“No.”
He took a step toward me, towering over me. I didn’t flinch. I refused to let his scare tactics work on me.
“You will get in that car tomorrow even if I have to drag you out of here myself.”
“Papa.” Javi shot me a worried look.
I glared at my uncle. “Try it.”
Javi cursed under his breath.
“Javier, the compulsion spell.” My tío’s eyes never left mine.
“Papa, no.”
“Now.”
My forehead crinkled in confusion. Compulsion spell?
Javi reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin, metal bracelet. With one move, he had my hand in his grasp and clasped the bracelet in place.
His eyes refused to meet mine. “I’m sorry.”
Regret was stamped across his face. I held up my hand and inspected the silver jewelry. What in the hell was going on?
Tío raised his hand toward me and started chanting.
I stared at them in disbelief. I didn’t understand the words, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Heat rushed through me, making my skin burn. The metal around my wrist vibrated and sparked. I yelped and tried to pull it off.
It didn’t budge.
“What are you doing?” The hint of panic in my voice made me cringe.
Tío Javier folded his hands together in front of himself. “Pack your bags, Rose. You will do as I say.” His face was stony, and his words rang in my ears.
My body jerked into motion. Terror gripped me. No. I watched as my legs started moving on their own accord, my mind screaming for them to stop.
They didn’t.
I reached my room, trembling and on the verge of tears. No. I wouldn’t cry. That was one thing I could control. Fear rippled through me. What did they do to me?
Moving to my closet, I watched as my hands opened the doors and found my suitcase. Without pausing, I started packing. As hard as I fought to command my body, it wouldn’t listen to me. My blood ran cold. I’d lost control of myself and who knew what else they would make me do? Nausea washed over me.
How was this even possible? I turned my head, the only thing I could still command, and looked at the picture hanging on the wall. Papi and I, standing at the entrance to our vineyard.
Pain washed over me. My life was hell and there was no turning back now, but I refused to remain trapped like this. Sorrow turned to rage. I would escape.
They would not control me.
I didn’t leave my room that night. I couldn’t no matter how much I tried. Whatever hold my tío had kept me from leaving. My body and mind were worn to exhaustion and even if I’d wanted to, I wouldn’t have been able to open the door for Javi. Instead, he left the rest of my dinner outside and gushed apology after apology until finally giving up.
His betrayal stung worse than the others. How could I have ever thought of him as a brother in the past? It was long after midnight when sleep finally overcame me. My dreams were as haunted as my reality.
Manny’s monstrous face flashed in and out, then that dark closed casket. Every time I approached it a scream startled me. I turned to find my mother’s portrait staring at me, her mouth sewn shut and her dark eyes drilling into me. Blood rained down on me and when I came face to face with a mirror, I found my tío’s face staring back at me. Real American Horror Story type stuff.
When morning came, I woke up to find I was still my tío’s living puppet. Anger burned inside of me as my body moved through the routine of getting ready, the whole while, my mind screaming for it to stop. How long was he going to keep the bracelet on? Already the metal dug into my skin.
Javi didn’t come. Tía Teresa came instead and silently helped me finish packing, her eyes refusing to meet mine. No matter how many times I begged her to take off the bracelet, she pretended not to hear.
I pleaded. I screamed. A string of obscenities rolled off my tongue, but my hands wouldn’t stop loading the final suitcase.
They thought they could control me. Keep me moving in whatever action they wanted, but they couldn’t hold me forever. I refused to spend the rest of my life as their prisoner. Somewhere along the line, they would slip up and I would get away.
As if hearing my vow, my tía flinched. “We are not trying to hurt you, Rosa. We are trying to protect you.”
I glared at her. “By making me your prisoner?”
Her lips pursed. “You are not a prisoner. Just give us time to explain everything. It’s not safe here for you alone. We will take off the bracelet when it’s time. I promise.”
My eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe you.”
She sighed and zipped up the giant suitcase. “I know, but you will in time.”
With that she turned on her heel and left me standing by my bed, my bags all packed. Javi entered, his eyebrows drawn together in worry as he reached to help with my luggage.
“Rose.”
I turned my head from him. “Don’t talk to me.”
I wanted nothing more than to storm away from him, but my feet refused to budge from the floor.
His shoulders stiffened as he swung my suitcase off the bed and headed for the door. He glanced back, sorrow and regret flashing in his eyes.
Good. He should feel guilty.
Numbness spread through me as I hugged all our old friends and workers goodbye. As desperately as I tried to tell them what was happening, the words wouldn’t come. I hoped the terror in my eyes would be enough to alert them, but they mistook my fear for grief.
Their well wishes and teary goodbyes were like arrows to my heart. When Marta wrapped me in a tight hug, I tried as hard as I could to cling to her, but whatever
