Chapter Eighteen
Brazilian City
Caleb pushed through the crowds.
He saw Akin disappear. How would he find him again?
Erin gave the man her ticket. She sighed deeply. She wondered if coming back to Peru was a mistake.
“No.” She said aloud. It’s not a mistake. I know he’s alive. I just know it. She tied her blonde hair back into a ponytail and leaned back her head. She glanced at the passenger next to her. “You okay, Theodore?”
Theodore shrugged. “I’m just so scared. Scared that we’ll get there and—” He didn’t need to finish his sentence.
Erin knew what he meant. Caleb might be dead when they find them.
“Avery doesn’t know where we’re going…does he?” Erin asked.
Theodore hesitated. But finally he answered, “If I would’ve told him, he wouldn’t have let me go. He might’ve not even let you go either.”
“I’m glad we’re going.” Erin announced confidently. “I’m not going to just give up on him. You’re not either. We’re going to find him, nurse him back to health, and life will go back to normal.”
“I’ll arrange the wedding.”
“Stop that.” Erin laughed. Oh, how she wished so dearly for Caleb to be alright. She couldn’t live without him. Theodore couldn’t either.
Erin looked at Theodore. If something were to happen to him on this trip, she could not forgive herself.
Please God. Keep him safe. He can’t defend himself.
Theodore yawned and closed his eyes. “It’s morning, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What does it look like?”
Erin’s smile faded. She had a flashback of her sister. Her sister was very sickly often. She remembered a day, when her sister laid in bed, nearly dying…
“It’s morning, I think. It must be a nice day. I can feel it. I want to be out so bad.”
“I know you do, Heather. But you’ll get sick. Make sure the curtains stay shut at all times.” Little Erin sighed as she adjusted the covers for her sister.
“What does it look like? Is the sun out yet?”
Erin sat down by her bed and held her sister’s small hand. “The clouds are pink with silver lining. They look like big puffs of cotton candy. And the grass—the grass is edged with golden rays from the sun. It’s beautiful. You’ll get out soon. You’ll get better. I promise.” Erin bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
“Is something wrong Erin?”
Erin blinked back to reality. “Oh, no, sorry.” She looked out the window. “It’s beautiful. The clouds are different shades of lavender and pink. The sun is in the east and its rays line the clouds. From up here, I can see little dots of houses with lights shining from them. The sky is a light blue and the grass is greener than ever.”
Theodore sighed. “It was a day quite like this one, when we had the accident. And it was a day like this, when Father died.”
Erin held his hand. “Get some rest. Okay?”
Theodore nodded and closed his eyes.
Marion hung up the phone. She dialed a different number. “Andrew, please pick up.”
Andrew picked up.
“Hi Andrew. Avery can’t find Theodore. Theodore told him Erin was taking him on a little trip, but he never said where. I—I think they’re going back to Peru.”
“What? Why one earth would they do that? We just got back.”
“To look for Caleb. I just have this strong feeling. Please. Please come with me.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Maybe I am. But you’re my friend. Please, Andrew.”
Andrew sighed. “On my way.”
Caleb found his way to a place that looked like a small diner. It smelled of chicken and drinks.
He walked inside. People were acting dizzy and some could hardly walk on their own two feet.
“I’ll have another!” Cried a familiar voice.
“Matthias. Ezra. Ford.” Caleb strutted to the front of the drunk group and grabbed Matthew by the collar. He pulled him outside and took him into an alleyway.
“Hands off!” Matthew pushed.
Caleb’s hand went to his face and he sighed, annoyed. “I can’t believe you.” He stood straight as a pencil and his voice was firm. “I walked away for one second!”
“Technically, I walked away.”
Caleb’s face turned beet red.
Matthew chuckled. “At ease, soldier.”
“What?”
“What?” Matthew mimicked him. He straightened up and went to walk but stumbled.
Caleb helped him up. “You need some help.”
Matthew waved a hand in front of his face. “Pfft. Help shmelp.”
Caleb stood with his hands on hips. “Stay here. I’m going to get a place to stay.”
Matthew saluted him and stumbled again. “Anything you say!”
Caleb walked through the streets rather quickly, for he knew Matthew would leave any minute. As he walked, he looked over the people’s heads and tried to see If they had a hotel or Air B&B.
“Excuse me!”
A short little man wirled around. “Ola, Como eu posso ajudar—te!”
Caleb sheepishly smiled. “Thanks.” He went passed him and the stout man tugged on his shirt.
“Como eu posso ajudar—te!”
“I’m sorry, I only speak English. And some of Dutch, as a matter of fact.”
“How can I help you?”
“You speak English?”
The man laughed out loud. “You foreigners are funny. I was simply asking how I can be of service.”
Caleb felt the heat rise up in his cheeks. “Thank you. I was wondering if you have any available rooms here. Me and my—” Caleb wondered what to call Matthew. “Me and my…brother are looking for someplace to stay.”
The man stared at him. “Oh. I have rooms. Stay with me. It be no problem-o!”
Caleb nodded. “Thank you—o.” He felt more color in his face.
The man grabbed his hand and Caleb led him to Matthew.
Matthew sat in a corner, snoring.
The man narrowed his eyes at him. “This brother?”
Caleb went to speak but couldn’t. “Um…well…he’s—he’s adopted.”
“Oh.”
Caleb smiled and went to help Matthew up. “Come on, little brother. We’re going to get rooms.”
“Rooms! I’m thirsty!” Matthew grinned a toothy grin.
Caleb chuckled awkwardly. “Stop it.” He whispered.
Matthew laughed and whispered back, “Stop it!” Only his ‘stop it’ was much louder than Caleb’s.
The man took them across town to his little two bedroom cottage. “This home to me. I have two rooms. Two beds.” He took the boys to a small room and closed the door.
“Enjoy!”
Caleb looked at the small bed.
Matthew plopped on it and fell asleep.
“This can’t be good.”
Erin got off the plane. She breathed in the free air.
“Let’s go rent a jeep.”
Theodore grabbed her hand and they went to a man who rented them out.
After they were finished, they went to head down the main road.
A man stopped them.
“Is there a problem?” Theodore asked.
The man caught his breath. “That place. It’s cursed.”
“What?” They both said at once.
“It exploded. Everything burnt. It was probably those cursed people that entered that area. It’s their fault. I know it is. People talk. I heard all about them. Cursed they are, cursed!”
“What exactly did these people look like?” Erin asked nervously, trying to sound casual.
“They—they—” The man thought. “There was two ladies. One a nurse. I know from stories. I haven’t seen them for real. There— there was the one with the satchel…”
Caleb.
“The one with the curly brown hair.”
Andrew.
“The one with fiery hair."
Marion.
“And...the little one."
Theodore blushed.
Erin sighed loudly. “Well, hopefully they don’t come around.” Erin went to start the jeep up again when the man got in front of the car.
“What are you doing?” Erin asked.
“You’re white too. You’ll curse us all.”
Erin sighed. What to do, what to do. Erin thought of something. She backed up the car and went the opposite way.
“What are you doing?” The man yelled.
“Going to Brazil!” She yelled back.
Theodore hung on to the seat. “Why Brazil?”
“I don’t know. But we’re only two days away from there. We can stop, get food, have some rest, and then turn back. If that man were to have any suspicions about us, we could be in grave danger. These places aren’t always safe. Now, people are going around saying we cursed part of the Amazon.”
Theodore laughed.
“What’s so funny about that?”
“I don’t know. It’s just, I never pictured myself having these adventures across the world.”
Erin laughed with him. “Me neither.”
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