DELETED CHAPTER: Snakes (part 1)

Julio could not stand the stench of the cobra and the viper any longer.

"Do we have a deal?" he said quickly, trying to end the conversation as fast as possible. If any other Encantados or worse, Amancio, found Julio talking to a couple of Encantados from the Stone Clan, he would have hell to pay.

The two mischievous snakes gave each other sly looks and snickered in unison. The cobra faced Julio and said, "Why is a big shot fin like yourself getting all worked up over a little girl? Don't you have any faith in us?"

Julio sighed impatiently. These snakes didn't have a single ounce of maturity in them. He also hated it when they referred to him and other dolphins as fins.

"She's not like other girls. It'll be easy to lure her somewhere isolated, but restraining her there . . . well, that's a whole other story. She picks up on danger quick and she has a friend who's willing to do anything to protect her."

The viper laid a repulsive, bony hand on Julio's bare shoulder.

"Leave it to us, fin" he said, "Alonzo and I will take care of the girl and her little friend."

Julio had to refuse the urge to shake the snake's putrid hand off his body. Instead, he cleared his throat and said, "Remember, don't hurt the girl. Just get her to the Encante through the Stone portal. Once you do that, Paola's all yours."

"What happens if your little protege comes after us and tries to fight for her?" the cobra asked. Julio knew that they were talking about Amancio. He explained, "If he shows up, you have my permission to kill him. But you shouldn't have to worry. I mean, it's one inexperienced 'fin' against two formidable snakes. Right?"

Julio was so relieved when the Encantados had finally stopped asking questions and nodded at each other, satisfied with their contract. They showed their rude nature as they morphed into their scaly forms and slithered away without so much as a goodbye. 

When Julio was sure that the viper and the cobra were out of earshot, he said aloud, "This should be interesting."

His dark eyes gleamed as bright as the dew dripping from the haunting ferns surrounding him. The dark-haired Encantado did not intend to lose Paola to a couple of moronic snakes. He knew he could use her to bribe them. Julio would never risk losing Paola for real. The reason for the phony contract was all just a setup in order to test Amancio.

Deep in his heart, Julio questioned how much control he had over his pupil. A month ago he could manipulate him as easy as any human. Now, Amancio could block Julio's words out of his mind without much effort. Amancio also had a great propensity to keep secrets, which Julio detested terribly. And all this time Julio had to lie to Sofi in order for her to still believe he had control over Amancio.

This test would reveal how strong his student's feelings for the human really were. He knew that Amancio was very capable of destroying both of the snakes single-handedly (which was the total opposite of what he told the two swamp-breaths), but he wanted to see the extent of his abilities. How far would his passion for Sofi drive him? The lives of two insignificant snakes would be a small price pay for Julio to discover the truth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sofi found herself waiting at the overhang longer than usual that morning. She was lying on her stomach on the same grassy slope overshadowing the river. She passed the time by fingering her shell necklace and humming tunes that Amancio often played on his guitar. After what seemed like an hour, a sigh of boredom escaped from Sofi's lips.

As if on cue, an energetic yellow butterfly perched itself right in front of her on a blade of grass. Sofi smiled at the sight of the insect and asked aloud, "Are you here to take me to Amancio?"

The butterfly ascended from the grass and fluttered around Sofi's head, urging her to follow it. Sofi got up and allowed the butterfly to lead her through the forest.

It wasn't long before Sofi was led right to her hideout. Her guide didn't stop there. It continued to skate across the air towards the thick forest behind the shack. Sofi hesitated at first. Besides the abandoned village, she had never gone beyond her hideout. It was uncharted territory. Sofi pondered for a moment, wondering if she should really venture into an unknown part of the rainforest. It didn't take her long to make up her mind.

 As soon as Sofi took her first step onto the unfamiliar soil, she felt a rush similar when she had first approached the bank of the river, as if she had discovered a lost civilization. The girl snapped back into reality when she realized that the butterfly had quit waiting for her and continued ahead.

Sofi moved a broad leaf out her way, in order to follow her impatient guide. Instead of seeing more lush vegetation, Sofi came face to face with Toni. She recoiled back and gave a high-pitched shriek.

"And what do you think you're doing?" he asked, his arms folded in the usual way. 

Sofi groaned, "Jeez, Toni, you sound like a broken record. I'm just exploring. See, no Encantados up my sleeve, none in my pockets."

"Very funny Sofi. Really, what are you doing? You've never gone beyond your hideout. You aren't familiar with this part of the river."

Sofi groaned again and pushed past Toni. She explained as she continued down the trail, "I'm looking for someone."

Toni followed her. "Who? Amancio?"

Sofi looked back at Toni, but didn't answer. Toni rolled his eyes. "Why do I even ask?"

