Abuela had Luisa placed Bruno back in the nursery. They still had a lot to do in town, so she and her granddaughter went back with the intention of sending whoever was least busy to watch him. In the mean time, they left him to casita.
Bruno was not passed out for long. He jerked up in bed taking in gulps of air. In a panic, he grabbed the desk chair and propped it against the door knob, then slid under the bed to hide. Closing his eyes tightly shut, he tried to think of a happy place.
He thought of his rats; they were eating Andre in a gruesome scene. He thought of his family; they tied him down taking away his freewill. Bad things happened in the bathroom, bedroom, forest, and town. Nowhere was safe. Anyone could be dangerous. He curled up in throbbing pain from where that woman has grabbed him so harshly between his legs. His rats sniffed at him in confusion.
A knock on the window startled him. He froze, staying put. A second later a loud crash echoed through the room as the window was broken. He peaked out and saw an axe chopping away at Casita's shutters. Glass riddled the floor. Images of Andre coming for him flashed in his mind. He closed his eyes and tried to make himself small under the bed, trying to hide.
Casita tried opening the door to provide him an escape but the chair was wedged between the wooden floorboards and the door knob. The house could only jitter the rest of the floorboards in the room in panic. Freaked out by all the movement, the rats fled the room.
Over the sounds Casita was making, he heard two feet land inside by the window. "Bruno," Maria called to him. Not recognizing the voice, he opened his eyes to see her bent over peering at him under the bed. She was wearing a a long brown skirt, white blouse, and had black braided hair. Her expression seemed urgent. "Come with me," She said, "I'll bring you to safety."
Bruno closed his eyes again and tried to push himself deeper under the bed. There was no way he was going to trust a stranger. "Fuck!" she yelped as the floor boards moved up and down causing her to loose her balance. "Boys! A little help!" One of her sons climbed through the window and was surprised to see the floor moving. He chopped at the floorboards trying to break anything that moved.
Maria quickly grabbed the mattress pulling it on to the floor then lifted the frame pushing it toward the door. Bruno remained curled up on his side hoping she would leave him alone. She quickly grabbed his arm and roughly pulled him to the window. Letting her other son grab him and pull him out. A shard of glass cut his leg on the way out and he hissed in pain. Casita tried to move furniture to stop them but it was too late.
Maria and her son climbed out of the window quickly listening to the ruckus the house was making. She had not expected a fight against a magic house. Andre had not mentioned that.
She grabbed Bruno by the wrist leading him into the trees with her sons. "Stop!" he yelled trying to jerk away. He was injured and scared. Refusing to listen in case they were caught, she tightened her grip and pulled him harder. He dragged his feet in retaliation. He had no idea what she wanted, but he wasn't going to give her the chance to hurt him.
Her sons took the initiative to help their mother. Each put one of Bruno's arms over their shoulders lifting him off the ground allowing them to run faster. It wasn't difficult for them, he was a little shorter than them and very lightweight. They ran until they could no longer see Casita, and then they ran a little further for good measure.
When they stopped to catch their breath, Bruno pulled his arms from the teens yelling, "Who are you people?!" He recognized them from his vision, and that made him more scared than he already was. He leaned against a tree having a hard time standing as blood gushed from his leg and the throbbing from his nether regions increased.
"You're hurt," Maria said worriedly bending down to check his leg. She pulled a bandage from her pocket and wrapped it around his leg. She was always prepared for the worst. "Are you hurt anywhere else?" Bruno shook his head no bringing his attention to the twins.
The twins looked about Camilo's age and maybe an bit taller. They were thin and wore similar brown ruanas, like Dante. It hit him in an instant, they looked like Dante. He hoped he was wrong and that this was some kind of crazy coincidence. He knocked on a tree, "knock knock knock knock knock, knock on wood."
The teens gave him an odd look, bewildered when he tossed salt over his shoulder. "I'm sorry." The woman apologized. "There wasn't much time. I wasn't sure when they would be back." She offered her hand in greeting. "We were never properly introduced. I'm Maria, Dante's wife." Bruno eyes widened and the threw more salt. This was not good.
"Theses are mine and Dante's sons, Rico and Marco." Marco gave a smirk and waved trying to be friendly while Rico glared with annoyance. "Dante and Andre never came back from rescuing you," She left out that she knew Dante also planned on enslaving Bruno's family. "Do you know where they are?" Maria asked hopefully.
