Neophyte

Shock

Valentina was in the infirmary helping her people with their injuries or illnesses. It was difficult for her and the other healers to meet the demand, and more of her people were getting worse due to the Mission's working conditions. Toypurina was going to meet with Bishop Victoriano about the recent kidnappings of the Tongva to work in the Mission and Ranchos. Valentina believed it was useless, but Toypurina had hope in the Bishop.

 While tending to an injured man, an adolescent boy entered the infirmity, breathing heavily. "Valentina! Valentina!"

Everyone flinched, and Valentina stopped what she was doing. "Tlein opanoc (What happened)?"

"¡Anna Maria ha dado a luz! ¡Vienen todos (Anna Maria gave birth! Everyone is coming)!"

Valentina immediately ran out of the infirmary, knowing Anna Maria worked in the fields. Although pregnant women were still required to work, they were not allowed to perform hard labor or work long hours. The two ran toward the fields as fast as they could but stopped when they got closer. 

Before them were the field workers with a wooden cart. Anna Maria and her husband were on it. Valentina noticed the bundle in Anna Maria's arms. "She gave birth." Valentina ran toward the group, but she noticed that everyone had a grim expression. She then saw her mother and Metztli walking beside the wooden cart. "Nonantzin..."

Everyone continued except Mariana and Metztli. The older woman shook her head without saying a word. Valentina then looked at Metztli, whose eyes were slightly pink. "The baby was born dead, nocihuapil (my young daughter)."

Valentina had nothing to say; it was common in the Mission. More of her people died every day, as did infants. "Do you think Anna Maria will be punished?"

Metztli flinched and became confused. "P-Punished? Wh-What do you mean?"

Mariana and Valentina looked at one another and then at her. "It's what you have heard. Mothers who give birth to dead children are punished for these cursed Padres believe the mothers have taken away life."

"H-How can that be!? The mother is not at fault! She-!"

"Do you think it matters whether the mother was at fault?" Valentina yelled, violently scrunching her hair. The system of this Mission doesn't care! All they care about is raising our population to make more slaves out of us!"

Mariana wanted to silence her daughter but didn't have the strength to. Metztli would eventually discover more about the Mission, and it was better that she was told more of the truth. When looking at Metztli, her eyes were filled with confusion and denial. "Valentina, Metztli is in shock. It is better not to make it worse."

"Nonantzin, you cannot shield her from the truth forever. She speaks and practices the religion of these white demons without knowing the real reason why she does so." Valentina glared at Metztli. "You only got a little taste of my people's reality, but the more you stay here, the more truth you will experience." She walked toward the Mission to assist the parents.

Mariana and Metztli stood together, the young woman still trying to grasp everything she had witnessed and been told. "Metztli, it is best you go to my son Guillermo. You will need to know what songs to sing upon the arrival of-"

"So is it true, Mariana? The poor mother is going to get punished for losing her baby, even though it wasn't her fault."

"Metztli..."

"So Valentina wasn't lying? It's like she said: the more I stay here, the more of the truth I will experience. I have always been told that the Mission has always been a haven for those who wish to follow God. However, how can one say that if one is punished for something they have nothing control over?"

Mariana felt pressured about whether or not to tell Mariana the dark truth of the Mission, but she believed it wasn't the best time since they witnessed the death of a newborn. "We will talk about this another time. You-"

"¡Perdieron la niña (You lost the child)!"

The two women flinched when they heard a masculine echo. They looked to where the voice came from and saw who looked like a Padre. "Who is that?"

Mariana shook her head. "Padre Miguel Sanchez; he is charge of ensuring our people's population."

"Ensuring the people's population? Is it like seeing who is born and who dies?" 

The older walked toward the Mission without responding, and Metztli followed. The closer the women got, the more they heard the Padre yelling. Seeing Padre Miguel Sanchez made Metztli think he wasn't cruel. He looked to be in his early to mid-sixties and was completely bald. His eyes were light brown, but his left eye looked to have cataracts. Wrinkles slowly appeared on his slightly saggy face, giving him a jolly appearance. The Padre was slightly hunched back, which made him vulnerable. Padre Miguel looked at the new parents who held onto their deceased daughter; he was filled with rage. "¡Salvajes inútiles! ¡Todos saben cómo esperamos que nazcan más niños (Worthless savages! You all know how we waited for more children to be born)!"

Everyone flinched and lowered their heads, fearing angering the Padre more than he already was. Valentina was the only one who refused to lower her head. She was about to answer, but her mother arrived on time and stopped her daughter. "Padre Miguel, por favor. Estos pobres padres perdieron a su hijo. Hicieron todo lo que se les ordenó. Ellos- (Padre Miguel, please. These poor parents lost their child. They did everything they were ordered to do. They-)."

"Padre Miguel, ¿a qué viene tanto jaleo (Padre Miguel, what is with the ruckus)?" Padre Federico arrived along with Padre Lucas.

Padre Miguel pointed at the new parents who were huddled together with their deceased daughter. "¡Estos salvajes perdieron a la niña (These savages lost the child)!"

Padre Federico and Lucas noticed the dead infant and were displeased. Suddenly, they noticed Metztli arriving with the group. Federico noticed how stressed she looked, and he couldn't help but feel saddened. "What is wrong with me? Why am I feeling this way when I see her like that?"

"¡Por favor! ¡Ellos no tienen la culpa! ¡El cordón umbilical estaba enrollado alrededor del cuello de la niña antes de nacer! ¡No se podía haber hecho nada (Please! They are not to blame! The umbilical cord was wrapped around the child's neck before she was born! Nothing could have been done)!"

"¿¡Te atreves a responder, sucia salvaje!? ¿¡Deseas ser azotada (You dare to answer back, you filthy savage!? Do you wish to be whipped)!?"

Metztli gasped. She couldn't believe that she was being threatened to be whipped. Especially by a man of God, nonetheless. 

"Basta, deberíamos hablar con el obispo Victoriano sobre esto. Por ahora, arrojen a la madre a la enfermería (Enough, we should speak to Bishop Victoriano about this. For now, throw the mother to the infirmary)."

Padre Miguel looked as if he was going to argue, but Padre Federico shook his head and entered the Mission with Padre Lucas in toe. 

Metztli felt relieved as she watched Anna Maria gently being helped off the wooden cart. However, she didn't realize that Mariana and Valentina looked at her. Mother and daughter were shocked that Padre Federico was merciful to Anna Maria. Usually, mothers who lost children were thrown into the dungeons or immediately whipped. 

Not this time. 

Anna Maria was safe for now, but they didn't know how long that would last.