The two of them traveled further through the forest until they reached a ledge. It was as if the jungle was chopped in half. Toni said when they reached the drop off, "Sofi, I think we should go back, this is a dead end."

Sofi ignored his comment and pushed back the hanging vegetation, trying to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond the cliff. As she tore down multiple ferns and vines, she said, "Don't you at least want to see what's on the other side of the forest?"

Before Toni could answer, a surge of blackness tore through the opening that Sofi had found. Toni cried, "Watch out!"

He grabbed Sofi by the waist and yanked her to the ground. The two of them laid on their backs in fear, watching a blanket of squealing darkness dash over their bodies. After a moment, their fear subsided and Toni said, "They're just bats."

When the flock had passed, Sofi and Toni slowly rose to their feet. As Toni brushed the bat droppings from his faded green shirt, he said, "Are you happy now? You just disturbed an entire family of bats. Now let's go."

"Toni, look!"

Sofi pointed from where the bats had emerged. Sunlight now poured through the opening. Toni squint his eyes, trying to see past the blinding light. Once his vision adjusted, he beheld a wondrous sight.

Below the cliff was a world of emerald canopies and purging waterfalls. Birds of paradise soared over the area, squawking with pleasure. The largest waterfall roared thunderously, and provided a rainbow that teemed with color. The scenery was very reminiscent of Iguazu Falls.

From the ledge, Sofi and Toni could even see the playful monkeys leaping from tree to tree. And dead smack in the middle of the rainforest kingdom, was the noodle-like Amazon River, fed by the surrounding waterfalls.

Toni murmured in awe, "This has been here all this time?"

"Apparently," Sofi remarked. After a few more moments of watching the spectacle, Sofi said, "Come on, help me find a way down there."

Toni looked at her incredulously. "What? Are you crazy? This cliff is at least a hundred feet off the ground."

"Come on, Toni. It's not like we're going to jump down. There's got to be vine or something . . ."

"Sofi, can't you tell that something's wrong here? What if those Encantados you want you to go down there?" Toni asked. Sofi shrugged, "You act as if I'm climbing down into a pit. Don't see what's out there? It's beautiful."

"No, Sofi," Toni protested. He grabbed her by the arm. "We're going home."

Sofi fought to get away. "You can go, but I'm staying."

"No! It's too dangerous!" Toni tried to scoop her up in his arms.

Sofi protested, "Let go of me!"

Their struggling ceased when they suddenly heard the sound of something splitting apart.

"What was that?" Toni whispered. Before Sofi could answer, another deafening tearing noise rippled through the air. The ground beneath them dismantled and soon the moist air vibrated with Toni's and Sofi's cries.

 For the first few seconds, Sofi and Toni were free falling. But soon, their bodies caught onto the steep slope. The rest of the way down, they tumbled across the muddy earth, unable to stop. Sofi shrieked in surprise whenever she caught some dangerous air. Her frequent cries were muffled every time she hit the earth.

Toni held his breath, trying to wait out the long and dangerous fall and attempting to avoid rocks and tree branches. He succeeded for some time until, while falling through the air, his forehead slammed against an outstretched tree branch. Toni was out cold for the rest of the descent.

Their bodies flopped around like lifeless dolls as they toppled down the steep slope. Finally, their fall came to an end as they rolled off an upturned piece of earth and sprawled through the sky over a small swampy pool. Sofi prayed that they wouldn't land in one of the mangrove trees. In fact, they landed in a rather large pit of mud with a sloppy splash.

Sofi moaned in disgust when she realized that the mud puddle was several feet deep. That wasn't the worst part. What scared her most of all was the fact that the two of them were in a trench of sinking muck, and Toni was unconscious.

Sofi was quick to act. She wrapped her arms around the nearest tree root so that she would not drown. Then she stretched out her legs, which were heavy from the pulling force of the mud, and locked them under Toni's arms. Once she was sure that she had him firm in her grasp, she used her arms to climb across the roots of the mangrove tree, dragging Toni and her body out of the sludge in the process. Her searing muscles cringed in pain from the opposing force of the earth and Toni's dead weight.

Somehow, Sofi succeeded in heaving herself and Toni out of the sink hole. She climbed over the last bit of roots and collapsed onto the solid ground. Her muscles burned when she relaxed them.

When Sofi regained her strength, she dragged Toni away from the pit and to a nearby stream, where she cleansed the soppy dirt from the both of them. Toni awoke as the water ran over his face. He sat up sharply and coughed. 

Sofi asked, "Are you okay?"

He nodded, still disoriented, and asked, "How far did we fall?"

"I don't know, Toni. I wasn't really paying attention when I was hurtling down the side of that ledge."

Toni sighed and splashed some more water onto his face. He gently touched his fingers to the spot where he hit his head. There was a tender bruise right above his eye.

"Why do you always have to be so sarcastic?" he asked, testing the pain with his fingertips.