"You don't know?" He asked feeling very nervous. No one told her they were dead. Of all the men they brought to the encanto and not one told her. His heart was pounding and he grabbed his chest leaning heavily on the tree behind him.
"Don't know what?" Maria asked watching him closely. Bruno seemed miserable and the look on his face told her all she needed to know. "What happened?" He voice trembled, tears forming in her eyes. Her sons were at her sides trying to make sure she was okay.
"I'm so sorry Maria," Bruno said gathering his courage. Seeing her in distress made him push his own pain and feelings away enough to help her. He had to break the news to her. She deserved to know. At the same time, he had to protect his family and his rats. So he confessed. "Dante threatened to kill everyone and tried to take my family. There was no other choice."
"Who killed them?!" She screamed tears running down her face. "Who killed my husband!" Marco began to cry too and Rico looked angry. Maria fell to her knees crying. She knew this was a possible outcome. It was always a possible outcome in criminal business, but it didn't hurt any less.
In anger, Rico charged at Bruno grabbing his throat and pushing him against the tree. He pulled out a knife placing the tip under the prophet's eye. "Tell us who killed my father or I'll cut your eye out!" He yelled.
"Rico! Don't!" Marco shouted at his brother while rubbing his mother's back.
Bruno squeezed his eyes shut. Thoughts of his family flowed through his mind. He wished he could have said goodbye to them properly. "I did." He said ready for the knife to slice into him.
Rico yelled out in angry. He let go and pushed Bruno to the side, so he could let his frustrations out by stabbing the tree. Bruno was a bad liar. Even the teen could tell his confession was bullshit. Bruno watched him and backed away in fear.
It took a minute but Maria wiped her tears and stood knowing they couldn't stay here much longer. She walked up to Bruno taking his hand and looked at him for a long moment. He was thinner than the last time she saw him and he looked so tired and scared. She could tell he was not capable of harming a fly. He didn't even make an attempt to protect himself when Rico threatened him.
Of course he was lying. His family must have done it, and he was protecting them by taking the blame. She felt sorry for Bruno, having been manipulated by his family for so long that he was willing to die for them. Andre would be so upset. So for Andre, she would protect Bruno.
"I know you didn't do this little mouse," She said recalling Andre's nickname for him. She hoped it would sooth him a little. Hearing the nickname only made his heart beat faster.
"No, you don't underst-" Marco quickly placed a hand over Bruno's mouth hearing foot steps in the distance. Maria led the way as the boys grabbed the small man dragging him along with them. "Stop, I need to go back to my family," Bruno pleaded.
"Quiet," Maria whispered. Their captive tried to drag his feet. Getting angry, Rico let go, and pushed his brother to let go as well. He punched Bruno in the face hard, stunning him. Then lifted the man over his shoulder so they could all run faster. Maria was not pleased by this, but there wasn't much she could do.
They ran far enough to be met by the river and began running a long side it. If they followed the river long enough, it would lead close to the encanto exit. Bruno felt dizzy and closed his eyes trying to deal with the pain in his body. Being carried made him feel nauseous. "You should let me go," he tried to tell them. "My family isn't going to let you get away."
As if on cue they all stopped in their tracks. In front of them a few meters away stood Isabela. "Let him go!" She yelled.
Rico place Bruno down on the ground slowly, not taking his eyes off the girl in front of him. He and Marco pulled their knifes ready to fight. "Don't!" Their mother said. She could not allow her sons to risk death. She only just found out her husband was killed by these people.
"Tio Bruno! Are you okay?!" Lusia yelled arriving behind them, but keeping her distance in case these people meant any harm.
"I'm fine," he responded getting off the ground. He then addressed Maria. "I have to go with my family. Please go home, leave the encanto."
"I can't do that," she responded. "They killed my husband."
"They didn't," he tried to explain. "I told you-"
"Andre talked about you all the time," she interrupted. "He told me about how kind and sweet you are. He spoke about you with such passion that I could hardly believe it. But I believe it more than ever." She hugged him making his nieces nervous like she was about to do something bad. "For Andre, I promise I will come back for you, little mouse." She placed a knife in his pocket so that he could protect himself from his family.
Suddenly he was snatched away from her and pulled into one of the trees by Isabela's vine. The vine wrapped around his chest and waist to keep hold of him. "Don't hurt her!" He warned his nieces. Abuela, Dolores, and Camilo finally caught up to the rest of them. Dolores led them to where Bruno was and Camilo insisted on tagging along.
