Surprise! It's my 20th birthday, and to celebrate, I'm releasing 3 whole chapters today, in addition to the ones you'll get on Friday. Enjoy!
The muggy Texas air sunk its deep claws into my body, causing my limbs to feel like they weighed a thousand pounds each. Even in November, when the whispers of winter chills were beginning to creep in, a heavy rain threatened to reverse any of that cool air. Some of Lila's hair was beginning to frizz up slightly, and I noticed drops of sweat elegantly sliding down the sides of Five's face. Ever since the incident at the store, he'd been reluctant to speak to me, providing the longest period of time either of us had gone without speaking to the other (save for the years he had disappeared, which I didn't count because we weren't near each other). He'd refused to meet eyes with any of us or utter more than a sound every now and then, making it difficult to effectively communicate a plan. Diego and I threw together the best semblance of one we could muster, but it lacked a clear and concise path.
Couples chatted and laughed as the valets took their cars off to where they were meant to be parked. Every person that entered appeared to be middle-aged, save for some of the young women elderly men had somehow roped into coming with them. We were going to stand out a lot more than previously intended, but as long as no one stopped to question us, we should be able to get in and out just fine.
Diego led the charge as he climbed up over the side of the bridge the four of us had crouched behind, following him like ducks as we moved to take the same position as before, just beside a car this time.
"So, what's the plan?" Lila whispered from behind me. Diego cast his eyes in her direction momentarily, before they trained right back to our intended location.
"We infiltrate, we identify, we extract. Double time." He spoke quickly, as though he couldn't be bothered to waste another second.
"What the hell's he talking about?" I turned back slightly, glancing down at Lila with a smile.
"Find the old man and get out fast," I translated. Diego rolled his eyes at me.
"That's what I said." I shook my head, telling him off slightly and forcing him to move on. "On me."
Once Diego darted over to the next car, I jumped out from behind the safety of the vehicle and took my place beside him. It took them both a couple of seconds, but eventually, Five and Lila caught up, and once we got our opening, the four of us crept in through the side door.
Opalescent chandeliers cast tiny circles of light down on the faces of attendees wandering about, searching for food or making small talk amongst both familiar faces and new acquaintances. The joyful, bouncing notes of a mariachi band twirled their way into my ears as the delightful spices and scents of various foods set on trays drifted through my nostrils. For a moment, I allowed myself to get lost in the grandeur of it all, completely forgetting the reason we'd come here. A server, dressed completely in white, bowed slightly to us, offering champagne for the new arrivals, which all but Diego gladly accepted. Under normal circumstances, I would have tried to take the drink from Five, but I was too deep into my own awe to really give a shit at the moment.
Diego, on the other hand, couldn't bring himself to lose focus for even a second.
"I don't see Dad anywhere," he murmured, leaning down so only we could hear his observations.
"Just keep an eye out for the Majestic Twelve," Five instructed, finally breaking his brooding streak. "I got the upstairs. Diego, try not to do anything stupid." Lila's laughter was met only with a blank expression.
I reached out and grabbed onto Lila's arm as she attempted to follow Five up the stairs, suddenly very intrigued with why she wanted to go after him. Up until this point, my brother had been nothing but cold to her, so the fact she had such a vested interest in him confused me. Not to mention, this wasn't the first time she had just wandered off without any indication as to where she wanted to go.
"Trying to ditch me again?" I was turning more and more into my brothers every second I spent with them.
"What are you talking about?" The way she cocked her head indicated she was suddenly playing dumb. Not exactly the most promising thing coming from my girlfriend.
"Last night…" Her gaze drifted away from me again, fixating on Five running up the stairs. "Hey." I turned her head to meet my eyes. "Where'd you go?"
"You really wanna do this now?" She sounded appalled that I dared to ask, but I couldn't just let things go. I'd learned from years of communicating with my siblings that if I didn't stand firm and demand answers right after I'd asked for them, I was never going to get anything clear cut.
"Really."
"Fine. I went to the pharmacy to buy gauze for your brother's disgusting stab wound. Is that allowed, or…?" Something about her posture, and the question at the end of her sentence tipped me off to something deeper going on. "As a matter of fact, you owe me $1.89. Or, you would if I'd actually paid for it."
Before I could get any further into the conversation, the song changed, and Lila grabbed me by my wrist, dragging me along behind her with enthusiasm.
"They're playing our song."
Panic quickly caught up with me as she led the both of us onto the dance floor. Completely out of habit, I took the lead and wrapped an arm firm around her waist, but as the two of us glided across the dance floor, my eyes kept darting around, frantically keeping watch over all the other people here with us.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Lila sighed, raising her eyebrows at me. "What's got you all tense?" My hands trembled as I allowed myself to keep my eyes on her for a moment longer than I'd liked.
"Lila, I hate to be the killjoy here, but of all the people we could be dancing around, this is the group we'd have to be the most worried about. I mean, they're going to be the least okay with two women dancing together… like this." I caught my breath, the worries tumbling out faster than my lungs could manage. "Not that anyone down here would really think this was normal."
Though I didn't want to stop dancing with her, I'd hoped Lila would at least think over the concerns I'd just voiced. She did seem to process them, but even after, her smile only grew.
"Mina." Lila made a big show of looking around the room at all the other dancers. "No one here gives a shit. See?"
She had a point. No one here even gave us the time of day, but maybe that was just them trying to pretend it wasn't happening. Still, it did nothing to calm my nerves.
