The Key of Hearts by Mia Rodriguez

  Chapter 24

  “You wouldn’t believe who just called,” Mr. Spinoza said, stepping into the living room where his wife and daughter were watching T.V.

  “Who?” asked Mrs. Spinoza.

  “Socorro.”

  “Socorro—your cousin?” asked an incredulous Mrs. Spinoza.

  “She said she just felt like calling me to see how we were doing.”

  “But, Artemio, we haven’t heard from her in years.”

  “She said she missed the family and wanted to see what we were up to.”

  Selena shook her head. Of all her kin, Socorro was the one she liked the least. Socorro always bragged about her children and how well off they were and how no one in the family could compare to them.

  “Did she really want to know about us?” Mrs. Spinoza asked dryly.

  Mr. Spinoza chuckled darkly. “Not really. She hardly listened, but then she went on and on about how much money her kids made.”

  “That’s what I thought,” grumbled Mrs. Spinoza.

  “It’s strange that she called after all these years,” stated Mr. Spinoza.

  “Yes, strange,” agreed Mrs. Spinoza.

  Selena nodded in pensive thought. The phone blared loudly and cut through her mental gymnastics. Mrs. Spinoza answered and quickly turned over the receiver to Selena.

  “Hello,” answered Selena.

  “Hi, Selena,” Cora greeted back.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I’m doing my Spanish homework and I need your help.”

  “Go ahead,” said Selena.

  “How do you say help in Spanish?”

  “There are different ways to say it. You can say auxilio for one.”

  “What’s another way in case Ms. Valderrama asks me?”

  “Socorro,” Selena said.

  “But isn’t socorro a person’s name?”

  “Yes, but it also means help.”

  When Selena hung up, the word socorro kept turning somersaults in her head so much that when the phone rang again, she didn’t hear it. She was surprised when her mom handed her the receiver again.

  “Hello,” Selena greeted.

  “Hi,” Xavier returned, his voice rich and smooth as chocolate.

  “Anything wrong?” asked Selena, worried about the greedy gifted getting closer and closer. Even though Sebastian was in the hospital, there was no telling what else surrounded Xavier.

  “Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to hear your voice.”

  Selena chuckled lightly. “You must’ve read my mind because I was hoping to hear from you.”

  “We’re on the same page,” Xavier said, chuckling lightly.

  “Exact same one.”

  “Selena,” he said with seriousness bubbling in his tone.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m so glad to be talking to you,” he rushed.

  “You’re not still feeling guilty about what happened at the theatre, are you?”

  “I’ve been working on my abilities, Selena,” he blurted with enormous feeling. “I’ve been practicing moving heavy things at a much faster speed than I did before.”

  “I’m so happy that you’re doing this.”

  “Uncle Paul wants me to go out of town with him this weekend, but I think I should stay to practice and to be with you.”

  “Why does your uncle want to go out of town?”

  “It’s a business trip.”

  “Where to?” Selena asked.

  “Not too far—only a few hours away to Socorro, New Mexico.”

  “Your uncle wants you to go with him to Socorro?” Selena asked, surprised.

  “Yeah, but I’m not going.”

  “Xavier, I think you should go,” Selena rushed, excited.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Clues.”

  “Clues?”

  “I’ve been hearing the word socorro all day. It looks like the clues are finally coming.”

  “They are?”

  “You’re accepting who you are so the clues are reaching us.”

  “I hope so. I really want to get the key to where it needs to go.”

  “You should go to Socorro and see where it leads you.”

  “You really think so?”

  “Yes.”

  “But—“

  “But what?” Selena asked.

  “I don’t want to be away from you,” he explained, concern dripping from his voice.

  “You don’t want to be away from me?”

  “What if something happens to you while I’m with Uncle Paul?”

  Selena frowned deeply into the phone. “Xavier, you can’t protect me 24/7.”

  “I can try.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “But—“

  “You need to go to Socorro, Xavier. We have to follow the clues. That’s the only way out of this mess.”

  “What if—“

  “Nothing’s going to happen to me,” stated Selena. “I’m more worried about what can happen to you.”

  “I’ll be okay.”

  “So will I and I’ll be very okay when we find the key.”

  “I guess I’ll have to go to Socorro then,” he mumbled.