There was only one person in the entire universe who called me Chica.

I snatched the phone out of Marcy’s grasp, punching it on, and put it to my ear. “Juanita?”

“Oh, Chica, I’m so glad you finally picked up! I was getting worried you would keep ignoring me.” Her voice sounded exactly the same as it always had, even though I knew now there was no way Juanita could possibly be human. The magic signature coming through the phone, now that we’d made a connection, was crazy intense. It was so powerful it prickled at my face as I held the phone to my ear. “You are in a dire emergency. I had no other choice but to contact you. I am breaking all the rules, but I will gladly pay the price to help you.”

“The price for what, Juanita?” I asked, trying to keep the worry out of my voice. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?”

“Your life es in danger, Chica. That’s what’s goin’ on.”