The two of them stood in the stream in silence, still trying to wash off the mud. After she got most of the dirt off, Sofi planted herself in the sand. Toni edged over to where she sat and asked bluntly, "Why don't you ever listen to me?"

"Don't start," Sofi snapped. 

Toni sighed. "Why can't you just walk away from all of this?"

"All of what?"

Toni waved his arms around. "All of this! The Amazon. You know it's dangerous. Why can't you just walk away from it and go home for a while? You come here every single day and you don't return until the sun goes down. I just want to know why."

Sofi glared up at Toni. "Because it's too painful to watch mãe die in bed. It's too painful to know that she can't remember me at all. And it's too painful to see my brother scrambling around trying to save her. Don't you see? The outside world causes more damage to me than this river ever could."

Toni's eyes widened. "The 'outside world'? Sofi, do you hear yourself? Look at what this place has done to you."

"This place has made me stronger," Sofi said with conviction as she stood up. "Yeah, maybe I run away from my problems by coming here. But so what? It's a lot better than what I used to do. Sitting around and crying all day. I was pathetic."

For once, Toni didn't have anything to say. He listened to Sofi, not wanting to interrupt her this time. He watched her stand before the river, wet and filthy with dirt.Despite the mud smeared into her clothes and hair, it didn't hinder his attraction to her. It had only been two months since they first met, but he could tell that she had changed so much since then.

"After pai died and mãe got sick, I used to think that there was nothing else I could do. I used to think I was helpless. Believe it or not the Encantados taught me otherwise. They taught me that I don't have to allow the world to make me miserable. I can have my own life away from everything else where all of my dreams can come true."

"And how are those dreams coming along for you?" Toni asked.

"Was it a dream of yours to see my sister get kidnapped? Did you like it when that Encantado trapped us inside the shack with that storm? Do you enjoy being stalked by snakes and alligators on a daily basis?"

"Toni," Sofi interrupted. 

Toni spoke over her. "Or how about just now when we fell a hundred feet into the damn jungle with no clue of how to get back? How's that for a dream coming true? If that's your idea of paradise then we must be in freaking heaven right now!"

In the silence that followed, Toni and Sofi just stared intensely at each other, both plastered in mud and smelling worse than a pile of tapir dung. Despite the dense foliage surrounding them, the forest was eerily quiet except for the trickle of water running from a nondescript tributary.

It was Sofi who spoke first.

"Every girl has dreamed of having a knight in shining armor – someone who cares about her. Someone who is willing to do anything to protect her. Ever since I came here, I've been lucky enough to have two – you and Amancio. So yeah, in a way my dreams have come true."

Sofi took a few steps closer to Toni.

"Don't you realize that I'm able to leave my house and walk into this forest every day because of you? I know you're watching over me, Toni. And I feel safe knowing that you're there."

Toni eyes softened. He always melted on the inside when Sofi opened up to him. But despite his sensitivity toward her, his fear remained.

"And what if your 'knight' can't come to your rescue one day? What if he can't get to you in time?" He asked, his expression heavy and handsome.

Then Toni swallowed hard and said, "And what if . . . you die?"

Sofi lowered her gaze and thought. Amancio's bright eyes came into her mind. His magnetic smile eroded all of her worries and doubts.

Looking up at Toni, she said with a smile, "To die will be an awfully big adventure."

"I don't understand," Toni mumbled, even more perplexed by Sofi's contradictory response to his scenario. 

Sofi chuckled softly. "It's something pai used to say back when he was sick and I would cry over him. Anytime he quoted Peter Pan, it cheered me right up. Especially that line. Only now do I understand what he meant. That I shouldn't be afraid of anything, not even death itself. Pai was never afraid of dying. Not ever."

Sofi reached for Toni's hand. As he closed his fingers around hers, he gazed at her, marveling at her sudden tenderness. They remained holding hands as they stood in the soft light of the rainforest, clad in mud and scratches from the fall. 

Toni's other hand reached for the small of Sofi's back and brought her closer to him. Reaching up, she moved back the dark curls out of his handsome eyes.

"I'm sorry I hit you the other day," she said barely in a whisper as she closed her eyes. 

Toni suddenly remembered when she had slapped him on the bridge weeks ago. He leaned his lips against her forehead and breathed, "Forget it."

Sofi basked in Toni's embrace. His warmth and goodness washed over her. She suddenly forgot about Amancio and lingered on how wonderful it felt to be so close to a real man.

"Sofia," Toni whispered just above her ear, "don't move."

Sofi's eyes fluttered open and she watched as Toni's nose etched the side of her face all the way to the corner of her mouth. He gently folded a lock of dark hair behind her ear. He hesitated just above her patient lips, listening for the anticipation in the silence between them.

Then they both paused when a strange hissing sound echoed above them.

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Obrigada,

~ Coco