Page 2 of Mortal Desires

“Go on, open it.”

I fell onto my butt and opened the box, gasping when I took in what lay inside.

“It’s yours now.”

I looked down at the ring. It looked like it belonged to a princess with its shiny golden band and huge red stone in the middle.

“You need to keep it safe,” she instructed. “Can you do that, Pilar?”

I couldn’t take my eyes off the ring, but I nodded.

“It’s not your father’s. It’s not for any of your sisters, either. It’s yours, and you need to take care of it for me.”

My thumb glossed over the cold stone, and I finally looked up to face her. “I can do that.”

“That’s good. You can keep my secret, right?”

I nodded again. She smiled, looking satisfied by my reply. “Close that up and let’s go before your father wakes up.”

The air froze in my lungs just at the mention of Daddy. Quickly, I closed the box and did my best to make it look like no one had opened it.

On our way down, we tiptoed again. I held my breath when we were across from Daddy’s bedroom, but Abuela smiled firmly, looking confident. She wasn’t going to let anything happen to me. I trusted her.

Finally, with Daddy’s floor behind me and my heart still beating too fast, I sat down on the steps, gripping the box with my small fingers.

Abuela leaned on the wall, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and chuckled at my discomfort. I said nothing, just sat there, afraid of my own shadow.

I was still catching my breath when Elisa opened her door, still wearing pajamas. Half asleep, she almost missed me sitting on the steps.

“Oh, there you are. I was coming to wake you up.”

“I’m awake,” I told my big sister.

Elisa brushed her black hair out of her face, coming closer to the steps with a funny smile. “What’s going on Pilar?”

I lifted a shoulder, glancing just once at Abuela before I lied. “Nothing. I just woke up early.”

“Bad dreams?”

“No.”

Elisa watched me for a second too long, but deciding maybe she was reading too much into it, she shook her head. “Get ready for school, then.”

I should have let her go, but I couldn’t resist. The words flew out of me before I could stop them.

“Do you remember much of Abuela?”

Elisa turned, tilting her head to the side. “Not really. She died when I was too little.”

I glanced at Abuela, her eyes serious, just like Elisa’s. I blinked and returned my eyes to my sister.

“I know she liked red. It was her thing,” Elisa offered.

I chanced one last look at my grandmother. Red shawl, red lipstick, and now the red ring in my hands.

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“Why?” Elisa asked, her eyes narrowing.

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