Gods of Jade and Shadow

The next day, Casiopea and Hun-Kamé visit a jewelry store to find a gift for La Xtabay, a seductress spirit from whom they need help. There, Casiopea admires a silver bracelet. Hun-Kamé insists she try it on and offers to buy it for her. She thinks about how the priest and people back home would call it gaudy, but she wants it and accepts Hun-Kamé’s offer. When she thanks him, he offers such a small smile that she feels like she needs to “cup it in her hands to keep it safe” (129).

Hun-Kamé returns to the hotel, and Casiopea goes to a hairdresser to have her choppy hair fixed. She gets a bob and feels self-conscious until she ventures out into the city and no one looks at her strangely. Just as she’s starting to feel comfortable, a hand lands on her shoulder, and a familiar voice says “Casiopea, we have to talk” (132): It’s Martín.

The night before, Martín arrived in Mexico City and checked into a hotel, where he dreamed about Casiopea laughing while their grandfather beat him. The dream reminds him of the time he called Casiopea a bastard (she was born out of wedlock), and Casiopea hit him with a stick.