Falling Too Fast (10 page)

A
week later, Christian was still in custody. No one but his mother and lawyer were allowed to visit him. Alexis tried to stay positive.
They have to release him
, she told herself.
Christian was just at the wrong place at the wrong time
.

She tried to busy herself with rehearsals for the upcoming mariachi presentation. Even though the group hadn't raised all the money to purchase new mariachi suits, Castillo was still making them perform. However, all the performing they'd done in public to raise money had helped make their ragtag group a bit more confident. At the rate they were collecting money, they would be able to afford replacement uniforms very soon.

The night before their first competition, the ensemble piled into the yellow Dos Rios school bus. They were scheduled to begin at eight a.m. sharp, so they would have to drive all night to get there. Alexis took a seat near the back. Her cousin slid into the seat across from hers and put his legs up. The rest of the group filed in, taking seats, playing around, and shouting excitedly until AP Castillo yelled for everyone to be quiet. Alexis smiled at Nikki as she sat next to her with her backpack in one hand and a bag of home-cooked goodies in the other. The smell of brownies made Alexis perk up.

The bus roared to life. Alexis felt butterflies in her stomach. She put her nose to the cold window and watched as they drove out of town. She wished Christian were able to come see their first real performance. She knew he'd be proud. The bus was traveling northeast, past San Antonio. Alexis had never been so far from the Rio Grande Valley. She knew that when she became famous, she would have to get used to leaving the Valley. But that didn't soothe her aching heart.

The rocking motion of the bus mixed with the rural countryside soon lulled everyone to sleep. Alexis awoke in the middle of the night, when the bus suddenly stalled. She rubbed her eyes and yawned loudly.

“Are we here?” she asked, stretching and glancing out the window. It was dark outside and she couldn't make out anything.

Nikki opened a Tupperware bowl of Rice Krispies treats and passed them over. She shrugged at Alexis. “I don't know. Doesn't look like it,” she said, squinting out the window.

Castillo was talking to the driver. Alexis leaned in to hear, but she couldn't understand a word over the chatter of waking students.

“Yo, Castillo, can I go take a leak?” Santiago asked, getting up.

Castillo waved him away like he was an annoying fly. The driver was shaking his head in irritation.

“I got to go bad,” Santiago whined, dancing from one foot to the other.

“Fine,” AP Castillo said, “but don't go too far. We have to get back on the road.”

Then everyone wanted to go. Half the group followed Santiago out of the bus. Since there weren't any restrooms, students were using the lights of their cell phones to find a bush or tree to go behind. Alexis heard a tapping sound coming from outside her window. She turned, expecting to see Santiago's funny grin, but he wasn't there. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a flapping motion. But it was gone too quickly for her to be sure.

Alexis stood up. “I'm going to go see what's going on,” she told Nikki, climbing over her and into the aisle.

As she approached, AP Castillo waved her away. “Have a seat, Garza,” he said in a commanding voice.

She noticed the driver scratching his head and trying to turn the ignition on. The bus didn't respond. It was dead. “What's wrong?” she asked.

The driver sighed and glanced from Alexis to AP Castillo. “We were driving and everything was fine, but then all of a sudden the engine stalled.” He tried the knobs on the radio. Nada. “Everything is dead.”

Suddenly, they heard screams outside. Students rushed through the narrow doorway, pushing and shoving their way through, blocking her view. Then she heard flapping. It was loud and strong like a steady heartbeat. The shape of a huge birdlike creature swooped in front of the bus.
What was that?
Alexis thought as she reflexively ducked.

“La Lechuza,”
the bus driver screamed. He covered his face in his hands and crouched down behind the steering wheel. AP Castillo stared. His mouth hung wide open. The students cried out in fright, scampering over the seats to hide. Karina pulled out a rosary from under her shirt and started to pray in a shaky voice. Alexis stared at her in shock. She never knew Karina carried a rosary.

“We need a rope or a string,” Justin said, coming down the aisle. The dark and deserted landscape was putting everyone on edge, but not him. Justin seemed calm and purposeful.

