CHAPTER 3

The peace of our small room did not last long. I was still sitting on my cot, my heart still racing from the garden, when the door exploded open. It hit the wall with a sound like a gunshot.

Three men in black suits stormed inside. These were the Patron’s personal bodyguards. They were big, they smelled like old leather, and their faces were made of stone. My mother, Rosa, jumped up from the small table where she was folding laundry. Her face went white.

"What is this? What is happening?" my mother cried out.

"Where is it, Rosa?" the biggest guard shouted. He did not look at her like a person. "The Patron said your brat stole a precious possession from his study. A blue glass bird. He said she has been sneaking around his sons. Give it back now!"

"I did not steal anything! ¡Lo juro! I swear!" my mother screamed.

The guard did not listen. He reached out and shoved my mother. He pushed her so hard that she hit the floor with a heavy thud.

"¡Mamá!" I screamed, but another guard pointed a finger at me. "Stay back, mocosa!" he hissed.

They started to destroy our room. They threw the laundry on the floor. They ripped the sheets off our small beds. They kicked over the wooden chair and smashed our only ceramic bowl. They searched everywhere. They ripped the pillows open and flipped the mattresses.

But they found nothing.

The bird was not there. It was still buried deep under the stone bench in the garden. I sat on the floor, shaking, watching them tear my life apart for something they could not find.

"It is not here," the guard growled after they had ruined everything. He looked down at my mother, who was crying on the floor. "The Patron has a message for you. Stay away from his sons. If that girl of yours speaks to Mateo or Diego again, you will be on the street. ¡Lárguense!"

They stomped out of the room, leaving us in the mess.

My mother slowly stood up. She did not look at the broken bowl. She looked at me. Her eyes were full of a fire I had never seen before. She was terrified, and that terror turned into rage. She grabbed a wooden spoon from the floor.

"¡Valeria! ¡Ven aquí!" she screamed.

She started to beat me. The wood hit my arms and my legs over and over. "¡Ladrona! ¡Niña tonta!" she shouted in Spanish, her words coming out so fast they blurred together. "They said you stole a glass bird! They said you were with the boys! Do you want us to starve? Do you want us to die in the street?"

"I did not take it, Mamá! ¡Lo siento! ¡Perdón!" I wailed, covering my head.

She beat me until she was out of breath. When she finally stopped, she pointed to the corner. "Go to sleep. If I hear a sound from you, I will give you more."

I cried all night. My body felt like it was on fire. The next morning, I saw my mother at the small stove. She was cooking, her face hard and tired. Carlos, the driver, came to the door. He looked worried.

"Rosa," Carlos said softly. "I heard about the search. What did Valeria do?"

"They said she stole a glass bird," my mother said, stirring the pot. "She is going to cost me my job, Carlos."

Carlos shook his head. "Well, she won't be seeing the boys anymore. The news just came down. The Patron is sending them away today. Mateo is going to America. Diego is going to London. The cars are coming now."

My heart stopped. They were leaving because of me.

"Mamá?" I whispered. "Can I go to the lessons in the village? The ones for the poor children?"

My mother looked at my bruised arms. She looked like she felt bad for the beating, but she just nodded. "Go. But do not go near the big house. I will kill you if you do."

I ran out, but I did not go to the village. I snuck through the tall grass and peeped from behind a stone pillar.

Two black cars were waiting. I saw Diego come out first. He looked normal, like nothing had happened. He got into the second car. Then Mateo came out. He looked very sad. He kept looking toward the garden, looking for me. He looked like he wanted to cry.

As the cars drove away, I stood in the dirt and sobbed. I watched the dust rise as they disappeared. I really believed it was my fault. I believed I was the reason Mateo was being sent across the ocean.