Sewing Dreams and Building the Future

That morning, while getting dressed, Javier could notice that Dolores was somewhat worried. Cristina's second school week had arrived, and it was already time to choose extracurricular classes.

“I spent the entire summer with her, taking her to activities, trying to convince her to choose a path” Dolores was finishing putting on her makeup. “How did you manage to get her to choose singing and drawing?"

“I just listened to her” was Javier's only response. “I asked her about her interests. I never forced her into doing activities.”

Dolores let out a slight groan. he tried, but  she never had enough time to sit down and chat with Cristina, and even if she did have that time, she used it to take her to endless activities. Was only in that morining that she didn't even asked her if she liked them or what she thought of them. Now that the new term had started, she had even less time, between Cristina's school and her job. 

Besides, she couldn't admit that she herself didn't know how to approach and talk to her. Her father, Alfredo, also filled her life with activities, studies, and school. She couldn't remember sharing a movie afternoon with him or talking to her about her insecurities.

Outside the bedroom, Hilda could be heard talking on the phone, again. She was arguing with someone and raising her voice more and more. Javier warned her to lower the volume and go have breakfast. Cristina, was finishing fixing her hair.

Finally, the family headed out to their school and work activities. Dolores, in a sudden unusual for the family, hugged Cristina and told her to talk to her if necessary. Cristina, feeling awkward, nodded. That hug and declaration made her uncomfortable.

At the end of the school period, Cristina got her schedule for the extra classes she had decided to take: two days for singing and two days for drawing. She would start with the drawing classes; tomorrow would be for singing.

Upon arriving at the classroom, she saw several students waiting for the class to start. The students were chatting among themselves, and she sat in one of the front seats that she saw were empty. She didn't know anyone, and it seemed the others were ignoring her. Until she heard a greeting—it was Alex.

“Are you also taking drawing classes?” Cristina asked him after exchanging greetings.

“Drawing sounds fun. Since always I was interested in it and I only just now decided to join” Alex replied, mentioning that he always read comics and that was the reason he enrolled in drawing class.

Alex talked about his family. Although his father was strict, he wanted him to dedicate himself to living and enjoying his school life because once he graduated, he would have to start studying and getting experience so he could inherit his father's position—something he admitted he wanted to do, as it seemed like the easiest solution to him.

The professor arrived moments later. He introduced himself as Professor Mateo Maldonado. He talked a lot, but there was a certain charisma in his personality that the students liked. He asked them to start with a sketch of something they liked: either a flower, a portrait, or their pet. Cristina didn't know what to draw, and Alex recommended that she do a self-portrait.

Without knowing how to begin, Cristina drew her own portrait. Her eyes turned out deformed, and her hair looked like that of a fairy-tale witch. Her nose was very big, and she drew just a straight line for her mouth.

When the professor saw her drawing, he didn't laugh. He simply told her it was an interesting drawing and that starting from that day, her adventure in drawing has just begun. The class ended, and not knowing quite what to do, she accompanied Alex to his next class.

She had to attend the athletics class at her mother's suggestion. It was the condition so she could attend drawing class. Alex was in the boys' class, and it was obvious he was struggling to keep up with the others, but despite everything, he pushed himself to keep going.

He seemed to have asthma and stopped many times to catch his breath. Without drawing attention to herself, Cristina walked home. She was getting hungry, and with a little money Javier had given her, she decided to go grab a hamburger.

There she met Maya, who was talking with some friends. Maya greeted her and invited her to sit with the group, which consisted of three other people three years older than Cristina. Although she was nervous at first, those women talked endlessly about various topics that made Cristina feel comfortable. They recommended that she ignore Professor Martínez—a bitter woman who, happened to be divorced and abandoned by her sons.

While Cristina was chatting, Karla entered into the restaurant. She got in line and listened. There were people complaining about the food, its lack of flavor, how it had lost its quality, and how sometimes the taste was even too strong.
She turned to look at the tables and managed to recognize Cristina and Maya. 

She was starting to hate that adopted brat. Despite being new, she already had friends, and at school, she seemed to be doing well in her studies—a place Karla had managed to get into through a lot effort, having to maintain a scholarship to keep her spot in the private section of the school.

As a consequence of being buried in her studies, Karla was difficult to make and maintain friendships, and the ones she did have were demanding. She had to spend all her savings on clothes, fake jewelry, and uncomfortable hairstyles so her appearance would match those of her supposed friends. Furthermore, on her mother's recommendation, she had to keep her secret. That's why she wore gloves. They never worked.

Her gloves started to smell like burning. Being made of leather, they gave off an unpleasant odor, which caught the attention of the people nearby. Karla panicked. She had made a mistake; her jealousy and her hatred toward that new girl had caused her magic out of control.

Maya got up from her table upon sensing that magic. The table fell silent. An angry Maya searched for the source of the magical frequency she had felt. Her friends began talking among themselves. Cristina could hear them discussing illegal magic—magic not registered in Espliego. Cristina began to feel a bit dizzy.