“How about a shoelace?” Pedro volunteered, holding up a white cord he'd removed from his sneakers.

Justin nodded and mumbled thanks as he made a series of knots on the string. Alexis was confused. How were the ties supposed to protect them from a scary witch-bird? Justin looked up at Alexis as if reading her mind. He blushed.

“My grandma always said whenever you saw
La Lechuza
you better tie a string with seven knots for protection.”

“Lechuga?”
Marisol asked, waking up slowly and mishearing “lettuce.” How could she sleep through all the screaming? Alexis wondered. Marisol looked at her. “What's going on? Are we stopping for food?”

“Le-chu-za
,” Justin said slowly, “not
le-chu-ga
. You never heard about her?” Marisol shook her head. “She's a witch-bird that attacks people on deserted roads,” he explained. “Some say
La Lechuza
is a bringer of death, and if you look her in the eyes she will take your soul.”

“Where's Santiago?” Alexis asked when she realized he wasn't on the bus.

Then she saw him. The moonlight outlined Santiago's figure. He pulled back on something small in his hand as he shouted.

“Yeah, I ain't scared of you, owl! Take that.” He shot a rock into the night.

The sound of the flapping wings was loud — louder than any bird Alexis had ever heard before. She watched as her cousin fearlessly confronted
La Lechuza
with a slingshot. Suddenly, the bird swooped down, right at Santiago. He screamed as he reached for his head and dropped to the ground.

Alexis cried, “Santiago,” as she slid past AP Castillo and out the bus door. Her heart pounded in her ears. The flapping sound came again. It was right above her head. Alexis hurried to shield her cousin from another attack. She heard the bird screech in her ear as it swooped past them.

“That bird is crazy,” her cousin said, handing her a sharp rock.

Alexis looked around near her. Santiago had dropped his slingshot near the left bus tire when he was attacked. She grabbed it and aimed toward the sky. The flapping of the large wings interrupted the silence of the wilderness. In the glow from the moon, she was able to see the huge bird making a wide circle above the bus. Alexis aimed the rock at the owl's head.

The owl screeched as it dove at her. Her arms were shaking and sweat was dripping down her face. She watched as the crazed bird plunged straight for her. Its yellow eyes reminded her of the ones she'd seen from the restaurant patio. At the last possible moment, she released the shot.

A high-pitched shriek filled the air. The noise was so loud it almost sounded human. Then she heard the sound of something crash into the ground. Santiago squeezed her shoulder.

“Good shot,
prima
.”

Suddenly, the bus woke up. The engine roared as the Johnny Cash song “Ring of Fire” came on the radio. Santiago and Alexis stared at each other.

“Get on the bus,” AP Castillo hollered, hanging out the door.

They got back on the bus and drove away. Everyone stared as Santiago and Alexis made their way to their seats in the back.

No one wanted to say it, but seeing this strange owl the night before their very first competition was not a good sign.

When they finally arrived at the event the air was brisk and the sky overcast. The plaza was decorated festively. Tissue paper had been cut into elaborate decorations, and hung from tree to tree like shirts on a clothesline. There were balloons, a small stage, and food booths.

Little kids in mariachi outfits scurried past them.

“Whoa, check out the munchkins,” Santiago laughed.

Alexis looked around and noticed that the only people dressed in mariachi uniforms were less than four feet tall. A realization came over her. She turned to AP Castillo. “Please tell me we aren't competing against children?”

Castillo was helping Pablo and Pedro unload the instruments from the back of the bus. He smiled at Alexis. “What difference does it make? A competition is a competition. I want you guys to get comfortable onstage.”

Karina groaned as she climbed out of the bus. “Really, Castillo? That's so embarrassing. I'm so glad no one I know is here. Hey, watch my harp, will ya,” she scolded the twins as they set her instrument down heavily.

 

The group assembled under a tree to watch the performances while they waited for their turn. The group playing on the stage was really good. Their lead singer, a third grader with light brown hair, was wailing away to a Vicente Fernandez classic.

