Tick-tick-tick.
Luisa's eye was twitching as Dolores came out of her room. It'd been the last thing Dolores had heard before going to bed too. She hummed in concern, wondering if her cousin had slept at all.
Dolores considered going to Luisa's room, but the moment she took a step forward, fireworks flashed in her mind.
She took a step back, remembering why she shouldn't help people. In her mind she saw it all again. The roof, the balcony, the blood.
Holding onto her door handle, Dolores made a soft sound in fright, feeling very alone.
She'd learned from a young age that the best thing she can do in life is keep quiet and stay out of the way, and last night was a painful reminder of why.
"How do I save a miracle?" Mirabel's voice spoke up from her room. "I figure out what's happening to the miracle!"
Dolores hummed. Oh no.
Today was stressful enough without this. She'd been dreading Mariano's proposal for years. It may possibly be the most important day of Dolores' life.
It was the moment Tio Bruno's prophecy finally became a reality and sealed her fate, and somehow it'd come at the worst possible time, coinciding with a secret family crisis that flooded the casita with worried voices this morning.
"Ay, Pedro." Abuela spoke solemnly. "Please, let tonight go well for our Isabela. Keep our miracle burning."
"I've never seen Mirabel like that." Tia Julieta spoke from downstairs, the coffee pot clinking. "It's not like her to lie... What if something really is wrong with the magic?"
"If something's wrong with the magic, we should all be very, very worried." Agustin's voice sounded anxious. "Careful. If tonight goes badly, your Mama won't be happy."
"And she'll blame Mirabel." Julieta sighed in agreement.
"Don't rush your breakfast, Mariano." Senora Guzman chuckled from across town. "There's plenty of time till we see Isabela."
Dolores hummed anxiously, putting her hands over her ears and feeling overwhelmed.
"Oh I have no idea," Mirabel's voice continued from her room, "But there is one person in this family who hears everything about everything."
Dolores eyes widened.
"So if anyone would know what's wrong with the magic, it's her."
Dolores quickly returned to her room, shutting the door behind her.
Félix woke to Pepa's face inches from his, her eyes wide and excited.
"Ay!" He shrieked in surprise, jumping back.
"What?" Pepa frowned, sitting up. "You don't like me?"
Félix couldn't help but laugh, sitting up beside her. He reached for Pepa but she turned away, unimpressed.
"I love you." He grinned, reaching again. "Sorry, mi vida. I just didn't expect you so awake."
"I was going to lock you out." She gave Félix the side eye. "Remember?"
"You did say that." He chuckled, his fingers tracing along her arm. "But then you got too sleepy, hm?"
"Hm." Pepa smiled at his touch.
Félix reached for her again, and this time Pepa let him. He slipped his hand around Pepa's waist and pulled her in close.
"You're up so early, mi vida."
"I couldn't sleep." She admitted.
Félix's expression softened in concern, but Pepa brushed it off, determined to start the day on a positive note.
She waved a hand through her cloud, then turned to him with a proud expression.
"We saved the magic." She grinned, her chest puffed. "Remember?"
Félix watched in adoration. He loved seeing her like this.
"We did." He smiled back.
"And now we have no more worries." Her eyes sparkled in excitement. "What we do now, hm?"
Félix grinned. "I don't know, amor. You tell me."
Pepa moved in closer, her nose brushing against his as she climbed onto his lap. Félix laughed in surprise.
"Before you got scared," She said, her breath warm and soft on his face. "I was going to give you this."
Pepa leaned in and kissed Félix, her fingers running through his hair. Félix relaxed into Pepa, his hands sliding up Pepa's back and pulling her into him, enjoying the feel of her body against his.
As pressure was applied to Pepa's chest she winced a little, but Félix didn't see. He rolled her onto her back, his body on top of hers as he continued to kiss her. As Félix's weight pressed down over Pepa she whimpered into his mouth, her leg twitching against his.
Félix quickly moved back. A grey cloud floated over Pepa as she took a breath.
"Amor?" He asked in concern, his hands touching her face as he checked her over. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry."
"Great." Pepa muttered to herself, holding her chest as she sat back up.
Félix checked Pepa's hair, fingers running along her scalp to discover it was damp.
"You were raining last night." He realised. "I'm sorry, Pepi... Are you in pain?"
Pepa groaned, frowning up at the cloud. It wasn't fair.
"I should be better now" She scowled. "The candle is safe, I did everything I was supposed to." Pepa waved at the cloud in frustration. "Stupid body, why isn't it getting better?"
