All that working and stress eventually caught up to Claudia, and so one day she woke up freezing. She was quite out of it, so when she felt something warm next to her she immediately latched on. The thing in question moved to hold her back, and they stayed like that for a while, in one another's arms. That is until Bruno realized what was happening.
"Um Claudia?" Bruno tried to extract himself, but she just curled closer trying to chase the heat. It was kind of nice, but he had expected her to get embarrassed and move like she had during the stargazing trip. Instead there was nothing except her curling closer.
It was then when he realized something may not be right. He tried talking to her again, but got no response. So he felt her head and knew he was right about everything not being okay.
"Aye dios mio, you're burning up." He got out of the bed causing a whine from Claudia that tore at his heart. He tucked her in gently and she snuggled into the blankets still annoyed with the loss of her heat pack.
"Don't worry little mouse. I'll go get Julieta. She'll know what to do." He said as he gazed down at her with a bit of fear in his eyes. He had to fix this as soon as possible. So he raced out of the room.
When Bruno got downstairs, he noticed that everyone was at the table, except Julieta. He took a quick look in the kitchen and she wasn't there either.
"Where's Julieta?" He asked Pepa and Alma.
"Your sister went to help with Senora Guzman's birth. Why?" Alma looked confused at the question.
"Claudia is burning up. I don't know what to do. I just want to make sure she's ok and-"
Alma grabbed some bread from the table. "I'll handle this."
"Mama, that won't work-" but she had already left.He sighed. She never seemed to hear him.
Claudia was burning up, but she had gained some conciseness. Her eyes were barely open when Alma entered the bedroom. The older woman felt her forehead and sighed. Bruno must have been worried sick. She saw how he looked at the girl. Luckily this was an easy fix.
"Here dear, eat this. It will help."
"It won't work…" Claudia quietly said.
"Of course it will, dear." Alma gave her a patient smile. "Now open up."
Claudia took a small bite, and the last thing she saw before she was out like a light was Alma's confused face when nothing happened.
Julieta's food didn't work. It always worked, but on this one girl it hadn't. Maybe it wasn't Julieta's cooking, but Alma had swore she had seen her daughter make it the night before. It was impossible. The magic always worked, that is unless something was wrong. Claudia coughed and brought her back to the matter at hand. As the others entered the room, she schooled her expression.
"Pepa get her changed. Bruno get blankets. I'll go get a wet rag." Alma ordered before Bruno and she hurried from the room.
"Clear skies. Clear skies," Pepa chanted. It was taking all of her control to have just a cloud and no rain.
She started by changing Claudia's shirt, as she pulled off the sweat soaked one, she immediately had to walk away as the rain started. Bandages covered the girl's back, and she knew she had to stop it. She just knew it had to deal with the Rojas, but she couldn't deal with it now. She had to stay strong, for Claudia. The poor girl deserved that much. There would be plenty of time for questions when the girl felt better. Until that time she would just have to keep her away from the Rojas. When she finally got the rain to go away, she finished her task carefully and as calmly as she could.
Brno knocked before entering the room and waited until Pepa gave the all clear. As soon as he got in he began piling blankets on Claudia. He had gotten as much as he could carry. He may not be able to do much, but he'd do all he could to help his little mouse. He just hoped that the fever would break as soon as possible, and Claudia would go back to feeling better.
Alma entered with a wet rag and a bowl of water.
"A messenger has told me I'm needed at the Guzman's. I suspect that the two of you can handle it from here. Just make sure to keep the rag cold, understood?"
The two nodded and Alma took a quick look back at the girl before leaving. Something wasn't right with that girl, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She decided to ignore it for the time as she headed to the Guzman's casa.
Pepa and Bruno quietly talked as they placed the rag on her forehead.
"I'm worried she's going to work herself to death if she continues to go to the Rojas," Bruno admitted softly as he wrung out the rag and placed it on her forehead, "Something about the way they treat her in front of me seems off."
"Agreed," Pepa said as she sat in a chair next to the bed. "Something is seriously wrong over there. We need to keep our eye on it, for Claudia."
"For my little mouse," Bruno said.
"Your little mouse?" He turned red and Pepa smirked, "That is the cutest thing ever. Does she know you call her that?"
Bruno rubbed his neck, embarrassed. "Well she uh accidentally found out a few weeks back. She kind of, well, thought it was sweet though. Oh and whatever you do don't call her by the Rojas' name for her."
"Why's that? I thought it was just a pet name?"
"She called me sir after I used it. Whatever it is, it scares her." Pepa's cloud grew and boomed, "uh Pepa, I don't think it's a good idea to rain onto a sick person. Maybe we should talk in the other room."
As they moved to the other room Pepa's cloud thundered again. Bruno quickly moved a dry folded blanket by Pepa so that she wouldn't rain on the carpet.
"You're telling me that they use that name as some sort of threat? Bruno, that's not ok. We have to tell mama." Pepa folded her arms as she began to rain.
"I've tried Pepa. I really have, but without any definite and direct evidence, she won't listen. We've got to get her to-" a cry came from the other room so Bruno rushed back as Pepa tried to calm down with her mantra.
"No please, I'm sorry sir." Claudia was thrashing in her sleep. "I won't do it again i promise, just please don't...don't"
Bruno sat and took her hand. "Don't what little mouse?"
"Don't hurt me."
There it was, a direct admission. He knew his mother wouldn't accept it unless it came from her mouth, but he knew that they had hurt the girl somehow.
"What did they do to you?" He quietly asked as he brushed some hair from her trembling forehead. "It's ok little mouse. I won't hurt you. I would never hurt you."
After he ran his fingers through her hair a bit, Claudia calmed back down. That's when Pepa entered and stood in the corner away from Claudia and the bed. Her cloud had grown much darker.
"We can't let her go back, Bruno, no matter what mama says."
Bruno looked over at Claudia in concern. "I don't know if she'll agree to that."
"Then we'll make her agree."
Claudia woke up slowly and moved some of the blankets off her. She felt much better than she had earlier. That was until she realized what she had said to Alma. She had basically admitted to what she was. She was screwed. As she looked around the room, she noticed Bruno asleep in a chair next to the bed. A rag sat in a basin next to him. Had he been taking care of her? She looked down to see she had been changed and grew pale.
"They know."
"We know what?" Bruno said sleepily with a yawn.
"Nothing...umm thanks for taking care of me. It was sweet of you."
Bruno laid a hand on her forehead. "I'm just happy you're feeling better. We were worried about you."
"We?"
"Pepa, Alma, and me. Luckily mama figured out how to help without Julieta's cooking."
Claudia froze waiting for the inevitable question, but it never came. Bruno could tell she was afraid, and so he decided to wait another day for the question.
"You've gotta be hungry. C'mon, let's go get you some food." And with that they headed to the dining room. Claudia didn't notice anything amiss as they ate, but every so often Alma would study her as if trying to answer a question. It seemed her secret wouldn't stay secret for long
