“It’s disconcerting that they witnessed another crime within weeks from the last, don’t you think?” Jackson asked us cynically and stared at us obnoxiously.

  “I think it’s more disturbing that you have come here to harass two young girls for no reason,” I countered bitterly.

  She knew this wasn’t about her concern for their well-being but her need to be correct.

  “I’m just concerned for their safety. If Ms. De Los Santos and Ms. Hernandez keep this up, it will only be a matter of time before one or both of them get hurt,” she continued, striking a chord.

  “Listen, lady, I think you should mind your own business. Go do some real work!” Carmen told her angrily and stomped to the rear to dust the statues, ranting in Spanish as she went.

  Then we heard footsteps rushing down the stairs. “Good morning!” Camila and Gaby sang in unison.

  Great! Now, these two show up while their law enforcement stalker is still here.

  “What’s she doing here?” a defiant Gaby asked, seeing Agent Jackson standing by the cash register.

  “Minding her business!” Carmen yelled from the back, rattled and rolling her eyes.

  My mother used to say if you roll your eyes too much, you will end up crossed-eyed, and I smiled as I noticed Carmen get more agitated now that Camila and Gaby had arrived.

  “I was just curious about the incident at NYU,” Jackson admitted getting straight to the point and walking around the counter to better look at Camila and Gabriela.

  It seemed like she was sniffing for blood. This woman is relentless. Aren’t there any from the most wanted list she could be working on instead of being in my shop investigating innocent teenagers?

  “What does that have to do with the FBI?” Camila asked, calmly sitting on a stool in front of the counter, legs crossed and arms folded as her orange star-studded summer dress draped to the ground.

  “Nothing. I only care about your well-being. But if you keep running into trouble, it’s only a matter of time before one of you gets hurt,” Jackson warned her.

  Midnight, my black cat, jumped on the counter and hissed at Jackson, who immediately moved away from the counter.

  “Thanks for your concern, but we can take care of ourselves,” Gaby replied, standing beside Camila, showing a united front.

  “Do you ladies live here?” Jackson continued to encroach. I told her the girls weren’t here in the botanica. I never said they weren’t upstairs at my residence.

  “Agent Jackson, thank you for your concern, but we can take care of ourselves, as Gabriela already stated. If there is nothing else you need, and since you’re not on official business, I will have to ask you to leave. We have work to do,” Camila told her politely.

  That’s my girl! Sometimes, I don’t think she has it in her, but she does. Although I’ll admit, it’s all about tact. You can send a person straight to hell, and they won’t object if you do it with diplomacy.

  “Okay, I’ll go, but I want you to know that I know something is going on with the two of you. I came as a friend. I hope you know you can trust me. I’ll be watching either way,” Jackson warned them and left.

  “Whatever!” Gaby stated after she exited.

  “I know, right? That woman has some nerve. She’s probably illegally spying on you ladies. You should report her,” Carmen suggested walking back to the front counter.

  “That’s a good idea, Carmen. Jackson is not supposed to be keeping tabs on us like we’re criminals,” Gaby said ardently.

  “Let it go. We don’t need any more problems. Jackson can watch us all she wants. We’re not doing anything wrong,” Camila counseled Carmen and Gaby.

  “I agree. Stay out of trouble, and you’ll be off her radar,” I said. Yet, I’m starting to believe that trouble finds them.

  “Reporting crime is not an offense.” Gaby protested, aggravated.

  “Neither is teleporting, but we keep it from her and make her suspicious,” Camila added.

  I hope this girl isn’t suggesting we tell the “good” agent about teleporting. But if she is, Camila has utterly lost her mind.

  “Are you implying we tell her about it?” I asked, concerned.

  “No, not exactly. I can understand where the agent is coming from, that’s all. She’s in law enforcement. She’s supposed to be mistrusting, and we are lying, so we shouldn’t be too hard on her,” Camila said sympathetically.

