Read Online Erased Faces by Graciela Limón - Free Book Online Page A

her, gaining on her, lunging at her. She cried out.

    â€œAdriana.
¡Despierta!
”
    She awoke to find Juana holding her. Drenched in perspiration and with her face smeared with tears, Adriana felt her heart pounding wildly; she could not breathe. She struggled against suffocation while she stretched and grabbed at the backpack, fumbling, tugging. She finally found the inhaler. She shoved it into her mouth and pumped, then she inhaled deeply and waited for her lungs to stabilize.
    Juana held her in her arms until Adriana was able to calm down. She wiped the sweat off her face, all the time reminding her that it had been a nightmare, that she was safe, that nothing would harm her. Juana’s soft words reassured Adriana, calming her, allowing her to again fall into a deep and this time peaceful sleep. She was unaware of how long she had slept until she became aware of Juana’s voice.
    â€œIt’s time.”
    Juana was nudging her shoulders, whispering, trying to awaken her, but Adriana’s sleep was sound, and it took her seconds to realize where she was and who was calling her. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind, but she was still half asleep, unable to distinguish where and how her dream had ended. Suddenly, she felt a rushing urge to relieve herself. She eased herself away from Juana’s arms and crawled out of the sleeping bag stood up and walked to the ferns, where she unzipped her pants, squatted, and allowed her body to drain. Then she returned to where Juana waited for her.
    Without saying a word, Juana turned and began to make her way through the jungle. Adriana looked around expecting to see someone, whoever it was that had pursued her in her dream, in her mind. She saw only trees and thick undergrowth. She walked slowly, following Juana, at the same time reminding herself that it had been only a dream, her imagination that had evoked those shadows. Nothing more. The words uttered by Chan K’in floated back to her, and she wondered if it really could be possible that perhaps in more than a dream she had been chased through this jungle in another era. She shrugged her shoulders, balanced her backpack, and picked up her pace behind Juana.
    By the time the sun was rising, Juana and Adriana filed into camp. The fragrance of tortillas hissing on
comales
wrapped itself around Adriana’s nose, making her mouth water. Despite being exhausted, she felt a burst of new energy as she took in her surroundings. She saw at a glance that the camp took up a large clearing in the jungle, where
palapas
and other structures served as shelters. In most of those huts, she noticed that there were weapons of different types.
    To the side she saw a sturdier house with windows. It was raised on a foundation, with stairs leading to a deck, then to the front entrance. Juana made her way to that structure, and as she and Adriana approached, men and women came out to greet them with smiles and embraces. There was much noise and jabbering.
    After a few minutes, however, Adriana perceived a marked change in mood. Serious expressions replaced smiles; joyful eyes became somber. Astounded, she looked around, taking in faces as she tried to discern the cause of the sudden change. Juana signaled her to stay where she was while she moved aside to speak with two members of the group. Adriana kept her eyes on the three, all the while knowing from Juana’s body movements that something important was being discussed. In a few moments, Juana nodded and walked toward Adriana.
    Meanwhile, Adriana’s attention returned to the men and women milling around her. She saw that they were all indigenous. She was surprised by the number of women, most of them young, who had made themselves part of that army. She concentrated on their faces, on the strength reflected in their eyes. Those were the faces that theworld beyond the jungle would soon be seeing through the camera lens. There were a few older people, but most of