Here is the second chapter. Credit for the song in this chapter goes to Keke Palmer who performed it for Ice age 4. I do not own it. I just want to use it for this chapter for fun.
We are Family
Six long years it has been. Six long years of living in their perfect glorious city of Milagro de Amor. They had built the best life since leaving Encanto and everyone in it. In this amazing place, they felt no stress, no neglect, no discomfort. Only love.
The moment stopped and everyone walked off to do their activities. Mirabel and Juano mounted Sinfonia and Esperanza and they trotted around the village waving towards everyone who instantly swooned over them. They had given these poor people so much since they came to this land, looking for a place to call home. And they had given it to them. They were well known throughout the community and were modestly admired by everyone.
Their horses took them to the top of a magnificent hill where they could see so much of the city and the hills and jungles that surrounded it. They sat down on the grass, Mirabel's head resting on Juano's head. Esperanza laid down to rest. Sinfonia brought her apples from a nearby tree to feed her and their future foal. He nuzzled her affectionately. They could not wait for their foal to be born.
Isandra wandered through the village buying groceries and then flowers. She brought a few bouquets of marigolds and placed them in a large basket. "They're perfect," she said giving her payment to the florist.
"Thank you," the woman answered. "Have a lovely day. We're so looking forward to tonight by the way,"
"Please send a Happy Birthday to your cousins," two flower girls wished.
"Of course. See you all tonight," Isandra waved goodbye and started skipping off into the streets. She turned a corner when she nearly bumped into a handsome boy with well-neat hair with bangs framing his face and handsome eyes with a good-looking poise.
"Why hello Balthasar," she greeted.
"How lovely to see you Isandra. Out shopping I see?" he crossed his arms.
"Yep. I'm just so excited about tonight,"
"Please send Happy Birthday to the twins from me," he requested.
"Of course. I'm so excited about tonight,"
"Me too. Would you like me to help you carry the groceries?"
"I'm okay but thank you," Isandra gently denied. "I'd best get going,"
"What are your plans for today?"
"We're all going on an exciting picnic and then the party will be tonight,"
"Well don't tell them but I'm going to bring Angelo and Harmony some fascinating clothes,"
Isandra was surprised. "Why…thank you. I'm sure they will love to wear them tonight when they get their gifts,"
"See you late Isi," Balthasar walked off giving off a romantic smile that made Isandra awkwardly flush. But as she walked away in the opposite direction, she felt her heart twisting into a knot. She reached for a golden pendant given to her by Camillo. She hadn't taken it off in the six years since she last saw him. Just wearing it around her neck after talking to a dear friend who was crazy about her made her feel so torn.
Bruno and Gabriella played around with their children.
"You guys know what today is?" Pedro eagerly asked his younger siblings.
Angelo and Harmony stared happily at him.
"Today's the day you both get gifts!" he cheered.
The twins danced around for joy. Their parents watched them with love and joy.
Isandra arrived and the twins rushed to her hugging her legs. She purposedly fell backwards so they could play on top of her. Pedro and their parents behind him smiled at the sight.
"Look what I brought for our picnic!" Isandra sung. She held up the large basket and inside were cakes and cookies and treats. Harmony tried to dig in but she pulled it out of reach. "Not so fast you cheeky monkey of a primo,"
Angelo and Harmony put on pouty faces. She couldn't resist their adorable cuteness.
"Okay," she said. She fished out two little cakes. "Just one each," They scoffed them down, oozing on their favourite icing.
"Where are Mirabel and Juano?" she asked.
"Just doing what couples do…" Bruno looked upwards and he saw his niece and the love of her life sitting together. "Let's go get the food and the blankets,"
Mirabel and Juano decided to leave Sinfonia and Esperanza for a while longer and take a walk alone. They walked along a ridge overlooking the city, admiring all the people below. Some of the folk saw them up above and waved. They smiled and waved back, continuing on their way. They came to another fantastic viewpoint. With the smell of jungle fauna drifting up their nostrils and the bright sun warming their skin, they saw the clifftop where they had discovered this lustrous valley. Behind it lay the jungle which they had travelled through from the Encanto they had left behind.
"Sometimes it only feels like yesterday we discovered this place," Mirabel reflected, leaning against Juano's shoulders.
"Sometimes I still imagine what this valley was like when it was all plain and full of potential," Juano waved his hands and the vision below them disappeared. They saw the valley in its past self. Plain and green. Fill of little life. The light rays diminished and they saw the valley as a populated city once again.
Mirabel loved observing their amazing home below but something was stirring in her heart. A type of yearning that she knew could never be achievable, both for herself and those they loved.
Juano sensed her discomfort. "You okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm just thinking about the Encanto, what everyone's doing,"
Her boyfriend hated her feeling so discomfortable. "I know. Sometimes I think about it too. I may not have been there long…but I miss it because it's where I met you," they shared a heartfelt smile and shared a quick kiss.
"Do you think it was wrong to leave?" Mirabel asked.
