Chapter 14:

(Dolores POV)

My eyes fluttered open as I looked and saw that Casita was completely destroyed. My ears were ringing as I brought myself to my feet and looked around at my family. It was gone. It was all gone. I counted over everyone and still didn't see Tío Bruno. I went to listen for him before I realized I no longer had my gift. I looked over at Abuela who had not gotten up from the ground, "Here let me help you. Let me help you." I said placing my hand on top of hers guiding her up and to a place to sit down. When I was sure that she was alright I went to help everyone else as we surveyed the damage. I walked over with Mama while Papa and Camilo were taking care of Antonio. Everything was gone. Our home. Our gifts. Our lives as we knew them had been destroyed with Casita. Some people were town were coming up to the house but in that moment known of us were concerned with upholding the family image. We silently accepted their help as they began to help move the rubble to see what we could salvage.

"MIRABEL!" Tía exclaimed grabbing all of our attention, "Where is Mirabel?" We all began looking around calling out for Mirabel. We went into town and called out for her. We were tearing our way through going up and down every street and alley. Most of us spent all day in town and knew our way around and where the best places to hide would be. I hated that Mirabel left and that she was trying to blame herself. She shouldn't blame herself. She was honestly innocent in all of this and the fact that she stood up tot Abuela is something that no one else had ever been able to do.

I ran into Mariano, "Oh Dolores, what is going on with your family and the magi..." He started to ask but I cut him off, "Have you seen Mirabel?" My voice was louder than usual. He shook his head, "No, but Dolores..." I just went to walk away to continue looking for her. "Dolores," He said grabbing my hand and bringing me back, "Dolores what is going on with your family?" "Did you not hear me Mirabel is missing," I said trying to go off to continue looking for her. "No, Dolores I mean before that what is going on with all of you?" It had been a long few hours and I didn't want to deal with this right now, "I don't know what you mean." I looked at my wrist which he continued to hold onto. I let out a breath clearly not getting out of this, "Mariano in the last few hours we lost our miracle, our home has been destroyed, Tí... and Mirabel went missing. " I stopped myself before mentioning Tío but I hated that I did, "I know that you and everyone in town is used to us being here at your beck and call to be whatever you need but right now, we have our own problems that we need to figure out." He continued to hold onto my risk and I watched as his lips parted. "Do-", He started butI couldn't deal with it anymore, "Stop asking me to explain my family to you and let me go search for my cousin who is God knows where right now."

I jerked my wrist out of my hand and didn't bother to look at him as I walked away. I knew that he didn't deserve that response but, I was angry at the world at the moment and he just happened to be the one that got caught in the crossfire. We searched the town and regrouped on the side as Tía continued to panic, "Anyone find her." We all shook our heads. "We should probably start searching the jungles," I said. "She wouldn't go there would she?" Tía said turning to Tío Augustine.

I looked at them and sighed, "How about we go out in shifts? Some of us will stay at Casita in case she comes back while the rest of us will start combing through the different sections of the jungle." I realized after I said it that Casita was no longer standing, but I don't think anyone else wanted to bring it up either. Tía nodded her head and Tío Augustine spoke, "Adults will begin to search. Kids I want you to go with Abuela and stay behind. I don't want anyone getting hurt." I looked at them, "I have had to do perimeters in this area since I was 6. You are going to want me out there searching with you too." They nodded their head in agreement. We all fanned out and began searching past the farmlands to see if we could find her. I was also secretly hoping I would find Tío Bruno as well. Maybe he got out and was ok? It was one of the few things I was still hopeful for. As it got later into the night we all came back to the land where our home once stood besides Tío and Tía. "We need to rest. We will search again in the morning," Someone said. i wasn't sure who. I had stopped paying attention to everything.

We all laid down but no one slept and as the sun rose we went back to searching. I went with Papa, Mama went with Luisa, Isabella went with Camilo and Antonio (who refused to stay behind any longer) and we all went in different directions calling out for Mirabel. I kept trying to listen, trying to hear where she could be but, it was useless my gift was gone. All those times I wished I didn't have to deal with it came to mind as I sighed, "Right when I want it. I no loner have it." I spoke to myself. Papa turned to me, "It will be alright mi vida." I gave him a weak smile as we continued to search. I knew this was strange for him too, but I don't think that he was able to understand what it actually felt like. My gift would actually be useful right now and I can't use it.

