The Water Year
Page 4
What’s going on?
Is everyone ok?
Is anyone hurt?
Every time Amy’s phone dings, Sophie checks to see if Betty’s written back. But Betty doesn’t reply.
Chapter 12
The camp is a disaster. Trashed tents are ground into the dirt. Water from slashed jugs forms huge, sloppy puddles. Tire tracks crisscross the area.
Boxes of supplies have been smashed. When the wind rises, medical gloves blow like fallen leaves over the camp. Someone has even knocked over the Port-A-Potty. Foul liquid oozes over the ground.
Rubén, Sophie, and Amy scan the area. The moon shines bright. It shows the damage clearly.
“There’s no one here,” says Rubén.
“It looks like Border Patrol just drove over everything with their trucks,” says Sophie. She wipes away a tear.
Rubén takes off his coat. He drapes it over Sophie’s shoulders. Then he kicks at the dirt. He hisses out a long, angry sigh.
“Why would they do it?” says Amy. She has tears in her eyes and chocolate all around her mouth.
“Luna!” Rubén calls. “Luna!”
Luna’s collar jingles from somewhere in the darkness. Then Luna rushes up to them. She jumps on Rubén. She licks his face.
“It’s okay,” Rubén says. “You’re okay, Luna.”
Luna drops to all fours. She runs toward the desert. Then she stops. She cocks her head, looking back at the camp.
“She wants us to follow her,” Rubén says.
Luna leads them away from camp. They swish their phone flashlights across the sand. “Look,” Sophie says. “Footprints.”
“Small footprints,” says Rubén, sounding worried.
They follow the footprints. Sophie notices a red light blinking from within the cluster of boulders. What could it be?
They creep closer. They peer into the nest of boulders. There, hiding in the rocks, is a little boy. He wears flashing, light-up sneakers.
Luna darts into the rocks. She snuggles close to the boy. She licks his face.
Rubén calls to the boy in Spanish. He crouches down and speaks to him. Sophie keeps her flashlight pointing straight down. She doesn’t want to shine the light in the boy’s face. She doesn’t want to make him feel afraid.
But she wonders about him. Who is he? How old is he? Does he know what happened to the people at camp?
Rubén helps the boy get to his feet. “This is Daniel. He ran away from the camp during the raid,” he says.
“What happened to Betty?” says Sophie.
“She got arrested. They pushed her to the ground. They handcuffed her and threw her in the back of a van.”
“But she was hurt! Her knee was hurt!” says Sophie. “And she’s old!”
“Betty will be okay. She’s a citizen. But Daniel’s parents were taken in the raid. Maybe Border Patrol will release them. But my guess is they’re in ICE custody by now. That means las hieleras.”
Sophie sighs. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has a scary reputation.
“What are hieleras?” says Amy.
“It means icebox,” whispers Sophie. “They lock migrants in cages in freezing-cold rooms. Sometimes for days or weeks. They sleep right on the bare floor.”
“Daniel says everyone else—Betty, a couple of other volunteers, and his parents—all got arrested by Border Patrol. They drove over the camp. Daniel ran away in the chaos. Right now, he needs to eat and get to a bus station. He has an aunt and uncle. They live in Phoenix.”
“Can he walk okay?” says Sophie.
“He’s fine,” says Rubén. “Just tired and scared.”
Rubén helps Daniel climb into the front seat of the van. He’s so little his feet barely touch the floor.
Amy and Sophie hop in the back with the bakery boxes. Amy offers Daniel a cupcake. When he bites into it, shots ring out.
“Oh, my God,” says Amy. “Is that guns? Is someone shooting?
“I think it’s the Desert Rangers,” Sophie says. “Rubén! Don’t start the car. Don’t make a noise. You don’t want to attract attention.”
“It can’t be the Desert Rangers,” Rubén said. “Human Kind has a spy in Desert Rangers. He would have said something if the Rangers were meeting up tonight. It’s probably just some kids out shooting cactuses.”
“But the Desert Rangers are meeting up tonight,” says Sophie. “I know they are.”
“How do you know?” says Rubén.