“Is something wrong?” said one of Maya's friends upon noticing that Cristina change of attitude. “What did you feel?”

Maya began searching the restaurant for the source of the magic frequency she had felt.

“I felt like I had been pushed: Cristina replied once she understood what she had felt. “A jolt in my body, warm but painful. Like when you touch poison ivy with your bare hands.”

Maya had heard all of this as she had already returned to her seat. She hadn't discovered that Karla was the source of the magic they felt.

“Did you feel the magic frequency?” Maya asked her friend, who nodded. “Don't worry, it wasn't anything bad.”

Although it was true, Maya won't forget the matter so easily. Upon leaving the place, Cristina's new friends exchanged phone numbers and were disappointed to discover that their new friend didn't use a cell phone.

“It would be very useful if you got one” Maya told her, trying to smile so her friend would forget what she felt that day.

Upon arriving home, already relaxed, she saw that Javier was home. He had arrived early from work and looked somewhat annoyed. The tension in the air was palpable, and she noticed how Hilda was also trying to distract herself due a fight with her father.

Without saying a word, she went to her room. By that time, it was already a different one. From being minimalist and boring (according to what Hilda told her), there were now some magazines she had bought herself. On her desk were some ribbons that occasionally decorated her hair, and even a small chest with some necklaces and bracelets.

She dropped her backpack on the floor and lay down on her bed for a moment, meditating on her life, which had changed so much. Suddenly, she heard the door open and slam shut. Javier knocked on her door and greeted her; he looked tired and upset. He told her how Hilda had spent money on that cell phone knowing the old one was barely a year old. He had found it in the kitchen trash while she sat with her shoes on on the living room couch exploring her new phone.

“The phone still works. If you want, you can have it. It just need to get a number.”

“But…" Cristina tried to say as she looked at the gadget. “Hilda will be upset.”

“Don't worry about her” Javier replied. “She will be fine. How about we go out, we can get a number for you and then go for an ice cream, what do you say?”
Cristina accepted the invitation, and thus, the two of them went out for a stroll. 

After getting the number and some instructions on how to start using her new gadget, they went to eat ice cream. Both talked about her first drawing class. For the first time, she felt comfortable with one of her teachers. She felt excited about the drawing class and dreamed of drawing her grandmother's tales again.

By evening they returned home, and Cristina began exploring her cell phone. She immediately entered her friends' numbers and learned how to send messages. The friends she made that day were surprised. They replied that she had said she didn't have a phone. She sent a new message: less than two hours since she left the restaurant and they had said goodbye, she already had one. Without thinking much about it, she told them: "thanks to my sister."

Her friends laughed. They didn't expect that sign of kindness from Hilda. Cristina chatted a bit more with her friends, sending them various messages until they finally said good night. It was already a bit late, but she started some homework. 

When Dolores arrived home, it was already dark; Javier and Cristina were watching television. She felt a bit of pain seeing them together. They looked close, as if they had known each other all their lives, as if she really were his legitimate daughter and not just an adopted orphan. Exhaustion and stress were playing with her mind again. She felt guilty for thinking that way.

Hilda arrived two hours later. She looked somewhat annoyed to see Cristina with the phone she had thrown away. She said nothing. She knew it was a prank by her father, but she was tired and didn't want to fight at that moment, so she went to sleep.

That evening at home, Maya was watching her butterflies. They had absorbed a bit of the frequency that Karla had emanated that day at the restaurant. It was a magic based in venom, like a snake one. She still couldn't discover if it was a stellar or lunar, but she knew it belonged to someone from a clan illegally settled in Espliego.

★★★★★

The next day, after class, Cristina had her first singing lesson. For some reason, she was more nervous than she had been in her drawing class. The teacher was an older man with a harsh face, scars, and rectangular glasses. Tall and of few words, he looked at the new students and sighed. "I shouldn't be teaching talentless school kids," he thought to himself.

It was always the same for him: students from various grades would arrive. They would pretend to sing and go to class just to play, chat, or waste time. Always wanted to sing the popular songs of the moment just to pass the time. True singing talents, like Maya were in private, professional lessons outside of school.

Audition hour began. They had to use those two hours to figure out which vocal range the students were in. The minutes ticked by, and some just laughed and chatted. The ones who came to the front and sang did so with fear, insecurely, and only a few sang well. About 20 minutes later, was Cristina's turn. She was nervous, but she wanted to make a good impression. She sang with fear at first, but after a few seconds, she managed to gain confidence by thinking of her grandmother.

For Cristina, her grandmother had always been a brave woman; Mrs. Margarita was never ashamed to sing. She even sang to the employees during nights when there was no electricity to listen to the radio or watch television. With these memories, she sang during the audition. The professor selected her to sing as a mezzo-soprano.

That day, after class, with nothing else to do, she went straight home and this time found herself completely alone. Not even the sound of Caleb's piano could be heard. Now, the loneliness felt strange to her.