I stepped off the bus, ticket and map in hand. I clutched them tight, my hands slick with the excitement of finally making it to Safe after years of working my tío's tienda night and day for less than I'm worth. I waited for the groups ahead of me to take pictures at the welcome sign, smiling as the population counter ticked up when people entered, just like magic.
Once everyone had passed, I took a selfie in front of it and enjoyed seeing the number flick from three hundred fifty-one to three hundred fifty-two. I took a step back toward where the bus still idled, and the carved wooden number flicked back down one, a chip of paint falling to the flowerbed below it. "Can't even see the mechanism. So freakin' cool."
"Right? It's an impressive bit of magic."
I jumped. "Ay, me asustó! Didn't see you there. Do you work here?"
He wore colonial clothing, so he fit the part, but he shrugged. "You could say that. I'm Roger. I'll be here and there throughout your visit, keeping an eye on things."
"Sofia Vasquez Lancaster."
His blue eyes twinkled. "That's a mouthful. Better run along and catch up."
I nodded and hurried to join the groups that were showing tickets, turning in their electronics, and flowing through turnstiles, dragging stacks of luggage into the town. I glanced back, but the boy was no longer by the sign. "Loco."
I set my small bag on the conveyer belt to be scanned for weapons and electronics. I had neither in the bag, and I rarely used any electronics beside my phone. The lady took that and locked it in a clear plastic case. She smiled at my wistful look. "You'll get it back at the end of the two weeks. It preserves the authenticity of the experience. You'll survive."
She got me wrong. I wasn't going to miss my phone so much as it was my most valuable possession. "I worked three years for my skuzzy tío, cleaning bathrooms, chasing homeless men away from the alley, and getting hit on by muchachos borrachos to buy that thing. It's glitchy as hell, but take care of it."
The woman nodded. "I understand. My parents aren't too well off either. I worked fast food before I got this job, and I have paid for everything myself since I was fifteen." She carefully slid the case into a locker. "I'll treat it like it was mine." She took my ticket and punched it with a seal bearing the town crest, taking my hand when she returned it, hiding her flinch as I shocked her.
"Sorry, I have a shocking personality."
She smiled wider. "It's fine, even if your pun is terrible. Welcome to Safe."
I nodded, deciding I liked her as I rubbed the raised letters and floral designs on my ticket and pushed my way through the turnstile. I took a deep breath, stepping into a place I'd dreamed of visiting since I'd heard of its existence.
The scents of good food, cotton candy, churros, and popcorn hit me, without any of the undercurrents of urine, salt, or sewage like the pier carnivals back home. I breathed in the clean, crisp fall air and felt myself smiling hard enough to hurt my cheeks. "Esta es my hogar. I'm home."
Another lady in a dress out of the twenties pointed me toward the townhall. "Yes, you are. Welcome. That way to orientation please. The headmistress will speak before you head off to your lodging for the night."
Several girls in front of me squealed. I barely contained a squeak of my own, but I thought of Hermione's stoicism and swallowed it. I like to think she would have been proud of my self-control.
#
I stepped through the heavy wooden doors of the meeting hall into a slice of America that no longer exists outside movie sets. All the buildings in Safe look like they were plucked straight out of colonial times, real craftmanship in every detail. I ran my hand over a pew, relishing the age and agelessness of the grain as I made my way past a group of boys arguing about Star Trek to take a seat next to several white girls in pretty dresses who seemed nervous at my proximity.