Félix moved his hand to her chest, feeling her heartbeat, then looked at her face.
"Your heart is all worn out, Pepi." He said gently.
"From nothing." Pepa muttered.
"Nothing?" He laughed in disbelief. "Yesterday was huge, amor. You don't remember holding back a hurricane?"
"It wasn't a hurricane." She scoffed. "Just a stupid storm. Stupid clouds. Stupid heart. I should be better now."
"Dios." Félix shook his head, his voice playful. "Good thing you're not a racehorse, amor. You'd run yourself into the ground."
Pepa's cloud thundered above them. She frowned, her hand tightening to a fist. Félix quickly caught it, stopping Pepa before she could hit her chest.
"Got you." He smiled, knowing the best thing he could do right now was lighten the mood.
Pepa exhaled in a puff.
Félix did the same to her, blowing at her fringe. Pepa groaned, turning her head away.
"Stop." She muttered, but as he blew another puff of air she couldn't help but smile.
"I'll stop when you stop being mean to my wife." Félix grinned, gesturing to the fist in his hand and kissing it. "Hm?
"I just wanted one morning." She muttered. "One morning without the clouds. I hate them, Félix."
Félix picked Pepa up, taking her by surprise.
"Do you?" Félix leaned in with a grin, his voice soft in her ear. Pepa smiled as Félix held her in his arms. "Because I love the clouds." He continued, kissing her face, "I love the rain, the sun, the thunder... I love everything about you, amor."
Félix kissed Pepa all over as she began to laugh. He rolled onto his back, Pepa on top as she cuddled him.
He began to massage between her shoulders and she sighed in relief, resting her face against his. He could feel she was holding in a lot of tension.
"It's okay to feel tired." Félix reminded Pepa, his palm gently rubbing up and down her back. "You're allowed to take it slow."
"Too slow." She sighed in resignation. "The magic is safe. I want to feel better again."
"You will." He kissed her face again. "It hasn't even been a day, Pepi. Give it more time."
Grey clouds floated over Pepa's head.
"But what if I never get better?"
Félix hesitated, his expression softening. Rain sprinkled over them as the question brought up painful memories.
"You've asked me that before." He said softly.
She watched Félix with sad eyes as she remembered too.
Pepa's brother had left her in the moment she'd needed him most. It'd broken her heart so badly that for a while, Pepa gave up. She'd sleep all the time, too tired to get up. She'd cry and scream, telling Félix she wanted to leave too, though not in the same way as Bruno. Félix would never forget what it'd felt like to hold her through that.
Félix looked into Pepa's eyes, putting on a brave smile for the both of them.
He pulled their blanket up over Pepa's shoulders, wrapping it around her body. It was a special blanket that Casita had given Pepa, the heavy weight helping to comfort and stop her worrying.
"Do you remember what I told you back then?" Félix asked.
Pepa watched him quietly, the rain stopping as she felt safe under the weighted blanket. Félix smiled, slowly tracing a finger along her eyebrows.
"One day at a time." He reminded her.
Pepa nodded.
"No matter what happens, we keep living our lives." Félix continued. "Even if all we do is rest, that's okay. As long as we make it to tomorrow. As long as we don't give up."
"Because that's what brave is." Pepa sighed, remembering Antonio repeating those words yesterday.
Felix chuckled. "He is growing up fast, do you think?"
"Too fast." She agreed.
Félix traced his finger along her cheeks, then down her nose.
"There's no pressure, okay?" He kissed her forehead. "No matter what happens, I will never stop loving you, Pepi. I will never stop holding you."
Pepa smiled, putting her arms around Félix and hugging him. "I'm sorry, Félix."
"No apologies for feeling, mi vida." He smiled back. "You know that."
Outside, sounds of movement and voices filled the air as the family began their day. Pepa groaned in protest, hiding her face against Félix.
"It's okay." He reassured her, stroking her hair. "Today is an easy day, amor. What do you want?"
"I'm so tired." She admitted.
"Alright." He kissed her head. "Sleep some more. I'll bring you breakfast."
Pepa held onto Félix, wondering what she'd ever done to deserve him.
"Thank you." She sighed.
Félix sat up beside Pepa and stroked her back, his movements slow and gentle. She lay with her head rested against him, her fingers holding the edge of his shirt.
"I'm really proud of you." He smiled. "You did it, Pepi. You saved the candle. And now we get to spend the rest of our life celebrating."
Pepa smiled back, her face glowing a little.
"I could not have done anything without you, mi cielo." She said quietly. "You give me so much."