“Where are you guys from?” a small girl dressed in a gold
charro traje
and pigtails asked. Two girls in matching outfits stood behind her with their arms crossed in a defensive manner.

Alexis smiled at a cute girl with freckles. “We're from Dos Rios in the Rio Grande Valley.”

“Dos Rios.” The girl huffed and glanced at her friends. “That's where all the drug dealers are from, huh?” Her friends snickered.

Alexis stared in shock. This cute little girl was talking trash about her town. She glanced around for support. The twins saw the surprise on her face and came over to see what was going on.

“My daddy says that people from Dos Rios are all criminals and on welfare,” the pigtailed girl continued. “You can't even afford real mariachi outfits.” She glanced at her friends and giggled.

“Little girl,” Pablo said in a low voice, “don't you know it's rude to talk to your elders like that?”

“Elders?” The girl laughed loudly, making an absurd face to her friends. “Our music teacher said that you guys must be real bad if you had to come all the way out here to compete against
kids
.”

“Go away,” Marisol cried, jumping out from behind Alexis. “Go away before I eat you.”

Pigtail Girl jumped back and ran away with her two friends. As she ran she yelled, “I bet they can't even stay in tune” to her friends and laughed.

“I hate kids,” Marisol said as she sat back down on the grass.

Alexis looked from her to the twins and at the rest of the group. “Did you hear what she said about us? That was so rude.”

Karina shrugged. “It's not like I'm surprised. Dos Rios has a bad reputation, you know. People are always judging us. They look at Pablo's and Pedro's shaved heads and baggy clothes and they see thugs. They look at me and probably think I'm trashy.”

“They think I'm a freak.” Marisol grinned.

“Thief,” said Santiago.

“Illegal,” added Nikki.

“Fat,” said Justin.

Alexis's eyes grew wide at their words. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. What were her friends talking about?

“A has-been jock,” AP Castillo said, joining the conversation. “But so what?” He stood up and looked every one of them in the eye. “People are always going to try to tell you who you are. It's the way the world is.” He clapped his thick hands together, making Alexis jump. “So what? Are we going to cry about it?”

“Hell no,” Santiago swore.

AP Castillo couldn't help a small smile. “That's right. Maybe we come from a poor community and maybe we have our share of crime — but we're more than that.”

Alexis felt something flutter in her chest. She didn't know what it was, but it was a warming sensation spreading all over her body.

AP Castillo gestured for the group to come closer. “We are Dos Rios,” he said. “Most people here probably haven't heard of Dos Rios. Or they believe what they see on TV about border towns. But we can prove them wrong. We can show them all that we're much more than their stereotypes. When you get on that stage, you stand with your heads held high. Don't worry if you miss a note or come in at the wrong time — just keep playing. Whatever happens today, whether we win or lose, you're all winners in my book.” He paused to study their reaction. “Look how far you've all come. Karina —” She looked up in surprise. “You haven't had one fight since you started mariachi. Pablo, Pedro, I've never seen the walls so empty of graffiti. Marisol —” She jumped. “Your counselor said you haven't cut class once this month. And Santiago …”

“Yes, MR. ASSISTANT …” Santiago smiled, waiting for his compliment.

“I don't have to chase you anymore.”

“That's right and …”

“And … what?”

“And I'm your new favorite accordion player,” Santiago suggested, sliding the accordion over his shoulder and playing a quick melody. He winked. Castillo began to chuckle.

Alexis laughed with him. “He's right,” she said, finding her voice.

“We've been through a lot these past few weeks,” Castillo continued. “Look at us. We're all still here. The Dos Rios mariachi group is not made up of quitters. Maybe we don't have fancy outfits and we're still learning how to play, but we have the most important thing —”

“We have passion,” Alexis and Justin said at the same time. Their eyes locked and they smiled.

Castillo nodded with a gleam in his eyes. “When you're up there playing our music, own it. Mariachi music is the music of the working classes. The people. No one can take the music away from us.”