Neophyte

Valentina

Valentina went toward the infirmary, where she saw many ill and injured patients. It pained her heart to see her people in such pain. "These padres and their god caused this pain and sadness! Why must my people continue to suffer this torment!?" She continued onward until she saw her mother sitting by a particular bed. "Piyali, Nonantzin. Nican nica, (Hello, my mother. Here I am)."

Mariana turned and looked at her daughter. "Piyali, noichpocauh (Hello, my daughter). What are you doing here? I thought you would be in the village."

"Yes, but I didn't feel like staying alone in the village knowing that you would be here in this hell of a place."

The older woman eyed her daughter. "Valentina, you know how I feel when you speak ill of this place."

"I do, which is why I have withheld my tongue from speaking what I truly feel about this place and these cursed Padres." Valentina looked back at the occupants. "You and everyone here who are truly responsible for this suffering." Mariana knew that she wouldn't be able to get through to her daughter since she was stubborn to the bone; she looked at Metztli, who was still unconscious. Valentina finally noticed the unconscious Metztli and looked at her carefully. "Who is she?"

Before Mariana could answer, some infirmary workers arrived with materials and herbs and gave them to the older woman. Mariana realized that Victoriano was probably the one who ordered them to retrieve the materials. "Gracias (Thank you)." The older woman stood and decided to make an herbal tea to help Metztli gather her strength. "Valentina, please wet the rag, drench it, and put it on her forehead."

Valentina did as she was told, and while following her order, she couldn't help but look at the unconscious young woman. "Do you know here name?"

"No, the Bishop didn't tell me; I forgot to ask."

"I see." Valentina couldn't help but feel a hint of jealousy as she looked at the unconscious young woman. She held a beauty that she had never seen before. "She looks to be a mestiza (a woman of mixed race)."

Mariana nodded as she finished mixing the herbs and water. "It would seem that she is. Mestizaje is becoming more common."

"Bah! It is becoming common because these filthy Españoles (Spaniards) force themselves upon the women."

"Enough, Valentina!" Everyone cringed. Mariana slowly glared at her daughter, not caring if the other occupants stared. "You will not speak more of this in front of me. There are certain things that I can take from you, but do not forget that the reason you may speak freely is due to the Bishop. Because of him and this Mission, you and your brother received a good education, food, protection, and shelter. If you hadn't, we would all be working in the fields. Is that what you want?"

Mother and daughter looked at one another, and Valentina noticed how calm her mother was; she was angry. Valentina remembered that she was disciplined harshly whenever she went out of line. The silence was interrupted when a sudden groan echoed; Metztli awakened. "Oh, my head..." She slowly sat up as the wet rag fell from her forehead.

Mariana immediately went to her. "Joven, ¿cómo te sientes (Young one, how do you feel)?"

"Me duele un poco la cabeza. Necesito dejar de desmayarme (My head hurts a bit. I need to stop fainting)." Metztli's eyesight was slightly blurry but eventually improved, and they noticed the two women. "Oh, hola."

"¿Cómo te llamas (What is your name)?" asked Mariana.

"Metztli De La Cruz."

"Yo soy Mariana y este es mi hija, Valentina (I'm Mariana, and this is my daughter, Valentina)."

Valentina crossed her arms. "Looks like she speaks Spanish. Typical; our language is dying."

Metztli's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

Mother and daughter looked at one another and then at Metztli. "You can speak English?" asked Valentina.

"Y-Yes." 

"Well, well, well. I would have never imagined that someone besides the Padres would know the English language. How did you learn it?"

"I-I just did; it was spoken in my family." Metztli then remembered what had happened prior, the conversation she had with Bishop Victoriano. "Year 1785..."

"Hmm, did you say something, young one?" asked Mariana as she motioned the tea to Metztli.

The young woman grabbed the tea and took a sip. The drink was so bitter that it made her entire face squint. "Wh-What is this!?"

"The herbs come from the plant called 'Echinacea.' It has a lot of remedies to help you regain your strength. You must take more sips; it will help."

Metztli didn't want to drink the tea, but she didn't want to hurt Mariana's feelings; the older woman reminded Metztli of her mother. She took tiny sips while mother and daughter watched her. While minding her drink, something caught Metztli's eye. The closer she looked, the more her eyes slowly widened. "Th-That rosary..."

Mariana raised an eyebrow as she looked down on her chest, where she wore her rosary. "Oh, this? It was a gift given to me. I-"

"Th-That's mine. You took it from me."

"Desculpa (Pardon), but I do not know what you are talking about. Perhaps you are still healing from fainting."

"My bag, where's my bag?" Then, the young woman noticed her bag beside the bed, grabbed it, and opened it. All her belongings were there except her rosary. "It's not here! The wooden rosary that was given to me by my family!" Metztli then dropped her cup of tea to the floor, shattering it. "You took it! That rosary is mine!"

Valentina stood before her mother and was ready to defend her if necessary. "Ximocahcāhua (Stop)! My nonantzin is not a thief! Everyone here knows that stealing is punishable by suffering whip lashes. Your things are your responsibility!"

Metztli was willing to fight for her rosary; Mariana's was similar to hers. However, her rosary might have fallen somewhere in the Mission. "Sorry, it's just that the rosary looks exactly like mine. I will try to find mine."

Mariana stood. "It is no trouble, Metztli. Now that you are slowly regaining your strength, you can speak with Bishop Victoriano. He wishes to speak with you once you have awakened."

"Uh, sure. I still have a lot of questions that I need to answer." Metztli got out of bed with her belongings and followed the mother-daughter duo out of the infirmary and toward Bishop Victoriano's room. The Mission still looked different from what she was used to, and she hoped that everything was but a dream. However, it was far from likely to be the case. Metztli still had difficulty believing she was in another period but wondered how she arrived in another era.

There were so many questions but few answers. Metztli hoped Bishop Victoriano would assist her because she wouldn't know what to do if he couldn't.