Page 106 of These Fractured Bonds

“Not yet.”

Yareli ran off before he could ask her another question. She was eleven, turning twelve soon, and even though her brother was annoying, he was good at soccer, which made playing with him fun. He handed the ball over to her, and she rubbed his head, shaking up his curls.

“Hey!”

She stuck her tongue out at him, placing the ball on the ground and kicking it toward the goal. She missed, and Fernando cackled. At her look, he ran to pick up the ball, but she could still hear him giggling. He kicked the ball at her, and she passed it right back. They went back and forth like this for a little bit until her dad called her.

“Ven aquí.”

She groaned. “Can’t Fernando do it?”

“Ven!”

She walked toward him, dragging her feet so it took her longer than it should have. He handed her the tongs, instructing her to watch the cooking meat and to flip it every once in a while.

“Pass me the ball, Nando,” he said.

Fernando kicked it over immediately, his excitement clear in his giddy smile. Her annoyance faded, replaced by curiosity. It was rare for their dad to take an interest in what they were doing; it was rarer for him to play with them.

“Watch carefully.”

He flicked the ball up, juggling it on his feet and thighs for a couple of taps. He let it drop and kicked it into their makeshift goal. Yareli joined Fernando in applause—the meat all but forgotten—yelling and laughing at how cool that had been.

“Dad, where did you learn to do that?” Fernando asked.

“I used to be the best soccer player in my rancho, mijo,” he answered proudly, patting his chest in emphasis.

“No way!” Yareli said. “You played soccer?”

“When I was a kid, before I left for el norte.” His eyes changed, losing the mirth from showing off. They became cloudy and misty, as though he was remembering something from long ago.

He made his way back to her, his short black hair just long enough to start showing its curls. He always kept it short, saying he didn’t like dealing with it, but Yareli loved it when he went too long without a haircut, and she could see Fernando’s likeness in him. She had her mom’s straight hair, much to her chagrin, because it refused to hold a curl.

“A la madre, la carne!” he cursed, ripping the tongs from her hands.

The smell of burnt meat filled her nostrils; black smoke rose from the grill, and her dad hurried to salvage the meat. Dreaddripped down Yareli’s throat, flipping her stomach. She took a step back.

“Sorry,” she said weakly.

Her dad didn’t reply. Once he was done fixing her mistake, he turned, looming over her like a statue. Her surroundings lost focus, becoming a blurry mess of colors until only a muddy orange remained. She repeated her apology, but he didn’t respond. The tongs in his hands grew in length, stretching until they had curled around his body, and a snake’s head hissed at her from his shoulder.

Her dad remained oblivious to the snake. His voice boomed. “Why can’t you listen?”

She apologized again, and her eyes burned. He opened his mouth again, but her mom’s voice came out instead.

“You’re always going out to that damn casino!”

His mouth became a void, widening until she feared she’d fall into its depths.

“This ismyhouse. I’ll do whatever I want!”

Fernando’s cries echoed around them, and she looked for him only to realize it was coming from the void. The snake coiled around her dad’s neck, and he wheezed, his face purple. But the voices didn’t stop. Garbled, they were twisted like the snake around him.

She screamed and dropped to the ground, holding her hands over her ears and rocking herself. Her dad grabbed her hair and forced her head back. She cried out.

His contorted face stared down at her, the yawning void staring right back at her. A glint shone, growing in size until a snake’s head emerged from the void. It widened its maw, its tongue flicking toward her. She stopped breathing. Right as its jaws reached her, she woke up.

Erick was slumped over on a chair next to her bed, his head tilted back. Her chest rose and fell in quick bursts, and she pushed herself up, arms trembling.