Cassidy watched as person upon person lines up across the town, waiting to be able to enter the Madrigal household. Dozens of people who wanted visions from Bruno, no doubt. It was too coincidental, Bruno saying that he would begin to do visions for the town and then a line the next day? She couldn't help but feel bad for him, she didn't know if his visions were really hard to do, but even the fact that he avoided doing them told her that he didn't like it.
It wasn't fair for him. None of this was.
Cassidy sighed and turned away from the window, sitting down on her bed, glancing at the locked door. Her art supplies had been taken out of her room, as a punishment for what she said to Bruno's mother. She had to stay in her room for the day, with no paint or visitors. Her parents thought that it would be torture, but Cassidy knew that she was going to be okay. This wasn't the first time she wasn't allowed to leave her room. But, it was the first time that she didn't have her paints. So, she was getting quite bored, which was an open invitation for her mind to wander.
She frowned as yet another member of the Encanto stormed by her house, holding a green, glowing tablet, face flushed with anger. He was the fourth one today, and it wasn't even noon. Either Bruno didn't control what he showed others, or he wanted to ruin a lot of people's days. Cassidy wasn't sure which was better.
She couldn't wait to get out of her room. That way she could try and understand why everyone was getting bad visions, and maybe she could help Bruno with whatever he needed.
It was the second day of visions, and Bruno was exhausted. He had gotten no sleep the night before, being plagued with nightmares of what he saw the previous day, with very little food in his stomach. He had puked up his supper from the night before, despite Julieta's healing food, and couldn't stomach any more.
Today he had already given out at least a dozen visions, leading to a never ending feeling of dizziness and shaky limbs. Bruno had given up standing and greeting the townspeople, it required too much effort to get up and sit back down.
He didn't understand why so many people wanted to see their futures. None of them liked what they saw, ending in shattered green tablets, angry faces, loud yells of displeasure. Bruno knew that everyone hated him, and wished that they could just understand that he didn't control what happened. He could only get a glimpse, like watching a life unfold from the sidelines. He couldn't change it if he tried.
Vision after vision passed by his eyes, person after person angry at the outcome. In between visions, Bruno held his head and felt like it was going to burst open, his eyesight going blurry as he looked at the green sand flying around him. He gave up trying to interpret them, instead handed the tablet to the customer, much to their frustration. But all he wanted to do was lay down and sleep.
He wasn't sure when his nose started to bleed. He tried to wipe it away with his ruana, yet more and more came with every vision. He found himself battling exhaustion, keeping up a clean appearance, and using his gift over and over again.
Bruno had no clue how he was supposed to do this for the rest of his life. He knew he had to. For the Encanto, to help the people, to make the Miracle worth it, and to make his mother proud.
But Bruno didn't want to. He wasn't thankful for his powers, and no one else was either. They hurt him, he just wanted to stop.
Bruno handed a green tablet displaying a dead fish to the woman who had come in, muttering his apologies. The woman's face was horrified at the sight, and, after quickly slapping his face, stormed out of the room in a rush, tears in her eyes.
He let himself fall back down to the sandy floor, tears of pain falling down his cheeks. He was going to pass out soon. He knew it.
A soft knock echoed from his door, signaling that another person was waiting to have a vision. Bruno grounded and sat back up, rubbing his eyes.
"Come in."
Cassidy walked in, her gray dress rubbing in the sand as she made her way to him. She gave a small smile, walking up the stairs to his vision cave.
"Hey, Bruno….wow, you look exhausted."
He managed a fake smile, wincing.
"Is it that obvious?"
She nodded, handing him a basket full of food and water.
"Julieta wanted me to give this to you." Cassidy said, and Bruno took it thankfully with a sigh.
"So, what can I do for you? Interested in seeing who your future husband is?"
He expected her to laugh, or agree, or something, but she instead frowned, her eyes wide.
"Oh, no! I'm not here for a vision"
Bruno furrowed his brow in confusion. "Then, why are you here?"
She shrugged. "I figured that you could use a break. I've seen how many people you've had to give visions too, and a lot of them were mad."
"I think that everyone is mad at me right now. But, seriously, Cass, you have to go. My mama won't be pleased."
"I actually ran into her, I told her that I was coming in for a vision. Of course she couldn't refuse me your service. And, bonus! She apologized for calling me useless."
Bruno managed to grin. "Wow, that's surprising. After what you said I thought she wouldn't talk to you again."
Cassidy smiled shyly. "Yeah…I thought so too. But, I'm here now, and we can just hang out for as long as it takes for you to have a vision, give you a break, and then I'll come up with a lie about what you saw."
"Sure." Bruno took her invitation and fell flat on the ground, sand flying in the air as he toppled not-so-gracefully. Cassidy laughed and fell beside him, her head falling next to his.
"So, how long does a vision usually last?
Bruno shrugged tiredly. "Anything from 5 to 20 minutes…if you can come up with a good story we can wait for 20."
She nodded. "Sure."
The two fell into a comfortable silence, Bruno's eyes fluttering closed. He still felt his headache, but it didn't seem as strong. Cassidy gently grabbed his hand and squeezed it in a comforting way, her warmth seeping into his cold and sweaty skin.
She ran her other hand through his curly hair, making him sigh in relief. He could feel the stress and worry seep out of his bones at the touch, and for the first time since he began doing visions on demand he felt at peace.
"You have blood on your ruana." She muttered, and he nodded.
"Nosebleeds."
"Your visions hurt you, don't they?"
Bruno swallowed painfully. "More than anyone knows."
The two of them heard a knock on the door, startling them. Cassidy got to her feet and brushed the sand off of her dress.
"Bruno! Are you ready for the next vision?" His mother called, and Bruno called back, keeping the worry from his voice.
"One…one second! Just finishing up!"
Bruno grabbed a random tablet and handed it to Cassidy, knowing her plan to lie to his mother. Cassidy remembered her plan, too, and had already formed fake tears in her eyes.
"Shatter it." She said, and Bruno nodded, dropping the glass on the floor.
"Bruno!" Alma yelled, opening the door, and Cassidy stood stiff, pointing her finger at him in accusation.
"I hate you! I ask for a simple vision and tell me I'm never going to find love? What's wrong with you?!"
Bruno caught on. "I…I'm sorry…I…"
"I'm going to come back tomorrow, give you one last chance, or I'll never see you again!"
Alma frowned. "Cassidy, I'm sorry that your vision was unsatisfactory, but I can assure you it was nothing against you or your family."
The younger woman sighed "anger" deflating at the words. "It's not your fault, I just have a horrible future ahead. But I am coming back, I need to find out what my parents are doing for my birthday."
Alma nodded. "Yes, of course, we'll both see you tomorrow."
Cassidy gave Bruno a small smile and stormed out of the room, wiping tears from her eyes. Slamming the door behind her, Alma turned to Bruno.
"I'm sorry that they don't understand your gift, Bruno."
Bruno shrugged, surprised at his mother's words. "Thanks, Mama. But, I think that Cassidy was having a rough day."
"What did you show her?"
"She…she saw all of the people she knew get married, but no one ever got married to her."
Alma sighed. "Yes…I can see how she would be sad. I hope that your future is brighter than hers."
Bruno, despite the acting role he was in, couldn't bring himself to agree. She was too good for him. If anyone deserved a good future, it was Cassidy.