Isabella grew cacti around Maria and her sons that reached waist high to block them from escaping. "Who are you people?" Abuela asked forcefully.
"I'm the wife of the man your family murdered. Do you remember Dante?" Maria responded angrily. "I'm sure he raised hell before he died." She was often proud of her husband for always putting up a good fight.
"He invaded our home and tried to hurt my family," Alma shot back.
"I'm aware of his nature," Maria said stubbornly.
"What do you want from my son?" Alma questioned. When Isabela had come home, she found Bruno missing and the nursery was in disarray. It was lucky some of them had not gotten too far away to come back and find him.
"I'm trying to help him!" Maria responded. She could have went into detail, but she rather not waste her time explaining to an abusive family that they are abusive. It would go in one ear and out the other.
"He has all the help he needs here," tired of talking to this woman Abuela ended the conversation. She didn't understand Maria's motives and she really didn't care. "I want you three to leave this place and never return. Your husband created terrible destruction here and I will not risk you doing the same." Abuela insisted wanting nothing to do with this woman.
"Fine," Maria agreed deciding to live to fight another day.
"Isabela and Lusia," Abuela ordered. "Escort them out of the encanto." Isabela lowered her tio from the tress enough that his feet dangled just above the ground. She then shrunk the cacti allowing Maria and her sons to make their way in the direction of the encanto's exit. Luisa and Isabela followed them ready to fight if need be.
.=.
At the crack in the mountain Maria and her sons left without incident. Luisa and Isabela waited till they could no longer see them in the distance and then headed home. There was no guarantee that they would not come back, so the Madrigals would have to be cautious for a while.
Maria went over what she was going to do now. It would be hard to rescue Bruno now that his family was on alert. She also could not risk her sons going back and getting hurt. Although they would insist on helping. She was the only family they had left.
"Leaving the encanto so easily?" A stranger inquired coming up behind them. Maria turned around quickly, startled that they were not alone.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Valentina," the woman answered causally. "My friends call me Val."
"Why are you following us?" Her sons were on edge ready to defend if needed.
"I saw what happened between you and the Madrigals in the woods," Val responded. She had been sneaking around Casita for a while. Looking for an opportunity to snatch Bruno. "I heard you talking about Andre. You're husband was his friend? Andre was mine friend too. And I want revenge, same as you."
"I want to kill that entire family," Maria confessed, but clarified, "Except Bruno."
"Why not Bruno?" Val said in frustration. "He's responsible for their deaths."
"Did you see him have a hand in it?" Maria asked. Val could not confirm that she saw anything. It did not matter though. Maria could use the naive townie to get Bruno and kill the Madrigals. Once it was all done she would kill Valentina if need be. "Let's make a deal," she said.
.=.
When Luisa pried open the nursery door open; it revealed a wreck of a room. They had to allow time for it to be fixed by Casita. Even if the room was not broken, Abuela would not put Bruno back there anyway. It was clearly unsafe. He had managed to leave through the window twice now. So she would make sure they could make the nursery extra secure and in the mean time keep him in the most secure room in the house.
Bruno sat on Abuela's bed eating an Arepa. His body felt so much better the moment it healed him. He was feeling a little calmer as well. "What happened today?" His mother demanded with her hands on her hips standing in front of him. "All you had to do was stay with me in town. But then you ran off making trouble." He looked down at his hands gripping his ruana.
"I wanted to go find Pepa," Bruno responded to his lap.
"What happened with Valentina?" Abuela continued her interrogation. "Luisa said she had you against a wall. Did she hurt you?"
Bruno shrugged. "People in town don't like me." He didn't want to upset her anymore than she already was so he didn't say what really happened.
Disappointed by the lack of details, she went on. "What happened with the stranger, Maria? What did she want? I need to know for the safety of the encanto."
"She came looking for her husband that's all," Bruno said. "I told her I killed him."
"Is that what she was trying to do with you then? Kill you for revenge?" Alma was greatly upset that Bruno put his life in more danger confessing to something like this.
Bruno shook his head no. All he wanted to do was curl up and sleep. But his mother would not let up until he gave her something to focus on. "She said she wanted to rescue me as a favor to Andre, now that he's dead."
This left more questions than answers, but Abuela took pity when she saw him look up at her with a watery eyes and stopped asking questions. She let him lay down and cover up in her bed so he could sleep. Leaving the room, she told Luisa to not allow anyone in and to not allow Bruno out.