Félix's expression softened. He liked hearing that.
Pepa's eyes shone with sincerity as she watched him. "I really love you."
"Love you too, Pepi."
Félix massaged along Pepa's shoulders, then down her arms. Pepa felt her body relax under his touch, her eyelids growing heavy.
"There's no pressure, amor." He reminded her. "We have all the time in the world to enjoy the miracle, hm?"
Pepa sighed, closing her eyes.
"You are my miracle, Félix."
Later
Pepa slept in a little while longer, then was woken by Mamá.
"Pepa!" Alma called from outside, her voice agitated. "Come out. Quick!"
She moaned, her eyes still closed. She pulled the blanket up over her face, pretending she hadn't heard.
"Come out." Alma repeated, urgency rising in her voice. "This is an emergency."
Pepa sighed heavily.
"Coming, Mama." She mumbled, pulling herself up out of bed.
So much for the easy morning, Pepa thought bitterly as she trudged over to her dresser, a cloud following.
Pepa picked up the yellow dress which lay crumpled on her chair and slipped it on, then glanced in the mirror to tie a ribbon around her hair.
She frowned at the sight of her reflection. Pepa gently touched under her eyes, her fingers tracing along the dark circles.
Alma called out again. "What is taking you so long?"
Pepa turned to the door with tired eyes. "I'm getting ready, Mamá."
She held a hand to her mouth and yawned, sitting in front of the mirror to put in her sun earrings. She gazed at her reflection, slowly leaning forward until her forehead touched the mirror, her eyes closing.
"Pepa!"
She jumped as Mamá's voice startled her.
"What are you putting on in there, a wedding dress? Come out, right now!"
Pepa groaned, heading to the door.
"Finally." Alma sighed in relief as she saw her daughter's door open.
"What is it?" Pepa grumbled, then stopped in surprise at the sight of birds all lined up along the railing in front of them.
Mamá stood beside Pepa, her back against her own bedroom door. She watched the birds with a hard expression.
"Get rid of them." Alma instructed.
Pepa grinned. Of course this was the emergency. Pepa was always the one her mama and sister would call to scare off animals and squash bugs for them.
She rubbed her eyes as she walked past Mamá, in the opposite direction of the birds. Alma's eyes widened.
"Pepa!" She scolded, her expression furious as she watched her go. "I said-"
"I know, Mamá." Pepa called back, opening Antonio's door. She then headed back to the flock, their beady eyes watching her intently.
"Shoo shoo shoo!" Pepa encouraged in a tired voice, waving her hands at the birds. They puffed up and tilted their heads, staying in their place.
"Pepa." Alma pleaded.
Pepa groaned, then glared at the birds, a thundering cloud appearing over her head. The birds squawked, flapping their wings and lifting off the railing. They flew into Antonio's room, making a beeline through the door as Pepa trudged along, closing the door behind them.
She then turned to mama, making a grand gesture with her arms, as if she were awaiting applause.
"Very good, Pepa." Alma sighed, straightening up and fixing her hair. "Now, clean up this mess."
Alma gestured to the balcony. White stains had streaked down the railings and splattered over the tiles where the birds had been roosting, loose feathers caked in.
Pepas face dropped in disbelief. She turned to Mamá, her cloud thundering.
"He's your son." Alma insisted, gesturing again to the mess. "This is your responsibility now."
"It's your magic." Pepa grumbled under her breath.
"What was that?"
"Can't I have breakfast first?" Pepa sighed. She was too tired and sore for this. "If I clean it now, I'll just do it spitefully." She eyed Mamá. "I'll sweep it off the edge when you walk past below."
Alma laughed, putting a hand to Pepa's cheek. "You're really not a morning person, are you mija?" She chuckled. "Not before your coffee."
"Not before my coffee." Pepa agreed, leaning into Mamá. Alma gently wiped sleep out of Pepa's eyes.
"Come on, then." Alma smiled, linking her arm around Pepa's and leading her down the stairs. "Let's get you some breakfast."
Pepa glanced at her suspiciously. Mamá was being a little too nice.
"You're just keeping me to scare the birds." Pepa accused.
Alma chuckled, looking back at Pepa with a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she pinched her daughter's cheek.
Pepa groaned, though secretly she adored all the attention Mamá was giving her.
Outside, Mirabel was already interrogating who she thought was Dolores. The real Dolores slipped past, silently thanking Camilo for buying her more time. His excitement seeing all the leftover party food had really worked in her favour.