  My girl is wise. She always tries to walk a mile in the other person’s shoes. We can learn a thing or two from her. Being kind is about trying to understand the other person’s perspective. She is correct. We have not been forthcoming with Agent Jackson, so naturally, she doesn’t trust us.

  They spent the rest of the day at the botanica. Carmen and I didn’t ask if they had plans to go anywhere for fear that they do and that something terrible would happen. But on the other hand, I think Agent Jackson’s visit might have shaken them up because they stayed put.

  Gaby pulled me to the side to tell me about Camila’s meltdown the night before. “She’s under a lot of stress,” I told her.

  I still don’t completely understand her obstinance with this breakup. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

  “The two of you have been dealing with a lot, coupled with all the changes that are coming with the new school and the boys going away,” I said, placing my hand on Gaby’s shoulder, and she nodded in agreement.

  “I can’t imagine any of this being easy, but I’m proud of you, Gaby. Everything you said to her is what I would’ve said. You’re becoming an exceptional young woman,” I told her, beaming with pride.

  Carmen went up to the house to prepare dinner. I turned the sign on the door to closed, and the girls and I went upstairs to help her.

  “I’m making trifongo con chicharron!”62 Carmen exclaimed with excitement.

  “Yes!” the girls shouted as they sat at the dining table with cups of limeade.

  Thiago and Paulo will be returning this evening, and I sensed that Camila was tense in anticipation. Gaby, on the other hand, was giddy with excitement. I wonder why?

  “Oh my God, this is delicious,” Camila said as she dug in.

  “Yeah, I prefer trifongo to mofongo,” Gaby added with a full mouth, and we all laughed.

  “I’m glad you ladies like it. Food always makes you feel better, especially when you make it with love,” Carmen told them.

  “Thank you, Carmen. We love you too,” the girls exclaimed as they continued to enjoy their meal.

  Carmen was right. Enjoying a delicious meal with people we care about brings a troubled mind comfort. I know firsthand the girls have a lot on their plate and are under a lot of stress.

  After dinner, Camila and Gaby decided to walk home. It was a beautiful summer night, and they wanted to enjoy the last days of summer.

  “Go straight home; no funny business,” I warned them as I opened the door to let them out.

  “Yes, ma’am!” Camila said with a salute while Gaby waved and stuck her tongue out at Carmen and me.

  They will never grow up, and that’s OK. Carmen and I are still pretty childish ourselves. There’s a certain youthfulness to allowing our inner child to come out.

  The girls were walking for a while when they noticed a vehicle driving slowly, parallel to them on the street. The high school they attended was a few blocks away, so they picked up their pace.

  Luckily, the sun was still out. It was late, but the street was welllit, and the fading sunlight allowed them to see the vehicle clearly. The windows were heavily tinted, impeding them from seeing the occupants.

  “There they are,” they heard a man’s voice say as he lowered the window from the vehicle following them on the street. Gaby looked over nervously, recognizing his voice.

  That’s the stabber! Gaby thought, taking Camila’s hand and running. She felt they needed to get away before the NYU assailant got out of the car.

  “Hey, where do you two think you’re going?” their pursuer yelled, exiting the car and chasing them.

  You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, Camila thought, keeping up with Gaby. Just when they thought they would have an uneventful day … now this.

  Let’s take the shortcut between the houses to the school, Gaby thought, and Camila nodded.

  “We’re not going to be able to lose him. Someone else is following in the car. They’ll take us if we don’t vanish quickly,” Camila yelled, running faster.

  Let’s teleport out of here! Gaby thought, yanking Camila’s arm as she sped up.

  “Think of Agent Jackson,” Camila instructed as they turned into an alley between houses that led to the school.

  “Are you out of your damn mind?” Gaby questioned, out of breath.

  Camila took her hand. “Trust me. Quick, before he turns the corner and sees us disappear,” she told Gaby.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Gaby protested. “Let’s get back to Idely’s and call the police,” she pleaded.

