Annia
Yesterday the boys said they would come pick us up. Lucía is wearing her usual outfit: a pencil skirt with a white shirt and a vest over it. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail.
She applies a little blush to her cheeks while I brush my hair, which I'll leave loose.
The mirror reveals the casual style I've chosen: loose-fitting white pants with a T-shirt and rubber sneakers of the same color. A lilac blazer is draped over the back of the chair.
When we're ready, we go down to the kitchen for breakfast. My mother is already at the table, holding her usual newspaper and having breakfast laid out.
We approach her as if in single file.
I put my arms around her and kissed her on the head.
"Good morning, Mom."
Lucía repeats what I did.
"Good morning, Mom Isa."
My mother smiles at us.
"Good morning to my favorite girls. How was your evening?"
"Entertaining. I got the TV remote."
"Which is like Tom and Jerry," she replied with an amused look. "And you? Is there nothing you want to tell me?"
Her attention shifted to me.
"Maybe... about a certain guy you're on the news with. And who has a certain manager going through the motions because you don't answer his texts."
I drank the juice. I sipped and bit into the pancakes on my plate while I looked at the faces of those with me.
Mom was waiting for an answer, and Lucia seemed amused by the situation.
"It's a guy I'm getting to know."
Mom's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Does that guy have a name?"
"His name is Black."
"Then Black must be important if you let yourself be photographed and haven't denied what the journalists and gossip shows are saying."
"There's nothing to deny. We're just getting to know each other. It's not like we're going home."
"When are you bringing him home?"
It wasn't a question, it was a warning. It left no room for a no.
"What?"
Lucia laughed at my bewilderment.
"Don't you expect me to be calm while you're out with a boy without knowing who he is?"
My eyes fell on Lucia, pleading for her help.
"He's coming to pick her up this morning."
"Lucia, she's meeting someone too."
I blurted out hastily to divert her attention.
Mom spun around to her, her mouth agape in surprise. When she recovered, she kicked me in the leg with her heel.
I whispered, "I'm sorry."
Mom's face was one of utter shock, her eyebrows raised and her eyes wide.
"Is it true?"
"Sure, he's Black's brother. His name is Heclares."
"Are they coming in a duplex now? I don't want one, but I want both boys at home. And I don't want them to act like fools when they're little. Okay?"
We nodded. And we continued with breakfast.
Genoveva, the lady who helps us clean, came over to inform us that the boys had arrived.
I exchanged a look with Lucía and we ran over, saying goodbye to Mom. With a little luck, she'd be out before she reached us.
As we left the house, there were the two cars I'd seen at her house, leaning against the gate.
We walked past them and got in the passenger seat.
"Come on, run!" Black looked at me, bewildered.
I opened the door and sat down. He got in just as the front door opened, revealing my mother.
"What's wrong?"
"My mom wants to see you. But we can leave it for another day."
"Is that why you're running away? How old are you? Ten?" He said it with such annoyance that the situation seemed ridiculous.
He raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer that didn't come.
"I think it's really rude to leave her lying there after she's already out. So now you'll be left here wondering why you're running away."
He got out of the car and locked it so I couldn't get out.
He locked me in his car.
Idiot.
Snorting, I focused on him as he walked toward my mother. It wasn't until I realized he wasn't wearing his old clothes, but the ones we'd bought a few days ago.
His shoes were polished, along with black dress pants and a matching shirt.
He walked over to my mother and offered his hand. His brother joined them, and they seemed very comfortable chatting.
When they got back to their cars, they immediately left the house.
"What did she say to you?"
"We owe her dinner. I don't understand why they were running away. She's only concerned about the people they hang out with."
"I know."
"You should be more consistent. Eventually, she'll figure out where we come from."
"What if...?"
"She's not going to stop loving you just because you're different. Get that out of your head." She's the one who raised you all these years, and if there's a greater power in all the worlds, it's a mother's love.
I turned to him. His gaze was fixed on the road, but his face had taken on a certain sadness. His hands were lightly gripping the steering wheel.
I was about to put my hand on his shoulder to ask him what was wrong, but a hard blow to the side of the car stopped me.
The blow jolted us, knocking him off balance. The wheels squealed. He was clutching his seatbelt tightly; for a moment, I thought we might swerve, but Black managed to stabilize the car.
"What was that?"
His gaze was fixed on the rearview mirror. I thought I heard him swearing under his breath. I turned, trying to see what had strained him, but found nothing. Until another blow jolted the car.
"They're Soul Eaters."
"Soul Eaters?"
"Yes, creatures that were imprisoned years ago. They lived in the realm of souls. But he had to release them in exchange for helping him," he explained quickly.
Another bump shook us.
"Turn the seat around, my sword is underneath. They won't rest until they've forced us out of our lane."
I did as he asked with trembling hands. Under the seat was a sword very different from any I'd seen before.
"I need you to stay by my side at all times when we leave. Don't move unless I ask you to."
"Are you going to stop?"
At that moment, I saw my life flash before my eyes as something vibrated the vehicle beneath us as another bump hit us, knocking us out of our lane.
My hands gripped the seatbelt even tighter. Black's body slammed into me, shielding me when he couldn't regain control. The vehicle spun around, and my hands loosened the belt to hold his shirt like shackles.
A sharp pain shot through my foot.
The car stopped, and Black stepped away from me. His eyes scanned me for any injuries.
"Are you okay?"
"My foot hurts."
He got out of the car so fast I didn't have time to process anything around me. He picked me up, leaving me sitting a few feet away.
He went back to the car to grab his sword. He was rummaging through the back seats when a large shadow landed behind him, obscuring him from my sight.
The shadow moved, taking on the appearance of Black. I looked a little further, where there were two more exact replicas.
My head was spinning.
How the hell was I supposed to tell who was who?