Bruno felt the heavy weight of another person straddling his hips and the familiar feeling of a sharp blade sliding along his stomach lightly. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes to see Valentina on top of him. Tied to the bed, he could only squirm. His eyes widened in fear as she glared down at him.

There was the gaping knife wound in her chest and gushing blood staining her clothes. "Are you scared?" She growled. The knife pushed hard against his skin cutting along over his belly button. Bruno gasped from the feeling and jerked at his binds.

"The little disobedient shit looks scared to me," Daz commented angrily walking up to the bed completely nude. He grabbed Bruno's face, turning his head so they could look at each other. "Fear isn't enough. Look what you did to me!" He forced Bruno to look down at the gory area where Daz's manhood used to be.

Bruno squeezed his eyes shut as tears began to fall. He didn't want to see what he had done. At the time, he felt like it was the only thing he could do to keep Camilo and Dolores safe. But thinking about it made him feel sick. It was the the worst thing he had ever done. No one deserved to die, especially not like that.

"Leave him alone," Another occupant of the room said standing by the window. "You two got what you deserved. Why are you complaining?" Bruno opened his eyes to see Andre suddenly standing by the bed, hovering over him. The other two people were gone.

"Do you think they deserved it?" Andre asked with a soft caring expression. He caressed he smaller man's face, wiping his tears away. Bruno leaned into the gentle touch. Despite the fear he felt, he craved connection and reassurance. Andre was safer than the other people, so he preferred this. "They shouldn't have touched what belongs to me."

Andre bent down and kissed his lover's lips, while holding a knife in his hand. The smaller man closed his eyes letting the kiss happen, fresh tears pricking his eyes. Andre would protect him, he always did. Then the knife was jammed into his abdomen.

Bruno screamed awake sitting up quickly and feeling his stomach. It was just another nightmare. He looked around the empty dimly lit room, illuminated by a single candle on the table. He recognized that he was still stuck in the nursery, which felt like both a blessing of safety and a curse of confinement.

He brought his hand up to his face finding blood. Lifting his ruana and shirt, he found half-moon shapes from his nails where they had dug into his skin. Pushing on the damaged skin hurt, so he pushed on his stomach hard. It helped him feel more in control. No one was hurting him, he could only hurt himself.

He ran his finger nails over his stomach leaving red marks. Scratching over and over again, he started to bleed. But it didn't stop him, he just kept going, getting blood and skin under his nails. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he watched his stomach become a raw blood smeared mess. It hurt a lot, but not as much as his heart hurt. Bruno had nothing left in the world besides pain.

With his assailants gone, he was left with his family. And he could only imagine what they must think of him. The entire side of Pepa's family saw what he had done to Daz and Val. His sister may have killed with her lightning, but he had killed like a wild animal. And that's what they saw when they had brought him home.

His family caged him like an animal. They used Andre's image to get him to do what they wanted, because they knew who trained him and who he would obey. Bruno dug his nails harder into his raw skin and cried.

He'd never have a proper relationship with them now. They would never except him for what he had become. He was just so damn scared, and biting and clawing for his life worked to keep him safe. So maybe he was an animal now.

The floor boards suddenly moved, jostling the bed, making him pause the harm he was causing himself. He looked as his hand and stomach and cried harder. He hadn't meant to do that, it just happened. If his family saw, they were going to tie him up and leave him like that. That's what they did when he did something they didn't like.

He spent the rest of the night rocking back and forth, afraid to sleep and afraid of what the morning would bring. He had to protect himself somehow, just until he could make it to the roof and fall, like in his vision. He was sure that was his way to freedom; he wanted freedom from his horrifying existence.

.=.

In the morning, Julieta and Mirabel went to the nursery to gather Bruno's dishes and serve him breakfast. But when Julieta tried to open the door, she could not get the knob to move. Casita could do no better. On the other side, Bruno was braced against the door and held onto the knob to keep it from turning. He knew they'd find a way to get in, but he certainly wasn't going to make it easy.

Casita tried to move the floorboards to get him to move, but he did his best to keep his position. The plan was to make things as difficult for his family as possible. At some point, they would decide that he was more trouble than he was worth. That could be enough for them to let him go or at least drop their guard.