I hated everything about my gift. I hated how loud it made everything, how no one felt like they could trust me, how I never had a moment of peace, how I could hear every bad thing that people would say about my family, how I heard Señora Guzmán die, whatever I heard outside the mountains of Encanto. But if I could relieve all of that continually for the rest of my life just to know that Mirabel and Tío were safe I would do it again and again in a heartbeat. If I had my gift we would have already found her. If I had my gift I might finally be useful. If I had my gift the family wouldn't be broken.

I continued to trudge through the jungle. Papa was slowing down as we made our way deeper and I could tell that he was tired, "Papa why don't we head back for a bit. All that is ahead is a few more acres of jungle and the eastern mountains. If she was by any of them someone else would have found her already." He wanted to protest but I was already guiding him back to Casita. Mamá, Isabella, Luisa, Camilo, and Antonio were all already there, "Any luck?" They asked hopefully but I shook my head. I looked at the damage that surrounded our home and began looking around. "Dolores," I heard Camilo talking right behind me but, I was too busy looking at everything. I needed to know if he was alright or not. I knew he probably wasn't but I needed to see it. "Dolores, we can do all of this later," He said holding onto my arm.

I turned to face him as my anger started bubbling to the surface, "You don't have a gift anymore either. It isn't more dangerous for me now." I had been hurt so many times within the last 24 hours that I was lashing out at anyone now. Camilo looked at me his mouth hung open as he let go of my arm. "I'm not sorry for stopping you yesterday, but I'm sorry for how I said it." I turned to look at him, "What if something happened to you or Antonio?" "Nothing happen-" "But what if something did?" I said interrupting him as he tried to play it off. "All I could do was watch. Do you know what it is like to have to watch everyone you love being hurt and not being able to do anything to help them?" He hung his head down as I spoke. I grabbed his arms, "I could have lost you." He took a breath, "Dolores, I could have lost you too." His eyes were brimmed with tears, "I know that you don't seem to care about that, but what would I have done if I lost you?" "I am your older sister. I am supposed to keep you safe" I sighed and sat down, "I'm your brother. I am supposed to keep you safe too." He said as he sat down next to me.

"You know I never considered your gift to be the dud," he said looking straight ahead. I looked at him, "I know that you thought it was sometimes and I did hear what people would say about it too but, I never thought that was true. I didn't mean to make you feel that way last night if I did." I let out a breath, "My gift is... was the dud. It always has been. It's part of the reason why most people in town want nothing to do with me." He shoved my arm, "Please what about hearing all those firsts you used to tell me about." I looked at him, "My gift had its good moments." I ruffled his hair and this time he didn't fight me on it.

He laughed a little, "I sometimes wished I had a gift like yours?" He whispered. I looked at him, "What?" He let out a breath, "I don't get to know who I am. Everyone is always asking me to be someone else to help them with babysitting or to entertain them. None of them actually wanted me to be around as me." He paused for a moment as tears brim, "You know I had to start taking a picture of myself every morning to remember what I actually look like." I looked over at him, "Sometimes I wished for a gift more like yours." "Really?" He said. I nodded my head, "I had to live with everyone else thoughts and reactions ringing in my ears before I could even have my own. Constantly hearing every bad thing that happened in anyone's lives. I sometimes could still hear them echoing in my nightmares. When I saw your gift I thought it must be amazing because all I wanted was to just be someone else and disappear."

We sat in the silence before I said, "You know who had the real best gift out of us?" We both made eye contact before saying, "Antonio." We laughed a little as Antonio made his way over, "I heard my name. Are you two ok?" I wiped my eyes, "Of course we are. We were just talking about our favorite youngest brother," I said helping him up to where we were sitting. I placed him right in between and Camilo and I stretched our arms out behind him to catch him if he lost his balance. His feet hung over the debris as I looked him over, ""What about you? Are you doing alright with everything that's happened?" He shrugged, "I guess. I miss my gift though," he looked out into the forest, "I hope they're ok." "They?" I asked. I looked around again and realized that besides Mirabel, Tía Julieta and Tío Augustine... Abuela was now gone too. We heard a ruffle in the trees as Tía Julieta and Tío Augustine made their way back. That meant that Abuela and Mirabel were the only ones who weren't accounted for. She hadn't told anyone where she was going or that she was going out there in the first place.