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"Ella," I whisper She sticks her head out and looks down "Should I come up?"
She shakes her head "It’s stuck, but I al it down to you in a minute," she whispers back, and then yanks her head back in and disappears I can’t take the suspense of not knohat’s going on up there I look at the base of the column and take hold of it; and just before I’ it, I hear a noise behinda pew I spin around The Virgin Mary blocks my viealk around her and scan the nave, but I don’t see anything
"I got it!" I hear Ella exclaim
I rush back around the statue and look up, waiting for her to appear I can hear her grunt and struggle to drag the Chest to the nook’s opening, and I have no idea if it’s because the Chest is heavy or because the tunnel is so narrow Little by little the dragging continues I feel nothing short of ecstasy at finally having the Chest in etting it open I’ll cross that bridge when I co, I hear so up?"
I whip around Divided equally on each side of the Virgin Mary, Gabby and Delfina stand under the statue’s left araot ht arlance overdown at us fro
"What do you want?" I ask
"I wanted to see what the little tattletale was up to, that’s all You know, it’s funny because I saw you sneak out of the rooet up and finally see what it was you’re always looking at on the computer, but you weren’t there" Gabby paints a sarcastic, confused look on her face "You were in here, which is really weird"
"Really weird It’s really weird," La Gorda says Tothe Chest anymore
"Why do you even care?" I say "Seriously All I ever do is keep to myself and keep my mouth shut"
"I care a lot about you, Marina," Gabby says, stepping forward She flips her long dark hair "In fact, I care soout with that loser drunk, Héctor, all the tiet drunk with him?" She pauses "Do you drink from his bottle?"
I don’t know if it was because she called Héctor a loser, or because she thought our friendship was anythingon what I’ at the computer, but it just happens I closeall four of them at once La Gorda screams, while the other three whiround--their bare feet kicking at the air, their shoulders sainst each other’s--and thrust them all across the s to the raised dais at the back of the nave
La Gorda slaps the floor with her open pale the conquistador I run to her instead, s a wild punch and I duck, only to spring up and jaasp, and her head thuds against the floor She’s out cold
Bonita jumps on my back and pulls at my hair Someone punches me in the left cheek, and the other kicks s s and I duck The punch glances off Bonita’s h for ht arm in my hands and I drive her towards Gabby
"You’re dead, Marina! You are so dead!" Bonita shrieks, and I pull her sideways and knee her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her I shove her to the ground next to La Gorda
Delfina’s confidence is broken She looks for the door "You ready to leaveto get you to"
"You’re going to wish you didn’t say that" I fake right and lunge left, tackling her around the waist Gabby tries to grab my hair but I whip Delfina around to block her Then I pivot on my heels and release Delfina down the middle aisle of the nave Her back hits the first step at the altar, and her groan echoes off the vaulted ceiling
Gabby circlesto be in so much trouble" I turn ht next to the colue and I’m ready for it
Suddenly I see a flash of white above Gabby’s head It takes nize that it’s Ella, and she’s jumped from the nook all the way down onto Gabby’s shoulders Gabby flails around until she can get her hands on Ella; and when she does, she tosses her onto the floor with a horrible cracking sound
"No!" I yell, and then I punch Gabby in the sternuround and she hits the wall, knocking dust from the stone wall’sin pain, but I notice she keeps her right leg completely still I kneel beside her and pull up the botto out of her skin just below the knee I don’t knohat to do I put my hand on her shoulders to try to console her, but she’s in so ht here, Ella," I say "I’ to be okay"
Her eyes open and she gives e done to her right hand Her tiny fist is led, crooked; blood seeps out between her index and ers Her talent