Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas #1)(19)

“Totally fly,” Mayi joins in, pursing her lips like she’s getting ready to blow him a kiss.

“I heard he did three years in juvie,” Emma says.

“I heard his parents were into some really bad juju,” Mayi says. Her dark skin is like polished stone. Her long, dark hair comes down to her tiny waist. “That’s why he lives with his grandma.”

“You guys are holding out on me,” Lula tells them.

Mayi turns to Lula. She hesitates, then says, “Want me to glamour your scars?”

Lula looks startled for a moment. She unhooks herself from Emma’s arm, reaches for her veil, and adjusts it.

“No,” Lula says. “But you might want to go to the bathroom. Your real nose is starting to show.”

Nova looks over to where we’re all staring at him. The girls all turn around quickly, except me. He smiles and licks his lips. A no-good kind of lick that says, I’m going to get you.

“Oh hey, Alex,” Emma says, as if only just noticing me. “Happy early birthday.”

“Are you ready to accept our Circle invitation?” Mayi asks.

“I think I’d rather clip Crazy Uncle Julio’s toenails,” I say as the front door opens again. “More people. I’d better go say hi.”

Lula runs after me and pulls me into the corner near the stairs. She stares at the center of my forehead. “Are you going to be like this the whole time?”

“What?” I drop my voice to a whisper.

“Can you at least try to have fun?”

“We’ve never gotten along. Magic isn’t going to change that.”

Lula shakes her head. “You’re just mad you can’t go to that stupid party with Rishi.”

“And you’re mad at me because of the maloscuro.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to. You won’t even look me in the eye. You wanted us all to have our powers. Now look. We do. Maybe you want to spend the rest of your life hiding from monsters and watching the people you love die, but I don’t.”

She meets my eyes to prove a point, but only for a second. Her stormy-gray eyes flick to the side. “You’re hopeless.”

She leaves me for her Circle, and I stand alone against the wall. Old Samuel starts off with a song that has everyone dancing. The only good thing about this party is that I can hear my mother laughing. That alone is worth it.

I send Rishi a text.

Me: Change of plans. Family thing is ending early. Meet you at ten? Can I still be your date?

Rishi: Maybe.

Me: Rishi…I’m sorry.

Rishi: Just kidding. I can’t stay mad at you for long. See you.

I find myself smiling for the first time today. Something like hope fills my chest.

When I turn around to find the bathroom, Nova’s standing there holding two cups of fizzy, red punch.

“You’re here.” Dear Alex, please stop being so awkward.

“Brooklyn’s best delivery boy, at your service.” He smirks. His skin is so smooth. I wonder how often he moisturizes.

I take the drink he offers and smell it. Lady’s special blend of fizzy sangria. Her secret is rose petals. She says nothing coats the senses quite like roses do. I should have worn roses in my hair.

Over in the living room, the girls from Lula’s circle are dancing to the drums and Spanish guitar of Old Samuel and his band. Their hands twist in the air, like they’re calling a forth a spirit. But this is only dancing. Except for Mayi, the show-off.

She spins in place, her skirt swishing around her dainty feet. Soft candlelight adds a glow to her brown skin. I want to hate it, but instead, I love the way it flows, the way her glamour magic makes us see things that aren’t there, like the rain of flower petals that fall to the floor. My guests ooh and aah at her. They reach for the petals and their hands go through them. Just a trick of the light.

“You know, an encantrix has the ability to channel any kind of power,” Nova says so close to my ear that it tickles. He smells like rain hugging the new green of spring. “You can do that too.”

“I can’t.” Despite the roses in the drink, something inside of me is restless. The raven feather wedged in my bra pokes me. I remember the hideous face of the maloscuro. I shut my eyes, pushing down the surge of magic that burns the palms of my hands.

I run to the kitchen and close the door behind me. There’s a draft coming from the boarded-up windows. I pace around the kitchen table. My dress feels too tight. The skin over my rib cage itches. When the door opens and Nova walks in, I jump. A spark of magic slips from my hold and the light bulb above us pops.

“Are you still planning on doing the thing we talked about?” he asks, looking over his shoulder.

“Are you going to talk me out of it?” While my eyes adjust to the dark, I fumble toward the cabinets for a spare light bulb.

“That’s not my place. I already told you that you might not like the recoil.”

“Then why are you here?”

I walk past him, trying to ignore the way my senses flare when I’m around him. I stand on the chair under the broken light. I try to unscrew the glass cover, but the knob is too tight.

“Free food, good music, cute girls. Gatherings are few and far between nowadays. Everyone acts like Deathdays are only big parties. But they’re more than that. They’re about getting the blessing and connecting with the Old Ones.”