True to older Alberto's word, I fell back into my own time right outside my own bathroom door on ground level. And I wasn't the only one. Right beside me were an equally dumbstruck Bruno and my-age Alberto. We all looked at each other in disbelief; they'd clearly been through an experience of their own. And we completely forgot that we were supposed to be quiet right now.
"You!" All our forefingers shot up to point at one another. "Where'd you go?! You disappeared!" Alberto half-asked, half-demanded. "We were in the future! Like the not-too-distant future! And you were there! Well, not "you", but an older version of you," Bruno prattled on, not letting me get a word in edgewise. "You said that you- this you- were off somewhere and not to worry about it!" Alberto quickly added, still pointing at me. "I know! You said the same thing! Like, not "you" you, but an older version of yourself too. I landed in Casita in like…. ten years or so, and you were still here!"
Alberto suddenly frowned, visibly upset. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what?! What do you mean I'm still here?! Wait, we never get me back to Portorosso?! Is that what he, or I, told you?!" "N-No! He said that I do open the right door back…. eventually." "Then why would I still be here?! Why wouldn't I be back with Massimo?!" He threw his arms up into the air. "I don't know! You didn't tell me! You didn't tell me anything! Did she, er I, tell you anything that might be useful?" I questioned. "No. You just comforted us and gave him a lot of kisses on his cheeks and forehead," Bruno's thumb stuck out in Alberto's direction. "Hey, yeah! What was up with that?!" Alberto's back arched in remembrance. "How should I know?! You weren't exactly impersonal yourself," I quipped back at him, matching his revile. "What are you talking about?! Look, I may seem like a pretty cool guy, but I think I'd be more than a little peeved if you didn't get me back home. And that still doesn't explain why we met you; like "old lady" you," he pronounced. I frowned. Whatever happened to "you get more beautiful each day"? Hard to believe they're the same guys. Twelve years can really change a person.
"You told me that it's a side-effect of the spell. Remember that witch putting the three of us under a spell so we could talk to each other? Well, apparently when you and I go through a door holding hands, we travel forward through time it seems," my hands waved in front of me for emphasis. Bruno and Alberto gave one another a look before sighing a sigh of relief. "Oh, is that all?" Alberto asked. "That's easy to fix! Just don't hold hands when crossing the threshold. Problem solved!" My uncle announced a little too loudly. I watched the two of them, feeling unsure…. Older Alberto did say it would happen again at least a few more times, and I'm more inclined to believe someone who's lived through the present to the future. We could try and avoid it whenever possible though, I guess.
That's when they glanced back towards me in unison. It caught me a little off-guard if I'm being honest. They were eying me so intently and for direction. "So what do we do now?" Bruno was the first to ask me. "How am I gonna get back to Portorosso? Can we hurry it up somehow? Massimo's gonna be really worried about me by now," Alberto took his turn to speak. "Did adult Alberto tell you anything else? Something that might help us?" My uncle didn't give me time to answer either of their former questions. "What did I look like? Was I taller? Did I have any cool scars?!" "We need to get him as soon as possible, Mirabel!"
Man, they just wouldn't stop! This made me wince my eyes shut for a moment as I counted to ten. They were behaving like frightened children! No wonder future me was busy comforting and consoling both of them- I had no clue why I would kiss Alberto's face. When my eyes reopened and my face un-scrunched, I looked them straight in the eye, putting on my "big girl" pants for a moment.
I drew in a big, long breath. "I don't know how to control my gift just yet; I don't know if I ever will. But we know that if I keep opening my bedroom door, we're bound to reach Portorosso sooner or later. You said so yourself, Alberto." "Great! Then let's go open and close your door until we find it!" He lit up at this. I couldn't help but hesitate, biting my bottom lip apprehensively. "Yeah but… I don't think the location on the other side of the door will change unless we've, or I've, actually gone through the door. That's what happened with the witch's cottage. The only way we're gonna reach Portorosso is if I go through every door I open… And that might take a long time."
My uncle and Alberto peered to one another again, seemingly thinking the same thing as the other. Then they turned their heads back my way, looking much less confident but still determined this time. "I'll go with you, Mirabel," Bruno said, taking one of my hands protectively in his. "Me too," Alberto nodded and folded his arms in decision. "You?!" I blinked back to the curly-haired man in mild surprise. I understood why my overprotective uncle would want to join me on my excursions, but why would he…..? But the resolve on his face said it all. "It's my home we're trying to find. It seems only fair that I go along with you." "Besides, what is he going to do here on his own? Hide from the rest of the family?" Bruno included. Speaking of the family…..
It was about now that the familiar, terrifying sound of my grandmother clearing her throat rang through the air. Our heads collective shot forward, suddenly horrified to see not just Abuela but the entire family, including Dolores's new fiancé, gawking from a few feet away. Everyone's eyes were gigantic like they couldn't believe their eyes. Only Abuela crossed her arms, angrily tapping her foot. Bruno and I glanced from one to the other until we'd circled everyone, and then I made myself crack a really forced grin.
"Uh, I can explain?"