Cemetery Boys(112)
Unlike Yadriel, Maritza was perfectly comfortable taking praise.
She nodded in agreement with bold confidence. The proud lift of her chin eased some of Yadriel’s own nerves.
“Your healing of Yadriel was another act of great love and fortitude. Something tells me we will see great things from you both,” his dad said before addressing all four of them and adding, “From all of you.”
“He has no idea,” Maritza whispered to Yadriel from the corner of her mouth. She threw him a wink, and Yadriel grinned back.
Knowing Maritza, he certainly hadn’t heard the last of how he owed her his life, but Yadriel didn’t mind. Without her, he would be dead. And while death wasn’t the end, he wasn’t done living yet.
When Enrique spoke again, he looked at each new brujx in turn. “You are here because you have already proven you are exactly what you were meant to be. As you become full-fledged members of our community, we will help guide you to be the eyes, ears, and hands of Our Lady Death,” Enrique went on, looking at each of the four of them in turn. “We live in gratitude for the guidance and acceptance we can share with one another. We celebrate that we will move forward together as a stronger community than ever before.” He held his large hands out before him, his palms facing up. “Put your faith in Lady Death, and in your community, and we cannot falter. You have each been witness to that, and shown that to us, in your progress to this day.”
Yadriel took a deep breath, anticipating the next step of the aquelarre.
Enrique stepped back, making room for Lita to step forward. Parrot feathers of yellow, blue, and red splayed against Lita’s head before trailing off into the long tail feathers. She wore a turquoise dress, and jewelry of jade and gold adorned her wrists. A wide necklace of hummingbird featherwork hung around her neck and shoulders, iridescent and flashing in the light. As the spiritual leader of their community, she led the final rite of passage.
When Lita spoke, she said the words in Spanish, her Cuban accent ringing. “May we live in faith; we are on the true path of our spirit. May we never fear death but remember we live on in the love we nurture in our time on earth. May we preserve life and guide life to death as Our Lady wills it. May we heal and support one another in this life and the next.”
Yadriel turned to face the crowd with the other three.
“We welcome you!” Yadriel’s father called out, his arms open wide, smile wrinkling the corners of his eyes.
The crowd erupted in cheers. Trilling gritos filled the air that set Yadriel’s dagger exploding with golden light. Maritza laughed next to him, rosary cupped in her palms as sparks shot up into the air and rained down around them. Yadriel’s mom kept having to stop her applause so she could wipe tears from her cheeks. Still, in a sea of faces, his eyes went right to Julian, and he couldn’t look away. His sharp grin. His burning gaze. It sparked a fire in Yadriel’s chest. It smoldered in his stomach. It flooded him with heat. Yadriel would happily let himself be consumed by Julian’s fire.
Julian pinched his bottom lip, and a sharp whistle cut through the crowd before he punched his fist into the air and whooped loudly. Maritza bumped Yadriel with her shoulder, her laughter tickling his ear.
Things weren’t magically fixed by an empowering speech, but it opened doors and built bridges. It carved out space for Yadriel to step forward and be who he was, as he was. There were still more obstacles to overcome and battles to fight, but Yadriel wouldn’t feel alone in it anymore.
No, it wasn’t the end. It was a better beginning.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Writing this book was one of the best and most difficult things I’ve ever done, and it would’ve been impossible to do without my incredible support system.
The first person I need to thank is my editor, Holly West. Cemetery Boys started as my option book and began with a very simple concept: What would happen if you accidentally summoned a ghost and you couldn’t get rid of them? When I was pitching ideas to Holly, Cemetery Boys was nothing more than a few sentences, a vague idea with a trans protagonist. Growing up, I never saw my own gender identity reflected in any books, and I thought it would be impossible to sell, but Yadriel’s story was the one Holly was most excited about, which blew my mind. Without her, this story would’ve never been written. Holly understands me and my writing; working with her is like having a second, much more organized brain.
I am so incredibly thankful to have had her support and the support of the ENTIRE Swoon Squad. I owe a huge thanks to the Swoon Reads team and my fellow Swoon Squad authors. Publishing can be a scary and sometimes alienating place, but they have been my second family through and through. The incredible care package they sent me when I mustered up the courage to announce I was getting top surgery is a kindness I will never forget.
I owe Emily Settle a special thank-you. She was the one who suggested I should take my two favorite names—Yadriel and Julian—and use them for my book (#Yadrian!). A huge thanks to my publicist, Kelsey Marrujo, for wrangling me, answering my billions of questions, and making my dreams come true. I want to thank every person at Macmillan who touched Cemetery Boys and helped make it even better. I owe so many thanks to Gabe Cole Novoa and Ray Stoeve for their thoughtful feedback and guidance. My amazing friend, Francisco Echavarria, is a saint who patiently dealt with my “you up?” texts to discuss the nuances of Spanish in order to find the perfect words (especially for Julian).