  “We don’t have time for this, Gaby. Just think of Jackson, and let’s get out of here!” Camila yelled as they turned into another back alley and continued to run toward the school.

  “Fine, but I hope you know what you’re doing,” Gaby cautioned … and they vanished.

  Their stalker turned the corner into the alley and sprinted but couldn’t see them anywhere.

  “Fuck!” he screamed in rage, clutching his head in frustration with both hands.

  The girls popped up in Agent Jackson’s living room. “Where are we?” Gaby asked, still shaken from the chase, clutching her chest as she gasped for air.

  “I think we’re at Jackson’s house,” Camila said breathlessly, looking around and seeing a picture of Jackson with an elderly woman on a shelf above an electric fireplace.

  “Hands up!” Jackson ordered from the stairs and pointed a gun at them.

  Camila and Gaby looked up at Agent Jackson and were so frightened by the sight of the weapon that they stood paralyzed with their hands in the air.

  “What the hell are you two doing here?” Jackson demanded, agitated. “I could have shot you,” she screamed, descending the rest of the stairs and holstering her gun.

  The girls were still recovering from the shock of having a gun pointed at them and couldn’t answer her straightaway. So, instead, they stood in the living room, squeezing each other’s hands, and stared blankly at Jackson.

  “Well, how did you get my address, and what are you doing here?” Jackson demanded angrily.

  Funny how that works. Jackson can appear unannounced at my business looking for them, but they can’t show up uninvited to her place without her throwing a fit.

  “The maniac from NYU found us and was chasing us. We didn’t know where else to go, so we came here. We found your address online,” Gaby said after a moment.

  “Online?” Jackson yelled. “I find that difficult to believe!” she stated, still staring at them incredulously.

  “How did you get in?” Jackson continued to question as she walked toward the front door.

  “Your door was unlocked when we got here, and we locked it when we came in, afraid he followed us. You have a gun, so we feel safe coming to you,” Camila said, hoping to convince her.

  “I doubt I left my front door unlocked!” Jackson countered as she examined the door.

  “Dust it for prints then, but are you going to help us or not? Someone just tried to kidnap us. Why don’t you do your job and help us?” Gaby stressed.

  “Didn’t you say we could trust you?” Camila asked.

  “Yes, I did, but none of this makes sense,” Jackson admitted.

  “It doesn’t need to make sense. Just call it in. The men trying to kidnap us are probably still looking for us. Maybe they can be arrested or something,” Gaby said wearily.

  “Where were you being followed?” Jackson asked.

  “Near our school,” Camila answered.

  “In Yonkers?” Jackson asked with heightened distrust.

  “Where else?” Gaby asked sarcastically.

  Gaby needed to slow down because Jackson was doing calculus with every word they uttered, and it was not looking good. We don’t know where Jackson lives, get my drift?

  “How long ago?” Jackson quizzed.

  “Um, I’m not sure, maybe twenty minutes ago,” Camila said nervously.

  I’m about to choke on my popcorn over here. I don’t know why Camila thought it was a good idea to go to Jackson in the first place. They could’ve just thought of going to the nearest police station. Of course, that psycho would be in handcuffs by now, but instead, they are in Jackson’s place, and their math is just not adding up to her, but let us carry on.

  “How did you get here?” Jackson asked them as she sat on her royal blue chaise. She just turned the FBI agent all the way up, if you know what I mean.

  Where is here? Where are we? Gaby thought, unsure, and Camila shrugged her shoulders.

  See, I told you we shouldn’t come here, Gaby complained in her thoughts, and Camila gently shook her head.

  Now, they’re in a world of shit because Camila did not think this through, and she acted on impulse.

  I try to teach them to think before they act and to attempt to have all the facts before doing anything. Jackson is an intelligent woman. Fooling her will be nigh on impossible.

  “Cat got your tongue, or have you ladies run out of lies?” Jackson continued the interrogation.

  “That’s the thing with lies,” she continued before the girls could answer. I feel she knows they cannot reply without giving themselves up.

