DISCLAIMER: If you recognize it, I don't own it.
Slamming his boot into the man's leg, Vicente managed to get about five steps before he was grabbed by his shirt collar and hoisted off the ground. "Don't kill me!" he shrieked as he tried in vain to run through the air. "It's all Bry's fault! It was her idea!"
"You said it was a good idea!" his sister yelled back.
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Quiet!" Valeria's assistant shouted, shaking him. You shall speak when you are answering to my mistress for - "
"For what?"
The four of them looked up. Standing in the church doorway was Valeria, her arms crossed and eyebrows raised as she observed the scene. "Well?" she asked when the others didn't answer, a hint of steel slipping into her voice. "Explain."
"I found these little beasts in the wagon," Valeria's assistant said, shaking the children again. "Sneaking about."
The woman's eyes narrowed as she stepped forward. "Bring them closer."
Smirking, the man tossed the children onto the cobblestones in front of her. They staggered to their feet, trembling and trying to look around in search of the nearest escape.
Valeria's gaze seemed to bore down from miles above them as she spoke. "What were you doing in my carriage?" Her voice was soft and quiet, like a pot of water coming to a slow boil.
"…I-It was my idea, ma'am," Gabriela mumbled as the three of them looked away.
"I did not ask whose idea it was."
The children remained silent as they shuffled, shifting their weight from foot to foot.
"If you answer me," Valeria said after a few seconds, "I shall not tell your parents what you have done. I am a woman of my word, I assure you."
Ofelia was the first to glance back up. "We just wanted to…to see what was inside."
"And did you find what you were looking for?"
The glass vial felt heavy in her pocket, and she prayed Valeria could not see it. Its movement had ceased and its light had gone out, as though it was waiting to see what would happen next.
"…Yes, ma'am."
Valeria acknowledged the answer with a nod of her head. "Very well. You are free to leave."
Her assistant looked at her askance. "Surely you do not - "
"I certainly do." She glared down at the children. "But you shall find no leniency should you come here again. Now go."
The twins ran first, stumbling over one another's feet as they hurried towards the churchyard gate. Ofelia slowly followed, allowing herself to breathe normally again.
"Except for you, girl."
She froze. "…Me?"
"Yes. Look at me when I am speaking to you."
Ofelia slowly turned around, still standing in place. The twins lingered at the gate, eyes wide with fear. Valeria glowered at them, and they drifted out of sight step by step.
"W-What would - "
"Don't stutter."
Ofelia gulped. "What would you like from me, señora?"
"Walk with me a while." Valeria moved towards the gate, motioning for Ofelia to follow.
"I really should be getting home."
"We shall go past your house. I will see to it that you arrive safely."
"You don't need to - "
"You will do as I say, child."
"…Si, señora." Hanging her head, Ofelia trudged behind Valeria as they descended the hill.
The vial was growing warmer, although its light could not be seen through the fabric. Ofelia lagged a few steps behind Valeria, placing a hand over her pocket to cover the small lump.
Valeria doubled back, seemingly not content to have the girl out of her sight for even a moment. "You're slower than I thought you would be."
"Lo siento."
"Don't lie to me."
Ofelia flinched. "What do you mean?"
"You do not wish to be here. You wish to be away from me."
It's not just me. She looked at the cobblestones as she continued to walk. "I don't mean to…"
Valeria looked straight ahead. "I do not ask to be loved," she said. "I only ask to be respected."
"Yes, ma'am," Ofelia said.
"The mission I have committed myself to is one that cannot be accomplished by lesser folk," Valeria continued. "It is work of the utmost importance. The work of God."
"I understand."
"Do you?" Her tone suddenly grew icy.
Ofelia shuddered but nodded. "Papa says God's work is very important."
"Do you think he believes what he says?"
The girl began to lag behind once more. "Papa means everything he says."
Valeria suddenly stopped and turned around, looking her in the eye and blocking her way. "Even when he says he loves you and your mother?"
Ofelia stumbled and stopped, taken off-guard. "A-Always then…"
"Are you certain?"
She tried to dart around the older woman and run, but a gnarled hand grabbed her by the arm and another hand brushed her hair behind her ear. Valeria's sharp nails moved across her skin, digging into her when they reached the unusual, discolored shape.
"What is this?" Valeria asked, staring intently at the girl's birthmark as she traced it with a finger.
"Just a mark. Mama and Papa say it's…"
She trailed off as she noticed Valeria's expression. The woman's eyes had bugged out, and now they were glinting with hatred and revulsion. Quickly stepping away from the girl, she crossed herself.
"What's wrong?"
"I must go," she muttered before walking past her.
"Wait!" Ofelia called out, but she had already melted into the crowd.
She didn't realize her legs were shaking until she nearly collapsed. The vial was beginning to move and glow again. Don't listen to her.
Not sure whether to hold it closer or throw it away, Ofelia hurriedly covered her birthmark and ran the rest of the way home.
"You let her go?" Valeria's assistant asked incredulously. "You said you wanted her brought to you."
"I've done all I can for her," Valeria said, flipping through a large, ancient book sitting on her desk. "At least for now."
"You want to keep her alive?"
"She is still young. She knows not what she is." Valeria marked a spot in the book before closing it. "If she realizes, perhaps she can be saved. Maria as well."
"What now, then?"
She handed him a bunch of herbs tied together with twine. "Brew these up for that fool of a priest," she commanded. "I have a sermon to write."