A knock on the door alerted him that they were on to him. "Bruno," Julieta called. "Can you let me in?" He most certainly would not. "I have breakfast," she tried. He rolled his eyes having not eaten her last meal, he did drink the water though, unable to help himself when his thirst got to him.

Luisa happened by on her way to breakfast. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"He locked us out," Mirabel explained as her sister walked over to try the knob.

Hearing Luisa, Bruno knew he wouldn't be able to keep her from getting in. So, he moved and pulled the small table with him to the middle of the room facing the door. Once the door opened, he threw the candle at them first. Luisa quickly moved as the candle whirled past her.

"Bruno!" Julieta raised her voice as she tried to enter the room. He immediately threw the plate of food at her making her quickly back away as it flung past and shattered on the floor. He wished he had more ammo.

"Tio Bruno," Mirabel called to him. "We're not going to hurt you." She tried to enter the room before being pulled back by Luisa as the small table came flying out, crashing loudly against the floor behind them. "Does he have anything else?"

Luisa quickly peeked so see her Tio looking very angry before throwing a cup at her face. She dodged it and turned to address the others, "He might still have a few things."

Bruno pulled his hood up and launched himself out the door, Hernando was scared of nothing. His plan was simple, although it went against what he always said. You can't hurry the future. But if he could make it to the roof, he could make that vision come true and perhaps he wouldn't be around for the rest. It was a long shot.

Everyone was stunned the moment he dashed out of the room, but Mirabel quickly ran after him. "Wait!" She yelled following him up the stairs. Dolores moved out of the way as they sprinted past her. He headed for Abuela's door, planning to climb through the window to get to the roof, only for Felix to come walking by to block him.

Seeing his brother-in-law, Hernando switched targets. He grabbed the railing and jumped over, landing on the first floor. He lost his balance for a moment and fell over, but then scrambled to his feet and ran for the kitchen. He still had a chance to be done with everything and everyone.

Making it to the kitchen, he spotted a knife on the cutting board. He moved to grab it but hesitated, remembering how painful blades are. "Tio?" Hernando twisted around to see Camilo in the kitchen with him. The boy's face was blotchy from crying and he was currently stuffing his face, to eat his feelings away.

Hernando felt bad for the kid. He hated to see any of his family members upset. Perhaps Camilo was feeling guilty about last night, he shouldn't. Bruno had put him in that situation, by acting like an animal. If he had done was he was told like a person, the family wouldn't have sent 'Andre' to do it. At least he could end everyone's suffering right now. With Bruno gone, Camilo wouldn't be put in such situations anymore.

Hernando grabbed the knife. "Bruno don't!" Camilo shouted dropping the food he had and reaching for him and the weapon. Before he could jam it into his own throat, the teen grabbed his arm to prevent him from doing it.

Isabela entered the kitchen in time to grow her vines to stop anyone from getting hurt. The long green plants wrapped around her Tio quickly making him fall to the floor, dropping the knife. His hood slipped off as he squirmed and pulled at the plants. Bruno started to be come afraid.

His arms were trapped at his sides and his legs were held together. The vines wrapped around his stomach. They squeezed and rubbed his clothes against his sensitive scratched up skin. He closed his eyes tightly at the burning stinging sensation. Trapped and in pain he was beginning to panic.

Julieta and Pepa ran in and got down on the floor at his sides. He hissed in pain, as every movement he made caused the vine to rub against him more. "Where is he hurt?" Pepa asked as they checked his body over. The rest of the family started to crowd around to see what was happening.

When Julieta touched her brother's stomach and saw him wince, she pulled at his ruana to try to get to the injury. Not wanting them to touch him or look, his eyes snapped open and he made a sudden movement toward the the person closest to him. He clamped his jaw biting into Agustin's ankle making the man cry out.

Bruno bit as hard as he could to keep his brother-in-law from pulling away. Julieta and Pepa stopped trying to get to his injury and joined everyone as they began yelling for him to stop. Isabela grew a vine to fit between his teeth letting it thicken to open his mouth up, releasing her father. Bruno squirmed and screamed through the gag angrily biting into the plant, but it was thick enough to hold.

"Papi, are you okay?" Isabela asked. Agustin gave her a thumbs up and a forced smile, as he turned around and limped away. It had hurt more than he wanted to let on. He just didn't want the situation to get worse.

