since you’ve been gone, Veto, I learned something about myself . . .” If she did tell him the truth, would it change anything? Or would he laugh and tell her she was tripping?
Veto interrupted her thoughts. “If you let me wear it, it breaks the spell of the Atrox and I stay alive.”
“Why do you believe that?” she asked.