Chapter 4:
(Dolores POV)
When I came back to Casita, there was still no indication that it was my birthday. I sighed and made my way up to Tío Bruno's tower. I looked up at all the stairs to get to his vision cave when I heard him call out, "Come on up Chiquilla." I looked at all the stairs and I heard him laugh, "If you want your vision you need to climb up all the stairs." I sighed and began making my way up. I was half way there when I looked up at him, "You really do have the worst room in la Casita." He nodded his head, "Yeah I know. Imagine being 5 and climbing up and down all these stairs every single day."
I finally made my way to the top of the stairs and saw him waiting for me. "Will you step inside the vision cave?" I nodded my head and made my way inside. He made an outline of sand, "Alright chiquilla, take my hands." I placed mine in his. "Tío Bruno, I know you can't control what you see but do you think that you can look into the future with a certain someone?" He cocked his head to the side, "Who?" I brought my hand to the chocker I was wearing. He looked at me and smirked, "Oh does chiquilla have a little crush?" I blushed and he nodded his head, "Alright I will see what I can do. We will try to look into your romantic future." He shook his head though and whispered himself, "It is so strange to think about chiquilla dating." He looked at me again, "I have a feeling it is a certain young man from the village. His name starting with an M?" "How did you..." I started but he shook his head, "Please he is the only boy you talk about." He let out a breath and held out his hands again.
I took his hands again and I watched as his eyes turned green and a sand dome enclosed over us infused with green magic. I closed my eyes as the wind blew but I forced them open. Tío was looking at the images that formed, "Mariano," he spoke and my heart skipped a beat. "There is a quinceñera where a courtship is being announced by Abuela and Mariano's Mamá. No, not a courtship a betrothal. Not official engagement, but they want it to happen." The images was brushed away as a new scene came across "I see Mariano and his Mamá in Casita for a proposal. He is getting down on one knee and proposing to..." His eyes stopped lighting up as a green as he quickly released my hands. An emerald tablet formed in front of him and the sand dome around us came down.
"What is it Tío?" "Dolores," he started and I got nervous. He always called me Chiquilla, what was going on. I grabbed the tablet that was in his hands and turned so that it would face me. I frowned as I saw an older Mariano on one knee in front of Isabella, "H-He is going to marry Isabella." He nodded his head and took a breath, "I saw a betrothal taking place at a quinceñera and later there was a formal engagement." I nodded my head, "Dolores, this doesn't mean... it might not..." I looked up at him and he let out a breath, "I never saw a wedding." I nodded my head, "But you saw a betrothal and an engagement." He nodded his head. I stood up and dusted the sand off of me. I went to leave when Tío stopped me, "Dolores."
I smiled as I turned to face him, "It isn't your fault Tío. I asked for the vision. Thank you. I just want to go to bed now." He cocked his head to the side, "Well aren't you going to dinner, I'm sure there is a birthday cake waiting for you?" I turned to face him, "You haven't talked to anyone in the Casita today, did you?" He shook his head and I took a breath, "Well let's just say that I'm not going to be missing anything." He put a hand on my shoulder, "Well you still need to eat."
I went down all the stairs with Tío Bruno and when we went into the kitchen we saw that it was only Isabella, Luisa and Abuela. "Where is everyone else?" She looked over at us, "Pepa and Felix are taking care of Camilo and are eating later and Julieta wasn't feeling well today so Augustine is taking care of her." I nodded my head and took a seat. Tío Bruno did as well and we looked at dinner. On our birthdays we were supposed to get our favorite meals for dinner. Mine is papa rellena, but tonight we were eating arroz con pollo y maíz. Tío Bruno knew this and it looked like he was about to say something but I shook my head. I didn't want to tell them. He sighed and we ate in silence while Abuela was talking about how a few of her friends from the village were coming over later to talk about town issues. After we all finished I stood up and made my way to my room just wanting to lay down in my bed.
Isabella was walking next to me as she dusted sand out of my hair. She looked at me confused, "Did you get a vision from Tío Bruno?" I nodded my head and went to continue up the stairs. She then stopped me again with two vines of flowers, "I thought that he was only giving us one for our birthdays?" I nodded my head again and ducked under the vines and continued on my way. The vines came in from of me again as her hands covered her mouth, "Wait today isn't... it isn't..." I just didn't answer as she finally got out, "It's your birthday." I nodded my head still not talking. She grabbed my hands, "We have to tell everyone." "No, we don't" I said softly. "Why not?" She asked. I looked her in the eyes, "Because my birthday is already over and it isn't worth it. I'm not worth the extra trouble." "Dolores," she started but I shook my head as my ears perked, "Abuela is talking about her floricita. You can probably make a pretty good entrance right now. I'm going to bed." I walked off and went to my room as she called my name. I had to leave before she could ask me anymore questions because I knew where they were going to go. I went into my room and laid in my bed as I heard all the Ohs and Ahs for Isabella. At that time we were supposed to be eating Tres Leches cake and singing Happy Birthday. I didn't realize how much my family could look me over. I knew everything about all of them whether I wanted to or not, but only Tío Bruno remembered and Isabella realized it after she realized that I had gotten a vision. I couldn't help but think about how Abuela was talking with her friends about Isabella and my parents were busy with Camilo.
I couldn't think about that though, I had to think of a plan. I knew that she was going to ask me about my vision and I wasn't sure what to tell her. Suddenly I thought about her vision again, "Someone is going to promise her the life of her dreams and she was going to get it one day." An engagement is really just a promise to get married. Her vision must have been her marrying Mariano and having a family. It made sense no one besides him can actually promise her this life, they have known each other for forever, they looked good together. Every memory I have with Mariano, Isabella was always right there with us. Isabella was perfect, of course he would want to be with her rather than the 'dud' Madrigal.
I couldn't tell her about my vision, it would only make her feel bad. It wasn't her fault that they were meant to end up together. I began to think about all the time that Mariano looked at Isabella in the village. The moment that he saw her, he forgot all about me. My mind wandered to the night of the party. We were together, weaving through the crowd together but he didn't ask me to dance he asked Isabella. The songs that he would sing, the poetry he wrote, it was all about a girl who didn't pay him attention. Isabella always seemed indifferent about him, but maybe that's because she doesn't have the words either. I did pay him attention and I guess that he knew that too. I knew that his Abuela wanted a union between the Guzmáns and the Madrigals, but maybe they weren't talking about me. Abuela never said which one of us she was going to push in that direction and Isabella and I are the same age but she is older. I had heard his Mama talking about Isabella before and how she was the perfect little girl. I guess I didn't want to see it before.
Thoughts flooded my mind late into the night when I heard something in the village. I let out a gasp as I ran from my bed and knocked on the door of Tía Julieta's room. The door opened as a drowsy Tía Julieta opened the door, "Dolores, what's going on?" she asked as she wrapped an arm around her stomach. I was panting as I looked at her, "It is Señora Guzmán. It's bad." She grabbed a basket of goods she had by the door, "Augustine!" He jumped up and came over to the door looking for the problem, "Are you alright? Is the baby alright? Dolores? What are you doing here?" He said as his sights were set on me. Tía grabbed the front of his shirt and turned him to face her, "Drive me to the Guzmáns now." She had that scary look in her eyes that Mamá had when she was having Camilo. Tío began running down the stairs to get the cart ready but, he tripped and the stairs turned into a slide. He shuffled back to his feet and went running outside. She looked at me, "Help me down Dolores." I took her arm and guided her down the stairs to the cart. We rode off to the village in the dead of night.