Sophie swallows.
“He doesn’t know?” Amy asks.
“Know what?” asks Rubén.
The car grows quiet. The only sound is Daniel, eating his cupcake hungrily. He licks his fingers. Sophie holds her breath.
“You didn’t tell him?” Amy asks.
“I didn’t know how,” Sophie says.
Another shot rings out. This one sounds closer.
“What?” asks Rubén.
“My dad,” Sophie says. “My dad’s in the Desert Rangers.”
Chapter 13
Rubén doesn’t yell. He doesn’t swear. In fact, he doesn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry,” Sophie says.
Rubén shrugs, but he won’t look in her eyes.
Sophie’s seen Rubén angry before. He raised his fist in protest at the school auditorium. He often spits out words like jug-cutting thugs and cactus Nazis.
But she’s never seen him angry at her.
She leans forward, touches his shoulder. He jerks his arm away.
Another gunshot tears through the night.
In the front seat, Daniel curls up into a little ball.
“How old is he?” asks Sophie.
Rubén is silent.
Amy leans forward. “Anybody want another cupcake?”
Rubén doesn’t say anything. Then, suddenly, he throws the car keys onto the dashboard. He opens the door. And he runs out into the desert.
“Rubén?” Sophie calls.
“Shh!” Amy says. “You don’t want to attract attention.”
“They could catch him,” says Sophie. “The Desert Rangers could catch him.”
“What do you think they’d do to him?” asks Amy.
“I don’t know,” Sophie says.
Daniel starts crying. Sophie pats his back. She takes off Rubén’s sport coat. She drapes it over him. She tries to remember Spanish words. “Todo bien. Muy bien,” she says.
But it’s hard to remember Spanish when she’s worried.
Would her dad recognize Rubén? Would he say, “Ah, that’s the bakery guy!” when he sees a Latino boy running through the desert? Or would he take aim and shoot?
Dad makes smiley-face pancakes for Violet. He tucks his tie into his shirt to keep it clean when he fries burgers. He listens to ‘80s pop when he shaves.
Would he really shoot somebody?
“I think they’d call Border Patrol,” Sophie says, finally. “If they catch him, they’ll call Border Patrol.”
“Would that be okay?” says Amy. “Is Rubén a legal citizen?”
“Not exactly,” says Sophie.
“Uh-oh,” says Amy.
Sophie shoves open the door of the van. “I’m going after him.”
Another gunshot cracks through the night.
Amy’s phone dings. “Sorry! It’s Lucas. I’ll put it on silent.” She grabs Sophie’s arm, squeezes it. “Don’t go. It’s too dangerous.”
“I have to,” says Sophie.
“Then I’m going, too,” Amy says.
I’m going, too.
When Sophie was afraid to visit her mom in the hospital, Amy said, “I’m going, too.” When Sophie was scared to go to the funeral, Amy said, “I’m going, too.”
Sophie flings her arms around Amy. She hugs her close. For a second it feels like everything will be okay.
“Stay here, Amy. Take care of Daniel.”
Headlights flare behind them. A car pulls up. Someone gets out.
“Quick! Lock the doors,” says Amy.
> Sophie squirms into the driver’s seat, preparing to speed away.
“AMY?” a voice calls. “AMY? Are you out here? I’m so sorry!”
Sophie unrolls the window. She can hear Lucas’s tongue ring. It clicks against his teeth. The clicks echo against the rocks.
For the first time, she’s glad to hear the sound.
Chapter 14
Lucas speaks perfect Spanish. “My mom was born in Colombia,” he explains. Lucas sits in the bakery van with Daniel. They eat cupcakes. They play games on Lucas’s phone. Lucas even makes Daniel smile.
Amy and Sophie set off into the desert. It’s easy to follow Rubén’s tracks. The moon shines bright. Plus, they have phone flashlights. Rubén’s new cowboy boots leave deep prints in the sand.
When a shot rings out, Amy reaches for Sophie’s hand. They move slowly through the desert, holding hands.
“Uh-oh,” Amy says.
“What?”