She saw Mamá taking a sip of coffee, the sun shining brighter and her cloud disappearing as she approached.
"What happened to sleeping in, amor?" Félix called out with a laugh as he joined them.
"Ay." Pepa rolled her eyes. "Don't even ask."
Pepa embraced her daughter, and Dolores melted into her arms, not realising how much she'd needed Mamá to hold her this morning.
"Mmm?" Mamá looked her over. "What's wrong, mija?"
Dolores hummed sadly. She longed to talk to Pepa, but knew there wasn't anything she could tell Mamá without causing a storm.
Pepa kissed Dolores' head, her fingers stroking through her hair as she held her close. Dolores closed her eyes, listening to Mamá's heartbeat and feeling comforted.
"Wait a minute..." Félix watched a second Dolores with narrowed eyes as she piled up her plate, then glanced back at the Dolores in Pepa's arms, slowly shaking his head. "That boy..." He headed over to the breakfast table. Dolores followed, taking the opportunity to leave before Mamá asked any more questions.
Pepa went to follow too, but Antonio arrived with all his animals, his toucan landing in Pepa's hair and jaguar rubbing up against her legs. Pepa's face lit up at the sight of him.
"They wanted to say good morning." Antonio grinned, jumping up into Mamá's arms as she caught him, a rainbow shining above them.
"Good morning, my darlings." Pepa kissed Antonio's face, then leant down and kissed all his little animals, knowing her son would like that. She smiled up at the bird in her hair, having an idea. "Ay! We should have them warm up Abuela's seat." She turned to Antonio. "She'd like that, hm?"
"That's a good idea, Mami!" He agreed, gesturing for his birds and animals to head over to Alma's chair. They clambered on and lay hidden in wait. Pepa buried her face in Antonio's hair as she tried to stop herself from laughing.
"Camilo! Stop pretending you're Dolores so you can have seconds." Félix scolded, interrupting Mirabel.
"Worth a shot." Camilo shrugged, quickly hurrying off as Casita began to scold him too.
Félix sighed, taking a bite of arepa as he followed.
Knowing Mirabel wasn't going to give up, Dolores decided to give out just enough information to point her in the right direction, without getting herself involved.
"The only one worried about the magic is you," Dolores spoke cryptically. "And the rats talking in the walls." She was going to leave it at that, but then she saw Luisa, and wondered if Mirabel could help her too. "Oh, and Luisa. I heard her eye twitching. All night."
She peeped softly and walked off.
"There we go." Luisa dropped the dining table outside so they could have breakfast in the sun.
"Everyone, to the table!" Alma called as she approached with her coffee, Casita scraping chairs over. "Let's go, let's go."
Pepa turned from where she was still piling up her breakfast plate, her eyes wide. She'd been hoping to sit next to Julieta, but Luisa had already taken that spot. Pepa hurried over to the next available seat.
She went to sit down with a smile when Mirabel snaked her, stealing the seat right from under her. Pepa's cloud thundered at the audacity.
From across the table, Isabela slowly shook her head in disapproval. Pepa glared at Mirabel, who smiled back sheepishly.
Pepa felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder, then heard Félix take a deep breath and exhale. Pepa did the same, her cloud disappearing as she sat down. She turned to see his loving expression. Félix handed her a glass of orange juice and Pepa felt the sun shine brighter.
"Family." Alma announced as she went to sit down. "We are all thankful for Antonio's wonderful new-" Her face fell and she stood abruptly, a pile of animals squeaking out from under her. "...Gift."
Pepa quickly took a sip of orange juice, her shoulders shaking as she tried to hide her laughter.
"I told them to warm up your seat!" Antonio announced brightly. His toucan chirped, it's beady eyes watching Alma as she stiffened a little.
"Thank you, Tonito." Alma smiled, then glanced with a wary expression to where all the other birds were watching, the nearby tree sagging under the weight of them all. She gasped softly before regathering herself.
"I'm sure today we'll find a way to put your blessings to good use."
As Abuela continued her speech, Dolores tuned out, her eyes on her food and her attention elsewhere. This was her favourite part of the day.
"Good morning, my keen eared listeners!" Tio Bruno's voice spoke up from behind the kitchen wall. "Well, uh - listener." He chuckled. "Do I have a show for you this morning!" Rats squeaked in excitement as Bruno placed them in position. "Season finale, kid. Brace yourself. It's gonna be big."
Dolores smiled, taking a bite of her breakfast as she listened. She'd really needed this today.
"Ay, amor! You cannot leave me like this!" Bruno cried out in a feminine voice, "He is your only son!"
