My heart’s pounding, and I can see a noticeable shake in my hand when I lift it and place it on her stomach; and it’s then that I can feel how weak and sick she really is. The cold tingle crawls up my spine and spreads down my arms and into the tip of each finger. I grow dizzy. My breathing quickens, and my heart beats even faster. I begin to sweat despite the prickly chill turning my skin cold. Carlotta’s eyes open, and a low groan escapes her open mouth.

I close my eyes. “Shhh, it’s okay, it’s okay,” I say to comfort the both of us. And then, with the icy chill radiating from me to her, I begin to pull the sickness away. It retreats stubbornly, clinging tightly to her insides, reluctant to loosen its grip; but finally even the stubborn bits let go.

Slight tremors cause Carlotta to convulse and shake, and I do my best to hold her down. I open my eyes just in time to see the ashen color of Carlotta’s face change to a pink glow.

Vertigo sweeps through me. I lift my hands from her body and fall backwards to the floor. My heart thuds so violently that it scares me, like it’s about to break free from my body. But in time it slows, and when I finally pull myself to my feet, I see Carlotta’s sitting up with a bewildered look, as though trying to remember where she is and how she’d gotten here.

I rush into the kitchen and drink three glasses of water. When I walk back, Carlotta is still gathering her bearings. I make another quick decision—I go to the nightstand and rifle through the ten or so pill bottles, finding the label I’m looking for: WARNING: MAY CAUSE DROWSINESS. I open it, take four pills, and shove them in my pocket.

“What’s going on?” Carlotta asks. She is frantic. “Where am I? Who are you?”

I don’t answer her, and instead walk from the room. But before I leave, I turn and look at Carlotta once more. She’s watching me with her healed, untwisted legs dangling over the bed as though she’s about to stand.

I rush out of the house and find Legacy sleeping underneath the back window. Keeping to the alleys and side streets, I make my way back to the orphanage with the cat in my arms, wondering how Héctor will react when he finds his mother cured. The problem, however, is that in a village this small, secrets don’t last very long. My only hope is that nobody saw me come or go, and that Carlotta won’t remember what really happened.