“Tire tracks.” She uses her phone flashlight to point out grooves in the sand. “They’re too small to be a car. Must be a four-wheeler.”
The tracks tell a story. Amy and Sophie read the story as they walk.
Rubén ran into the desert. Someone spotted him. They rode out after him in a four-wheeler. They chased him. He ran until he reached a cliff wall. Then his footprints vanished.
“Do you think whoever was on the ATV took him?”
“It looks like it,” says Sophie. She looks up at the moon, as if it could help her. She sighs. They can’t call the police. They’re miles from the nearest house. They have to do this themselves. “I guess we follow the ATV tracks.”
They follow the ATV tracks along the cliff wall. When Amy’s flashlight catches Sophie’s sequined dress, it sparkles. Jets of green light flash on the midnight cactuses.
They sneak around the cliff wall. They spy the glow of a fire. It illuminates a ring of tents. “That’s their camp,” Sophie whispers. “Turn off your flashlight.”
“I’ll go first. You’re too sparkly,” Amy says. “Do you see that pack rat den, right up near their fire?”
Sophie squints. She studies the desert rats’ nest—it’s a huge mound of twigs and trash.
“I bet we could sneak up there. We could spy on them and see if they have Rubén,” says Amy.
“What if we get caught?” asks Sophie.
“Whatever. We both look super white. They’re not going to kill us. They might try to marry us, but by that time your dad and your uncle can help us.”
They get down on all fours and sneak across the sand. “I’m so not dressed for crawling toward a rats’ nest,” Amy whispers.
“Shh,” Sophie says. They crouch behind the pack rat den. They listen. The Desert Rangers are singing.
For a second, Sophie has a wild hope: What if all along, her dad has been going to a desert singing club?
She can’t see her dad, but she can hear his voice. He sounds happy. She smiles. Dad hasn’t sounded happy in a long time. Now he’s singing along to “Sweet Home Alabama.” Somebody’s playing it on a Bluetooth speaker.
“Maybe you could just go in and ask your dad about Rubén?” Amy whispers.
“I can’t! I’m grounded! Plus, he’d just call Border Patrol anyway.”
Sophie peeks up over the mound. Any hopes that her dad is just going to a singing club vanish. A group of guys are, indeed, singing.
But armed men stand guard on each corner of the camp. They wear rifles on their backs. They scan the desert with night-vision goggles.
What if they shoot first and ask questions later?
A rat scurries over Sophie’s foot. She bites her lip to keep from crying out.
“Do you see any signs of Rubén?” Amy asks.
Sophie forces herself to look at the scary men with rifles. Two of them stand guard in front of a tent.
“I think he’s in that tent,” Sophie says. “Two guys are guarding him.”
“I got this,” Amy says. “My theater training will really come in handy. I’ll distract them. You go and get Rubén.”
“What will I do once I get him?” says Sophie.
Amy pokes her head up. She studies the scene. “The ATV,” she says. “My dad always leaves the keys in his. Just press the starter button. Don’t forget to release the parking brake.”
Sophie looks past the fire. She spots the ATV. It’s parked just beyond the guarded tent.
“OK,” she says.
“You got this,” Amy says. “I’m going to go climb up in those rocks near the far edge of the cliff. Wait for my signal, then go!”
Chapter 15
“Help! Help! Help!”
Amy howls from the darkened desert.
Two of the guards rush out toward the sound of Amy’s voice.
“Help! They’re after me! Oh, my God! There’s so many of them! They’re gonna kill me!”
“Boys! Let’s go!”
Sophie’s startled to hear Uncle Matt’s voice. She peeks up over the rats’ nest. Uncle Matt looks different.
Normally, he slouches like a question mark. Now he’s standing straight and tall. He wears a shiny gold badge on his camo jacket. “Roll out!” he shouts. What is he, like, a captain or something?
Uncle Matt marches out into the desert. The rest of the guards follow him. The men around the fire scramble to get ready. Some dive into tents. Others dig in their backpacks. They hurry to get weapons.
Sophie takes a deep breath. Then she stands up, puts her head down, and runs.