"Not really. But it's hard to say it was right," confessed Juano. "But what's important is we have each other,"
"And our family," said Mirabel wholeheartedly. "I love our life here, the life we've built with our miracle and all these people…but there'll always be a part of my heart that yearns for the place I was born in,"
"You wouldn't have a pure heart if you didn't feel that way," her boyfriend spoke proudly. "Why don't we get back? We have a primo and prima to dine with,"
They walked back to the horses and they rode them back to the house. There they saw Isandra and the others all packed up. "How nice of you to join us love birds," she teased.
"Oh ha, ha," Mirabel sarcastically replied. "All packed?"
"Sure are," Bruno said excitedly. "Now come on! Time to go!"
They loaded the cart up and attached Sinfonia to it. Esperanza trotted alongside him as he pulled the cart with the passengers and carried Juano and Mirabel on his back. They passed by the city, the twins receiving Happy Birthdays from the townsfolks. They arrived at a waterfall with a lagoon on the far side of the valley. The water shimmered under the sun and they felt the cool moisture evaporating from the pool as the water splashed into the plunge pool.
They laid blankets out on the soft grass and Isandra set out the food. They ate and dined before playing about in the pool. Sinfonia splashed them much to their joy but Bruno's irrigation. The kids played around and Isandra, Mirabel and Juano gave them piggybacks whilst the parents laughed and clapped. After a wet wonderland of splashes and jumps, Isandra pulled out a large birthday cake decorated with butterflies and flowers.
The family sang 'Happy Birthday' and the twins blew the candles out. They clapped and the horses neighed. They cut the cake and munched on the tasty sponge.
"Well done Tia," Isandra praised her aunt's cooking.
"You did a splendid job love," Bruno kissed his wife's cheek making her blush. They finished the cake and chilled out together in the sun.
"This was amazing," Isandra breathed.
Bruno and Gabriella smiled at their children who played together. Gabriella leaned against her husband's shoulder. They had come so far together as parents. They had never felt more in love since the day they were married. They were so happy that they had three beautiful children and they were raising them in a community of kind caring people.
Seeing Isandra had no one to lean against, Mirabel invited her over. Feeling loved and not left out, she scooted over resting her head against her best friend's side. They enjoyed the entertainment of happy children. "I love our family," Isandra said.
"There's nothing in this world that I would trade for," proclaimed Juano.
As they smiled at his words, Gabriella felt the urgent need to sing.
We are, we are
Not your ordinary fami-mily
But we can all agree that
We are, we are
Close as close can be
Bruno joined in the singing.
So it don't matter what it looks like
We look perfect to me
We got every kind of love
I feel so lucky indeed
Juano stood up pulling Mirabel along with Isandra up.
They can keep on talking
It don't matter to me cause
We are, we are family
The five linked hands and danced together in a circle.
We are are are are (We are)
We are are are are (We are)
We are are are are (We are)
We are, we are family, family, family
We are, we are family
So what?
We don't look, we don't act
We don't walk, we don't talk
Like they do
Mirabel reflected on their past lives where no one accepted or appreciated them for who they were. She imagined singing out to them, expressing how proud she was that they were a family and that was enough for her.
So what?
If we hang just to hang
Ain't no shame
We gon' do what we want to
Cause we come from everywhere
Searching for ones to care
Somehow we found it here
We found us a home
As she sang the last line, Juano spun her around breaking them from the chain and as they looked into each other's eyes. They remembered everything they had been through together since the birth of their miracle. A new family, a new home, a new community of people who looked up to them and respected them. What could be better than that?
Isandra sang the next verse as the children came rushing over, their hearts bumping header from the upbeat of their song. She took Harmony under the shoulders and spun her around in the air.
We are, we are
Not your ordinary fami-mily
But we can all agree that
We are, we are
Close as close can be
Bruno spun his wife around and they sang together.r
So it don't matter what it looks like
We look perfect to me
We got every kind of love
I feel so lucky indeed
They can keep on talking
It don't matter to me cause
We are, we are family
Mirabel inspired them to link hands together and they danced around in a circle together like a happy family. Sinfonia and Esperanza even joined.
OK, so the links in our chain makes us strange
But really they make us stronger
And I wouldn't replace not a thing
Mother or father
Cause we,
Isandra continued for her.
Cause we come from everywhere
Searching for ones to care
Somehow we found it here
We found us a home
For the final verses, they all sang together dancing on the grass. Mirabel and Juano released butterflies and balls of colourful light into the air to heighten the enjoyment of being part of a family, the greatest gift anyone could possibly imagine.
We are, we are
Not your ordinary fami-mily
But we can all agree that
We are, we are
Close as close can be
So it don't matter what it looks like
We look perfect to me
We got every kind of love
I feel so lucky indeed
They can keep on talking
It don't matter to me cause
We are, we are family(Family)
(We are)
We are, we are family
The song ended and they came together for a giant group hug. Sinfonia and Esperanza let Angelo and Harmony sit up on them and the family clapped for the twins' fifth birthday which was soon to become an ecstatic extravaganza tonight.
Another chapter is done. I hope you all enjoyed this. Please send reviews and let me know what you all thought. Also, I'm open to any offered ideas. See you all soon.