"He's no son of mine, never was." Bruno replied in a masculine voice. "Because you have been sleeping with my evil twin!"
Bruno gasped. "This whole time?"
"This whole time." Bruno confirmed.
Dolores' eyes widened as she drank her coffee. Dios.
"Wait, amor!" Bruno called out. "Don't go out that door! You're too drunk, you can't see the road!"
"Don't tell me what to-" Bruno made the sound of a cart screeching to a stop, then shrieked. He knocked something over in his room to add in sound effects, the rats clamouring.
Dolores gasped, then covered her mouth, remembering where she was.
Luckily, Mirabel had interrupted Abuela's speech at the same time, her hand banging on the table as everyone turned to look at her.
"You do!" Mirabel stared up at Luisa.
"Mirabel!" Alma scolded. "If you can't pay attention, I will help you."
"Oh, actually..." Mirabel began, but it was too late.
"Casita!" Alma called.
Pepa didn't even react as her seat moved. Alma used Casita to scold them like it was second nature. She stayed put, looking unenthused as Mirabel's chair swept around her and Pepa's chair was nudged to the side.
"As I was saying," Alma continued. "We must never take our miracle for granted, so today we will work twice as hard."
"Mm-hm. I will help Luisa!" Mirabel spoke up.
"Stop." Alma stood up. "First, an announcement."
Isabela braced herself as Abuela approached, smiling pleasantly. Next to her, Dolores seemed off in her own world, staring blankly at her breakfast as she chewed.
"Breathe, amor!" Bruno's voice shook as he cried out dramatically. "Don't leave me like this!"
"I've spoken to the Guzmans about Mariano's proposal to Isabela."
"Don't waste your tears." Bruno interrupted in another voice, a new character entering the scene. "That man is not your husband. I am!"
"Who are-"
"Dolores," Abuela interrupted both the telanovela and Dolores taking a bite of food. "Do we have a date?"
Dolores pretended to listen, wanting to get this over with as fast as possible. Of course Abuela knew the proposal was tonight, they'd been planning it for months. Sometimes Abuela just wanted Dolores to confirm things in front of the others to prove a point.
"Tonight." Dolores confirmed, then added, "He wants five babies." She gave Isabela the side eye as she went back to listening to her show.
If she's gonna take him, the girl should know.
"-And that's all we have time for today." Bruno announced. "Hope you enjoyed it. See you at dinner. I mean, you won't see me, but you'll hear me, and I'll see you, you know, through the crack," He chuckled awkwardly. "Anyway, uh, have a great day, kid."
Bruno fell silent again.
Dolores frowned. Miercoles. A whole season of buildup and she'd missed the end.
Meanwhile next to her, flowers popped up all over Isabela's hair as she imagined what it'd be like to have all those children.
Isabela held her breath as she remembered Tía screaming in pain when she had Antonio. Isabela remembered wiping sweat from Tía's face, holding her hand as Tía sobbed and her blood spilled. She remembered Tía's body going cold and still, her hand turning limp as the weather disappeared around them. She remembered Mama's desperate tears as she struggled to bring her sister back.
Isabela stared blankly ahead, her eyes wide in terror. Was that her future, too?
Seeing a white flower among the pink, Alma snapped it from Isabela's hair, the movement bringing her back to the present.
"-With our perfect Isabela," Alma continued to speak. Isabela smiled up at Alma, straightening as she pushed the memories and feelings back down. "Will bring a new generation of magical blessings, and make both of our families stronger." Alma continued walking around the table, and Isabela exhaled.
Noticing how frightened her cousin had been, Camilo leant forward with a smile. As their eyes met he turned into Mariano and made a silly kissing face to try and make her laugh. Isabela rolled her eyes, flicking his face with flowers.
"Okay. Our community is counting on us." Alma turned to the table. "La Familia Madrigal!"
"La Familia Madrigal!" They all repeated proudly.
Isabela couldn't leave the table soon enough, promptly colliding into Mirabel and sending flower petals flying.
"What is your problem?" She exclaimed after her sister, frowning as she watched Mirabel chase Luisa into town.
"Luisa, hey!"
Seeing the seats empty, Pepa scooted over to Julieta with an excited grin. Her sister laughed, putting her arms around Pepa.
"Good morning, stranger." She beamed, kissing Pepa's cheek.
"One last announcement," Alma spoke up, glancing at the remaining family members. "Before we all run off."
Alma took out a brown paper envelope, holding it up.