  “Once you say one lie, you have to say another, and then another, until the charade falls apart,” Jackson continued, and the girls stood silently.

  Jackson’s home was immaculately clean. The living room was small but furnished in good taste, with the chaise, a matching love seat, and an exotic Delco abstract art coffee table in the center.

  Unfortunately, she had no television, only two striking Kalimera feather floor lamps, and an electric fireplace against the wall.

  Everything seemed expensive and color-coordinated. For example, the feathers on the lamps were also royal blue with gold legs.

  “I’m sorry we came here. Going to the police would’ve been a better idea, but since you seem so bothered and are keeping illegal tabs on us, we thought you would jump at the opportunity to help, but I see that you don’t care. You’re just nosy and desperate to be right about us hiding something,” Gaby told her accusatorially.

  My girl is trying to flip the script. I’ll admit she’s good, but I’m not sure that’ll be enough to get them out of this mess.

  “You think you can break into my home and disrespect me, young lady?” Jackson asked, sitting upright.

  I would insert some emojis for emphasis, but I don’t think that’s allowed in storytelling. So let’s see what happens.

  “We didn’t break into your house, and she means no disrespect,” Camila replied defensively.

  Not looking like such a good idea now, is it? But no matter how much advise you try to give a person, there is no better teacher than experience.

  “I’m sorry if you were offended, but the truth often has that effect. We’re leaving. You’ll continue to accuse us of something anyway instead of helping. If you’re not going to help catch the homicidal maniac after us, please leave us alone,” Gaby said, ushering Camila to the door.

  These two were testing this woman’s patience. I hope she doesn’t call in a break-in and have them both arrested. But yes, she should have them arrested, which may teach them a lesson.

  Camila is stubborn when she thinks she’s right. Unfortunately, this “seeing the good in people” will probably land her in jail tonight.

  “Not so fast. You two are not going to ‘bamboozle’ me with nonsense. You still haven’t told me how you got here, and I’m still not convinced you didn’t break-in. So I want answers, and I want them now,” Agent Jackson demanded as she stood to her feet.

  “You want answers?” Camila shouted, strained.

  Oh boy, please don’t. Don’t do it, girl. For the love of God, don’t!

  “Camila, please, don’t,” Gaby pleaded, looking her directly in the eyes.

  It’s OK! Camila said to Gaby without verbalizing.

  She turned to Jackson, “If you want answers, I suggest you first sit,” she recommended.

  Agent Jackson sat again with a disturbed look, and Gaby joined her partner in crime on the love seat, bracing for impact.

  “We have supernatural powers, we are telepathic, and we can teleport,” Camila blurted out.

  If you’ve ever had a Brazilian wax, you know that fast is the best way to rip that wax off, and Camila just jumped right to it with no preliminaries.

  Meanwhile, Jackson sat there trying to process what she just said.

  I bet she’s debating between Camila being crazy or joking, but who knows what her reaction will be? I only hope Camila knows what she’s doing because there is no going back from this.

  We are masters of our silence and prisoners of our words. Once they are said, we cannot take them back. Therefore, it is wise to consider what we say carefully because the impact is often insufferable. The heat of the moment has caused more regret than anything else in this world.

  ____________

  62 Mix of green plantains, ripe plantains, and yucca, with fried pork belly or fried pork rinds.

  EPISODE ELEVEN

  Thiago and Paulo cut their weekend trip short because they insisted on returning tonight instead of Sunday night as planned. They had been calling the girls, but no one answered.

  Thiago was worried something awful had happened, and Paulo could feel his restlessness. It must be the twin connection. They communicate without the need for words, not supernaturally as the girls do, but there is a special connection between them.

  “Let’s call Idelfonsa. Camila and Gabriela are probably still there,” Paulo suggested, seeing that Thiago was distraught.

  Paulo doesn’t like sensing that Thiago is sad or upset. When they were kids, he always tried making funny faces and doing unusual stunts like hanging from the railing on the stairs to cheer up his brother.

 

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