Intervention

Wednesday arrived, and Juan noticed his sister, still in her pajamas, brooding over her breakfast. The excitement of going to La Feria had been forgotten, as if the subject had never been discussed.

"Hey, morra, what's up?" Juan asked as he sat down. "Why are you so sad?"
"It's Emily," Naomy explained, toying with her breakfast. Juan knew that if she was doing that, she was truly worried. "Her dad showed up out of the blue, and it worries me."

"Her old man showed up?!” he asked with surprise. Naomy looked at Juan. He didn't really understand the situation.

"I'm sure something is going to happen," Naomy confessed. "It's like in the movies. He comes to separate Emily from her mom, and he's definitely up to something."

Juan looked closely at his sister. Sensing it, Naomy looked back at him, somewhat startled. Her brother was thinking something, and she suspected what he was about to say. It made her uncomfortable when he did that.

"Tell me, morra, what’are you hidin’ from me?"

"Me?" Naomy asked, surprised. Now she was genuinely scared. "Nothing. Why do you say that?"

"Last Monday you were thrilled with the idea of goin’ to La Feria," Juan explained calmly. "Today you're still in your pajamas and haven't touched your cereal. You know somethin’; that’s why it worries you that Emily’s old man is aroun’."

Naomy decided to explain what she knew. With fear and some hesitation, she explained the ritual of the mirror he had given her. She told him about Candice and her friend's prediction. Juan listened intently and seriously. Naomy continued her story, realizing her brother was actually taking her seriously. When she finished, her brother began to explain, half-joking, smiling but with a terrifying seriousness.

"The guy who gave me the mirror told me something interestin’,” he explained calmly. "He told me a woman inhabited the mirror and was seeking her freedom. To do that, she needs to show possible futures for three people."

"But... why Emily?" Naomy asked. She was fascinated by the idea that her brother shared the belief in the mirror and Candice. "The mirror is supposed to be mine."

"No idea," Juan explained. “Now get dressed. We're leavin’ in a momen'. Your friends will probably be here soon."

Naomy, out of solutions and not knowing how to continue the conversation, left her half-full bowl of cereal and went to get ready. She remembered the magazine again. Emily had confirmed she didn't have it at home, and it would surely be hard to get close to her. She would be out on some trip with her father.

When she entered her room, she was surprised to see the magazine again. It was under her bed. Has it always been there? she wondered. She took the magazine and read the article about Candice’s ritual.

“Three futures will be given to you. Three opportunities to change the course of history. It is your decision whether to believe or not. But the weight of the consequences will be felt forever. If everything is done right, the specter in the mirror will be released.
“Observe and meditate. When the third come, you must be quick to act. The life of the one who recited the ritual will be in danger. He or she will disappear, and you will never see that person again. The specter in the mirror will judge you, and the weight of the consequences will be eternal.”

“Morra!, your friends are here!" Juan shouted. Naomy jumped, dropping the magazine. She grabbed a bag she had and left her room.

During the long drive, Naomy and her friends talked. Naomy explained what she had read in the magazine—how the ritual was basically to free Candice and the terrible prediction she had for Emily.

"He or she will disappear, and you will never see them again," Naomy repeated. In the front, Juan drove, listening carefully without interrupting.

"I think you're exaggerating," Karla said, looking at Naomy. "A father would never hurt his daughter. Besides, I think it's the perfect opportunity for the family to reconcile. There's no better time than this. It’s the prelude to the death of Jesus, who died for our sins. Forgiveness and redemption are..."

"You're a fool, Karla," Juan finally interrupted the girls' conversation. Karla took offense. "Reality is very differen’ from your magic world governed by religion. I've seen many fights and problems you guys can't even imagine. And many times, those start right inside the house."

She couldn't stand it. It seemed everyone was against her just for saying what she thought. Karla didn't know how to defend herself. She wanted to ignore it, to believe it was a lie or pure fiction. She knew perfectly well that a perfect family like hers didn't always exist.

The family of her uncle, her mother's brother, was different from hers. To the neighbors and the family, they were the perfect family: the children went to private school, got good grades, and attended church activities. But Karla had seen her aunt's bruises several times. She saw the fear in her face and her desire to flee. But she didn't. Her mother constantly told her she had to endure, forgive, and stay for the sake of the children.

"Do you really think he's the villain in this story?" Karla asked. "He's her father..."

"That’s the most dangerous part’of all, morra," Juan explained. "First he make you trust. Once the victim is ready, he will isolate'er. The victim, blinded by everything offered, will deny everythin’; there will be fights and, above all..."

Juan didn't finish the sentence. They were talking about one of his sister's friends. During the rest of the trip to La Feria, he had made up his mind. He would investigate. He had his suspicions, and if he was right, then the danger was real.
Norma, Lucía’s mother, knocked on the door of Emily’s house. No one answered. But she kept insisting. Finally, Nina came out to answer.

"What the hell do you want?" she asked, raising her voice. "I don't have time for anything. My stupid granddaughter left, abandoning her responsibilities and..."
She stopped, recognizing Norma.

"I am Dr. Norma Vázquez."

"I'm not sick," Nina explained irritably. "I'm not registered with insurance, and I'm not sixty yet."

"I'm a psychologist, ma'am," Norma explained calmly, trying not to offend Nina.
Nina slammed the door without another word. That call... that damned call made that doctor want to intervene. She wasn't going to allow it. She didn't need that kind of humiliation in her home.