"I hope you're ready." Alma said with a knowing smile, opening the envelope to pull out a photograph. Pepa's face lit up in anticipation.
Alma chuckled at the photo, then turned it around for everyone to see.
It was of Antonio standing at his new door, Alma on one side of him and the jaguar on the other, the animals all gathered around them.
The family exclaimed in excitement, a rainbow appearing over Antonio as he beamed proudly.
"A perfect picture." Alma smiled, handing it to Antonio to hold. "Now that's one for the wall."
Pepa's hand shook by her side as she smiled at her son, her eyes sparkling. Julieta put an arm around Pepa in support, though secretly Julieta's heart sunk. Agustín noticed, and came around the table to stand by Julieta, his hand stroking her hair.
Alma reached into the envelope again, her eyes glancing around the table as the family watched.
"And now..." She said slowly, enjoying the drama.
"Ay! Come on, Abuela." Félix laughed.
Alma smiled, taking out the family photo. There were sounds of chairs scraping as everyone leaned in, voices overlapping as they peered at the photo.
Pepa frowned as she saw her wide eyes and nervous smile. One of her eyes was a little turned in.
"Ay. I thought I took a good one this year." She muttered to herself, crossing her arms as she looked away. Something about smiling on command always threw Pepa off, and it really showed in her photos.
"Nothing beats my favourite," Agustín nudged her, pulling out an old family photo from his pocket. In it Félix was laughing and holding an umbrella over Pepa while she grimaced, her smile crooked and her eyes wide and panicked. The rest of the family smiled pleasantly under her thundering clouds.
"No me diga!" Pepa exclaimed with a frown, "I told you to burn that one!" She wrestled Agustín for the photo as he laughed.
"Ay, it's a nice one of the family!" He protested, holding the photo at arm's length as Pepa scrambled over her chair for it, her cloud thundering and flashing. The chair tipped and clattered as she fell into Agustín. He caught her, grinning as she continued to fight him for the picture.
"Pepa!" Alma scolded. "Control yourself."
"It's Agustín!" Pepa shouted, "He carries that thing around just to haunt me!"
"Casita." Alma sighed.
Casita swept Pepa back up into her chair and tucked it in, holding her still. Pepa groaned, slapping the table as Agustin got away.
"Why isn't he getting locked up?" She demanded, throwing an arm towards Agustin. She turned to Julieta. "Are you seeing this?"
Julieta didn't respond. She was still staring at the photo with a serious expression, her brow furrowed in disapproval.
"Ay, hermana come on!" Pepa grinned. "You look great."
Pepa nudged her playfully, but Julieta didn't laugh. Her lip trembled as she continued to stare at the photo.
"Ay? What's wrong?" Pepa asked in confusion.
"Mirabel isn't in the photo." Camilo spoke up, his eyes also filled with concern.
The table fell silent.
A cloud appeared over Pepa's head. She suddenly felt like the worst Tía in the world. She quickly looked again, her eyes searching, but Camilo was right.
No Mirabel.
She glanced back at her sister. Julieta closed her eyes.
"It all happened so fast." Agustín tried to put an arm around her, but Julieta shook him off. When she opened her eyes again, her expression was hard.
"Don't." Julieta whispered, standing up with a scrape of her chair. She took one last look at the picture before heading into the casita.
Agustín hurried after Julieta. Pepa watched them go, her face filled with concern. She wanted to follow, but was still pinned to the table. She thrashed her body back and forward, but it was no use.
"We will take another picture tonight." Alma decided. "All of us together, with Mirabel." She returned the photos to the envelope, "Right after our Isabela's engagement."
At the mention of the engagement, Alma straightened up, remembering all they needed to do before tonight.
She turned to Antonio, holding a hand for him with a smile. "Now, to find a use for that gift."
Félix joined them, whilst Dolores and Camilo headed off into town.
As Casita let Pepa go, she pretended to walk towards town too. But the moment Alma's back was turned she spun on the spot and ran inside.
Felix watched her go, laughing at her lack of subtlety.
Julieta was cutting up food, her movements quick and forceful, something Pepa knew her sister only did when she was upset. Agustín stood beside Julieta, holding a bowl to catch pieces of food as she tossed them in.
Agustín smiled at Pepa as she approached, but Julieta didn't look up, her shoulders stiff and her expression heavy as she stared at the food.
"I'm sorry about Mirabel."
The sudden voice took Julieta by surprise. She flinched, accidentally bringing the knife down on her finger.
Pepa whimpered, a cloud appearing over her head as she rushed to her sister's side.