"But—"
"And, I'm willing to bet they still won't care after I do this."
I flinched momentarily as she got up onto her toes—still too short, even in the heels—and pressed her lips against mine, completely uncaring as to who might spot us. After a second, the initial shock wore off, and I pulled her a little tighter against me as I kissed her back, momentarily letting myself go. She just had this way of completely banishing all my worries.
The moment Lila pulled away, I glanced around the room; there were no stares or expressions of shock, no women were clutching their pearls, and no old men had collapsed from heart attacks.
Sure, that was extreme and overdramatic, but in Dallas in 1963… you could just never be too sure.
"You're right," I laughed, my last little bits of tension falling away. "These old people do not give a shit."
I felt beat of the music work its way into my bones, allowing myself to finally loosen up. I fell into an easy waltz with Lila, twirling and holding her close. She followed along easily, surprising me slightly.
"Someone's got moves," she smiled once I'd turned her back around and pulled her close to my chest.
"Well, I've been a ballerina for… pretty much as long as I've been alive," I explained as I pulled us apart. "But, my father also insisted on ballroom lessons. He used to make Five and I dance together, and I can tell you confidently that both of us wanted to jump out a window the entire time." Some of my father's words crawled back into my mind as the two of us laughed. "'One never knows when the paso doble will be the difference between life and death…'" I shifted my hand slightly and dipped Lila down toward the floor. "'…children.'"
"My mum used to say something along those lines." Lila brought one of her hands up and brushed some of my hair from my face. "Switch."
I yanked the two of us up and pulled away momentarily, allowing Lila to shift our positions and take the lead in the dance. Her movements were far sharper than mine had been, but that didn't really make a difference to me. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as she turned me so that my back was pressed against her, and she pulled my face down to meet with hers momentarily, before she pushed me away again and I resumed the leading dancer position. Lila giggled and pressed her nose against my cheek, causing the spot to almost instantly heat up.
For a second, I allowed my eyes to drift away from her, when they landed on a sight that caused my mind to go completely blank. Diego was standing just barely out of a doorway in front of us, speaking to a woman with long, blonde hair, comforting eyes, and a loving smile.
It couldn't be…
I shook my head. That wasn't Mom. At least, not the one we grew up with. But I never realized she had been modeled after a real woman. I always figured she was just the image of an ideal mother figure Dad had drawn up in his mind.
"Well, you are easily distracted," Lila joked as she followed my gaze. As much as I regretted it, I had to leave her for a moment, just to keep Diego from doing something stupid.
"Only when one of my brothers is about to make a fool out of himself," I grunted.
"So, nearly all the time." Her statement gave me pause, but I still removed my arms from her waist, offering her a sorrowful smile.
"I'll be right back."
Once I let go, I made a beeline straight for Diego and the woman, catching up to them right before she walked away. Diego jumped a little as I appeared at his side, catching her attention.
The name nearly left my mouth as she focused her green eyes on me.
"This your girlfriend?" she asked, completely unaware. Diego and I glanced at each other for a moment, eyes wide and faces wrinkled with disgust.
"No! No," I quickly denied, waving my hands slightly.
"This is my sister, actually," Diego corrected. "Mina…" He placed a hand on my back and pushed me forward slightly. "…meet Grace."
I sucked in a deep breath as she reached out and took my hand, shaking it firmly. It felt so bittersweet, knowing she had absolutely no clue that eventually, there would be a caretaker created in her honor that eight children would come to love more than anyone else in the world. I couldn't tell her how much I loved her, or that I thought of her every day since we lost her… I just had to pretend we were complete strangers.
"I-It's nice to meet you," I stammered, attempting to keep the warm tears at bay.
"You as well." Her Texas drawl definitely caught me off guard, but I tried my best to remain friendly. "I have to admit, I can't see the resemblance." It still felt so strange, looking at this woman and realizing she knew nothing about us.
"Oh, uh, yeah. We're adopted," I shrugged. Mom—or just Grace?—nodded, understanding coming over her face.
"Well, you two look out for each other. 'The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life.'"
Of course both Mom and Dad would go around quoting people.
"Absolutely, ma'am."
With that, she nodded and walked away, leaving Diego and I with the heaviness of the moment. Immediately after she was out of earshot, I turned to him, raising my eyebrows.
"You okay?" I asked, concerned. Diego continued to stare at where Mom had been stood for another lingering moment, before he finally forced himself to look at me.
"Yeah, yeah, it's just… jarring."
A wave of intense sympathy washed over me, so I reached out and pulled him into a hug, offering him at least a little bit of comfort in a moment of what likely felt like a sword straight to the heart.
"Clearly, she was a pretty remarkable woman, if Dad made a caretaker in her likeness." I smiled. "Then again, Mom was a pretty phenomenal woman, too. Even if she wasn't human."
My mind came back to me, and I suddenly pulled away from my brother, my eyes snapping around to find Lila standing by herself, selecting some of the seafood from the tower she'd been so excited about this morning.
"Lila." I turned back to Diego. "Will you be okay if I go back to her? Because if you need me, I'll—" Diego laughed a little, cutting me off.
"Go be with your girlfriend," he encouraged. "I'm still on lookout for Dad."
"Are you sure?" Before I could protest any further, Diego spun me around and started to push me away.
"Do something for yourself for once, Mina. We're all going to be okay if you do."
I couldn't completely fight my instincts, but I gave in to Diego's urging and headed over toward Lila.