3.ii Amancio

Sofi's heartbeat finally slowed down as she liberated plant detritus from her hair. After kicking off her sandals, she settled knee first in the sand and took the time to breathe in her surroundings.

The Amazon sun was a perfect disc high in the sky and shrouded by buoyant clouds. A sweet breeze traveled down the river, whipping through the trees and channels. It whistled at Sofi's arrival, welcoming her to the jungle.

A primeval world hovered impressively before her eyes. The layers upon layers of trees were such a violent shade of green that it almost hurt to look at them. A thick mist floated over the canopy as if it were alive.

Sofi could understand why the locals feared this place. At even its most peaceful moment, it was the most intimidating force of geography she'd ever seen. Penetrating its secrets seemed impossible and dangerous.

The longer Sofi waited, the more it seemed that her breath was in sync with her surroundings. From the rush of exotic bird feathers, to the bellows of the canopy monkeys, down to the soft muted steps of the jaguars prowling stealthily along the forest floor – she could hear everything. The forest itself was a beating heart. And if the forest was a heart, then the river acted as the veins and arteries, constantly transporting life to the various organs of this lush continent.

Maybe the river can transport me somewhere too, Sofi hoped as she shuffled down the bank to clean her face. After splashing herself a few times, she let the water settle.

Although the water slightly distorted her face, she was able to make out her reflection. Her henna brown hair reached her shoulders in the form of ringlets that entangled and entwined themselves like the roots of the river's mangrove trees.

Her curls framed a heart-shaped face and serious brown eyes. A conspicuous mole pinned the left side of her cheekbone, just a few centimeters below her eye. 

Sofi sighed. Why the hell am I even here?

She let her mind wander; the answer came in many forms. Pai. Mãe. Knowing that she would never again receive the love from one and that the same was fast becoming true for the other.

Maya's dark fairytale seemed silly now, but for those few minutes since leaving home, they had given Sofi something to think about besides her family. It made sense why she felt so compelled to chase down this river.

I'm afraid, she admitted. She wanted to be left alone with her feelings without Art or tia or anyone else watching. The river seemed the only place where no one would come looking for her.

Sofi continued to sit in the belly of the jungle, crying now, her suffering striking like dark chords strung on an acoustic guitar. One note after another came into existence until a lonely heart song seemed to materialize on the passing breeze.

Sofi lifted her head when she realized that these were not phantom notes. Somebody really was playing a guitar somewhere nearby. Sofi got to her feet and followed the music. She threaded her way across the knotted knees of the mangroves until she came to a curvy, green slope that shadowed a serene section of the river. Perched on the edge was a young guitarist.

As soon as Sofi laid eyes on him, she forgot about everything else. There was nothing more important at that moment than to know the identity of this boy.

Sofi saw that the sun had tanned his skin the color of seasoned rice. The boy wore the same attire as any other local, but somehow underneath the plain clothing, every feature of his body surpassed the requirements of male perfection.

Sofi became entranced as the youth's nimble fingers majestically formed notes on the guitar. His song was simple, but mystifying nonetheless.

As Sofi teetered on with the music, her gaze explored his face. She found eyebrows as dark as coffee grounds. A nose that was slight yet strong enough to preserve its masculinity. Colorful, enticing lips.

The final feature Sofi noticed about the striking young stranger was his hair. It was the richest, darkest red she had ever seen with roots that were nearly black. The boy's wavy locks fluttered in the humid air as he rocked and bobbed to his melodic art.

His romantic piece finally came to a memorable close and he opened his eyes for the first time. They were orange with a hint of red – like the inside of a grapefruit.

The boy put his guitar on his lap and leaned on it so that he could gaze out at the river as it cut its way through the realm of the Amazon and extended further in the distance. It wasn't long before his blissful gaze rested on Sofi. The calm in his amber eyes was blurred by shock, as if he had never seen another person before.

Sofi didn't know where she found the courage to speak, but she managed to blurt, "I'm sorry if I scared you! I just didn't want to interrupt your uhh . . . I'm Sofi."

The boy's face relaxed. "I thought I was alone."

"I can't believe I just invaded your privacy like that. I'll leave," Sofi said, wishing she would quit embarrassing herself in front of this heavenly creature.

The boy smiled. "You're not invading my privacy. I promise."

"I'm not?"

The boy shook his head. "Of course not." There was something in his easy smile and the way he looked at her with those orange eyes that made Sofi's skin grow warm..

She swallowed before asking, "Who are you?"

"My name's Amancio."

Amancio adjusted his guitar. "Please stay. I'll play another one."

Sofi obeyed without hesitation. As she took her seat, she noticed that the boy smelled like freshly squeezed oranges. His clothing was nothing special – just a red plaid shirt rolled up at the sleeves. Ripped jeans. No shoes.

Amancio lightly plucked at the strings. "How old are you, Sofi?"

"Sixteen," Sofi barely heard her own answer. She was too immersed in the melody coming out of his guitar. Amancio began to sing along in Portuguese with a voice that made her want to draw closer to him.

Even though Sofi couldn't understand most of the lyrics, she felt like it was made just for her. When the song came to an end, he put aside his instrument and casually unbuttoned his shirt.

"Can you swim, Sofi?"

She tried to tear her eyes away from his lean body. "I-I didn't bring a bathing suit."

Amancio chuckled before he got up and took a few steps backward. Then he raced to the edge and dived. Sofi watched his agile body slice through the water.

This guy is . . . perfecto.

Amancio resurfaced, his saffron hair clinging to his forehead and his sun baked body highlighting the scenery of the river.

Amancio shouted, "You don't know what you're missing!"

Sofi smiled."It does look like fun."

He spread his arms. "Okay, so jump!"

Just as Sofi stretched out her hand, thunder choked the air with its deafening snarl.

"Whoa." Sofi looked up at the sky. "I should probably go."

"No, wait."

Something in Amancio's voice compelled her to stay. Amancio glared up at the storm clouds. In just a few seconds, the sun had retaken control of the sky and the rain clouds vanished.

They become like us, but beautiful. Dangerously beautiful. Oh yes. And they can make the sky do their bidding. They cast spells with their music that can take away your willpower. And their hair . . . is the color of blood

The memory of Maya's words formed a silent dread that lodged itself in Sofi's heart. The dazed, blissful feeling she had a moment ago faded fast.

Sofi scrambled to her feet and slowly backed away into the forest. Amancio flicked his gaze in her direction. "Hey, what's wrong? Where are you going?"

Sofi stumbled into the mouth of the jungle and cried over her shoulder, "I'm sorry, but I have to go!"

Her heart pounded harder than ever as she blundered her way through the maze of trees and ferns and darkness, trying to escape the haunting sound of Amancio calling her name.