"Take him back to the nursery," Abuela ordered upset and disappointed that he had gotten out. Bruno growled and squirmed as Luisa picked him up. She took him back to the nursery as Alma and Julieta followed.

He was laid on the bed and Julieta went back to searching for his injury. She pulled the vine laying across his stomach down and the ruana and shirt up to reveal his ruined skin. Both women gasped at the sight. Both held back tears as Bruno squirmed glaring and growling at them.

"Leave us," Alma said voice shaking in upset. Julieta did so planning to get something to heal him, shutting the door behind her. With nothing rubbing against the wound any more and all the people gone, Bruno calmed a little.

"Brunito," his mother began wiping tears from her face and taking a seat on the bed next to him. "I'm sorry." The apology was unexpected and he gave a confused look. "I should never have tried to push you to get better. I should have let you go at your own pace. I just thought if you faced the man who abused you, maybe it would help. I thought I could teach you to not be afraid of him anymore."

Her voice shook with emotion as she spoke. "This entire situation is my fault. I had Camilo pose as Andre in the hopes that you could learn to overcome your fear of Andre. But it had the opposite effect and you tired to kill yourself and then you ran." It was hard for her to get the words out, but she felt like she had to say this.

"Those people were able to get you because I failed to protect you. I promise I won't fail again. I promise I will protect you. No one will ever touch you again," she said looking into her fearful son.

Bruno closed his eyes and flinched when Alma caressed his face. The movement made her heart ache for him. She removed her hand and he opened his eyes to look at her. She could tell he was watching her every move as if she was about to do something to him, and it broke her heart.

"I love you, Brunito," she finished before getting up and leaving; unable to say more.

Bruno didn't know what to think. If what she said was true, his family hadn't meant to drive him away. They had meant to help him. His mother didn't apologize often, so it had to be true. He hoped it was. He felt a spark of relief. Maybe his family didn't hate him as much as it had seemed. It was a slight misunderstanding. They had saved him and were trying to protect him.

But then, they still used Andre's image to make him obey them. They still kept him tied up and in a prison. It was just hard to get over the hurt feelings and everything they kept doing wrong. Feelings of betrayal and being unwanted still lingered in his heart.

The family's actions spoke louder than his mother words, so he wasn't sure what to believe or how anything could get any better. They were still running his life, and it was worse then ever. He wasn't even allowed to leave the damn room. And he suspected his mother was the reason he hadn't seen his rats yet.

So while the apology and explanation should have meant a lot and cleared some things up. The apology wasn't enough and the explanation didn't make much sense based on the way they were treating him. Although, he reasoned that he probably deserved it. He likely scared them all with what he had done to Daz.

Bruno was so torn. On one side, he could understand that he must look rabid, so they had to treat him like it. But on the other side, he had no choice. How else could he protect himself. Surely it didn't matter how he acted anyway. If they just left him alone, then they wouldn't have to deal with him and he wouldn't have to deal with everything he was being put through.

He angrily squirmed against the plants holding him in place. Bruno wanted out of his restraints, out of the room, and out of this life. He didn't want to live like this or with all the horrifying memories that would haunt him forever. And he certainly didn't want to live with a family that controlled his every move.

Julieta and Pepa walked in to see their brother rolling around and nearly falling off the bed. They quickly ran to his side, putting the food and water they had on the floor, and held him down from moving so much. "Bruno please," Julieta begged him, "You're going to hurt yourself." He didn't give a shit and growled at her.

"His stomach looks like a mess," Pepa said worriedly.

"We can try to get him to eat something," Julieta offered, although she could tell it was unlikely without help. "Maybe Camilo-"

"He can't," Pepa said quickly. "He told me that Bruno asked him not to look like Andre anymore." Julieta nodded in understanding. Bruno paused from his movements. Camilo had listened to him?

"We can at least cut his nails so he won't make it worse," Julieta said. "I'll be right back." She returned a few minutes later with the clippers and Isabela. Bruno started to struggle again. He didn't want them to take anymore from him.