Julieta took a cloth and held it to her hand, a trickle of blood running down her wrist as she turned to Pepa. She smiled, her immediate response being to reassure her sister that she was okay.
"Don't worry, Pepi." Julieta took a piece of food to heal herself. "These things happen." She ate the food. "It's..."
Julieta paused, her smile fading a little. She suddenly became very quiet, her eyes darkening in concern.
"You alright?" Agustín asked.
"Hermana?" Pepa's voice shook, wind blowing anxiously around them.
Knowing her sister was frightened, Julieta turned back to Pepa with a brave smile.
"Yeah. I'm okay." Julieta reassured her. "Sorry. I'm just really worried about Mirabel. I'm actually not in a good place to talk right now... Do you think you could give me some space?"
"Let me help you." Pepa insisted, her eyes filled with sincerity as she leaned in. "I know all about worry, mm?
Julieta laughed softly, stroking Pepa's hair.
"The best thing you can do for me right now is go help the village." Julieta smiled. "So we don't have Mamá on our backs tonight. Is that alright?"
Pepa nodded in understanding. "I love you."
"I love you too." Julieta sighed, gazing up at her sister. "So very much."
Julieta watched Pepa go.
The moment the door closed, Julieta shuddered, tears spilling down her cheeks as she dropped to the floor.
"Ay! You okay?" Agustín crouched down, putting his arms around her in concern. "Juli?"
Julieta shook her head, hiding her face against Agustín. Her whole body was shaking.
"Talk to me." He tried, but Julieta wouldn't look up. Agustín held onto her, knowing something was very wrong. Julieta only shut down and went silent like this when she was overwhelmed.
Agustin gently unwrapped the cloth from her shaking hand to see. His face dropped in horror.
The cut hadn't healed.
That afternoon
Pepa sat under her umbrella, watching rain fall over the fields.
When she was younger she used to see this as a chore, forcing unpleasant thoughts on herself, telling herself mean things or hurting herself to make it rain.
Now she was older and wiser, Pepa looked forward to her time alone with the clouds. It helped to clear her mind and find inner peace when she allowed herself to cry over things she normally needed to bottle up.
Pepa would never tell anyone, but mostly she used her time in the fields to remember Bruno.
"You like it, sis?" Bruno smiled as she approached, gesturing to his painting.
Pepa pulled her brother in for a hug, his feet lifting off the ground. Bruno made a small sound in surprise.
"I love it." She grinned, taking the paintbrush from Bruno and dipping it into the paint, adding a little sun to his artwork.
While Pepa was distracted, Bruno dipped his finger into the paint and touched it to Pepa's nose. She gasped, then laughed, trying to do the same to him as he moved out of her reach.
The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon painting together. Bruno was quick with his brush, his practised hand and creative eye giving him a flair that his sister could only aspire towards.
Pepa had always been the most athletic of the three. She could outrun her siblings and dance circles around them any day, but she was always a little slow and awkward when it came to things like art. Pepa tried her best, but for some reason all the people and animals she drew always ended up looking the same, with round faces, circle bodies and spindly legs.
"Who's that?" Bruno pointed out the circular face Pepa was painting.
"Shh." Pepa's brow furrowed in concentration, pushing Bruno's hand aside as she continued to paint.
"Is it supposed to be Mama?"
Pepa turned to him in disbelief. "It is a rat."
Bruno peered closer. He glanced at the rat on his shoulder, then turned back to the painting in confusion. "Why does it have a human face?"
A cloud thundered over Pepa as she splatted the painting with her wet brush, covering up the rat face in embarrassment.
Pepa turned to Bruno with a frown, but when she saw him laughing her face softened and she couldn't help but laugh too.
"You thought it was Mama." Pepa grinned. "I will tell her."
Bruno grinned back at her. "But it looked like her."
"It did." Pepa admitted, leaning into him.
A hand touched Pepa's shoulder, interupting her thoughts and bringing her back to the present.
She turned around, the sky brightening and rain stopping at the sight of Félix.
"Sorry amor." He chuckled, gesturing to the clear skies.
"It's okay." She wiped her eyes, reaching a hand for him as he sat down beside her. "It was time. See?"
Her eyes gestured nearby, where glass bottles were lined up, filled with rainwater. Félix recognised Pepa's messy handwriting along the sides, each bottle labelled with a different crop name and a horizontal line, helping Pepa keep track of how much rain she needed to produce.
Félix grinned, kissing her face. "So clever."
