Closing my eyes, I imagine New Mexico burning, can almost smell it, the pungent pine, fireball mesquite,

and smouldering cacti. I should be worried about the damage the UVs doing to my scars, but after tonight, none of that will matter. Just when you think it cant possibly get any hotter or the mercury will explode, the temperature rises just a few more degrees. Today, Coyotes Luck lies in a simmering mirage, hotter than any hell imaginable. The crush of mesquite huddling between the tombstones offers little respite from the sun. Sticking to the dappled shade, I thread my way toward Dannys grave. Im not alone. She looks like a ghost with the white sundress fanning around her legs, her long black hair teased by the warm breeze. For a moment, I think its one of the chiindi made flesh, until she turns at the sound of my step. Gabriela, her face a teary-eyed frown. She folds her arms and returns her gaze to the grave. When did she get so thin? She was always so voluptuous, a shorter, less saggy version of her mother. Now she looks more like a sixteen-year-old kid, barely there in layers of cotton. We stand in silence, both just staring at the grave. The rosaries dangle over the stone, tied in knots around the stems of already dead flowers. Theres a white and blue beaded one, the one that was attached to Dannys bed, the one hed kiss at night before going to sleep. I miss him so much, Gabriela says eventually. So do I. I blame you, you know. She casts me a sidelong glance. Maybe you should. She nods and sniffs and fingers one of the blooms turned brown by the heat. Dead, all of it. She tears the petals from the stalk. Little Maria, now Daniel. She turns her dark eyes on me, searching for something I wish I could give her. This is killing my parents. Daniel was their only son. Theyll never have more children. Once, I had a brother. Now Im alone. Sister to dead siblings. Thats the most Gabrielas ever said, to me at least. Im stunned into uncomfortable silence. Theres nothing I can say thatll make it right. But tonight, maybe therell be something I can do. I wish I could make it right. My words sound so pathetic. She harrumphs and digs her sandaled toe into the dirt. Nothing can make Daniel dying right. Im sorry. There is nothing else I can say without trying to explain the whole confusing story and Gabrielas not the type to believe in rifts in reality. Tell Daniel youre sorry. Hes the one who died because of you. She takes a deliberate step away from me, crosses herself, offering prayers in Spanish to the ether. I loved him, you know. Maybe I am to blame, but she makes it sound like I dont give a crap that hes dead. Obviously not enough.