Isabela used her gift to loosen the vines around his arms. He immediately pulled them free as soon as he could only for vines to wrap around his wrists and tie them to the bed. Bruno screamed through the gag and pulled at the vines. The women in the room couldn't help the sorrow they felt in their hearts watching him.

With better access to his hands, Julieta began snipping his nails one by one as short as she could get them. Pepa paced the room with worry and a rain cloud above her head. She wanted to be able to do something to make things better for her brother, but she didn't know what.

Isabela sat on the bed next to her Tio. She tightened and stiffened the plants around his wrists to keep him still so her mother could clip his nails. "Tio Bruno, I just wanted to say thanks for not telling Maria that I killed Dante." Bruno looked away from her, he wished they would all go away. "They probably would have went after me. So, thank you for protecting me."

Bruno looked at her then, tears flooding his eyes. He never would have given her up to those people. He didn't know what he would do if those people had done anything to his family members like they had done to him. It became clear then, that maybe Daz deserved what he got. Bruno was only trying to protect Camilo from Daz's disgusting threat.

Bruno would have done anything to protect his family. And it occurred to him now, that he was currently doing the opposite. He was hurting them. He threw things at them and could have injured them. Camilo could have been cut by the knife he tried to use. He bit Agustin. Bruno never wanted to hurt his family, no matter what. A horrible sense of guilt and shame fell over him then.

"Okay, all done." Julieta announced. Pepa approached her brother, touching his shoulder gently, then leaving the room. She just wanted to stick around long enough to know he was going to be okay. "There's food and water down on the floor if you want it," Julieta told her brother before also leaving the room.

Isabella stood and walked toward the door. Bruno's heart started to race, afraid they were going to leave him tied up again. But the plants began to recede as soon as she shut the door releasing him. He untangled himself from them as soon as he could, and sat up on the bed. He couldn't decide what to do next.

.=.

At breakfast the family was quiet. Maria and her son's sat awkwardly with them. Pepa couldn't help but shoot Maria dirty looks, which only made things more awkward. Eventually Abuela made a few announcements.

First, everyone was still needed in town. They were still behind and although everyone preferred to be home for Bruno, it just wasn't plausible. Second, they were to finish sealing the encanto without letting Maria and her sons leave. It was too risky to allow them to leave as they could lead more people back.

Abuela didn't trust Maria, and the Madrigals already decided that while the woman was guilty in her part of Bruno's torture, they would not kill her. She had been misled and manipulated, and although she helped kidnap Bruno and Dolores, she also helped save them. Her punishment would be to never return home and become a useful part of their community.

Maria and her son's weren't happy about the decision. "You can't keep us here!" Rico shouted standing up at the table. Maria tried to pull him to sit down, thinking it unwise to upset a family with powers that could kill them in an instant.

"I'm sorry for my part in this, but I was only seeking revenge for my husband's death. Any of you would have done the same," Maria argued.

"It's not the same," Isabela countered. "You're husband was a criminal and endangered the lives of this entire town."

"I didn't know he intended to harm innocent people," Maria tried to explain. "We were misled to believe you people weren't good.

"You're lucky Abuela believes that story!" Pepa yelled angrily, thunder boomed above her as she stood slamming her hands against the table. "You're getting off lightly-"

"Enough!" Alma shouted, "We have already been over what happened. We won't keep arguing over what can not be changed." Pepa huffed and walked away, Felix quickly followed hoping to calm her down. Everyone else either quietly finished eating or cleared out as well.

After Breakfast, most of the Madrigals headed to town. Isabela would be in charge of looking after Bruno. Camilo stayed home at the request of Pepa for his well being. He looked miserable and tired during their meal. Dolores wasn't fairing much better, but she would be going to visit Mariano, who always knew how to make her feel better.

"Could I see Bruno today?" Maria asked catching Abuela just before she left for town. She wanted to apologize to him for what she allowed to happen, but she also wanted to see how he was. She heard about what happened in the morning and was worried. She knew his family meant well, but she still had some minor distrust of how they were handling him.

"No, He's not ready to see anyone and I don't think he will be ready for some time," Alma answered before walking away. Maria was a little annoyed by that. She knew what he'd been through and she would be sensitive to him. But she could not argue with the old woman, as she was being allowed to stay in Casita until a new house could be built for her family. But that didn't mean she couldn't secretly see him.