Cemetery Boys

Enrique has called a brujx-wide meeting. All the brujx are gathered in the courtyard behind the church. Enrique is relieved to see Yadriel and demands to know where he has been. Before Yadriel can think of an excuse, Tío Catriz tells Enrique that they were together. Yadriel is grateful for his uncle, the only other brujo who does not quite belong to the brujx community due to his lack of magic. At the meeting, they find out that the police refused to bring in an interpreter and did not listen to Miguel’s parents. Instead of helping, the police brushed them off, demanding to know if Miguel and his parents were US citizens. The brujx community distrust the police, especially since countless of their own have been unjustly deported over the years.

Lita demands Yadriel help decorate the sugar skulls. Lita tells him and the other brujx that she still hasn’t found “La garra del jaguar” (153), the claw of the jaguar ceremonial dagger. She recounts the legend of the jaguar god Bahlam, ruler of Xibalba, the middle world between the human world and the afterlife ruled by Lady Death. Bahlam eats spirits who fail in their journey through Xibalba and manipulates people into bringing him human sacrifices by offering them power in return. A long time ago, the four claws of the jaguar blades promised worshippers who sacrificed four humans the power to kill and resurrect at will. Bahlam’s power tainted the minds of brujx, and his followers killed endlessly, starting wars in their wake. Lady Death fought Bahlam for three days and three nights before trapping him in Xibalba. Lady Death destroyed all the daggers save one, which she gifted to the first family of brujx.

When Lita finishes her story, the brujx at the table are upset, wondering if this is what happened to Miguel. Lita ensures them that they have trapped Bahlam in Xibalba for good. Outside, Yadriel overhears Catriz trying to convince Enrique that times are changing and that they should be embracing differences: “We are destined for extinction” otherwise, he says (157). Enrique refuses, telling him that he will not change his mind. 

Yadriel returns to his bedroom where he finds Julian listening to his music. They listen to music together. Eventually, Julian apologizes to Yadriel for his earlier outburst. He’s never been good at controlling his temper. Julian asks Yadriel why he feels compelled to prove anything to the brujx community, insisting, “You don’t need anyone’s permission to be you, Yads” (160). Yadriel insists that he has a lot to prove because he is the first trans brujx, but Julian disagrees. He says, “There’s no way y’all have been around for thousands of years without there being one person not fitting into the ‘men are this, women are that’ bullshit” (160). Yadriel realizes that he must be right. Still, Yadriel is desperate to be accepted by his family.

Julian tells Yadriel that Luca was sucked into a gang at the beginning of high school because he was so eager to fit in. Rio helped him get out of the gang and away from Luca’s abusive parents. After the gang burned all of Luca’s tattoos off, they could not take him to the hospital because they did not have health insurance, so they brought him to a natural healer. Yadriel suspects that she was a bruja. Yadriel’s mother used to heal folks, sometimes even for free, despite the magical cost to her and her body.

Julian tells Yadriel more about his friends. Flaca’s family kicked her out of the house because she is trans, Rocky lives in a group home, and Omar has lived with Julian and Rio since his parents were deported. Julian’s father was a bystander killed in a drive-by shooting, a tragic accident. Julian’s mother, on the other hand, left when he was still a baby. Julian is convinced that Rio is better off without him as a burden.

Yadriel opens up and tells Julian that his mother died in car accident. Bruja could not heal her. Brujx used to have the power to bring people back to life but lost the ability to do so as their magic diluted over generations. Yadriel convinces Julian to see Rio before he leaves the human world. Yadriel is saddened at the thought of Julian leaving. Yadriel and Julian flirt with each other, but suddenly, the spirit seizes, bleeds from his chest, and disappears. Yadriel is frantic. Julian reappears, and they are both confused and terrified.

Yadriel is convinced that Julian is close to going malignant. Some spirits who are about to do so relive their deaths. He does not understand why this is happening to Julian so quickly. The next morning, Yadriel brings his portaje to school in case Julian goes malignant and tries to harm someone. On their way out of the house, Catriz spots Yadriel with his portaje and distracts Enrique from seeing it. Yadriel is profoundly grateful that his uncle helped him hide his secret. Yadriel is convinced that apart from Maritza, Catriz is the only one who understands him.

At school, Yadriel tells Julian that he wants to get good grades, go to a good college, and help provide for his family. Offended, Julian responds that school is not the only way to do this. Yadriel apologizes, “a little caught off guard by Julian’s very valid observation and felt ashamed of himself for saying something so obviously classist” (179). Later, when Yadriel must use the bathroom, Julian encourages him to use the boys’ restroom for the first time. This makes Yadriel feel “a huge step closer to being himself” (181). After school, Maritza teases Yadriel for his obvious crush on Julian. When she finds out what happened the night before, however, she is scared that Julian might hurt Yadriel. Yadriel fiercely defends Julian. Yadriel has fallen in love with Julian and is furious at the injustice of his death. 

Luca meets Julian, Maritza, and Yadriel in the cemetery. Together, they head to the mechanic shop where Rio works. Maritza and the dogs must stay in the yard while Luca and Yadriel head upstairs with Rio. The apartment is incredibly small and narrow. Rio immediately gets Luca something to eat and drink, used to caring for the teenagers in his life. Rio insists that Julian must have away. Luca and Rio argue, as Rio insists that Julian did not care enough to say goodbye to them.

Hearing this, Yadriel becomes enraged—if Rio believes his brother abandoned them, he does not really know Julian at all. Luca wonders aloud if something could have happened to Julian, panics, and shuts down. Rio is exhausted with worry, but immediately becomes protective of Luca. He turns on Yadriel: “If he doesn’t want to be a part of this family anymore, then we need to let him go, okay?” (193). Julian has another outburst, slamming the front door behind him and leaving a swirling, cold wind in his wake. Everyone is alarmed. Rio orders Yadriel to leave.