Rogelia's House of Magic by Jamie Martinez Wood Read Free Book Online

creasing her forehead.
    “They lost the land, but the markings are still on Thomas Guide maps.” Marina kept talking to no one in particular. “You can still find a few orange groves here and there.” Then her voice became lighter, more girlish.
“Me gusta oler las flores del naranjo,”
she said.
    “You like the smell of orange blossoms?” Fern repeated, bewildered. “Hey, when did you start sleep-talking in Spanish?”
    “Hace mucho frio aquí,”
Marina began to shiver.
    “What are you talking about? It’s not cold. It’s probably seventy-five degrees,” Fern said in a worried voice. “Wake up, Marina, this isn’t funny anymore.” She reached out and touched Marina’s right shoulder.
    Marina jerked Fern’s hand off, panicking. “
¿Donde está el sol?”
    “The sun set hours ago. Marina, you’re scaring me. Stop this.” Fern jumped onto Marina’s bed and straddled her friend. She grabbed Marina by the shoulders and shook her hard. “Marina, wake up!”
    Marina started trembling violently. Her hand fluttered to her forehead. Panic gripped her heart. She screamed, “Stop them, please! Stop them! Here they come again! Ahhh!”
    Rogelia burst into the room with her shawl slung haphazardly over her shoulders. Xochitl entered the room at her nana’s heels.
    “She’s babbling in Spanish and doesn’t even speak the language!” Fern yelled.
    With closed eyes, Marina mumbled incoherently while she rocked back and forth. A cold terror filled her entire body. Rogelia shook Marina by the shoulders. “Wake up, Marina. Come back to us.” She turned to Xochitl. Marina shook her head and began to whimper. “Xochitl, get the chamomile and the rattle. And water!”
    Xochitl gave her nana a skeptical look before darting out of the room.
    Rogelia caressed Marina’s forehead and hair. “
Está bien.
You’re going to be okay.”
    Voices clashed in Marina’s head, like people were yelling at her, vying for her attention. She shook all over. Her toes felt like icicles.
    Xochitl quickly returned to the bedroom with a handful of chamomile, a rattle, and a bowl of water, which she gave to Rogelia.
    Rogelia placed the bowl under Marina’s bed. She shook the rattle over Marina, broke off dried chamomile flowers, and rubbed them behind Marina’s ears, on her temples, and across her forehead. Rogelia sang incomprehensible yet soothing words as she gently stroked Marina’s hair. She worked on Marina for five tense minutes.
    The tingly heat emanating from Rogelia’s hand sent warmth spreading throughout Marina. Finally, Marina’s breathing returned to normal. Her trembling gradually subsided. She took a shaky breath. She was going to be okay. She tentatively opened her eyes and looked around. She was safe in her room, and thankfully nobody was talking in her head.
    What the hell was that?
    “Thank you,” Marina whispered, and pulled her pink and green comforter up to her chest.
    “You’ll be all right now.” Rogelia stroked Marina’s hair. “Go to sleep.
Buena suerte.
Have good dreams.”
    Rogelia and Xochitl left the room and closed the door behind them.
    “What happened?” Marina asked Fern, her head throbbing a little.
    “You spoke in Spanish,” Fern said incredulously.
    “I did?” Marina could only vaguely remember voices in her head. Voices that were not her own. Was she going crazy?
    “Yeah. It was weird. You got all panicky,” Fern said. “Then Rogelia and her granddaughter came in and Rogelia did some kick-ass witch-doctor stuff on you. God, it was
awesome
!”
    “Right, awesome,” Marina said weakly.
    Fern plopped back down on the trundle bed. “We
definitely
need to get to know those two.”
    Marina stared at her closed door. Although she knew Fern was attracted to Rogelia because of her spiritual powers, Marina suddenly realized that she herself was interested in her family maid for an entirely different reason. When Rogelia caressed her head, Marina felt a pang in her heart for the