Schism by Britt Holewinski Page B

through its pages until the binding nearly broke, and the images of brilliant reddish-orange hues that continually changed with the shifting sun were engraved in her mind. But this eastern portion of New Mexico, with its bland, brownish plains covered with tufts of burro grass, was anything but brilliant despite being in the same part of the country. This plus the heat inspired little confidence in their decision to come to New Mexico. But for the sake of much-needed rest, they stayed in the town of Santa Rosa for more than a week.
    They found two modest homes across the street from each other in a quiet neighborhood; enough room for everyone to have their own bedroom. Days were spent either in the shade or at the nearby lakes in the area. Santa Rosa, as they soon discovered, was surrounded by many lakes, an unusual geographic advantage for a town situated in such an arid climate. But other than sunbathing and swimming in the lakes, there wasn’t much else to do or see in the town, and food was nowhere to be found.
    Walking home together following their third day at the lakes, Andy and Morgan ran into the first strangers in town. While rounding a corner from one street to the next, Andy was stunned to see three people coming towards them. The eldest, a girl well into her teens with long dark hair, stepped protectively in front of the other two, a young boy and girl. “Who are you?” she asked with equal surprise.
    Andy and Morgan instinctively held their hands up to show they were no threat.
    “We’re…we’re staying down the street. We’re not here to bother anyone. I promise,” Andy replied.
    The girl pointed to Andy’s hip. “Then why do you have a gun?”
    “It’s just for protection,” she insisted.
    The girl’s eyes darted back and forth between them. “How long are you planning to stay?”
    “We don’t know yet. What’s your name?”
    The girl hesitated, her wariness palpable. “Maria. This is my brother and sister, Julio and Carmen.”
    Andy smiled to ease the tension. “Andy.”
    “And I’m Morgan.”
    “And it’s just the two of you here?” Maria asked.
    “No, there’s my brother, Charlie, and two others we met back in Virginia,” Morgan answered. “You want to meet them?”
    Maria’s eyes grew wide. “Virginia? What are you doing here?”
    “Long story,” Andy muttered before quickly adding, “How long have you been here?”
    “Almost five years. Three months after ‘El Brote’ we came here from Juarez.”
    “‘El Brote’?” Andy attempted to repeat.
    “The outbreak,” Maria translated. “The virus.”
    As she and her siblings followed Andy and Morgan to their temporary home, Maria candidly revealed that her father had been a wealthy man with close ties to the Juarez drug cartel when members of a rival cartel murdered him only three months before ‘El Brote.’ His children quickly became targets themselves.
    “What happened after the virus?” Morgan asked Maria as they turned onto their block.
    “The children of the rival cartel came after us to keep control over the remaining drugs. They tried to shoot me but the bullet hit the side of Carmen’s arm instead. We got away and came here.”
    Andy looked back at Carmen walking behind her and noted the scar on the outside of the girl’s right shoulder. She looked like a miniature version of her older sister.
    “How old are they?”
    “Carmen is ten and Julio is thirteen.”
    Andy looked over at Julio. Like Charlie, he bore a strong resemblance to his sisters. “And how old are you?”
    “Eighteen,” Maria answered. “You?”
    “Nineteen.”
    “You must be one of the oldest then.”
    “Probably.” Andy stole a lengthy glance at Maria. With her dark hair, bright hazel eyes, and slender figure, she decided that Maria was very pretty, and once inside with the others, she keenly observed how Ben in particular reacted to meeting Maria. But his response seemed ordinary, she judged.
    “Do you have any food?” Maria