Excerpt from We Are Not from Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Barreling toward us once more.

It grinds to a stop too quickly, spraying dirt and dust on Chico and me. The same car Rey and Nestor drove the other day.

"Get in," Nestor calls to us as we try to wave away the dust from our faces. It gets caught in my lashes and I can taste it. Nestor is alone, but he's positioned the car to block our way.

"No, we're okay. Thanks," I say, grabbing on to Chico's shoulder and starting to walk around the car.

"You think I'm offering you a ride? I said, get in." He puts his hand on a gun lying on the passenger seat.

I look at Chico and he looks back at me. His eyes are frantic and I think Chico might run. I can feel my own legs wanting to run, but there's something else in my brain holding me back, not letting me move.

Maybe it's remembering how Nestor picked on everyone as soon as he grew a few inches. Maybe it's the way he looked at Rey years ago when Rey said he should have taken care of me and Chico himself. Maybe it's knowing how eagerly Nestor is trying to prove himself.

I look back to see if anyone will see me and Chico getting in the car. People talk about how Nestor is following in his brother's footsteps, and the same is thought of anyone seen with either of them.

"Go ahead," I say quietly to Chico. I can see the fear threatening to choke him. I can feel it rising in my own throat, like bile. But we both get in.

And that's when I know this isn't going to go away. Rey and Nestor found out somehow. They know we know it was them at Don Felicio's store. And now they've come for us.

Fate is fate. And this ... it turns out, has always been our fate. The thing is, I guess I've always known it would be. And still, I lied to myself.

Even if Mamá thinks I have an artist's heart, even if I try to see the world in color, even if I dare to dream—it doesn't matter when your world keeps turning black.

Excerpted from We Are Not from Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez. Copyright © 2020 by Jenny Torres Sanchez. Copyright © 2020 by Jenny Torres Sanchez. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.