Into the Beautiful North: Chapter 22 Summary & Analysis

Late at night, Atómiko and Matt giggle drunkenly in Matt's living room. They speak a strange mixture of Spanish and English and try to keep quiet so they don't wake the girls. However, Yolo emerges from Matt's room wearing nothing but one of Matt's t-shirts and asks the boys to be quiet. When Atómiko offers to "help her sleep," Yolo slams the door. Atómiko asks Matt if he has any shorter t-shirts, which sends them into another fit of laughter. Yolo opens the door and yells at them again.

Atómiko tells Matt about a woman who once showed him her breasts, but Matt barely listens. He announces that he's lost, but Atómiko insists he's just drunk. When Matt insists he's actually lost in the world, Atómiko says that the world is lost, citing the melting ice caps and the Arabs as evidence. He admits that his real name is Kiko, and he became a soldier to kill everyone. When Matt asks, Atómiko says he ended up in the dump because someone caught him stealing a chicken. Atómiko says the Mexican Army pays in American dollars and teaches them English, and finally, the boys go to sleep.

In the morning, Nayeli, Yolo, and Vampi quietly wash their clothes. They giggle at how fast asleep Atómiko and Matt are—the girls are dressed and drinking coffee before the boys move at all. When he wakes up, Atómiko yells for pancakes. Matt greets all the girls and calls them beautiful, and Vampi crawls under the covers with him. Nayeli wonders how Yolo can both scowl and smile at the same time.

Later, Matt drives the group to get pancakes. Nayeli tries to explain what a pancake is to Vampi, but Vampi declares she'll order huevos rancheros. When they walk into a diner, a woman named Velma shows Matt and the girls to a booth, offering condolences for Ma Johnston. When Matt tells Velma that his friends are Mexicans, Velma yells "welcome to the United States" at them. They wonder if she's mad at them.

Vampi turns and freezes—a short Mexican man with black hair puts down waters at their table, and he's wearing a black 69 Eyes tee shirt. He smiles at Vampi, who breathlessly tells him she's a vampire. Later that evening, the man, El Brujo, picks Vampi up. He takes her to a hill where many cars filled with couples park to watch the city. Vampi swoons as El Brujo explains that he doesn't do drugs or drink and insists that Vampi is his drug. Vampi puts her head on his chest as he explains that the rich people live on the hill and that someday, the two of them will live on the hill, too. When he begins to sing "Gothic Girl," Vampi knows El Brujo has won her heart.

El Brujo had been a guitarist for a metal band but came to the US when it was apparent that his small Mexican town couldn't support a metal band. He was shocked to find that nobody in the US wanted to hire him either, since he's undocumented and didn't speak English. After a year or two, he got a job in the diner and has been working there for the last six years. After he tells Vampi his story, he says he'll probably work for another six years. He asks Vampi if she's his girl, and Vampi agrees she is. She climbs on his lap, kisses him, and tells him her story.

Back at Ma Johnston's house, Matt and Yolo search the phone book for Chavarín. They find a Salvador Chavarín, and Yolo places the call. Chava is shocked when Yolo explains that she's calling on behalf of Irma in Tres Camarones. Yolo discovers that Chava works at a bowling alley, but he doesn't want the girls to come see him at work. Yolo and Nayeli wonder if he was actually Irma's boyfriend, and they ask Matt to drive them to the alley.