They walked up three steps to the front door, which was made of heavy hardwood and reinforced with thick metal bands. Jenny noticed that the windows on the first floor were all barred.
“This is really your house?” Jenny asked. “Do you always keep candles burning everywhere?”
“We might have dressed it up a little for you.” He grinned.
The front door opened for them. A short, dark man in fatigues and a T-shirt stood inside. An AK-47 assault rifle was strapped to his back. He gave a huge smile and stood aside for them to enter.
“Iztali,” Alexander said to the man, “This is Jenny.”
“Jenny.” Iztali smiled again and nodded his head slightly. “La bruja?” he asked Alexander.
“Si,” Alexander replied.
Jenny smiled back at him as she passed. He closed the door behind them, then crossed his arms and remained beside it.
Three more people, a young man who resembled Iztali, a gray-haired woman, and a young woman who might have been Jenny's age, stood in the front hall. The arched space was illuminated by more candlelight and glass lanterns set into wall niches. The house did have electric lights, but they were all turned off.
“Yochi, Noonsa, Kisa,” Alexander said to them. He spoke a few words in a language Jenny didn't recognize—it didn't even sound like Spanish to her. Or French, which Jenny had taken in high school to avoid the risk of Spanish class with Ashleigh Goodling.
“Jenny,” Alexander said, putting his arm around her. They nodded to her, and the young, darkhaired woman smiled.
“Jenny, this is Yochi.” Alexander indicated the young man, and Jenny noticed the machine pistol holstered at his belt. “He helps with a few things around here. Like security.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jenny said, but the man didn't respond.
“And this is Yochi's aunt, Noonsa, and his sister Kisa,” Alexander said, introducing the two women. “They keep us from falling into barbarism. Kisa has your room prepared for you. And some clothes she bought for you.”
“Wow, thanks!” Jenny said.
“Hungry?” Kisa said to Jenny, and she pointed at Jenny's stomach.
“No, I'm fine, but thanks,” Jenny said.
“You sleep?” Kisa asked. “You bath?”
“She's offering to run a bath for you,” Alexander said. “Kisa's in charge of keeping you comfortable. She knows a little English, too.”
Kisa nodded quickly.
“Oh, that sounds really good, thanks,” Jenny said to Kisa. “But I can do it. Just show me where.”
“Let her do things for you,” Alexander said. “I hired her to help me.”
“With what?” Jenny asked.
“Just to take care of your needs. Food, cleaning, laundry—”
“That's crazy,” Jenny said. “I'm not a baby.”
“You want me to fire her?”
“Oh, no!” Jenny said. “Don't fire her. Yes, I would like a bath please, Kisa. In fact, if you could show me the bathroom like right now, that would be pretty ideal. Thank you!”
Alexander spoke a couple words in that strange language again, and Kisa led Jenny down the curved hallway. With the earthen building material and the candlelight, it seemed more like a cave than a house.
Kisa led her upstairs and to a spacious tiled bathroom at the back of the house. Jenny excused herself and closed the door, then let out all the pee she'd barely held in throughout the Jeep ride.
The bathtub was in the corner, made of rock and inset with bright pebbles. It was right up against a large window, which was open to catch the salty breeze from the ocean.
When she was done, she opened the door and let Kisa inside.
“Bath now?” Kisa asked with a smile. She began filling the rocky tub with hot water.
“Um,” Jenny said. She pointed to the glass window by the tub. “How private is this?”
Kisa looked where she was pointing and shook her head. “All ocean. Okay.”
“Really?” Jenny leaned out the open window, but she could see nothing in the darkness except for the stars overhead, stretching to the horizon.
Kisa picked a handful of tropical flowers from a bowl by the sink and tossed them onto the bath. “I wash hair?” she asked, reaching for Jenny's long black hair, which was quite dirty and tangled at the moment. “I braid?”
“No!” Jenny snapped, backing quickly away from her. “Don't touch me. Um, no touch. Please. Okay?”
“No touch?” Kisa frowned. She looked down at her hands, studying them, as if searching for a reason why Jenny didn't want to be touched by her.
“Right. No touch. Thanks.”
“Okay, no touch.” Kisa looked hurt, and Jenny felt bad, but she didn't know what else to say. She didn't want to infect this nice girl with Jenny pox.