EPILOGUE
Yadriel raced through the cemetery, pulling Julian along after him. Julian’s hand was warm, his grip strong, his palm calloused. As they ran for the church, Julian easily kept up as they wove between headstones. Yadriel looked over at him. Julian flashed him a cheek-aching smile and squeezed his hand. Laughter bubbled past Yadriel’s lips as he squeezed it back. He was there—he was real—and Yadriel would take any chance to grab him that he could.
The aquelarre was about to begin. It had taken a while to answer the police’s lingering questions and to get discharged from the hospital. Julian had refused to leave Yadriel. Proclaimed it with such ferocity that searing heat washed over Yadriel’s face.
But Rio also didn’t want to let him go, which was reasonable, considering what happened last time he let his little brother out of his sight. When Rio started asking too many questions, and Julian refused to give any answers, Yadriel’s dad was the one to break up the argument. He explained there was an important ceremony at the church Julian was welcome to attend. Afterward, he promised to bring Julian home himself.
Rio was suspicious—he didn’t understand why Julian would be so invested in any sort of religious event taking place at a church—but he eventually caved. Yadriel suspected it had a lot to do with Luca practically nodding off on his feet, and how Omar, Flaca, and Rocky kept complaining about being hungry. Even if they didn’t understand the secrecy, they were still ride-or-die for Julian.
Yadriel and Julian ran through the open gate and up the marigold-lined path to the church. Yadriel pulled Julian to a stop outside the door. Voices and laughter thrummed inside.
Poised halfway up the steps, Julian turned back to Yadriel.
Yadriel’s heart fluttered in his chest. The adrenaline coursing through his veins gave him a head rush. He was nervous. He was excited. He wanted to burst through the doors of the church. His heart wanted to explode. Beyond those doors, his mom, his ancestors, and his people were waiting, waiting to welcome this year’s of-age brujx.
To welcome him.
“You ready?” Julian asked, a curious look on his devastatingly handsome face.
“No,” Yadriel confessed, his voice tight.
Julian grinned. “Do it anyways.”
Laughter broke in Yadriel’s chest, easing the tension.
He snatched the front of Julian’s shirt and dragged him into a kiss. When he pulled back, Julian chased after his lips with a dazed smile.
“Later.” Yadriel chuckled, pushing his face away as he ran up the rest of the steps.
“How much later?” Julian demanded, running after him. “Later later, or, like, drag-me-out-behind-the-church-in-five-minutes later?”
Yadriel laughed as he pushed open the doors.
“Whoa,” Julian breathed.
The church was full of brujx and blinding light. Unlike regular spirits of the dead, the brujx spirits who returned for Día de Muertos glowed with a golden aura. And when brujx spirits were granted their return to the land of the living, they were able to touch their loved ones.
As Yadriel wove between people, heading for the main altar, families stood together talking, laughing, and embracing. There were smiles, tears, and kisses. Parents who had lost their children, lovers separated by death, and friends long lost were brought back together in celebration.
Yadriel did his best not to jostle anyone as they made their way through the crowd, but heads began to turn, followed by astonished stares and whispers.
“It’s okay,” he said to Julian, pulling him along. “They just aren’t used to outsiders.”
“Uh, they ain’t lookin’ at me, Yads,” Julian said, grining.
Yadriel frowned. What did he mean by that? He looked around. No, they weren’t looking at Julian.
They were looking at him. Yadriel shrunk back under the sudden attention, his steps faltering. Brujx were pointing and craning their necks to get a better look at him. “But why?”
Julian rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated huff. “Aren’t you the one who told me no brujx has brought anyone back from the dead in, like, a gazillion years?”
Yadriel blinked up at him.
“I think bringing four people back from the dead makes you some kind of god,” Julian mused with a shrug. “Or at least a hero.”
Yadriel froze. A hero? He looked around at all the smiling faces.
“Now.” Julian stepped behind Yadriel and pushed him forward. “Let’s go make it official,” he said into his ear.
Brujx nodded their approval and clapped him on the back as he walked by. Yadriel’s face burned red, but he found himself smiling. His feet and Julian’s guiding hands led him deeper into the church. He passed Miguel, who stood with his mom and dad under each arm. Miguel smiled at him and gave him a small nod.
The crowd began to thin out. Yadriel caught a glimpse of his grandparents, their auras bright.
“¡Es mi nieto!” Lito announced, elbowing anyone in reach, his chest puffed up with pride.
The scent of apples tickled Yadriel’s nose, and then he saw her.
His mom wore a long red dress that rustled over the ground as she stepped forward. A yellow sash was cinched around her waist. She wore her hair down, as she always did. The soft chestnut waves were adorned with marigolds. Dark lashes framed her large brown eyes. She glowed with golden light, radiating from her skin.
Yadriel held his breath.
“Mi amor.” She smiled.
Yadriel stared at her, frozen where he stood. She looked exactly the same, just how he remembered her.
A small breath hitched in her throat, her fingers splayed against her chest. “Yadriel,” she said, her voice like a song. She held her arms out for him.
Yadriel lurched forward into her embrace. Warmth radiated from her, easing the tension from Yadriel’s shoulders as he held on tight. Her hair tickled his face. She smelled just the same, like cloves and cinnamon.
She pushed her fingers through his hair. “Mijito,” she said softly, kissing the top of his head, and Yadriel melted into her. Relief and longing broke inside him. He loved her so fiercely and wanted to tell her so, over and over again, but he couldn’t find his voice.
“Let me see you!” she said, taking a step back to look him up and down. “Aye, such a handsome boy, my son!” his mother declared, red lips curling.
Her eyes traveled over Yadriel’s shoulder. “And this must be Julian?” she asked, lips quirking into a knowing smile.
Yadriel stepped aside and tugged on Julian’s arm. He stumbled forward. “Hi, Mrs. Velez,” he said, all nervous energy and bashful smile.
“Camila,” she corrected warmly. She crossed one arm over her chest, tucked under her elbow as she tapped thoughtfully at her chin. “I have heard much about you. A ghost boy who came back from the dead, thanks to my Yadriel.”
She squeezed Yadriel’s arm, and he swelled with pride.
“I owe him big-time,” Julian said with a grin.
“And don’t forget it,” Camila agreed with a smile and a wink. “Now, we have much to catch up on, and much to discuss!” She gave Yadriel a pointed look. “So let’s make the most of our time together.”
She raised a delicate eyebrow at Yadriel. “And tell me everything,” Camila added in a stage whisper, nodding in Julian’s direction.