She takes the long away around camp. She avoids the firelight. She runs so fast she stops short when she reaches the tent. She skids, sliding into the sand. She scrambles up and unzips the tent.
Rubén is lying on the floor of the tent. Someone has zip-tied his wrists together. Someone has stuffed a sock in his mouth. When he sees Sophie, his eyes go wide.
She yanks the sock out of his mouth.
“Come on,” she says. She grabs him by his armpits and hauls him out of the tent. She dashes toward the ATV.
Please let the keys be in here, Sophie prays. She jumps on the ATV. She presses the starter button. Sure enough, the machine roars to life. Hot dang, Amy was right!
Rubén hops up onto the seat behind her. His hands are still bound. He lifts his arms and puts them around Sophie. Once he’s secure, they tear out of camp.
“Headlights!” he shouts. Sophie presses buttons. The lights flick on. “Look out! A cactus!” Rubén yells. “Where are we going?”
“Hold on!” Sophie says. Rubén squeezes her rib cage. She turns sharply toward the cliff wall. “We have to pick up Amy.”
They blast past the Desert Rangers in a cloud of sand. “I hope they think we’re one of them!” Rubén shouts over the roar of the motor.
“Amy’s somewhere up in the rocks!” Sophie yells. “Look for her!”
Rubén cranes his neck. Sophie focuses on keeping the ATV steady in the shifting sand. “There she is!”
Sophie brakes. Amy jumps off a boulder. The fringes on her pink dress flutter as she falls through the air. She lands with a thud on the rack of the ATV.
“Hey! Who is that?” a Ranger shouts.
“They’re stealing our ATV!” another Ranger hollers.
“It’s the kid! He’s escaped!”
And then, Dad’s voice— “Sophie? Is that you?”
“Go! Go! Go!” Amy screams. “Full throttle!”
As the ATV speeds off into the night, one of the Desert Rangers whips his rifle off his back. His gold badge shines in the moonlight.
“Matt! Don’t shoot!” Dad screams.
Uncle Matt doesn’t hear. Or else he doesn’t care. He takes aim at the departing vehicle. He fires.
Chapter 16
Dear Mom,
I’ve been shot.
Love,
Sophie
Chapter 17
Dear Mom,
Uncle Matt is lost in the desert.
He and Dad had a fight. Uncle Matt stormed off. Nobod
y has heard from him.
Dad won’t tell me what they were fighting about. He only says, “Matt broke a gun safety rule. When people aren’t safe, I get mad. I get mad when you let Violet use a sharp knife, don’t I?”
I know he saw me in the desert.
He just doesn’t want to believe it.
I don’t want to believe any of it either.
My shoulder hurts. I don’t want to go to the hospital. I don’t want to _get in trouble.
Amy and Rubén watched YouTube videos about treating bullet wounds. The bullet grazed my shoulder. It’s not stuck in there. I should be fine. I’m icing it.
I hope Dad doesn’t try to make me work in the restaurant today.
There’s no way I could carry a tray.
Love,
Sophie
Dear Mom,
The police found the ATV. We ditched it near the Human Kind camp. The cops think it might lead them to Uncle Matt. They’re wrong.
Dad knows it.
I know it.
Does he know I know it?
I think he’s telling himself he didn’t see me in the desert. “You don’t have a green dress, do you, Sophie?” he asked.
“No. Why?” I lied.
He went out today to search for Uncle Matt.
His being gone is a relief. I don’t have to pretend to feel okay. Every breath hurts. When I inhale, it’s like getting shot again.
I try not to breathe.
Violet sat on the floor by my bed all day. She painted her nails. She got pink paint all over her fingers.
She wanted to paint my nails too, but when she touched my hand it hurt so much, I screamed. “Don’t call Dad!” I told her.
I want him to find Uncle Matt. I want Uncle Matt to be okay.
But I’m afraid I’m not okay.
Love,
Sophie
Dear Mom,
I woke up in the hospital. I haven’t been in a hospital since you died. I hate white sheets.
But my shoulder felt much better.
An IV dripped into my wrist. Rubén and Amy sat in plastic chairs. Violet sat on my bed. She painted my fingernails.