Pepa smiled back, leaning into Félix as he began to play with her hair.
Félix didn't usually come up to the fields when Pepa was working anymore, because it'd become too hard for Pepa to stay upset when he was around. They just had too many beautiful memories together in these fields.
But today was different, Félix wanted to tell Pepa about how things had gone this morning with Antonio.
"The animals are going to guard the village." He told Pepa, watching as her face fell a little in worry.
Pepa didn't like how indebted her children had to be to the village. It was too much. She wanted Antonio to just be allowed to enjoy his magic, without the responsibility.
"It's actually gonna be an easy one, amor." Félix reassured her. "All he needs to do is tell Abuela what the animals tell him, and translate her instructions to the animals." He smiled. "It's gonna take a lot of pressure off Dolores and Luisa."
Pepa sighed in relief. That actually did sound okay.
She watched as Félix continued to play with her hair, the sun shining bright over them. Pepa couldn't help but smile as she was reminded of their younger days.
"What are these ones?" Félix asked her, examining one of the nearby crops.
Pepa smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "You don't know?"
She reached over and picked a sprig from the plant, holding it up so he could see the little black seeds.
"It's pepper."
She couldn't help but laugh.
"Ah," Félix laughed too. "My favourite."
Pepa smiled, running her fingers through his hair. Félix went to put one of the pepper seeds in his mouth, but she stopped him.
"Ay! Don't have it on its own." She grinned. "It's too bitter. You have to crush it up first."
"Hm. But I like pepper just the way it is." He smiled, wrapping an arm around her.
Pepa laughed. "Then you are crazy. Nobody likes pepper like that. It's too hot."
Felix leaned in. "Is it, now?"
Pepa gasped, laughing as he pinned her onto the grass.
"Félix!" She spoke breathlessly, gesturing over to the crops. "I can't! I am at work."
He covered her face with kisses. "It hasn't stopped us before."
"Ay, but we were younger then." She insisted. "Now I am old. Remember that?" She scoffed, still recalling his rude comments from last night. "Old magic, boring room, boring wife."
Félix burst into laughter and Pepa grinned.
"Boring wife?" He sat up, pulling her up with him. "Amor. You are many things, but boring is not one of them."
"What things?" She prompted.
Félix smiled as he recognised the hopeful shine in her eyes.
"You're like sunshine, amor." He kissed her face. "So beautiful and warm. You brighten up my life, just by being in it."
"It can burn you." She warned him. "The sun."
"Hm." Félix smiled, moving in closer. "Just like the pepper." His nose brushed against hers. "Maybe I like it that way, amor."
Pepa smiled back. Her eyes gestured to the nearby treeline, before meeting his again. Félix nodded, a twinkle in his eyes as he stood up.
Before she had a chance to get up too, Félix grabbed Pepa. She shrieked in surprise, laughing as Félix flipped her up over his shoulder and carried her into the forest, a rainbow following them.
Later
They returned to the casita together, Pepa holding Félix's hand as they laughed.
"Dios." Pepa shook her head in disbelief, still laughing as they walked through the front door. "Why is our life like this?"
The forest had always been a safe place for the two of them, hidden away from the village, where they could have privacy to share intimate moments without anyone noticing the change in weather. That was, until now.
It'd felt like everywhere they'd looked that afternoon they'd seen another of Antonio's animals, interrupting their moments of passion. When Pepa had made awkward eye contact with a capybara, she'd decided enough was enough and they had headed home.
"The worst is those animals have always been there." Pepa's eyes were wide as she tried not to imagine what they'd already seen over the years. "And now they can all talk."
"Dios!" Félix chuckled. "Let's hope they can keep secrets."
He squeezed Pepa playfully, then hesitated, remembering how a similar movement had made her chest hurt this morning. He glanced over, but Pepa hadn't even noticed. She was still laughing as she continued to talk about the animals.
Félix smiled at her, knowing everything was going to be okay.
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(Notes)
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your patience, I'm so sorry it took a long time to update this chapter I was very sick with covid, and it's been a struggle to write. But, piece by piece things slowly got better (phew!)
Thank you so much for your ongoing support of the story, and I hope you enjoy this one.
There's one other thing I'd love to show you I work fulltime as a 3D artist and animator, and while on sick leave I started to explore other ways to get creative with Encanto, and started exploring 2D animation for the first time. Super excited to share this Pepa Animatic with you! I really hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it
https/youtu.be/ddwOvcPreB0
Take care, and I look forward to seeing you next chapter!
Lots of love
Cloudy Encanto x
